FAQ: What are my chances?

[AzBasRad]

Hey all, curious about my chances at academic institutions. I am open to anywhere in the country with preference given to NY (from NYC). Where should I be applying and how many applications should I send?

Current Status: Rising M4, Male, URM
School: Lower tier MD in Northeast.
Step 1: 248
Step 2 CK: Not yet taken.
Pre-Clinical: All P (P/F only system)
Clinical: Honors 5/7 (other two were HP)
AOA: Not nominated for junior AOA but shot at senior AOA
Class rank: Not released to us, but guessing second quartile.
Research: Working on 3 non radiology manuscripts (1 will be 1st author, other one will 2nd author). 2 Abstracts accepted as posters (non rads) and contributing editor for monthly journal. Working on securing some rads related research before ERAS opens.
LORs: One strong letter from radiology elective. One strong letter from my M3 Peds preceptor, and anticipating another strong one from my IM preceptor. Could secure a very strong psych letter as well.
ECs: Tutoring and mentorship for premeds and inner city students.

Your app is solid, so congrats! For rads "research", you can look into quick case reports in RSNA case collection, ACR Case in Point etc.

I am from NYC as well and had a similarly competitive app. I applied to ~50 Rads program with 60%-40% breakdown between "top" tier and "mid" tier institutions concentrating primarily along the East Coast (since I was regionally limited).
My institutions's PD advises ~45-50 applications regardless of competitiveness and so consider that your minimum.

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[DocMcFly]

Your app is solid, so congrats! For rads "research", you can look into quick case reports in RSNA case collection, ACR Case in Point etc.

I am from NYC as well and had a similarly competitive app. I applied to ~50 Rads program with 60%-40% breakdown between "top" tier and "mid" tier institutions concentrating primarily along the East Coast (since I was regionally limited).
My institutions's PD advises ~45-50 applications regardless of competitiveness and so consider that your minimum.

Thank you for your feedback and advice!

 

[AzBasRad]

With a 256 step 1 score are Manhattan radiology residencies very realistic to match too for an MD applicant?

Your Step score is sufficient for ALL radiology programs.

 

[AzBasRad]

Provided you have ok stats for radiology (Step 1 ~240), a general advice for anyone thinking whether they should apply to a program or not --> just apply. If interviews remain virtual (and I strongly suspect they will), application fees is not where you save money. Unless AAMC takes a measure to limit applications, all of your colleagues will be overapplying as well. Worse case scenario is you will be ghosted/ rejected by the program.

You can take certain measures, like crafting targeted personal statements or having mentors contact PD/APD on your behalf, to boost your chances of being seen.

This past application cycle has been interesting. As an NYC native, I was ghosted by a "top" NYC program where I had ties and submitted program specific personal statement, but was invited by many other out-of-region "top" programs.

 

[Mo991]

Hello
An IMG here, finishing radiology residency next year (june 2022)
Step 1 score 240
Step 2 score 262
1 publication so far, working on some more now.
What are my chances to match?
Your help is really appreciated.

 

[KansasCityKid]

Hey guys, third year MD student from midwest applying this cycle trying to gauge competitiveness for DR programs.

Current Status: Rising M4
School: Average MD school
Step 1: 239
Step 2 CK: Currently studying.
Pre-Clinical: All S and HS (S/HS/H)
Clinical: This is my concern (S/HS/H): IM - S, OB - S, Psych - H, Surg - H, Peds - HS, FM - S, Neuro - HS.
AOA: No
Class rank: Not sure, likely 3/5 quintile.
Research: 4 nationally presented abstracts in a surgical subspecialty.
LORs: Letters should be fine (DR, IR, Surg, Peds).
ECs: Inner city food shelter, couple cool hobbies.

So my big concern is my lack of research in radiology, and my third year grades. Would really appreciate peoples opinions on my chances. Planning on applying pretty broadly

 

[FoodisGood163]

Current Status: Rising MS-4
School: Average US MD
Step 1: 255
Step 2: not yet
Pre-clinical: H/P/F 8 Honors, 8 Pass
Clinical: H/P/F All honors, except Surgery (1st rotation - pass)
Class rank: Top 10%
AOA: Yes
Research:
- 1 COVID paper published in Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, 3rd author; I really wanted to help during the early months for COVID, even though this wasn't rads related
- 1 abstract presentation
- 3 case reports in radiology
- 1 pending paper for radiology, trying to get it published in a journal somewhere

1 great IM chair letter, 1 great rads letter, 1 letter from our campus dean
EC's: worked with a hospital during covid to help develop best-practice guidelines for them with their team, a lot of school outreach (high school, undergrad), started a radiology program to increase interest (geared towards high schoolers and college), volunteerism here and there
Miscellaneous: taught suture clinics

Wanting to see how competitive I am for top 20 programs! Been a big goal of mine to get accepted to one of these place

 

[Steve_Zissou]

Current Status: OMS4
School: US DO
Step 1: 249
Step 2: 255
Pre-clinical: Pass (on P/F)
Clinical: H/P/Marginal Pass, Honors in FM, IM, Surg, and peds
Class rank: Not listed by school

Research:
- 1 poster presentation during my masters
- 2 research projects in IR that are submitted and awaiting publication

A great FM letter, great IM letter, solid Orthopedic surgeon letter, and a great radiology letter
EC's: Big brothers big sisters program, military, some other small things here and there, hobbies that are interesting and likely to spark conversations
Also, I'm a URM immigrant, if that matters.

How choosy should I be, if at all? I have no idea where my range/sweet spot is.

 

[hahapencil]

deleted

 

[UnBearable]

Current Status: MS4
School: State school
Step 1: 240
Step 2: 257
Pre-clinical: All passes (p/f only)
Clinical: 4 H, 2 HP (IM, OBGYN), 1 P (Peds)
Class rank: program does not rank
AOA: No
Research:
- 3 publications (non-rads)
- 6 poster presentations (2 at national conferences)
LORs:
- Strong letter from IR fellowship director.
- Strong letter from Psych rotation (offered to write letter without me prompting).
- Looking for IM letters on next rotation.
EC's:
- Three leadership positions throughout med school.
- 5 weak/unsubstantial service experiences.
- Nontrad applicant; had professional health degree prior to med school.

How many programs should I apply to? Should I even try to apply to prestigious programs despite my standard/relatively average (for rads) Step1 score? Thanks y'all!

 

[Bagocats]

Hello, MS3 here and would like to know my chances of matching into DR so far/how many programs should I apply to:

Preclinical GPA: 3.95 (Still do a traditional grading system)
Preclinical class rank: I don’t officially know but I would guess in the top 10-15%
Clinical Grades: None in yet, just started M3 year
School: Average State MD school in the Southeast US
Step 1: 249
Research: Undergrad- 2 posters and 1 oral presentation at a neuroscience conference; Med school- was briefly involved with a basic science lab but COVID ruined that before I ever got to really do anything
Extracurricular: Leadership positions in 3 different student interest groups (facilitated various things within those groups such as a fundraiser, match panels, a charity drive, meetings, etc.)
Desired program: Something decent in the Southeast US

My Weakness:
-I hate research. I would definitely do a few case reports but I just don’t want to be in a lab
-There is no radiology program at my home institution, very difficult to network
-I would really like to stay in the Southeastern US, born and raised here with significant ties. Not too keen on going far off


I’d appreciate any input or advice!

 

[brownman23]

Hello, MS3 here and would like to know my chances of matching into DR so far/how many programs should I apply to:

Preclinical GPA: 3.95 (Still do a traditional grading system)
Preclinical class rank: I don’t officially know but I would guess in the top 10-15%
Clinical Grades: None in yet, just started M3 year
School: Average State MD school in the Southeast US
Step 1: 249
Research: Undergrad- 2 posters and 1 oral presentation at a neuroscience conference; Med school- was briefly involved with a basic science lab but COVID ruined that before I ever got to really do anything
Extracurricular: Leadership positions in 3 different student interest groups (facilitated various things within those groups such as a fundraiser, match panels, a charity drive, meetings, etc.)
Desired program: Something decent in the Southeast US

My Weakness:
-I hate research. I would definitely do a few case reports but I just don’t want to be in a lab
-There is no radiology program at my home institution, very difficult to network
-I would really like to stay in the Southeastern US, born and raised here with significant ties. Not too keen on going far off


I’d appreciate any input or advice!

As long as you do half-way decent in M3, you'll be match just fine to a Southeastern program. You'll likely not match at Duke or Emory unless you get some research in during M3+M4, but there are plenty of programs that focus less on research but still see tons of pathology+volume in the southeast.

 

[workaholic007]

Low Tier School..238 Step score..No clinical grades yet, most likely 1/2 HP & 1/2 honors...2 research pubs in surgery. Chances for big university program, perhaps in west coast? what can I do to increase chances. will I match well?

 

[AzBasRad]

Low Tier School..238 Step score..No clinical grades yet, most likely 1/2 HP & 1/2 honors...2 research pubs in surgery. Chances for big university program, perhaps in west coast? what can I do to increase chances. will I match well?

The following thread has some sage advice on matching into "top" programs.

Matching into competitive residencies?

.

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[marine12]

urrent Status: MS-3
School: DO
Step 1: 236
Step 2: NA
Pre-clinical: P/F All pass
Clinical: H/NH/HP/P/F only 1 rotation so far, high pass
Class rank: No class rank
AOA: No
Research:
1- poster from med school
1- paper from undergrad
Extensive prior work history to med school


I am from AZ and would like to match there

How do I get complete the "case files" I see people discuss

Thanks!

 

[matthew87922]

Hi ,

I’m a 4th year from low-tier MD school. I’m planning to apply for DR this year. My brief summary of app as follows:

I’m a US army veteran. Did bunch of volunteers during med school. 4H (surg&IM) and 2HP during Clerkships. Published couple case reports and submitted two radiology paper to RSNA that still under review (I’m the 1st and 2nd authors). Four strong letters from gen surgery, IM, two from radiologists. I got 247 on step1 but got 241 on step2.

I want to do DR residency at New York, preferably New York City where my family lives. Can you guys let me know if I have any chances match into a competitive DR residency at NY? Or anywhere? (I’m really concern of my drop in step2 score)


I know it’s a little bit late but is there anything I can do to boost my application a lit bit more? Or increases my chances?


I’m thinking to apply 80-100 programs

What’s my odds of getting into TY programs?

Any guidance/advices are appreciated, thank you so much.

 

[bobjonesbob]

Hi ,

I’m a 4th year from low-tier MD school. I’m planning to apply for DR this year. My brief summary of app as follows:

I’m a US army veteran. Did bunch of volunteers during med school. 4H (surg&IM) and 2HP during Clerkships. Published couple case reports and submitted two radiology paper to RSNA that still under review (I’m the 1st and 2nd authors). Four strong letters from gen surgery, IM, two from radiologists. I got 247 on step1 but got 241 on step2.

I want to do DR residency at New York, preferably New York City where my family lives. Can you guys let me know if I have any chances match into a competitive DR residency at NY? Or anywhere? (I’m really concern of my drop in step2 score)


I know it’s a little bit late but is there anything I can do to boost my application a lit bit more? Or increases my chances?


I’m thinking to apply 80-100 programs

What’s my odds of getting into TY programs?

Any guidance/advices are appreciated, thank you so much.

100 programs is way too many. You'll be fine with 40-50. Just make sure you have an appropriate balance of programs in different tiers.

Your scores are below average for any top programs. Being an army veteran is unique and should help your app standout, even more so if you had a long career or military accolades. The other aspects of your app are solid but not exceptional. Best thing you can do at this point is make some personalized personal statements or work on some letters of interest to email to programs.

TY programs in general aren't that competitive anymore. The best programs or programs in desirable locations are still competitive but like radiology you can match a TY somewhere quite easily. Many other specialties eg: anesthesia, derm, optho have moved moved to integrated programs which has decreased the competition for TY spots. Plus in some places like Florida there's been a massive increase in new TYs opening up at HCA hospitals.

 

[matthew87922]

100 programs is way too many. You'll be fine with 40-50. Just make sure you have an appropriate balance of programs in different tiers.

Your scores are below average for any top programs. Being an army veteran is unique and should help your app standout, even more so if you had a long career or military accolades. The other aspects of your app are solid but not exceptional. Best thing you can do at this point is make some personalized personal statements or work on some letters of interest to email to programs.

TY programs in general aren't that competitive anymore. The best programs or programs in desirable locations are still competitive but like radiology you can match a TY somewhere quite easily. Many other specialties eg: anesthesia, derm, optho have moved moved to integrated programs which has decreased the competition for TY spots. Plus in some places like Florida there's been a massive increase in new TYs opening up at HCA hospitals.

Hey man, thank you so much for your thoughts.
I was kind of concerned that the drop on step2 would close lots of doors, but I guess my app is not competitive for the top-notch programs even without the drop...lol
Do you PDs would care about the drop on step2 tho? I think it's an obvious weak point in my application.

 

[MrMimeGuy]

Please help!! Deciding on rads late, need to see if I'm crazy. Per NRMP my stats have a 90%ish chance of matching, but I don't have a rads LoR and am curious if that'll hurt me a lot or if i should be ok? More than happy to apply to 100+ to match. Would prefer community programs over academics anyways.

Current Status: MS-4
School: low tier MD
Step 1: 215
Step 2: 236
Pre-clinical: P/F All pass
Clinical: H/HP/P/F all high pass, very hard to honor at my school.
Class rank: N/A
AOA: N/A
LORS: NONE from DR. No rotation yet (will do in November). Have FM/IM/Peds/Pulm cc, all strong letters.
Research: 3 pubs, 1 more coming. 10+ oral and poster presentations most at state and national conferences.
EC's: mostly from undergrad. Was in charge of medical schools free clinic as the student leader. Started volunteer groups in undergrad. Lots of volunteering hours overall with lots of leadership roles.

 

[Osmosis_JonesDO]

I posted on here earlier, hoping someone can give me some feedback with my updated scores

D.O student
COMLEX Level 1 563
COMLEX Level 2 697

Step 1 234
Step 2 258

1 first author radiology case report publication , 3 pending submissions
1 DR letter, 1 IR letter, 1 peds-sub I letter, 1 IM letter

bottom half preclinical
2 honors 3rd year (psych, OBGYN)
Good feedback in MSPE
No red flags

Solid EC's and leadership positions
Applying to basically every program that has ever taken a D.O.
Please be honest

 

[AzBasRad]

Please help!! Deciding on rads late, need to see if I'm crazy. Per NRMP my stats have a 90%ish chance of matching, but I don't have a rads LoR and am curious if that'll hurt me a lot or if i should be ok? More than happy to apply to 100+ to match. Would prefer community programs over academics anyways.

Current Status: MS-4
School: low tier MD
Step 1: 215
Step 2: 236
Pre-clinical: P/F All pass
Clinical: H/HP/P/F all high pass, very hard to honor at my school.
Class rank: N/A
AOA: N/A
LORS: NONE from DR. No rotation yet (will do in November). Have FM/IM/Peds/Pulm cc, all strong letters.
Research: 3 pubs, 1 more coming. 10+ oral and poster presentations most at state and national conferences.
EC's: mostly from undergrad. Was in charge of medical schools free clinic as the student leader. Started volunteer groups in undergrad. Lots of volunteering hours overall with lots of leadership roles.

Step scores and lack of rads LoRs will be a problem, although it is not uncommon for folks to switch into DR last minute. For your other LoRs, can the writers mention your late blooming interest in DR? Fortunately, DR programs cares more about letters from other clinicians than radiologists, since most med students can't meaningfully get involved in the reading room. At many institutions, there are rads clinical advisors who write generic good letters for medical students. As a last resort, approach them maybe to work something out?

How did you become interested in DR and how do you know you want to do it as a career (without taking an elective and following residents in the reading room?) Make sure to address those motivations in your personal statement .

 

[AzBasRad]

I posted on here earlier, hoping someone can give me some feedback with my updated scores

D.O student
COMLEX Level 1 563
COMLEX Level 2 697

Step 1 234
Step 2 258

1 first author radiology case report publication , 3 pending submissions
1 DR letter, 1 IR letter, 1 peds-sub I letter, 1 IM letter

bottom half preclinical
2 honors 3rd year (psych, OBGYN)
Good feedback in MSPE
No red flags

Solid EC's and leadership positions
Applying to basically every program that has ever taken a D.O.
Please be honest

Well you will match somewhere. Your application strategy is also smart (applying to programs that have taken DOs). Good luck!

 

[MrMimeGuy]

Step scores and lack of rads LoRs will be a problem, although it is not uncommon for folks to switch into DR last minute. For your other LoRs, can the writers mention your late blooming interest in DR? Fortunately, DR programs cares more about letters from other clinicians than radiologists, since most med students can't meaningfully get involved in the reading room. At many institutions, there are rads clinical advisors who write generic good letters for medical students. As a last resort, approach them maybe to work something out?

How did you become interested in DR and how do you know you want to do it as a career (without taking an elective and following residents in the reading room?) Make sure to address those motivations in your personal statement .

Thanks for getting back to me.

All of my letters will say something akin to "MrMimeGuy will make a great Radiologist" if that's what you mean. They'll specifically mention my interest in Radiology, they're not generic. I'm trying to brainstorm some creative ways to get a Rads LoR. Hopefully I figure something out soon...

I have rotated in other specialties (such as Rad Onc) that have an emphasis on imaging. I actually attended lectures taught by radiologists and visited them to discuss imaging at times as well, which kind of slowly built my interest in the field. It sincerely just took me a really long time to realize that I could be happy as a doctor without clinical work and that I found other aspects of the job just as satisfying, if not more. I had to break down some preconceived ideas of what it meant to me to be a doctor and becoming comfortable with myself and my passions. Ultimately at this time I'm not sure what I want more, Rad Onc or Rads, especially weighing the job market concerns of RO, but I figure I can sign up for Rads electives in my remaining time as a med student and get a more authentic view of the specialty through those experiences, and come to a decision before March.

Thanks for taking the time to help me out.

 

[workaholic007]

Thanks for getting back to me.

All of my letters will say something akin to "MrMimeGuy will make a great Radiologist" if that's what you mean. They'll specifically mention my interest in Radiology, they're not generic. I'm trying to brainstorm some creative ways to get a Rads LoR. Hopefully I figure something out soon...

I have rotated in other specialties (such as Rad Onc) that have an emphasis on imaging. I actually attended lectures taught by radiologists and visited them to discuss imaging at times as well, which kind of slowly built my interest in the field. It sincerely just took me a really long time to realize that I could be happy as a doctor without clinical work and that I found other aspects of the job just as satisfying, if not more. I had to break down some preconceived ideas of what it meant to me to be a doctor and becoming comfortable with myself and my passions. Ultimately at this time I'm not sure what I want more, Rad Onc or Rads, especially weighing the job market concerns of RO, but I figure I can sign up for Rads electives in my remaining time as a med student and get a more authentic view of the specialty through those experiences, and come to a decision before March.

Thanks for taking the time to help me out.

maybe dual apply given the step score? To my knowledge step matters a lot for DR. your step 2 is not that much better. Just trying to give constructive feedback. Maybe someone can correcct me if I am wrong.

 

[futuredoc111]

PGY-1 Gen Surg DO with scores in mid 230s for Step 1 and high 230s for step 2, with low 600s for Level 1 and mid 600s for Level 2. I was first quartile (top 10%) in my med school class, honored all but my surgery rotation (lol), have 3 first-authored publications in decent basic science journals, and tons of volunteer + EC + leadership experience. I matched general surgery last year and had surprisingly great interviews for a DO student at a handful of mid-tier academic places that take way more MDs than DOs, and even a few "reach" places as well. Chances of getting into a Radiology residency position via transferring or reapplying?? Thank you!

 

[UnBearable]

Current Status: MS4
School: State school, midwest
Step 1: 240
Step 2: 257
Pre-clinical: All passes (p/f only)
Clinical: 4 H, 2 HP (IM, OBGYN), 1 P (Peds)
Class rank: program does not rank
AOA: No
Research:
- 1 publications (non-rads), 2 abstracts
- 6 poster presentations (2 at national conferences)
LORs:
- Strong letter from IR fellowship director.
- Strong letter from Psych rotation (offered to write letter without me prompting).
- x2 at least average/good IM letters from sub-i.
EC's:
- Three leadership positions throughout med school.
- 5 weak/unsubstantial service experiences.
- Nontrad applicant; had professional health degree prior to med school.

How many programs should I apply to? Should I even try to apply to prestigious programs despite my standard/relatively average (for rads) Step1 score? Thanks y'all!

Hello, I am finalizing my ERAS list and had some questions. I applying to about ~45 programs.

I have a question about which programs are considered "community programs"? I'm worried that I might have too many academic programs and may not have much success. How much of my program list should be community vs academic programs?

 

[MadRadLad]

Hello, I am finalizing my ERAS list and had some questions. I applying to about ~45 programs.

I have a question about which programs are considered "community programs"? I'm worried that I might have too many academic programs and may not have much success. How much of my program list should be community vs academic programs?

With your scores you should be fine as long as your list isn't all top 20s. Apply to most university programs and you will get plenty of interviews.

 

[Winter2014]

Hey guys, need some input. Step 1 was 241 and got my step 2 score this morning after i submitted ERAS, it was a 218. I am crushed by this score. I am a DO and already had submitted to about 100 programs but now I think I will not match. No other red flags, all my LORs are in. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Ho0v-man]

Hey guys, need some input. Step 1 was 241 and got my step 2 score this morning after i submitted ERAS, it was a 218. I am crushed by this score. I am a DO and already had submitted to about 100 programs but now I think I will not match. No other red flags, all my LORs are in. Any advice is appreciated.

Sucks this happened to you. But at this point, there’s no turning back. Whatever happens…happens. I know this is easier advice to give than follow. But there’s literally nothing else you can do.

I’m sure with 100 programs, there were some safeties. Most rads community programs are actually pretty good. You’ve still got a solid step 1 going for you.

Once you process all of this, you should consider prepping an interview response for the drop.

 

[AzBasRad]

Hey everyone, trying to get some input on my potential app to DR as my SO ranks places for fellowship and where would be the best at giving us a chance to keep in at least relative proximity

-Northeast 3rd year DO student, moved here for school
-Passed all pre-clinicals, honored 1 semester
-235-240 range step 1
-580-590 range comlex 1
-Passing all clinicals right now, no honors yet
-1 publication (low down on authorship list), 4-5 posters/presentation experiences (MS degree if that matters). Most research is radiology related
-1-3 volunteer experiences and leadership in EC's during school
-1 LOR from radiology related research experience, strong letter from psych rotation (encouraged me to ask for letter)

Would prefer to stay in the NE. SO is interviewing at top tier academic centers for a medicine sub-specialty. How likely are cities like NYC, Boston, Philly, Pittsburgh, New Haven for me? Outside of the NE are places like Chicago, Houston or Northern California too much of a reach? I have been having a hard time finding if some programs are DO friendly or not, stalking the Doximity page only yields so much info. Thanks for the help.

You definitely have the right idea. As a region, NE is extremely DO friendly and there are plenty of programs in NYC, Long Island, NJ, Philly, Delaware with strong track record of taking DOs. I would recommend (1) looking at your institution's prior match lists to see which institutions have taken your alumni and maybe getting in touch with them, and (2) looking into the twitter pages of the programs to get an idea of the most recent class.

 

[UnlimitedTraction]

Current Status: MS3
School: mid-tier USMD
Step 1: 264
Step 2: TBD
Pre-clinical: P/F All P
Clinical: 4H, rest pending
Class rank: top quartile
AOA: TBD, assume no because of poor ECs/leadership, which play a big role
LORS: one from research advisor, one from surgery clerkship, hope to get 1-2 DR LORs
Research: 10 pubs, 7 as first author. Another 10 poster/podium/abstracts, including a few at international conferences/NIH. Research not clinical radiology though there is some connection via basic science and computing.
EC's: my concern - I have virtually none. I do have some interesting hobbies. Minimal volunteer and club activities. No campus leadership positions. Interest group member.

My question is, will I be cut out for T10 programs? I would like to do residency at a top academic institution where I can continue with my research interests in residency and beyond.

 

[workaholic007]

Current Status: MS3
School: mid-tier USMD
Step 1: 264
Step 2: TBD
Pre-clinical: P/F All P
Clinical: 4H, rest pending
Class rank: top quartile
AOA: TBD, assume no because of poor ECs/leadership, which play a big role
LORS: one from research advisor, one from surgery clerkship, hope to get 1-2 DR LORs
Research: 10 pubs, 7 as first author. Another 10 poster/podium/abstracts, including a few at international conferences/NIH. Research not clinical radiology though there is some connection via basic science and computing.
EC's: my concern - I have virtually none. I do have some interesting hobbies. Minimal volunteer and club activities. No campus leadership positions. Interest group member.

My question is, will I be cut out for T10 programs? I would like to do residency at a top academic institution where I can continue with my research interests in residency and beyond.

dude posts like this makes me feel like I am gonna match in a community program or not match at all

 

[Feelgood MD]

Anybody have advice on the number of programs to apply to as a DO student with a step 1 of 223? Step 2 and letters TBD. Currently have 4-5 rad pubs as OMS3. Third quartile student. Glad to hear any and all input.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

Anybody have advice on the number of programs to apply to as a DO student with a step 1 of 223? Step 2 and letters TBD. Currently have 4-5 rad pubs as OMS3. Third quartile student. Glad to hear any and all input.

If next year is anything like this year, you will have a very hard time. Lots of DOs this year with 250/250+ getting very few invites. Crowded out by more MDs applying and the surgical subspecialty dual applicants. Not saying it’s impossible, but the match this year will give you a better idea than previous years.

 

[Feelgood MD]

If next year is anything like this year, you will have a very hard time. Lots of DOs this year with 250/250+ getting very few invites. Crowded out by more MDs applying and the surgical subspecialty dual applicants. Not saying it’s impossible, but the match this year will give you a better idea than previous years.

I am fairly agnostic about the waves, but aren’t there still more invites to come? I imagine DOs in general get more love later on.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

I am fairly agnostic about the waves, but aren’t there still more invites to come? I imagine DOs in general get more love later on.

There are, I'm sure. But this year, there are more US MDs applying alone than there are rad residency spots.

 

[UnBearable]

Anybody have advice on the number of programs to apply to as a DO student with a step 1 of 223? Step 2 and letters TBD. Currently have 4-5 rad pubs as OMS3. Third quartile student. Glad to hear any and all input.

MDs and DOs are applying to an average >70 programs this season. It's insane, there are SO MANY PEOPLE with very few interviews with great stats. If you're set on DR, consider applying to a backup specialty. DOs with high Step1 and Step 2 scores are struggling to get interviews.

Edit: attached graph - Programs experienced an increase in applications by 30% this year.

 

[workaholic007]

Has Radiology ever been this competitive (especially for DOs) in the past? Wondering if this is cyclical/temporary perhaps due to COVID or if Rads has joined the derm/surgical subspecialty tier for good..

I think in general everything might be becoming more competitive. It seems like everything has increased 20% at least for the most part. Ortho, derm, neurology etc also have increased large amount of apps.

This is probably due to people applying to more programs during COVID with virtual interviews. This is my interpretation.

 

[guytakingboards]

Has Radiology ever been this competitive (especially for DOs) in the past? Wondering if this is cyclical/temporary perhaps due to COVID or if Rads has joined the derm/surgical subspecialty tier for good..

Radiology has been incredibly cyclical over the last 20 years. Resident recruitment hit a nadir in the mid 2010's with lots of unfilled programs and overall lower average step 1 scores and grades. It's been on an upswing ever since.

The overall applicant pool (and top end of the applicant pool) got a big boost from the introduction of the integrated IR/DR pathway. Suddenly a good number of candidates who were looking at other competitive procedural specialties (e.g. plastics/ortho/NS/ENT) started considering IR and by extension DR.

I have no doubt there will be another downswing in competitiveness at some point. The fear of AI taking over the field will become more and more realistic over time. Also, if mid-levels are ever allowed the practice independently like other fields, I'd consider those two things a death sentence for the field and its competitiveness.

 

[Jstnschltz]

- MS3/4 (Currently in a gap between M3 and M4)
- Top 20 Med School
- No pre-clinical ranking
- 4th quartile for clinicals (3 honors and rest HP somehow gets me 4th quartile at my school)
- AOA: No
- GHHS: No
- Step 1: 237
- Step 2: Taking in summer

- Clinical grades: 3 honors (peds, psych surg), rest high pass. Somehow this gets me a 4th quartile at my school. Whatever.

- Don't have any recs as of yet (can get from some mentors though). Haven't done a DR elective or sub-I or anything like that yet.

- Research: 40ish publications on my CV, mix of translational/wet lab research (in radiology), and a number of oncology/surgical oncology clinical research papers. 2 book chapters. 22 abstracts/presentations. Two research awards at a few conferences. Was also heavily involved in designing, establishing an IDE clinical trial at my institution to evaluate a novel biomedical device for implant in patients.

- Patents: 3, hopefully a 4th one before ERAS is submitted.

- Extracurriculars: Consulted for a few medical device companies during med school. Engaged with the FDA to allow clinical trial approval/etc, European approval. Wrote (almost entirely) a grant that got funded for about ~$1M from the NIH.

- Currently in a gap year in industry working on the development of AI/novel technologies as it applies to both DR and IR.

Ideally, really really really would want to match at one of the NY academic radiology programs (NYU/Cornell/Sinai) if possible. I grew up in NYC and would love to finally return home.

 

[SeisK]

- MS3/4 (Currently in a gap between M3 and M4)
- Top 20 Med School
- No pre-clinical ranking
- 4th quartile for clinicals (3 honors and rest HP somehow gets me 4th quartile at my school)
- AOA: No
- GHHS: No
- Step 1: 237
- Step 2: Taking in summer

- Clinical grades: 3 honors (peds, psych surg), rest high pass. Somehow this gets me a 4th quartile at my school. Whatever.

- Don't have any recs as of yet (can get from some mentors though). Haven't done a DR elective or sub-I or anything like that yet.

- Research: 40ish publications on my CV, mix of translational/wet lab research (in radiology), and a number of oncology/surgical oncology clinical research papers. 2 book chapters. 22 abstracts/presentations. Two research awards at a few conferences. Was also heavily involved in designing, establishing an IDE clinical trial at my institution to evaluate a novel biomedical device for implant in patients.

- Patents: 3, hopefully a 4th one before ERAS is submitted.

- Extracurriculars: Consulted for a few medical device companies during med school. Engaged with the FDA to allow clinical trial approval/etc, European approval. Wrote (almost entirely) a grant that got funded for about ~$1M from the NIH.

- Currently in a gap year in industry working on the development of AI/novel technologies as it applies to both DR and IR.

Ideally, really really really would want to match at one of the NY academic radiology programs (NYU/Cornell/Sinai) if possible. I grew up in NYC and would love to finally return home.

You’ll be fine in terms of garnering interviews. The ONLY concern I have, and this may be nothing so ignore if not relevant, is not the clinical grades themselves, but why you got those grades. It’s well known that top tier schools grade inflate their clinical years, but because they’re top 20 it’s a non-issue. The only thing I wonder is the reason you got 4th quartile. Were you difficult to work with compared to your peers? Did you just say “eff off” to the shelves (if you were required to take them)? Did you shirk clerkship responsibilities? A mid-quartile top 20 student is the same as a top quartile. A bottom quartile might have a person ask a question or two.

The rest of your app is great for top 10-20, and growing up in NYC is a huge plus. But it doesn’t matter if you’re already R01 funded, nobody wants to work next to someone who might be a headache. Again, not saying this is the case, it’s something I’d think about though.

 

[Jstnschltz]

You’ll be fine in terms of garnering interviews. The ONLY concern I have, and this may be nothing so ignore if not relevant, is not the clinical grades themselves, but why you got those grades. It’s well known that top tier schools grade inflate their clinical years, but because they’re top 20 it’s a non-issue. The only thing I wonder is the reason you got 4th quartile. Were you difficult to work with compared to your peers? Did you just say “eff off” to the shelves (if you were required to take them)? Did you shirk clerkship responsibilities? A mid-quartile top 20 student is the same as a top quartile. A bottom quartile might have a person ask a question or two.

The rest of your app is great for top 10-20, and growing up in NYC is a huge plus. But it doesn’t matter if you’re already R01 funded, nobody wants to work next to someone who might be a headache. Again, not saying this is the case, it’s something I’d think about though.

Great question, and appreciate your candor. Honestly, I'm just pretty quiet - and I'm sure masks during COVID didn't really help. For what its worth my interpersonal skills were highly commented on (positively) in the summaries. Definitely got the classic "performed at the level of an intern and was a pleasure to have around -> HIGH PASS" . Can't give you a great answer honestly.

 

[RetakeGlory]

More just a preliminary question as a new M3 wondering if it would be even worth pursuing rads further with my current stats:

Step 1: Will likely be 23X or a Pass (haven't decided if I'm taking it for score or P/F yet) Class of 2023 (most will have score)
Pre-clinical: P/F unranked
Clinical grades: 1 Honor, 3 HP, 3 P
Ranking: Will likely be 3rd or 4th quartile based on what I've heard from upperclassmen
AOA: no
School: T20 USMD
Research: I have research presentations/papers in a surgical subspecialty and some pubs from undergrad, none in radiology
LORs: I have asked for 2 so far from rotations, both from IM doctors from my IM rotation, both were very happy I asked and eager to write them, so assuming good things.

I will be couples matching with my SO from a low tier USMD school likely applying into psych who is well above average for psych match.

Mainly worried about my sub-par step score, poor clinical grades, and apparent lack of committment to radiology since I just discovered it recently. In addition to the fact that I would be couples matching. I was originally interested in a surigcal subspecialty and we planned on applying to 100+ programs, so we have no problem if that is what it takes. No preference on where we end up as long as the result is that we match sucessfully.

 

[MadRadLad]

More just a preliminary question as a new M3 wondering if it would be even worth pursuing rads further with my current stats:

Step 1: Will likely be 23X or a Pass (haven't decided if I'm taking it for score or P/F yet) Class of 2023 (most will have score)
Pre-clinical: P/F unranked
Clinical grades: 1 Honor, 3 HP, 3 P
Ranking: Will likely be 3rd or 4th quartile based on what I've heard from upperclassmen
AOA: no
School: T20 USMD
Research: I have research presentations/papers in a surgical subspecialty and some pubs from undergrad, none in radiology
LORs: I have asked for 2 so far from rotations, both from IM doctors from my IM rotation, both were very happy I asked and eager to write them, so assuming good things.

I will be couples matching with my SO from a low tier USMD school likely applying into psych who is well above average for psych match.

Mainly worried about my sub-par step score, poor clinical grades, and apparent lack of committment to radiology since I just discovered it recently. In addition to the fact that I would be couples matching. I was originally interested in a surigcal subspecialty and we planned on applying to 100+ programs, so we have no problem if that is what it takes. No preference on where we end up as long as the result is that we match sucessfully.

Coming from a T20 school with research you will be fine. Network with your rads department and get some feelers out.

 

[RetakeGlory]

Coming from a T20 school with research you will be fine. Network with your rads department and get some feelers out.

Thank you for the reply. Even if the research isn't in radiology that works? Should I try to get rads research? Is there anything besides networking I could do to increase my chances?

 

[MadRadLad]

Thank you for the reply. Even if the research isn't in radiology that works? Should I try to get rads research? Is there anything besides networking I could do to increase my chances?

You can try to get in on some rads research or at least a case report or something in regards to imaging, but rads is not an uncommon landing spot for people who were aiming for surgical subspecialties so I doubt too many places will hold it against you. Try to do rads rotation and get a letter from a bigwig in the department if possible.

 

[RetakeGlory]

You can try to get in on some rads research or at least a case report or something in regards to imaging, but rads is not an uncommon landing spot for people who were aiming for surgical subspecialties so I doubt too many places will hold it against you. Try to do rads rotation and get a letter from a bigwig in the department if possible.

Wow, this is great news. I was really worried about my board scores, clinical grades, and couples matching. So it's great to hear it's possible still. Thank you!

 

[extraordinarymediocreman]

Current IM PGY1 resident contemplating going into Diagnostic Radiology... I have a 230 step 1, 237 step 2. I already did a 2 week radiology rotation and I think I can get a solid letter. Doing decent so far in residency but I have been always wanting to do radiology. I might have to remain in IM as a PGY2 before reapplying for diag radiology, but would I still be competitive in terms of being able to match into some sort of Diag radiology program specifically in the NE? Thanks.

 

[bobjonesbob]

Current IM PGY1 resident contemplating going into Diagnostic Radiology... I have a 230 step 1, 237 step 2. I already did a 2 week radiology rotation and I think I can get a solid letter. Doing decent so far in residency but I have been always wanting to do radiology. I might have to remain in IM as a PGY2 before reapplying for diag radiology, but would I still be competitive in terms of being able to match into some sort of Diag radiology program specifically in the NE? Thanks.

You'd be a below average applicant but should be able to find a spot somewhere. Best chances would be be at your current home program or med school if they have rads programs. Logistically it probably makes the most sense to apply next cycle as a PGY2 with a plan to finish IM residency then role straight into radiology residency. There are some R1 (PGY2) spots that open up every year where you could potentially start July 2022 or 2023, but they're very competitive and often times filled by residents switching out of surgical subspecialties. You'd have a much higher chance going through the match.

 

[scoopdaboop]

DO 230 step 1 ms3, no research, pass im+ surg so far no honors yet, should i still apply? I'm thinking applying to IM now based on recent competitveness.