FAQ: What are my chances?

[speedyxx626]

School: MD top-25 NIH
Step 1: 241
Step 2: 249
Clinical: Honors in Medicine, OBGyn, Family, Psych; High Pass in Neuro, Pass in Peds, Surgery
Research: One 2nd author pub (non-rads)

Very recently made the switch from a surgical specialty, but did well on the sub-I and will get a strong letter from someone in that field.
Will also try to get on a case report or two before ERAS is due. My question is what type of reaches would you suggest for DR? Are places like Northwestern, Vanderbilt, USC reasonable? Also do I have an outside shot at IR? I know its crazy competitive but would be willing to go literally anywhere.

Thank you for your time!

Your stats are good (although average for rads) and from a top 25 school will help you tremendously though. I don’t think those are reaches for you at all as long as you interview well.

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[User 1]

School: NE MD School Top 40
Step 1: 211
Step 2: 235
Pre-Clinical: School is P/F, no fails
Clinical: 2 H (including surgery), 4 HP
Research: Several research experiences but no publications. No research experience in radiology. I realized early 4th year I wanted to do radiology and haven't had time to start a project yet.
EC's: Helped develop an after school science program for an underserved school in the area. Teaching 1st year medical students medical interviewing skills. Teaching 1st year medical students through a problem-based learning course required at our university. I have a lot of pre-clinical volunteer work with several service trips along the east coast with Habitat for Humanity in which I held a leadership position. Worked as a scribe in my gap year between undergrad and med school. I have a few other volunteer/travel stories and interesting experiences from my pre-clinical years but I'm not sure how much that matters now.
LOR: None so far. In the process of obtaining them.

I don't test well and my step 1 score definitely shows it. I was hoping to get higher with my step 2 score to make up for it, but unfortunately that was not the case. I know it's a big long shot with these numbers, but I'm hoping that if I apply broadly to less competitive programs and do some aways I'll be able to get some interviews. I'm from New England and went to both undergrad and med school in Massachusetts so I'm hoping there will some regional bias in my favor, but I'm willing to go anywhere for residency.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

The Step 1 will be painful for you and may limit the places you are invited. The Step 2 will make up a tiny bit. Radiology tends to be a field that values basic science knowledge (thus Step 1 scores).

I think you'll be fine to get a spot in DR, however, as long as you apply very broadly and make sure you target appropriate schools. A lesson I learned from my application season is that if the FREIDA database mentions a Step 1 cutoff score it's almost always a definite cutoff. So don't take that as a loose guideline and apply to too many places with cutoffs above 210 other than those you have a personal connection.

Best of luck.

 

[fontainebleau55]

School: Top 50
Step 1: 265-270
Step 2: 270-275
Clinical: 5H (including IM & surgery), 1HP (OB)
Research: 4 projects: 3 presentations, 2 posters, potentially 2 abstracts. No pubs.
ECs: Not much here aside from IR involvement and hobbies

Chances for dual applying DR/IR? Also, any strategy recommendations for applying re: number, location, etc? Thanks in advance.

 

[IcedAmericano19]

School: Unranked US MD
Step 1: 239
Step 2: Pending
Clinical: 1 H (psych), 2 HP (family and neuro), rest Ps
Research: none

I know I'm not highly competitive. Just want to know my chances of matching somewhere. Planning on applying mostly in the Midwest.

 

[JoshSt]

School: Top 50
Step 1: 265-270
Step 2: 270-275
Clinical: 5H (including IM & surgery), 1HP (OB)
Research: 4 projects: 3 presentations, 2 posters, potentially 2 abstracts. No pubs.
ECs: Not much here aside from IR involvement and hobbies

Chances for dual applying DR/IR? Also, any strategy recommendations for applying re: number, location, etc? Thanks in advance.

I mean, you’re super competitive. Some people will have more research, but it looks like you’re showing the effort. You’ll be fine for IR. You’ll get interviews from most places, including California if desired.

 

[JoshSt]

School: Unranked US MD
Step 1: 239
Step 2: Pending
Clinical: 1 H (psych), 2 HP (family and neuro), rest Ps
Research: none

I know I'm not highly competitive. Just want to know my chances of matching somewhere. Planning on applying mostly in the Midwest.

You’re fine to match if no personality/interview deficits or red flags on application. A smidge below the mean step 1 but the top programs inflate that number. Apply to 40-60 programs, interview at 12 or more and you’ll be fine. Maybe try to pick up a radiology related research project before ERAS.

 

[Mamba824]

School: Top 50 US MD
Step 1: 249
Step 2: Pending
Clinical: All Honors, most likely AOA
Research: Lots (not rads, in neurosurgery and derm): 6 pubs with one 1st author and 6 posters

I've been in the northeast my whole life. Just curious what my chances are (DR) for the northeast programs (MGH, Brigham, BI)? Would a research year (Rads research) increase my chances? Just realized I want to do Radiology (MS4) so I have no Rads research. Thanks!

 

[Cognovi]

School: Top 50 US MD
Step 1: 249
Step 2: Pending
Clinical: All Honors, most likely AOA
Research: Lots (not rads, in neurosurgery and derm): 6 pubs with one 1st author and 6 posters

I've been in the northeast my whole life. Just curious what my chances are (DR) for the northeast programs (MGH, Brigham, BI)? Would a research year (Rads research) increase my chances? Just realized I want to do Radiology (MS4) so I have no Rads research. Thanks!

A research increases your chances without being necessary. If you look up the pubmed profiles of the current residents at your target programs, you will find that most have no published rads research.

 

[XxSynapsexX]

School: Top 100 US MD School
Step 1: 234
Step 2: Pending but based on practice scores likely 240s
Clinical: 1 H in Surgery, 2PC and 2P(Medicine and Family Med)
Research: None but started a Rads Research Project during 4th year
ECs: Very Minimal.
LORs: One from Rads Program Director, 2 Family Med Letters.

Chances for Applying just DR? I know it has gotten significantly more competitive since 2016 match.

I know I am not very competitive, but I just wanted to match into an Academic Program anywhere.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

School: Top 100 US MD School
Step 1: 234
Step 2: Pending but based on practice scores likely 240s
Clinical: 1 H in Surgery, 2PC and 2P(Medicine and Family Med)
Research: None but started a Rads Research Project during 4th year
ECs: Very Minimal.
LORs: One from Rads Program Director, 2 Family Med Letters.

Chances for Applying just DR? I know it has gotten significantly more competitive since 2016 match.

I know I am not very competitive, but I just wanted to match into an Academic Program anywhere.

You will be fine. Just make sure you apply to at least a handful of community programs as well.

 

[markymark71990]

DO student looking to match in DR. What are my chances

Step 1: 244
Step 2: 247
COMLEX 1: 647
COMLEX 2: TBD
COMLEX PE: Pass
29/250 class rank (Top 12% or so)
All A's in my clinical classes
Very good preceptor evaluations to date
Three case studies that have been submitted, all radiology related. So far 1 is approved for pub
Third place at a clinical case competition for a case study
Working on a large retrospective study with a few IR docs at a local hospital
So far 3 good LORs, one from a radiologist

I am applying broadly, maybe 60 schools. Any particular mid-tier ACGME programs that I have a good shot at?

 

[SpartanWolverine]

DO student looking to match in DR. What are my chances

Step 1: 244
Step 2: 247
COMLEX 1: 647
COMLEX 2: TBD
COMLEX PE: Pass
29/250 class rank (Top 12% or so)
All A's in my clinical classes
Very good preceptor evaluations to date
Three case studies that have been submitted, all radiology related. So far 1 is approved for pub
Third place at a clinical case competition for a case study
Working on a large retrospective study with a few IR docs at a local hospital
So far 3 good LORs, one from a radiologist

I am applying broadly, maybe 60 schools. Any particular mid-tier ACGME programs that I have a good shot at?

Though I can't speak for how the competitiveness will be in the next cycle you would have likely done pretty well this year. With a broad application you'll almost certainly find yourself a decent spot. As is the general advice, look for programs that already have a DO or two in each class. Not to say it's impossible to be the first, but it's far less likely.

 

[Aurum]

Applying DR only. From a top 25 US MD school.

Step 1: 258
Step 2: 265-275 (practice score range)

Preclinical: was p/f. All passes.

Clerkships: 4 honors, 4 near honors. Top of the 3rd quartile

2 pubs in different fields (1 first author). 4 recently submitted field related manuscripts (1 first author).

Should have a strong rads letter.

Looking for some examples of schools I should aim for and how many I should apply to. And will quartile hurt me despite my gpa being solid?

The quartile won't hurt. Your application is strong. You should apply to whatever programs in the top 20 that you want to, but keep in mind the top 20 is a total crapshoot when it comes to interviews. Apply broadly but don't apply anywhere you wouldn't want to live (obviously). 25-40 depending on how skittish you are should suffice.

 

[Mass_Effect]

School: Non-US IMG
Step 1: 241
Step 2 CK: 256
Clinical: All Honors
Research: 2 published papers and a presentation.
EC's: TA-ing, volunteer work in heath fairs
LOR: 2 rads, 1 IM

I'm applying to DR this year. What are my chances?

 

[tabo]

School: Unranked US MD School
Step 1: 229
Step 2: 254
Clinical: H in Peds and Neuro, rest is HP
Research: several papers in public/global health, also some peds research
ECs: global health, various mentoring opportunities, free clinic, local children's museum
LORs: 1 Peds, 1 Psych, trying to get at least 1 (maybe 2) Rads.

Applying to DR (pretty recent decision); hoping to be on the East Coast if possible. I know my Step 1 isn't great.

Would like to be in an academic program but fine with community programs for sure. Any tips/advice would be much appreciated, thanks!

 

[SpartanWolverine]

I had a slightly lower Step 1 and a slightly higher Step 2 score and did better than expected (as a DO student). I think as an MD student you'll be really solid for almost any community program and some lower/mid-tier academics, assuming a similar application pool to this year.

School: Unranked US MD School
Step 1: 229
Step 2: 254
Clinical: H in Peds and Neuro, rest is HP
Research: several papers in public/global health, also some peds research
ECs: global health, various mentoring opportunities, free clinic, local children's museum
LORs: 1 Peds, 1 Psych, trying to get at least 1 (maybe 2) Rads.

Applying to DR (pretty recent decision); hoping to be on the East Coast if possible. I know my Step 1 isn't great.

Would like to be in an academic program but fine with community programs for sure. Any tips/advice would be much appreciated, thanks!

 

[tabo]

I had a slightly lower Step 1 and a slightly higher Step 2 score and did better than expected (as a DO student). I think as an MD student you'll be really solid for almost any community program and some lower/mid-tier academics, assuming a similar application pool to this year.

thank you very much.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

thank you very much.

Sure thing. I definitely wouldn't worry about the Step 1 score (at all) but just be sure you apply appropriately and consider the Step 1 score range on FREIDA when targeting your applications. I find it to be perhaps one of the more reasonable metrics of competitiveness in a process that can otherwise be somewhat opaque.

 

[cantilever]

Current M4
School: Unranked MD program in the southeast
Step 1: 247
Step 2: Taken but haven't gotten score back yet (scoring upper 250s - 260 on practice tests)
Pre-clinical: Mix of honors and pass (no high pass at my school)
Clinical: All honors except OB
Class rank: Top 15%, hopeful for AOA
Research: 4 peer reviewed articles (2 as 1st author), 11 posters (4 as first author), 1 presentation in rads (not first author), research award in oncology at my school, MS before medical school (about half of my research is from that)
EC's: Lots of leadership in curriculum development, LCME visit, some volunteering as well
LOR: 1 Internal Medicine / Associate Dean I've worked closely with, 1 Surgery I've worked on alot of research with, 2 Rads (1 from program director)

Programs I'm planning on applying to (Applying DR and hoping to go into academics):
Reach: Stanford, Washington, UCSD, UCSF, Chicago, Northwestern, Mass General, NYU, Cornell, Columbia
Targets: Vandy, Emory, UTSW, Mayo Arizona, Mayo (Minn), Hopkins, Duke, UVa, Brown, UAB
Mid Range: U Florida, USF, MUSC, Wake Forest, UNC, Mayo Jacksonville
Safety: LSU, Oschner, Tennessee (Memphis + Knoxville), UMMC Jackson

Do I have any shot at getting an interview at any of my reaches or is it not even worth applying to? Advisor at my school said he thought I had a good shot at getting interviews from my targets, but had no idea where I'd stand with my reaches. I'm planning on just applying very broadly (goal is ~70 applications) and hoping odds play in my favor for an interview at least some of the reaches / targets. Any thoughts?

 

[5777]

Current M4
School: Unranked MD program in the southeast
Step 1: 247
Step 2: Taken but haven't gotten score back yet (scoring upper 250s - 260 on practice tests)
Pre-clinical: Mix of honors and pass (no high pass at my school)
Clinical: All honors except OB
Class rank: Top 15%, hopeful for AOA
Research: 4 peer reviewed articles (2 as 1st author), 11 posters (4 as first author), 1 presentation in rads (not first author), research award in oncology at my school, MS before medical school (about half of my research is from that)
EC's: Lots of leadership in curriculum development, LCME visit, some volunteering as well
LOR: 1 Internal Medicine / Associate Dean I've worked closely with, 1 Surgery I've worked on alot of research with, 2 Rads (1 from program director)

Programs I'm planning on applying to (Applying DR and hoping to go into academics):
Reach: Stanford, Washington, UCSD, UCSF, Chicago, Northwestern, Mass General, NYU, Cornell, Columbia
Targets: Vandy, Emory, UTSW, Mayo Arizona, Mayo (Minn), Hopkins, Duke, UVa, Brown, UAB
Mid Range: U Florida, USF, MUSC, Wake Forest, UNC, Mayo Jacksonville
Safety: LSU, Oschner, Tennessee (Memphis + Knoxville), UMMC Jackson

Do I have any shot at getting an interview at any of my reaches or is it not even worth applying to? Advisor at my school said he thought I had a good shot at getting interviews from my targets, but had no idea where I'd stand with my reaches. I'm planning on just applying very broadly (goal is ~70 applications) and hoping odds play in my favor for an interview at least some of the reaches / targets. Any thoughts?

When do you find out about AOA?

If you are AOA, then you don't need 70 applications. You could cut in half and your targets are very much in play, along with some of your reaches (Chicago, NW, NY programs, maybe Wash and UCSD).

If you are AOA and score 258+ on step 2, most in not all of your reaches are high probability for interviews.

Without AOA, you are still in good shape, I think. Your class rank and clinical grades rock, and the research/pubs are strong. Your USMLE are good enough, you'll get past that filter especially if your step 2 is in the mid 250s.

 

[blah2468]

School: DO school
Step 1: 230
Level 1: 490
Pre-clinical: 3.5 GPA

Just started third year. What are my chances at matching ACGME in Illinois, California, or other urban areas? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[cantilever]

When do you find out about AOA?

If you are AOA, then you don't need 70 applications. You could cut in half and your targets are very much in play, along with some of your reaches (Chicago, NW, NY programs, maybe Wash and UCSD).

If you are AOA and score 258+ on step 2, most in not all of your reaches are high probability for interviews.

Without AOA, you are still in good shape, I think. Your class rank and clinical grades rock, and the research/pubs are strong. Your USMLE are good enough, you'll get past that filter especially if your step 2 is in the mid 250s.

Awesome, thank you so much for your advice I really appreciate it. I guess until AOA is announced and Step 2 scores are released I'll just work on polishing up my eras and hope for the best.

Do you know (or is there any information anywhere) on schools that use a 250 cutoff for step 1? I've seen some posts saying that very competitive schools may use a step 1 application filter of 250, and I would hate to apply to a program to only be filtered out by an automatic cutoff. I know that information isn't officially posted anywhere, but I was just wondering if there are programs known to use this. I've also been trying to use last year's application spreadsheet as a guide, but if there are other / better sources out there I'd love any advice anyone has.

 

[Neuroglia]

Current M4
School: Unranked MD program in the southeast
Step 1: 226
Step 2: 233
Pre-clinical: average
Clinical: No honors, mostly B’s
Class rank: no clue, probably in the 2nd or 3rd quartile
Research: 10+ peer reviewed articles in another specialty and 20+ abstracts
EC's: basic leadership and volunteering like everyone else
LOR: 1 peds, 1 FM, 1 neurosurgeon (research mentor) and 1 rads and possibly one from my pathology teacher

Can anyone give me advice on how many programs to apply to? I’m super nervous as I feel like I’m very average grades wise and since I come from a school with no rads residency the advising here is poor so I really don’t know where I stand. Any advice or tips to be successful would be appreciated!

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Current M4
School: Unranked MD program in the southeast
Step 1: 226
Step 2: 233
Pre-clinical: average
Clinical: No honors, mostly B’s
Class rank: no clue, probably in the 2nd or 3rd quartile
Research: 10+ peer reviewed articles in another specialty and 20+ abstracts
EC's: basic leadership and volunteering like everyone else
LOR: 1 peds, 1 FM, 1 neurosurgeon (research mentor) and 1 rads and possibly one from my pathology teacher

Can anyone give me advice on how many programs to apply to? I’m super nervous as I feel like I’m very average grades wise and since I come from a school with no rads residency the advising here is poor so I really don’t know where I stand. Any advice or tips to be successful would be appreciated!

Just one datapoint here but I would suggest a broad variety of academic and community programs. Personally would say no less than 30-40 programs. I think you're just about on the money when you say you're 'average' and don't necessarily think that's a bad thing when it comes to applying for rads in this day and age. As long as you have an otherwise competitive application, your board scores won't particularly hold you back from getting a spot somewhere. Just be smart about where you apply.

 

[choa06]

School: Unranked MD program on east coast
Step 1: Low 240s
Step 2: Mid 270s
Pre-clinical: mostly P and HP. A few H
Clinical: 1 H and the rest P and HP. Of note, P in IM and Surgery (had a rough 3rd year with some personal/family stuff that affected my studying etc)
Class rank: Probably 4th quintile!
Research: Nothing significant and no pubs. Going to get on a Rads project soon.
EC's: Collegiate athlete and the normal premed leadership stuff. Intramural sports in Med school and a couple clubs.
LOR: 1 rads, 1 FM, 1 IM

I would like to go to an academic program hopefully in the NW because that's where I'm from. Because rads is on the rise again in terms of competitiveness, I'm worried about my class rank and clinical grades. Should I be all right with "mid-tier" academic programs??

Thanks!

 

[halfwaycrooks]

School: MD school
Step 1: 258
Step 2: 265
Pre-clinical: no red flags
Clinical: 4 H, 3 HP
Class rank: unknown
Research: 2 pubs from undergrad and a poster with a few experiences from med school
EC's: nothing spesh
LOR: 1 rads, 1 EM, 1 FM

What DR programs should I apply to if I want to eventually go IR but think I have no chance at integrated? Looking to stay on east coast and considering UPMC, Penn state, Jeff, Maryland, UVA

 

[Chonks19]

School: Texas (UT System)
Step 1: 259
Step 2: ???
Pre-clinical: Mostly As, two Bs
Clinical: All H
Research: One Pub (not in rads), 6 posters (one in rads)
EC's: Global health, leadership positions in a few orgs
LOR: 3 (1 rad, 2 IM)
Other: GHHS member. AOA TBD

Would love to leave Texas. Ideally shooting for well regarded academic program on either coast (aren't we all?). What are my chances?

 

[AggressiveBurrito]

School: DO school in the west
Step 1: 234
Step 2: Will take next July
Level 1: 578
Pre-clinical: Mostly P's with some H's here and there.
Clinical: One HP so far.
Class Rank: 2nd quartile
Research: None.
EC's: A lot of volunteering from both undergrad and med school.
LOR: I haven't started asking yet, but one family med preceptor offered to write me one.

I just started 3rd year so I know this is far off, but I would like to know if I have any chance of getting into DR. I have no regional preference and would like to get into a decent community program. Any feedback would be much appreciated!

 

[jy4mz.1]

M3
School: MD southeast
Step 1: 233
Step 2: Will take next July
Preclinical: most likely all HPs

Research: one pub, working on 2 more.

Would really like to match in big cities or along either coasts. University program isnt a necessity.

 

[Undercover_Brother]

third year DO student
School: newish southern DO school (5-6 years old)
Step 1: 248. 684 comlex 1
Pre-clinical: first quartile
Clinical: A in family medicine. others TBD
Research: nothing during medical school. 2 pubs from before medical school
EC's: nothing

what i want most is a program where I can see a broad range of patient presentations and disease to get the best training i can. born and raised in California and still have family there but not sure if i am competitive enough to go back. wouldn't be the end of the world if i couldn't go back. also, should i take step 2 CK? should i start doing research?

 

[ucheeee]

Will getting work experience, audits, courses and going to conferences about radiology in the UK help my chances/CV when applying for residency for radiology in the USA?

I am a US citizen but went to medical school overseas. I have done the Step 1 but have failed attempts in the rest. My plan is to first finish the steps but also work in the UK to gain work experience as a doctor and attend many courses and conferences in radiology as possible. I have read that US based experience and observership are the way to go but I just want to know if my plan is somewhat okay too?

 

[hopefulrad08]

US-IMG
Step 1: 216
Step 2 CK: 230
CS: TBD
Step 3: TBD
USCE: 6 months at the moment in IM/FM/Rad/Pathology
Radiology residency completed in home country.

Do I have a chance to get into a radiology program anywhere in the US?

Thanks.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[thenoobrules]

Numbers: MD student at a 2nd tier large Midwest school (ranked 40s-50s on US News by research), 263 step 1, 3 honors/1 high pass in 3rd year so far, 1 2nd author publication (about radiology education, not hardcore clinical science research), 1 manuscript pending (more hardcore rads research), 1 presentation/abstract about psych/neuro research (with fmri component), 4 leadership experiences in med school.

I want to aim for the academic heavy programs in the Midwest, southeast, and Southwest (UChicago, Michigan, Vandy, Mayo, Northwestern, WashU, Case/Cleveland Clinic, Emory, UT Southwestern, Baylor, Duke, UNC etc). I have family connections to MW and SW. I have little interest in matching on the super elite programs on the coasts.

What programs am I competitive for? For the programs that I'm not competitive for, what should I do (away rotations, more research etc)? Thank you!

 

[JoshSt]

Numbers: MD student at a 2nd tier large Midwest school (ranked 40s-50s on US News by research), 263 step 1, 3 honors/1 high pass in 3rd year so far, 1 2nd author publication (about radiology education, not hardcore clinical science research), 1 manuscript pending (more hardcore rads research), 1 presentation/abstract about psych/neuro research (with fmri component), 4 leadership experiences in med school.

I want to aim for the academic heavy programs in the Midwest, southeast, and Southwest (UChicago, Michigan, Vandy, Mayo, Northwestern, WashU, Case/Cleveland Clinic, Emory, UT Southwestern, Baylor, Duke, UNC etc). I have family connections to MW and SW. I have little interest in matching on the super elite programs on the coasts.

What programs am I competitive for? For the programs that I'm not competitive for, what should I do (away rotations, more research etc)? Thank you!

Assuming we're not talking about the IR match -- you're really competitive for all the programs you listed. Some may snub you, such as the Chicago ones if no Chicago connections. Don't do an away, just enjoy 4th year. More research will help to go to whatever you'd consider the best program and best location fit on your list. It sounds like you're headed in that direction.

 

[maybedeadcat]

School: top 40 MD school, has a solid academic reputation
Step 1: 240
Step 2: N/A
Pre-clinical: Pass/fail, all passes
Clinical: so far all HPs (peds, surgery, family) The rest are pending.
Class rank: My school does not rank
Research: Research in ophthalmology (what I thought I wanted to go into), 2 posters, no pubs (yet)
EC's: President of a hobby-related club. I did the usual free clinic volunteering

I’m still in the middle of my third year, but I wanted to see if I’m on track to match into rads. I know I’m not the world’s best applicant, but do I have a good shot at matching somewhere in a major city?

Also I’m curious if my ophtho research is going to raise red flags. Thoughts?

 

[Ravi 0000000]

Interested in DR

School: T20 MD school
Step 1: 242
Pre-clinical: Pass (my school is P/F preclinicals)
Clinical: very mediocre: 2 Pass (surgery and peds), 1 High Pass (psych), and 1 Honors (ob-gyne). I still have neuro and medicine pending.
Class rank: Average
Research: I have 1 rads related poster presentation, no other pubs from med school thus far, 1 publication from undergrad, but it was not medically related; currently working to find more research
EC's: several volunteering and mentoring experiences, officer of school's radiology interest group
LOR: So far, I can count on a strong letter from my radiology PI

I'm not aiming for top programs. I just want to know if I have a shot at a decent, mid-tier academic DR program. I would ideally like to be on the NY-NJ area since I am from there, but I am very flexible in terms of location. With my stats, would doing an away rotation be recommended? If so, which programs should I consider if I want to do an away?

Thanks for the advice!

Hey my score too is 242 on step 1 and do you think I have a chance at emergency medicine... And by the way I am an IMG

 

[Bobcat18]

Hey my score too is 242 on step 1 and do you think I have a chance at emergency medicine... And by the way I am an IMG

Why are you posting in radiology forum about EM chances? I wish there was a more appropriate place to post this question. hmmm...

 

[ehtsuperstar]

What are my chances at a higher tier academic program? (Top 25) I’m interested in DR.

School: mid tier MD in the south
Step 1: 251
Grades: pass fail preclinical. Two honors in honors/pass school in third year, two pass, rest pending. Unknown class rank
Research: 4 first author pubs in an unrelated field. No radiology research.

What aways should I do 4th year if I’m interested in matching on the west coast?

 

[JoshSt]

School: top 40 MD school, has a solid academic reputation
Step 1: 240
Step 2: N/A
Pre-clinical: Pass/fail, all passes
Clinical: so far all HPs (peds, surgery, family) The rest are pending.
Class rank: My school does not rank
Research: Research in ophthalmology (what I thought I wanted to go into), 2 posters, no pubs (yet)
EC's: President of a hobby-related club. I did the usual free clinic volunteering

I’m still in the middle of my third year, but I wanted to see if I’m on track to match into rads. I know I’m not the world’s best applicant, but do I have a good shot at matching somewhere in a major city?

Also I’m curious if my ophtho research is going to raise red flags. Thoughts?

You're fine and on track. Apply broadly - in terms of big city you may not get interviews at the top programs in Boston, NYC, and Chicago but you have a chance to match somewhere decent.

Try to do some rads research if you can to help you stand out.

The optho research won't be a red flag. Someone could theoretically think you're applying to optho with rads as a back-up, but that's a stretch. Just make it clear rads is your passion in PS (you can even say early it was other things including optho).

It would be helpful to have some effort towards rad research.

 

[JoshSt]

Hey my score too is 242 on step 1 and do you think I have a chance at emergency medicine... And by the way I am an IMG

Explore the different forums in SDN. This is a radiology thread on a radiology forum. There are EM forums.

 

[JoshSt]

What are my chances at a higher tier academic program? (Top 25) I’m interested in DR.

School: mid tier MD in the south
Step 1: 251
Grades: pass fail preclinical. Two honors in honors/pass school in third year, two pass, rest pending. Unknown class rank
Research: 4 first author pubs in an unrelated field. No radiology research.

What aways should I do 4th year if I’m interested in matching on the west coast?

You have a good/great chance to match at a top 25 program; you'll certainly get interviews at some. West coast can be a little more difficult.

Do you have life ties to the West coast? If so, you may get more interviews. If not, you'll likely get a few, including some of the good ones.

If the first author pubs are in med school (as opposed to lab research from premed), they may certainly help. Putting efforts towards getting a first author rads pub may help chances.

I wouldn't do an away, search some of the recent posts in this forum for pros/cons. Many agree it won't nec help and may hurt if you have an awkward personality. It's hard to be engaging as a student on a DR rotation, ask too many questions you may be annoying, it's hard to find something to do that's useful, If you did an away trying to do research at an away, that could perhaps be helpful.

If you have ONE program on the West coast that you'd kill to match at and are worried you may not get an interview otherwise, you can do an away to get in the door with a (hopeful) courtesy interview.

 

[JoshSt]

School: Top 20, occasionally breaks into Top 10.
Step 1: high 240s
Step 2: Taking it pretty soon. ~1 SD above the national mean for the shelf exams overall, so just hoping for >255.
Pre-clinical: Pass/fail, all passes
Clinical: 2/3 HP's, 1/3 P's
Class rank: Unsure. expecting 3rd-4th quartile
Research: 6 journal articles (1 first author, 4 second author), 1 conference paper, 7 posters. Most of them are from undergrads and only 1 of them is rads-related. Hopefully more to come but no guarantees.
EC's: A leadership position in ultrasound-related club. Otherwise just occasionally some volunteering here and there.

My faculty advisor told me I would be about 50-50 at my home institution, which is top 10 in rads per doximity, but I think she was being a little too nice there. Still interested in academic programs.
I don't have any geographic restrictions nor ties. In fact, I do not like big cities and any kind of weather in the US is fine with me. My plan is to apply to the Top 50 programs on Doximity rankings + a few that look attractive. Is this going to be okay? Would rather not do any aways (can't afford $$$)

You’re perfect to match at a decent program. Don’t do an away. Your breadth of applications will be good.

 

[wearywanderer]

Current Status: MS-3
School: Top 25 in the midwest (per US News)
Step 1: 233
Step 2: Likely taking it in July and hoping to score >250
Pre-clinical: All passes (pass/fail)
Clinical: 1 HP in surgery (likely 1 P in Ob/Gyn with the rest hopefully being HPs)
Class rank: I haven't got a clue
Research:
- 4 manuscripts/case reports on GI (1) and ortho (3) [2nd - 4th]
- 2 oral presentations on global surgery (1) and ortho (1) [4th, 1st]
- 7 poster presentations global surgery (1) and ortho (6) [mostly 1st]
*all presentations were at national conferences (not sure if this really matters since they're all non-rads though)

EC's: Development committee member in our school's student-run clinic. Otherwise just occasionally some volunteering here and there.
Miscellaneous: I worked as an engineer for a couple years before med school.

My main concerns are my Step I score and my lack of any rads research. My non-ortho research is from undergrad and my ortho research is from med school. I was pretty gung-ho about ortho until recently, but the first half of third year has left me wanting something less procedural, more problem-solving, and broader in scope. I would appreciate any tips for applying and advice on how to strengthen my application between now and Sept/Oct.

I don't really have any geographic restrictions nor ties, but I definitely prefer big cities and large, urban areas on either coasts. When the time comes though, I still plan to apply pretty broadly. Which big city programs would I have a solid shot at and which would be reaches? How about ESIR programs?

 

[wearywanderer]

@JoshSt or @SpartanWolverine could I get your opinion on my situation above with regard to chances and potential (ESIR) programs? I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[JoshSt]

@JoshSt or @SpartanWolverine could I get your opinion on my situation above with regard to chances and potential (ESIR) programs? I would greatly appreciate it!

You're well suited to match at a good academic program or a better-tier community/hybrid program, if you'd prefer the latter.

Noted that your step 1 is below the mean for DR but your application is good with the prior research endeavors. The research activities will surely help and it's ok that they're not rads-related. Just try to communicate in your application the sense that you're not dual applying to ortho.

If your program has a good radiology program, it'd be good to try and initiate a rads-related research project. You may/may not get it finished before ERAS but the effort in doing it will give you something to talk about. Additionally, it may help a radiology faculty write your LOR for ERAS application.

For ESIR, that won't be an issue as it's decided in the middle (or middle-ish) of radiology residency, not determined out of the match. It doesn't matter that you don't have the stats of people that match into the IR residency, in my experience the ESIR process is much lower key. Some (very good )programs have more ESIR spots than interested residents. IOW, if you want to do ESIR, you'll get it in many residency programs.

Just target programs that have some ESIR spots and you can initiate some IR research during residency. And, like many med students interested in radiology (myself included) you'll prob go into radiology residency with a strong interest in IR that will die out once you realize that DR is pretty cool in its own right.

 

[wearywanderer]

You're well suited to match at a good academic program or a better-tier community/hybrid program, if you'd prefer the latter.

Thank you so much! I appreciate your insight into my "CV" and advice on how to proceed moving forward. I'll be sure to get involved in rads research asap. I do have two follow-up questions if you don't mind.

1. What should I do about AIs? The earliest I can take an elective is July - the start of 4th year. While my home rads program has a bunch of different electives available, none of them are specifically designated as AIs. Should I seek them out at other institutions via VSAS?

2. I'm not familiar yet with the rankings of different DR programs. What's an example of a good academic program or a better-tier community program? Also, how do you define a "hybrid" program?

 

[radhopeful2020]

Current Status: MS-3
School: mid-range MD program
Step 1: 260+
Step 2: not taken yet
Pre-clinical: All passes (pass/fail)
Clinical: 2 honors (including surgery), 2 passes, 2 TBD (H/P/F school)
Class rank: not sure
Research:
1 abstract, 2 presentations, one second author publication (all radiology-related)

EC's: nothing noteworthy, didn't really get involved with student clubs and the like

no significant regional preferences, but would prefer a strong academic program. thoughts?

 

[Aurum]

Current Status: MS-3
School: mid-range MD program
Step 1: 260+
Step 2: not taken yet
Pre-clinical: All passes (pass/fail)
Clinical: 2 honors (including surgery), 2 passes, 2 TBD (H/P/F school)
Class rank: not sure
Research:
1 abstract, 2 presentations, one second author publication (all radiology-related)

EC's: nothing noteworthy, didn't really get involved with student clubs and the like

no significant regional preferences, but would prefer a strong academic program. thoughts?

You should be good for a top 20 DR program with those stats and if you continue with the research.

 

[bananasewq]

Current Status: MS-3
School: Top 50 MD program, Midwest
Step 1: 250
Step 2: Not yet
Pre-clinical: All passes, school is pass/fail
Clinical: 3 honors, 1 high pass (family medicine), waiting on surgery and medicine. (Honors, high pass, pass, fail school)
Class rank: Definitely top half, maybe top 25%, I'm not sure though
Research:
2 basic science papers from undergrad- GI related. Like 4-5th author
1 clinical paper from medical school- pain related, 2nd author
3 abstracts- 3 from undergrad (GI related).
3 posters- from medical school (1 GI, 1 psych, 1 pain)
1 oral presentation for Society of Interventional Radiology journal club

Planning on doing radiology research this spring/summer

EC's: 6ish volunteer "experiences," rads interest group, nothing else really. Lots of hobbies though I'd like to think

I do have Chicago connections. I would like to be in a city, something like Boston, LA, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver. What are my chances at the top academic places in the Midwest, like WashU, Northwestern, Michigan etc.? Also should I do aways on the West Coast/East Coast if I want to try to match there, or are aways a no-no these days?

Thanks!