Trying Something Different - A Place to Talk About Not Getting Accepted

Hey everyone, trying something a little different here. As many of you are aware, rejections are common and we have seen a lot of that in the threads.

I'd like to have a discussion/open forum about it. Just as a background on myself:

Current CRNA for 2 years. Frequently in contact with SRNA/NARs, so I hear about the application process all the time.

Profile:

Applied after 2 years in CCU. Matriculated at 4 years

BS in Bio GPA 3.2, last 60 hours 3.6

Accelerated BSN GPA 3.4

Science GPA 3.4

GRE 320

Certs:CCRN, CMC, CSC, Ultrasound IV 

Shadow: 12 hours

Committee: unit practice, patient safety, and evidence-based guidelines committee

Patients: Post-op hearts, heart failure, cardiogenic shock, renal failure etc

Devices: Impella, IABP, LVAD, CRRT, Aline, Swan, Vent (though RRT would growl if you did anything) 

Applied at 4 schools, interviewed at 3, accepted at 1, waislisted at 1

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For those who applied this cycle and were rejected (or waitlisted that turned into a rejection):

- What do you honestly think went wrong?

- Do you think it was academics, ICU experience, interview performance, timing, or something else?

-Did you feel competitive on paper but struggle in interviews?

-Did anything surprise you about the process compared to what you expected?

-Did they throw a curveball at the interview you weren't expecting?

-If you're being brutally honest, what would you change if you applied again?

Hopefully this becomes a helpful outlet. It's very challenging finding anything to guide you after the rejection/waitlist. Maybe I can point to a gap or something that may help you in the future.