So I saw a lot of great insight on these forums and was hoping that people may chime in on my story. I'm a US med graduate (04), who did not match into ophthalmology after a 242 on Step 1 and 12 interviews. As much as I really liked the field, I was really upset and decided to leave medicine, but not after completing PGY1 and getting my license.

I've been unable to find direction in the business world since leaving medicine. While I was in at a venture capital firm (a traditionally competitive, challenging and $$$ rewarding field) I came in contact with a number of ophthalmologists and eye technologies and subsequently realized that it's pretty much the best thing that I have ever been exposed to and I want to get back in.

I did not arrive at this realization however until I started an accelerated MBA program a few months back. I’m graduating in May 09 and I’m filling out the SF Match paperwork for 2010. I would like to know if my story would be appealing to admission committees and if my background in VC and a MBA (Ivy League) will be viewed as a contribution to the program.

Thanks in advance and I will be glad to share my experiences outside of medical practice with anyone who may be interested.

So I saw a lot of great insight on these forums and was hoping that people may chime in on my story. I'm a US med graduate (04), who did not match into ophthalmology after a 242 on Step 1 and 12 interviews. As much as I really liked the field, I was really upset and decided to leave medicine, but not after completing PGY1 and getting my license.

I've been unable to find direction in the business world since leaving medicine. While I was in at a venture capital firm (a traditionally competitive, challenging and $$$ rewarding field) I came in contact with a number of ophthalmologists and eye technologies and subsequently realized that it's pretty much the best thing that I have ever been exposed to and I want to get back in.

I did not arrive at this realization however until I started an accelerated MBA program a few months back. I’m graduating in May 09 and I’m filling out the SF Match paperwork for 2010. I would like to know if my story would be appealing to admission committees and if my background in VC and a MBA (Ivy League) will be viewed as a contribution to the program.

Thanks in advance and I will be glad to share my experiences outside of medical practice with anyone who may be interested.

My guess, not especially. They are going to be looking at people who are committed to getting into a residency slot. Some will come from having done other residencies, having failed their first tries but remaining committed to medicine in general and ophthalmology particularly. Some will have demonstrated their continuing interest by having done pre-residency fellowships after failing at their first tries. But in your case, you left medicine entirely to work in finance. Having someone conversant in business and finance might seem interesting to some, but this isn't a case where a practicing doctor earned an executive MBA while maintaining a practice workload. Remember, you will be interviewed by junior faculty and possibly senior residents who are or will be soon struggling with the realities of practice that often don't come with Wall Street-sized rewards. How will you look to the junior faculty member interviewing you who may be earning a fraction of what you earned as a banker or analyst?

I think you will get interview invitations. But you should be prepared to explain why you chose to spend your time somewhere outside of medicine instead of attempting to gain admission on a second round of applications after internship. You are going to have to tackle this commitment issue on the nose and be able to convince your interviewers you are interested in something besides making money.

Remember, you will be interviewed by junior faculty and possibly senior residents who are or will be soon struggling with the realities of practice that often don't come with Wall Street-sized rewards. How will you look to the junior faculty member interviewing you who may be earning a fraction of what you earned as a banker or analyst?

You are going to have to tackle this commitment issue on the nose and be able to convince your interviewers you are interested in something besides making money.

A great point indeed, but doesnt my action of choosing to leave the finance world and all its financial benefits (which are by the way not nearly as high as people imagine) to get back to 3-5 years of $50K residency and all the subsequent economic concerns that people face, speak to the fact that I'm a lot more interested in Ophthalmology rather than in the money? I mean, I have the option of going back to the business world after school and focusing on the $ but I that's not what I'm interested in.

A great point indeed, but doesnt my action of choosing to leave the finance world and all its financial benefits (which are by the way not nearly as high as people imagine) to get back to 3-5 years of $50K residency and all the subsequent economic concerns that people face, speak to the fact that I'm a lot more interested in Ophthalmology rather than in the money? I mean, I have the option of going back to the business world after school and focusing on the $ but I that's not what I'm interested in.

I don't know, does it?

How do you deal with disappointment and frustration? Residency, even in ophthalmology, is not a bed of roses. It generally gets better as time goes on, but first year especially is not so much fun, you sometimes need a mirror to remind yourself you weren't born with one eye and three thumbs.

You are going to have to convince your interviewers that you are more deserving of a spot in their program than the applicant who failed on the first try but persisted in medicine and re-applied as soon as the opportunity presented. That is a question you should anticipate and be prepared to address, even if they don't bother to ask you. You also need to convince them that you aren't a bright but easily bored and self-absorbed individual who will bail at the first opportunity to do something more financially rewarding if he hits a difficult stretch in training or practice. You definitely need to address what might be their nagging thoughts without seeming defensive. Even if they don't ask you, they will wonder.

And be prepared to answer the question: "if you aren't matched this year, what will you do then?"

You definitely need to address what might be their nagging thoughts without seeming defensive. Even if they don't ask you, they will wonder.

And be prepared to answer the question: "if you aren't matched this year, what will you do then?"

I agree with both of these points.

To the original point, it's hard to say what your odds are. There are so many variables that go into it. One bit of advice would be to cast as wide a net as possible. That will maximize your chances of finding those people who will be intrigued by your story.

Hi Wolverine98,
How wide should an applicant cast his/her net? 40? 50? 60? all of them? ....:/

Hi Wolverine98,
How wide should an applicant cast his/her net? 40? 50? 60? all of them? ....:/

When I was applying, most people applied in the 35-40 range (I applied to 33). Last year, most people I asked had applied to at least 50, many of them over 60. Several applicants did apply to all of them.

im not sure i agree with orbitsurg at all. you didnt match and you tried something else and succeeded at it. getting an MBA at an ivy league school will definitely be a plus not a negative. yes, you may have to answer a few questions but your path was not unreasonable at all. there are many in the field who look down on those who are unable to breath outside of the their break-neck course to do only medicine and nothing else in the world and their interpersonal skills sometimes reflect this. so, i think on balance, your story will be a plus not a negative and many programs will be interested in you and what youve done with your life after the initial setback of not matching. some think researching their way into residency is the only way to go but there are others ways to. good luck.

You definitely need to address what might be their nagging thoughts without seeming defensive. Even if they don't ask you, they will wonder.

And be prepared to answer the question: "if you aren't matched this year, what will you do then?"

I agree with these points too.

but doesnt my action of choosing to leave the finance world and all its financial benefits (which are by the way not nearly as high as people imagine) to get back to 3-5 years of $50K residency and all the subsequent economic concerns that people face, speak to the fact that I'm a lot more interested in Ophthalmology rather than in the money?

Not really. The economy stinks right now and the "financial benefits" in business are much worse then the steady stream of income as an eye surgeon. During the stock market boom, people rushed into business & investment banking and dumped medicine. During recessions, economic downturns and numerous bank failures/layoffs, those who rushed into business want to go into medicine.

With so many competitive applicants, you will have to have qualities that are unique beyond your interests in business. When I hear your story, I think of someone who is seeking a more secure future because business is not as easy as it seems and can be downright insecure in these times.

If you want to be competitive, you'll have to work with ophthalmologists and obtain strong letters of support. If you can get letters from well-known faculty, then you'll be in a good position. You'll also need letters of recommendations from faculty in your general clerkship rotations. This may be difficult as it's been some years since your rotation.

I agree with these points too.



Not really. The economy stinks right now and the "financial benefits" in business are much worse then the steady stream of income as an eye surgeon. During the stock market boom, people rushed into business & investment banking and dumped medicine. During recessions, economic downturns and numerous bank failures/layoffs, those who rushed into business want to go into medicine.

is seeking a more secure future because business is not as easy as it seems and can be downright insecure in these times.

You'll also need letters of recommendations from faculty in your general clerkship rotations. This may be difficult as it's been some years since your rotation.

There certainly is a correlation between the state of the economy and compensation in business (primarily finance) and things are rough right now. However, based on my experience and on what I'm hearig from my network is that an MD is actually a source of job (and thus a reliable steady income) security in the business world as well. If a firm blows up then yes, pretty much everyone is out, but that happens relatively rarely compared to downsisings, in which case the guy with a MD is a lot less likely to be let go then someone less qualified. But an MD with even a couple of years of experience is also a strong set of credentials to get a job relatively quickly if you do fall under the knife. Severance packages are also juicy in finance.

But given the weak market, it is a lot harder to actually break into the finance world right now, even if you have an MD but no experience, thats abolutely true.

By General Clerkships, you mean MSIII Surgery and Medicine? Can I just used the same letters from before and have those faculty update the dates?

Thanks a lot.

By General Clerkships, you mean MSIII Surgery and Medicine? Can I just used the same letters from before and have those faculty update the dates?


If you didn't match with the original letters, then you need better letters than just an updated letter that consists mainly of your business career. The most important letter, however, is a current one from an ophthalmology faculty member. While not impossible, you are no longer a US Senior so the statistics are against you in regard to matching.

I agree with most of the replies. Such a circuitous route makes programs and interviewers a little worried about the reasons behind the route. The regular match as you know is an arduous process, especially knowing that you won't be doing ophthalmology for another two years!! Another option would be first year ophtho vacancies listed on the SFMatch website. Any opportunity for vacancies are few and far between. If you are lucky enough to get an interview for one, grasp that chance because it will fast forward your career two years! :D

sounds like you were a very competitive applicant to begin with (based on your board scores and number of interviews alone)... where do you think your application was weakest? put in another way, what could have prevented you from matching the first time?

sounds like you were a very competitive applicant to begin with (based on your board scores and number of interviews alone)... where do you think your application was weakest? put in another way, what could have prevented you from matching the first time?


I dont think that I was that strong as I did not have any salient research, and my letters were luke warm at most. Given the number of interviews that I had, I was told that I "just slipped through the cracks" as I should have matched "somewhere"... I think that the letters was what did me in.

I dont think that I was that strong as I did not have any salient research, and my letters were luke warm at most. Given the number of interviews that I had, I was told that I "just slipped through the cracks" as I should have matched "somewhere"... I think that the letters was what did me in.

If you have some time, maybe a few months, could you do a short pre-residency fellowship?

If good recent letters are what you need, this would be one way to get one and shore up a weak point in an otherwise strong application. It would also help to deflate worries about commitment.

Onemoretry,

First of all, congrats on coming back to medicine. I think that itself speaks of a commitment, in that you saw "the rest of the world" and still came back.

I did the whole apply/interview/match thing last year, and made a lot of friends on the trail. I can tell you for sure that there are no hard and fast rules for matching. With 12 interviews there are people who don't match, rare but it happens.

There are no "rules". People who are applying tend to look at the ophtho field as if it were a carefully guarded fortress, admission being granted only for those with absurdly high USMLE cutoffs, with every program being similar in their tastes and desires. This is simply not the case.

There are about 110-115 programs, each run by humans, humans with varying interests. Some get 200 applicants. Some get 600. Some think they are god's gift to eyeballs. Some are thankful that you are interested in their program.

Universally good about you from what I read: the dual degree, for whatever reason, seems to be a HUGE plus in ophtho. Your step 1 is solid, very good, hopefully not "negated" by an ok or bad step 2 or 3. You have an interesting story, which trust me, will take you far on the trail.

Possible red flags that could get you weeded out? You applied once and didn't match, and now you are a US grad and not a US senior. That tends to hurt applicants. Plus you don't know how some programs will see your detour through the halls of wall street. But not to worry. Like Wolverine98 says, apply broadly. BROADLY. And humbly. You will get snubbed at some places like all of us, you will get interviews also. And once you get the interview you'll stand out.

I am torn about you getting another letter of rec- I think you should definitely get one if you are worried but time's a wastin' and many applicants have already applied...so unless you can get one FAST I'd apply now, shadow someone/do research and get a new letter in the next month or two, and hand in the new letter of rec at the interview. I know it's not a perfect solution, but it is weighing a less perfect app now vs. a possibly more perfect app later being considered by less programs.

Good luck!

Wall Street is definitely changing... I wish you luck in your transition into medicine.

Interesting story. Couple of questions...

How do you know if your LOR's were weak?

What caliber of med school are you from? top, middle, low tier?