how competitive am I?

Started by wannadoophtho
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wannadoophtho

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10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Hi, I'm new to this whole student forum thing, but was wondering if people with more experience than me could give me some honest advice about my chances to match in ophtho.

1) MD/PhD student at a top 15 medical school
2) 227 (92) on Step 1.
3) I have an advanced degree (MS) in biomedical engineering, b4 I joined med school.
4) I have 2 published articles (not first author), but will have at least 2-3 first author by the time I graduate (when will that be?).
5) Basic science grades - 60% of my courses - high pass
20% honor, 20 % pass
6) clinical grades - surgery - pass, medicine - high pass


I am worried that my step 1 score will not allow me to match at a top program - which is what I am aiming for. Also, for any MD/PhDs or research oriented people, what programs are more research oriented.

Oh, I hope this won't hurt too much - but I am a Canadian citizen - will that affect me much, since I am a U.S. graduate?

Thanks
lonely in lab
 
Judging from your portfolio, I believe that you will score a fair amount of interviews. I agree with you in that your step I score doesn't blow anyone out of the water, but I believe it is more than competitive to match in ophtho given yourbackground. There are a few other variables to consider such as strength of LORs and what you say in your personal statement. And the rest is really up to how you perform during your interviews. Re: the more research oriented programs, I think it is fair to say that the US News Top 10 ophtho programs also constitute the more "research-oriented" programs. I think it is fair to say that most NEI money goes to the following porgrams:

Wilmer
Bascom
Wills
Jules Stein
Iowa
Wash U
Doheny
UCSF
Michigan...to name a few.

Good luck!

Also, I'm not sure if coming from North of the border will set you back too much. I know a few Canadian citizens in ophtho programs...it's not like being a FMG.
 
does doing an MD/PhD help in ophtho ? I hear from classmates yes, but I've also heard from a program director that some programs look at Mudphuds as potential trouble makers. What have any mudphuds experiences been? Also, since I cannot change my step 1 score, what can I do else, besides publishing during my time in lab to make myself competitive?


running experiments as I type🙂
 
Some programs like Wash U, USC, and Hopkins like mudphuds. Most others want to see your dedication to clinical medicine. My advice is down play the research and your eagerness to run gels during residency. The truth is that you won't have much time to do bench work because you only have 36 months to learn ophthalmology.
 
Am I the only one tired of people with awesome stats asking what their chances are? Call me crazy, but there's no question that this guy is a strong candidate. Maybe not the strongest, but a lot stronger than most.

OP, are you asking whether you have a good chance of matching at all, or regarding top 15 programs only?
 
monkey7247 said:
Am I the only one tired of people with awesome stats asking what their chances are? Call me crazy, but there's no question that this guy is a strong candidate. Maybe not the strongest, but a lot stronger than most.

OP, are you asking whether you have a good chance of matching at all, or regarding top 15 programs only?
Click to expand...


sorry - did not mean to step on any toes, or seem arrogant. I was honestly testing out the waters of how competitive I would be - I have a lot of friends who are also applying for ophtho with much better board scores, so I was wondering if my MD/PhD would offset those. And yes, I would like to match in a top 10 program. (don't know what OP stands for)

Dr. Doan, thank you for the advice.

still doing experiments🙂
 
wannadoophtho said:
sorry - did not mean to step on any toes, or seem arrogant. I was honestly testing out the waters of how competitive I would be - I have a lot of friends who are also applying for ophtho with much better board scores, so I was wondering if my MD/PhD would offset those. And yes, I would like to match in a top 10 program. (don't know what OP stands for)

Dr. Doan, thank you for the advice.

still doing experiments🙂
Click to expand...

I'm not angry or hurt. I just think your perspective may be skewed by who you're hanging out with. 🙂
 
I am in a similar situation...an MD/PhD but I have an even lower Step 1 score. I'm applying now (sending off the app this weekend). My impression from others is that MD/PhDs are better suited for certain types of programs. Academics might love you but community might not even look at you. But I found a similar situation with medical school applications. Everyone has a niche and you just have to find yours...

I will post progress on here. So, if I get in somewhere you'll do really well!

Good luck to all those applying!

wannadoophtho said:
Hi, I'm new to this whole student forum thing, but was wondering if people with more experience than me could give me some honest advice about my chances to match in ophtho.

1) MD/PhD student at a top 15 medical school
2) 227 (92) on Step 1.
3) I have an advanced degree (MS) in biomedical engineering, b4 I joined med school.
4) I have 2 published articles (not first author), but will have at least 2-3 first author by the time I graduate (when will that be?).
5) Basic science grades - 60% of my courses - high pass
20% honor, 20 % pass
6) clinical grades - surgery - pass, medicine - high pass


I am worried that my step 1 score will not allow me to match at a top program - which is what I am aiming for. Also, for any MD/PhDs or research oriented people, what programs are more research oriented.

Oh, I hope this won't hurt too much - but I am a Canadian citizen - will that affect me much, since I am a U.S. graduate?

Thanks
lonely in lab
Click to expand...
 
kassie said:
I am in a similar situation...an MD/PhD but I have an even lower Step 1 score. I'm applying now (sending off the app this weekend). My impression from others is that MD/PhDs are better suited for certain types of programs. Academics might love you but community might not even look at you. But I found a similar situation with medical school applications. Everyone has a niche and you just have to find yours...

I will post progress on here. So, if I get in somewhere you'll do really well!

Good luck to all those applying!
Click to expand...

I know of one resident who was MD/PhD with boards scores in the 220s from a middle tier ophtho program and med school who told me he thought his PhD hurt him more than helping him. He said that he got very few interviews from community programs because they thought he was more academic bound, but by the same token he didn't have the stellar board scores nor the reputation of hopkins or harvard to make him competitive at top tier programs. He ended up matching but he was discouraged by the fact that he did not obtain many of the interviews he wanted.
 
kassie said:
I am in a similar situation...an MD/PhD but I have an even lower Step 1 score. I'm applying now (sending off the app this weekend). My impression from others is that MD/PhDs are better suited for certain types of programs. Academics might love you but community might not even look at you. But I found a similar situation with medical school applications. Everyone has a niche and you just have to find yours...

I will post progress on here. So, if I get in somewhere you'll do really well!

Good luck to all those applying!
Click to expand...


Sorry for not replying earlier - I am on vacation. Thanks for the post - hope you all the best in the match! Let me know your experiences while interviewing so when my time comes around, I'll know what to expect.
 
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