Unmatched Applicants

[magneto]

If you went unmatched this year, I am very sorry to hear about your unfortunate situation. It will be hard to understand for anyone what emotions you must be going through right now. But please, don't give up. You are an excellent student and one day you will achieve your goals and ambitions. You have worked very hard to get to this point in your life/career. So please continue.

 

At this time, it is very important to take care of yourself. Try to eat and sleep properly. Talk to your family and friends to get support. 

 

Also talk to your school and ask them about what options are available. Please take a look at available second round spots. The deadline is very soon. Contact your referees if you need updated reference letters. If you are not sure whether to apply or not to a particular position, APPLY. You can choose later not to rank the program. I highly recommend that you apply to a few positions in second round even if you do not rank any programs. The reason is that deadline for second round is really quick and it is hard to think clearly with all the emotions. 

 

Also talk to school about options available if you do not participate or do not match in second round. Some schools have an extra year for unmatched applicants. Some schools have options to do a combined degree (e.g., MD/MPH, MD/MSc, MD/MBA). If you are interested in pursuing another degree, this might be a good opportunity. Another option is to take a year off to pursue a hobby/passion (e.g., travelling) (this option is only suitable if you have an amazing application and there is very little to be done to improve your CV. Another reason to take a year off might be to take care of health/medical concerns that you were ignoring due to medical school).

 

Contact your most supportive mentors and get their feedback regarding what's the best option. 

 

You will also get some false sympathy sometimes from med school colleagues and other people. Don't get frustrated. Try to stay away from people who criticize you and make you feel embarrass about your situation. 

 

If you have any questions that you want to ask anonymously then you can post in this thread. Other members will help. I will also check the thread to see if I can help in anyway.

 

Just remember that you got into medical school to become a great physician. This is an unfortunate situation. But will you give up looking for your soulmate after one failure? I hope not. You are a strong person and I am sure you will be able to come out even stronger after this experience. I wish you the very best.