Honestly, this could have been me writing this 2 years ago during my 3rd time applying. During that cycle I kept saying I was done, it was rejection after rejection and it was looking hopeless once again. I really went through a reality and life crisis. I asked myself multiple times how could this be worth it....when would it be my turn?? WHY! And randomly I just happened to get on the waitlist for Iowa. I ended up being superrrr low (like 236/265) so almost .00000001% chance of getting off but it lit a fire in me again. I actually spoke to someone at ISU and they recommended their comparative biomedical sciences masters to me but I couldn't move to Iowa just to put all my eggs in that one basket. I ended up finding an almost identical masters through my in-state and chose to do that instead and try to kill it.
I did a lot of soul searching from that last cycle and picked out the pieces of my application I felt I could try and improve on and worked from there:
- GPA
- Essays
I already have a ton of experience, I've worked at a variety of hospitals and my GPA has certainly been what has held me back this whole time (I wish I could slap undergrad me upside the head) but I think the soul-searching helped me come to terms with this. I told myself I was going to do this last masters program and put my all into my last application cycle (this current one) and make sure everything was top notch, essays, timeline, interviews, etc.
I managed to pull my GPA up with my masters a fair bit which shocked me, and with the extra time and effort I spent on my application, this cycle is a complete turn around from all my others. I went from getting pretty much rejected EVERYWHERE, IMMEDIATELY, to getting 5 interviews this cycle, currently on 1 waitlist for a program, and still waiting to hear back from 3 schools who don't interview. While I know nothing is certain and it still could very much not work out this cycle, I think the success I have seen so far has already re-energized me if I need to apply again.
I definitely don't think it's ideal and I totally understand how much emotional/mental energy that goes into applying but I can wholeheartedly say that the perseverance I see pre-vet students display is an amazing strength!! At the end of the day only you can determine when enough is enough. Don't feel pressured to apply again if you'd rather do anything else but fill out VMCAS apps. That cycle break I took was a HUGE difference in my mindset. I was so much more organized this time, I have a whole spreadsheet that tracked my apps, passwords, etc. I promise you that there was a year where I feel like the admissions committee probably read how frustrated and tired I was in my essays...I felt like I had been pressured by friends and family to apply that year and it was only to my detriment. Ultimately there is unfortunately no official stats on re-applicants, so we'll never be able to see what modicum of success people might have in reapplying.
Overall, I am so proud of you and I know you have put in a ton of work. ♥️ I am so sorry you received another rejection. If you ever want to chat more personally my inbox is open!! I'm happy to share all the feelings I went through with applying so many times.