Question for aprogrdirector - Meeting questions and PS

[imgtointern]

I didn't match into IM this year. The PD at one of the programs where I interviewed at is willing to meet and discuss what I can do to improve for next year. If aprogdirector and other seniors could help me with some questions, it would be really appreciated. Is it okay to ask if the program ranked me at all this past season? Or is that crossing the line?

I know the season just ended but in the interest of preparing for next year, I wish to ask this question now itself.
How long should the PS be ideally? I have a red flag. After discussing that and my reason for moving to the US, it is almost 2 pages long. I used the formatting guidelines given by aprogdirector on another forum, 10pt New Courier and indents. Should I talk about the red flag in the PS at all?

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[NotAProgDirector]

If the PD agreed to meet with you, asking whether you were on the list at all is a reasonable question. I would not ask "where was I ranked" or "how close to the last person matched was I?", although once you acertain that you were in fact ranked, those questions may be answered by your discussion. There is no "ideal" length for a PS, and whether you should or should not talk about your "red flag" in it totally depends upon what it was, and what you say about it.

 

[IMPD]

I didn't match into IM this year. The PD at one of the programs where I interviewed at is willing to meet and discuss what I can do to improve for next year. If aprogdirector and other seniors could help me with some questions, it would be really appreciated. Is it okay to ask if the program ranked me at all this past season? Or is that crossing the line?

I know the season just ended but in the interest of preparing for next year, I wish to ask this question now itself.
How long should the PS be ideally? I have a red flag. After discussing that and my reason for moving to the US, it is almost 2 pages long. I used the formatting guidelines given by aprogdirector on another forum, 10pt New Courier and indents. Should I talk about the red flag in the PS at all?

You're fortunate to have such a meeting. Agree that there is no ideal length of PS. Make sure some people you trust and think are wise in the ways of the world have seen your PS and given you feedback. I can't believe some the **** I read....these folks clearly did not have anyone look at it, or it if they did, did not take advice.

Agree that asking if you were ranked is Ok, but not further. This should bring up the discussion of what impact your perceived red flag is vs other factors that you might not be taking into account.

Also might be helpful to ask about application for next year in terms of "what other programs do you think I should be looking at" and "what about Family Medicine".

 

[cognitus]

I would address the red flag in the PS if this red flag is obvious and could prevent you from getting an interview without an explanation.

 

[imgtointern]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I had the meeting last week. It was very nice of the program director to meet with me. I was ranked but the PD said, obviously not high enough to match and gave advice as to what I can do to improve for next year. PD also offered advice on where else to apply as IMPD mentioned. The red flag, step 1 failures, is the biggest hindrance. Should I write about it in my PS? This program did ask me for a reason during the interview. Most people I have asked have either said, absolutely talk about it or most certainly don't till they bring it up. What is better to do?

 

[throw away]

If I were to talk about a Step 1 failure in my PS, I would talk about what I learned from the failure and how I improved after the failure. I wouldn't make excuses unless I had a family member's death to blame the failure on. For example, something like:

"I studies night and day for Step 1 so the failure was a major blow. However it was also an important learning opportunity for me. I asked myself, 'Where am I going wrong?' I met with the deans and signed up for professional Step 1 preparatory courses. It finally occurred to me that I was studying hard, but not studying smart. When I learned new, focused study techniques from the courses, my scores improved immediately. I also saw the improvement continue as I prepared for Step 2. Though the failure naturally was devastating at the time, it was perhaps exactly what I needed."

 

[Law2Doc]

I wouldn't highlight the failure further in the PS. I really dont think theres much to say that would make multiple failures look better -- the way you address that is to ultimatly do better on Step 2. Use that PS space to sell yourself some other way. When in interviews if it gets brought up, have that canned answer of why, and how you improved things. Keep in touch with this PD. Have some accomplishments between now and next match you can share with him.

 

[imgtointern]

Thanks throw away and Law2Doc for your responses. I am working on getting some articles published and possibly working on some grants. I think regarding the PS, I am going to get two ready, one with mention of the failures and another without and have a few seniors read them to help me decide which one to use.