How devastated would you be if you got rejected everywhere?

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Lost, adrift, cheated, ashamed...You work hard over the years to get to this moment and 20+ schools unanimously agree that you're not fit to go medical school. You are among the 8% of 3.8/34 applicants who managed to **** this up badly enough to not get in. You then try and find a job to support yourself over the year only to find that a degree in the life sciences is complete **** in the job market and the kicker is that you only have one year to commit which makes any meaningful job virtually impossible to find. It doesn't even matter that you spent 4 damn years of your undergrad working 20 hours/week in your research lab, that starving Masters graduate or newly minted PhD is going to take your entry level job because that's apparently how things work now. You were one of "the smart ones" in your class, the one who people actually looked to because you always seemed to know things, yet now you're graduating unemployed with absolutely no idea what you're going to do, but at least it's with honors right?! Meanwhile, your "support structure" is now telling you to try and choose an easier career..."why not podiatry or pharm or opt?? Why are you wasting your time and money trying to chase a goal that you can't reach??" when they can't even tell you the basic process of application. Thank you for imparting your infinite wisdom upon me. Say, would you mind if I return the favor by teaching you how to fly a plane? No, I've never flown a plane before, but that apparently fits with your backwards standard of qualification.

So yeah, in my experience....it doesn't really feel too good...🙄

i've been saying this for a while but i really hope you get in
 

+2

I've been following your SDN posts since the start of this last app cycle, and we're very similar candidates. I'd really like to see one of your wait lists come through this summer.
 
Calm yourself. Please take a minute and appreciate what you have. The vast majority of people will never have the opportunity to go to college and get a degree, much less apply to medical school. It's silly to feel this depressed over this when it's truly a blessing that you even have the chance to apply.

Getting carried away with the exaggeration there, eh? What TheShaker said is perfectly valid and his rant is completely justified. Your "positive humanistic" approach really doesn't apply here (and instead it seems you're downplaying TheShaker's story). Strong applicants like TheShaker are rightly disappointed when they don't get in, even though they have strong stats and ECs etc. It's completely heartbreaking, and I empathize with TheShaker and wish him best of luck in the future.

When you have the credentials to get into a good job (or med school or law school etc.), it is heartbreaking to not get in. I don't know about you, but I definitely wouldn't view this as a blessing just to apply.
 
qualified people get cheated out of something all the time. i have seen it at my workplace where incompetent individuals who get promoted over more qualified people. its the way of life
 
qualified people get cheated out of something all the time. i have seen it at my workplace where incompetent individuals who get promoted over more qualified people. its the way of life

👍

This statement just proves my point that applying for something isn't a blessing. Getting in is. The real world can be a very harsh place unfortunately, so all that utopian humanism is pure ideology with no connections to reality.
 
Calm yourself. Please take a minute and appreciate what you have. The vast majority of people will never have the opportunity to go to college and get a degree, much less apply to medical school. It's silly to feel this depressed over this when it's truly a blessing that you even have the chance to apply.

And those people have nothing to do with anything. I'm offended for the poster that you would call these feelings 'silly.'
 
And those people have nothing to do with anything. I'm offended for the poster that you would call these feelings 'silly.'

Ignore sundacing. He/she is more absorbed in ideology of a utopian paradise instead of reality and isn't afraid to dismiss valid concerns as nonsensical.
 
How is the bolded "exaggeration?" It's completely true. I'm not saying Shaker doesn't have a right to be sad. He has the right to be upset. But in reality, nobody died and it's not the end of the world or his career. He will very likely land an acceptance in the future, which is more than most people can hope for.

I don't know your circumstances, but if you don't consider the ability to consider medical school a blessing then I suggest you try to get more clinical experience in underserved areas.

1. You're actually telling me that the vast majority of people are struggling to gain a college education? Sure for some small portion, but I wouldn't say it's that large of a number, despite the whole recession and economy problems. If you're referring to a Third World country, you're probably right. I'm talking in the context of the US and other industrialized nations. We aren't uneducated.

2. @bolded Wow... just wow. Way to ignore TheShaker's concerns (again) with the bolded. Anyone can say what you're saying but you're not exactly living through TheShaker's situation vicariously.

3. I never said medical school isn't a blessing. APPLYING isn't a blessing; ACCEPTED is. Instead, it's an unfortunate situation that no one has to undergo. It's really self-explanatory as to why that is, so I'll let you figure that out.
 
Where the **** did you get that idea from? For the life of me I can't decide why people have to show such disrespect to people over the Internet (and no, telling someone to put it in perspective isn't being disrespectful). I don't know what SDN has taught you but being a douche won't get you into medical school.

Edit: typo

Your initial post is a blatant disregard to TheShaker's concerns; hence my reply. Just because you now "clarify" to put it into perspective doesn't reduce the insult from your initial post. Anyone can say what you said. But experiencing TheShaker's situation personally will make anyone sing a different tune.

Try living in TheShaker's (or any reapplicant's shoes) first. I will guarantee you that you will change your perspectives entirely. What you said was an insult, which was why I had no choice but to condemn you for that.
 
Where the **** did you get that idea from? For the life of me I can't decide why people have to show such disrespect to people over the Internet (and no, telling someone to put it in perspective isn't being disrespectful). I don't know what SDN has taught you it being a douche won't get you into medical school.

Putting everything into perspective is nice and all, but it's utterly useless and still doesn't change the fact that the poster has essentially lost one year from their medical career.

The world is an unfair place, but I'm not about to guilt myself for feeling bad about not getting something I want just because other people could never even dream of having it.
 
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I'll be disappointed, more from the thousands of dollars I spent on this idiotic process than the fact that I was actually rejected.
Same
 
I'd lock myself in a room for 10 days with an Adele CD.
 
Around 30% of adults hold a Bachelor's degree in the United States. That means 70% of people in the United States do not. Please check your facts before you belittle everything that I'm saying.

I didn't ignore Shaker's concerns. I said he had every right to be upset.

Your third point is unnecessarily condescending so I'm just going to ignore it.

1. :smack: I'm not going to say anything here because I don't want to continue this hijack.

2. :shrug: Whatever you say...

3. That point was no where condescending. I'm not exactly sure where you delivered that conclusion. I'm actually curious to know what you think of this point here, because that is the core of your post against TheShaker's rant.
 
Lost, adrift, cheated, ashamed...You work hard over the years to get to this moment and 20+ schools unanimously agree that you're not fit to go medical school. You are among the 8% of 3.8/34 applicants who managed to **** this up badly enough to not get in. You then try and find a job to support yourself over the year only to find that a degree in the life sciences is complete **** in the job market and the kicker is that you only have one year to commit which makes any meaningful job virtually impossible to find. It doesn't even matter that you spent 4 damn years of your undergrad working 20 hours/week in your research lab, that starving Masters graduate or newly minted PhD is going to take your entry level job because that's apparently how things work now. You were one of "the smart ones" in your class, the one who people actually looked to because you always seemed to know things, yet now you're graduating unemployed with absolutely no idea what you're going to do, but at least it's with honors right?! Meanwhile, your "support structure" is now telling you to try and choose an easier career..."why not podiatry or pharm or opt?? Why are you wasting your time and money trying to chase a goal that you can't reach??" when they can't even tell you the basic process of application. Thank you for imparting your infinite wisdom upon me. Say, would you mind if I return the favor by teaching you how to fly a plane? No, I've never flown a plane before, but that apparently fits with your backwards standard of qualification.

So yeah, in my experience....it doesn't really feel too good...🙄

I totally agree with this post except to add that I went through this twice in a row and the fact that I am international discourages any employees from even looking at my resume. Makes me regret busting my a** on Fri nights studying while friends went out partying. What's the point of getting 2 degrees, good grades, spending months studying for the mcat etc when at the very end, you have absolutely nothing to show for it except a piece of paper?

Sometimes, I just want to isolate myself from the rest of the world, curl up under the blanket and cry.
 
I have no spine so I'm just going to go ahead and apologize that my first post seemed insensitive. It was meant to be more of a "chin-up" encouraging comment, but clearly it wasn't interpreted that way. I also really hate arguing and I'm pretty bad at it so that's probably why I sound like a blabbering idiot.

I'm also really sorry for calling you a douche. That was uncalled for and hypocritical.

Goddamn you're a bigger person than me....

I used to think in a way similar to you. Then I realized its not really a proper perspective given the fact that we don't live in scenarios of people who don't have said opportunities. For me, both my parents came from dirt poor backgrounds so it was emphasized how much worse life could have been for me. It's a nice thought to realize what you have, and it truly is important, but if it's raining and you at least have your health it doesn't change the fact that your clothes are drenched.

This comic kind of paints a picture.
 
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Lost, adrift, cheated, ashamed...You work hard over the years to get to this moment and 20+ schools unanimously agree that you're not fit to go medical school. You are among the 8% of 3.8/34 applicants who managed to **** this up badly enough to not get in. You then try and find a job to support yourself over the year only to find that a degree in the life sciences is complete **** in the job market and the kicker is that you only have one year to commit which makes any meaningful job virtually impossible to find. It doesn't even matter that you spent 4 damn years of your undergrad working 20 hours/week in your research lab, that starving Masters graduate or newly minted PhD is going to take your entry level job because that's apparently how things work now. You were one of "the smart ones" in your class, the one who people actually looked to because you always seemed to know things, yet now you're graduating unemployed with absolutely no idea what you're going to do, but at least it's with honors right?! Meanwhile, your "support structure" is now telling you to try and choose an easier career..."why not podiatry or pharm or opt?? Why are you wasting your time and money trying to chase a goal that you can't reach??" when they can't even tell you the basic process of application. Thank you for imparting your infinite wisdom upon me. Say, would you mind if I return the favor by teaching you how to fly a plane? No, I've never flown a plane before, but that apparently fits with your backwards standard of qualification.

So yeah, in my experience....it doesn't really feel too good...🙄

Have you ever had anybody else read your AMCAS application? , keep your head up tho man, I'm sitting here successful after reapplying even though I took several years off before reapplying to really just grow up and live. You have great stats so there should be something easy to fix. I had to overcome a horrendous GPA, and needed to do an MS, even just as a backup plan.
 
why u guys have to take everything so seriously 🙁. calm down guys
 
I have no spine so I'm just going to go ahead and apologize that my first post seemed insensitive. It was meant to be more of a "chin-up" encouraging comment, but clearly it wasn't interpreted that way. I also really hate arguing and I'm pretty bad at it so that's probably why I sound like a blabbering idiot.

I'm also really sorry for calling you a douche. That was uncalled for and hypocritical.

Thanks for the apology, but I'm not really the center of attention here (instead it's TheShaker, whom I essentially spoke on behalf of). I guess I got carried away after following the Panic Thread for too long. 😳

why u guys have to take everything so seriously 🙁. calm down guys

What else did you expect? I guess you struck the wrong nerve of a few reapplicants. 👎
 
This thread in general seems a tad distasteful for students who didn't earn acceptances so I thought I would leave some advice that a Chief of Emergency Med left me - The only people who don't become doctors are the ones that give up. Best of luck to all.
 
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again...then quit. There's no point in being a damn fool about it.
 
Ha no worries! I've got enough reasons and motivation to go to medical school on my accord. It's just when my parents (both doctors) rate Jefferson as the lowest I should apply (in reality I'd love to go there) that somewhat grinds my gears.

QFT. Despite my parents being non-physicians AND non-traditional students, getting accepted to a top-tier school has become their expectation.

To them, acceptance to a top 20-50 school = disappointment.
Anything other than that, including non-acceptance = death.

The real kicker is that when I told them (after a year of serious deliberation) that my intent was to apply to medical school instead of pharmacy school, they tried to push me away from medicine initially.
 
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again...then quit. There's no point in being a damn fool about it.

SDN user "noshie" took the MCAT 5 times and applied 3 times before getting in. It's possible if you want it bad enough but I'll probably give up after 1 or 2 cycles.
 
QFT. Despite my parents being non-physicians AND non-traditional students, getting accepted to a top-tier school has become their expectation.

To them, acceptance to a top 20-50 school = disappointment.
Anything other than that, including non-acceptance = death.

The real kicker is that when I told them (after a year of serious deliberation) that my intent was to apply to medical school instead of pharmacy school, they tried to push me away from medicine initially.

Yeah, my parents pretty much consider me a failure since I didn't get into the top 3 med school connected to my undergrad. But almost everyone in my family is a physician.
 
Yeah, my parents pretty much consider me a failure since I didn't get into the top 3 med school connected to my undergrad. But almost everyone in my family is a physician.

Is your MDApps for real?
 
I have no spine so I'm just going to go ahead and apologize that my first post seemed insensitive. It was meant to be more of a "chin-up" encouraging comment, but clearly it wasn't interpreted that way. I also really hate arguing and I'm pretty bad at it so that's probably why I sound like a blabbering idiot.

I'm also really sorry for calling you a douche. That was uncalled for and hypocritical.

Hi Sun,

I'm one of the people who didn't get an acceptance this cycle. To make it worse than just straight rejections, I'm on two waitlists that I know won't return anything good but I'm still left with that horrible bit of "hope", kind of like sisyphus. To make it doubly worse, I was told that any other year I probably would have been taken off one of these waitlists, however this year an abnormal amount of people have taken up their acceptance offer.

I don't find your post offensive, just slightly misdirected. I see that you were trying to be motivating, but if we turned it into a statistic, your post is about 75% "stop complaining" and 25% "you can do it!". At a time where people feel like complete failures and like the last four years have been worth nothing, it's sometimes better to cuddle a person rather than be straight edge with them. This isn't to say that you absolutely have to do that, but it's just kind of the nice thing to do.

Regards
 
SDN user "noshie" took the MCAT 5 times and applied 3 times before getting in. It's possible if you want it bad enough but I'll probably give up after 1 or 2 cycles.

3 cycles? Wow, I can't imagine throwing down so much money like that. Getting a job (which I doubt will pay well) and credit cards/loan can only take you so far before you have to throw in the towel.

Yeah, my parents pretty much consider me a failure since I didn't get into the top 3 med school connected to my undergrad. But almost everyone in my family is a physician.

Parents, always claiming they want the best for you when sometimes their expectation is just a little ridiculous 🙄.

At least my parent would be happy with any acceptance from somewhere.
 
QFT. Despite my parents being non-physicians AND non-traditional students, getting accepted to a top-tier school has become their expectation.

To them, acceptance to a top 20-50 school = disappointment.
Anything other than that, including non-acceptance = death.

The real kicker is that when I told them (after a year of serious deliberation) that my intent was to apply to medical school instead of pharmacy school, they tried to push me away from medicine initially.

Christ I'm happy I had a normal childhood and well-adjusted parents.

And I went to Princeton. So that tiger parent stuff is hardly necessary.
 
I would commit suicide. No joke. But first, I would try and complete a SMP and re-apply, maybe with a higher MCAT, if needed. And a publication or two. Basically not getting in is not an option, period. And if that option so arises, suicide is the only solution.
 
I would commit suicide. No joke. But first, I would try and complete a SMP and re-apply, maybe with a higher MCAT, if needed. And a publication or two. Basically not getting in is not an option, period. And if that option so arises, suicide is the only solution.

No joke, that is very disturbing and you need to get off the internet and talk with someone right now. If suicide is 'not a joke,' you need to find a hotline and call it.
 
No joke, that is very disturbing and you need to get off the internet and talk with someone right now. If suicide is 'not a joke,' you need to find a hotline and call it.

We'll get there when that situation so arises. It hasn't arisen......yet 😳
 
I would commit suicide. No joke. But first, I would try and complete a SMP and re-apply, maybe with a higher MCAT, if needed. And a publication or two. Basically not getting in is not an option, period. And if that option so arises, suicide is the only solution.

Medicine isn't some magical and fulfilling career. If you put this much weight on it, you're bound to be disappointed.
 
Medicine isn't some magical and fulfilling career. If you put this much weight on it, you're bound to be disappointed.

When you bust your butt in undergrad with countless all-nighters, sucking up to random hedonistic people in positions of power to get good letters of recommendation and to embellish your resume, and when you do all of this at cost to your personal, social and physical health, for four years, you become entitled, jaded and determined as hell. So even if it is not all it has been made out to be, I sure as hell better get in.
 
When you bust your butt in undergrad with countless all-nighters, sucking up to random hedonistic people in positions of power to get good letters of recommendation and to embellish your resume, and when you do all of this at cost to your personal, social and physical health, for four years, you become entitled, jaded and determined as hell. So even if it is not all it has been made out to be, I sure as hell better get in.

I understand where you're coming from. I hated all of that ****, too, but it won't be the end of the world if you don't get in.
 
When you bust your butt in undergrad with countless all-nighters, sucking up to random hedonistic people in positions of power to get good letters of recommendation and to embellish your resume, and when you do all of this at cost to your personal, social and physical health, for four years, you become entitled, jaded and determined as hell. So even if it is not all it has been made out to be, I sure as hell better get in.

You're doing it wrong if your "personal, social, and physical health" has been suffering for the past four years. I pulled a total of zero all nighters in undergrad, I consider my professors friends, and my outlook on life could not be sunnier.
 
You're doing it wrong if your "personal, social, and physical health" has been suffering for the past four years. I pulled a total of zero all nighters in undergrad, I consider my professors friends, and my outlook on life could not be sunnier.

Yep. Me too.
 
I understand where you're coming from. I hated all of that ****, too, but it won't be the end of the world if you don't get in.

I still cringe when I think about all the mental and physical abuse my lab PIs made me go through, all of which I suffered with a protracted smile on my face SIMPLY because I needed those thousands of hours of research and because I needed that glowing letter of recommendation. And thats just research. Dont even get me started on all the other **** I've had to do. And forget the freshman 15, I suffered through the frickin pre-med 45. Thats right, not an MCAT score, I'm talking adipose tissue here. And that's just the tip of the frickin iceberg. I could write an entire personal statement (within 5300 characters, including spaces) elucidating all the hoops I've had to jump through, all the pain I've had to suffer, and all the nonsense I've had to tolerate just to prove my mettle as a pre-med to matriculate SOMEWHERE- the funny thing is, its still UP IN THE AIR after ALL this BULLsh*t. So yeah, while it wont be the end of the world, it will be the end of ME. 😳
 
You're doing it wrong if your "personal, social, and physical health" has been suffering for the past four years. I pulled a total of zero all nighters in undergrad, I consider my professors friends, and my outlook on life could not be sunnier.

That really doesn't help anyone.
 
You're doing it wrong if your "personal, social, and physical health" has been suffering for the past four years. I pulled a total of zero all nighters in undergrad, I consider my professors friends, and my outlook on life could not be sunnier.

Nope. I was the "perfect pre-med" or so it seems. I didn't do it wrong- I did it EXACTLY right, per SDN and my advisors. Maybe you took the easy route?
 
Poster did not and should not have been miserable for four years of undergrad. Like you said before, it's just a career, and there's no reason to be committing suicide over not getting in.

"Just a career..." Wow. As if careers are not important. What if its the only career you are cut out for, one for which you have spent tens of thousands of hours agonizing and planning over? I mean what else could a pre-med that is passionate about medicine do? Work as a lab-tech? Go to grad school and get a PhD in something that doesn't interest him/her? Lack of empathy can be dangerous. EDIT: And what do you mean by "Poster should not have been miserable...." LOL- are you insinuating that I had a choice in the matter? Amazing.
 
"Just a career..." Wow. As if careers are not important. What if its the only career you are cut out for, one for which you have spent tens of thousands of hours agonizing and planning over? I mean what else could a pre-med that is passionate about medicine do? Work as a lab-tech? Go to grad school and get a PhD in something that doesn't interest him/her? Lack of empathy can be dangerous.

Empathy works both way, buddy. You don't even realize how ridiculous you sound by touting all this "if I can't be a doctor then I'm killing myself" nonsense. I've had the misfortune of living through the suicides of far too many people in my life, and to have such a juvenile outlook on life is appalling.

From the the way you put things, you're probably getting in eventually, but, in the meantime, get some help.
 
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