Extremely disappointed in my match

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imMD2014

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Is anyone else extremely disappointed in where they matched? I had 5 top tier IM programs on the top of my ROL, was truly hoping to stay in my top 3 of my list and fell to #6 which is a solid middle tier. No one thought I would fall to the middle of my list. While everyone celebrates I'm floored. I can't believe it.
Does anyone ever transition from a mid tier to top tier program after their intern year?

I realize that I can't complain too much. I'm happy I matched. I get to be a doctor at an academic medical center. I matched at a mid tier program with excellent top tier fellowship matches in GI.

Maybe I'm just hoping that someone else here fell as far as I did - misery loves company. Plus it just seems like the chances of me falling that far on my list were so low (per advice from my home PD, faculty, statistics, etc.).

Was this a happy day for everyone? Was anyone able to be happy and cheerful despite falling down their list? Am I the only one crying today?
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It's not unheard of to fall into the 5-7 range. The stronger the top of your list the more likely you are to fall. I know it must suck now, but just take that frustration and put it aside. You will be well trained as long as you put in the work. If you matched at your # 1 or 10, you would have to do a lot of research and make some connections for a GI spot. Just get rolling on that during your intern year, work hard and have fun. You will be alright.

Congrats on matching.
 
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It's funny you post this, because the same happened to me. I dropped to my #6 on my rank list - I was one of those who found out early "accidentally", so I was bitter about it for a few days. I even had thoughts of transferring or changing specialties, as I matched in a part of the country I am not to keen on moving to. I know that the adage goes that one should only rank places that you are willing to match to, but I was clearly naive as to this possibility.

Having said all this, I'm feeling more positive today. A classmate matched to the same program as me, and looking back at my notes, I realize this program is actually pretty solid, and will help me match into the fellowship of my choice, as their track record in recent years has been great. As for location, I'll suck it up; let's face it, it's not like we're going to our residency programs with all the free time in the world for the next 3 years.

My advice to you is to think about what you liked about the program, and realize that it could have been worse. It seems like this was a rough year, and a number of my classmates experienced the same as us. I have classmates who I thought were better students than myself match at equivalent or worse IM programs.
 
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Thank you for the replies! I am trying to remain positive and get over my initial shock. I actually kind of had the knee jerk reaction to email my home PD and ask about transitioning after intern year to another program and saying I second guessed putting this program above my home program. She said to sleep on it for a few days and then go and talk to her.

I am moving to the same city my #1 was in which just makes me so bitter. Great city to live in though.

The reason I had ranked this #6 was because of the great research opportunities in my field of interest as well as the ability to get a great fellowship. A match in GI is not guaranteed from anywhere, but now I'm just thinking it will be more on uphill battle from a mid tier instead of a top tier.

I was a top 10% student, really high board scores, and I'm seeing other students match at "better" programs than me. I hate to say it but I almost feel embarrassed. I realize how bad this sounds. Did I do something wrong? Am I that terrible at interviewing?

It is just hard to be sad on what is supposed to be this hyped up best day of our lives. It makes me feel better to realize other people are in the same boat as me while everyone posts on facebook about matching at their #1.
 
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We were telling you all that the top tier has gotten fiercely competitive and that is where people apply to IM are finding the big drops.
 
you make me sick. you're probably graduating from an LCME school also. you're ungrateful. there are just no other words to describe you.

please be kind enough to tell me the name of the program. I will be waiting for you to slip and fall or start showing up hours late to work.
 
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samuelp said:
you make me sick. you're probably graduating from an LCME school also. you're ungrateful. there are just no other words to describe you.

please be kind enough to tell me the name of the program. I will be waiting for you to slip and fall or start showing up hours late to work.
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Umad bro?
 
samuelp said:
ya. and sad.
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If you didn't match anywhere - my condolences :(. However, vitriolic attacks on someone who even though may be in a better position doesn't help with anything. I honestly can't imagine how crushed I'd be if I were in your shoes, but you gotta make the best of it and focus on reapplying next match, if you're still committed.
 
Sorry for your disappointment, shoot me a PM if you want to talk specifics about GI.

Don't beat yourself up over what may or may not have happened, all you can do now is be a rockstar resident and pump out a few papers and you will be in decent shape.
 
wamcp said:
If you didn't match anywhere - my condolences :(. However, vitriolic attacks on someone who even though may be in a better position doesn't help with anything. I honestly can't imagine how crushed I'd be if I were in your shoes, but you gotta make the best of it and focus on reapplying next match, if you're still committed.
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perhaps it will make her cry again out of guilt in order to teach her and make her realize how fortunate she is to be admitted to a residency position at all. I'm graduating in 3 weeks, and despite not matching I feel fortunate enough to be even getting an MD degree.

the original post just screams of trolling attempt.
 
It's a completely valid feeling. Lots of people fell down their match list, and they have the prerogative to be disappointed about that.
 
Allopathic grads with research from midtier residencies will get GI. Flakes who can't finish a residency and leave despite matching might not. Bloom where you're planted. You ranked the program, be smart and live with it.


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I realize that I will be fine. I am disappointed but its not like I'm now going to suddenly do a 180, stop the research I've been doing for 8 years, stop working my ass off, and drop out of a residency program. I am going for a GI fellowship and hell maybe I'll even vye for a chief resident position. There are many people that would be thrilled to be in my position and I realize that. There are probably many people who ranked the program I am matching in #1. But the fact is I didn't and there are a lot of people out there who have got to be in the same situation.

samuelp - I'm sorry that you're in the situation you're in. The last thing I'm trying to do is troll. 80% of people match in their top 3. There is a minority of people, who matched, that fall down their rank list as low as I did. If you read my post you'll note how I realize that I'm very happy to be matched, however I was very shocked today to see where I ended up matching. There are going to be bunch of people on this board that feel the same way I do and those are the people who I was hoping to commiserate with. In addition, it takes two clicks to see your full name and your phone number. Your posts on this thread reflect you in the most unflattering light. For your future success, I suggest you either delete your messages in this thread or delete where you posted your identifying information. I wish you all the best.
 
samuelp said:
perhaps it will make her cry again out of guilt in order to teach her and make her realize how fortunate she is to be admitted to a residency position at all. I'm graduating in 3 weeks, and despite not matching I feel fortunate enough to be even getting an MD degree.

the original post just screams of trolling attempt.
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I don't think it is trolling. It is completely natural to be disappointed when you fall further on your ROL than you expected to. There are always people that have it worse, but it does not make their disappointment invalid because someone has it worse.
 
Many people can be great doctors, but only a relative minority can get to the most prestigious programs. And we live in a world with more applicants vs. slots than ever before. Ergo, people can and do fall pretty far down their rank list - even when they thought they looked great on paper, and even when they got misleading advice about their chances. It's normal to be bitterly disappointed, and it's normal to come out of it (as you apparently have) with a determination to move on as best you can. You are not alone.
 
The best advice i can give you right now is to immediately drop the thought of transferring into a "better" program and you better show up on day 1 of orientation and seem thrilled and ecstatic to be there. Never mention to anyone that it was your #6, don't look down on anyone because you had better stats, don't moan and groan when people inevitably talk or tell stories about match day. If this requires you to lie then by all means do so. What will potentially hurt your career the most (way more than going to a mid-tier program) is being disliked by your colleagues and superiors.
 
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MeatTornado said:
The best advice i can give you right now is to immediately drop the thought of transferring into a "better" program and you better show up on day 1 of orientation and seem thrilled and ecstatic to be there. Never mention to anyone that it was your #6, don't look down on anyone because you had better stats, don't moan and groan when people inevitably talk or tell stories about match day. If this requires you to lie then by all means do so. What will potentially hurt your career the most (way more than going to a mid-tier program) is being disliked by your colleagues and superiors.
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I think this is excellent advice for myself and anyone else in my situation. It was a knee jerk reaction to send that email and I somewhat regret it now. I'm going to have to swallow my pride, get over it, and be thrilled with this next step in my career. I think I missed a call from my future PD today.. which is probably good considering the state I was in. The first impression I want him to have is how happy I am to match there and how grateful I am they saw something in me to rank me to match.
 
There you go. That's the spirit. Before, you were acting analogous to not being able to afford the sport package on your mercedes when you should be happy when you have a vehicle at all, because there are people walking on the streets with CANES.

I can't believe there's sometimes more talent and emotional intelligence in the free agent list than on the contracts. That's part of what's wrong with healthcare right now. And yes I will take my identifying info down because it was over the top. I don't hope you slip and fall. But I would love your seat because I know I would make a better physician despite your higher usmle scores and book smarts.
 
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samuelp said:
There you go. But I would love your seat because I know I would make a better physician despite your higher usmle scores and book smarts.
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I am sorry that you did not match. I honestly can't imagine how that feels. Maybe it was your egotism that caused a match failure. She's putting her heart on her sleeve, being honest, and asking for advice. She doesn't need you rubbing salt in the wound.

OP: keep your chin up. An unexpected match can leave you mixed up. I understand. Many years ago, I matched at my number three. I received one of the dreaded "we love you and everything about you" pre-match letters from my number one in Boston, and I had a long history and political connections at my number two. My top three were among the top five residency programs in the country, and so I grossly underestimated how competitive the match was. It turned out that the place I matched at gave me the best training I could ever imagine, and it made me who I am today. Best advice I can give you is to to show up for work, be enthusiastic, and work hard. This will sting for a few weeks, but once you start looking for houses and so on, you will feel better. Best of luck.
 
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80% of people match into their top three, but that's all AMGs, all specialties, all spots. This percent will be lower at people who have top-tier institutions in the top three. And it is lower because a small but not negligible percent of students are still putting a "safety" program first.

On the interview trail, while I was at a "backup" program, I had a conversation with a couple patients in the elevator who genuinely thought the world of their hospital. Don't think of your self as someone in the 20th percentile, think of yourself as one of the very, very few students who able to be awesome for the 20 years it takes to become a physician at, objectively, a pretty amazing academic institution.

Samuelp, I'm sorry you didn't match, but you're not displaying said emotional intelligence in this thread, including in your most recent posts. However, I'm sure you still have the potential to be an excellent physician, just like imMD2014. Let's not judge each other for a few words on the internet in these very emotional couple days.
 
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samuelp said:
There you go. That's the spirit. Before, you were acting analogous to not being able to afford the sport package on your mercedes when you should be happy when you have a vehicle at all, because there are people walking on the streets with CANES.

I can't believe there's sometimes more talent and emotional intelligence in the free agent list than on the contracts. That's part of what's wrong with healthcare right now. And yes I will take my identifying info down because it was over the top. I don't hope you slip and fall. But I would love your seat because I know I would make a better physician despite your higher usmle scores and book smarts.
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You, my friend, appear to be loony-tunes. I really hope you don't say things like this in real life, although if you do it might explain why you didn't match.
 
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imMD2014 said:
Is anyone else extremely disappointed in where they matched? I had 5 top tier IM programs on the top of my ROL, was truly hoping to stay in my top 3 of my list and fell to #6 which is a solid middle tier. No one thought I would fall to the middle of my list. While everyone celebrates I'm floored. I can't believe it.
Does anyone ever transition from a mid tier to top tier program after their intern year?

I realize that I can't complain too much. I'm happy I matched. I get to be a doctor at an academic medical center. I matched at a mid tier program with excellent top tier fellowship matches in GI.

Maybe I'm just hoping that someone else here fell as far as I did - misery loves company. Plus it just seems like the chances of me falling that far on my list were so low (per advice from my home PD, faculty, statistics, etc.).

Was this a happy day for everyone? Was anyone able to be happy and cheerful despite falling down their list? Am I the only one crying today?
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I matched to my #3 for OB/GYN. I applied strictly in Texas. I was not expecting matching to my #3 at all. The vibes and comments I got from my #1 don't add up to the final result. I honestly believed my #1 was a program I had a chance to get into. My partner was accepted to a graduate school program in Houston, and I got accepted to a program that's not in Houston. I feel very guilty because it's as if I've let him down, he was so happy he got accepted. It's as if this is a bad dream. I want to wake up from it, but I can't. I was inconsolable; in fact, if I think about it too much I break into tears.
 
imMD2014 said:
Is anyone else extremely disappointed in where they matched? I had 5 top tier IM programs on the top of my ROL, was truly hoping to stay in my top 3 of my list and fell to #6 which is a solid middle tier. No one thought I would fall to the middle of my list. While everyone celebrates I'm floored. I can't believe it.
Does anyone ever transition from a mid tier to top tier program after their intern year?

I realize that I can't complain too much. I'm happy I matched. I get to be a doctor at an academic medical center. I matched at a mid tier program with excellent top tier fellowship matches in GI.

Maybe I'm just hoping that someone else here fell as far as I did - misery loves company. Plus it just seems like the chances of me falling that far on my list were so low (per advice from my home PD, faculty, statistics, etc.).

Was this a happy day for everyone? Was anyone able to be happy and cheerful despite falling down their list? Am I the only one crying today?
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You're not the only one. I'm at the end of my residency in OB but I ended up matching near the bottom of list 4 years ago. I had interviewed at 20+ programs due to a red flags on my application. I still managed to get interviews at a lot of academic programs and based on my feedback I thought I would match in the upper third of my match list and thought that my home program would roll the dice on me as I had done a lot of work with them and gotten to know them well. Come match day, I was devastated at the program and the location. I left the match day celebration 15 minutes after opening my envelope. I sent an email of disappointment to my home program's PD at not matching there and ending up at this community program. What's worse is one of the academic programs I had interviewed/ranked pretty highly actually had 1 unmatched spot which was a huge punch to the gut. The program would have rather went unmatched than take a chance on me (let that sink in a realize what a blow that is). I had thoughts of applying for fellowship and in OB/GYN, coming from an academic program is very important in general.

It took a few weeks but I got over it. I promised myself I would be a strong resident and I would move on. I still had nagging feelings early on in intern year and would check the CREOG clearinghouse (site that lists open positions off cycle due to people resigning etc). I noticed a handful of open spots from my year from programs that I interviewed at. Basically the 'great' residents the PDs had chosen ended up quitting at programs I had ranked, which pissed me off to no end. Especially since I've been grinding through residency and never once thought of quitting.

4 years is long, but it can be done. But at the end of the day, you have to love the one you got. I invested myself in my residency. Studied hard, worked hard, and invested myself in being as good as possible. Scored in the 98% on our national inservice exam and proved to myself that I can hold my own against any academic program resident. Applied for fellowship and got a bunch of interviews. Matched at a major academic institution in the west coast and honestly, life is pretty good. I reached my goals. I'm well trained, matched at a fellowship, and got through a relatively tough residency mentally intact.
 
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samuelp said:
you make me sick. you're probably graduating from an LCME school also. you're ungrateful. there are just no other words to describe you.

please be kind enough to tell me the name of the program. I will be waiting for you to slip and fall or start showing up hours late to work.
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are you an IMG?
 
yep. I'm an IMG. and it doesn't change the fact that I'm a doctor and know things/tricks in medicine that you definitely do not. and vice versa.

at the end of the day, you're advancing in your career if you matched anywhere at all. You're getting a paycheck. The 5 or 6 thousand that didn't match (maybe 3000 americans from stateside and foreign schools) now have to look for jobs elsewhere and be held back a year in their careers, and some of them might not even be able to find jobs at all besides waiting tables. They will continue to carry their debt load. I hope I was able to get the message across no matter how crazy it sounded. You have the privilege of treating patients with more freedom and decision making. You get to order tests and solve problems. You have a job. Congratulations. Keep it, because there are 6000 other doctors who want your training job.

and sacrament must drive a C300 and is unhappy with it. it was an analogy. look up the definition. not everyone is expected to understand, especially if you're limited in your thinking. The ones who didn't match suffered a crippling fall.
 
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no my mistake. it was 15,000... 6000 americans. born in this country.
 
Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories. It definitely helps to hear how others may have fallen down their list and have ended up very happy with their career. I am lucky that my match will not deter me from my career goals although it will be a different path than I expected and the road might be a little harder.

27 hours out and the shock and disappointment are beginning to fade (ever so slightly).

I looked for apartments in my new city and its a pretty great place, I can see my life outside of the hospital shaping up to be great (however many hours I'll actually spend outside the hospital).

It is still hard to see myself fitting into this program though as most of my reasons for ranking it as my top middle tier was because of their opportunities for research and fellowship afterwards. Not really anything intrinsic to the program itself.

I am one of very few people at my school that have fallen far down their list or matched in their second choice specialty.

Anyone is free to PM me if they want to share their story/get or give some support.
 
why should I do my residency in another country when I can benefit a community in the country where I was born more than you can?
 
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samuelp said:
why should I do my residency in another country when I can benefit a community in the country where I was born more than you can?
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what a sociopath ....you seem to be doing your best to make us all glad you didn't match
 
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It makes me a sociopath because I am frustrated that I can't enter training because of the location of my school, despite having equivalent if not better standardized scores? Or because I wish I had the positions the ungratefuls have? Looks to me like imMD2014 is a little more grateful after an unmatched american spoke up about it. Someone had to wake her up and show her the world around her.

You guys have it too easy.
 
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Sam, IMGs have it better here than anywhere. You couldn't get into med school in the US. That makes you a less desirable candidate. Test scores are a single aspect of your app and don't overcome that initial failure. There are well over 15k allopathic spots/year and you couldn't get one. No one cares if you think the bias is fair but think of it this way, you failed the first cut and are back trying to make the team.

You aren't owed anything and people here are reacting to your sense of entitlement. You need to think hard about whether any of this (even a whiff) comes through in person. If it does, you'll never match.

As for having it easy, no they don't. They just performed better in undergrad and didn't make it extra hard on themselves. Heck, many of them might have had enough insight not to go overseas.
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samuelp said:
You guys have it too easy.
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Yes, you're right. Doing medical school in the same country as your future residency is the easy path. Try doing residency in England without going to a British medical school, and you will find that the US system is far, far more accommodating of FMGs than any other residency system in a developed nation.

But you didn't get into medical school in the U.S (which may suggest it isn't as easy of a path as you advertised). And now you didn't get into residency in the U.S. Not matching must suck but, given your track record, it would seem prudent to start looking at yourself instead of assigning blame externally. Step scores are not the only thing looked at, nor is class position, especially when the student comes from a school that teaches to the USMLE and when your peers also couldn't get into a medical school in the U.S.

Protip for next season: nobody owes you ****. Just because your mother thinks you would be an amazing doctor doesn't mean you will, and your forum posts certainly do NOT demonstrate positive qualities.

As far as OP being disappointed: some people are ambitious. That isn't wrong. Ambitious people are the ones that advance the field of medicine--OP, keep doing what you do, and you'll get to where you belong.
 
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samuelp said:
It makes me a sociopath because I am frustrated that I can't enter training because of the location of my school, despite having equivalent if not better standardized scores? Or because I wish I had the positions the ungratefuls have? Looks to me like imMD2014 is a little more grateful after an unmatched american spoke up about it. Someone had to wake her up and show her the world around her.

You guys have it too easy.
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Couple points:
1. I am sorry you did not match. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you and your loved ones finding out you did not match and were not able to secure anything during SOAP after having put in all that work. But you have no one to blame but yourself. You should learn from this experience, change your attitude and move forward. Playing the blame game on an anonymous forum is definitely not going to help you land a spot.
2. OP has all the right to be disappointed. He/She has set a goal for himself/herself, worked hard to achieve it but fell a bit short. Being ungrateful and and being disappointed are completely different things. OP may have been disappointed but definitely did not sound ungrateful ("I realize that I can't complain too much. I'm happy I matched").

Bottomline: OP, congrats on matching! You are on your way to becoming an attending. samuelp, change your attitude. I can't help but quote Mahatma Gandhi- "Be the change that you wish to see in the world."
 
Your key words there are that you can only imagine.

I'd like to go back and answer her original question.
No you weren't the only one crying that day. There were 15,000 people who ended up with absolutely nothing. They were crying with you.. Whether they were showing it or not. I bet there weren't many from the other 25,000 shedding any tears.

"Maybe I'm just hoping that someone else here fell as far as I did" - how can you defend someone like this?

"Does anyone ever transition from a mid tier to top tier program after their intern year?" - verbal wasn't my strong point on SAT, but sounds ungrateful. I have nothing more to say about that. Your ideals make you sound like you'd cheat on your boyfriend or husband when something better comes along.

Going forward, I apologize for the brash response, but I hope I was able to get through to her amygdala, and I want her to realize every day at work how lucky she is to be wherever she is. Because, like I said, there are thousands out there who fell in the match and actually have the injuries to show it. And don't transfer out for something better. Don't leave your PD and colleagues holding the bag when they let you in to begin with.

That's the change I wish to see in the world. I'm done.
 
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samuelp said:
yep. I'm an IMG. and it doesn't change the fact that I'm a doctor and know things/tricks in medicine that you definitely do not. and vice versa.

at the end of the day, you're advancing in your career if you matched anywhere at all. You're getting a paycheck. The 5 or 6 thousand that didn't match (maybe 3000 americans from stateside and foreign schools) now have to look for jobs elsewhere and be held back a year in their careers, and some of them might not even be able to find jobs at all besides waiting tables. They will continue to carry their debt load. I hope I was able to get the message across no matter how crazy it sounded. You have the privilege of treating patients with more freedom and decision making. You get to order tests and solve problems. You have a job. Congratulations. Keep it, because there are 6000 other doctors who want your training job.

and sacrament must drive a C300 and is unhappy with it. it was an analogy. look up the definition. not everyone is expected to understand, especially if you're limited in your thinking. The ones who didn't match suffered a crippling fall.
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we get it….you didn't match and it stings that someone is bemoaning the fact that they don't like the place that they matched…but you are just going on and on and now are talking a bit crazy….

there ARE I/FMGs that DID match…instead of blaming this guy for matching as a USMD, you need to take a good hard look at yourself and see why you didn't match when other IMGs did…and frankly the OP succeeded in getting into a USMD program and you did not…you CHOSE to go abroad to get a medical education and should have known the risks that entailed…you need to ask yourself WHY did you not match? did you not apply to enough programs? did you not apply widely enough? did you call the programs that did not grant you an interview to see if you could get one..even if it was off the wait list? did you GO to all the interview you were granted and rank each and everyone of them?

I do not see why you think you will make a better doctor than the OP….you're a med student…the experiences that you have had so far really doesn't say whether you will be a good doctor or not….there a re PLENTY of great med students that crap out as residents just as there are less than stellar med students that shine as residents…
 
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GuyWhoDoesStuff said:
Still agree with your statement from a few years ago?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...1-30-09-mcat-need-advise.592001/#post-7568937
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not cool to kick someone while they're already down..everyone goes through failure and tough times in life, as will you at some point

anyways to the guy who didn't match (samuelp?), just tone it down a bit, be humbled by this experience, forget about others successes or failures and figure out how to strengthen your application and apply again, I know multiple people who didn't match 1st time but matched 2nd time around..don't go in with the attitude and arrogance that you're showing on this forum ("i know things/tricks in medicine that you definitely do not") or you'll be applying for a 3rd time...
 
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anonperson said:
You're not the only one. I'm at the end of my residency in OB but I ended up matching near the bottom of list 4 years ago. I had interviewed at 20+ programs due to a red flags on my application. I still managed to get interviews at a lot of academic programs and based on my feedback I thought I would match in the upper third of my match list and thought that my home program would roll the dice on me as I had done a lot of work with them and gotten to know them well. Come match day, I was devastated at the program and the location. I left the match day celebration 15 minutes after opening my envelope. I sent an email of disappointment to my home program's PD at not matching there and ending up at this community program. What's worse is one of the academic programs I had interviewed/ranked pretty highly actually had 1 unmatched spot which was a huge punch to the gut. The program would have rather went unmatched than take a chance on me (let that sink in a realize what a blow that is). I had thoughts of applying for fellowship and in OB/GYN, coming from an academic program is very important in general.

It took a few weeks but I got over it. I promised myself I would be a strong resident and I would move on. I still had nagging feelings early on in intern year and would check the CREOG clearinghouse (site that lists open positions off cycle due to people resigning etc). I noticed a handful of open spots from my year from programs that I interviewed at. Basically the 'great' residents the PDs had chosen ended up quitting at programs I had ranked, which pissed me off to no end. Especially since I've been grinding through residency and never once thought of quitting.

4 years is long, but it can be done. But at the end of the day, you have to love the one you got. I invested myself in my residency. Studied hard, worked hard, and invested myself in being as good as possible. Scored in the 98% on our national inservice exam and proved to myself that I can hold my own against any academic program resident. Applied for fellowship and got a bunch of interviews. Matched at a major academic institution in the west coast and honestly, life is pretty good. I reached my goals. I'm well trained, matched at a fellowship, and got through a relatively tough residency mentally intact.
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Wow, so glad to hear this. I so admire your staying power, esp. in such a rigorous residency!
 
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padastra said:
80% of people match into their top three, but that's all AMGs, all specialties, all spots. This percent will be lower at people who have top-tier institutions in the top three. And it is lower because a small but not negligible percent of students are still putting a "safety" program first.

On the interview trail, while I was at a "backup" program, I had a conversation with a couple patients in the elevator who genuinely thought the world of their hospital. Don't think of your self as someone in the 20th percentile, think of yourself as one of the very, very few students who able to be awesome for the 20 years it takes to become a physician at, objectively, a pretty amazing academic institution.

Samuelp, I'm sorry you didn't match, but you're not displaying said emotional intelligence in this thread, including in your most recent posts. However, I'm sure you still have the potential to be an excellent physician, just like imMD2014. Let's not judge each other for a few words on the internet in these very emotional couple days.
Click to expand...

This right here is a very reasonable post.

Whatever's holding you back won't be impossible to change but it might take a long time to fix.
 
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