Chances of matching next year?

[manicpanic]

First post and don't know if this is a good spot to post it, so feel free to move it if needed.

First off, for those of who are reading this and matched, CONGRATULATIONS! I hope you ended up liking where you guys matched.

I'm a Caribbean IMG with US citizenship about to graduate the end of this month. I have 1 LOA (financial reasons), and 3 gaps (1 spent studying for step 1, the other two were for volunteering for global health for a month each and also included getting married during the last one). Step 1 = 228 (1st attempt), CK = 211 (1st attempt, found out my grandmother passed away the morning of my exam, still surprised I passed), CS = 1st attempt pass. I have a 3.62 overall GPA. I don't have much on my CV other than my MD, my bachelor's and the few global health volunteering activities I did with a local hospital in a different country.

I applied the first of october for match this year (I was getting married the day of match due to religious reasons) for peds only. I know my LORs were were written by the attendings themselves and were impeccable because they asked me if I wanted a letter from them - 1 from NICU, 1 from peds core and 1 from peds sub-I. I even had one doctor call a program for me where he knew the PD. Even though I applied late, I honestly thought that I would get something this season - even an interview, and was completely disheartened when I didn't, and SOAP yielded no results for me though I only applied to pre-lim programs. I feel like crap, but I'm trying not to let this get me down. So I'm on here asking for your guys' opinions

So my question to you guys is what can I do to pretty much guarantee at least interviews during the next match? Here are the things I plan on doing all throughout the next year
- Write Step 3 in July
- Find a job - I've applied for multiple jobs already as a medical transcriptionist, medical assistant (1 of which is at a pediatric clinic), and am looking into becoming a clinical research coordinator. I'm also possibly looking at going to teach in the Caribbean for a year or two so my husband and I can try for couples match for match 2018.
- Volunteer at a few hospitals in the area that have residencies
- Find volunteer observerships with several doctors and work my butt off for the next few months and get a few more recent LORs
- apply on time (DUH!)
- apply to FM instead of Peds

Thanks in advance for your help.

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