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Hi all - be gentle with me - it's my first time posting on here and I think I'm mostly looking for a bit of encouragement.
Similar to a few other posts I've seen recently, I am a DO student and hopeful pediatrics resident. I just got my step 2 score back yesterday and it was a 229 - significantly lower than my practice test scores and not representative of how I performed academically during the first two years of school. I'm feeling deflated to say the least. I don't have a Comlex score yet, though I did feel much better leaving that test compared to Step. I am wondering what this score means for me in terms of overall competitiveness. I was never aiming for CHOP or Boston Children's, but instead was hoping for input on programs like Geisinger, Penn State Hershey, U of Rochester, etc. I am a career-changer (studied French in undergrad and spent three years post-grad in finance), completed a post-bacc, and have devoted much of my free time in school to volunteer work. I performed either average or slightly above on all comat exams, have good marks from preceptors, and have had no red flags on my transcript. I feel as if I'm a well-rounded candidate with significant real world experience, but I truly don't know how to rebound from an exam that people claim could "make or break" my career. Does any of this real-person stuff matter with a sub-par boards score? I'm feeling the overwhelming heaviness of medicine right now.
If any kind soul of there has any input on those specific schools I mentioned (or any general wisdom), I am all ears. I am also wondering if anyone knows where we could find updated score requirements for specific programs? I'm not sure how accurate info on AAMC/Freida is since I've noticed a lot of the benefits/salary information has not been updated. Thanks to all in advance.
Similar to a few other posts I've seen recently, I am a DO student and hopeful pediatrics resident. I just got my step 2 score back yesterday and it was a 229 - significantly lower than my practice test scores and not representative of how I performed academically during the first two years of school. I'm feeling deflated to say the least. I don't have a Comlex score yet, though I did feel much better leaving that test compared to Step. I am wondering what this score means for me in terms of overall competitiveness. I was never aiming for CHOP or Boston Children's, but instead was hoping for input on programs like Geisinger, Penn State Hershey, U of Rochester, etc. I am a career-changer (studied French in undergrad and spent three years post-grad in finance), completed a post-bacc, and have devoted much of my free time in school to volunteer work. I performed either average or slightly above on all comat exams, have good marks from preceptors, and have had no red flags on my transcript. I feel as if I'm a well-rounded candidate with significant real world experience, but I truly don't know how to rebound from an exam that people claim could "make or break" my career. Does any of this real-person stuff matter with a sub-par boards score? I'm feeling the overwhelming heaviness of medicine right now.
If any kind soul of there has any input on those specific schools I mentioned (or any general wisdom), I am all ears. I am also wondering if anyone knows where we could find updated score requirements for specific programs? I'm not sure how accurate info on AAMC/Freida is since I've noticed a lot of the benefits/salary information has not been updated. Thanks to all in advance.
