late interest in rad-onc? Do I have a chance? (really would appreciate the advice)

Hey Everybody:

I am a med student at a Top 10 med school. I have straight high passes during my clinical rotations and am actually doing a year right now dedicated to Radiology research. Clearly, I am not going to be AOA.

I have developed a recent interest in Radiation-Oncology due to personal (family) reasons. Do I even have a chance to match into Radiation-Oncology? Should I even bother? I will not have Radiation-Oncology research, although I will have unrelated Radiology research. Could I make it up with a good grade in an early 4th year Rad-Onc elective and away rotations? What kind of board score do I need? And this question is to match into ANY university-accredited Radiation-Oncology program.

Thank you.

bump

In short,

Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Aim for 230+

Good luck.

I think the key for you would be being able to clearly convince interviewers why, all of sudden, you became interested in radiation oncology.

Unless you are an MD-PhD with an active research to continue as a resident, the topic of your research wouldn't matter as much as being able to show your drive.

socal4life said:

Hey Everybody:

I am a med student at a Top 10 med school. I have straight high passes during my clinical rotations and am actually doing a year right now dedicated to Radiology research. Clearly, I am not going to be AOA.

I have developed a recent interest in Radiation-Oncology due to personal (family) reasons. Do I even have a chance to match into Radiation-Oncology? Should I even bother? I will not have Radiation-Oncology research, although I will have unrelated Radiology research. Could I make it up with a good grade in an early 4th year Rad-Onc elective and away rotations? What kind of board score do I need? And this question is to match into ANY university-accredited Radiation-Oncology program.

Thank you.

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I thought you developed a recent interest in dermatology?
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=251148

CameronFrye said:

I thought you developed a recent interest in dermatology?
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=251148

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Hmmm . . . sounds like someone with diverse interests.

Though in the future, you may want to throw in a unique line into your question rather than simply replacing [Dermatology] with [Radiation Oncology]. You know, something like, "I think radiosurgery is cool . . . BTW I've developed a recent interest in . . ."

Although it looks very awkward, we shouldn't pass judgments on the original poster. Perhaps, a member of her family developed a skin cancer that was treated with surgery and radiation, who knows. It is perfectly reasonable, in fact likely, that someone in 3rd year of medical school to be still searching for what they want.

Besides, applying to multiple specialties has crossed the minds of many of us here, and I bet some have actually done it.

Getting back to the original question, I say again, you need to convince the interviewer why you got interested in rad onc. (Frankly, why this is so important, I am not 100% sure, but it is.) This may be much more difficult than coming up with some BS reasons. They will see right through you.

I hope you got step I score of 230+ so it won't work against you; if higher, it may work for you. A full year of research would be plenty, esp. if you publish. (perhaps, this may change with so many MdPhD's applying) It would have been nice if you got some honors during 3rd year, esp. medicine honors is highly regarded by all specialities, but it won't make or break it. LOR from a well known radiation oncologist can only help, and if you go to a top 10 school, there should be a few around. Honors at elective rad onc is almost a must, I think, so it won't distinguish you from anyone else.

more information might help if you have a genuine interest. Kindly give people a chance to reply before bumping up a thread.

I appreciate the feedback. I have actually had a member of my family develop a cancerous growth, but it is not malignant. Everything (hopefully) should be fine in due time. But that is the reason why I have rethought my entire thinking on my career and have opened up this can of worms again.

I am not trying to play some weird online games. As you see, I did not say I had personal reasons to go into Dermatology; I only said that for Rad-Onc on the original post. For those who were able to keep an open mind about my career quandary, I appreciate it.

I appreciate the feedback. I have actually had a member of my family develop a cancerous growth, but it is not malignant. Everything (hopefully) should be fine in due time. But that is the reason why I have rethought my entire thinking on my career and have opened up this can of worms again.

I am not trying to play some weird online games. As you see, I did not say I had personal reasons to go into Dermatology; I only said that for Rad-Onc on the original post. For those who were able to keep an open mind about my career quandary, I appreciate it.

socal4life said:

I appreciate the feedback. I have actually had a member of my family develop a cancerous growth, but it is not malignant. Everything (hopefully) should be fine in due time. But that is the reason why I have rethought my entire thinking on my career and have opened up this can of worms again.

I am not trying to play some weird online games. As you see, I did not say I had personal reasons to go into Dermatology; I only said that for Rad-Onc on the original post. For those who were able to keep an open mind about my career quandary, I appreciate it.

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I was just giving you a hard time. Sorry if I came off too harsh.

Now for a little (serious) advice: it will really be great if you can decide on one of these fields sooner than later. The more competitive fields seem to really prefer applicants who have a demonstrated interest in a field. The earlier you decide, the more time you'll have for away rotations, small research projects, etc.

CameronFrye said:

I was just giving you a hard time. Sorry if I came off too harsh.

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Ditto. Lot of good advice on this thread though.