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Did not match OB..need advice
- Thread starter albomd
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So, I did not match into OB and I did not get anything in the scramble. My self-esteem has been battered and the advice I've been getting has been very superficial. So, I'm hoping there is a PD, attending, others in the same boat that could offer some real advice. Here are my stats:
Big 4 carib school
Step 1: 207 (second attempt)
Step 2: 211
GPA 3.2
US citizen, female
2 interviews
MPH from an Ivy school (before med school)
LOTS of experience, some research
I have already taken a gap year (graduated 2009) for personal reasons (married). What do I do now? How do I improve my standing for the programs to get past that Step 1 score and really look at me.
I found a great family medicine program that I really think I could be happy in but I'm so insecure in myself right now that I think I will never match.....I feel like the poor scrawny kid that no one picked for the kickball team!Bring on the honest advice....
How many years are you willing to wait before calling it and moving on? I think that's something to decide as well. Also it depends on why you wanted to do OB/Gyn. Maybe there's something else out there that you can do which will fulfill those things you want from patient care.
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(disclaimer: my perspective is that of a resident who is in a different field)
If you think that you'd be happy in FP, I think that's a great option to focus on. You will have a lot more IMG-friendly programs there to look at. It seems like over the last few years ob/gyn has become significantly harder to match into and even if you do have great potential there are some programs that will hold IMG status against an applicant.
I know how not matching can crush someone's self esteem (it happened to me last year) but try to remember that some of this process is a matter of luck and timing (i.e., which specialties are trending competitive or not the year you apply, whether you just happen to get interviewers who clicked with you, not to mention that the interviewers or people reviewing apps may have personal biases that you can't predict or prevent). A few years down the road, this will all be a distant memory and you may find that this experience led you to a place that wound up being better for you than your original plan. Best of luck to you.
If you think that you'd be happy in FP, I think that's a great option to focus on. You will have a lot more IMG-friendly programs there to look at. It seems like over the last few years ob/gyn has become significantly harder to match into and even if you do have great potential there are some programs that will hold IMG status against an applicant.
I know how not matching can crush someone's self esteem (it happened to me last year) but try to remember that some of this process is a matter of luck and timing (i.e., which specialties are trending competitive or not the year you apply, whether you just happen to get interviewers who clicked with you, not to mention that the interviewers or people reviewing apps may have personal biases that you can't predict or prevent). A few years down the road, this will all be a distant memory and you may find that this experience led you to a place that wound up being better for you than your original plan. Best of luck to you.
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