how can i increase my chance to match???

[lee6842]

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I am a MSIII, my step 1 score was low, 213/88. But my dream is to become a radiologist. I have average grades on my first two years, and in 3rd year i have few honors already. I have 10+ voluntary work and did research on summer of 1st year(not about rads, for 8 weeks, no publication or poster). My med school is below average in rankings.
I have no preference on where to match, just want to match.
I was thinking on taking my 4th year off and do a year on rads research.
I have at least one good LOR from a rad. If i score a 240+ on step 2,
what are my chances and how will a year of research help me??

 

[Taurus]

Are you really MD/Phd? It doesn't sound like it.

Taking a year off for research is good idea. You're not a very competitive applicant right now.

 

[lee6842]

No MD/Phd, i just saw the md and marked on it. I am just MD student

 

[Taurus]

I would probably do research year. Crush step 2.

When you apply, don't be cheap. Apply to as many programs as possible. Even to all 180 programs. Go to all interviews. Rank all programs.

That's pretty much all that you can do.

 

[Osteopathology]

I have to disagree with rank all programs ... thats a lot of money and honestly most people will weed you out when you get there applying randomly. Most people will have 'links' to one area of the country and those applicants will stand out compared to a random -- hey I wanted to go to rads ANYWHERE mentality.

Lower scores can be overcome by:
1. Going to programs, getting involved and meeting the powers that be
2. Crushing the next series of boards
3. Research with publications in the field

Besides that ... you have got to work hard.

 

[penguin24]

I don't think the money is that much compared to the financial pitfall of not matching and having to apply all over again. If you get to one program that you randomly applied to, and they happen to figure out your strategy, then oh well at least you tried.

If you apply to 180 programs and you are fortunate enough to get 15+ interviews, then by all means cancel the random programs you applied to where you don't have any links to. Applying to Rads is no joke, if you're not 260+, AOA, published Rads research, shining LOR from well-known Radiologists, you will get rained on w/ many rejections.

 

[Eta Carinae]

Are you really MD/Phd? It doesn't sound like it.

Taking a year off for research is good idea. You're not a very competitive applicant right now.

Taurus, you're a very, very nice guy.

"not very competitive" is putting it mildly.
Like Penguin said, you will have wasted a lot of money if you go ahead and apply, and you still will not match.

I would have a very candid discussion with my dean at this point.

As far as there being nothing that can't be overcome, I seriously disagree with that.

 

[synapse lapse]

You're gonna get a lot of crap from people who will tell you to give up, that you have no chance. Don't listen to them. I think if you are passionate about something in life there is almost always a way to achieve that. That said, it is also realistic to appreciate the fact that a 213 step is not competitive, though also not the end of the world. Check NRMP Charting outcomes and you will see you still have more than a 50/50 shot based on that step alone. As others have said, the steps you need to take are obvious: rock step 2, do an away rotation or 2, get as many honors 3rd year as you can, write a good personal statement, and make sure your letters are tight. Find a mentor at your school who can guide you and who is positive about you being able to get in, so they will motivate you and not discourage you which will help. Also, see here: http://www.auntminnie.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=41173&mpage=1&key=198&#41173

 

[nequi]

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[nequi]

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[lee6842]

ok, thanks for your help.
i am thinking of doing my 5 away rotations in rads and IM.
And i wanted to know how good is to have a LOR from a interventional radiologist who did the residency and fellow in john hopkins, and he is still in contact with them, since he still give conferences there. I have worked with him and he offered to help me get in, and offer an excellent LOR.

 

[RisingSun]

ok, thanks for your help.
i am thinking of doing my 5 away rotations in rads and IM.
And i wanted to know how good is to have a LOR from a interventional radiologist who did the residency and fellow in john hopkins, and he is still in contact with them, since he still give conferences there. I have worked with him and he offered to help me get in, and offer an excellent LOR.

I think that 5 away rotations may be a bit overkill, because:
1) you need to get a good step 2 score, give yourself at least 4 wks full-time to prepare, and you want to take it early enough that you can release it to programs when they are still considering applicants, so no later than October so that you can still report results in November. Ideally you want to take it early like July or Aug so that all programs will have them from the get go.

2) You need to give yourself time to interview for prelims and rads interviews from Nov through Jan. You do not want to be scheduling aways at programs that you are highly considering during this time and then have to take multiple days off for interviews. It reflects badly on you.

3) You must (I assume) have other fourth year requirements (we have 4 months of required courses, none of which are radiology). You must schedule time for these, too.

4) Students really can't do too much on a rads elective, it is difficult to impress people, and your time may be better spent getting stellar grades in electives such as medicine or surg, because that knowledge will be crucial later down the road.

So, considering that you need to take a month off in summer or early fall to study for and do well on Step 2, that you need to give yourself at least two months for interviews, and that you likely have other required 4th year courses, 5 aways is too many. I would think, for example, a schedule such as:
July: rads away
Aug: step 2 study
Sept: rads away
Oct: elective
Nov: easy required elective that won't mind if you miss a few days for interviews
Dec and Jan: off
Feb through May: required electives, things you may never get to do again, and maybe ONE more away if you really want to

would be more than sufficient.

The reality is that you need to go to every interview, no matter the time, cost, or place. So you definitely need to arrange things so that your 4th year schedule allows for maximum flexibility in going to interviews. You may decide that you would like to schedule a few months of research elective from Nov through Feb, that will give you some time to do something worthwhile and will give you something to talk about at the interviews that you go to.

Best of luck. Keep your chin up, I am sure that less "competitive" applicants have matched before, and will continue to match in the future. 👍

 

[Labslave]

ok, thanks for your help.
i am thinking of doing my 5 away rotations in rads and IM.
And i wanted to know how good is to have a LOR from a interventional radiologist who did the residency and fellow in john hopkins, and he is still in contact with them, since he still give conferences there. I have worked with him and he offered to help me get in, and offer an excellent LOR.

I am normally one of the more encouraging voices on this board, but you should be worried about simply matching somewhere at this point. While I believe there is a good possibility you can match if you work hard, considering programs like Hopkins is out of the question, regardless of your inside contacts. It's important for you to have appropriate expectations at this point so that you can decide if you would be happy with the most likely favorable result, which is matching at a community program.

I'm all about people pursuing their dreams, but right now you should be at least considering some of the other specialties you have enjoyed that are less competitive than rads. Think about what kind of career goals you have and ask yourself whether or not you'd rather be at an academic center doing something besides rads, or a community program in an undesireable location training in rads. If you'd still be happy with the latter, then start working hard and make it happen! Good luck!

 

[lee6842]

okay, how if i take my 4th year off, study for CK at least 8 weeks, score 250+, take 4 months for research at my school, and the others to work with some radiologist and gain experience. Also i would do more voluntary work.
Would that help me a lot or not that much??

 

[RisingSun]

okay, how if i take my 4th year off, study for CK at least 8 weeks, score 250+, take 4 months for research at my school, and the others to work with some radiologist and gain experience. Also i would do more voluntary work.
Would that help me a lot or not that much??

Talk to an adviser in the rads dept or the deans office or something. These are serious questions and require more serious answers than some random people telling you what they think on an anonymous message board. Do not do something so drastic as the above without the proper guidance (that's not to say that doing what you suggested wouldn't help, it might or might not).

 

[Taurus]

Just remember that you pretty much got one shot to apply. If you don't match and re-apply the next year, most programs that gave you an interview the first time won't the second time. So it behooves you to put out your best impression the first time you apply. I will recommend again that the cost of applying to all programs in the country pales in comparison to not matching. Be aggressive as hell. Apply to every damn program and go to every interview and rank every place.

If you think this mountain is too high to climb, then consider other less competitive but sweet fields like anesthesiology. You have much better shot with that.

 

[penguin24]

For comparison:

Applying/Interviewing to Rads/Internship: $6,000

One year Rads salary lost re-applying: $400,000

Matching to #1 program: Priceless

 

[Labslave]

Just remember that you pretty much got one shot to apply. If you don't match and re-apply the next year, most programs that gave you an interview the first time won't the second time. So it behooves you to put out your best impression the first time you apply. I will recommend again that the cost of applying to all programs in the country pales in comparison to not matching. Be aggressive as hell. Apply to every damn program and go to every interview and rank every place.

If you think this mountain is too high to climb, then consider other less competitive but sweet fields like anesthesiology. You have much better shot with that.

This is great advice. 👍

 

[durfen]

In general, if one is even thinking of doing rads, it should be given serious consideration. The kind of people who do some other specialty are those who wouldn't even think of doing radiology. Often they go 1-3 years of an dreary IM residency before realizing that all their decisions are really made by those unseen.

So pursue your dream, as others have said you have a 50/50 shot right now. I have an average step I and so will be taking 8 weeks off to do step 2 (and tie up some research) and might only have time for 1-2 away rotations, you should consider doing the same.

Oh yeah, and as others have said, apply everywhere, every single interview is one you need.

 

[staup]

Lee6842,
If you can do a research year, do it. You do have a slim chance. There are community programs out there that have much lower standards than university ones. I personally know people with similar stats to you who matched.

Good Luck.