Rejected This Year, Help Planning For Interim

[woodsman]

I bustered out super hard on the interviews this cycle and didn't get in anywhere :^)

 

Right now I'm unsure of what I should do during the next year. I just finished my undergrad, and I don't think the timing for a 1-year Master's at this point would work (since I'd either have to drop it or wait to finish the degree before med).

 

Ideally, I think I want to work in the mean time, but I'm not sure if I should be looking for a job directly related to medicine. I also say this because I think my actual application this cycle, excluding my terrible interviewing skills, was pretty strong since I received several interview offers, so I think piling on more of the same ECs like hospital work would have diminishing returns. I've also heard some pretty mediocre things about entry-level lab positions.

 

What kinds of longer-term jobs do premeds "normally" do? Is it alright to just work in something outside of medicine? I'm not especially short on cash, so paying bills for now isn't a big concern, but any money towards paying off future debt is always good.

 

tl;dr my plan right now is

1) work

2) practice practice practice interview

3) side projects

 

Mostly not sure if I'm missing something obvious, or I should be focusing on something else entirely.

 

Many thanks for your advice in advance

[next.med88]

When I applied to medicine, I also applied to another program that I was interested in (this program was not competitive to get in, guaranteed entry as long as you fill out the application correctly) so when I did not get in, I started this back up program.

I really enjoy the program I am in now, so when I got rejected again this year it was not as devastating (still pondering whether or not to apply again next year)

 

Find something you would want to do if you do not get accepted into medicine, because realistically, you may not get in again next year, or the year after that, or even ever! (sorry to be harsh, but I like to be realistic)

 

If I were you, I would live my life as I would like to live if I never got into medicine. Would you truly enjoy having a BSc and working as a research assistant getting paid practically minimum wage?

 

You may not have a back up plan yet, but I would take this year to think of one

[JohnGrisham]

I bustered out super hard on the interviews this cycle and didn't get in anywhere :^)

 

Right now I'm unsure of what I should do during the next year. I just finished my undergrad, and I don't think the timing for a 1-year Master's at this point would work (since I'd either have to drop it or wait to finish the degree before med).

 

Ideally, I think I want to work in the mean time, but I'm not sure if I should be looking for a job directly related to medicine. I also say this because I think my actual application this cycle, excluding my terrible interviewing skills, was pretty strong since I received several interview offers, so I think piling on more of the same ECs like hospital work would have diminishing returns. I've also heard some pretty mediocre things about entry-level lab positions.

 

What kinds of longer-term jobs do premeds "normally" do? Is it alright to just work in something outside of medicine? I'm not especially short on cash, so paying bills for now isn't a big concern, but any money towards paying off future debt is always good.

 

tl;dr my plan right now is

1) work

2) practice practice practice interview

3) side projects

 

Mostly not sure if I'm missing something obvious, or I should be focusing on something else entirely.

 

Many thanks for your advice in advance

You got a lot of interviews, so take the time to work, and do things that you've always wanted to do (think bucket list), and keep growing as an individual. You will get there, your marks and involvements aren't a limiting factor obviously, but maybe interview skills can improve. 

 

You CAN improve these indirectly by simply putting yourself out there more on a daily basis, and getting new experiences (re: bucket list) that allow you to feel more confident and have more breadth of life experience/viewpoints.

[JohnGrisham]

When I applied to medicine, I also applied to another program that I was interested in (this program was not competitive to get in, guaranteed entry as long as you fill out the application correctly) so when I did not get in, I started this back up program.

I really enjoy the program I am in now, so when I got rejected again this year it was not as devastating (still pondering whether or not to apply again next year)

 

Find something you would want to do if you do not get accepted into medicine, because realistically, you may not get in again next year, or the year after that, or even ever! (sorry to be harsh, but I like to be realistic)

 

If I were you, I would live my life as I would like to live if I never got into medicine. Would you truly enjoy having a BSc and working as a research assistant getting paid practically minimum wage?

 

You may not have a back up plan yet, but I would take this year to think of one

I disagree with this, OP got 6 interviews this year,  so its really just their interview and getting a bit of experience to do better in that realm. This is much more doable, then repairing a poor GPA or MCAT or lack of ECs etc, like the majority of applicants - whom like you said, may not get in year after year.

 

Although i definitely agree in principle about not putting your life on hold and pursuing other options. Though i'd say pursuing things personally important, and not professionally would be the better approach. No use jumping into another degree etc for OP given that they have extremely little barrier to entry to the interview stage, given 6 interviews. 

 

OP chalk it up to poor interview skills, and maybe a bit of lack of luck.  

[trimethoprim]

Hey, maybe you'll get in off the waitlist at Queen's

[sdj78we9jtf2o3mgfvj298j]

Why do you think that you didn't perform well on your interviews?

[Bambi]

During the interim period, I would do anything, work or volunteer, where I had to use my communication skills and that is out of my comfort zone. I would also practice interviewing with a video so that I could see where I am weak, e.g., eye contact, shifting, not anwering the specific question, etc.

[woodsman]

Why do you think that you didn't perform well on your interviews?

 

Partially because of the fact that I got a bunch of them and somehow flopped and partially from the few schools that do give feedback to applicants; they generally said I did below average on the interviews.

 

Luckily this at least this gives me something specific to work on, instead of trying to figure out which part of the application was too weak.

 

 

During the interim period, I would do anything, work or volunteer, where I had to use my communication skills and that is out of my comfort zone. I would also practice interviewing with a video so that I could see where I am weak, e.g., eye contact, shifting, not anwering the specific question, etc.

 

I agree, I'm thinking of going back into retail or service to work directly with people again. Probably became a reclusive hermit again after 8 months of school.

[Organomegaly]

Partially because of the fact that I got a bunch of them and somehow flopped and partially from the few schools that do give feedback to applicants; they generally said I did below average on the interviews.

 

Luckily this at least this gives me something specific to work on, instead of trying to figure out which part of the application was too weak.

 

 

I think he meant what in the interviews do you think you could have done better on

[woodsman]

I think he meant what in the interviews do you think you could have done better on

 

True, my b. Wasn't thinking straight LOL.

 

I'm pretty sure my actual answers were acceptable, probably not the best but I don't think knowledge/reasoning were the things holding me back. I probably came off the wrong way, maybe unsociable or stiff. Didn't make a good case for having the right personality.

[positivetension]

Yeah, don't take this the wrong way, but 6 interviews and no acceptance is extremely statistically unlikely, you can't really chalk it up to lack of luck at that point, there are probably some very key things you are doing wrong in interviews.

[Young Pappy]

I bustered out 

 

True, my b.

 

Found the SSBM player, haha!

 

I think its fairly obvious that your application is stellar if 6 schools wanted to interview you. I would take this time to explore ECs that will really facilitate your communicative skills for your next set of interviews.  If I may make a suggestion, I volunteered at the Toronto Distress Center as a crisis-line responder for over a year. It taught me how to listen and empathize better, and it gave me a wealth of experiences to talk about during my interviews. I would highly recommend it .

[zaxop]

 If I may make a suggestion, I volunteered at the Toronto Distress Center as a crisis-line responder for over a year. It taught me how to listen and empathize better, and it gave me a wealth of experiences to talk about during my interviews. I would highly recommend it .

 

OP, while I don't deny that this type of volunteering can help improve your communication skills, please think about the people on the other end of that phone and really consider your motives before signing up to volunteer. I have been a crisis responder for several years and have also called a fair few number of crisis lines in my time, and from both sides of the phone, I have encountered responders who are clearly just there to check off a box on a grad school application. This is definitely not to say that you shouldn't be interested in crisis volunteering as a learning opportunity. It's also not to say that premeds make bad responders, as many of the applicants I've encountered are deeply empathetic and genuinely cared about each of their callers. But the people who were there for more self-interested motives? Their lack of sincerity could be crushing for callers (including myself). I don't know you and I'm not making any judgments/assumptions about your character or your motives. I'm just saying that if you're thinking about crisis volunteering, think about what you can bring to the table rather than just what this experience can do for you. If you're interested in this kind of work, I'd suggest looking into 7 Cups of Tea, which is an online text-based distress network that could help you ease into this kind of volunteering before applying to a full-on crisis line.