Apply again as MS5 or PGY 1?

[funkydrmonkey]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Long story short, I didn't match after ranking 26 spots. Should I extend med school for another year, do a bunch of away rotations/ research and reapply for categorical, or should I take a prelim year and then reapply for PGY 1/2 spots?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Moving to ERAS forum.

You need to sit down with your medical school faculty and see why you weren't competitive; 26 is a hefty number of programs to rank. They will be able to give you more insight than we will.

 

[umean2tellme]

I am just speculating, but wouldn't adding another year of medical school add another huge red flag to your application? I would imagine that doing a prelim year and then reapplying would be much more beneficial to you, especially if you can try and get a categorical spot at the same place as the prelim. As WS has said, you really need to just figure out what kept you from matching in the first place and fixing those things if you can.

 

[xrevision]

Technically the only numbers we have are US allopathic seniors (including MS5) vs independent applicants (including reapplicants) and the number for the US seniors seem better, but we don't have a direct comparison.

 

[duckie99]

yeah sit down with your school or the PD at your program and get some HONEST feedback about what is wrong. IMO I would try and match an easier specialty. A pgy1 year will not make you more competitive. Research is a gamble. Adding a year to med school may not be the best idea either. I think MPH or some other degree may not be a terrible option, try to get research in an easier field, and reapply to an easier field next year. good luck bro

 

[lomia]

What? That sucks. After seeing all your posts in the GS invite thread, I'm surprised and sorry. Obviously, what WS has said is the first and most important order of business (like tomorrow morning).


I would say that the research/aways may be a better route depending on what you want to do after GS. If you are thinking in the direction of fellowships that are competitive, it wouldn't hurt to beef up the 'ol CV.

My sense of prelims is that it's tough to convert a spot. The sense I got when I asked about applying to prelim programs was that you are tainted goods at that point. Just my .02 .

Sorry!

 

[DJspreadsheet]

How on God's Green Earth does someone not match with 26 interviews?

 

[septoplasty]

How on God's Green Earth does someone not match with 26 interviews?

My thoughts exactly.

 

[st2205]

Not that this is what you should do, but of it were me I'd take the prelim year. None of the other options give you anything. The prelim year, worst case scenario, gets you a medical license. It also would open the door to not only reapplying the next year, but also being able to step in to a PGY2 spot, not that it would or wouldn't be the case. The bottom line is that without a medical license all that schooling is a waste from a strictly economical perspective. And it's only one year.

 

[xrevision]

I just realized that you ranked 26 and didn't match. Did you interview at all 26? I think if you didn't match to a single program after interviewing and ranking at 26 programs you should sit down with somebody and go through some mock interviews with people before applying again. You may inadvertently be rubbing people the wrong way.

 

[mcl]

There are pros and cons to each strategy--definitely talk with your dean's office before making a final decision. The strongest "pro" of extending medical school is that you'll be more available to travel to interviews next year. That generally isn't true if you take the prelim year where it will likely be more difficult to arrange time off. That said, it can't hurt to talk with anyone who contacts you for an interview during SOAP and see if there's a way to guarantee a minimum level of support for next year's Match.