As the new year rounds the corner, often, so do rejection and waitlist emails. I will be honest with you, its going to feel like a punch in the face at times. Especially if the rejection is coming from a school you especially wanted to go to. However, I am here to tell you that this is not the end of the world. This waitlist does NOT determine your worth, define your potential as a PT, or at all indicate the end of your PT journey.
Now, I know what your thinking… “Lexi that’s easy for you to say, you got accepted to PT school”. But, behind those schools I was accepted at, I was also rejected, waitlisted, and even dissuaded to apply to PT school entirely.
When I was applying to DPT programs 2 years ago, I remember it being so disheartening when I opened my email to “thank you for your interest in [univeristy], but at this time we will not be offering you admission”.
I got this email from approximately five different programs. Four more schools I got the just as disheartening email of “We would love to offer you a spot on our waitlist…”. Somehow those emails almost seemed worse at the time.
It was only later that I realized that these schools are not just evaluating you on your grades, but also you as a person. These program admissions teams are trying to put together a cohort of students with personalities that will push one another to succeed. Students who will get along, and, for lack of a better term, vibe well together.
Why Waitlist and Rejection May Happen
A good amount of the time, rejection has nothing to do with your qualifications as a DPT. Sometimes, the reason rejection happens is not that you aren’t a good fit in that program. Rather, it’s that the admissions team know that you will be a PERFECT fit at another school.
Even though its cheesy and cliche, it is important to remember that everything happens for a reason.
My Story
When I was applying to schools, I had my heart set on going to Washington University in St. Louis (WashU). That was my number one pick. It was the program that I felt would help me reach my goals. Not to mention, that it was a school that I believed to be realistic, given my credentials, background, and grades, to get into.
To be honest, I applied to NYU fully convinced that I would never get accepted to their program. But, I did it to take a chance on myself and just see if I could, on the off chance, get in.
After recieving nothing but rejections/waitlist offers from the other schools I applied to, I received my email from WashU that I had been waitlisted for their program as well. I was heartbroken. But, I know that if I would have been accepted outright to WashU, I would never have even considered another school. So, with nothing but respect and love for WashU, thank goodness I was waitlisted, because not even 3 days later, I got the call from NYU that they wanted to schedule an interview with me.
The Acceptance
Crazy enough, 2 weeks later I was offered admissions at NYU. I accepted that day. Then, 2 days later, I received notification that WashU has offered me admission off the waitlist.
I chose to stick with NYU for many reasons. The main reason being the students. They were so easy to get along with. I felt like they saw something in me that other schools had not seen to this point.
In reality, those rejections were really just preparing me to find the school that fit me best. No matter how unexpected it was.
So wait it out, waitlist does not mean the end of the world. It may just lead you to your perfect fit.
But I KNOW This Is The Only School I Want To Go To… How Do I Make Sure I Make It Off The Waitlist?
Nothing is guaranteed. But for everyone who that waitlist school is your DREAM school, it also can’t hurt to reach out. Some schools will share where you currently sit on their waitlist. A simple email asking where you stand on the waitlist, and possibly what you can do to improve your chances of acceptance can go a long way. Emphasize how much you want to attend that school and why. This can also help you determine what about your application you could stand to improve moving forward.
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