Coming back from a rough start

[PenguinHead]

I know a lot of people in my class who have high expectations as far as residency is concerned (surgical subspecialties and such) who have had a rough start to their first year (lower half). I personally will have to improve a good bit if I want to be competitive for many specialties.

How many people break out of their slump? Anyone ever go from bottom 1/3 to top 1/3? Is stratification pretty set during first year? I have hope but realistically I'm not expecting a big change.

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[MystikBliss]

i don't know if you're the only person who hasn't heard this, or maybe you have....but just incase

IT'S THE 3rd AND 4th YEARS THAT COUNT!!!!!!!!!

i didn't really believe that when other students told me, I thought it was just a cop-out, but we've been spoken to by physicians several times who keep stressing that fact. we've also been told by several different residents. so i'm going to guess that it's true.

pass the first 2 years...you probably shouldn't be looking at applying to harvard's residency (they have one right?), but you have to remember that the people who will be looking at you already know what goes on in med school. they know years 1 and 2 are a bunch of lectures w/ little patient relevance. so if you jack your 3rd and 4th year up, then you need to worry...but for now, calm down...

and we're barely thru half of the first year. why are you talking like you just finished the race last?? smile! *******es don't make it to med school

 

[crazy_cavalier]

Lols... and here I was thinking I was the only MS-1 with similar thoughts. I fear I'm mediocre by all measures and I'm nervous that I wont have any way to stand out.

 

[vtucci]

I don't have my rank from this year. But I am doing much, much better in second year than first year. So yes, it is possible to move up.

I heard a story about a current fourth year who was in the bottom 1/4 of her class in first year and improved in second year and then was 3rd in her class for her third year, ended up with an overall rank of 12.

While such stories are not commonplace, they do happen. I hope to be one. Good luck.

 

[Bitsy3221]

I don't have my rank from this year. But I am doing much, much better in second year than first year. So yes, it is possible to move up.

I heard a story about a current fourth year who was in the bottom 1/4 of her class in first year and improved in second year and then was 3rd in her class for her third year, ended up with an overall rank of 12.

While such stories are not commonplace, they do happen. I hope to be one. Good luck.

LOL....
Yes, I can personally attest that the above story is, for the most part, true. Good luck to all! Study for your shelf exams!!!

Sincerely,
The Current USF Fourth Year She's Talking About 😀

 

[AmoryBlaine]

I guarantee you that you could get straight "pass" all through your first do years and get a spot in Ophtho. Granted, you would have to do well on Step1. All that matters in the first 2 years is learning the material for Step1.

If you look at studies where they ask PDs what they look for the most, "Preclinical grades" are usually second from the bottom, only "Preclinical extracirriculars" are lower.

So should you blow off the first 2 years? No. Do they make or break you? Absolutely not.

Disclaimer: as I have said before, there is a tendency in medical school to think that lack of performance during M1/2 is an indicator that you have "interpersonal skills" and are "not a gunner" and are going to "shine when you hit the wards unlike all the bookworms." This is bunk. Most of the people that do really well as M1/2s do really well on the wards too. If you spend all your time thinking about what great "bedside manner" you have you're not going to know anything. So your patients might think your wonderful, but your residents will think you are a *****.