desperately need some advice/motivation

[atom101]

so, I'm an american med student......i was never an A student...just about avg...but my step 1, I barely passed 190, 1st 2 years were alright....B's mostly, few C's and a couple A's. and now 3rd year is kicking my ass! I am barely able to study for shelfs and already have 2 C's.
I am loosing all hope...and just wanna die! no matter how much i try, i cant keep up.
any advice? will I even match?? into anything? I have sooo much loans!!!

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[officedepot]

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[atom101]

at this point, anything would be ok.....what can i get into?

 

[officedepot]

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[atom101]

what about IM? is that a possibility?

 

[officedepot]

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[Terpskins99]

yeah sure. Just apply broadly to mostly lower tier programs and you should be able to match. I'm not sure about fellowships but I imagine for you those would be tougher to get if your IM program is not that great. At this point you may be looking at a more primary care or hospitalist setting. But hey it's anyone's guess really.

University program, university program, university program.

 

[atom101]

are u trying to say university program is still possible?

 

[Terpskins99]

are u trying to say university program is still possible?

It's an uphill battle, but definitely possible. The prestige of your medical school can have some influence. I've seen folks with awful step scores land very competitive residencies and on paper the one thing that stuck out was the name of their med school.

In the meantime, prepare like crazy and land a solid Step 2 score. More than a few program directors have voiced their preference for strong step 2 scores over step 1. Finish 3rd year strong. Pick a few sites to do your fourth year rotations where you hope to match, work your butt off and get a letter of recommendation. Also its customary to get an automatic interview just for doing an away elective, so that will help you.

If you're not aiming for a highly competitive specialty, you should be in ok shape. You WILL match someplace. I'm just saying to aim for the university programs because in general that will keep the doors open for future opportunities (i.e. fellowship). Once you start residency, all bets are off. You're effectively starting with a clean slate. Good luck.