When do you give up on your dreams?

[OphthOrBust]

I failed to match for the third time.

--Board Scores: 232/245
--AOA and class rank: Not AOA, 2nd quartile
--Reputation of medical school: Average
--Research: 2 years as a postdoc, good research experience with several publications
--Honors in clerkships: IM, Surg, Neuro, FM, Ophth
--# and where you did away rotations: 1
--# of programs you applied to: 50
--Where invited for interviews: 12 programs
--Where matched: Did not match... again
--Anything that helped your app: Great letters from well known people, nothing helped

I am a nice person with great LORs from people that know me well. I have contacted programs in the past and they told me that I interviewed well they just had other 'great applicants.'

I still want to be an ophthalmologist but it has become apparent that ophthalmology doesnt want me. Is it time to move on?

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[EyeGuy15]

Why did you apply to only 50 programs? Common sense says that you apply to 100+ programs after not matching 2 years in a row. If you really wanted to be an ophthalmologist, you should have applied to more places. Sorry but you dropped the ball on this one.

 

[Wedgebuster]

I don't think I agree with EyeGuy. Sure, applying to more programs would have been ideal, and if you go for it again you might want to apply to more. However, with 12 interviews your probability of matching is sky high. There must be something else going on, some part of your application/interview that is not super impressive. I can't give you an answer, but there must be something. With 12 interviews your probability of matching is surely above 95%. I would ask specific questions to someone with whom I interviewed. A condescending tone? Too shy? Not dynamic enough? The fact that they know you are a repeat interviewer? Your dress even? I don't know, but there must be something. Your app looks FAR better than mine on paper. If you try again, figure out what that thing is that keeps 12 programs from ranking you higher.

 

[OphthOrBust]

Why did you apply to only 50 programs? Common sense says that you apply to 100+ programs after not matching 2 years in a row. If you really wanted to be an ophthalmologist, you should have applied to more places. Sorry but you dropped the ball on this one.

This is a valid criticism, but after failing to match the last 2 times I chose to only apply to the middle and bottom tier programs (why waste money on Bascom Palmer?). Working as a postdoc does not provide me with the money necessary to apply to more.

I don't think I agree with EyeGuy. Sure, applying to more programs would have been ideal, and if you go for it again you might want to apply to more. However, with 12 interviews your probability of matching is sky high. There must be something else going on, some part of your application/interview that is not super impressive. I can't give you an answer, but there must be something. With 12 interviews your probability of matching is surely above 95%. I would ask specific questions to someone with whom I interviewed. A condescending tone? Too shy? Not dynamic enough? The fact that they know you are a repeat interviewer? Your dress even? I don't know, but there must be something. Your app looks FAR better than mine on paper. If you try again, figure out what that thing is that keeps 12 programs from ranking you higher.

It does seem likely that my interviews are a problem. I reached out to interviewers last year and they all said that I interviewed well. I made sure to practice with my adviser this year and she thought my interviews were great. I'm so lost.

 

[MstaKing10]

stats look fine. Very competitive. So what you didn't list here are:

Letters of rec - may be from well known docs but what did they say about you? Did you get to read them? Sometimes these can make or break you

Personal statement - how thought out was it? Truly personal or full of cheesy cliches?

Research experience - sounds like your doing some stuff now, but any publications? Posters?

Extracurriculars - do anything fun, meaningful or worthwhile?

These are mostly rhetorical questions, I don't expect you to answer them but just to think about them. Honestly, if you were invited to 12 interviews from 50 places you applied as a repeat applicant, I don't think it's your application that's holding you back because that's pretty impressive. I suspect your interview skills are the primary issue but I may be wrong.

 

[JMK2005]

Where did you do your post-doc work? Does it have a residency program?

If so, I would think that program would be the best chance of matching you. Your numbers and profile looks good.

On the surface, it looks like you should match well.
Any red flags? FMG?

 

[snowbank]

I know you mentioned that your advisor dry run interview went fine, but did you practice with your other mentors or advisors? Specifically your post-doc fellowship mentor -he's likely to know you the best. What about your Dean?

There are also some books like First Aid for the match and ISerson's getting into a residency that talk about all aspects, including the PS and interview. 12 programs is certainly a lot. I dont know specifically, but like others said, there has to be at least something or the other that is hindering you. Only you and your advisors can truly look inside yourself (and your application) and dissect out that something. I suspect that then, and only then, can you answer the question of when to give up. I know (not heard of through a friend of a friend etc, but personally know) ophthalmologists from other countries, who even after several years of research, did not match, and so did other residencies like IM or FM, became board certified and then matched. One in particular applied 7 times! But without analysis, repeat applications may not necessarily help. Also be on the lookout for random openings too.

Have you done an internship? Perhaps doing that now, after your post-doc, will get you 'into the system' so to speak and you can branch out from there. You can also resume research afterwards, with the option of directly joining PGY2 openings that crop up.

Hope this helps!

 

[EyeGuy15]

I understand that there may be a "red flag" or two in regards to your application/interview, but I stand by my statement that you should have applied to more places. The reality is that the more places you apply too, the more opportunities for interviews. The more opportunities for interviews, the more places you can rank and thus you will have a higher chance of matching. I understand you targeted lower/middle tier programs, but even so, you should have applied to more than 50. Everyone can agree the whole interview process is filled with pleasant/unpleasant surprises in the form of offers/rejections. If you look at past threads, a HUGE point everyone makes is too "apply broadly". You may get interview offers from good/great programs for all sorts of small things that are in your application that may stand out to one or two faculty members who read your applicatoin. I understand financially this is a pain, but after four years of medical school and the countless bills piling up for all kinds of things related to being a medical student, this really should not be an issue. The application fee is an "investment" in your career.

Also, while you are doing research at your home institution, find out if you can rotate in the clinic/OR with one or two attendings 1-2 days a week. If you decide to take another shot at it, you could get even stronger letters for your application as well as build a solid relationship with attendings/residents at your program that you are also doing research at. If you can't do this at your research institution, find out if other programs in the same city as you will let you. Literally contact as many faculty as you can. All it takes is for one faculty member to let you work with them extensively for you to have your "in" at a program. If you really show your dedication, they can be a huge advocate, both at your program and anywhere else they know people.

 

[snowbank]

Agreed. Without question. In something as competitive as ophtho, you should apply to as many progs as you can allow yourself (financially I mean). But I didn't want to belabor that point for the poor fella!