From what I understand HPSP students match happens several months before the civilian match. For students who attend schools that do not having 3rd year electives, are they at a disadvantage during milmatch because they didnt get any electives 3rd year and minimal time 4th year? is there some way around this??
HPSP and match time question
- Thread starter asdf123g
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Like time travel? Not unless you can muster up 1.21 Gigawatts of electricity.
I was in the same boat. I just stacked my away rotations early in my 4th year. Things worked out fine, I matched into the specialty I wanted even though it was very competative and I got my second match choice even though I rotated at my first and second preferences. Those were the only two rotations I was able to do, so I made them count.
I was in the same boat. I just stacked my away rotations early in my 4th year. Things worked out fine, I matched into the specialty I wanted even though it was very competative and I got my second match choice even though I rotated at my first and second preferences. Those were the only two rotations I was able to do, so I made them count.
did you rotate at a military associated rotation?
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As indicated by the last sentance, yes I was. They were the first two rotations of my fourth year, and I had to reorganize my schedule a bit by speaking with the administration at my med school. There are only four Army programs, so I wasn't able to rotate at the last two. I did call the program directors for a phone interview.
thanks, i wanted to clarify to be extra sure. Any other general advice on the process/milmatching?
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Some of it depends upon your branch of service and what specialty you're looking at. For the most part, the answers are the same for the military match as they are for the civilian match. Be a good person, come prepared, show interest, try to get to know the residents when you do rotate, don't lie, cheat, or throw people under the bus, do well in school, have some extracirricular interests not just to pad the resume, but to make you a more interesting person to work with, research is a plus. No one I ever rotated with gave a $#!T if you were on your Army game.
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Most school are like this. But the important thing to realize is that the military year switchs on 1 Sept. You can do your 3rd year AT before Sept 1 but after your4th year starts (August is when I did mine) and then one right after 1 Sept befoe the mach (I did another in Septmber). They meet to dsicuss thematch right around Thanksgiving so thatgives you notice to lean the programs, get interviews in, etc.
This may be specialty dependent (as in a specialty you don't rotate in 3rd year may be worse off).
However, the military application is due at the same time ERAS opens (mid-September). The selection board does not meet until late November, so you do have time for away rotations after the application is turned in. I was able to do two military aways in September and October, so I was able to fit in 2 rotations at my home institution to start 4th year. One thing is that you have to take Step 2CK by early September, so that may create some scheduling issues but many civilian students will have it done by then anyway (you do not need to take Step 2CS by September, I took mine in December).
So I don't think you are at a huge disadvantage compared to students in the regular match.
As Highpriest said, the most important things for your military app are the same for the civilian app (grades, test scores, LORs, research). You just need to make sure to schedule away rotations as well at the locations you would most like to rank. You have almost as much time to do these things as a civilian student.
However, the military application is due at the same time ERAS opens (mid-September). The selection board does not meet until late November, so you do have time for away rotations after the application is turned in. I was able to do two military aways in September and October, so I was able to fit in 2 rotations at my home institution to start 4th year. One thing is that you have to take Step 2CK by early September, so that may create some scheduling issues but many civilian students will have it done by then anyway (you do not need to take Step 2CS by September, I took mine in December).
So I don't think you are at a huge disadvantage compared to students in the regular match.
As Highpriest said, the most important things for your military app are the same for the civilian app (grades, test scores, LORs, research). You just need to make sure to schedule away rotations as well at the locations you would most like to rank. You have almost as much time to do these things as a civilian student.
