I just found out the AOA selection criteria at my school is heavily based on extracurriculars, either at my school or in the local community, such that a student who is not "very active" has no chance of being selected for AOA. As someone who desires to enter a competitive specialty at a good academic hospital, eg. UCLA for radiology or BU for orthopedics or NYU for neurosurgery, but cannot and do not wish to spend too much time on extracurriculars beyond a minimal involvement, would I still have a chance at those residency programs with a decent application, eg. 240 step 1, mostly honors, good letters, and coming from a well-recognized school? What about more competitive programs like surgery at the Brigham or ENT at Duke with a 250 step 1?
Last edited: