4th Years: Please Give back with scutwork.com

On my way........

 

Any specific programs...rads,surgery, ortho,peds,etc?????

 

I have a piece of advice for ya...when cleveland clinic tells you that they will have a spot for you, don't believe them (I'm still a little bitter). Seriously though, a few general pieces of advice for others about the application process.
1) get your letters of rec. from docs right after you finish a rotation. They will obviously remember you (they might not later on). If you wait until is it time to apply, many of these docs get swamped with people asking for LOR and you will either get a hurried letter or get blown off.
2) get more letters than you need. Some docs just don't write good letters, and you don't want to send these.
3) during interviews, PD's can say just about anything they want (ie. if you want to come here next year, we have a spot for you (still bitter)), and it means nothing. The only thing that matters is the contract you sign. So don't bank on a program if they tell you that you are in unless they hand you a contract.
4) after interviews, always send thank-you letters to the individuals you interviewed with. Never hurts.
5) be nice to everyone associated with the programs you are applying to, even/especially secretary's. I watched a secretary tell a PD about a rude applicant and that person found his way into the "no thanks" pile immediately.
6) for DO's, seriously consider taking the USMLE. I did not, and I wish I had. Despite saying they took COMLEX scores, some ACGME programs that I applied to wanted to see USMLE scores before they would give somebody an interview.
7) write sincere personal statements, and let several others proof it for you, especially a PD if you can.
8) set aside $$$ now if you can. The interview trail can get spendy.
Thats all I have off of the top of my head right now