Delaying graduation?

[Dkr]

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Hey,

Is delaying graduation from med school a red flag when applying to psych residency? I'm a third year wanting to take a few extra weeks to study for STEP 2 and/or do interviews. I took an extra semester to graduate college before medical school and no one cared. Is it a similar situation here? A bit about my past in case that factors into it: US allopathic, low STEP 1, no failures.

thanks!

 

[j48seconds]

It can be a big deal depending on your medical school and your specialty choice. If you take so much time that results in you having to wait a year to graduate than that's something that you will be asked about at every interview and they will already be wary of you. However, many medical schools' 4th yrs finish by May and some schools will let you go through graduation but without receiving a diploma. It would be pending completion of an elective in case you need extra time for those things. I would suggest you talk to someone in your deans office about this and/or arrange your 4th yr schedule so that you can do that. There is a lot of flexibility in 4th yr with built in time for interviews etc that you can use to your advantage.

 

[notdeadyet]

Is delaying graduation from med school a red flag when applying to psych residency? I'm a third year wanting to take a few extra weeks to study for STEP 2 and/or do interviews. I took an extra semester to graduate college before medical school and no one cared. Is it a similar situation here? A bit about my past in case that factors into it: US allopathic, low STEP 1, no failures.

How long are you delaying graduation? Longer is more troubling. A low Step 1, plus someone who requires delayed graduation from medical school to ensure passing Step 2 might make some PDs concerned about your ability to successfully pass Step 3 without drama.

 

[TexasPhysician]

I don't understand the reasoning for delaying Step 2.

Step 2 pass is not required for ranking at most psychiatry programs. It's nice but not often required.

Delaying graduation is a guaranteed red flag. Not a huge red flag, but it will leave many people wondering what you struggle with.

If it were me and the application process is still the same, I'd take 1 day off from whatever rotation I can to knock out the exam when I felt comfortable. All of my 4th year directors would have approved this. A passing score would have been immediately sent to programs, and a failed score would not have been released by me. No one would have known until I matched and then I'd have retaken it by then to pass anyway. Looking back, I would have spent less time studying for step 2 as I felt little additional studying was of benefit.

This is just my opinion, but I would not delay graduation for step 2. Talk to your school advisors about your decision.

 

[michaelrack]

I agree with the other commenters. YOu also may want to ask on the general residency forum

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

The culture is changing somewhat and delays are more common. I have to add that programs have many many middle of the road candidates to interview and they look very much like each other. It doesn’t take much of a red flag to fall below the large herd. I would like to think that psychiatry is more understanding of life events that happen, but it still comes down to choosing who to interview with a limited capacity to interview people.