2012 Match Stats

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Andrew_Doan

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It's match time again and every year I collect and post applicants' stats anonymously. Your participation provides data that are not available elsewhere and are helpful to those who follow in your footsteps!

If you matched, then remember to join the American Academy of Ophthalmology. You can contact [email protected] for more information.

Consider this article by Ruben Sanchez, MD when making your match list:
http://www.medrounds.org/ophthalmology-pearls/articles/Sanchez-Match-Pearls.pdf

If you would like to participate in the anonymous detailed listing of matched and unmatched applications (hopefully all matched on this board), then please submit a personal message to me. I'll post your stats without identification if you prefer.

If you send me a PM or post, then please use the template below:

--Board Scores:
--AOA and class rank: if known
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc)
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications)
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine)
--# and where you did away rotations:
--# of programs you applied to:
--Where invited for interviews:
--Where matched:
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc)

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--Board Scores: 257/99 and 264/99
--AOA and class rank: No AOA at my school, no class rank at my school.
--Reputation of medical school: satellite campus of a medical school ranked in the lower tier
--Research: 6 ophtho pubs, none first author (all 2nd author) - 2 review articles, 2 case studies, 2 prospective articles. 1 research project outside of ophthalmology, not yet published, in the field of disabilities. However, 4/6 articles were published by the time I was interviewing.
--Honors in clerkships: DID NOT honor medicine, honored everything else
--# and where you did away rotations: 4 away rotations - 1 research rotation (highly recommend), 1 four-week clinical rotation set up privately with an attending at a top-ranked ophthalmology program, and 2 two-week rotations through VSAS. Interviews were offered to me at 3 of the 4 programs, although not all students who rotated received an interview at any of them.
--# of programs you applied to: 55
--Where invited for interviews: BPEI, JSEI, MEEI, Emory, Wash U, OHSU, CPMC, UC Davis, Cornell, Mt Sinai, Yale, UTSW, UIC, Rush, Northwestern, Cook County, Arizona, Wayne State, Wake Forest, Boston U, U Minnesota, Tulane. Rejected from many (notably, smaller programs like Seattle, Colorado, and Utah, and larger programs like Iowa, Wilmer, and Wills).
--Where matched: #1, BPEI
--Anything that helped your app: I think big-wig letter of rec opened doors, especially when coming from a lesser known, brand new school. Doing away rotations perhaps demonstrated some geographical interest, but I'll never know that for sure. My region (southwest) barely extended me any interviews, it was all SO random and as a result, I was very happy I had applied broadly and had done aways in many locations (west, east coast, midwest). I wrote about unique interests on my application and things outside of medicine, and these were brought up in many interviews, and possibly helped me stand out from others (again, I'll never know). Programs seemed to be impressed with the fact that I had accomplished a lot of research in a short period of time (aka, if you decide on ophtho in April of MS3, you can still get a lot of pubs if you get creative and work your tail off). Also, on a more personal note, I was open in my application about being involved in LGBT leadership and activities, and this was brought up in many interviews in a positive light (and never in a negative light). However, I'll never know if the inclusion of these items shut the door on some opportunities (although, undoubtedly, places I wouldn't have been comfortable training). Don't be afraid to be yourself.

======

--Board Scores: Step 1: 244, Step 2: Not taken yet
--AOA and class rank: if known: AOA
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc): State school in the south
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications): 1 publication in IOVS, clinical shadowing between 1st and 2nd year, working on case report
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine): Honor in all except surgery
--# and where you did away rotations: 2 rotations in NYC, 1 month research and clinical at home school
--# of programs you applied to: 55
--Where invited for interviews: Mass Eye, Wills, Columbia, NYU, Colorado, Wash U, Tennessee, Oregon, Utah, Iowa, UTSW, Wake Forest, UVA, SUNY Downstate, Tufts, Oklahoma
--Where matched: #1- Mass Eye
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc): Long term interest in the field since before medical school, multiple projects at multiple schools, letter from chair and program director.

=====

--Board Scores: 249/99 No step 2
--AOA and class rank: not AOA
--Reputation of medical school: state school
--Research: 10 pubs, 2 first author, mostly in ophtho
--Honors in clerkships: surgery, ophtho, psych
--# and where you did away rotations: none
--# of programs you applied to: 62
--Where invited for interviews: invited to 34, went to 13, many of the top 10 programs
--Where matched: my #1 choice, a top 10 program
--Anything that helped your app: Good research, big name letters

======

--Board Scores: 239/99 Step 1
--AOA and class rank: not AOA, class rank unknown
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc) top 50
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications) first author publication that wasn't ophtho related, multiple non-ophtho projects, 2 small unpublished ophtho projects
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine) H in Surgery, Medicine, Anesthesia, Ophtho, HP in everything else
--# and where you did away rotations: none
--# of programs you applied to: 65
--Where invited for interviews: 12
--Where matched: #7, solid mid-tier program
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc) I applied more broadly than I originally thought I would and am really glad I did.

======

--Board Scores: 253/99, 263/99
--AOA and class rank: not AOA, school does not rank
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc) lower end of the top 25
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications) 2 non-ophtho pubs (none first author), several large ophtho projects in a dedicated research year underway, but nothing published
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine) honors in all
--# and where you did away rotations: 1 at a top 5 program
--# of programs you applied to: 45
--Where invited for interviews: invited to 23, attended 14: Wills, BPEI, MEEI, UCSF, Michigan, UCLA, Duke, Casey, CPMC, Cornell, Yale, UVA, U Washington, Stanford. Did not attend Drexel, Storm, Georgetown, Einstein, Colorado, UMDNJ, Case Western, Maryland, NYU
--Notable rejections: all Chicago programs, Wilmer, USC, Emory, NYEEI
--Where matched: my #1
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc)
2 strong letters from well known people definitely helped, as these were mentioned often in interviews. One of these letters came from an away rotation, and I think this opened many doors for me as I was coming from a fairly small home program. Also, at some of the heavily academic places I was told that without the dedicated research time I had underway I would not have been invited there. Unique life experiences and a few unusual extracurriculars were also discussed at nearly all of my interviews. But if you put anything on your CV, definitely be prepared to back it up (sometimes by live demonstration)!

One last thing to note is that my interviews were pretty random geographically. I had read on this forum that you were most likely to interview/match in your home area, but I actually ended up with equal numbers of interviews on the east and west coasts, almost none in the middle of the country, and ended up matching on the opposite side of the country from where I'm from. This definitely surprised me, so I guess this generalization isn't always true.

======

--Board Scores: Step1 248/99, Step2 247/81 (didn't take until late october)
--AOA and class rank: We dont rank, not AOA though
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc) "Less prestigious" MD school
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications) Did research during my third year and a block during fourth. Got two publications from it but not until December - I still had something to talk about during interviews though.
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine) psych, ophtho, Away ophtho, Away ophtho research
--# and where you did away rotations: 3, two clinical and 1 research
--# of programs you applied to: 78
--Where invited for interviews: 15; Nassau, SUNY stony brook, LIJ, Drexel, NYMC Valhalla, NYMC Jamaica, Penn St, U South Carolina, LSU - Shrev, UMaryland, Loyola, Cook County, Summa, Bronx Lebanon, UChicago (couldn't attend)
--Where matched: #7/14
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc) I really didn't have anything outstanding to help me with my application. Standard letters from my home chair, research advisor, and a medicine attending. I didn't have anyone to go to bat for me and call programs on my behalf. I was kind of dissapointed to have gone so far down the rank list but I'm happy I have a home in 2013.

The biggest advice that I have is CONTACT PROGRAMS for interviews. Do this early and contact the programs often. I definitely got some interviews simply by picking up the phone, calling, and expressing my interest.

======

--Board Scores: Step 1 253, step 2 256
--AOA and class rank: top 20%, AOA
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc): top 25
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications): some ophtho with no publications, 1 ARVO
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine): honors in 1/2 and high pass in 1/2
--# and where you did away rotations:none
--# of programs you applied to:53
--Where invited for interviews:10
--Where matched:#3, strong southern program
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc) nothing in particular, did not have an ophtho letter other than standard chairman's letter and I think that hurts a bit, also away rotation may have helped a bit, especially in showing interest in ophthalmology; there's a field for ophtho related activities on CAS and leaving it blank DOESN'T help, but very happy with where I matched!

======

--Board Scores: 252/99, 270/99
--AOA and class rank: not AOA, don't know class rank
--Reputation of medical school: top 20
--Research: 1 basic science paper published in undergrad, 1 ophtho project without publication, other smaller projects without publications
--Honors in clerkships: A in all except 1 clinical year rotations (A in medicine and surgery)
--# and where you did away rotations: no away rotations
--# of programs you applied to: 40
--Where invited for interviews: 20 invitations, 17 interviews (Tufts, Duke, Kansas, UF Jacksonville, MCG, Baylor, UTSW, Memphis, Emory, SLU, WashU, Northwestern, Loyola, UIC, Utah, Iowa, Virginia, Michigan, UCLA, Wakeforest)
--Where matched: #1
--Anything that helped your app: strong letters of recommendation, research, personal statement. I was asked about my letters (especially my one ophthalmology letter from a very well-known person) everywhere and my personal statement almost everywhere (it wasn't really at all about ophthalmology). Same with research.

My advice: get GREAT letters (strong non-ophtho letters are better than weak ophtho letters), write an essay that is interesting

=====

--Board Scores: Step 1: 258, Step 2: 263
--AOA and class rank: not AOA, class doesn't rank
--Reputation of medical school: middle-tier
--Research: 4 ophtho pubs, none as 1st author
--Honors in clerkships: Family med and psych only (ouch!)
--# and where you did away rotations: none
--# of programs you applied to: 54
--Where invited for interviews: Albany, SUNY upstate, Cincinnati, Indiana, Nebraska, Arkansas, UT San Antonio, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Utah, OHSU, CPMC, U Minnesota
--Where matched: #1
--Anything that helped your app: no phone calls or big-wig letters. I think my numbers allowed me to get some good interviews and from there it was just a matter of getting people to like me on the interviews. I had some interesting points on my application that usually drew a lot of conversation and I just tried to be very fun and personable.

=====

--Board Scores: 234/99, step II not back yet
--AOA and class rank: if known: not AOA, 2nd quartile
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc): Average NE school.
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications). Ophtho related - 1 first author pub, and several ongoing projects. Also some non-ophtho publications
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine). Peds, Family Med, all ophtho rotations.
--# and where you did away rotations: 2
--# of programs you applied to: ~65
--Where invited for interviews: 14 - NYMC, NYMC Jamaica, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Stony Brook, Albany, Bronx Lebanon, NYU, LIJ, UAB, Geisinger, EVMS, Howard, UTMB-Galveston, UMKC.
--Where matched: #2
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc). Good letters of recommendation which were personal..these were brought up during several interviews. Research in the field and ophthalmology related activities.

=====

--Board Scores: Step 1: 243; Step 2: 242
--AOA and class rank: not AOA, top 25%
--Reputation of medical school: solid state school in NE
--Research: 1 publication in Retina, 1 first author pub submitted to Retina, multiple other pubs in other areas of medicine. Presented at ASRS, and other conferences not related to ophthalmology
--Honors in clerkships: Honors in all except HP in Family Med and Ob/Gyn
--# and where you did away rotations: 1
--# of programs you applied to: 53
--Where invited for interviews: Emory, NYEE, Einstein, BU, Beaumont, Henry Ford, Case Western, UMDNJ, Buffalo, NYMC-Jamaica, NUMC, NYMC- Valhalla. Invited but did not attend: Albany, Stony Brook
--Where matched: Emory, my #1
--Anything that helped your app: away rotation, strong letters of recommendation, research experience, phone call from advisor to program I was most interested in.

======

--Board Scores: 233/97, 242/99
--AOA and class rank: no AOA
--Reputation of medical school: top 50
--Research: 1 4th author manuscript non ophtho, 1 abstract ophtho
--Honors in clerkships: no third year honors
--# and where you did away rotations: 2 away rotations
--# of programs you applied to: 86
--Where invited for interviews: UAB, U Arizona, Yale, U Kentucky, LSU-Shreve, Tulane, BU, Tufts, UMKC, Wake, UMDNJ, Upstate, Penn State, UTSW
--Where matched: #1
--Anything that helped your app: I had relatively mediocre grades and board scores. You have to apply broadly and audition in that situation. Only 1/6 of my programs interviewed me which translated to a comforting number but I was nervous. Ended up matching at my #1 which was an away rotation so I'll never know.

======

--Board Scores: Step 1: 232/99, Step 2: 238/99
--AOA and class rank: no AOA, no class rank
--Reputation of medical school: lower tier
--Research: 2 ophtho projects with a publication in progress (2nd author)
--Honors in clerkships: ophtho x2, surgery, ob/gyn, neuro, family med, HP everything else
--# and where you did away rotations: 1 research (top-tier), 2 clinical (1 top-tier, 1 middle-tier)
--# of programs you applied to: 78
--Where invited for interviews: 15, all over the country, but mostly in the northeast
--Where matched: my #1 choice in Cali!
--Anything that helped your app: letters from two big-wigs, my research projects, doing AWAY rotations, interesting hobbies, and being persistent and positive!

======

--Board Scores: 237/99 and 264/99
--AOA and class rank: no AOA at my school, rank 7/172
--Reputation of medical school: well-established DO school
--Research: some ophtho with no publications
--Honors in clerkships: A's in all except Psych
--# and where you did away rotations: 1 research elective. 4 aways at DO programs
--# of programs you applied to: 52 (12 of which were DO programs)
--Where invited for interviews: MD: Cook County, EVMS, Loyola, UTHSC-San Antonio, U Chicago. DO: St John Detroit, Doctor's Columbus, Grandview Dayton, Valley Las Vegas.
--Where matched: my #2 MD program
--Anything that helped your app: very solid LOR's. I hold a very prominent national student leadership position, which was talked about during a few interviews. Calling programs to gain interviews helped some. Talking about positives of family location and/or re-locating helped too.

======

--Board Scores: 261/99 and 268/99
--AOA and class rank: AOA, no class rank
--Reputation of medical school: Top 25 Med School
--Research: One non-ophtho project, two ophtho projects, no publications
--Honors in clerkships: honors in all
--# and where you did away rotations: 1 away
--# of programs you applied to: 42
--Where invited for interviews: UTSW, Baylor, UIC, Columbia, Ohio State, Georgetown, MUSC, UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, Kentucky, UT-Memphis, UT-Houston, Mt Sinai, Yale, Boston U, Louisville, Case Western. Rejected from BPEI, Wills, Wilmer, Iowa, Cleveland clinic, VCU.
--Where matched: My #1
--Anything that helped your app: Definitely contact programs if you are very interested. I received several interviews after emailing programs expressing my interest.

======
 
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--Board Scores: step 1: 256, step 2: 273
--AOA and class rank: if known: AOA, top quartile
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc) middle tier
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications) : some non-ophtho research in college, none in med school
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine): all honors
--# and where you did away rotations: none
--# of programs you applied to: 40
--Where invited for interviews: 20 invites, went on 13 interviews (Texas Tech, UT Memphis, UAB, Arkansas, LSU, Miss, UK, Oklahoma, UTSW, Texas A&M, Colorado, MUSC Charleston
--Where matched: Oklahoma (my #1) What an amazing program!
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc): Well written/personal letter of recs, previous experience in the field as ophthalmic tech

======

--Board Scores: Step 1: 260/99; Step 2: Results not back yet
--AOA and class rank: Junior AOA, class rank unknown
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc) - middle tier
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications): 2 Ophtho research projects with an AOA and ARVO presentation. No publications.
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine): Honors in Surgery, Neurology, Psychiatry, Medicine; Letter of Commendation in Pediatrics and Ob/GYN
--# and where you did away rotations: 2 away rotations
--# of programs you applied to: 41
--Where invited for interviews: 20
--Where matched: #1!!!!!!!!
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc): Great, personalized letters of rec. I felt that doing research was a plus as a topic to discuss and bring up during interviews and demonstrate your scholarly activity. I also felt that away rotations were important for networking and also to experience two environments that were different and also different from that of my home institution. I ended up matching at one of my aways and felt that it helped due to the personalized contact there, but that does not happen at every away. I did not have any big-wig letters or phone calls, but felt that my dedicated interest to programs as demonstrated during the aways was important.

======

--Board Scores: 240 step 1, 258 step 2
--AOA and class rank: Not AOA (ranked in top 50%)
--Reputation of medical school: top 25
--Research: 1 accepted 2nd author ophtho pub; 2 submitted ophtho pubs; 10 ophtho works in progress
--Honors in clerkships: ONLY honors in surgery
--# and where you did away rotations: 1 away at MUSC
--# of programs you applied to: 113
--Where invited for interviews: wake forest, albany, uva, mcv, eastern virginia, mcg, uab, henry ford, umkc, uf jacksonville, LSU new orleans, LSU shreveport, howard, nymc, SUNY stony brook
--Where matched: #1!!!!!!!
--Anything that helped your app: I think getting to know the folks at my home institution well and showing them how dedicated I was helped me to match at my number 1 choice. My application is definitely an example of how someone who is NOT in the top quarter of their class can match at a very solid ophthalmology program. Don't stop believing.

====

-Board Scores: Step 1: 240, Step 2: 255
--AOA and class rank: if known: don't have AOA, Rank #5/155
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc): DO School, so lower than low tier
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications): 1 ARVO poster, couple papers before med school
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine): Honored everything
--# and where you did away rotations: 3 aways, no home program
--# of programs you applied to: 41
--Where invited for interviews: 9, pretty random places in all parts of the country
--Where matched: #5, at a place I did an away, very happy to have matched!
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc): Coming from a DO program I was at a big disadvantage, was even told that on multiple interviews. I was told that my application was great but that there was a big black mark on it and that was that I was a DO. Away rotation really helped, may not even have gotten the interview without it. Probably could have applied to more programs, but I decided not to apply to locations that I couldn't see myself living. I am very happy to have matched especially since I am the first person from my school to ever do so!

======

--Board Scores: 230/96 233/99
--AOA and class rank: no AOA, middle of class
--Reputation of medical school: Top 10
--Research: Research year after 3rd year, about 10 ophtho pubs, some first author
--Honors in clerkships: only honors was OB/GYN
--# and where you did away rotations: 1, at a top 3 program
--# of programs you applied to: 49
--Where invited for interviews: All over. 25 offers, did 18 interviews. Interviewed at many top programs: USC, UCSF, Iowa, WashU, Hopkins, Utah, etc.
--Where matched: My #2, a top program
--Anything that helped your app: Outstanding letter from my research PI. It was mentioned in every interview. Find people that share your interests and work closely with them.

Also, my mediocre boards scores were never mentioned. It may have kept me from getting some interviews.

======

--Board Scores: Step I: 243 Step II: 247 (I got my score mid October)
--AOA and class rank: not AOA but in top 25%
--Reputation of medical school: Public School in the South
--Research: 1 non-ophthalmology related poster, 2 abstracts were submitted to ARVO at time of interviewing
--Honors in clerkships: Medicine, Surgery, Peds, Family Med
--# and where you did away rotations: 1-and I didn't get an interview there
--# of programs you applied to: 45
--Where invited for interviews: UTSW, UTMB, LSU-S, LSU-Ochsner, Tulane, Arkansas, MCG, USCarolina, MUSC, UVA, MCV, Maryland, UMiss
--Where matched: MCV
--Anything that helped your app: I did not appreciate how much a solid letter of rec helps an application until interviewing. I got a letter from a well known Peds attending. The letter was brought up at nearly every interview. If I had to do it again I would have tried to get another solid letter. I would also do more away rotations.

=====

--Board Scores: Step 1 - 215 / Step 2 - 226
--AOA and class rank: Not AOA, school does not officially rank
--Reputation of medical school: Top 10
--Research: Dedicated research year, 1 arvo abstract, 2nd author ophtho article publication in non-peer reviewed journal, first author ophtho publication in preparation at time of application
--Honors in clerkships: Medicine clerkship, medicine sub-I, surgery, emergency medicine, psychiatry, radiology
--# and where you did away rotations: none
--# of programs you applied to: 115
--Where invited for interviews: 17; MUSC (Storm), Drexel, Baylor, U Missouri in Columbia, SUNY-Downstate, NYU, Duke, Albert Einstein, Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Vanderbilt, Tulane, UTMB-Galveston, Rochester, Tufts, MCG, EVMS, Case Western. Skipped interviews at UTMB-Galveston and Tulane due to date conflicts.
--Where matched: #1 on my rank list, Vanderbilt
--Anything that helped your app: Research year with and recommendation letter from well-known academic researcher. If you have a low board score, apply very broadly and call/email to express interest at programs you like. Some schools will look beyond the board score.
 
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-Board Scores: Step 1: 240, Step 2: 255
--AOA and class rank: if known: don't have AOA, Rank #5/155
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc): DO School, so lower than low tier
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications): 1 ARVO poster, couple papers before med school
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine): Honored everything
--# and where you did away rotations: 3 aways, no home program
--# of programs you applied to: 41
--Where invited for interviews: 9, pretty random places in all parts of the country
--Where matched: #5, at a place I did an away, very happy to have matched!
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc): Coming from a DO program I was at a big disadvantage, was even told that on multiple interviews. I was told that my application was great but that there was a big black mark on it and that was that I was a DO. Away rotation really helped, may not even have gotten the interview without it. Probably could have applied to more programs, but I decided not to apply to locations that I couldn't see myself living. I am very happy to have matched especially since I am the first person from my school to ever do so!

:clap: Awesome!!! Congratulations to you, man (or woman!)
 
--Board Scores: Step 1: 263/99 Step 2: 267/99
--AOA and class rank: AOA, 1st Quartile (my school does not release our actual numerical rank, only the quartile into which we fall)
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc) Not even close to sniffing the top 25. Low tier public school in the Midwest. The question of whether med school reputation matters depends upon which program you are looking at. You can tell that a handful of programs are really only interested in taking students from top schools, which is unfortunate. Visit the programs' websites and look at their current resident pool. Numbers don't lie. Fortunately there are plenty of outstanding programs that care more about the quality of the applicant than were they are from.
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications) One 1st author ophtho pub, 3 other significant ophtho projects ongoing which will most likely result in 1st author pubs as well.
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine) No honors at my school (we actually use letter grades for our clinical rotations). Made straight As in all rotations and all pre-clinical coursework.
--# and where you did away rotations: 2 @ BPEI and UTSW
--# of programs you applied to: 68
--Where invited for interviews: invited to 22, attended 18, including BPEI, NYEEI, Duke, Oklahoma, Yale, UT-Memphis, Arkansas, Indiana, Tulane, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio State, Mizzou KC, Mizzou Columbia, UT-Houston, Texas Tech, Florida, and Mayo Clinic. Did not attend: Nebraska, Case Western, Cincinnati, and Kansas. Notable rejections: Every other top 20 program, as well as a number of solid upper mid-tier programs I would have loved to visit, such as MUSC, Vanderbilt, Stanford, and CPMC. I was completely shut out by the West Coast. How some of these places choose who to interview still mystifies me.
--Where matched: Yale!!!
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc) I failed to match last year due to an extremely unfortunate combination of focusing on the wrong things during interviews (I have a unique background, which, in retrospect, likely made me seem very different than the rest of the applicant pool. You want to stand out, but not stick out--the Match is a very risk averse process. Don't underestimate how conservative a field ophthalmology is. It is, after all, still a surgical subspecialty) and only interviewing at a handful of extremely competitive, top 10 programs. I spent my year off doing the ophthalmic pathology fellowship at Bascom Palmer. That, along with shifting the conversational focus of my interviews towards strictly ophthalmology related topics, was the biggest factor in my successful match this year. Also helpful were two strong, personal letters from bigwigs who went out of their way to reassure programs that my failure to match was no reflection on my potential as a future resident. So, for anyone who came up short in the Match, I was in your shoes this time last year, and I know how demoralizing it is. The Match is a strange, imperfect process--don't listen to the BS about how it "just works" or gets everyone to where they "should be". I just want to say that you can match as a second time applicant, although it will be difficult and the deck is stacked against you. I suggest 2 things: 1) You must get DETAILED, SPECIFIC feedback as to why you didn't match. This is extremely difficult, because programs will take the easy route of sending you a generic form letter about how competitive the Match is. Have someone in your program fight for you to get you this info. Your home program director can talk to his/her counterparts about how you were viewed by other programs. Make them do this. Don't take no for an answer. Although the match isn't perfect, there is reason why you did not match, and in all likelihood, it is correctable. 2) Work harder than you did before. You can assume that if your application does not improve significantly for your second attempt, you are dead in the water. Act accordingly. A pre-residency fellowship is an excellent way to improve your credentials, and I recommend everyone who failed to match at least take this route into consideration. I will be posting soon about my experience at Bascom Palmer, which as I mentioned was absolutely critical in my matching to a program which I ranked very highly. Keep your heads up, and get to work. Good luck.

=====

--Board Scores: Step 1: 257
--AOA and class rank: Senior AOA
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc): I'd guess top 50
--Research: 3 1st author Ophtho publicationss, 5 other Ophtho publications, 2 Ophtho abstracts/posters
--Honors in clerkships: Psych, Medicine, Family Medicine
--# and where you did away rotations: 0 and 0 (Aways are a waste of time, in my opinion, unless you really are just trying to see if you like the program or you come from a smaller school and it would be tough to get an Ophtho letter).
--# of programs you applied to: 50
--Where invited for interviews: (I applied to too many schools, I'll just list where I interviewed) Iowa, Michigan, Bascom, Wills, UCSF, Oklahoma, Utah, Vanderbilt, OHSU, San Diego, UC Davis, Wisconsin, Florida (Gainesville)
--Where matched: #2
--Anything that helped your app: I'm convinced that Step 1, Letters of Rec, and Research are by far and away the most important factors. I was AOA, which helped, but only a few people mentioned that. I've heard phone calls can help get interviews and whatever, especially if the person calling has actual ties to the program (not sure if random phone calls help, unless the person calling is a big wig).

=====

--Board Scores: Step 1 - 241/99
--AOA and class rank: not AOA, top third
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc) - top 50
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications) - 4 ophtho research projects in the works, 1 pending publication, 1 abstract submitted.
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine) - We don't have honors at my institution. I received average grades in all clerkships.
--# and where you did away rotations: I went on an ophtho med mission instead
--# of programs you applied to: 65
--Where invited for interviews: University of South Florida, University of Florida gainesville/jacksonville, BPEI, University of South Carolina, University of Missouri - Kansas City, Indiana University, SUNY Downstate/Upstate, and Albany.
--Where matched: #3
--Anything that helped your app: Letters of recommendation from people who knew me well, Very strong letters of rec, a demonstrated interest in research.

=====

--Board Scores: 234/99 and 260/99
--AOA and class rank: Not AOA, 2nd quartile
--Reputation of medical school: top 50
--Research: 4 ophtho pubs (one 1st author), 1 non-ophtho pub: 2 prospective, 2 case reports, 1 retrospective; all published by interviews except for 1 case report
--Honors in clerkships: Honored everything but surgery, medicine, pediatrics
--# and where you did away rotations: 3 away rotations: 1 research (important if you come from a home program that doesn't do much research, like mine) and 2 four-week preceptorships at well regarded programs set-up by contacting the programs last winter. I did my research rotation at one of the programs where I did a preceptorship.
--# of programs you applied to: 70
--Where invited for interviews: 16 offers, went to 12: Utah, UAB, UMKC, Wake Forest, UPMC, Rochester, VCU, UVA, WVU, Temple, Sinai Hosp. of Baltimore, Texas Tech, Albany, LSU-Shreveport, UNMC, Geisinger
--Where matched: #3
--Anything that helped your app: All my letters were very strong and personal (I was lucky enough to be able to read all of them) and one was from a big-wig. His letter was mentioned during a lot of my interviews. Programs were also impressed that I published 3/4 research projects within one month of starting the projects. My research was the biggest topic of conversation during my interviews. My personal statement was critiqued by a program director, chairman, and a non-ophtho person really good at writing. I tried to include non-ophthalmology interests in it. This paid off as it was mentioned during all my interviews. Taking step 2 early and improving a lot over step 1 helped because all the programs saw it. Some were impressed with my score improvement.

Get great letters. Ask residents who writes excellent letters of recommendation at their programs. If you do a research rotation, find someone who puts out a lot of research and work super hard to get a lot done. I thought my step 1 score would hamper my prospects, but I made the rest of my application as good as possible and matched somewhere I am excited to train.

=====

--Board Scores: Step 1 234/Step 2 249
--AOA and class rank: not AOA, class rank in top 25%
--Reputation of medical school: top 50
--Research: ARVO poster, two ongoing ophtho projects
--Honors in clerkships: H in Medicine, Neurology, Urology and Ophtho, HP in all else
--# and where you did away rotations: 2 - one out west, one on the east coast
--# of programs you applied to: 60+
--Where invited for interviews: 12 - U Wash Seattle, UC Davis, George Washington, U Arizona, Georgetown, Tulane, LSU Ochsner, VCU, EVMS, Albany, Bronx-Lebanon, UF-Jacksonville. Turned down SUNY Stony Brook
--Where matched: my #1!!! :love:
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc) I think my biggest strength was having done away rotations. I don't think that will apply to everyone, but for people whose biggest strength is their personality, doing an away can really boost your chances at specific programs, and can even earn you extra LORs. Even during interviews, I found that likability and outside interests went a LONG way...very few interviewers brought up my research or academic record for more than a few seconds. My letters were not from big-wigs, but were very strong letters from people who knew me well.
Congrats to all this year's matched applicants!!!

=====
 
Board Scores: STEP I: 263 STEP II: took in late December
--AOA and class rank: AOA, no ranking but top 15% (based on AOA selection criteria)
--Reputation of medical school: Would guess lower tier. State med school in the South
--Research: Working on 1 prospective ophtho pub during application season, otherwise no research.
--Letters of Rec: IP Peds, IP Medicine, Private Ophtho
--Honors in clerkships: All
--# and where you did away rotations: 2 @ BPEI and Baylor
--# of programs you applied to: 28
--Where invited for interviews: Iowa, Tx Tech, UTSA, UT-Houston, Baylor, UTSW, UTMB, Emory, MEEI, UF-Gainesville, Tulane, Wake-Forest.
--Where matched: My #1
--Anything that helped your app: Hard work
I go to a state school and am in a satellite campus, so I did not even have a chairman or academic ophtho letter. I worked hard on clinical rotations and got great letters from attendings. In my opinion, aways are all about who you meet and what impression you leave them with. It is unlikely you will wow them with clinical knowledge, but you can impress with hard work and progress in exam and ophthalmic presentations.

======

--Board Scores: Step 1: 250-260, Step 2: 260-270
--AOA and class rank: AOA
--Reputation of medical school: top 20
--Research: 1 first-author pub (non-ophtho)
--Honors in clerkships: H's in surg/med
--# and where you did away rotations: 0
--# of programs you applied to: 30
--Where invited for interviews: home program in south, several other scattered (<10 overall)
--Where matched: #1 (home program)
--Anything that helped your app: being at home program. Get letters! This was my downfall. The bigger the wig, the higher the # of interviews.
 
--Board Scores: 251/99
--AOA and class rank: Junior AOA, Top 5%
--Reputation of medical school: (mid tier, maybe top 50)
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications) one non ophtho 2nd author from before medical school, one non ophtho project ongoing, one ophtho project ongoing (none submitted/published)
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine) H in all
--# and where you did away rotations: 3 away rotations, 2 in NYC, 1 in Philly ( I really wanted to go to NYC for personal reasons)
--# of programs you applied to: 81
--Where invited for interviews: Went to: Rochester, SUNY Upstate, NYU, Mt. Sinai, NS-LIJ, CPMC, Stanford, BU, Kresge, Case Western, Cole, Henry Ford, Denver, Vanderbilt, UIC, Drexel, Temple, NYMC, Nassau, Arizona
--Where matched: My #1 in NYC, where I did an away )
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc) AWAYS!!!! I mostly only got interviews in the city and Philly where I did aways. THe interviews I got were absolutely not regional (possibly because of my Canadian background) I was shocked (and thrilled!) to get 2 in SF and Chicago and yet all the schools in NYC that I had hoped to get interviews from skipped me over. It all worked out well, but I woudl defn recommend aways if you are targetting a specific area. Apply broadly as you never know who will be interested in your application!

======

--Board Scores: 252/99 and 264/99
--AOA and class rank: Junior AOA
--Reputation of medical school: lower tier southeast school
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications) 1 nonophtho pub pending, one nonophtho oral presentation, a lot of undergraduate basic science research - no pubs.
--Honors in clerkships: my school is pass/fail 3rd year, but A's in all clerkships except Family.
--# and where you did away rotations: 3 (med school does not have an optho program so I was scared)
--# of programs you applied to: 48
--Where invited for interviews: 19 but went on 13; UT-Memphis, MUSC, Mizzou-Columbia, Colorado, Tulane, UK, Boston U, Wake Forest, UIC, Ohio State, Arkansas, Texas Tech, MCG, UNC, U Miss, USC-Columbia, EVMS, VCU, and UF-Jacksonville.
--Where matched: #3 an amazing program!!! To be quite honest,I kept switching around my top 5. It was so hard to choose! But I could not be happier!!!
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc) I feel like my board scores were the biggest factor. My home school did not have an ophthalmology department, so I did not have any big-wig letters or anyone to make those phone calls. Also, just being friendly and humble makes a big difference on the interview trail.
__________________
 
--Board Scores: Step 1: 256/99, Step 2: not taken yet
--AOA and class rank: Senior AOA. No class rank, but top 10%
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc): lower tier school
--Research: 2 ophtho case reports, active basic science ophtho research
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine): All except OBGYN
--# and where you did away rotations: 2 home rotations
--# of programs you applied to: 60
--Where invited for interviews: 35+ interviews
--Where matched: Solid program
--Anything that helped your app: Definitely board scores opened doors. If you are looking to just match at a solid clinical program, board scores and having a good interview are enough. If you are looking for a top academic program, then big wig letters and research are very important.

======

--Board Scores: 230/99 and 239/99
--AOA and class rank: not AOA, 3rd quartile
--Reputation of medical school: good state school
--Research: 1 ophtho paper submitted for publication (2nd author), 2 ongoing ophtho projects, 1 non-ophtho public health-related project
--Honors in clerkships: none. I pretty much got killed 3rd year! HP in Familyx2, Surgery, Psych, Peds
--# and where you did away rotatations: 1 2-week away (wasn't even offered an interview!)
--# of programs you applied to: 70+
--Where invited for interviews: 12 invites, attended 10 interviews
--Where matched: My #1 choice in California!!! I am still in disbelief!
--Anything that helped your app: A year ago I honestly did not know if it would even be possible for me to match in ophthalmology. I remember poring over ophtho match stats from previous years on SDN, attempting to find successful applicants who resembled me: less than stellar on paper, but who believed that ophthalmology was their calling. In retrospect, looking back over the past year I have to say that I am SO glad that I took a chance and reached for the dream. Of course there were many detractors along the way and many moments of self-doubt. However, for future applicants out there who may be worried that the field of ophthalmology would never want them (I thought this for a time!), my only piece of advice is to reach for the dream. Discover your passion in ophthalmology (mine relates to global health/international development), find mentors who believe in you and work closely with them, be involved in the things you love to do (sports, service, whatever--you'll be happier, have more to write about on your application, and hopefully selection committees will see that you're a good and genuine person). When it came time for me to complete my application, I chose to focus on the things I was passionate about--my various international volunteer experiences, learning languages, my experiences promoting human rights and providing care for underserved populations in my hometown, running, skiing, adventure, and yes, of course, curing blindness!

In terms of the other factors often asked about on this forum, I did not have any big-wig letters, but I did have letters from mentors who knew me well and who knew my strengths as well as the weaknesses in my application. I think a phone call did help with one program, but not with another. I thought with my away-rotation I was guaranteed at least 1 interview, but that proved not to be the case. However, this was still an immensely rewarding and positive learning experience which gave me more confidence heading into interview season. On all of my interviews I tried to have fun and simply be myself in hopes that like-minded people would find me and bring me into their fold. I recognize that this desultory process can be pretty frustrating (obviously I never figured out how to play the game during 3rd year, please see stats above). However, even though there are myriad factors beyond our control, focus on what you CAN do to strengthen and improve your application. Congratulations to all who have matched, and good luck to everyone applying next year!

======

--Board Scores: Step 1- 232; Step 2- 262
--AOA and class rank: top quartile, not AOA
--Reputation of medical school: lower tier in Southern Midwest
--Research: None, I left that whole page blank.
--Honors in clerkships: Our school still gives letter grades. I got all A's for all pre-clinical and clinical, except for a B on the Surgery clerkship
--# and where you did away rotations: None. I have two kids, and I couldn't justify being away from home for a month.
--# of programs you applied to: 45
--Where invited for interviews: 11- Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas A&M-Scott & White, UTSW, UT-SA, UT-Houston, UT-Memphis, Kresge (Wayne State), Wake Forest, Geisinger, & Kansas (couldn't attend due to date conflict)
--Where matched: Texas A&M-Scott & White (my #1)
--Anything that helped your app: Very supportive and well-known PD at my home program who gave a lot of good advice and wrote me a very nice, personal letter; Unique background (1st generation college student from a very small town); Unique life experience (raising children and owning a daycare center during medical school); Strong record of church-related community involvement; 30 point increase on Step 2 probably didn't hurt; Being open, honest, and personable at interviews

I was very worried starting this whole process due to my less than stellar Step 1 and lack of research. I could never have imagined that things would have turned out so well. My advice is just to be yourself and be confident in the things that you have done rather than worrying about perceived "holes" in your application.

=====

--Board Scores: 235/99 and 243/99
--AOA and class rank: nope, none
--Reputation of medical school: southeast, nothing special
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications) 1 nonophtho pub pending, one nonophtho oral presentation, a lot of undergraduate basic science research - no pubs. 1 case publication, 4 research experiences with no pubs
--Honors in clerkships: only ophtho and ophtho research
--# and where you did away rotations: 2 one top 18, one middle of the road program
--# of programs you applied to: 64, mostly outside southeast
--Where invited for interviews: 10: UMKC, KU, UChi, Cook County, NYU, Tulane, Jamaica Hospital, Bronx-Leb, SLU, SUNY Buffalo
--Where matched: my #2! (great midwest program) Super excited!

--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc) Research experiences probably helped me. My advice to future applicants: make sure that the place you are doing an away has a reputation of offering interviews to rotators. I busted my ass for a top (relatively malignant) program, got along with everyone, got an informal letter of recommendation from an attending, and got stiffed on the interview invite. What a waste of time, energy, and money! NEXT: other than sick board scores...LETTER OF REC FROM A BIG WIG TRUMPS ALL, AND CAN MAKE UP FOR POOR SCORES. I saw this first hand with classmates: less than stellar scores, BIG WIG letter ==> GREAT INTERVIEWS. How do you get a big wig letter? If your school doesn't have a BIG wig, rotate somewhere that does and cling to that big wig like white on rice.
 
--Board Scores: step 1 (238), step 2 CK (242)
--AOA and class rank: not AOA, 2nd quartile
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc), solid state school in southeast with home ophtho program
--Research: 2 ophtho case report published, 2 non-peer reviewed ophtho articles published, one ongoing case report submitted
--Honors in clerkships: honors in med, peds, ob/gyn, ER, and all ophtho rotations. Pass in psych and surgery. HP in everything else
--# and where you did away rotations: 2 in the southeast
--# of programs you applied to: 87
--Where invited for interviews: 8, lsu, tulane, arkansas, suny stony brook, tufts, usf, uf jax, geisinger
--Where matched: solid southeast program, my #1!!!
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc) This was a very humbling process. I expected more interviews than I received, but i had a good relationship with my home PD which really helped. im a pretty average applicant (for ophtho), and am just thankful for matching!!
 
--Board Scores: Step 1 260/99 Step: Taking in Feb
--AOA and class rank: Junior AOA, top 10 in my class

--Reputation of medical school: Solid Public Midwestern State School with ahome ophtho program that is mid-tier

--Research: Three Ophtho Poster Presentations, 1 presentation at ARVO, Stillworking on paper

--Honors in clerkships: Honored all except Surg (high pass)

--# and where you did away rotations: Two at top 20 programs
--# of programs you applied to: 55
--Where invited for interviews: Invited to 35 went on half of them
--Where matched: My #1 (Where I did an away)
--Anything that helped your app:

*Board score is a huge factor but I really think anything above 245 is mostlyequal

*Away rotations helped me a great deal. I am a hard worker who read a lotevery night and helped out where ever I could. My exam skills progressed asexpected. I did have a 90 lens to use for exams on my own which really helped.Overall I was an eager, normal, well-adjusted medical student who tried toblend in with the team as seamlessly as possible.

*I got a well written very personal letter from a large name in the field.During the interview process his letter was mentioned countless times. In mymind a big-wig letters serves a ticket to admission to the eyeball club.

*Research, not my strength but I completed some interesting work on aproject of my own. In my mind for about 75% of the programs the researchquestion is just a check box. Get a few posters or a paper or two and you willbe sufficient to match. Also make sure you can speak intelligently about yourresearch. Have an answer for 1) What did you study 2) Why study that particulararea of ophtho or whatever 3) What did you find. Be able to explain this in 2min or less. Be able to go into finer points for those who are interested.

*Be able to explain in 1 min why you love ophthalmology and your interest inthe field

*Give an honest answer to the question where do you see yourself in 10yrs. Isaid I was leaning towards private practice in a rural area. Multiple programssaid "wow that’s the first time I have heard that today". Be candidand honest in your interviews don't tell them what you think they want to hear.

Apply broadly and keep in mind ophtho is a geographic field but interviewscan come from outside your region.

*Have some real hobbies that you can speak about. Demonstrate how there ismore to you than board scores. Speak to your love for tennis, spending timewith family, photography, traveling, fishing, woodworking, anything that givethem something to remember you by.

What I thought to be most important in order.

1) Board Score (Gets you in the door)

2) Your Interview (I think you can fall into 3 categories, Great applicant,Good applicant, not the right fit for us)

3) Letter of Recs (lets them feel warm and safe in ranking you)

4) Research (shows true interest in the field)

5) Away Rotation (Can make or break you)

6) AOA status (Huge at a few programs, but not important for the majority)

7) Reputation of your home program

Ophtho is a great field to consider joining, very few ophthalmologist leavethe specialty to do something else. For the most part, except maybe a fewretina attending, ophtho docs are extremely happy and fun to be around.

=======

--Board Scores: 239/99, Step 2 scores not back yet
--AOA and class rank: Top 25%, School does not have AOA
--Reputation of medical school: DO school
--Research: 1 first author abstract, several projects in progress, two poster presentations (All ophtho related)
--Honors in clerkships: Honors/A's in all, except OB/GYN
--# and where you did away rotations: As I knew coming from an osteopathic school would be a disadvantage, I did six 2 week aways at various, mid-tier solid programs. Also, attended the Bay Area Ophthalmology Course at Stanford
--# of programs you applied to: 80
--Where invited for interviews: Attended 8, including: Arkansas, WVU, Henry Ford, Bronx-Lebanon, Albany, Arizona, South Carolina, Cook County. Invited to 2-3 others that I could not attend.
--Where matched: #1 MD program
--Anything that helped your app: Again, coming from a DO school is a huge disadvantage, but can easily be overcome with some hard work and persistence. I had a background in ophthalmology since prior to medical school which helped with rotations, and I was able to do some ophtho-related mission work through that experience. This was brought up at nearly all my interviews. I had very good letters (both ophtho and non-ophtho). None from "Big wigs". I did have a few good phone calls to program directors that may have helped as well. I think the most significant thing that helped me match into a very good program is doing away electives, being likable, and knowledgeable, but without being a "know-it-all". If you are a hard-working, smart, likable person, then people will want to work with you and they will advocate for you come interview time.
 
Any one on here match into an ACGME as a D.O.?



You don't have to go further than the second most recent post. Also at least one more listed above.
 
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