Ask the Program Coordinator!

[physicsnerd42]

Would working as an EMT be considered US clinical experience?

For residency applications? No. You need to be performing the tasks of a medical student or resident in the US for it to be a US clinical experience.

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[Amygdala23]

For residency applications? No. You need to be performing the tasks of a medical student or resident in the US for it to be a US clinical experience.

Yes, for residency applications, as an IMG.

What about someone who has already graduated so performing tasks of a medical student in elective rotations is no longer an option? And how would someone be performing tasks of a resident before actually getting into residency? Among other things, liability and insurance seems to be the problem with hands-on experience, so if I'm not missing something, that leaves only observerships as a feasible option. As observerships are not hands-on experience, I'm trying to find other options, if there are any..

 

[rokshana]

Yes, for residency applications, as an IMG.

What about someone who has already graduated so performing tasks of a medical student in elective rotations is no longer an option? And how would someone be performing tasks of a resident before actually getting into residency? Among other things, liability and insurance seems to be the problem with hands-on experience, so if I'm not missing something, that leaves only observerships as a feasible option. As observerships are not hands-on experience, I'm trying to find other options, if there are any..

it is almost impossible as a graduated IMG to get the type of USCE that counts as USCE.

If you are doing research at a institution that has residency programs, you may want to look to see if you can go to grand round, morning report, etc to get to know people. Maybe acting as a scribe? Could potentially get you a LoR.

 

[GoSpursGo]

The inability for graduated IMGs to get meaningful USCE is a major obstacle to many of them matching. You kind of have to take what you can get, build relationships, do well on the USMLEs, maximize the positives on the rest of you application, and cross your fingers.

 

[deleted691063]

As an FMG, would it be unwise to mention in a personal statement that you intend to move back to your home country at some point in your career?

 

[gutonc]

As an FMG, would it be unwise to mention in a personal statement that you intend to move back to your home country at some point in your career?

Extraordinarily.

 

[cgk]

My School is allowing me an extra month to study for USMLE Step 1. On my MS3 transcript it is going to be reflected as " independent study". Do you think this will be somewhat of a stain on my transcript? I am concerned that PD's know that this is not a usual protocol unless some sort of academic remediation was necessary. Do you think I will be questioned about this during interviews? I am not doing well on my Step 1 self assessment tests and I feel taking the extra month, no matter what my 3rd year transcript says, it the lesser of 2 evils. your thoughts? thanks

 

[gutonc]

My School is allowing me an extra month to study for USMLE Step 1. On my MS3 transcript it is going to be reflected as " independent study". Do you think this will be somewhat of a stain on my transcript? I am concerned that PD's know that this is not a usual protocol unless some sort of academic remediation was necessary. Do you think I will be questioned about this during interviews? I am not doing well on my Step 1 self assessment tests and I feel taking the extra month, no matter what my 3rd year transcript says, it the lesser of 2 evils. your thoughts? thanks

Will you graduate on time? If so, no.

 

[GoSpursGo]

My School is allowing me an extra month to study for USMLE Step 1. On my MS3 transcript it is going to be reflected as " independent study". Do you think this will be somewhat of a stain on my transcript? I am concerned that PD's know that this is not a usual protocol unless some sort of academic remediation was necessary. Do you think I will be questioned about this during interviews? I am not doing well on my Step 1 self assessment tests and I feel taking the extra month, no matter what my 3rd year transcript says, it the lesser of 2 evils. your thoughts? thanks

As long as you graduate on time, nobody is going to worry about it.

They will definitely worry if you fail step 1.

 

[NickAlmeida]

Hello everyone,

What do PD/PC think about PS that mentions the name of the program? Does it sound like desperation or genuine interest?
Thanks

 

[gutonc]

Hello everyone,

What do PD/PC think about PS that mentions the name of the program? Does it sound like desperation or genuine interest?
Thanks

Desperation.

You're also somewhat likely to f it up and send that one to some other program.

There are a few (usually research heavy or specialized) programs that will tell you to write a specific PS addressing certain topics (I think I did 2 or 3 for the research pathway back in the day), but in general, you shouldn't do it.

 

[pinthetailonthemedstudent]

Quick question, how much are residency coordinators involved with deciding who actually gets to interview? I had a not so pleasant conversation with a PC at the end of a long day. I was not outright mean or rude. I asked about my application status and they got ticked off, probably because they are so swamped with applications for aways right now! Anyway, I sent an apology email saying I didn't mean to criticize and that I was sorry for seeming so. Do you think this will have an impact on interviews? I was really hoping to go to this place for residency.

 

[physicsnerd42]

Quick question, how much are residency coordinators involved with deciding who actually gets to interview? I had a not so pleasant conversation with a PC at the end of a long day. I was not outright mean or rude. I asked about my application status and they got ticked off, probably because they are so swamped with applications for aways right now! Anyway, I sent an apology email saying I didn't mean to criticize and that I was sorry for seeming so. Do you think this will have an impact on interviews? I was really hoping to go to this place for residency.

Honestly, if you were rude to the program coordinator during the interview process at my program you would almost certainly not match (at least if she said something about it). Every residency gets many more applicants than they have spots and is looking for reasons to not interview or rank you. At most programs the coordinator helps keep the residency functioning and is an integral part of the residency administration and is usually liked and appreciated by the residents and program leadership. As a resident I wouldn’t want to match someone who was rude to our PC and I’m guessing my PD feels the same.

At this point, there’s nothing for you to do about it. Just hope that it was worse in your mind than in the coordinator’s mind and that the coordinator decides not to say anything about it. If you want to match, be courteous to EVERYONE you meet on the interview trail, be it the custodian, a resident or the program director.


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[KVBane]

Hello, I have a question about ERAS. I am ACLS certified, but my BLS certification expired. Do I need to become BLS certified before applications go out in September?

 

[GoSpursGo]

Quick question, how much are residency coordinators involved with deciding who actually gets to interview? I had a not so pleasant conversation with a PC at the end of a long day. I was not outright mean or rude. I asked about my application status and they got ticked off, probably because they are so swamped with applications for aways right now! Anyway, I sent an apology email saying I didn't mean to criticize and that I was sorry for seeming so. Do you think this will have an impact on interviews? I was really hoping to go to this place for residency.

The PC doesn't really say, "Hey this person seems awesome you should interview them," but they can definitely say "This person was rude, you shouldn't accept them." Honestly, it sounds like they just had that question for the hundredth time that day, so the chances they will remember you enough to hurt your chances seems low.

Hello, I have a question about ERAS. I am ACLS certified, but my BLS certification expired. Do I need to become BLS certified before applications go out in September?

No. A lot of programs have ACLS/BLS as part of orientation, and if it isn't they will tell you when you match so you'll have 3 months to get certified.

 

[rokshana]

The PC doesn't really say, "Hey this person seems awesome you should interview them," but they can definitely say "This person was rude, you shouldn't accept them." Honestly, it sounds like they just had that question for the hundredth time that day, so the chances they will remember you enough to hurt your chances seems low.
.

I remember having RCs say, I will pull your application and have the PD take a look at it...so while not "you should interview" this person, they have a lot more power than many think...

to the OP, that question get asked all time so i question on whether that was the only thing that upset the RC...alway be as nice as can be with the RCs, as stated above, its important to be nice and respectful to everyone, even if you think they aren't that important.

 

[helpothersandhelpyourself]

I applied to a particular program for a pgy-1 position this past match cycle (2017-2018) but matched elsewhere. I am looking at this same program (in same specialty) which accepts a pgy2 transfer each year, for personal/geographic reasons. However, the program does not list the deadline of the application (which is apparently done off eras). A few questions:

1) Is it too early to email now to find out the deadline (given I am just starting pgy-1) ?

2) Is it a match violation to email this program for this question at this stage without a nrmp waiver?

3) Can I expect the PC to keep my question/expressed interest to transfer confidential if I email? (I don't expect to speak to my current PD about my interest until a few months into my program and do not want my current PD to find out about my interest until I personally bring up the topic.)

4) any tips to avoid coming off as desperate?

5) any general tips for applicants in this position? /What have you seen successful applicants do (if anything in particular that involved the PC at the transfer program) in this position?

Thanks for any advice or reassurance!

 

[GoSpursGo]

I applied to a particular program for a pgy-1 position this past match cycle (2017-2018) but matched elsewhere. I am looking at this same program (in same specialty) which accepts a pgy2 transfer each year, for personal/geographic reasons. However, the program does not list the deadline of the application (which is apparently done off eras). A few questions:

1) Is it too early to email now to find out the deadline (given I am just starting pgy-1) ?

2) Is it a match violation to email this program for this question at this stage without a nrmp waiver?

3) Can I expect the PC to keep my question/expressed interest to transfer confidential if I email? (I don't expect to speak to my current PD about my interest until a few months into my program and do not want my current PD to find out about my interest until I personally bring up the topic.)

4) any tips to avoid coming off as desperate?

5) any general tips for applicants in this position? /What have you seen successful applicants do (if anything in particular that involved the PC at the transfer program) in this position?

Thanks for any advice or reassurance!

I do think it's too early. Wait at least until 45 days have passed at your current program so you don't have to worry about whether it is or isn't a match violation, then reach out just like you did here: "I have heard that your program accepts an outside PGY-2 as a transfer each year. I would be interested in this position for personal/geographic reasons. What is needed to apply for this position, and when do you start accepting applications?" Simple as that.

You can avoid sounding desperate by actually not being desperate. I'm sure you have good reasons for wanting to go back there... but honestly, they already rejected you once, and the world didn't end. So if it works out and you're able to go back, great, that would be a wonderful stroke of good fortune, but look at this like the long-shot that it is.

 

[CharlesAR]

I am IMG, 236/252, 2nd attempt, ready to apply to Internal Medicine this year. I am doing research at Harvard affiliated Hospital and my two PIs are willing to write me a letter of recommendation each. One is the director of the division, and the other one is the second giant there. Both are great but I feel that I have a better connection with the second one and, in fact, I have worked more with him than the director.

What should I do? Is it a good idea to tell them to write a co-signed LOR?

I already have my clinical LORs, and I thought that it would be my ''reseacher" LOR. I guess that It wouldn't be a good idea to use both LORs in my application.

Any suggestion?,

Thanks in advance.

 

[gutonc]

I am IMG, 236/252, 2nd attempt, ready to apply to Internal Medicine this year. I am doing research at Harvard affiliated Hospital and my two PIs are willing to write me a letter of recommendation each. One is the director of the division, and the other one is the second giant there. Both are great but I feel that I have a better connection with the second one and, in fact, I have worked more with him than the director.

What should I do? Is it a good idea to tell them to write a co-signed LOR?

I already have my clinical LORs, and I thought that it would be my ''reseacher" LOR. I guess that It wouldn't be a good idea to use both LORs in my application.

Any suggestion?,

Thanks in advance.

1. I moved this post out of the Suggestions and Feedback forum (which is for suggestions and feedback about SDN not it's users) to a better location here in the Ask a PC thread.

2. This one is easy. If you already have 3 other LORs, make this a co-signed LOR and use it. If you only have 2 other LORs, ask them to write individual ones.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I am IMG, 236/252, 2nd attempt, ready to apply to Internal Medicine this year. I am doing research at Harvard affiliated Hospital and my two PIs are willing to write me a letter of recommendation each. One is the director of the division, and the other one is the second giant there. Both are great but I feel that I have a better connection with the second one and, in fact, I have worked more with him than the director.

What should I do? Is it a good idea to tell them to write a co-signed LOR?

I already have my clinical LORs, and I thought that it would be my ''reseacher" LOR. I guess that It wouldn't be a good idea to use both LORs in my application.

Any suggestion?,

Thanks in advance.

Agree with gutonc. If you can get letters from both and have room to use both, do so; if you have 3 clinical letters, have them co-write an LOR. Either way you want both of those connections made known on your application.

 

[applicant2016]

Extraordinarily.

Billions of international students comes to the US every year to study, train and go back to their countries to add on and improve their fields in their countries. IMGs are required by law to return to their home country for at least 2 years if they are on J1 visa (which is the most common type of visa IMGs use). The goal of J1 visa is to "exchange" and translate the experience you get in the US to your home country and not to immigrate. Most residency and fellowship programs mention in their website that they are proud they trained international leaders all across the world in the field of medicine. I don't see why it is unwise to mention it if someone really wants to go back to their home country. There are plenty of people who wants to stay.

 

[gutonc]

Billions of international students comes to the US every year to study, train and go back to their countries to add on and improve their fields in their countries. IMGs are required by law to return to their home country for at least 2 years if there are on J1 visa (which is the most common type of visa IMGs use). The goal of J1 visa is to "exchange" and translate the experience you get in the US to your home country and not to immigrate. Most residency and fellowship programs mention in their website that they are proud they trained international leaders all across the world in the field of medicine. I don't see why it is unwise to mention it if someone really wants to go back to their home country. There are plenty of people who wants to stay.

Billions of students every year? C'mon man. I thought I was the king of hyperbole on SDN, but I bow down to you on this one.

Here's the big difference in medicine vs everything else you're talking about. International students in other fields are paying for the privilege of coming to the US to study. In residency, they are being paid, (mostly) out of US government funds, for the privilege. One of the unspoken "rules" of this is that, if you're going to get paid to train here, you're going to use that training for the benefit of people in the US.

Nobody is saying you can't want to do this, but making it a big part of your application is a good way to get your app junked.

 

[letmeinwillya]

Want to change my full name (first and last name), the first name for personal reasons and last name due to marriage. Will graduate from residency next July, any gotchas for job search or NPI information getting mixed up etc. Or it's no big deal and I should simply get the process started and it would have no adverse impact on the job (/search) or medical career.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

You can absolutely do that. If you're really worried about your S1 score, then it might be better to wait until your S2 is back before people actually look at your application. Whether you should just apply when your S2 score comes out, or apply now and not release your USMLE and then do that when S2 comes, is anyone's guess. Different programs will prcoess applications differently. I'd probably favor applying now and releasing later, but the other strategy has the benefit that if you don't do well / fail S2, then you haven't spent any money applying yet and can decide how to proceed best.

 

[mcl]

One of the fellows I worked with told me to reach out to her during interview season so she can put in a good word for me at her old program (one of my top choices). When'd be a good time to do this? This particular program starts giving out interviews ~9/30 or 10/1

Sure. You can reach out now and ask that she contact the program in the next couple of weeks.

 

[pmpp]

Hi! My question is regarding the USMLE Request Status &/or ECFMG Status report (US IMG). My applications have been sent with everything except for my Step 2 CS score, which I am still waiting on. My question is, on any of the status reports, does it list that my CS was 'taken,' and that my score is pending, or is it just blank? What does it look like in general?

Thank you in advance for any help!

 

[mcl]

Hi! My question is regarding the USMLE Request Status &/or ECFMG Status report (US IMG). My applications have been sent with everything except for my Step 2 CS score, which I am still waiting on. My question is, on any of the status reports, does it list that my CS was 'taken,' and that my score is pending, or is it just blank? What does it look like in general?

Thank you in advance for any help!

Nothing shows up until there is a result. We can't tell if an applicant has taken the exam, is scheduled to take the exam soon, or won't be taking the exam until after the rank order list is due.

 

[fasteddie911]

I'm curious as to others take on this. A resident I've been working with is applying to pulm/crit fellowship and is interviewing now, apparently their home program has just offered them a spot outside of the match and the resident is unsure whether to take it as they would rank it below stronger, more reputable and competitive programs (which the resident considers reaches). I couldn't offer good advice and seems to put the resident in a tight spot, but I'm wondering how common is this and is it even legal or appropriate? Seems suspect and I have a few issues with it, but wonder what others thoughts are.

 

[gutonc]

I'm curious as to others take on this. A resident I've been working with is applying to pulm/crit fellowship and is interviewing now, apparently their home program has just offered them a spot outside of the match and the resident is unsure whether to take it as they would rank it below stronger, more reputable and competitive programs (which the resident considers reaches). I couldn't offer good advice and seems to put the resident in a tight spot, but I'm wondering how common is this and is it even legal or appropriate? Seems suspect and I have a few issues with it, but wonder what others thoughts are.

It is allowed, fellowships are not required to be "all in" the way that residency programs are. I believe it's 75% of the spots averaged over a few (3-5?) years have to be in the Match.

That said, there are really only 2 reasons why the program would offer him a pre-match spot.
1) They really like him.
2) They don't think they'll be able to do any better in the Match.
Hopefully, he can figure out which one it is.

As for whether he should take it, it totally depends on the interviews he already has at other places. If he's sitting at 10+ offers, then he'll likely be fine. If it's more like 2, then it's a much tougher decision.

 

[pmpp]

Nothing shows up until there is a result. We can't tell if an applicant has taken the exam, is scheduled to take the exam soon, or won't be taking the exam until after the rank order list is due.

Thank you!

 

[Ryuzaki]

When is it too late to apply to programs?

I know the opening date was September 15th @ 9AM, but in truth, I obsessed over my personal statement for a few days and did not end up certifying and sending out my applications until Tuesday.

I am a US-IMG from the Caribbean, how do I know I have applied to enough programs? I do not want to miss out on interviews.

Additionally, I was unable to schedule CS prior to July 14th, so would this delay my application review in any shape or form?

 

[mcl]

When is it too late to apply to programs?

I know the opening date was September 15th @ 9AM, but in truth, I obsessed over my personal statement for a few days and did not end up certifying and sending out my applications until Tuesday.

I am a US-IMG from the Caribbean, how do I know I have applied to enough programs? I do not want to miss out on interviews.

Additionally, I was unable to schedule CS prior to July 14th, so would this delay my application review in any shape or form?

Sending on Tuesday isn't going to affect your application. Remember, while ERAS opened on Saturday, many programs did not start the review process until Monday.

Only you can say whether you applied to enough programs. The current conventional wisdom is to apply widely initially since you can always decline or cancel interviews if you get too many to reasonably attend. The down side to that approach for programs is a) we get more applications, so the review process takes longer, and b) we can't tell who is really interested vs. just applying widely, which could lead to a lot of last-minute cancellations down the road.

You can't do anything about your CS date, so don't stress about it.

 

[GoSpursGo]

When is it too late to apply to programs?

I know the opening date was September 15th @ 9AM, but in truth, I obsessed over my personal statement for a few days and did not end up certifying and sending out my applications until Tuesday.

I am a US-IMG from the Caribbean, how do I know I have applied to enough programs? I do not want to miss out on interviews.

Additionally, I was unable to schedule CS prior to July 14th, so would this delay my application review in any shape or form?

Agree with everything mcl said. Tuesday is not too late to apply.

How many programs to apply to is totally dependent on how competitive your application is. But in general, if you're coming from the Caribbean you should apply very broadly. It's not uncommon to apply to 100+ programs if you have mediocre step 1 and 2 scores.

 

[XavierCharles]

Hi,

I was just wondering what the appropriate etiquette was in terms of sending thank you emails/letters?
Do we send one if invited for an interview and then another one after interview? Which is better, email or handwritten?

Thank you!

 

[GoSpursGo]

Hi,

I was just wondering what the appropriate etiquette was in terms of sending thank you emails/letters?
Do we send one if invited for an interview and then another one after interview? Which is better, email or handwritten?

Thank you!

After interview. Whether you send one or not, and whether it's better to email or hand-write, is up to you. Neither is seen as better or worse; if you email you might get a pithy response that makes you feel good, if you hand-write you get to feel good that you put in that extra effort. Nobody cares or will remember if you sent one or not.

 

[Ryuzaki]

Sending on Tuesday isn't going to affect your application. Remember, while ERAS opened on Saturday, many programs did not start the review process until Monday.

Only you can say whether you applied to enough programs. The current conventional wisdom is to apply widely initially since you can always decline or cancel interviews if you get too many to reasonably attend. The down side to that approach for programs is a) we get more applications, so the review process takes longer, and b) we can't tell who is really interested vs. just applying widely, which could lead to a lot of last-minute cancellations down the road.

You can't do anything about your CS date, so don't stress about it.

Oh okay, thanks.

Agree with everything mcl said. Tuesday is not too late to apply.

How many programs to apply to is totally dependent on how competitive your application is. But in general, if you're coming from the Caribbean you should apply very broadly. It's not uncommon to apply to 100+ programs if you have mediocre step 1 and 2 scores.

I applied to more than 200 programs.

 

[mcl]

I was advised to send letters of interest to programs saying why I'm interested in a certain area (due to family reasons) that is always from where I did medical school. When would be a good time to do this? These programs release invites >Oct 1st, so I was thinking maybe next week?

Sounds reasonable. Just don't expect a response apart from a very generic "thank you for your interest," or for your email to yield an interview at every program you contact. A great deal depends on the size and strength of the applicant pool, the limitations on the number of interviews a program is able to offer, and how close you may have been to getting an interview offer anyway.

 

[MrMe123]

Edit: jk, I figured out my question

 

[il pani]

I remember this being asked before, but I can't seem to find the post. I was invited for an interview at X city and there is another program that I would also like to interview at. What are your thoughts about sending an email to the program coordinator asking about the status of my application? I would really like to decrease costs and avoid having to fly twice to this city. If this is appropriate, is there anything in particular that you recommend I should include in this email? Should I mention these financial reasons? Thank you very much!

 

[mcl]

I remember this being asked before, but I can't seem to find the post. I was invited for an interview at X city and there is another program that I would also like to interview at. What are your thoughts about sending an email to the program coordinator asking about the status of my application? I would really like to decrease costs and avoid having to fly twice to this city. If this is appropriate, is there anything in particular that you recommend I should include in this email? Should I mention these financial reasons? Thank you very much!

It still feels early for these types of emails--but perhaps I'm just slow. The worst that can happen is that you won't get a response, or you'll get a response indicating that applications are still under review. I think at this point, those would be the most likely outcomes. However, there's certainly a chance you'll get the invitation.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I remember this being asked before, but I can't seem to find the post. I was invited for an interview at X city and there is another program that I would also like to interview at. What are your thoughts about sending an email to the program coordinator asking about the status of my application? I would really like to decrease costs and avoid having to fly twice to this city. If this is appropriate, is there anything in particular that you recommend I should include in this email? Should I mention these financial reasons? Thank you very much!

I'm with mcl, I think it's early and they'll probably tell you they're still sifting through applications. I think these emails are unlikely to get you an interview if you weren't already going to get one eventually.

If you hear that this program is starting to send invites out, trying to send an email probably won't hurt. I would just be direct and to the point, I think the financial reasons are pretty self-evident and apply to everyone.

 

[il pani]

It still feels early for these types of emails--but perhaps I'm just slow. The worst that can happen is that you won't get a response, or you'll get a response indicating that applications are still under review. I think at this point, those would be the most likely outcomes. However, there's certainly a chance you'll get the invitation.

I'm with mcl, I think it's early and they'll probably tell you they're still sifting through applications. I think these emails are unlikely to get you an interview if you weren't already going to get one eventually.

If you hear that this program is starting to send invites out, trying to send an email probably won't hurt. I would just be direct and to the point, I think the financial reasons are pretty self-evident and apply to everyone.

Thank you both! I will wait for a few more weeks before sending any emails, unless I know they have started sending out applications. I really appreciate your suggestions!

 

[PDTY]

Hi,

I was just wondering what the appropriate etiquette was in terms of sending thank you emails/letters?
Do we send one if invited for an interview and then another one after interview? Which is better, email or handwritten?

Thank you!

Do not send one if invited. Looks desperate/suck up-ish. After interview is recommended (in my view) unless the PD says not to. Handwritten vs. email is your choice. Handwritten is more formal obviously. Either way, email or handwritten should/will get tacked to your portfolio/profile/folder.

 

[Raryn]

An interesting official update in the NRMP rules that I just thought to mention:

Section 5.3 – Rank Order List Certification NRMP will certify an existing applicant rank order list in the Registration, Ranking, and Results (R3) system after the Rank Order List Certification Deadline provided a written request and consent is received by NRMP within 48 hours after the deadline. Only the rank order list displayed in the R3 system at the time of the deadline will be certified, and NRMP will not create or modify a rank order list at any time for any reason.

Looks like they have formalized that if you **** up and forget to certify your list on the day of the deadline, you have 2 days to submit a request and they'll do it for you.

 

[gutonc]

An interesting official update in the NRMP rules that I just thought to mention:



Looks like they have formalized that if you **** up and forget to certify your list on the day of the deadline, you have 2 days to submit a request and they'll do it for you.

That's mighty kind of them.

 

[Raryn]

That's mighty kind of them.

At least it gives us a consistent answer to the inevitable February post of "I tried to make a change on the day of the deadline an hour before it was due and then the website crashed and I didn't recertify, omgwtfbbq?!"

 

[Ogbuefi]

Hi Guys.
IMG here; 245/244 with an attempt on CS. I've heard conflicting opinions on how I should handle my CS attempt. One line of thought is to put it down in my personal statement, make an explanation and move on. Another opinion is to ignore it until it comes up in any prospective interview.
What would you guys suggest?

 

[GoSpursGo]

Hi Guys.
IMG here; 245/244 with an attempt on CS. I've heard conflicting opinions on how I should handle my CS attempt. One line of thought is to put it down in my personal statement, make an explanation and move on. Another opinion is to ignore it until it comes up in any prospective interview.
What would you guys suggest?

Probably should say "I'm aware of the failure on CS. I'm scheduled to re-take on X date, and am doing Y to pass this time. I anticipate I will have a passing score by the time of rank list."

That said, you need to get your app in immediately if you intend on applying this year. And stellar step 1 and 2 scores notwithstanding, the CS failure is going to be a problem for some programs.

 

[Raryn]

Probably should say "I'm aware of the failure on CS. I'm scheduled to re-take on X date, and am doing Y to pass this time. I anticipate I will have a passing score by the time of rank list."

That said, you need to get your app in immediately if you intend on applying this year. And stellar step 1 and 2 scores notwithstanding, the CS failure is going to be a problem for some programs.

An IMG without a CS pass at this point, particularly with a CS failure on his record may as well just skip the year and use the next 11 months to bolster their application somehow. Most programs require 1/CK/CS to interview an IMG and he won't have that in any reasonable time to be considered.