Another "is it too late" thread

[rocketfan]

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I only now made the decision to forge ahead with applying to dermatology. I got a 250 on my Step 1, have AOA, and have 12 pubs in assorted fields (NONE in derm, most pubs are case reports). I should have 1 derm rec letter and one derm project done (possibly 1 derm case report) before applying.

Is it realistic to expect to be able to match with my meager Derm experience/ rather average Step 1 score (by Derm standards)? Would my time be better spent taking a year off for research in Derm and then applying? Thanks! Your advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[sensitive skin]

Great stats! IMHO I think you'd match this year. But just think -- if you did a year of productive derm research, you'd be a force to be reckoned with. You will have your pick of programs.

 

[mohderm]

You're gonna need more than one derm letter to apply to most programs.

And btw 250 may be the average derm applicants score on SDN but the acutal average is more like 240. Gotta love SDN 🙂

 

[kralwok]

you need at least 2 LORs. other than that your application is strong, though i am not sure how realistic it is to "expect" to match. lots of people with your qualifications don't match even though they are qualified.

 

[annieh123]

Hey All,

I'm in a similar situation. Still deciding between Derm and Anesthesia so I applied to both. Only problem is we only have one dermatologist who takes students at our school so I'll only have one derm letter. Most programs don't specify how many letters need to be from dermatologists (colorado, wisconsin, marshfield so far that i know of). I have good stats (260, prob AOA, mostly honors, one paper published but not in derm...) I'm still pretty pessimistic about my chances. Anyone have some insight for me?

Thanks!