Facing my inner demons or should I call ?

[UES Girl]

Now that I have got you to read my post with a clever and catchy title you might be a bit disappointed as the actual question is pretty silly.

I am wondering should I call the schools I got rejected from to find out what was wrong with my application and how to improve it. Has anyone actually done it ? Was it useful at all ?

The reason why I am asking is because I kind of already know what sucked about my application and I am very afraid that if I call I'll get severely depressed again as it took me a few weeks to recover from those rejection letters. However, since I am getting ready to re-apply I wonder if it'll be beneficial to call and hear the school's perspective.

Please post your opinion, I know the actual question is borderline ridiculous, but I am getting scared just thinking about calling the schools.

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[njac]

I absolutely think you should speak with people at those schools. If nothing else, they'll make a note that you called, showing more interest, and that should help in the next cycle.

Good luck!

 

[twester]

I guess it depends on whether you really want to go to pharmacy school. Maybe what you think sucked about your application was actually its strong point in the view of the adcom. You have everything to lose by not doing what you know is obvious.

Good luck.

 

[glowinglimabean]

I know someone who called all the schools he got rejected from. It turned out to be very helpful for him. He lacked a lot of volunteer experience and some schools turned him down mainly because of that. Aside from that he's GPA was pretty low and his MCAT was alright. The year after that he reapplied and got into a fabulous med school. It definitely helps to get insight from the schools you applied to.

 

[AggiePharmer]

Cheburashka, I know you've done alot of soul searching after this round of apps, so I don't know how much I can add. That said, try and focus on what you did right.

Sure it's hard to forget the pain from being rejected (and equally difficult to overlook any self-perceived shortcomings), but if goals are the product of hopes and dreams, then hopefully you'll endure hardships like these, albeit good or bad, and find the means that will one day forge your own success.

If there's anyone more qualified to give you an honest appraisal, while showing committment to the field, then hopefully you'll have the courage to call the adcom and see what you can do.

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less."
~Marie Curie

 

[IrishRxMan]

I would definitely contact in some way the schools you applied to, ask what kept you out and what you need to do to improve for them. This will show the schools that you are determined and won't let the brick wall stand in your way. Think of Randy Pausch and his last lecture.

 

[cinnamoroll12]

Hey Cheb, I'm planning to call UCSF sometimes by this weekend, even though I know what sucked in my application.

 

[omnione]

Well, I suppose the best thing would be to try to remove as much emotion out of your logic. Rejection letters sucks and listening to some random person tell you why your app was shot down sucks. On a smaller scale, it's like getting shot down and then having a stranger tell you why.

The worst that can actually happen is that the school gives you a cold rejection to your request. I have plenty of friends who benefited from the call as they knew for sure what was wrong with the application. You might be able to sense if it's even worth reapplying.

 

[Psycho_Hedgehog]

The reason why I am asking is because I kind of already know what sucked about my application and I am very afraid that if I call I'll get severely depressed again as it took me a few weeks to recover from those rejection letters. However, since I am getting ready to re-apply I wonder if it'll be beneficial to call and hear the school's perspective.

Please post your opinion, I know the actual question is borderline ridiculous, but I am getting scared just thinking about calling the schools.

I don't think it is ridiculous at all. I have been struggling with the same question. I sent off an email asking for feedback as to why I was rejected, but I haven't heart anything back. I was debating whether to call or not.

I know that it is a scary thing to consider, especially after you feel recovered from the initial pain. I know I'm just scared I'll end up crying on the phone Needless to say, I haven't called yet.

Good luck if you decide to call. I hope it helps!

 

[UES Girl]

Thanks, everybody, for taking the time to read my post and also for your kind words of encouragement. They are exactly what I needed to hear, I think I will follow your advice and try to be as emotionless as possible. Tomorrow I am going on a 4 day long trip to explore Yosemite park so I'll have a few days to think this over and gather my strength.

Cinnamoroll12, good luck with your phone call !

 

[CrazyFox]

Thanks, everybody, for taking the time to read my post and also for your kind words of encouragement. They are exactly what I needed to hear, I think I will follow your advice and try to be as emotionless as possible. Tomorrow I am going on a 4 day long trip to explore Yosemite park so I'll have a few days to think this over and gather my strength.

Cinnamoroll12, good luck with your phone call !

Are you going camping there?Yeah somebody asks silly questions...Probably you are

 

[IrishRxMan]

Thanks, everybody, for taking the time to read my post and also for your kind words of encouragement. They are exactly what I needed to hear, I think I will follow your advice and try to be as emotionless as possible. Tomorrow I am going on a 4 day long trip to explore Yosemite park so I'll have a few days to think this over and gather my strength.

Cinnamoroll12, good luck with your phone call !

Ooohh, I would love to escape to the woods for a few days...lucky!

 

[pharmpilot]

I once had a Colonel tell me when I didn't get a position I wanted that the best revenge is to "outlive the bast****." Turns out I'd have never gotten into pharmacy school if I'd have gotten that position. Things happen for a reason and the best thing you can do is learn from it and keep going a direction that is good for you. For you it may not be outliving them, but let your desire outlive the rejection.

Call!!! And when you hear what it is you don't want to hear, don't use that to become depressed, use it to reenergize yourself so you can get where you want to go.

Enjoy Yosemite (I've never been but I've heard it's great). Sometimes a great vacation makes everything better.

 

[mustang sally]

I would call, just so you know the schools' opinions for sure. But try not to get so depressed over what they say. Try to remove yourself emotionally from the phone call (I know, easier said then done). It has been my experience so far that a lot of things are going to suck in life. You just have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again. Successful people persevere.

 

[tharper14]

Definitely call the schools... especially if you plan on reapplying there. This will let the adcoms know that you are serious about going to their school and it also allows them to get to know you personally. I bugged the crap out of the Dean of Admissions at UT, emailing him constantly whenever I had a question about admissions. I know some people say don't do it, adcoms hate it, but I think the exact opposite... it allows them to get to know you. Just make sure you're always extra polite to everyone in admissions. You never know what they'll tell the Dean of Admissions. If you make a positive impression on someone in admissions, it'll definitely look favorably upon you when you reapply.

Above all, think positive! You're worked hard, you know you'll make a great pharmacist, and any school would be lucky to have you... you just have to convince the adcoms that you are fantastic. It all comes down to having confidence and selling yourself!

 

[HoosierPharmD]

Hope you are having (had) a great trip!

I agree with the other posts, you should contact them. It took me two years to get in. I have been told that if you are offered an interview then the other areas are alright, and that you are well qualified to attend pharmacy school, there are just not enough spaces. That helped me not be so emotionally distraught. It also motivated me to take my potential to the next level, so I would be accepted the next time.

From your posts, I think you will be alright, you just have to pick yourself up and hit it hard. I am pretty sure that you had been offered interviews so you might want to work on interviewing. It is not that you are not qualified, it is just that they do not have enough spots. Be able to let the adcom know who you are in the interview.

My problem was confidence and being overly nervous. I used the interview feed back and wrote down answers and spend months evaluating/ improving my responses. Later, I recorded what I was practicing. This helped me realize that some of my answers did not portray the message I wanted to send. I also had trouble understanding what I was saying phonetically. Therefore, I made adjustments accordingly. You may also find it helpful to have mock interviews with someone involved with the pharmacy field. Our campus mock interviews were not very helpful because they are not directly involved in pharmacy. However, I interviewed with our corporate director of pharmacy and our pharmacy manager (2:me). That helped me the most because they know me very well and provided helpful insight.

I would also work on making sure my personal statement was succinct and demonstrates your qualities.

Keep your head up, you'll be fine. Dont let your confidence get in the way of your abilities.

 

[shunsistoesis]

yes, very attractive title indeed cheb

your posts are everywhere and you offered help to so many ppl! i'm sorry to hear about the rejection, but as everyone above said, definitely call the school to find out specifically what it is you should do in the next admission cycle. not an easy task..give yourself some time to chill out and know that many ppl try several times before they get in so (tactical) perseverance is key! u can do it!

i am picturing myself in this situation 2 weeks from now when i find out my results...cuz i haven't been feeling too good about this myself

 

[bananaface]

I once had a Colonel tell me when I didn't get a position I wanted that the best revenge is to "outlive the bast****."

I'll give that one a hell yeah.

 

[shehsheh]

Now that I have got you to read my post with a clever and catchy title you might be a bit disappointed as the actual question is pretty silly.

I am wondering should I call the schools I got rejected from to find out what was wrong with my application and how to improve it. Has anyone actually done it ? Was it useful at all ?

The reason why I am asking is because I kind of already know what sucked about my application and I am very afraid that if I call I'll get severely depressed again as it took me a few weeks to recover from those rejection letters. However, since I am getting ready to re-apply I wonder if it'll be beneficial to call and hear the school's perspective.

Please post your opinion, I know the actual question is borderline ridiculous, but I am getting scared just thinking about calling the schools.

I say... face reality... give them a call, find out AS MUCH DETAIL as you can on why they thought you weren't ready yet... and MAKE YOUR APPLICATION STRONGER for this time around! Good luck!

 

[medicalCPA]

Cheb, you won't read this until you get back from Yosemite tomorrow, but I want to join everyone else in advising you to call. I will be rooting for you during this year's application cycle.

 

[UES Girl]

Thanks, again, for all your opinions and taking the time to write them. I will call UCSF tomorrow. Here I decided to post some pictures from my trip to share some of the beautiful sights that I have seen, so you can enjoy it too.

 

[UES Girl]

Here I wanted to post a picture of the squirell that was brave enough to crawl up my leg and a deer that I have seen.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I was up at 4AM a few weeks ago and I actually caught that cartoon in Russian. Some trippy stuff...with a damn mouse and alligator running around in circles...giant CCCP across the wall. I could understand about every 15th word. That entire language pisses me off. It took me 5 hours to figure out the phonetic difference between ш and щ. It's bad enough I'm a country bumpkin that don't speak English right...

Anyways, I'd call them, too. Although I was never rejected, I probably would have called to get some pointers if I was. It can't hurt anything but your pride and cell phone minutes.

 

[tharper14]

Gorgeous pics!!! I'll definitely have to go there one day

 

[Sparda29]

Holy crap, that place looks awesome.

 

[CrazyFox]

Yeah...Pictures ARE gorgeous!!! This is the next dream place to have a vacation at. (Niagara was the first one).

 

[IrishRxMan]

I reiterate my "oohh, I would love to escape to the woods" especially after seeing the pics. Good luck in calling schools and adjusting what you need to!

 

[medicalCPA]

Now I have something to add to my ever-growing list of things to do before I die: Visit Yosemite!