Advice for an MS1?

[amyliz]

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I'm just starting my first year of medical school, and I'm hoping to eventually match in ortho. Is there anything I could do now (research, etc.) to maximize my chances? Are there certain courses in the first few years that are especially important to honor? I know ortho also tends to have a reputation for being primarily men (and mostly jocks). Could being female factor into my chances of matching at all?

I'm sure I sound like a gunner looking for match advice this early, but I figure it can't hurt to know what I should be doing...better to find out now than when it's too late, right?

 

[NCHoosier]

I'm just starting my first year of medical school, and I'm hoping to eventually match in ortho. Is there anything I could do now (research, etc.) to maximize my chances? Are there certain courses in the first few years that are especially important to honor? I know ortho also tends to have a reputation for being primarily men (and mostly jocks). Could being female factor into my chances of matching at all?

I'm sure I sound like a gunner looking for match advice this early, but I figure it can't hurt to know what I should be doing...better to find out now than when it's too late, right?

You don't sound like a gunner. Basically, at your stage you should just focus on getting the best grades you can. The importance of basic science honors grades is a matter of debate, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have them on your transcript. Doing well in anatomy will be helpful. When you get to 3rd year, doing well on medicine and your surgery rotation is important.

Research - this is something that, when it comes time to apply, it will seem as if everybody has on their CV. If you have an interest, it doesn't hurt to ask around to see if any faculty have any spots in their lab(s). You have a little time here. Most people who are going to do research end up doing it the summer after MS1.

Boards - really, the single most important thing to come out of years 1 and 2 is your Step I score. Doing well on it sets the table for having success in the match.

Gender - at some programs it may play a role, but in general it shouldn't.

Good luck in starting medical school. Please feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

-NCHoosier, PGY2

 

[O'doyleRules]

Agree with the above -- do the best you can to be an academic superstar. Everyone applying to ortho these days has awesome grades and scores, so that is priority number one for you.

With respect to the woman thing, it will be both a benefit and a harm to you in applying.
--Benefit because some programs are actively seeking women applicants and will give you the edge come match list time. There is pressure to diversify programs, especially since the number of women in ortho has flattened out at about 9% each year.
--Harm because lots of programs don't want any women, in general or just for that year, and you won't know what those programs are when applying. You may meet the occasional honest program along the way that will say that they may not be recruiting women, but most will say to your face that they are looking for females. However, and this has been confirmed to me by those already in programs at levels above the residency level, that come time to make the match list, most places don't like to put women high on their list. Why you may ask? Because at the end of the day, these attendings are picking the people with whom they want to hang out with, and the women are not that. Women can never be one of the boys who laughs at their off color jokes and goes out for beers with them. There are also those deep seeded yet not realized biases against women in ortho by these attendings, that women are not tough/strong enough, and those will rear their ugly head come match day. I'm going to get flamed for this, but it is the truth.

In general, your more academic programs are going to be more accepting of women and the characteristics that they bring to the table in comparison with the smaller programs. NYU, Columbia and Harvard are all programs that come to mind for me.

 

[brats800]

as another M1 who is looking at ortho, my question is about research. (yes, i searched the forum and no, i couldn't find a good answer.) i did research for 2 summers during undergrad and really didn't enjoy it. if i was to do research now, i don't know if i'd like it, but i'd only be doing it because it would look good when i applied for residency. also, i have jobs i'd rather do and get paid more to do during my summer after M1. so the question is just how important is research for an ortho residency? could i not do research during my 4 years of medschool and still get a residency? i know people hate questions like that because its never based on just one factor, but what's the general rule? if you want to do ortho but don't want to do research, should you do it anyway? thanks.

 

[OSU03]

i have jobs i'd rather do and get paid more to do during my summer after M1.

Do you know how bad you would feel if you didn't do the research and then didnt match? Sure, you made a few extra bucks that summer, but then you are stuck doing something you dont want to do for the rest of your life. I sure didn't feel like studying all day long for Step 1, but I did. People have matched with a 220, but I wasnt going to take any chances by getting even close to that low.

That said, you dont have to spend the summer doing research. I had multiple projects going during MS 2 school year and beyond. The summer is a short time, so you aren't going to shoot yourself in the foot if you skip a few weeks of research to have fun or get a better job. Just make sure you do the work later in terms of research.

Don't give yourself reasons not to match. Do everything you possibly can, and then in the end if it doesnt work out you can say that you did everything you could. You wont have excuses. Study as hard as possible for Step 1, do some research, get some good extracurrics going. I mean, it really is the rest of your life that you are talking about.

Just so you know, I do think research is an important part of your application. You will get more interviews if you have research. You certainly arent going to hurt your application by having a few papers.

 

[2muchplanning]

Another M1 w/ insecurities about ortho:

1) As I understand, ortho has traditionally been a field dominated with heavily built, muscular individuals. My question, being a relatively scrawny (but not unathletic) individuals is..does this close the ortho door for me?
(*Flashback of getting picked last for dodgeball* 😛 )
I mean, would it be worth spending more time in the gym these next few years just to beef up myself and in turn my application? 😳

2) Being as competitive as the field is, what do individuals who don't match typically do? Or is there not one typical answer to that.

 

[hans19]

Another M1 w/ insecurities about ortho:

1) As I understand, ortho has traditionally been a field dominated with heavily built, muscular individuals. My question, being a relatively scrawny (but not unathletic) individuals is..does this close the ortho door for me?
(*Flashback of getting picked last for dodgeball* 😛 )
I mean, would it be worth spending more time in the gym these next few years just to beef up myself and in turn my application? 😳

2) Being as competitive as the field is, what do individuals who don't match typically do? Or is there not one typical answer to that.

Steroids are your friend! 😀

 

[JETER]

Do you know how bad you would feel if you didn't do the research and then didnt match? Sure, you made a few extra bucks that summer, but then you are stuck doing something you dont want to do for the rest of your life. I sure didn't feel like studying all day long for Step 1, but I did. People have matched with a 220, but I wasnt going to take any chances by getting even close to that low.

Don't give yourself reasons not to match. Do everything you possibly can, and then in the end if it doesnt work out you can say that you did everything you could. You wont have excuses. Study as hard as possible for Step 1, do some research, get some good extracurrics going. I mean, it really is the rest of your life that you are talking about.

OSU,

Thanks for this post. I actually read it often, and it always helps to tip the EtOH-_|_-Study scales in favor of the books. I'm sure it might help others who missed it the first go-around, hence the resurection