In absolutely no way is anything in this series to be taken as advice. I am not an expert in how to get accepted to medical school – I’ve been rejected exponentially more than I’ve been accepted. If there was a formula to get in, I’d share it – but there isn’t. Everyone who is accepted gets to that point a different way.
Waiting is the worst part. Waiting for interviews is easy – you don’t know if or when they’re coming. Waiting for decisions seems impossible.
After my last interview, we were all told to expect news in 2-3 weeks. Then, there were two major ice storms and the mail got all discombobulated – and that was even IF the admission committee had met as scheduled. Friday was four weeks from the interview, and for the first time, a few people who leaved in the Southeast had heard news. They were all holding status – on the wait list, essentially. As soon as I found that out, I started preparing myself for the same news.
On Saturday, the news came – holding. I was disappointed. Matt was disappointed. I had felt good about the interview and I was really hoping for an acceptance. Now, I have one acceptance and I’m on three wait lists – it seems like the waiting will never end! I know that I’m lucky to have that acceptance, but that’s hard to remember when I keep not getting the news I want.
But then, a funny thing happened. I told my mom the news, and her first response was “Congratulations!” I thought it was striking how different her reaction was to mine. It wasn’t just more positive or optimistic, it was probably more realistic. Out of everyone who applies to medical school in any given year, about 5% will ultimately be accepted. Roughly 1/4-1/3 of the people on each of the wait lists that I’m on will ultimately get into the class. That’s not too shabby.
Am I still disappointed? Yes. But it’s not bad news – and in a process with much more bad news than good, that’s nothing to sneer at.
Rach the Redhead 