Your lowest moment

[nrddct]

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As a TX applicant, Feb 15th was a low point b/c thats the day when all TX applicants find out if they were matched with any of the schools they interviewed with. At exactly 12:00am these results are posted online. I did not match for 2 app cycles.

 

[DnB607]

My lowest moment was receiving my MCAT score last October. I studied all summer and left feeling so good about that test...to end up with a 25. I knew I would get rejected from all of the schools I had already spent so much money applying to. Then I never even received interviews from 3 of the osteopathic schools I applied to...perhaps because I applied very late in the cycle. I realized I should try D.O. or I'd have to retake the MCAT and wait another year. Well...at least I am going somewhere next year!

 

[swpm]

I hate it when people make comments like the following, but I just have to...

wait until med school.... low moments hit a new high and mean a whole lot of something else.

Wait 'til you box your first patient. 🙁

Thankfully, I've managed to avoid any clean kills thus far but as an intern I did a few stupid/tired/ignorant things that resulted in extended hospital stays.

 

[plainolerichie]

Man, I could make a list of worst moments.

1. Rejected from ETSU (my state school)!
2. "Sleeping" (never got to sleep actually) on the floor of my friend at ETSU's dorm room. Her roomate had Roseanne on all night, I could not sleep, the floor was hard, I only had a small cover and a rug under me. Woke up with diarhea (which is definitely not good in an all girl's dorm!).
3. My interviewer at Morehouse HATED me. He somehow came up with me being snobby and hassled me about really wanting to go to Morehouse.
4. Rejection from Albert Einstein, after I thought the interview went well (but maybe not, see below).
5. Wake Forest refusing to send me a secondary (made me think I had no shot at any top 50 schools).
6. Missing my connection flight in Dules (Washington DC) the day before my interview at NYMC. It was my first time flying, someone pointed me in the wrong direction, and I missed the flight. I luckily brought my suit as a carry on, but had no clean underclothes. I washed them in a hotel room sink. I had to pay 70 bucks for a hotel room. It was freezing.
7. Then also before my NYMC interview, I lost my phone in a taxi cab. It fell from my pocket. I had to ask the admissions people to let me use their phone to get them to take it to me (for an extra fare). Later during the interview day, someone accidently took my folder with practice interview questions. NYMC still let me in though!
8. Walking through the Bronx on a cold rainy and really windy day for about a mile with an umbrellla that was not working and my jacket got soaked. When I finally got there, I realized my suit smelled! Even worse, I had to use the same suit the next day for the interview at my dream school, Columbia. I was rejected from both 🙁 !
9. Being asked "If you got into Vandy and ETSU, which would you go to" at my ETSU interview! You can't answer that honestly!
10. Receiving my first MCAT score (with a really low verbal section) followed by pondering going to the Carribean...
11. Getting a 50% on my Gen Chem lab particpation grade lowering it from an A- to a B+. It's not a big deal now, but it pissed me off.
12. Having a premed Physics test the Tuesday before the MCAT. The teachers knew of the MCAT too, they just didn't care!!!
13. Sending a Jehovah's witness to hell during my UT Memphis interview. (It was a weird question, if you want to know, I'll tell you.)

But the absolute lowest would be getting rejected from ETSU tied with getting my first MCAT score.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

Man, I could make a list of worst moments.


6. Missing my connection flight in Dules (Washington DC) the day before my interview at NYMC. It was my first time flying, someone pointed me in the wrong direction, and I missed the flight. I luckily brought my suit as a carry on, but had no clean underclothes. I washed them in a hotel room sink. I had to pay 70 bucks for a hotel room. It was freezing.
7. Then also before my NYMC interview, I lost my phone in a taxi cab. It fell from my pocket. I had to ask the admissions people to let me use their phone to get them to take it to me (for an extra fare). Later during the interview day, someone accidently took my folder with practice interview questions. NYMC still let me in though!
8. Walking through the Bronx on a cold rainy and really windy day for about a mile with an umbrellla that was not working and my jacket got soaked. When I finally got there, I realized my suit smelled! Even worse, I had to use the same suit the next day for the interview at my dream school, Columbia. I was rejected from both 🙁 !

Those ARE pretty bad... man. So what did you say for #9. I would say, "Vanderbilt, because I'm a *****." With that answer, you would have definitely been accepted. 👍

 

[SemperJeff]

my lowest moment came when one of my science profs told me he wouldn't have time to write my LOR. talk about feeling like cr@p! having to depend on others to make my application complete and feeling entirely helpless as the application cycle progressed was a huge nightmare (esp. because i was a humanities major with no other science professors willing to write a good letter).

Getting LORs was the part in the application process that I didn't like. I mean I don't want to add another task to someone who is already busy and so I kinda bad for asking.

And then there's the whole "sucking up" to professors so they get to know you enough to write a good LOR.

I guess not really a low point for me, but the LOR phase was frustrating.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

Lowest point for me was actually *before* I applied... I was convinced I wouldn't get in anywhere (for no particular reason, just a lot of anxiety)... and I couldn't bring myself to register and complete AMCAS or the pile of secondaries in front of me. I was really bitter and upset when I completed them (all in one day), and was surprised with interview invites and acceptances. I'm still surprised that I was accepted to certain schools... and surprised that I was fortunate enough to turn down interview invites. I'm still surprised about getting in, as I haven't saved the world or cured AIDS in Africa or other crazy things that other people from my undergrad have done.

 

[Depakote]

To date. Probably starting my third personal statement...

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

Yeah, for sure, but thing is, I'm sorta prepared for these rejections. I just got caught offguard by how frustrating writing this PS is. I thought it was going to be a relatively enjoyable process but it's been pretty painful so far.

That's just the PS. I had to do many drafts before mine was complete. You haven't even received the secondaries yet and some of them can be quite long. Best of luck.

 

[gujuDoc]

Yeah, for sure, but thing is, I'm sorta prepared for these rejections. I just got caught offguard by how frustrating writing this PS is. I thought it was going to be a relatively enjoyable process but it's been pretty painful so far.

I've had many a friend go through this process, and believe me enjoyable is the last word I'd use to describe their emotions and thoughts. Stressful, frustrating, bewildering when a school you think is a sure bet rejects you but one that you thought you had no chance at takes you, costly and money draining. Those are all some of the words that its been described to me as but definitely not enjoyable until you have the first acceptance in hand.

My friends tell me they'd go crazy if they had to do the whole app process again.

Now back to the issue of your PS. Send me a PM with your email and I'll send you the PPT that the USF adcom gave on what to do and not to do on the personal statement. It might help you get started.

 

[TerpDO]

my lowest moments having applied twice already are:

1)working for nearly a whole year at a particular medical school as a volunteer research assistant for a professor who teaches the medical students, and then receiving a rejection letter only TWO weeks after submitting my secondary to that school. Let me make that clear, I worked for nearly an ENTIRE YEAR UNPAID, no interview, nada. At least the all the other schools I applied to were kind to enough to wait a few months before letting me down.

2)my undergrad school has switched premed advisors 2 times in the last 3 years. My first time applying I submitted AMCAS late because I'm an idiot, the second time I applied on time. I finished my part AMCAS and got letters in on time, around late June or so, but my premed advisor didn't finish the comittee letter until end of Sept. that killed my chances (along with my low grades of course)

3) and there were the timeS a professor and a doctor I knew told me "yeah, I'll be happy to write a letter of recommendation for you" and then poof, they enter the twilight zone never to be heard from again (i.e. they changed their minds and didn't bother to tell me)

the only way to put all this behind me is to get accepted somewhere. i'm still optimistic though 👍

 

[TCIrish03]

So what's with the Jehovah's witness?

Man, I could make a list of worst moments.

1. Rejected from ETSU (my state school)!
2. "Sleeping" (never got to sleep actually) on the floor of my friend at ETSU's dorm room. Her roomate had Roseanne on all night, I could not sleep, the floor was hard, I only had a small cover and a rug under me. Woke up with diarhea (which is definitely not good in an all girl's dorm!).
3. My interviewer at Morehouse HATED me. He somehow came up with me being snobby and hassled me about really wanting to go to Morehouse.
4. Rejection from Albert Einstein, after I thought the interview went well (but maybe not, see below).
5. Wake Forest refusing to send me a secondary (made me think I had no shot at any top 50 schools).
6. Missing my connection flight in Dules (Washington DC) the day before my interview at NYMC. It was my first time flying, someone pointed me in the wrong direction, and I missed the flight. I luckily brought my suit as a carry on, but had no clean underclothes. I washed them in a hotel room sink. I had to pay 70 bucks for a hotel room. It was freezing.
7. Then also before my NYMC interview, I lost my phone in a taxi cab. It fell from my pocket. I had to ask the admissions people to let me use their phone to get them to take it to me (for an extra fare). Later during the interview day, someone accidently took my folder with practice interview questions. NYMC still let me in though!
8. Walking through the Bronx on a cold rainy and really windy day for about a mile with an umbrellla that was not working and my jacket got soaked. When I finally got there, I realized my suit smelled! Even worse, I had to use the same suit the next day for the interview at my dream school, Columbia. I was rejected from both 🙁 !
9. Being asked "If you got into Vandy and ETSU, which would you go to" at my ETSU interview! You can't answer that honestly!
10. Receiving my first MCAT score (with a really low verbal section) followed by pondering going to the Carribean...
11. Getting a 50% on my Gen Chem lab particpation grade lowering it from an A- to a B+. It's not a big deal now, but it pissed me off.
12. Having a premed Physics test the Tuesday before the MCAT. The teachers knew of the MCAT too, they just didn't care!!!
13. Sending a Jehovah's witness to hell during my UT Memphis interview. (It was a weird question, if you want to know, I'll tell you.)

But the absolute lowest would be getting rejected from ETSU tied with getting my first MCAT score.

 

[md mayhem]

When I got rejected post-interview flat out no waitlist from my state school

funny how getting rejected from your state school is such a blow. I was rejected pre-interview from my state school at a time when I had no other interview offers, and I seriously thought I was doomed to not go to medical school. Luckily I was able to get them to reconsider my application by pointing out some errors I had made on it, and I was eventually interviewed, waitlisted, and just this past week, accepted!!

 

[wizeguy]

Every moment which I don't get an email in my inbox saying "We are offering you a spot off the waitlist..." ....which since I am still only on waitlists....is....EVERY MOMENT. 🙁 Beat that!!! lol

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

funny how getting rejected from your state school is such a blow. I was rejected pre-interview from my state school at a time when I had no other interview offers, and I seriously thought I was doomed to not go to medical school. Luckily I was able to get them to reconsider my application by pointing out some errors I had made on it, and I was eventually interviewed, waitlisted, and just this past week, accepted!!

Wow, awesome! Congrats. There must have been some substantial errors...

 

[Psycho Doctor]

my nanny who practically raised me had just died, and i was on medication that made me so sick, i could barely function but i had to keep up in my classes and then when i got interview invites i was feeling so awful, i was sure i'd never survive them and i'd make the worst impression and never get accepted to any of those schools.

 

[Wookey]

Yeah, for sure, but thing is, I'm sorta prepared for these rejections. I just got caught offguard by how frustrating writing this PS is. I thought it was going to be a relatively enjoyable process but it's been pretty painful so far.

Yeah it's pretty hard to write about yourself for the first time. You may have to dig deep and work out your reasons. But you'll be happy when you're finish and you'll have concrete reasons why you're going into medicine which will further reinforce your decision. It will prepare you for writing the secondaries and answering questions on interviews too. Hang in there!

 

[md mayhem]

Wow, awesome! Congrats. There must have been some substantial errors...

Essentially I needed a certain number of volunteer hours, leadership experiences, clinical experiences etc to fetch an interview. I had entered the wrong amount of volunteer hours in their secondary but had the right hours in my AMCAS, all they had to do was look at my AMCAS to see it. I am so glad I noticed that and got it fixed.

 

[Elliott Smith]

Yeah, for sure, but thing is, I'm sorta prepared for these rejections. I just got caught offguard by how frustrating writing this PS is. I thought it was going to be a relatively enjoyable process but it's been pretty painful so far.

I wrote/edited everyday for about 5 hrs for 2 weeks...and submitted it to a professional editor. I suggest taking a step back from it for a couple days to relax. I burned out...thank god its over. AMCAS done; beer, just begun.

 

[thinknofu3]

I have two (although I know they aren't as bad as other peoples' on here, but maybe I can give somebody some hope)

First - getting rejected without an interview from my Alma Mater, which was initially my top choice. Especially when my stats were more than good enough to at least warrant an interview.

Second - getting waitlisted at Pritzker, after i absolutely fell head over heels in love with the place at my interview. Had to spend a lot of time convining myself my state school was a better fit for me (it's a good school, but Pritzker definitely fits my personality better). And then, when I have totally written off Pritzker, I get off the waitlist! So this one has a happy ending...so let it be known that sometimes your worst moments can end up resulting in your best...don't give up hope!