Neurosurgery Chances

[Grrath]

Step 1: 247
Step 2: 224(No idea what happened here)
Clinical grades were mostly honors.
About to have 3+ published papers in a mouse surgical model. It's not directly related to neurosurgery but I think they are close enough to count.

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[mmmcdowe]

Average. apply broadly and find some neurosurgery research

 

[PaperChart]

Average. apply broadly and find some neurosurgery research

When you say "apply broadly," do you mean to good mix of programs at different tiers or just to a higher than average number of programs? I have a similar Step 1 to the OP, and a few NSG pubs, but I'm an M3. I know doximity isn't the be-all, end-all, but is that where you would look to establish tiers in order to apply broadly, or is there some other metric? Thanks for your responses on this board, I've learned a lot already from your posts.

 

[neusu]

Both a good mix and a larger number than you had thought.

Don't use doximity.

 

[mmmcdowe]

When you say "apply broadly," do you mean to good mix of programs at different tiers or just to a higher than average number of programs? I have a similar Step 1 to the OP, and a few NSG pubs, but I'm an M3. I know doximity isn't the be-all, end-all, but is that where you would look to establish tiers in order to apply broadly, or is there some other metric? Thanks for your responses on this board, I've learned a lot already from your posts.

Both

 

[PaperChart]

Both a good mix and a larger number than you had thought.

Don't use doximity.

@neusu thanks for the response. I always hear 40-60 quoted as an average number of apps for neurosurgery. As an average applicant, does the high end of that seem reasonable? Or would you consider "broadly" to mean 70, 80, 90+ apps? I realize there's not a hard and fast rule, but I'm just looking for a ballpark. Thanks again.

 

[Rico59]

Applying to residencies is just like applying to med school: applying "in bulk" does nothing to improve your chances--it just costs a lot of money, and you will have to handle the psychological stress of being "rejected in bulk"... Whether it's med school or residency, you have to apply to the places that, all other things being equal, are likely to accept you!

That means having a laser focus on 1) the characteristics of the schools/residencies themselves, and 2) who you are as an applicant. It's really simple: when the right applicant meets the right program, the admission/match is easy! Likewise, when someone who has no idea what their own strengths and weaknesses are applies to a school/residency that has a very clear idea of the candidates they are looking for, do not expect a happy ending.

I won't say there is none, but there really is very little room for wishful thinking in these processes, at least not if you want to be successful. By really knowing yourself and the institutions, a generally qualified candidate (note that I am specifically not talking about superstars) should be able to apply to 20-30 carefully selected schools/programs (maybe fewer--I'm being generous), and get anywhere from 2-3 up to 6-7 interviews, and that is enough to get in somewhere.

Don't be a sniveling tool! Get your assets up to where they need to be, and there will be a program that likes you enough to put up with you

 

[masaraksh]

apply to every program on ERAS