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Afternoon everyone, just would like to get everyone's thoughts on the following:
First off, US citizen IMG via a European school, all US clinical rotations (all but two in NYC), Step 1 at 205, CS passed as of last March, graduating in April.
Basically, I'm being held up by the Step 2 comp because of timing because of when it's offered by my school, and because of a previous failed attempt pushing everything back. Tentatively it looks like the earliest I could retake (and then schedule CK right after) would be end of Octoberish which would get me my grades some point in November.
I know I'm a mediocre test taker, but I've been trying to compensate as much as I can via the extracurriculars. I have 4 (possibly 5 by application time) research posters, 1 journal article submitted, a boatload of other volunteer work, AMSA work, and organizational work. I've got strong letters, 3/4 from chairs, 2 from path chairs, one of whom is supposedly trying to set me up with his former program director at the CAP meeting. Have a strong background in path exposure growing up because of family and been using that as the main basis of my personal statement so far. Currently doing a sub-I at one of my top choice programs this month and loving it, getting good responses from the residents and faculty so far.
So essentially my question is this: knowing I won't be able to get CK scores until well into the interview season, do I still go ahead and apply on opening day seeing as my ERAS is pretty much already done? I've got 90 path programs (filtered via Match-A-Resident) and I don't particularly want to apply outside of path. Between the sub-I and my various networking connections I'd like to think I have enough leads on that front. At this point, I feel like sitting out a year would be more harmful than just shooting the works and seeing what happens, but that's been the point I've been trying to figure out. I feel like other than the obvious cost of applying there's really no reason to not apply, as I can't imagine applying again after not matching would be any worse than explaining why you sat out a year, but again, I'm not sure.
Thanks for any help you can give.
First off, US citizen IMG via a European school, all US clinical rotations (all but two in NYC), Step 1 at 205, CS passed as of last March, graduating in April.
Basically, I'm being held up by the Step 2 comp because of timing because of when it's offered by my school, and because of a previous failed attempt pushing everything back. Tentatively it looks like the earliest I could retake (and then schedule CK right after) would be end of Octoberish which would get me my grades some point in November.
I know I'm a mediocre test taker, but I've been trying to compensate as much as I can via the extracurriculars. I have 4 (possibly 5 by application time) research posters, 1 journal article submitted, a boatload of other volunteer work, AMSA work, and organizational work. I've got strong letters, 3/4 from chairs, 2 from path chairs, one of whom is supposedly trying to set me up with his former program director at the CAP meeting. Have a strong background in path exposure growing up because of family and been using that as the main basis of my personal statement so far. Currently doing a sub-I at one of my top choice programs this month and loving it, getting good responses from the residents and faculty so far.
So essentially my question is this: knowing I won't be able to get CK scores until well into the interview season, do I still go ahead and apply on opening day seeing as my ERAS is pretty much already done? I've got 90 path programs (filtered via Match-A-Resident) and I don't particularly want to apply outside of path. Between the sub-I and my various networking connections I'd like to think I have enough leads on that front. At this point, I feel like sitting out a year would be more harmful than just shooting the works and seeing what happens, but that's been the point I've been trying to figure out. I feel like other than the obvious cost of applying there's really no reason to not apply, as I can't imagine applying again after not matching would be any worse than explaining why you sat out a year, but again, I'm not sure.
Thanks for any help you can give.
