Figuring out the numbers game

[Halaljello]

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hey everyone,

im ur typical M2 thinking of going into EM and am sort of freaked out about how competitive em has become.... has the competition gone up the past few years? people on this board and others have thrown out step 1 numbers ranging from 220 to 250 saying thats what u need if u want a chance.

Personally I want to stay in my hometown chicago, and im not aiming for the "Top Programs"... community based is fine with me.

with that said, what does one need on step one to get into an EM program thats not necessarily top notch?

thanks

 

[Halaljello]

??😕 anyone???

 

[Scrubbs]

There have been several threads about this, I think the most useful one was after last year's match day...

Honestly though, I think the numbers thrown out on that thread were a little above average. If you're interested in EM, go for it. Don't be scared off by numbers... EM is definately more about personality, being a hard worker, and having great LORs than it is about board scores, IMHO.

 

[Halaljello]

excellent! thank you!

anyone else out there that might have some experience with some other em programs or programs in Chicago???

thanks

 

[Scrubbs]

There's a new reply on the rejection thread that seems to be for this one... Chi-town reply 😉

 

[SHOX]

If your scores are less than 220 it may be to your advantage to rotate through a place you are really interested in... as one of the prior posts wisely stated EM is about people/ personality. Due to the vast number of applicants, unfortunately many places use these scores as a cut-off for interviews.

I do take issue with the comment made that you will "settle for a community program" (I'm paraphrasing). Many of the best EM programs are community programs with high volumes where you do everything as opposed to University programs who have super specialists walking around stealing your procedures!!! Some food for thought...

SH😱

 

[Halaljello]

Originally posted by SHOX
If your scores are less than 220 it may be to your advantage to rotate through a place you are really interested in... as one of the prior posts wisely stated EM is about people/ personality. Due to the vast number of applicants, unfortunately many places use these scores as a cut-off for interviews.

I do take issue with the comment made that you will "settle for a community program" (I'm paraphrasing). Many of the best EM programs are community programs with high volumes where you do everything as opposed to University programs who have super specialists walking around stealing your procedures!!! Some food for thought...

SH😱

im sorry, i didnt mean it to sound like I would "settle" for a community prog. I know for a fact that community programs provide solid training for future EM physicians. I just mentioned it cuz a classmate told me that they tend to be easier to get into... but since's he's just an M2 as well, im taking that advice with a grain of salt.

on a side note, i hope by starting this thread, im not making it look like im cutting myslef short. since I havent taken the boards yet, i'm taking a more conservative approach to everything right now. hopefully next year, i wont need to. 🙂

thanks