What if you didn't get in the first time?

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What would you do if you didn't get in 1st time?

  • I'd take time to improve my credentials and apply again

    Votes: 151 87.8%
  • go to Dental or Pharmacy school

    Votes: 5 2.9%
  • go to research, get a PhD

    Votes: 6 3.5%
  • find another career

    Votes: 10 5.8%

  • Total voters
    172
D

deleted212936

What would you do?

Last year, two of my friends didn't get in med school, and they automatically went for pharmacy.
Another friend went for Dental.

Me, I know I won't be happy with anything else, so I'll apply again.

When WOULD you give up ? after 2nd time, 3rd time? etc.

How many years of your life are you willing to spend on trying to get into med school?

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I would reapply many times until I got in. I would keep taking classes and doing summer research and volunteering, and in the meantime I'd keep going with my webdesign career, which I really enjoy. So I could keep it up for a long time since I have other things going on. I wouldn't feel like my life was at a standstill until I got in.
 
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I don’t see why anyone who really wants to be a doctor would give up after applying one time.
 
Huh? Was a post by eck02 (don't remember his nickname exactly) deleted? What's wrong?
 
Do it again and again until the sons of bi***** eventually accept me.:)
 
What would you do?

Last year, two of my friends didn't get in med school, and they automatically went for pharmacy.
Another friend went for Dental.

Me, I know I won't be happy with anything else, so I'll apply again.

You ?

When WOULD you give up ? after 2nd time, 3rd time? etc.

How many years of your life are you willing to spend on trying to get into med school?
I'll be applying to US med schools this summer. If I'm not accepted, I'll re-apply once more to those US schools and to a few international ones where English is the local language. I'll go to Australia if the US route does not work. Other than location, I would be perfectly fine with it. Apply abroad as well.
 
just so most of you know (which im sure you probably do)--this is a very popular interview question!

So of course you are going to want to say "apply again next year after spending some time improving certain deficits in my application," or something along those lines. This is necessary to say because it portrays a candidate who is motivated about his/her decision to become a physician.

If, you become pressed with a hypothetical situation wherein you cannot get into medical school and need to do something else; some good things to mention would probably be other hobbies that engage your intellect, curiosity, and compassionate sides of your nature. This will show them that you are well-rounded with outside interests, but that your core values stay the same.
:thumbup:
 
just so most of you know (which im sure you probably do)--this is a very popular interview question!

So of course you are going to want to say "apply again next year after spending some time improving certain deficits in my application," or something along those lines. This is necessary to say because it portrays a candidate who is motivated about his/her decision to become a physician.

If, you become pressed with a hypothetical situation wherein you cannot get into medical school and need to do something else; some good things to mention would probably be other hobbies that engage your intellect, curiosity, and compassionate sides of your nature. This will show them that you are well-rounded with outside interests, but that your core values stay the same.
:thumbup:

very interesting post... my response to these interview questions was "reapply over and over again"... they seemed to like it, but now I'm starting to wonder if it was just a smile on the outside...:D
 
id apply again.

just to comment though, dental school girls are really attractive
 
id apply again.

just to comment though, dental school girls are really attractive

Imagine the number of attractive girls that will line up for you once you get your MD degree.:p
 
I would find a job with my BS and volunteer on weekends. During the spare time, I 'd hang out with my friends majoring in different fields to just ... have fun and understand more 'bout life haha.
 
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I would find a job with my BS and volunteer on weekends. During the spare time, I 'd hang out with my friends majoring in different fields to just ... have fun and understand more 'bout life haha.

will you be re-applying tho? most ppl that re-apply do what you said you would, i think.

or will you be trying to get a job in a different career path, explore possible interests/opportunities while enjoying the service aspect of volunteering (which could come into use in a few things)
 
I've been giving some serious consideration to teaching at the high school level, but f*#$ it... I worked too hard to let some @$$hole adcoms who probably don't even like medicine tell me I can't do it. I'm reapplying this summer and I might be a high school substitute teacher in my year off.
 
Yes, I will reapply definitely for at least 3 times ! If after 3 years of reapplying, I still get rejected, I will prob consider other careers
 
Orthodontists make 300k
 
id apply again.

just to comment though, dental school girls are really attractive

i was just stalking a facebook friend who i haven't talked to in maybe 3 years who is in dental school now. WOW you are not kidding! she looks AMAZING
 
i am in the super minority....i chose "find another career"

i just don't feel that i have to waste my life jumping through hoops just to force something to happen....i feel that everything happens for a reason and if i were meant to get into med school it would happen from the first shot. also i felt like i put forward as solid an application as possible ....so it was sort of a take it or leave it type deal as far as i was concerned.

also my "back up" career really interests me, i'm really good at it, it "helps people" and has the potential to be pretty lucrative (and in fact already sortof is)...so why would i bother spending thousands of dollars and several years of my life stressing out about this one path.

just so most of you know (which im sure you probably do)--this is a very popular interview question!

So of course you are going to want to say "apply again next year after spending some time improving certain deficits in my application," or something along those lines. This is necessary to say because it portrays a candidate who is motivated about his/her decision to become a physician.

i learned this the hard way....i got asked this question during my very first interview and i said i wouldn't reapply ...apparently that was the wrong answer. needless to say i didnt get into that school
 
If I don't get in, I'm going to reapply while I finish my Master's in one year + a summer. If my second round doesn't get me in either, I'm going for a PhD. I'll be too sick of the process by that time to give it a third go. I'll be depressed that I can't do the clinical work I want to, but I'll be satisfied being in the background doing medical research/teaching and making an extremely valuable contribution to health care that is all too often underappreciated.
 
I've been giving some serious consideration to teaching at the high school level, but f*#$ it... I worked too hard to let some @$$hole adcoms who probably don't even like medicine tell me I can't do it. I'm reapplying this summer and I might be a high school substitute teacher in my year off.
Try not to take it so personally. They aren't saying that you're not capable of being a doctor; they just pick the best applicants (or try to).
 
...

Last year, two of my friends didn't get in med school, and they automatically went for pharmacy.
Another friend went for Dental.
...

That is why I think that being a reapplicant is not as bad as SDNers think. It shows your dedication to the goal.

It's no wonder that almost 90% on SDN will reapply. Anyone who spends so much time socializing on a medschool admission forum for years is already as dedicated as it gets. So your sample pool is going to be skewed.
 
Try not to take it so personally. They aren't saying that you're not capable of being a doctor; they just pick the best applicants (or try to).

It's obviously personal. Academics and research don't cut it alone. I believe that many qualified applicants are granted admission, but I also believe many great candidates are passed over for lesser candidates. For instance, I can think of three people from my UG who were about average (academically) for the past 4 years and they all got into OSU (GPA 3.4-3.8 range, MCAT 28-30). These people could never pronounce anything correctly in micro or anatomy, and they all did terribly in the ochem classes. They also had no real research under their belts. But... they showed their "commitment" by doing cushy but gushy ECs (not challenging).

Note: I'm not saying people with stats in that range can't be great physicians. I'm saying I was passed over for people I spent 4 years with and I know them better than any adcom could. It is scary that they were accepted.
 
i was just stalking a facebook friend who i haven't talked to in maybe 3 years who is in dental school now. WOW you are not kidding! she looks AMAZING

get on that son, they are really easy too
 
It's obviously personal. Academics and research don't cut it alone. I believe that many qualified applicants are granted admission, but I also believe many great candidates are passed over for lesser candidates. For instance, I can think of three people from my UG who were about average (academically) for the past 4 years and they all got into OSU (GPA 3.4-3.8 range, MCAT 28-30). These people could never pronounce anything correctly in micro or anatomy, and they all did terribly in the ochem classes. They also had no real research under their belts. But... they showed their "commitment" by doing cushy but gushy ECs (not challenging).

Note: I'm not saying people with stats in that range can't be great physicians. I'm saying I was passed over for people I spent 4 years with and I know them better than any adcom could. It is scary that they were accepted.

Yeah, I know it blows. Perhaps you will get off the waitlist in at least one, no?
 
I had to apply 3 x. (First year I had a 32 MCAT then 37 last year and this cycle).

I can't do anything else.... this is it for me. SO glad I got in this time. (And I figured out how important the non-numerical factors are!)
 
No one would go overseas? I would definitely consider it.
 
It's obviously personal. Academics and research don't cut it alone. I believe that many qualified applicants are granted admission, but I also believe many great candidates are passed over for lesser candidates. For instance, I can think of three people from my UG who were about average (academically) for the past 4 years and they all got into OSU (GPA 3.4-3.8 range, MCAT 28-30). These people could never pronounce anything correctly in micro or anatomy, and they all did terribly in the ochem classes. They also had no real research under their belts. But... they showed their "commitment" by doing cushy but gushy ECs (not challenging).

Note: I'm not saying people with stats in that range can't be great physicians. I'm saying I was passed over for people I spent 4 years with and I know them better than any adcom could. It is scary that they were accepted.
I don't know your friends' particular situations, but you have to understand that building a strong resume takes time...time you could have been using to study for your classes and do homework. Yes, it is important to have people who are smart, but it's also important to have people who can multi-task and yes, who have shown their "commitment."
 
*attempts to refrain from starting this argument again but gives stink-eye*

How bout MD >= DO > Offshore

Depending on career goals and personal opinion. (FYI I was thinking in terms of opportunity in matching all residency not quality of md vs. Do)
 
Let's see...most people are rejected in February or March.
At this time, they come on SDN and find out the weaknesses of their application (GPA, MCAT, Extracurriculars, Recommendations, etc). The deadline to apply for most med schools is Oct/Nov, but one should really apply much earlier (around July).

So Feb/March->rejection, July/August-->submit app. So at max, you have 6 months to rectify the problems before reapplying.
If your problem is the MCAT, you need to write it by June to get them back in time for reapplication. Studying and rewriting the MCAT in this time frame is definitely doable. But the odds of improving a score are pretty low. Look here: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/tables.htm
About half of testtakers only get a change of 0-1 points per section.

If your weak point is GPA, by the time you get your letter it is too late to enroll for spring, and a summer course is not enough to significantly change it.

For example, if I applied in mid-2008, and got rejected for the 2009 class, I would have no time to apply for the 2010 class either as there would not be enough time to improve my application. So I would have between February 2009 (rejection time) to June 2010 (app time) to improve my application, and then I would have a chance to be accepted in 2011. If I was doing a post bac, I would have to apply for 2012. Some people have the finances and family backing to support the costs of rent, food, transport, etc. for 18 months while improving a med school application. Others don't and they have to be more practical and do something more definite/immediate.
 
I would probably reapply one more time after getting no acceptances the first time. The process is too expensive to warrant more than 2 tries for me. If the second go fails, I would pursue a PhD. Much easier for me based on my connections to get in a PhD program but it really does not interest me more than medicine.
 
Try not to take it so personally. They aren't saying that you're not capable of being a doctor; they just pick the best applicants (or try to).

Tactfully, the phrase is: "Best fit candidates." See they're a circular hole and they reject square pegs. Now where's my list of square hole schools... :rolleyes:
 
It's obviously personal. Academics and research don't cut it alone. I believe that many qualified applicants are granted admission, but I also believe many great candidates are passed over for lesser candidates. For instance, I can think of three people from my UG who were about average (academically) for the past 4 years and they all got into OSU (GPA 3.4-3.8 range, MCAT 28-30). These people could never pronounce anything correctly in micro or anatomy, and they all did terribly in the ochem classes. They also had no real research under their belts. But... they showed their "commitment" by doing cushy but gushy ECs (not challenging).

Note: I'm not saying people with stats in that range can't be great physicians. I'm saying I was passed over for people I spent 4 years with and I know them better than any adcom could. It is scary that they were accepted.

I don't want to sound like a jerk here, but if you had even an inkling of this kind of attitude at your interview I'm guessing it had a little something to do with you not getting accepted.

Essentially, you've just said you're better than they are and you should have gotten an acceptance and they shouldn't have.

I am sure it's frustrating, but that is belittling to them, their accomplishments and it just makes you look bad. imo.

I knew a girl in UG who said something similar that I will never forget, she tried to tell me the only reason I got my job as a RA is because she couldn't make it to the interview... You have essentially just stated the same thing about your peers, but it was because they had "cushy" jobs and you had a "tough" "more difficult" job... Life is life, my friend. They are in and you aren't. You can start counting all the reasons why they aren't qualified or you can try to make yourself a better candidate.

I wish you the best.
 
I've been giving some serious consideration to teaching at the high school level, but f*#$ it... I worked too hard to let some @$$hole adcoms who probably don't even like medicine tell me I can't do it. I'm reapplying this summer and I might be a high school substitute teacher in my year off.


:thumbup:
 
But the odds of improving a score are pretty low.


Although the odds are against you, I would like to point out that is definately doable.
 
How bout MD >= DO > Offshore

Depending on career goals and personal opinion. (FYI I was thinking in terms of opportunity in matching all residency not quality of md vs. Do)

That's better. Thank you sir, you may carry on.
 
I don't want to sound like a jerk here, but if you had even an inkling of this kind of attitude at your interview I'm guessing it had a little something to do with you not getting accepted.

Essentially, you've just said you're better than they are and you should have gotten an acceptance and they shouldn't have.

I am sure it's frustrating, but that is belittling to them, their accomplishments and it just makes you look bad. imo.

I knew a girl in UG who said something similar that I will never forget, she tried to tell me the only reason I got my job as a RA is because she couldn't make it to the interview... You have essentially just stated the same thing about your peers, but it was because they had "cushy" jobs and you had a "tough" "more difficult" job... Life is life, my friend. They are in and you aren't. You can start counting all the reasons why they aren't qualified or you can try to make yourself a better candidate.

I wish you the best.

Online ONOY =/= Real Life ONOY

All I'm saying is that I tutored a couple of these people, now I'm watching them hold the acceptances. That's not right. I would have just let them struggle if I knew they would eventually take my acceptances.
 
Online ONOY =/= Real Life ONOY

All I'm saying is that I tutored a couple of these people, now I'm watching them hold the acceptances. That's not right. I would have just let them struggle if I knew they would eventually take my acceptances.

Lol, that's the spirit!

bitter much?
 
Lol, that's the spirit!

bitter much?

very much.

lol

I'm serious about how ridiculous I think it is, but I still would have helped them had I known what would happen. At least some people will get to rep my UG with pride.
 
very much.

lol

I'm serious about how ridiculous I think it is, but I still would have helped them had I known what would happen. At least some people will get to rep my UG with pride.

haha...I'm sure your acceptance will come sooner or later. You never know what it is good for.
 
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