No acceptance...feeling depressed

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lahaiesi

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Hey guys,
So I'm waiting from my last school and it's pretty safe to assume that I didn't get in. It's a super large crash to my ego and I don't know how to handle it. Everyone I know got accepted so I feel like a complete failure. Everyone says how hard it is to get and how there's such a low acceptance rate, but it's hard to believe when everyone I know got an acceptance. I don't want to give up on my dream but I don't know how many more times I'm supposed to go through rejection before I just give up from all the negativity. Can anyone give some words of advice? Thank you!

Update: Today I received a waitlist offer from a DO school. Fingers crossed that it turns out to be an acceptance! Thank you again to everyone who gave awesome advice!
 
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First off. What were your stats(GPA and MCAT), Extracurriculars, where and WHEN did you apply?

You need to give us more info. If your stats were low or you applied too late, then you have your reason as to why you didn't get in anywhere.
 
My stats were not great. 3.55 GPA and 25 MCAT. I did research and a lot of volunteering at hospitals and animal shelters. I worked all through college and did hospital shadowing. I applied everywhere in Michigan (MD and DO), and a few out of state (13 total I think). I applied as soon as the application opened.
 
A 3.55 and 25 is not TOO bad for DO. You must have applied to top-tier schools. What schools did you apply to to be exact?
 
lahaiesi said:
My stats were not great. 3.55 GPA and 25 MCAT. I did research and a lot of volunteering at hospitals and animal shelters. I worked all through college and did hospital shadowing. I applied everywhere in Michigan (MD and DO), and a few out of state (13 total I think). I applied as soon as the application opened.
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Where did you apply?
 
It's my cumulative. Not exactly sure what my sci is. Majority of my classes were categorized as sci since my major was med tech. I applied to MSU (MD and DO), Wayne, Oakland, WMU, CMU (all in Michigan). And a few out of state which I figured I wouldn't get into. The school I'm waiting on is the DO so I still haven't gotten rejected but the last email they sent out said they only had 22 spots left, plus some outstanding offers so my chances are slimming down each week that goes by.
 
1. Relax, life is long and you have time. Take that feeling of failure and turn it into something constructive.

2. Constructive means maybe study your ass off and retake the MCAT. Do more volunteering. Take a science class and ace it and say you did it because you wanted to do anything in your power to strengthen your application.

3. Reach out. People responded to your post and therefore care. If your feeling overwhelmed and need some motivation we are here for you.

Let me know if I can help!
 
Nontrad_DO_143 said:
1. Relax, life is long and you have time. Take that feeling of failure and turn it into something constructive.

2. Constructive means maybe study your ass off and retake the MCAT. Do more volunteering. Take a science class and ace it and say you did it because you wanted to do anything in your power to strengthen your application.

3. Reach out. People responded to your post and therefore care. If your feeling overwhelmed and need some motivation we are here for you.

Let me know if I can help!
Click to expand...

Wow that is seriously so nice! Thank you so much for your compassion and support. It's easy to feel misunderstood by family and friends who don't fully understand the process so it's really nice to get support from people who understand. I really appreciate what you said.
 
It happens.

You need to honestly assess why you might have struggled to get in and how you can improve your chances next year. I didn't get in my first try and I got into my favorite school my second. Try not to be too depressed about one bad cycle.
 
How many DO schools did you apply to? It seems to me you only applied to two DO school, one being quite competitive (MSUCOM). With your MCAT, you realistically don't stand any chance at any MD schools, even with your in-state residency. Even with some DO schools, your chances are a bit low due to that MCAT. Retake the MCAT and aim for 30+; you will then stand a moderate chance at MD schools. You could try applying again this coming June and expand your DO list to 15+ schools with a mix of established and new schools. I am certain you will land some acceptances, given good LOR/ECs/essays.
 
s5260205 said:
How many DO schools did you apply to? It seems to me you only applied to two DO school, one being quite competitive (MSUCOM). With your MCAT, you realistically don't stand any chance at any MD schools, even with your in-state residency. Even with some DO schools, your chances are a bit low due to that MCAT. Retake the MCAT and aim for 30+; you will then stand a moderate chance at MD schools. You could try applying again this coming June and expand your DO list to 15+ schools with a mix of established and new schools. I am certain you will land some acceptances, given good LOR/ECs/essays.
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I didn't apply to many due to wanting to stay near this area. That was a mistake on my part and will definitely apply to more DO schools next cycle. I'm assuming those schools will be my best chance so I think I will focus more on those next cycle.
 
lahaiesi said:
I didn't apply to many due to wanting to stay near this area. That was a mistake on my part and will definitely apply to more DO schools next cycle. I'm assuming those schools will be my best chance so I think I will focus more on those next cycle.
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Try going to the "what are my chances" forum, post your complete stats and ask for a recommended school list.
 
Yeah...it sounds like you applied far too narrowly. It is nice to want to stay in one area, but that is not necessarily realistic when it comes the competitiveness and to some degree the proverbial luck of the draw nature of the beast.
 
AM508 said:
Yeah...it sounds like you applied far too narrowly. It is nice to want to stay in one area, but that is not necessarily realistic when it comes the competitiveness and to some degree the proverbial luck of the draw nature of the beast.
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Yea definitely a mistake on my part. As a first timer I wasn't completely aware of how broadly I really did need to apply. Lesson learned!
 
lahaiesi said:
Yea definitely a mistake on my part. As a first timer I wasn't completely aware of how broadly I really did need to apply. Lesson learned!
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Did you have a pre-med committee that helped with things at your school? At my school, even though I was non-traditional, they had really helpful application strategy sessions. They recommended applying to no less than 15 schools and cited that the average over the last few years for students at my institution was 22 schools.
 
AM508 said:
Did you have a pre-med committee that helped with things at your school? At my school, even though I was non-traditional, they had really helpful application strategy sessions. They recommended applying to no less than 15 schools and cited that the average over the last few years for students at my institution was 22 schools.
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No, we don't have a committee so I didn't have anyone to talk to. We had a pre-professional advisor but they were pretty much useless.
 
lahaiesi said:
No, we don't have a committee so I didn't have anyone to talk to. We had a pre-professional advisor but they were pretty much useless.
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Ahh that sucks 🙁. A good advisor and committee were worth their weight in gold.
 
Hey I'm a med tech also! Best of luck to you buddy :clap: I applied to a ton of schools, mostly DO's because I work with a few.
 
DocFluffy said:
Hey I'm a med tech also! Best of luck to you buddy :clap: I applied to a ton of schools, mostly DO's because I work with a few.
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I love the med tech degree! Definitely good job outlook if I need to take some time off during the application process!
 
Science gpa is something you should have known before applying. They will vary between MD and DO schools as some med tech classes might be classified as sci for DO but not mD (or vice versa though I think unlikely)
Take some time to calculate them accordingly. Such numbers Will help plan out your reapp cycle if it comes down to that.
 
darkeon said:
Science gpa is something you should have known before applying. They will vary between MD and DO schools as some med tech classes might be classified as sci for DO but not mD (or vice versa though I think unlikely)
Take some time to calculate them accordingly. Such numbers Will help plan out your reapp cycle if it comes down to that.
Click to expand...
Well I know both of the application systems (MD and DO) had their own classification system I used to label mine as science and non-science. And I know like 90% of my classes could all be labeled science so it was pretty even...maybe slightly less than my cumulative. I just don't know the exact number
 
darkeon said:
Science gpa is something you should have known before applying. They will vary between MD and DO schools as some med tech classes might be classified as sci for DO but not mD (or vice versa though I think unlikely)
Take some time to calculate them accordingly. Such numbers Will help plan out your reapp cycle if it comes down to that.
Click to expand...
Is there a good website or other resource that can aid in calculating that?
 
If that was the case, with your sciGPA being close to 3.55... then it was definitely your school selection that screwed you over. Apply everywhere this next cylce. Also, you may be asked what did you do to improve your app since you applied already so make sure you touch up on that. Might also want to get a better understanding of osteopathic medicine and do some shadowing with a DO.
 
Any old gpa calculator found on Google will do.
When your courses were verified, did you not see their calculated gpa'S?
 
lahaiesi said:
Is there a good website or other resource that can aid in calculating that?
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if you log into your AACOMAS application, on your homepage there is a link you can click to download a PDF of your verified primary app. It will show all of your official GPA's.
 
user3 said:
if you log into your AACOMAS application, on your homepage there is a link you can click to download a PDF of your verified primary app. It will show all of your official GPA's.
Click to expand...
This is only showing my grades. I don't see a calculated GPA
 
DetectiveAlonzo said:
If that was the case, with your sciGPA being close to 3.55... then it was definitely your school selection that screwed you over. Apply everywhere this next cylce. Also, you may be asked what did you do to improve your app since you applied already so make sure you touch up on that. Might also want to get a better understanding of osteopathic medicine and do some shadowing with a DO.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the advice. I will definitely look into all those
 
lahaiesi said:
This is only showing my grades. I don't see a calculated GPA
Click to expand...
it is on the page where it lists the schools you applied to and that date the primary app was released to them. There is a link right next to it that allows you to download a pdf of your official app.
 
user3 said:
it is on the page where it lists the schools you applied to and that date the primary app was released to them. There is a link right next to it that allows you to download a pdf of your official app.
Click to expand...
Oh ok. So I have a 3.4 so not much different
 
But thank you again everyone. You're responses have been very helpful and kind. I appreciate that no one has made me feel dumb with my lower scores and lack of diverse applications. So thank you again!!🙂
 
No problem. Just apply more places this next cycle. Contact schools as well and let us know what they say.
 
lahaiesi said:
But thank you again everyone. You're responses have been very helpful and kind. I appreciate that no one has made me feel dumb with my lower scores and lack of diverse applications. So thank you again!!🙂
Click to expand...

Rooting for you; don't lose your hunger. Good luck.
 
lahaiesi said:
No, we don't have a committee so I didn't have anyone to talk to. We had a pre-professional advisor but they were pretty much useless.
Click to expand...

Just want to share my commiseration about not having a committee. Also, only had a pre-health advisor at a big public university that was pretty worthless. It was a bunch of humanities PhD candidates who had maybe read a few pamphlets on med school admissions. I loved the school but I think those advisors were a bit damaging to many of us applying.
 
ERK123 said:
Just want to share my commiseration about not having a committee. Also, only had a pre-health advisor at a big public university that was pretty worthless. It was a bunch of humanities PhD candidates who had maybe read a few pamphlets on med school admissions. I loved the school but I think those advisors were a bit damaging to many of us applying.
Click to expand...
This seems to be most people's experience at public schools. Cheaper tuition but bad support services. You get what you pay for I guess.
 
ERK123 said:
Just want to share my commiseration about not having a committee. Also, only had a pre-health advisor at a big public university that was pretty worthless. It was a bunch of humanities PhD candidates who had maybe read a few pamphlets on med school admissions. I loved the school but I think those advisors were a bit damaging to many of us applying.
Click to expand...
I can totally relate! I think that played a big role in some of the mistakes I made in the application process
 
The reason you are where you are is more due just a bad shake of the dice than a reflection on your application. A 25/3.55/3.4 is not shabby. Not a sho-in, but not at all shabby.

This summer, consider retaking the MCAT only if you are pulling 27+ average on several practice tests. Continue volunteering and be ready to submit your application to 20+ DO schools. Without an MCAT above 27, you really have slim odds of MD schools, with the best odds being in your home state.

Good luck, sorry to hear it is going this way for you, certainly a sucky situation.
 
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