Going into neurosurgery

[trudub]

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For those of you going into neurosurgery, what gets you excited about neurosurgery? What about the field really makes you want to go into it?

 

[lankysudanese]

a cunning way of getting "quotes" for the good ol' personal statement?

...or a cunning way to scope out the competition?

oh i do wonder...

Note: why don't YOU tell us what excites you about neurosurgery and what excites you about urology, and let us decide for you what excites you more. that would be more efficient than starting 2 threads and constantly checking up on both of them, wouldn't you agree?

 

[QuinnB]

that's kind of a harsh reply - especially given that neurosurgery and urology have already matched this year. I don't think this person is trying to:

1) Write their personal statement 8 months before applying and at least 4 months before doing a sub-I (unless they are just plain stupid)

2) "scope" out the competition, again 8 months before applying, given that the applicant demographic will be dramatically different by the end of their third year (assuming they are a clinical student)

Maybe they just want help picking between urology and neurosurgery. This is a forum afterall...you know, where people post questions, comments and other stuff.

 

[trudub]

Appreciate the support QuinnB. I am interested in what people have to say. It is my solemn promise that I am not scoping out the competition or fishing for personal statement lines. I think my numbers are fine and I can stack up in either specialty, I genuinely want to hear what people have to say.

 

[lankysudanese]

that's kind of a harsh reply - especially given that neurosurgery and urology have already matched this year. I don't think this person is trying to:

1) Write their personal statement 8 months before applying and at least 4 months before doing a sub-I (unless they are just plain stupid)

2) "scope" out the competition, again 8 months before applying, given that the applicant demographic will be dramatically different by the end of their third year (assuming they are a clinical student)

Maybe they just want help picking between urology and neurosurgery. This is a forum afterall...you know, where people post questions, comments and other stuff.

fair enough. then let him start 1 thread on how he is debating between neurosurgery and urology, and give the reasons for the confusion. i just thought it was "iffy" to start 2 similar threads simultaneously. usually, when people start such threads because they are confused about something, they offer some insight into what is troubling them. they dont just pose a super-open-ended question.

also, FYI, MS3's going into neurosurg/urology at my school have already completed 2 sub-I's and gone through at least 2 drafts of their personal statement.

 

[trudub]

Then I would definitely say "your school" is not the norm.

 

[lankysudanese]

Appreciate the support QuinnB. I am interested in what people have to say. It is my solemn promise that I am not scoping out the competition or fishing for personal statement lines. I think my numbers are fine and I can stack up in either specialty, I genuinely want to hear what people have to say.

love your confidence trudub. my apologies for the harsh comments. but pls do limit the number of new threads.
best of luck to you in whatever u end up choosing.

 

[SoCuteMD]

also, FYI, MS3's going into neurosurg/urology at my school have already completed 2 sub-I's and gone through at least 2 drafts of their personal statement.

I would guess your school is the exception, then. At my school and most schools I know, 3rd year is pretty carved in stone. Some changes can be made, but not enough to have finished 2 sub-internships in any field by the end of January. Not to mention that until 3 weeks from now, NO ONE in our current third year class will have completed both medicine and surgery.

 

[lankysudanese]

I would guess your school is the exception, then. At my school and most schools I know, 3rd year is pretty carved in stone. Some changes can be made, but not enough to have finished 2 sub-internships in any field by the end of January. Not to mention that until 3 weeks from now, NO ONE in our current third year class will have completed both medicine and surgery.

the flexibility during MS3 (at our school) can be an advantage (if u end up liking what u thought u wanted to go into) or a disadvantage (e.g. if u schedule peds for last quarter of MS4 and then find out that u like it more than what u matched into). regardless, we have people practically finishing their preparations for a specific field (electives and sub-I's) by the midpoint of MS3 (b/c they push the other basic clerskships to the end of MS4).

 

[Blondbondgirl]

I love neurosurgery! The research is so exciting! I think it is one of the fastest growing fields (implants for Parkinsons, etc.), high-tech, plus, I think it's a great mix of operating techniques: craniotomies, shunts, gamma-knife, disks... I can't say I have a lot of experience in urology-my thesis is in neurosurgery, so I'm sort of biased...

Good Luck with your decision!

 

[domer621]

also, FYI, MS3's going into neurosurg/urology at my school have already completed 2 sub-I's and gone through at least 2 drafts of their personal statement.

Wow, that's disgusting.