--Board Scores: Step 1: 234, Step 2 CK: 252
--AOA and class rank: not AOA, Top 1/3ish
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc): Top 25 medical school
--Research: (none, some ophtho with no publications, ophtho publications): 5 publications (case reports and original research, only 1-2 ophtho related), 4 publications under review, 10+ posters/abstracts/oral talks
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery and medicine): Honors in Neuro, OB/Gyn, Peds, Home+Away Ophtho, HP in everything else (including medicine and surgery).
--# and where you did away rotations: 1
--# of programs you applied to: 100+ (Too many, but I’ll talk about it)
--Where invited for interviews (both offers and the ones you actually attended): 36 invites, attended 18.
Attended: Mount Sinai, WashU, UPenn, Cornell, UChicago, CPMC, BU, Northwestern, U Washington, UVA, UMKC, University of Florida-Jacksonville, UIC/IEEI, URochester, U Minnesota, Emory, UNC, Cook County
Did not attend: Duke, University of Louisville, University of Kentucky, Loma Linda University, EVMS, Geisinger, University of Arizona, University of Arizona (South Campus), West Virginia University, Howard University, Penn State, Storm Eye Institute/MUSC, Oklahoma, SUNY Stony Brook, Indiana University, Kregse
--Where matched: My #1/18 program, a very solid Top/Middle-Top tier program (I honestly don’t even know what that really means, but I loved the program)
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call from your advisor to another program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc)
Do you have stats that look like me? Take a deep breath and tell yourself “You can do this”. Having said that, you need to realize you have work to do.
(My primary reason of writing all this out is because I often looked at SDN Match Stats to give myself hope and convince myself that I could do this. You can too!)
I still remember getting my Step 1 score and being bummed out. I did not know I wanted to do Ophtho at that point, but I knew I wanted to get into a good residency at a good program. I know people here may not be religious, but my Faith was something I clung onto at that time and really helped me over these years whenever I felt discouraged. This disappointment didn’t last too long because I recognized that I did the best I could given the circumstances I had to take them (<3 weeks of dedicated study time, personal events, issues on test day with break timing, etc.). So I went into my 3rd year of med school with a chip on my shoulder and the intent to do my very best. It was difficult to get Honors at my school, but I knew I couldn't get Passes if I wanted Ophtho to happen. So I tried my best and overall got a good mix of HP/Honors.
Research Year: Before med school, I planned to do a research year but got accepted and had no good reason to at that time. But throughout the first three years, it was still something I wanted to do and ended up doing one after my third year. I believe my grant funded research year was an important part of my overall success. I had the opportunity to write a case report, a few publications (all under review but not accepted by interview season, which was still ok), and at least a dozen abstracts/presentations. It also gave me a good story of “Why Ophtho” on my personal statement, and was a conversation topic in the vast, vast majority of my interviews. I made tons of connections with people outside my program, and very importantly, at my home department. I cannot over emphasize how important connections are if you can make them. I had 3 outstanding mentors during my year off, one of which was particularly well known. His letter was mentioned at every interview I went to. I realize not everyone has an opportunity to work with a “big wig”, but try your best because I think that made a huge difference for me. And if you can’t swing that, make sure that your letter writers have OUTSTANDING things to say. You can’t be basic or forgettable in any aspect of your application with ~230-235 Step 1.
Away Rotations: There is mixed advice about away rotations. My institution discourages them strongly, but other friends at other places were told to do 2ish. So I split the difference and did 1, which I enjoyed and was well received there. My advice is this: 1. Do them if you want to see a particular program or want to go to a specific geographical location (Cali, NYC, etc), but 2. don’t feel the NEED to do one. And don’t do more than two. Also, some places guarantee rotators interviews, others don’t. So find that out.
Number of programs to apply to: It is hard to ever know that this magic number is. I applied to 100+ because I was nervous about not matching 2/2 my board score. I didn’t want to apply to too few and get say 3-4 interviews but wish I had more. I think a more rational thing for me to have done was make a list of places I absolutely did not want to be at (which for me would have been rural) and take those places off the list. Talk to other older students, your academic advisors, etc for good advice, but also know advice is just one persons opinion. One advisor said I should apply to 90+, another said 20-30. Also, respond to invitations as fast as possible (I had a special mail ringtone). If you don’t respond in 10 minutes (in a few cases), the dates fill up!
Vision Testing: I've seen some people write about/get worried about this in previous posts. I was never tested for stereopsis or Color Vision at any of my interviews, and it never came up. I know they test stereopsis at some programs (UTSW comes to mind), but I’m not sure if color vision testing is ever done at interviews (or if it is, it's far and few between). I would agree that you *probably* need stereopsis to be an ophthalmologist. You DO NOT need RG color vision to be an outstanding one (I know of some actually). Will it make things easier? Perhaps. But it shouldn't be a reason to not go for Ophthalmology if that's what you really want to do.
Step 2 CK: If you are under say a 235 Step 1, AND you KNOW you will do better, I strongly advise taking Step 2 CK early. To be 100% honest, my Step 1 score was NEVER brought up at any interview. Not once. It was interesting for me to see that some programs (including many Top tier) actually read the entire application, but other mid-low tier places clearly have a cut off. At some interviews, I did see “234/252” written out next to my name. I realize Step 2 CK does not carry the same weight at Step 1, or will prevent you getting cut off at some places. But I think seeing a good score next to an “under average” score gives off the message that you can do better. I did have one interviewer at a top program say she “Likes it when someone doesn’t do as well the first time around, but really tries and turns things around”. So take that advice for what it’s worth. I spent a month studying for Step 2 CK, and I like to think it paid off in this regard.
Lastly: There are a lot of people who matched with better stats than me, and even some with worse. But one thing that people will not have very much insight in on is how well they interview, or at least how they come off. I couldn’t tell you how many people I met on the trail that came off as arrogant, cocky, entitled, etc. And I personally know two people who did not match with better board scores than I had, both of which come off like that. One in particular got interviews at VERY BIG names places, and she was completely shocked when she did not match. I asked residents in passing “What are some things you look for in med students”, and humility or some variation of that was a resounding #1. I think for me, I knew I was not the best applicant b/c of my board score and was genuinely appreciative of even getting interviews, let alone the ones/amount I got. No matter where you are interviewing, or how good of an applicant you think you are, please be humble. And humility is not the same as being timid. If you’re invited for an interview, you have a shot at matching. Period. So act like it: be interested in the program, don’t pull out your cell phone at all, don’t talk to other applicants about your next interviews that you are more excited about while sitting next to program directors/residents (I’ve seen all this). Stay on you’re A++ game at all times, from the moment you step into that building until you are on that plane/train/car home. You are there to convince these people to rank you number 1.
Above all: Stay hopeful. I had circumstances that I had to overcome in a lot of aspects in my life. And you can too. Be realistic, and have backup plans if advised to. But remember: people of all class ranks/board scores/med schools match at all types of places. You can be one of them too.
