2012 Match question

[JonMonkey]

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Quick question for anyone willing to answer it. I am an FMG currently doing my 3rd year in the UK. I want to go into EM and am aiming for the 2012 match.

With the way my school trimesters work out I am doing 42 straight weeks of core rotations in order to get my step 2 done and score back before the residency apps go out. I am planning on doing 2 EM rotations when I get back to the states, 1 in Sept/Oct and the other where I want to do my residency in Oct/Nov.

Now I was going to volunteer my nights and weekends while over in the UK in order to get a few SLORs so I have a completed app to turn in on Sept 1st, however the ED director wants 4+ weeks of direct supervision before he will write a letter for me. Since I can't do that with my current schedule and he won't take my free nights and weekends I am forced to wait till mid August when I get back to get letters from ED docs I know.

With the time it takes ERAS to upload letters they will not be in my file till late Oct early Nov. As an FMG how bad does this hurt my chances at making the 2012 match? Anyone got any advice?

 

[BADMD]

As an FMG, and I assume, coming from a Caribbean school, you need your application to cleaner than a similarly situated US grad.

Your scores and grades are going to be the #1 and #2 issue. If these are really awesome, the delay may not be as big a deal. Many programs will reserve decisions on FMGs until the MSPEs come out in November. So while not ideal you won't lose that much (although plenty don't wait and you many be at a disadvantage with those). That being said, you will need your application to be as complete as possible as soon as possible. If there are no SLORs in when the MSPEs come out, you will be at a serious disadvantage.

I'm not really sure a UK SLOR would be all that helpful, as some of the questions implicitly assume a US based program.

What to do? Well, if you can't change your schedule, you will need to make damn sure those letters get in as soon as possible. At the very least, you want to have 1 SLOR in by Nov 1 and preferably earlier. The other needs to follow as soon as possible. You many have to beat on the letter writers and the dean's office to get those in.

 

[JonMonkey]

As an FMG, and I assume, coming from a Caribbean school, you need your application to cleaner than a similarly situated US grad.

Your scores and grades are going to be the #1 and #2 issue. If these are really awesome, the delay may not be as big a deal. Many programs will reserve decisions on FMGs until the MSPEs come out in November. So while not ideal you won't lose that much (although plenty don't wait and you many be at a disadvantage with those). That being said, you will need your application to be as complete as possible as soon as possible. If there are no SLORs in when the MSPEs come out, you will be at a serious disadvantage.

I'm not really sure a UK SLOR would be all that helpful, as some of the questions implicitly assume a US based program.

What to do? Well, if you can't change your schedule, you will need to make damn sure those letters get in as soon as possible. At the very least, you want to have 1 SLOR in by Nov 1 and preferably earlier. The other needs to follow as soon as possible. You many have to beat on the letter writers and the dean's office to get those in.

Thanks for the info.