How many FM programs should I apply to?

[TedStark]

Below average step one, no recent volunteer experience. US MD. Did an away in family, clearly committed to the specialty. How many FM programs should I apply to?

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[W19]

Below average step one, no recent volunteer experience. US MD. Did an away in family, clearly committed to the specialty. How many FM programs should I apply to?

Why not say your step1 score so people can better help you? 194 vs. 214 are below average scores for FM but one is obviously a better score.

Here is the latest charting the outcomes: http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Charting-Outcomes-2014-Final.pdf

 

[TedStark]

Step one is 200-210.

 

[W19]

Step one is 200-210.

I would apply to 60+ programs and not limit myself geographically if I were you... Then again, I am a little neurotic when it comes to the match because the thought of not having a job after 4-year of med school is terrifying for me.

 

[hallowmann]

I would apply to 60+ programs and not limit myself geographically if I were you... Then again, I am a little neurotic when it comes to the match because the thought of not having a job after 4-year of med school is terrifying for me.

That's kind of crazy for a US MD applying FM though. 60+. The average is like 15-30.

OP, I think you'd be safe applying to 40. I agree with W19's suggestion about not limiting yourself geographically. Now, keep in mind that when I say 40, I mean 40 that are programs you are competitive for and at least are in their average ranges. If you go on Freida and they're like average Step scores of 220-240, I'd still apply if you like the place, but I wouldn't count that towards the 40 number. The bigger factor will be interviews. If you get 15-20 interviews, I'd go on them all and err on the side of ranking as many as you think you'd be OK with.

Based on what I've heard, some programs care about scores, but not nearly to the same degree as other specialties. The whole package matters much more.

 

[orichalum]

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[hallowmann]

What about US MD, failed Step 1, retake of <210, Step 2 of <220?

I don't know the answer to this. A lot of the programs I saw had USMLE cutoffs at passing (192). That said, I also ran into a lot of websites that basically said "no more than 1 failure" or "no more than 2 failures". Its going to really vary. If I were you, with the red flag of a board failure, I would apply very broadly, like in the realm of 100 or so programs, but then again, I really don't know.