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What are they looking for nowadays when it comes to Path application? Step 1 of like 240 and top of class? Any chance it isn't completely rediculously competitive? God I hope so.
Advice?!?
- Thread starter bandn
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bandn said:
I wouldn't call path completely ridiculously competitive. It is more competitive than primary care specialties but less competitive than others (certainly isn't a derm, rad onc, or plastic surgery!) I don't think you need to be the top of your class. I think path is relatively easy to match into, but obviously there are some programs that are difficult to match into. I applied to a wide variety of programs from very competitive to not very competitive at all.
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I am step1 209, lower end of class. I only want to get into any path program, competitive or non-competitive, doesnt matter. It sounds doable, though reading past threads they oscillate b/w 'path is easy to get into' and 'competitiveness in path is really picking up'. Would the slightly more competitive than im be echoed by everyone else here?
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look at the nbme match data that i'm attaching. it has a ton of info, but if you look at path stuff specifically 2 things stick out to me:
1) out of about 550 spots in 2006, 50 didn't get filled. 9% of the spots didn't even get filled!! to me, that implies a lack of competition. i would bet those unfilled spots are predominantly in the midwest, but the point i take from it is that there are programs that can't even get as many residents as they want/need.
2) look at the % of that 550 filled by US seniors? works out to about 60% - that's also pretty freakin' low!! for all we may hear about path being more competitive, programs still need at least 1 of 3 of their spots to be filled by FMGs. i'm not knocking FMGs, please don't think i am. but i think the reality is that a program will take a US-trained MD over an FMG if the candidates are similar otherwise, especially is the FMG is an American that went to a Carribean school. and the % of spots filled by Americans is one of the lowest of all the specialties on the list.
you look through this data and you see that other specialties have lower % unfilled spots and high % filled by US grads. to me, that says that path is still relatively uncompetitive overall. like was said, i would venture top programs are of course more competitive, but if you're willing to go to Midwest State University, i think someone like ilovepath could certainly find a spot.
1) out of about 550 spots in 2006, 50 didn't get filled. 9% of the spots didn't even get filled!! to me, that implies a lack of competition. i would bet those unfilled spots are predominantly in the midwest, but the point i take from it is that there are programs that can't even get as many residents as they want/need.
2) look at the % of that 550 filled by US seniors? works out to about 60% - that's also pretty freakin' low!! for all we may hear about path being more competitive, programs still need at least 1 of 3 of their spots to be filled by FMGs. i'm not knocking FMGs, please don't think i am. but i think the reality is that a program will take a US-trained MD over an FMG if the candidates are similar otherwise, especially is the FMG is an American that went to a Carribean school. and the % of spots filled by Americans is one of the lowest of all the specialties on the list.
you look through this data and you see that other specialties have lower % unfilled spots and high % filled by US grads. to me, that says that path is still relatively uncompetitive overall. like was said, i would venture top programs are of course more competitive, but if you're willing to go to Midwest State University, i think someone like ilovepath could certainly find a spot.
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I think (I don't know the exact figures) that the number of pathology spots has increased over the last 2-3 years by something like 200. When you consider the total # of spots, this is a substantial increase. The % of AMGs filling those spots has (I think) increased. That means that the absolute # of AMGs in pathology residency spots has increased, and I would venture to guess that these AMGs are competing for the spots at the top 20 or so programs. So, I guess "competitive" is a relative term. Whatever. I don't think that most of us chose pathology because of its competitiveness (or lack there of).
