I am just completely overwhelmed by all of the love and support and encouraging messages that people I hardly know online have been sending me since getting accepted off a waitlist this past Tuesday :’D It just blows my mind that people have been tracking my progress during this grueling one-year cycle and that they have found my perseverance an inspiration. And this is only a /fraction/ of the messages I’ve been getting and I’m just so humbled that through this process God has made me a source of positivity and encouragement to others. To Him be all the glory forever!
[Tuesday, May 17, 2016 - 2:24 PM] GOT MY FIRST ACCEPTANCE THIS MORNING!! Praise be to God because I know that it was completely by His grace that I got miraculously accepted off the middle third of a waitlist that has nearly 500 candidates. :'D
As you have probably figured out, my faith is a huge part of my life and really influences the way I perceive life and the things that happen to me, so while many may roll their eyes at what I am about to say, I hope that my story may offer some sort of peace and comfort for those of you are are still waiting!
July: I applied to 54 MD schools so you can imagine the number of secondaries I had to churn out this month. I literally woke up, wrote essays, and went to bed. That was my ENTIRE month of July. I tried to get 2-3 secondaries done every day, and by the end of it all I had 60 pages worth of writing on the Word doc. It was definitely God keeping me focused and I didn't feel burned out until I got to the last 4-5 secondaries which was incredible. To this day idk how I survived except that it was all God.
August: Got an early interview at my state school. My thought was "Wow maybe God is trying to tell me that UIC is where I'm meant to be!"
September-November: Had my interview in September and then was stuck in decision pending for all of eternity (and still am, to this day LOL). "Hmm well it's still early in the cycle so God's just trying to teach me to wait on His timing! "
December-January: Landed a few more interviews, still hopeful for the cycle.
February-March: Got waitlisted at the other 3 schools I interviewed at but still hopeful. "Well, there'll be lots of movement by April 30th so there's still a chance!"
Post April 30: "omg what if God is trying to teach me to trust in His timing even when things don't work out my way?" At this point, I was trying to grasp at straws when trying to figure out what He was trying to teach me through this grueling process. I know God usually does not make deals but maybe He was waiting for me to do something? My college roommates treated me very badly (to the point where I fell into depression and contemplated suicide at one point) and in retaliation I shut them out and I had felt convicted for a long time to reach out and forgive them. So, I mustered the courage and emailed them, telling them that I forgave them and sought reconciliation. There, God, was that what you wanted? The weeks passed and nothing happened. Then, last week I decided that maybe God didn't intend for me to get accepted this cycle (I mean, 54 applications and 0 acceptances must be divine intervention, right?) so I opened a new AMCAS, sent in my transcripts, and drafted a PS and sent it to friends for reading. All of this was simultaneously occurring while I was preparing for my business to launch (later this week actually!) and I was starting to get so stressed that all of this had to be done this month. I cried out to God and told Him that I was at my breaking point and that He KNEW that. Mentally I was on my hands and knees but out of faith I kept telling Him that I trusted Him. He has shown me time and again that He will not forsake me nor abandon me.
Then this past weekend after church I was reminded that God gives me just enough grace to get through every day--so maybe He was trying to teach me that His grace is sufficient for me? Whether this was the right answer or He had another reason for the timing, all I can say is I have once again experienced the beauty of His deliverance and His perfect timing. I was literally going to dedicate today for rewriting my PS after getting a ton of feedback but now I can focus on last minute prep for my business launch.
TL;DR ANYTHING can happen with the cycle. Honestly I had lost all hope when I found out that I was in the middle third of the waitlist but persistence pays off! Definitely make sure to update your schools and send letters of interest when appropriate! I heard back when I had least expected it and in the end, if it's what you're meant to do, there'll be a way. "There is no coincidence in this world. Everything happens for a reason."
