ENT Tips for M1/M2

[VCMM414]

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Hi all,

I currently go to a decent (top 10-20 US News) med school that unfortunately has a small, relatively new ENT department. Though the school is reasonably well known, its otolaryngology department does not yet have a top reputation in the field. Would the situation at my school limit my chances for matching ENT if I were to do that in the future (I haven't started my rotations)? What can I do to improve my application?

Also, what would be more beneficial? To work and get published by doing research with a new faculty, or to work with a big wig (no publishments) and to get LOR from him/her? Would it usually be more difficult to work with a big wig and get 1st author publishes because his/her projects are less manageable (on larger scales)?

Thanks in advance.

 

[BOTB]

my suggestions, do as many as you can:

1. get great grades,
2. rock Step I, study for 6 weeks, do whatever you have to in order to put a big number up
3. get to know your department very well now, it's so important to have people on your side, not too mention a backup
4. just because the department is new does not mean that the people in the department are new - they have been around, trained all over, go to the meetings, trust me people know who they are - it's a small field
5. better to have attendings at your home school fight tooth and nail for you then some big wig who barely knows you
6. do research and do it well, be tenacious, take on a project that you can reasonably complete and excell at it, do it at your home school where they know you and the resources are available
7. then do an away month at a big time program, show your worth and get a letter out of it

if you can accomplish all or most of these things, you should be quite competative.