THE WAITING GAME.

Yes sorry for the lack of posts recently. I have been quite busy doing....erm....nothing. Actually I really wanted to think over this post before I post it so it doesn't sound like crap bunched together into a massive paragraph...but it probably will still end up sounding like crap bunched together. Hmm.

Anyways when I was applying for med I dreaded the "WAITING GAME". Here's what goes down: You check UCAS every 5-30 minutes...no joke. I myself saw people always checking their UCAS before and I told myself "No way am I going to be THAT obsessed." Obviously I failed and it is just really hard to avoid not checking UCAS. What I found that has put me off from checking UCAS continuously is that I am technically stalking UCAS to see myself get rejected. Most medical universities require an interview before they offer so if you think about it you're checking ucas non stop to see that "UNSUCCESSFUL" pop up. Sad right?

I must say the waiting game is quite stressful as you are waiting for that glorious email from your uni that says "INTERVIEW". I can tell you this: the first email you get which asks for an interview is probably the best feeling on Earth. I was so esctatic when I saw the email...and unfortunately I was in a library and just jumped out from my chair. Trust me I got a bunch of deathly glares. It is a great feeling. Most applicants keep asking when will they hear from the university about interviews and usually interviews begin from November all the way to April. From experience, earlier the interview the better. The two unis that offered me an interview asked me to have an interview before Christmas holiday. When I arrived for my interview the medical admissions said that they will hand out decisions BEFORE Christmas. So technically the uni will give you an amazing Christmas present or completely kill your Christmas. One university took about one week to reply and fortunately I was offered a conditional offer. The other university took exactly two weeks to reply and it was 2 days before Christmas. This university was my first choice and I did get a conditional offer. So this kind of gives you a good time frame of how long the university will get back to you if they are going to offer you. I think it is safe to say they will take from 1-3 weeks to reply if they want to take you.

I heard from my universities pretty early (November to be precise), but I've heard from my friends that it is quite nerve-racking as the months go by. You start to doubt yourself and you start to get anxious. But do not worry. Yes it is a bit off putting to see on forums and hearing about people getting interviews, but do remember that there are THOUSANDS of applicants and it does take time for the admissions office to go through their applications. It does not mean your application is weaker; hence, the later time. Just stay confident and just RELAXXXX!!!!

If you do receive an unsucessful, do not be sad. You've still got 3 more unis and one rejection doesn't mean ALL will reject. Some unis look for certain people that will fit into their "bubble" and I'm sure if you have done your research there will be at least one uni in your choice where you feel that you fit in and feel comfortable at that uni. If you want input on why you got rejected don't hesitate to call up the uni and ask. Some admissions offices are quite friendly and will tell you what is wrong with your application and perhaps even tell you some pointers on how to improve your application! It's not all that bad!

Well I'm probably sounding like I have verbal diahrea. Plus I don't know what else to talk about. The waiting game is just the waiting game. You wait and hope that your application was good enough to get that interview. Just hope for the best and be confident. :)