230 step 1 and wanting to match in MD/DC AREA...

[Radon]

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chances of matching in radiology? (other stuff: ranked #9 at the end of 2nd yr. in a low tier school, great letter of rec. from a radiologist in GW, no research in med school...)

(p.s. asking for a friend who is too lazy to get an account...)

 

[ears]

Everyone who wants to match in radiology (or anything else competitive, for that matter) needs to be ready to make a case for themselves. The case above is not a very good one. That is, 230 is an OK score, but not impressive in and of itself. Grades in first two years are nice, but not a big factor. A nice letter is good; is it from someone the candidate has actually worked with, or a friend of the family? Clinical grades are very important, obviously. Someone with lots of clinical honors is going to be a lot more competitive. Research (which could just mean writing a case reoprt or helping prepare a poster) also adds to the picture.

I'm not saying this person won't match, I'm just saying they need to prepare their application well so it's obvious to programs that they're a good bet. Iserson's Getting Into a Residency has lots of good ideas for how to do that, but the most important piece of advice in there is to get a good advisor. (Perhaps the person writing the LOR from GW could help?)

As for matching in a particular region goes... most radiology applicants target a region, but the process is very competitive right now, so most have to apply broadly. Definitely make sure the regional ties to the MD/DC area are obvious on the application, because that can help.

Good luck to your friend.