graduation year cut off

[diadoc]

I'm an IMG and I graduated in 2006. I applied to programs for 2009 and got just one interview call. I guess I did not get interview calls because I didn't have any USCE and no US LOR's. I don't intend to let that happen this year. I'm really worried that my year of graduation will affect my application and I'm trying to do all I can about it.
I did a masters in Microbiology and I graduated in December of 2008. Would this be enough to explain time spent away from clinical medicine?
My scores are 97 and 98 percentiles in step 1 and step 2CK. I am ECFMG certified. I have heard scores don't matter too much, I don't know what to make of it.
I moved to the US only in December 2008 and was there only for a couple of months before I had to move to Europe for personal reasons.
I did an observership for a month and hope to get good LOR's. I will be getting back to the US in end July and plan to do externships/observerships then. I was wondering if I could send in additional LOR's after I submitted my application in September? Could I do that?
My interest is in Internal medicine - it has always been. Any suggestions on how I could make my application super-attractive?

 

[dragonfly99]

Were your USMLE raw scores 97 and 98, or did you get 97th and 98th percentiles? There is a difference.

I think that any US LOR's you get can only help you.

However, based on your experience last year, you either need to apply to a lot more places, and ones that are easier to get in, and/or apply to more than one specialty (fm is easier to get than IM, for example). You also might have to decide whether your priority is to train in the US, vs. to train in IM no matter what (and maybe have to choose to train in your country or another country in IM, if you can't get in in the USA).

 

[Winged Scapula]

I'm an IMG and I graduated in 2006. I applied to programs for 2009 and got just one interview call. I guess I did not get interview calls because I didn't have any USCE and no US LOR's.

That can be a major factor, as some programs REQUIRE USCE and foreign letters are not often seen as being an accurate measure of how you would function as a resident in the US (since it would be presumed that the letter writer wouldn't know). IM is a big field in the US, so unlike smaller fields where letters writers would know each other, its not so important that you get specific US letters.

I don't intend to let that happen this year. I'm really worried that my year of graduation will affect my application and I'm trying to do all I can about it.

There's not much you can do about when you graduated now.

I did a masters in Microbiology and I graduated in December of 2008. Would this be enough to explain time spent away from clinical medicine?

I would think so, although many would see getting a Masters after medical school as sort of odd, but then only because its not common in the US. If you could make the case that you are interested in ID, the the masters makes more sense.

My scores are 97 and 98 percentiles in step 1 and step 2CK. I am ECFMG certified. I have heard scores don't matter too much, I don't know what to make of it.

Where did you hear that? USMLE scores are about the only objective measure the US faculty has, and are vitally important for the FMG. The only reason they don't matter much is that nearly every FMG has scores in the 99th percentile, so they are only really important when yours are significantly lower.

I did an observership for a month and hope to get good LOR's. I will be getting back to the US in end July and plan to do externships/observerships then. I was wondering if I could send in additional LOR's after I submitted my application in September? Could I do that?

You can send extra letters but remember flooding the program with more letters than they ask for is not good form. If you are planning on replacing your foreign letters with US letters from observerships, I would only do so for 1 or 2, and would not submit more than 1 extra letter (if that) as it would appear that you cannot follow instructions.

As dragon notes, you need to apply widely this year. One of the reasons FMGs fail to match is that they do not apply to enough programs, do not apply widely enough and overestimate their competitiveness. Make sure you are not applying to programs that require USCE, certain USMLE scores, that don't sponsor visas, etc.

 

[diadoc]

Thanks for the perspective and advice. I really appreciate it.

I'm sorry I wasn't very clear earlier - I meant the 97th and 98th percentiles. It's good to know scores are still important and although I don't have perfect scores, I hope my scores help me this year.

I understand that I would need to apply very widely and plan on doing that. I was wondering how many programs I should apply to given that I did not match this time. Any suggestions?

I know I can not do anything about my year of graduation and I'm just hoping and praying that doesn't work against me. 🙁

I will definitely not make the mistake of flooding ERAS with extra LOR's.

I was thinking about ID as a specialty and I was hoping my masters would not be considered odd.

 

[Elfy]

Thanks for the perspective and advice. I really appreciate it.

I'm sorry I wasn't very clear earlier - I meant the 97th and 98th percentiles. It's good to know scores are still important and although I don't have perfect scores, I hope my scores help me this year.

I understand that I would need to apply very widely and plan on doing that. I was wondering how many programs I should apply to given that I did not match this time. Any suggestions?

I know I can not do anything about my year of graduation and I'm just hoping and praying that doesn't work against me. 🙁

I will definitely not make the mistake of flooding ERAS with extra LOR's.

I was thinking about ID as a specialty and I was hoping my masters would not be considered odd.

There is no reason why a master's degree in the biomedical sciences post-med school would be considered odd, as long as it's in a FMG. In fact, many of those FMGs who match or pre-match do have a MS or PhD they earned in the US. It's a great way to account for time spent here and to familiarize oneself with academic culture, libraries, hospitals etc.

Honestly, three years post graduation is not that long, and especially since you have the master's and the good scores I can't imagine what you're doing wrong (just for the record, it looks like AMGs quote their stats in terms of three digits rather than two, e.g. a 237 or 238 as opposed to a 97 or 98). My guess is you're probably selling yourself short on one hand and you need a visa on the other hand. Not being physically present in the US while applying probably hurt you as well.

You should be more self-confident, apply broadly to most IM programs out there, even community programs and/or unattractive locations; but do seek out those that are traditionally FMG-friendly, many of which are in metropolitan areas; look at their current resident roster and see how many FMGs they have; do call programs in advance and ask them about graduation cut-off if any; as suggested, there's always FM (which lasts only three years and should you have your heart set on IM and the right visa, you could always go do a second residency once you're in the system and you've got good references). You may also like Pathology if you have a Microbiology background.

As mentioned elsewhere on this forum, not all FMGs are equal. I had a classmate who failed a bunch of classes during first year of med school, failed Step 1 initially, probably didn't end up with scores in the 90s, and now she's an attending. Reason? She earned a GC through family prior to applying, she believed in herself, and she applied to IM and psych. So there. Don't sell yourself short.

 

[diadoc]

Thanks Elfy. Your post boosted my morale. 🙂

 

[doc4life95]

I have heard scores don't matter too much, I don't know what to make of it.

Please tell me where you heard this, it is of the utmost importance

Thanks!!!!!!!!!