Spring is when medical schools wind down their interview season and send letters of rejection to students who were not placed on an alternate list. This is distressing to good students who are used to achieving their goals and don’t understand why they were not accepted.
There are many ways unaccepted students can deal with this disappointing news. Some give up when they should not, but simply feel too discouraged. What they should do is look for the keys to improvement.
Check Your Mindset
There is a great TED Talk by Carol Dweck, a psychologist and college professor who speaks about the two ways students react to failure. The first way is disastrous and ruinous, having what Dweck calls a “fixed mindset.” Typically, these are students for whom success has become an expectation.
The other type of students have what Dweck calls a “growth mindset.” They know that they’re on a learning curve and have confidence that they can develop their abilities — they just don’t have the abilities now.
This “not yet” attitude, as Dweck calls it, is part of the growth mindset. If students with this attitude fail a test, for example, they wouldn’t describe themselves as a failure and run from future challenges. Rather they would say they are not yet successful and embrace the opportunity to try again.
[Read: 4 Skills Every Premed Student Should Develop Before Medical School]
We can all understand the difficulty people with a fixed mindset face when they perform poorly on an exam or fail at mastering a second language. But unless they can transform their fixed mindset into a growth mindset, they will be devastated by rejection, and that includes rejection from medical schools.
The good news is that they can change.
If you feel you have a fixed mindset, you can work toward developing a growth mindset. First, know that every time you tackle a difficult challenge, as Dweck pointed out, you’re creating newer, stronger neurons, which will boost your intellect and abilities. Second, be honest with yourself in terms of getting into medical school. Take an honest look at your application and any interviews you had.
Check Your Essays
If you didn’t get any interviews, why did that happen? Was it grades, MCAT, little volunteering, lack of shadowing or essays that were not helpful? Remember, fewer than half of applicants get into medical school. You need to have all the important ducks in a row. Yes, screeners very carefully read your essays.
Recently, a student approached me for advice to consider why he might not have received an interview at his dream school. Although there is no certainty, I suggested we look at his essays since everything else seemed to be excellent.
When we looked at his essays, he picked out the secondary essay that was likely a concern. It sounded overconfident and a little elitist. He looked at it and said, “It doesn’t sound very humble, does it?” Perhaps if he had read it with a scrutinizing eye before the submission, he might have seen a different outcome.
Since most secondary essays are written for a specific school, oversight in one may not affect other applications.
Think about how well your essays and activity descriptions are written. Have advisers and colleagues critique them, and not with kid gloves. If you didn’t do well in a particular class or on the MCAT, is there enough to indicate how you have improved since then? Does the humility and willingness to learn from others come out in your essays?
[Read: 2 Medical School Personal Statements That Admissions Officers Loved.]
Seek Feedback and Examine Yourself
If you were fortunate to have interviews but still didn’t get in medical school, scrutinize what might have gone wrong. After looking at the process, ask others for their input. This might include your premed adviser, staff in the medical admissions office and others who might be able to comment on your interpersonal and communication skills.
Last month, I was asked to help some students who had not matched. I asked them separately to write down as many questions as they could recall from their interviews. Each student wrote how they answered the questions and then individually reviewed them with me.
The exercise was very revealing. One student had a way of turning conversations toward his gym workouts, where he was passionate. His answers about people came across as matter of fact or rather flat. It is not that he is a bad candidate, but he really needs a lot of coaching and practice interviews before the next round.
The other student began to see his mistakes as soon as he began writing down what he had answered. He could even see through the progression of interviews that he had not learned from his mistakes in earlier ones and could have prepared much better than he did. This exercise alone seemed to help him, and I would recommend it for anyone whose interviews did not bring them success.
Examine everything about yourself, from how well you interact verbally with others to how well you show interest in everyone you meet.
There are many applicants who request advice and many have used it. Examples include a student who actively began a course in public speaking, others who sought treatment for anxiety, some who studied and retook the MCAT, some who practiced interviews with various faculty and some who took a gap year to allow for more science courses, volunteering or shadowing.
[READ: How to Maximize a Gap Year Before Medical School]
I once spoke with a prospective student who demonstrated a fixed mindset. He wanted to talk with me about why he wasn’t admitted to multiple medical schools. In reviewing his application and interview notes, I identified multiple points where I believed he had opportunity to improve his chances for the next year.
He argued on each point, and that was when I realized he wasn’t really asking for help. He was attempting to prove that the admissions committees were wrong about him. He simply could not accept that he was not yet ready for medical school.
If an applicant isn’t ready to learn from what didn’t work and try a new approach, they might not be ready to become a physician. I will never be as good as I can be, but I will continue to learn from my mistakes. If applicants choose not to do this, it might be a time to reflect on other career options.
In medicine, we are always trying to improve individually and as a group. Lifelong learning is a true joy once you embrace it.
Another student was advised to take a course to improve his interpersonal communication. He knew he had to learn to be a better listener, how to explain his ideas clearly and how to demonstrate passion for what truly mattered to him.
He was accepted to medical school the following year. But more important than that was his determination to get better in this area. He realized his patients didn’t just want a diagnosis and treatment, but also sincere communication. This is a great example of growth mindset. As he continued to improve his skills, he became a chief resident and later a faculty leader.
Keep in mind that opportunity abounds, even for those who get rejected by one, two or even three or more medical schools. If I were applying to medical school, I would approach rewriting an application and interviewing in the next cycle, being grateful for the opportunity to try again.
As an aside, “What will you do if you don’t get into medical school this year?” is a frequently asked question. I was asked that many years ago, and some still use it today. Classic questions about your strengths and weaknesses are ways to show your resilience. Be thoughtful, humble — not fake humility — hopeful and enthusiastic during interviews.
People with a growth mindset are able to see opportunities, while those with a fixed mindset see defeat. Those with a growth mindset are eager to try again and will try even harder. To them, a missed opportunity isn’t a reflection on their ability or intelligence. Rather, it’s an invitation to embrace effort, hard work and perseverance.
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How to Deal With Medical School Rejection originally appeared on usnews.com
