Advice for unmatched student with competitive application

[darrow]

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This year I applied in med-peds and did not match. My application is fairly competitive. I went to a good US allopathic school, I had good clinical grades except for IM (most likely what caused me trouble), 250+ on both steps, and strong leadership history. I only accepted 11 interviews because geography is very important to me and also I am an idiot, and I did not apply to any back-up fields (also stupid).

My medschool will allow me to extend my graduation and reapply without paying tuition. This is my current plan, but some people are advising me that taking a community IM program and attempting to transfer is a better bet. Is there any good information about which is the smarter decision?

 

[elementals]

I don't know what the stats are for med/peds, but 250+ and solid clinical grades should have been enough. Did you only rank very competitive schools? I.e. was your geography west coast, for example, or were you focusing only on top-ten-type programs? If not, you may need to consider what other issues may have negatively affected your application... if there were red flags, negative remarks in your letters or dean's letter, or if you gave a bad impression during interviews.

For what it may be worth, last year I applied and didn't match to ophthalmology. In my field it's a little more common to do a year of research and reapply, which is what I did. I matched successfully to a program I'm very happy with this year, so it's not the end of the world. I would definitely suggest delaying graduation if you can, as this will allow you to avoid the "US grad" label. I wasn't able to do this (as I had no good research at my home school), and while it was worth it for me, I do think it's an advantage to sell yourself as someone who maybe found your chosen field a little later and thus delayed graduation vs. someone who just didn't match at all the first time.

 

[URHere]

I'm sorry that you didn't have the chance to match into the specialty that you love. As for what you do now, I think there are a few key things to consider:

1) What was your original motivation for the Med-Peds path? Is your end goal something you could achieve in a single specialty (for example, IM --> Cards --> Congenital)?
2) If you had applied to a back-up specialty, would you have clearly chosen IM over Peds (or vice versa)?
3) Why do you think you didn't match the first time around? Unless you failed your IM rotation, that grade alone should not have killed your application (plenty of Med-Peds applicants have matched without Honors grades in IM/Peds and with 11-12 interviews). Did you rank only competitive (or very small) programs? Do you interview well? In small programs, the end result can be a lot more about finding the right personality fit for the program than you might expect.

One last thing to consider is whether it would be possible to take a PGY-1 position in IM or Peds and then transfer into a Med-Peds program. One Med-Peds resident I met on the interview trail actually did this successfully, but there are a lot of factors at play. A med-peds spot has to open up (less likely with small programs), and this probably has to happen in the incoming PGY-2 class if you want any chance of snagging the spot. The PD has to be willing to work with you. You have to be willing to accept the fact that all of your elective time may vanish to make up for rotations you missed during your PGY-1 year. All things considered, probably a long shot but not entirely impossible.

Regardless, best of luck to you.

 

[darrow]

I only applied to competitive programs, and then my top six ranks were very small ones (mostly with only four spots). I felt like the interviews went quite well, and that I made good connections with the PDs and residents in the programs I interviewed at.

My back-up specialty would definitely be peds over IM. I also feel like although I could achieve my goals through IM fellowships, I don't think I would have a very good chance at getting one through the program I was offered an IM spot in as it does not have a good reputation. Their website doesn't list where residents go to fellowship, or even who their residents are (I've sent them an email requesting this information). I also do not believe the program would be particularly happy about me wanting to transfer, and I'm nervous about asking them about it as I worry it may cause them to not want me at all.

Also, my home school would have many good research opportunities for me. Thanks for helping me out with this guys! This is a tough time and your support is invaluable.

 

[togaedere]

I'm so sorry that this happened. I applied med peds this year as well, and I heard what I think is the typical rumbling of this year being "more competitive than ever," but I think this was particularly so at the more nationally recognized programs.

Someone further along in training may be able to say more about this, but gambling to see if something opens up seems like it would limit you to far fewer spots than just re-entering the match next year and applying to and interviewing at as many programs as you're able to. This is honestly the option I would probably take if i was in your situation, especially because your school is being so cool about it. If it was me in this situation I would look into any of the following - MPH, research project, taking step 3, anything to make sure to spin an unfortunate circumstance into something that can help me in the long run. Also, because the programs in med peds are so small, I was conscious this year of how many actual slots I was applying to. I don't know what the magic number of slots is, but I definitely know that the competition at programs I ranked ahead of where I matched seemed to be pretty fierce for spots. Well-regarded programs with just a few slots to begin with, at places that normally take at least one of their own each year.

I'm curious how transferring to a med peds program from a categorical program would go logistically, given what one would need to do to make up what they missed.

This year I applied in med-peds and did not match. My application is fairly competitive. I went to a good US allopathic school, I had good clinical grades except for IM (most likely what caused me trouble), 250+ on both steps, and strong leadership history. I only accepted 11 interviews because geography is very important to me and also I am an idiot, and I did not apply to any back-up fields (also stupid).

My medschool will allow me to extend my graduation and reapply without paying tuition. This is my current plan, but some people are advising me that taking a community IM program and attempting to transfer is a better bet. Is there any good information about which is the smarter decision?

 

[URHere]

I only applied to competitive programs, and then my top six ranks were very small ones (mostly with only four spots). I felt like the interviews went quite well, and that I made good connections with the PDs and residents in the programs I interviewed at.

This, plus a bit of bad luck, could be the biggest factor in why you didn't match. If you reapply, cast your net more broadly and toss in a couple of those programs with 10-14 person PGY-1 classes.

I don't think I would have a very good chance at getting one through the program I was offered an IM spot in as it does not have a good reputation. Their website doesn't list where residents go to fellowship, or even who their residents are (I've sent them an email requesting this information). I also do not believe the program would be particularly happy about me wanting to transfer, and I'm nervous about asking them about it as I worry it may cause them to not want me at all.

I would be really hesitant about this too, especially if you want an academic career of any sort. When people say "you can match into a good fellowship from any program" they usually mean that a mid-tier academic place won't be the kiss of death for a competitive fellowship...a program like this may be significantly more trouble, especially if you're nothing more than a number to that program.

To clarify - did you SOAP into a spot or are you considering taking something leftover after the match? If you already have a binding contract in place you won't be able to break it without forgoing the match next year. If you haven't taken a spot yet, I would personally err on the side of extending your medical training, doing some research, doing some volunteer work, and reapplying next year (more broadly) in Med-Peds + Peds as a back up. Being previously unmatched will be a red flag, but with your stats I think you stand a chance at snagging a less competitive Med-Peds spot or at least something in Peds if you take that path.

 

[darrow]

This was not a SOAP program--I'm trying to decide right now if I should pay for a flight to fly out there and interview. Another red flag for me is that I am unable to talk to anyone other than the program coordinator on the phone first 🙁
Again, thank you so much everyone for your help!

 

[the argus]

You should absolutely sit the year out, do research, and reapply next year. Apply more broadly to med-peds and peds programs. You will still be a very competitive applicant, and when people ask about why you didn't match just be honest and say you limited yourself geographically and didn't end up interviewing at enough programs. Or lie and say you needed another year to figure it out. Those details are less important.

As a USMD from a good school and with excellent board scores, there is no reason you should take a categorical IM position at (what sounds like) a not great community IM program, especially if you don't really want to do straight IM. If they are still looking for people after the match/SOAP, chances are it's for a reason. Transferring out of a bottom tier IM program will be harder than reapplying next year.

While twiddling your thumbs for a year isn't ideal, it won't be a big deal in the long run and I think it's by far your best option.

 

[gutonc]

I only applied to competitive programs, and then my top six ranks were very small ones (mostly with only four spots). I felt like the interviews went quite well, and that I made good connections with the PDs and residents in the programs I interviewed at.

My back-up specialty would definitely be peds over IM. I also feel like although I could achieve my goals through IM fellowships, I don't think I would have a very good chance at getting one through the program I was offered an IM spot in as it does not have a good reputation. Their website doesn't list where residents go to fellowship, or even who their residents are (I've sent them an email requesting this information). I also do not believe the program would be particularly happy about me wanting to transfer, and I'm nervous about asking them about it as I worry it may cause them to not want me at all.

Ok, now I'm confused. Do you have an IM spot or not? If you do, how did you get it? SOAP? Afterwards? I don't know what you mean by "offered an IM spot".

As with most posts like this, less intentional vagueness would be helpful.

 

[darrow]

gutonc, it's very unclear to me as well. I just got a phonecall from a program I had applied to in SOAP offering me a position. The way in which they did this is part of my concern 🙁

 

[candbgirl]

This was not a SOAP program--I'm trying to decide right now if I should pay for a flight to fly out there and interview. Another red flag for me is that I am unable to talk to anyone other than the program coordinator on the phone first 🙁
Again, thank you so much everyone for your help!

Here you are saying this was not a SOAP program.

gutonc, it's very unclear to me as well. I just got a phonecall from a program I had applied to in SOAP offering me a position. The way in which they did this is part of my concern 🙁

Here you are saying you applied to this program during SOAP.

So which is it?




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[darrow]

I applied during SOAP, never heard anything from them. SOAP came and went. Then they cold-called me today.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

Sounds like they decided to contact you when their top choices said no to them in SOAP.
I'd skip them, go into research, reapply more broadly. Start in as a Med student don't graduate.

 

[Law2Doc]

Sounds like they assumed you would get something better in soap and didn't want to waste their selection on you at the time...
My gut is if you aren't contractually obligated to anyone (your story is a bit fuzzy) you ought to find a quickie chart review research project and try to get an abstract accepted someplace by the next round of interviews, so your year sounds productive. Wouldn't bother with an MPH or other degree unless you plan to use it.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

This decision is easy. Forget this sketchy program. Any program worth going to would be skyping with you, having you talk to the PD and residents, etc. This is bad news.

You should plan to reapply next year. Apply MedPeds and Peds. BUT, also, let your home Peds PD (and IM PD if interested) know that you are interested in a spot for this year. It is very likely that some spots will open up -- someone's visa won't come through, or someone will become ill and be unable to start, or will have some other event get in the way of their training. You would be an ideal candidate to fill a spot like that. You want to make sure that you hear about any Peds or IM spots that open up (IM only if that's what you want to do, else focus on Peds).

 

[rokshana]

I only applied to competitive programs, and then my top six ranks were very small ones (mostly with only four spots). I felt like the interviews went quite well, and that I made good connections with the PDs and residents in the programs I interviewed at.

My back-up specialty would definitely be peds over IM. I also feel like although I could achieve my goals through IM fellowships, I don't think I would have a very good chance at getting one through the program I was offered an IM spot in as it does not have a good reputation. Their website doesn't list where residents go to fellowship, or even who their residents are (I've sent them an email requesting this information). I also do not believe the program would be particularly happy about me wanting to transfer, and I'm nervous about asking them about it as I worry it may cause them to not want me at all.

Also, my home school would have many good research opportunities for me. Thanks for helping me out with this guys! This is a tough time and your support is invaluable.

if you would pick peds over IM, then either see if there is someone in peds that you can get for July, otherwise take your schools offer, delay graduation and apply again next year...to practically every med/peds program and go to ALL the interviews (have 20 places to rank.

BUT, that being said you went on 11 interviews...ELEVEN...which means that these programs that extended you an interview were fine with your academic record, but something on your interview either kept you from being ranked highly or at all...you need to figure out what that is....talk to your advisor and the PD of the med/peds program at your school (or the ped and IM PDs if no med/peds program) and see what they have to tell you...maybe do some mock interviews to see what you are doing right and wrong.

 

[j4pac]

12 invites and you didn't match with your scores? That's either bad luck, or you didn't interview well. I'm willing to bet that it's a combo of the two. You should find someone OBJECTIVE to practice interviewing. I'm willing to bet that you aren't as impressive as you think you are. You then need to apply more broadly on opening day with some fall back programs to both Med-Peds and Peds. Good luck.

 

[Law2Doc]

I'm with the prior two posters -- lot of interviews and nothing in the match or soap-- makes me worry you have weaker interview skills or something glaring in your app. You make want to do some soul searching here. Also aPD suggested make known to your schools peds department that you are available if something unforeseen happens. I would also make that known to your classmates who are going into peds - in case their program has an unexpected opening. Someone somewhere will drop out or transfer elsewhere.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

How large or small are Med-Peds classes?

If many are single digit class sizes, it is possible to miss out barely at each of the 11-12 programs.

 

[andrek82]

How large or small are Med-Peds classes?

If many are single digit class sizes, it is possible to miss out barely at each of the 11-12 programs.

most are 3-4 with 8-14 on the big end of class sizes

 

[doc05]

with those stats and 11 interviews, you should have matched. probably poor interview skills, which is unfortunate because interviews are most important at smaller programs. I suggest you forget med/peds, and just pick whichever you like better. remember that both IM and peds typically have larger class sizes, and the effect of poor interview skills will become less significant.

 

[J ROD]

Sit out, reapply, do some research. Do it again more broad and some peds backup. Fin

 

[lemonlove]

This decision is easy. Forget this sketchy program. Any program worth going to would be skyping with you, having you talk to the PD and residents, etc. This is bad news.

You should plan to reapply next year. Apply MedPeds and Peds. BUT, also, let your home Peds PD (and IM PD if interested) know that you are interested in a spot for this year. It is very likely that some spots will open up -- someone's visa won't come through, or someone will become ill and be unable to start, or will have some other event get in the way of their training. You would be an ideal candidate to fill a spot like that. You want to make sure that you hear about any Peds or IM spots that open up (IM only if that's what you want to do, else focus on Peds).

I'm confused as to why people aren't telling this poster to take this position and at least finish out intern year. A bird in hand is better than two in the bush.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

I'm confused as to why people aren't telling this poster to take this position and at least finish out intern year. A bird in hand is better than two in the bush.

It's a ****ty bird and his upside is much better.
If this was a case of crap scores or contract non-renewal, yes then you take what you can get.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

with those stats and 11 interviews, you should have matched. probably poor interview skills, which is unfortunate because interviews are most important at smaller programs. I suggest you forget med/peds, and just pick whichever you like better. remember that both IM and peds typically have larger class sizes, and the effect of poor interview skills will become less significant.

Though he did limit himself georgraphically and it sounds like to top programs, so that's an opening for not matching.

He should delay graduation if possible, beef up his app during that year, and reapply to as many med-peds places as possible as well as some backups in IM and Peds as his preferences allow. I agree about the interviews as being a potential issue and some practice interviews with someone who will give honest criticism is probably a good idea.

 

[Law2Doc]

Though he did limit himself georgraphically and it sounds like to top programs, so that's an opening for not matching...

It's still unclear why he wasn't able to soap into anything, since he apparently did participate in soap, though. If it for that I would be more sold on the too few programs issue. But even then 11 interviews and nothing suggests he could interview better.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

It's still unclear why he wasn't able to soap into anything, since he apparently did participate in soap, though. If it for that I would be more sold on the too few programs issue. But even then 11 interviews and nothing suggests he could interview better.

Med Peds for whatever reason is quite competitive though and with smaller than average class sizes it is theoretically possible to have just missed out on each ranked program. Again, I agree with the interview skills probably needing to be improved, but it could have been a combination of a little bit of that and a little bit of bad luck too. I didn't look into it to see if there were open Med-Peds spots either and the crap programs as suggested probably didn't think he'd still be around.

 

[Law2Doc]

Med Peds for whatever reason is quite competitive though and with smaller than average class sizes it is theoretically possible to have just missed out on each ranked program. Again, I agree with the interview skills probably needing to be improved, but it could have been a combination of a little bit of that and a little bit of bad luck too. I didn't look into it to see if there were open Med-Peds spots either and the crap programs as suggested probably didn't think he'd still be around.

He still could have snagged an IM or peds spot in soap. I am thinking poor interview skills, poor advising, and maybe even something else he may not even be aware of. At any rate extending graduation and doing a research year should give him some time to work on these.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

He still could have snagged an IM or peds spot in soap. I am thinking poor interview skills, poor advising, and probably something else he may not even be aware of.

I think poor advising probably played into why he didn't soap.
Poor interviewing probably hurt him with the match. You don't interview at 11-12 great programs if you have some red flag hanging out there. However, I guess it is possible a lukewarm LOR and a mediocre interview however could have doomed the OP.

 

[ordersol7]

I didn't get anything in the soap last year despite being a usmd without red flags and trying for categorical and prelim IM. Albeit much worse boards than the op. My dean flat out told me he was puzzled why I didn't get anything and that historically most people in that situation were much worse on paper than me. (i.e. failed steps, professionalism issues, had to remediate, took a long loa etc) I had other classmates who were in the 240s or 250s who had failed to match ortho and didn't get anything other than a prelim surgery spot despite trying for a categorical spot. Its possible the op had bad interviews that led to entering the soap but not getting a spot in the soap may not necessarily indicate anything by itself. Programs are swamped with applications and I`m sure good applicants get lost in the shuffle more often than they should.

 

[Gastrapathy]

Tuition-free year (good on your school). Do some research and reapply. That said, this is a blessing. Combined residencies are pointless. If you want IM and Peds, do FP. If you want Peds, do Peds. If you want a subspecialty, you'll be training forever anyway and those extra years hurt. You'll get a year of research in whatever field you want to do as a subspecialty and still shorten your time training compared to a combined residency.

Next time, apply broadly. Really broadly.

Also, do a little clinical time throughout the year so you stay sharp. You may well still get a spot from one of the programs you thought liked you. Let the PDs know that you are planning a research year but would come if a spot opened up (unless you see the error in your ways and will abandon the Med/Peds silliness).

 

[ThoracicGuy]

https://www.change.org/p/texas-legislature-and-governor-help-end-the-doctor-shortage

This has absolutely nothing to do with the OP in this thread.

Putting incompletely trained physicians out in the public is a bad idea as well.

 

[itscomplicated]

This has absolutely nothing to do with the OP in this thread.

Putting incompletely trained physicians out in the public is a bad idea as well.

I guess this was posted in another thread too.

I agree with you that this shouldn't be seen as a solid long-term career option for med school grads. But, I think the point is that graduated medical students who have essentially the same qualifications as a PA should be able to be hired to do some clinical work without a residency. I don't know the Missouri situation completely, but I agree that I don't think it's a good idea for these physicians to go on to practice independently as GP's without the basics of training enough to get your license. But, if they remained supervised at the same level as other mid-levels, is it really that bad to stay at that level indefinitely?

 

[Law2Doc]

... But, if they remained supervised at the same level as other mid-levels, is it really that bad to stay at that level indefinitely?

If you read the rules, they actually aren't supervised significantly after the initial couple of months. It's a *****ic statute, written by ill informed politicians who assumed that since they could practice law right out of law school, doctors should be able to practice medicine right out of medical school. Horrible idea, and is sure to reflect badly on everyone with MD/DO on their white coat when these untrained people wearing the same letters screw up badly.

 

[itscomplicated]

If you read the rules, they actually aren't supervised significantly after the initial couple of months. It's a *****ic statute, written by ill informed politicians who assumed that since they could practice law right out of law school, doctors should be able to practice medicine right out of medical school. Horrible idea, and is sure to reflect badly on everyone with MD/DO on their white coat when these untrained people wearing the same letters screw up badly.

Thank you for clarifying... Yes - being unsupervised without *any* residency training is foolish. Would it make more sense if they were pushing for more physicians to just do an internship & complete the Steps to become a permanent "GP"? Again, not ideal. But, I realize some places are desperate.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

Thank you for clarifying... Yes - being unsupervised without *any* residency training is foolish. Would it make more sense if they were pushing for more physicians to just do an internship & complete the Steps to become a permanent "GP"? Again, not ideal. But, I realize some places are desperate.

Doing an intern year is still not enough training for independent practice.

 

[235009]

I also agree that you should say thanks but no thanks to this sketchy IM program and take your school's offer for the tuition free year. Think very seriously about dropping med-peds and picking one or the other. I don't understand the appeal of these combined residencies. I feel like it's just full of people who couldn't pick one over the other in time and just wanted more time to decide. You'll almost certainly be happier at a strong peds program in your chosen geographic region than a med-peds program across the country


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[Law2Doc]

Thank you for clarifying... Yes - being unsupervised without *any* residency training is foolish. Would it make more sense if they were pushing for more physicians to just do an internship & complete the Steps to become a permanent "GP"? Again, not ideal. But, I realize some places are desperate.

The people who can get a license aren't being targeted by these Missouri type laws. If you can get an internship and license you wouldn't need to do this. This is to capitalize on people mostly from offshore that for whatever reason don't have a better avenue.

 

[andrek82]

I also agree that you should say thanks but no thanks to this sketchy IM program and take your school's offer for the tuition free year. Think very seriously about dropping med-peds and picking one or the other. I don't understand the appeal of these combined residencies. I feel like it's just full of people who couldn't pick one over the other in time and just wanted more time to decide. You'll almost certainly be happier at a strong peds program in your chosen geographic region than a med-peds program across the country


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I'm not disagreeing with the sketchy IM program advice - I'm very much on board with that. However, the idea that ditching med-peds is the best option is a bit extreme. Of course, med-peds isn't for everyone - it's obviously not for you - and that is perfectly okay. There are even some physicians in med-peds who should have gone categorical medicine or peds. I don't think anyone would argue that point. However, the idea that most people just couldn't decide is erroneous. There are many areas where med-peds is ideal. To name a few: rural health (primary care and hospitalists), urban primary care, global health, transitional health, any number of specialties that deal with pathology that covers the lifespan (congenital heart, childhood cancers, cystic fibrosis, etc). A recent study of med-peds practice patterns showed that 92% of physicians see both adults and peds. If it were just an indecisiveness issue, that would not be the case.

http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(15)00819-0/pdf

 

[NotAProgDirector]

If you read the rules, they actually aren't supervised significantly after the initial couple of months. It's a *****ic statute, written by ill informed politicians who assumed that since they could practice law right out of law school, doctors should be able to practice medicine right out of medical school. Horrible idea, and is sure to reflect badly on everyone with MD/DO on their white coat when these untrained people wearing the same letters screw up badly.

I believe the idea of the law was to allow physicians who completely trained in another country (i.e. finished a residency there) to then practice here with some initial supervision. It's a terrible idea, but at least this makes some sense. But the law is worded badly enough (perhaps intentionally?) so that US IMG's without a residency can provide primary care with short term, minimal supervision. So it's a horrible idea all around.

 

[gutonc]

But the law is worded badly enough (perhaps intentionally?) so that US IMG's without a residency can provide primary care with short term, minimal supervision. So it's a horrible idea all around.

It's Missouri so it's probably 50% intentional/50% "don't really speak or understand the English language despite being born in the state, having a law degree and being elected to the state legislature".

 

[Celerity]

I matched into med/peds this cycle. OP has way better stats than me and even though it seems like he should have matched somewhere I find it totally believable that he did not. I go to a top 20 school, had 229/247 on my steps and ended up in 3rd quartile. People from my school that matched into med/peds last year were way more competitive than me, and matched at rank 8-9. If you check out the med/peds sub, youll see that there are some people this year that had great stats and didn't match into med/peds.

There are on average 4 spots at each program. It doesn't take much to fall down your ROL fast. He probably just had some bad luck coupled with not applying broadly enough.

If you want med/peds then go for it next year. Apply broadly and attend at least 20 interviews. I applied to 66 programs, had 33 invites and attended 22 interviews. It will get expensive. Apply to some peds programs as a backup. Most all the med/peds programs are impressive. If you apply to med/peds be sure to have a reason why you are doing it. Combined fellowships that care for a specific niche are a great sell. There were a lot of people wanting to do combined pulm to take care of CF kids, some wanted to do combined endo etc.

I would not recommend applying to med/peds if you are not wholeheartedly committed to it and would rather do IM or peds.

Best of luck.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

I matched into med/peds this cycle. OP has way better stats than me and even though it seems like he should have matched somewhere I find it totally believable that he did not. I go to a top 20 school, had 229/247 on my steps and ended up in 3rd quartile. People from my school that matched into med/peds last year were way more competitive than me, and matched at rank 8-9. If you check out the med/peds sub, youll see that there are some people this year that had great stats and didn't match into med/peds.

There are on average 4 spots at each program. It doesn't take much to fall down your ROL fast. He probably just had some bad luck coupled with not applying broadly enough.

If you want med/peds then go for it next year. Apply broadly and attend at least 20 interviews. I applied to 66 programs, had 33 invites and attended 22 interviews. It will get expensive. Apply to some peds programs as a backup. Most all the med/peds programs are impressive. If you apply to med/peds be sure to have a reason why you are doing it. Combined fellowships that care for a specific niche are a great sell. There were a lot of people wanting to do combined pulm to take care of CF kids, some wanted to do combined endo etc.

I would not recommend applying to med/peds if you are not wholeheartedly committed to it and would rather do IM or peds.

Best of luck.

Thanks.
I was right, it probably had more to do with small class sizes and not applying broadly enough

 

[evilbooyaa]

Tuition free year, re-apply next year but more broadly. I also don't personally see the draw of Med-Peds, but if that's what you truly wanna do, go for it.

 

[Phloston]

This year I applied in med-peds and did not match. My application is fairly competitive. I went to a good US allopathic school, I had good clinical grades except for IM (most likely what caused me trouble), 250+ on both steps, and strong leadership history. I only accepted 11 interviews because geography is very important to me and also I am an idiot, and I did not apply to any back-up fields (also stupid).

My medschool will allow me to extend my graduation and reapply without paying tuition. This is my current plan, but some people are advising me that taking a community IM program and attempting to transfer is a better bet. Is there any good information about which is the smarter decision?

Without knowing you (i.e., speculating in a vacuum), two factors contributed:

1) I promise this isn't meant to come off condescending, but it sounds as though there might be a sense of entitlement here (the bold). It might help to evaluate why geography is so important to you. Trust me, you don't think it's important to most people?. Unless you've got kids in school or a wife who can't move, these are things you need to plan around. It's the career that should motivate you, not the location. I knew a guy who was willing to go live on a farm somewhere if it meant he could do vascular. That's the attitude your team wants. And the attitude your patients need.

2) Your USMLEs are good. But they're not unheard of. You didn't apply broadly enough. Med/peds is fairly narrow of an area. This isn't paeds. This isn't IM. I have a friend who had 260s who matched IM but nowhere near the top of his rank list. But he applied broadly so he matched.

Yet again, no one here knows your person, so the speculation perhaps isn't needed. But paeds is probably the one area where those interviewers are going to be hardline screening for empathy and communication skills like no other. Once again, not saying this is an issue for you, but if you do have challenges in this area, it might help to ask for professional feedback.