Heard Back from First School and its a Rejection...Terrified.. Anyone else?

[romealone]

hey guys.
So I have had my secondaries in for about 2-3 weeks now and I just got my first letter today. It was from LECOM-B and they politely told me to **** off...

Anyhow, I am just terrified/dissapointed/heartbroken since this was the first school I've heard from and it was a rejection. My stats are solid for DO and it just worries me that they didn't even want me for an interview. It makes me wonder if there is something else about my application schools find objectionable.

My stats are
Cumm gpa: 3.56
Science gpa: 3.73
MCAT: 27Q

My EC's are good but standard and I have 6 amazing LOR's.
I know my stats aren't out of this world, but speaking honestly, my gpa (esp. science) is considerably above their average, and my MCAT is competitive. Add in my great LOR's and good EC...I honestly am confused about why they wouldn't want to at least interview me.

I should mention this:
In my application I talked about the fact that I have been a professional jazz musician for a number of years and that I compete in professional poker tournaments. I am now starting to wonder if talking about those things (esp. the poker), was a mistake. Anyone have any insight into this? Thanks.

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[blueflower]

No ... I don't think those things would cause you to get an automatic rejection. If anything, I think it's just because you applied late in the process. I know it's hard, but chin up ... your stats are solid and you should be getting interviews eventually. Just be patient (easier said than done, I know).

hey guys.
So I have had my secondaries in for about 2-3 weeks now and I just got my first letter today. It was from LECOM-B and they politely told me to **** off...

Anyhow, I am just terrified/dissapointed/heartbroken since this was the first school I've heard from and it was a rejection. My stats are solid for DO and it just worries me that they didn't even want me for an interview. It makes me wonder if there is something else about my application schools find objectionable.

My stats are
Cumm gpa: 3.56
Science gpa: 3.73
MCAT: 27Q

My EC's are good but standard and I have 6 amazing LOR's.
I know my stats aren't out of this world, but speaking honestly, my gpa (esp. science) is considerably above their average, and my MCAT is competitive. Add in my great LOR's and good EC...I honestly am confused about why they wouldn't want to at least interview me.

I should mention this:
In my application I talked about the fact that I have been a professional jazz musician for a number of years and that I compete in professional poker tournaments. I am now starting to wonder if talking about those things (esp. the poker), was a mistake. Anyone have any insight into this? Thanks.

 

[Hottpants89]

hey guys.
So I have had my secondaries in for about 2-3 weeks now and I just got my first letter today. It was from LECOM-B and they politely told me to **** off...

Anyhow, I am just terrified/dissapointed/heartbroken since this was the first school I've heard from and it was a rejection. My stats are solid for DO and it just worries me that they didn't even want me for an interview. It makes me wonder if there is something else about my application schools find objectionable.

My stats are
Cumm gpa: 3.56
Science gpa: 3.73
MCAT: 27Q

My EC's are good but standard and I have 6 amazing LOR's.
I know my stats aren't out of this world, but speaking honestly, my gpa (esp. science) is considerably above their average, and my MCAT is competitive. Add in my great LOR's and good EC...I honestly am confused about why they wouldn't want to at least interview me.

I should mention this:
In my application I talked about the fact that I have been a professional jazz musician for a number of years and that I compete in professional poker tournaments. I am now starting to wonder if talking about those things (esp. the poker), was a mistake. Anyone have any insight into this? Thanks.

How many did you apply to? As long as you applied to a few more I think you're in good shape still. LECOM has been interviewing and accepting people for a long time now. I think they started interviews back in July and most others start in October.

 

[romealone]

Thanks for the responses guys. I applied to a total of 14 DO schools.
Again, I was kind of expecting to get a good number of interviews due to my above avg. gpa, competitive MCAT and amazing LOR's, but after having my first letter be a rejection today...I am just terrified. I truly hope you are right about it being the fact that LECOM has been interviewing for some time.

 

[PunkmedGirl]

LECOM-B is also a little more selective because they want to find the right students for PBL. You're stats are good so don't worry about not getting in. Now, if you get 13 rejections then you can start worrying.

 

[DOwnage]

...My EC's are good but standard and I have 6 amazing LOR's....

Do you mind sharing your EC's? Also, did you actually read your letters or did you have a third party ensure that the letters were "sealed"? Did you get a DO letter?

I should mention this:
In my application I talked about the fact that I have been a professional jazz musician for a number of years and that I compete in professional poker tournaments. I am now starting to wonder if talking about those things (esp. the poker), was a mistake. Anyone have any insight into this? Thanks.

honestly, i would think both of these things would be a plus. it shows you're not 1-dimensional. I think the poker thing being "professional" actually makes it legit.

EDIT: I also wanted to add, did you apply to MD schools as well as DO? Did your essays reflect osteopathic medicine specifically?

 

[selfhealer]

Do you mind sharing your EC's? Also, did you actually read your letters or did you have a third party ensure that the letters were "sealed"? Did you get a DO letter?

honestly, i would think both of these things would be a plus. it shows you're not 1-dimensional. I think the poker thing being "professional" actually makes it legit.

EDIT: I also wanted to add, did you apply to MD schools as well as DO? Did your essays reflect osteopathic medicine specifically?

Hi, thanks so much for your response and interest (and to everyone else as well).
As for my EC's:
Volunteer at a physical rehab facility for past 18 months
Volunteer at ER for past 4 months
Volunteer in a mobile testing facility on and off for last year
Was the TA for a biology course
Research Assistant for a project with medical applications in the physics dept.
Shadowed DO for about 40 hours.

As for my LOR's:
I actually had a chance to read all 6 of them. All 6 writers provided me with a personal copy to read. It's not as though I could edit or change the letters, they just provided me with a copy to read after they submitted it. And yes, I got a DO letter for the DO I shadowed/

I did apply to a few MD schools (only ones I thought I had an outside shot with due to my MCAT score of 27Q).

In my personal statement I did speak at length about my interest in osteopathic medicine.

So all in all, I feel I have a fairly strong application and so I was honestly just a bit surprised and a LOT upset and worried that my first letter was a rejection. I applied to 13 other DO schools and 8 MD schools so I am hoping that this was just an unlucky first letter. But as I said, I am just worried that the poker or jazz musician thing might be frowned upon for some reason.

 

[cliffhuxtableDO]

i don't see how the jazz part could be frowned upon. poker, perhaps, but you're freaking out about 1 rejection. chill. you applied late and apparently LECOM-B doesn't think you're a fit for their curriculum, so what? you still have other chances. stop whining and start waiting (patiently).

 

[seap3]

Um, do you have 2 user names (selfhealer and romealone)? You're only supposed to have 1.

When people do this it makes me wonder if they are a troll.

 

[Slane]

What was the breakdown of your MCAT? LECOM tends to prefer high verbal scores. If you were lacking there, it could have hurt you (especially at Bradenton.)

 

[selfhealer]

Um, do you have 2 user names? You're only supposed to have 1.

When people do this it makes me wonder if they are a troll.

Apologies. Yes I do have 2 user names and am aware that i should only have 1. I had a computer virus nightmare and I needed to make new accounts for all my forums. By the way, if I was trolling, I think I would give myself better then my respectable yet pedestrian stats.

My MCAT breakdown was P10 V9 B8 Writing Q

 

[seap3]

Apologies. Yes I do have 2 user names and am aware that i should only have 1. I had a computer virus nightmare and I needed to make new accounts for all my forums. By the way, if I was trolling, I think I would give myself better then my respectable yet pedestrian stats.

My MCAT breakdown was P10 V9 B8 Writing Q

Ok, that makes sense. Didn't mean to jump to conclusions.

Good luck this cycle. I wouldn't get too upset about the rejection yet. It seems that Lecom-B has been pretty picky this year. You never know what the adcoms are looking for.

 

[selfhealer]

Ok, that makes sense. Didn't mean to jump to conclusions.

Good luck this cycle. I wouldn't get too upset about the rejection yet. It seems that Lecom-B has been pretty picky this year. You never know what the adcoms are looking for.

No worries, and thanks for the well wishes.
So, apologies for my being so paranoid and sensitive about this whole rejection thing, but as Im sure everyone here knows, this process can be absolutely gut-wrenching.

So for my last obsessive question, let me ask this:
For someone with my stats:
My stats are
Cumm gpa: 3.56
Science gpa: 3.73
MCAT: 27Q
My EC's are good but standard and I have 6 amazing LOR's.

Keeping in mind that I've applied to 14 DO schools and got my secondaries in about 2-3 weeks ago, would it be very odd for me to get at least a few interviews, or is it completely possible/reasonable that given my stats, I might get turned down by everyone?

 

[TriagePreMed]

Keeping in mind that I've applied to 14 DO schools and got my secondaries in about 2-3 weeks ago, would it be very odd for me to get at least a few interviews, or is it completely possible/reasonable that given my stats, I might get turned down by everyone?

I've worked with some hardcore obsessive-compulsive disorder patients and you're exhibiting the exact same level of irrationality. You're expecting to get reaffirmation that you'll get accepted by a bunch of people that are not reviewing your case, not medical students and much less in admissions committees. In the end every positive reply (like the ones already given) will fall on deaf ears because "what if..." and the negative will only drive you more crazy. Find a way to calm yourself down. You're a gambler. You should know that not always the player with the best cards win.

 

[selfhealer]

I've worked with some hardcore obsessive-compulsive disorder patients and you're exhibiting the exact same level of irrationality. You're expecting to get reaffirmation that you'll get accepted by a bunch of people that are not reviewing your case, not medical students and much less in admissions committees. In the end every positive reply (like the ones already given) will fall on deaf ears because "what if..." and the negative will only drive you more crazy. Find a way to calm yourself down. You're a gambler. You should know that not always the player with the best cards win.

Hey...I admitted that I was being obsessive. Isn't admitting you have a problem the first step towards recovery?

Its funny because while I am a total control freak, I have never been "obsessive" about anything like this before. It is just so incredibly important to me and there seem to be so many variables that I find myself far more anxious then I should be. You are of course correct that any reaffirmations are somewhat meaningless, but at the same time, people here have lots of experience and knowledge regarding the application process and I expect they are correct more often then not.

And as for knowing that the player with the best cards not always winning...You are partially right. The player with the best cards and most skill doesn't always win, but they always win in the long run. Extending that metaphor to my application, it is my hope that while I might not get interview/accepted to every school, I will get in somewhere in the long run.

 

[Skippygonenuts]

I applied to 26 schools. Got 25 rejections, 1 interview and acceptance. Needless to say, the interview school was chronologically the last school I heard from. And on my list of "schools I was competitive for" it was the 2nd to last one. Don't lose hope...

 

[SUPERMAN128]

IDK how LECOM works!!??? I have average stats that are competitive for them, according to their website. I got rejected not even a week after I submitted my secondaries. I know someone that got in here with a 21 and 3.2 and average ECs. I guess sometimes its just luck. I'm in the same position as u...I'm going crazy but good luck with everything

 

[Slane]

IDK how LECOM works!!??? I have average stats that are competitive for them, according to their website. I got rejected not even a week after I submitted my secondaries. I know someone that got in here with a 21 and 3.2 and average ECs. I guess sometimes its just luck. I'm in the same position as u...I'm going crazy but good luck with everything

LECOM is a lot more forgiving early in the cycle. They become much more selective the later it gets. I was accepted to LECOM-Erie after an early August interview with a 3.2 cGPA, a 3.5 sGPA, and a 25O MCAT, but friends of mine who were accepted in January and February all had MCAT scores nearing or over 30 and GPA's that were at 3.5 or higher.

 

[wolverinepwns]

I applied to 26 schools. Got 25 rejections, 1 interview and acceptance. Needless to say, the interview school was chronologically the last school I heard from. And on my list of "schools I was competitive for" it was the 2nd to last one. Don't lose hope...

I'm pretty sure if that was me I would have lost hope after the 5th or 6th straight one! mad props for not going mad!

 

[ShyRem]

moving to WAMC.

 

[AutumnChild]

I think people really underestimate the importance of applying early in the cycle, especially with average stats. Though your numbers are definitely very good for DO schools, the schools themselves get more selective the later it gets in the cycle as the applicant pool increases significantly and they can only offer so many interviews/acceptances. But I still wouldn't worry as of yet. The season doesn't end until March/April so don't loose hope just because of 1 rejection.

As for those MD schools, depending on where you applied, your chances of hearing good news from them is a lot lower just because statistically MD schools get more stand-out applicants and prefer higher numbers in both GPA and MCAT. This can be slightly remedied by applying WAY early. But since most schools sent out secondaries in July and you weren't complete until around mid Sept you are behind. This doesn't mean you have absolutely no chance though because there is some randomness in the process. These are just the trends that have been established. Good luck!

 

[romealone]

I think people really underestimate the importance of applying early in the cycle, especially with average stats. Though your numbers are definitely very good for DO schools, the schools themselves get more selective the later it gets in the cycle as the applicant pool increases significantly and they can only offer so many interviews/acceptances. But I still wouldn't worry as of yet. The season doesn't end until March/April so don't loose hope just because of 1 rejection.

As for those MD schools, depending on where you applied, your chances of hearing good news from them is a lot lower just because statistically MD schools get more stand-out applicants and prefer higher numbers in both GPA and MCAT. This can be slightly remedied by applying WAY early. But since most schools sent out secondaries in July and you weren't complete until around mid Sept you are behind. This doesn't mean you have absolutely no chance though because there is some randomness in the process. These are just the trends that have been established. Good luck!

Yea, I am learning how important it is to get your apps in early. Unfortunately I had no choice but to get mine in mid-sept. I have not yet taken organic chem and needed this past summer to teach myself orgo and prepare for the MCAT. So, I was not able to take the MCAT until mid august which means no scores until mid september so my app was not complete until a few weeks ago.

It is just my hope that despite being somewhat late, I will get some positive responses from several DO schools. From what I am learning, LECOM really does alot of their interviewing and accepting early so perhaps that it why I got rejected despite having competitive stats. I hope that the other schools are not so harsh regarding mid-sept. apps and that I find myself with at least 1 acceptance. If not...I really will be crushed.