"Know anyone who scored less than 210 with multiple interviews?

[Doc34]

Just wondering

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[amyl]

yup.
take step two early and improve.
apply widely.
do a couple aways.
don't listen to anything that anyone from NSU tells you - i got some bad advice.
pm me anytime -- happy to help anyone from my alma mater.
...and pm me after the match and i will let you know how all the NSU'ers did in the match...i know alot of their numbers.

 

[Coffee13]

great advise

when the time comes to apply just be proactive about getting interviews. You can call programs and ask about the status of your application. I was able to get a few extra interviews this way.

By the way, I scored below 210 and had 10 interviews.

 

[PMPMD]

yes, me, last year. applied to 60 programs, got 10 interviews, matched a respectable program (case western - UH). anesthesia is not THAT competitive. look at the "charting outcomes" data on the match website; anesthesia is in the middle of the pack for all of the variables. yes, it's getting more competitive but that's because in the mid 90s it was near the bottom in terms of competitiveness. don't buy into the hype. do like the previous poster said and apply widely (geographically and otherwise). you'll get some rejections (or in my case, a lot) but you'll also get some interviews.

 

[Salt Creep]

I scored almost 20 points below 210. Applied to 56, got 14 interviews, went on 12 and ranked all 12 places. Match Day will tell the ultimate truth though.

I agree with Amy. A big jump on Step 2 goes a long way, and aways are good idea for a few reasons (not the least of which is you getting to see the program up close and personal).

 

[nociceptor]

Just wondering

 

[sevogirl]

yes offered about 20, applied to 50...don't let anyone scare you off...go for what you want!

 

[Coffee13]

i also took step 2 ck and cs early. I passed step 2 cs and my step 2 ck score went up by 22 points (217)
I will let you know how the match went once its all over with

 

[Arch Guillotti]

I did, but it was a few years ago. Went from a 200 on Step I to a 241 on Step II

 

[A-non-y-mous]

Bump.....

 

[amyl]

aways make all the difference . put some research and effort into where you go. I didn't put enough into my selections.

 

[A-non-y-mous]

aways make all the difference . put some research and effort into where you go. I didn't put enough into my selections.

I thought you matched?

 

[NONSTEMI]

With <210 score, do you guys think it is better to do an away rotation at a very competitive programs or just programs that you think you might have a chance of getting into? thanks guys, and congrats to all those that matched today.

 

[Bertelman]

With <210 score, do you guys think it is better to do an away rotation at a very competitive programs or just programs that you think you might have a chance of getting into? thanks guys, and congrats to all those that matched today.

I'd steer away from the "very" competitive. Competitive, maybe.

 

[amyl]

I thought you matched?

i did match....but not where i did my aways...i wish I had picked other places.... (so I guess they were good at pointing out what i didn't want ) I didn't put enough thought into where i really wanted to go and what was important to me.

NSTEMI- do an away at a place you consider a little bit of a reach for you after you do one at a place you would be happy but is a little less competitive.

 

[snrub]

Bumpin this thread for any updated applicable individuals.

 

[Consigliere]

No.

 

[Eta Carinae]

Just wondering

The fact that you're asking- wondering- early is a good sign, I think.

I personally know two people from a top 5 medical school who did not match to Anesthesiology and had below avg step 1 scores (<220). Here are some of the things they did that you can avoid:

1. They assumed they would match to their home program and so took the entire application process for granted
2. They blew their required sub-I's ie showing up late, asking to leave early etc
3. They took step 2 late

Anesthesiology is quickly going the way of Radiology. Not too long ago, Radiology could not attract the best and brightest, was relegated to FMGs. Now, you HAVE to be somewhere near the top of your class and have kick a** step 1 to match into Radiology. Anesthesiology is slowly following that trend. so I would leave nothing to chance.

At my home institution, we had two AOA students with step 1>260 both apply to Anesthesia. Going by charting outcomes, you don't have to be anywhere near that to match BUT this demonstrates the trend in Anesthesiology.

 

[snrub]

I'd be asking from the perspective of a DO student...and playing the "what if" scenario, if: improvement on USMLE Step 2, submitting apps Sep 1st, applying VERY broadly (60+ programs), focusing on community programs and non-ivory tower academic programs, and impressing at away spots, if it's still a feasible venture.

 

[wmc24]

I'd be asking from the perspective of a DO student...and playing the "what if" scenario, if: improvement on USMLE Step 2, submitting apps Sep 1st, applying VERY broadly (60+ programs), focusing on community programs and non-ivory tower academic programs, and impressing at away spots, if it's still a feasible venture.

i think if ur a DO with a <210 usmle right now, u are in big trouble. just being honest with you, im a DO also, who is applying right now. 230 usmle, good grades, good aways, letters, etc and have 13 interviews after applying to 54. id really only be happy at maybe 6 of the places though. hopefully ill get off the waiting list at a couple programs but im not counting on it

 

[kazuma]

i think if ur a DO with a <210 usmle right now, u are in big trouble. just being honest with you, im a DO also, who is applying right now. 230 usmle, good grades, good aways, letters, etc and have 13 interviews after applying to 54. id really only be happy at maybe 6 of the places though. hopefully ill get off the waiting list at a couple programs but im not counting on it

wmc24, I agree with your assessment based on feedback that I have received from my 4th year friends that are also on the trail. The guys I know only took the COMLEX and scored in the low to mid 500's. As a result they only have maybe 2 or 3 allopathic interviews at the most.

Did you take USMLE step 2 as well?

I'm assuming when people say to "take step 2 early" they mean by the end of July at the latest in order for their score to be available by Sept 1.

Best of luck with the match!

 

[okayplayer]

i think if ur a DO with a <220 usmle right now, u are in big trouble.

Corrected this for you.

 

[wmc24]

Corrected this for you.

i was just answering the original post asking about <210 usmle, but thanks for the correction. i agree that less than 220 is asking for trouble also.

 

[CristaGalli]

i think if ur a DO with a <210 usmle right now, u are in big trouble. just being honest with you, im a DO also, who is applying right now. 230 usmle, good grades, good aways, letters, etc and have 13 interviews after applying to 54. id really only be happy at maybe 6 of the places though. hopefully ill get off the waiting list at a couple programs but im not counting on it

I have to disagree with wmc24, I think you are feeling a little anxious rightnow. Granted it would be rough, but the OP can still match well. wmc24 you have 13 interviews, assuming you are not a bad interviewer, you have a good chance of matching somewhere in your top 6. I can't imagine 6 of your 13 are not reputable institutions...if you were expecting to get the likes of ucsf, stanford, then you were completely misinformed about the politics of this process.
According to the 2009 charting the outcomes data, ranking 6 or greater programs puts one at a 90% chance of matching. To the OP, you will just have to pay extra money to apply widely (60+) and be prepared to interview everywhere you get one (that also gets very expensive). Moreover, each interview season is different, and granted GAS is getting more competitive, it still matches at about 98% for US med students.
Basically, I don't think you're in big trouble, you will be fine. Focus on doing well on 3rd yr, step 2, aways, networking within your anesthesia dept, strong letters, and a positive thinking attitude.

 

[wmc24]

I have to disagree with wmc24, I think you are feeling a little anxious rightnow. Granted it would be rough, but the OP can still match well. wmc24 you have 13 interviews, assuming you are not a bad interviewer, you have a good chance of matching somewhere in your top 6. I can't imagine 6 of your 13 are not reputable institutions...if you were expecting to get the likes of ucsf, stanford, then you were completely misinformed about the politics of this process.
According to the 2009 charting the outcomes data, ranking 6 or greater programs puts one at a 90% chance of matching. To the OP, you will just have to pay extra money to apply widely (60+) and be prepared to interview everywhere you get one (that also gets very expensive). Moreover, each interview season is different, and granted GAS is getting more competitive, it still matches at about 98% for US med students.
Basically, I don't think you're in big trouble, you will be fine. Focus on doing well on 3rd yr, step 2, aways, networking within your anesthesia dept, strong letters, and a positive thinking attitude.

im just speaking from my own experience and that of other classmates of mine. i applied to programs i believed i had a chance of interviewing at, i was very realistic, ex applying to philly programs but excluding upenn. i believe im a good interviewer so hopefully i match in my top 6 or get a couple more interviews at programs im more interested in. whatever the case, unless ur a US MD, i dont think u should expect multiple, if any, interviews with a less than 210 usmle. anesthesia is too popular with too many qualified applicants right now.

 

[AnesBeast]

My step 1 was between 200 and 210. Not ideal, right? I was pissed too. I took step 2 July of my M4 year and scored in the 230s. I applied to 32 programs and got 20 offers from a mixed bag of competitiveness. I would say 4 elite programs, 10-12 middle-of-the-line programs, and 5-6 not so great programs gave me offers. I will probably go on 10 or 11.

My advice is to study hard for step 2 and don't freak out. A better step 2 will be the best thing you can do for yourself if you are not happy about step 1. Put time into your rotations and learn as much as you can on medicine, even though it can be a painful couple months. Get good clinical grades (ABs or As, stay above the Bs if possible). Have some extracurricular things that you are really involved in (and be able to talk extensively about them since anyone can spatter a bunch of garbage on a CV and not be able to say much about their involvement).

Once you get an interview, it's more about the person you are during the interview than anything else. This is what PDs have told me and there were actually studies done showing this. So kick step 2's ass (get average or above), which is easier than step 1, and it will all be good if you're not a douche, which I'm assuming you aren't.

 

[lilzelda2]

My step 1 was between 200 and 210. Not ideal, right? I was pissed too. I took step 2 July of my M4 year and scored in the 230s. I applied to 32 programs and got 20 offers from a mixed bag of competitiveness. I would say 4 elite programs, 10-12 middle-of-the-line programs, and 5-6 not so great programs gave me offers. I will probably go on 10 or 11.

My advice is to study hard for step 2 and don't freak out. A better step 2 will be the best thing you can do for yourself if you are not happy about step 1. Put time into your rotations and learn as much as you can on medicine, even though it can be a painful couple months. Get good clinical grades (ABs or As, stay above the Bs if possible). Have some extracurricular things that you are really involved in (and be able to talk extensively about them since anyone can spatter a bunch of garbage on a CV and not be able to say much about their involvement).

Once you get an interview, it's more about the person you are during the interview than anything else. This is what PDs have told me and there were actually studies done showing this. So kick step 2's ass (get average or above), which is easier than step 1, and it will all be good if you're not a douche, which I'm assuming you aren't.

Your a DO? If so getting 20 out of 32 is pretty amazing.

I agree with a lot of what was said. There is nothing wrong with applying with a back up specialty so you have a safety net.

 

[AnesBeast]

Your a DO? If so getting 20 out of 32 is pretty amazing.

I agree with a lot of what was said. There is nothing wrong with applying with a back up specialty so you have a safety net.

My bad, I'm MD. Just briefly scanned the post prior to commenting.

 

[Call Me Doc]

AnesBeast,
are you an american grad or FMG?

 

[DO4lifer]

If you want to do anesthesiology, apply and see what happens. You should always have a plan B and apply to some of those programs as well. If you don't want to do anything else, then you can always do a prelim year and try to match as a CA-1 OR complete a short 3 year residency and apply again, definitely improving your chances. Again, if you really really want to do anesthesiology, then do it.

 

[RussianJoo]

AnesBeast,
are you an american grad or FMG?

he's an american grad. as an FMG you'll be lucky to get 8 interviews this season, and this will most likely get worse next year and the year fallowing.

 

[RussianJoo]

If you want to do anesthesiology, apply and see what happens. You should always have a plan B and apply to some of those programs as well. If you don't want to do anything else, then you can always do a prelim year and try to match as a CA-1 OR complete a short 3 year residency and apply again, definitely improving your chances. Again, if you really really want to do anesthesiology, then do it.

how would doing another residency improve your chances of matching into anesthesia? unless of course you do anesthesia research or network with the anesthesia Program in your hospital. but i doubt simply doing another residency would increase your chance of matching especially when each year there are thousands of brand new medical students applying.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

how would doing another residency improve your chances of matching into anesthesia? unless of course you do anesthesia research or network with the anesthesia Program in your hospital. but i doubt simply doing another residency would increase your chance of matching especially when each year there are thousands of brand new medical students applying.

I think that it can help you in certain instances (funding issues aside). If you are a known commodity somewhere and can get good letters/phone calls then it may help you. During residency I worked with a handful of others who completed another residency first. Some were great others not.

Doing two residencies would be more than I could bear though.

 

[RussianJoo]

well hopefully i won't need it. but since i am interested in critical care anyway my back will be IM and then Pulm/CCM fellowship. I haven't had any problems getting Prelim IM interviews so I doubt i'll have too many problems getting categorical ones as well. I agree that doing two residencies is a bit excessive.

thanks for the reply.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

well hopefully i won't need it. but since i am interested in critical care anyway my back will be IM and then Pulm/CCM fellowship. I haven't had any problems getting Prelim IM interviews so I doubt i'll have too many problems getting categorical ones as well. I agree that doing two residencies is a bit excessive.

thanks for the reply.

Two residencies is excessive (to me) but I have known probably almost a dozen who have gone this route. anesthesia seems to get some of the wash outs and drop outs ffrom some other specialties so I have known a few people that have done some years in another specialty.

Of course, IM +anesthesia is six years, which is less than some specialties. Being double boarded is only a positive in my mind.

 

[buntybrown]

i scored below 220 on both and got my top choice. didn't do any aways. and i did couple's match. and i applied weeks late. ended up with 7 or 8 interviews in the end. not many, but as folks will tell you, it only takes one.

still not sure how i made it through okay, but if anything, programs told me my clinical evaluations were bananas. guess that made a difference.

fwiw.

 

[Eta Carinae]

i scored below 220 on both and got my top choice. didn't do any aways. and i did couple's match. and i applied weeks late. ended up with 7 or 8 interviews in the end. not many, but as folks will tell you, it only takes one.

still not sure how i made it through okay, but if anything, programs told me my clinical evaluations were bananas. guess that made a difference.

fwiw.

Dude, like your story is amazing! I almost wanted to finish the story with-
"...and fairy godmother changed me into a beautiful princess and I married the prince and we lived happily ever after."

Seriously, though, May I ask when you applied? As in what year? It seems the applicants are a lot more competitive this year than it last- and a lot of PDs are saying last year was the most competitive they've seen.

I'm honestly not trying to discourage the OP and I love that your story makes it sound feasible to match well, but anesthesia is much, much more popular this year than it has ever been and far more competitive med students are applying.

I went to a top five med school and last match cycle was the first time ever our school had anyone (we had three) who did not match to anesthesia and it was a big blow to our dean's ego. So, if you could please tell us when you applied, that might help put things in perspective.

If you applied last cycle, then perhaps that means the rest of us need to be smarter about how we approach the match process.

Thanks so much, sorry for being so long-winded.

 

[buntybrown]

Dude, like your story is amazing! I almost wanted to finish the story with-
"...and fairy godmother changed me into a beautiful princess and I married the prince and we lived happily ever after."

Seriously, though, May I ask when you applied? As in what year? It seems the applicants are a lot more competitive this year than it last- and a lot of PDs are saying last year was the most competitive they've seen.

I'm honestly not trying to discourage the OP and I love that your story makes it sound feasible to match well, but anesthesia is much, much more popular this year than it has ever been and far more competitive med students are applying.

I went to a top five med school and last match cycle was the first time ever our school had anyone (we had three) who did not match to anesthesia and it was a big blow to our dean's ego. So, if you could please tell us when you applied, that might help put things in perspective.

If you applied last cycle, then perhaps that means the rest of us need to be smarter about how we approach the match process.

Thanks so much, sorry for being so long-winded.

i just matched in March 2009. i've heard that in some cases where folks are applying as part of a couple, the stronger applicant can help the other match. that may have been the case with me, since my fiancee applied to Peds with a very strong application, including excellent board scores. in the end we looked at Philly, NYC, Pitt and that was it, just fyi.

not to belabor the point, but i should also mention that my step 2 was actually a shade lower than my step 1, which i thought would be the kiss of death.

cheers, and happy holidays

 

[heathermed]

Hi... I have been reading this thread with great interest and was wondering if anyone could give me their opinion of my situation.

I am a carribbean med student (ross) and am planning on matching in 2011. My step 1 score is 98 and assuming I do > 95 on step 2, do I have a good shot? Is there anything someone could suggest that would help me get in a better position?

any suggestions or opinions would be greatly appreciated

 

[RussianJoo]

i am a carib student applying this year. and all i can say is that it's really tough for us, you really have to out shine those in US med schools to be considered for an interview, and even still not everyone they interview make it to the rank list so this processes is very long and nerve racking. Try to do as many audition rotation as you can, and do the best you can on step2. there are no guarantees for IMGs, you just have to get very lucky. in the end however numbers only get you the interview but how you act during your interview is what gets you the spot. most importantly hopefully you're a lucky person cause you're going to need a ton of luck, just like all imgs do.