- Joined
- May 5, 2012
- Messages
- 3,494
- Reaction score
- 1,307
Today, I am stressed out beyond belief with worrying about dental school, my future debt, my classes, and how in the world I am going to make it out of this semester alive.
Strangely, that stress has made me feel sappy, since I know many of you all are going through the same thing.
SDN attracts a massive variety of people. From the undying sarcastics, to the overzealous freshman pre-dents who haven't yet learned the ways of Google search, to the people who are just there to help, to the relentless optimists, to the realists, and to the others (like myself) who have been all of these things at one point or another, I have found one commonality: almost every person I have talked to on this site is wholly deserving of achieving their dream of becoming a dentist.
Right now, we are all in various stages of realizing and accomplishing this dream. Some people are having absolutely no trouble racking up the interviews, and to you, I say a huge, "Congratulations!" You've worked hard, and it is finally starting to pay off. And then, sadly, there are others who are being overlooked and scrounging for invites. Sometimes, we can help to pinpoint why this might be the case--but many other times, it seems to be a huge mystery as to why we aren't desirable applicants.
I know how hard this process is. It is easy to get caught up in the stress of it, and I am entirely guilty of this. I am having to learn to take this process day by day and not let the uncertainty consume me. When you want something so bad and it all comes down to this, it is hard not to agonize over every little thing that happens. It's a funny but depressing cycle: You are worried because you don't have an interview. You cry, you get angry, you get numb. Then, you finally DO get an interview, and you cry happy tears. But then, guess what? You get anxious again because you have to interview, and it feels like your whole FUTURE is riding on that interview. After your interview, you go home and overanalyze every single word you said and beat yourself up over how you could have better presented yourself. Rinse and repeat.
Nobody said this process would be easy, and when it comes down to it, we all know that everything worth having takes hard work. Some of us may have gone in with unrealistic views of what would happen to us, and I'll admit I'm guilty of this to some extent. We all hear the horror stories of people who look like fine applicants on paper just not snatching up any interviews or having to wait months to finally secure one. "Oh, but that won't happen to me!" we think. But, oh yes, it can, and some of us are feeling the sting of that fact quite vividly. Sometimes, a dose of reality (and even humility) can be a good thing, and this is a learning process for so many of us. Even despite our best efforts, things might not turn out exactly as we had planned.
You know what, though? I have found that sometimes, my "failures" are actually blessings in disguise. Though I put massive effort into practically everything I do, my plans don't always work out. I may be sad at first, but I have realized over the years that good things happen to good people who are passionate and hard-working. We have all worked so hard.
And, because of that, we will all end up where we need to be.
It might not be an immediate gratification sort of thing--we might even have to try again next cycle--but it will work out. I bet that when it comes down to it, few of us truly have much to complain about. The problems I am facing right now pale in comparison to those of so many others. I once bemoaned the interviews I hadn't received, but I finally took a step back and looked at the reality of my situation. I have received three interviews at INCREDIBLE schools that I would be so grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to attend. Why worry over the "what ifs" and "maybes?" I'm going to be thankful for what I have.
I could keep on gushing for days, but I'll cut it off before I get too mushy. Best of luck to all of you, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. SDN has greatly shaped my pre-dental experience, and I wouldn't be where I am today without having been an active member of this site. You all deserve to achieve your goals. And if you keep up the passion and hard work, you all will. It's inevitable. Just take this one day at a time.
Strangely, that stress has made me feel sappy, since I know many of you all are going through the same thing.
SDN attracts a massive variety of people. From the undying sarcastics, to the overzealous freshman pre-dents who haven't yet learned the ways of Google search, to the people who are just there to help, to the relentless optimists, to the realists, and to the others (like myself) who have been all of these things at one point or another, I have found one commonality: almost every person I have talked to on this site is wholly deserving of achieving their dream of becoming a dentist.
Right now, we are all in various stages of realizing and accomplishing this dream. Some people are having absolutely no trouble racking up the interviews, and to you, I say a huge, "Congratulations!" You've worked hard, and it is finally starting to pay off. And then, sadly, there are others who are being overlooked and scrounging for invites. Sometimes, we can help to pinpoint why this might be the case--but many other times, it seems to be a huge mystery as to why we aren't desirable applicants.
I know how hard this process is. It is easy to get caught up in the stress of it, and I am entirely guilty of this. I am having to learn to take this process day by day and not let the uncertainty consume me. When you want something so bad and it all comes down to this, it is hard not to agonize over every little thing that happens. It's a funny but depressing cycle: You are worried because you don't have an interview. You cry, you get angry, you get numb. Then, you finally DO get an interview, and you cry happy tears. But then, guess what? You get anxious again because you have to interview, and it feels like your whole FUTURE is riding on that interview. After your interview, you go home and overanalyze every single word you said and beat yourself up over how you could have better presented yourself. Rinse and repeat.
Nobody said this process would be easy, and when it comes down to it, we all know that everything worth having takes hard work. Some of us may have gone in with unrealistic views of what would happen to us, and I'll admit I'm guilty of this to some extent. We all hear the horror stories of people who look like fine applicants on paper just not snatching up any interviews or having to wait months to finally secure one. "Oh, but that won't happen to me!" we think. But, oh yes, it can, and some of us are feeling the sting of that fact quite vividly. Sometimes, a dose of reality (and even humility) can be a good thing, and this is a learning process for so many of us. Even despite our best efforts, things might not turn out exactly as we had planned.
You know what, though? I have found that sometimes, my "failures" are actually blessings in disguise. Though I put massive effort into practically everything I do, my plans don't always work out. I may be sad at first, but I have realized over the years that good things happen to good people who are passionate and hard-working. We have all worked so hard.
And, because of that, we will all end up where we need to be.
It might not be an immediate gratification sort of thing--we might even have to try again next cycle--but it will work out. I bet that when it comes down to it, few of us truly have much to complain about. The problems I am facing right now pale in comparison to those of so many others. I once bemoaned the interviews I hadn't received, but I finally took a step back and looked at the reality of my situation. I have received three interviews at INCREDIBLE schools that I would be so grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to attend. Why worry over the "what ifs" and "maybes?" I'm going to be thankful for what I have.
I could keep on gushing for days, but I'll cut it off before I get too mushy. Best of luck to all of you, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. SDN has greatly shaped my pre-dental experience, and I wouldn't be where I am today without having been an active member of this site. You all deserve to achieve your goals. And if you keep up the passion and hard work, you all will. It's inevitable. Just take this one day at a time.
I agree with many if not all of us have worked our butts off and deserve to have our dreams come true- hope they do for everyone! 
I just had to go and check my portal because of this... Luckily, there were no "Are you kidding me?!"updates in sight!
