I am Shocked, disappointed, need help.

[needaresidency]

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Hello,
I am a US citizen graduated from the Caribbean school.
My step 1 is 210 First attempt
My step 2 is 220 First attempt
CS passed
Overall GPA : 3.8
Summa cum laude graduate this year.
ECFMG certified.
2 years of clinical rotations in USA
4 years of job experience
2 presentations

I applied to 190 programs of my interests( IM, Anesthesia, Radiology, and Emergency medicine)
And I am shocked, angered, cried, disappointed that I have not received a single interview....why ???
Can someone help me match ?, I don't know what to do, i don't want gap or go through post match.

I have been following some forums and see posts from applicants who got interview and i am completely in utter shock and disappointment.
Here are few of them I saw:

1) Med school: Thailand: Non us citizen
step1 195 2nd attempt
step2 212
cs passed 2nd attempt
Awaiting ecfmg certification
no US clinical experience
Interviews : Applied to 110, Received 10 in IM so far.

2)caribbean grad: us citizen
step 1 205 step 2 220 on 2nd attempt
cs passed ecfmg certified, GPA- 3.1
As of November have 15 IV's in IM. Applied to 60 programs

3]Med school : india: Non US citizen
step 1 190 on 2nd attempt, step 2 215 on 2nd attempt
cs passed 2nd attempt
awaiting ecfmg certification
ive applied to 200 programs, got 7 interviews so far in IM, 1 in FM

4)caribbean grad: us citizen
step 1 200, step 2 210 2nd attempt
cs passed
ecfmg certified
gpa 2.8
applied to 250 programs got 12 interviews, 10 im FM, 2 IM

5) med school: london
step 1 198 3rd attempt
step 2: 212 1st attempt
cs passed 3rd attempt
ecfmg certified
applied to 148 programs- got 8 FM Ivs, 3 IM ivs, 1 Anesthesia IV

6) brazil med grad
step 1 212 4th attempt: my english no good so had hard time passing
but step 2 i got 215 1st attempt
cs passed 3rd attempt
ecfmg certified
i want to go to california and florida so i apply 100 programs got 12 interview 8 in FM and 4 in IM

7)caribbean grad : us citizen
my stats: step 1 got 210
step 2 took 2nd time 215
cs passed 2nd time
awaiting ecfmg certification
gpa : 2.7
applied to 170 programs- surprisingly got 20 interviews, 15 IM, 2 surgery, 1 EM

I saw quite some more--- can some resident, program director, help me out, i cried my heart out...i honestly don't know what to do or who to talk to, i am so disappointed.
Thnx.

 

[KingD]

Potentially these individuals are at more reputable programs? Are you at one of the big 3? I'm rooting for you man, good luck.

Sent from my SM-G930T using SDN mobile

 

[Helpful Troll]

Hello,
I am a US citizen graduated from the Caribbean school.
My step 1 is 210 First attempt
My step 2 is 220 First attempt
CS passed
Overall GPA : 3.8
Summa cum laude graduate this year.
ECFMG certified.
2 years of clinical rotations in USA
4 years of job experience
2 presentations

I applied to 190 programs of my interests( IM, Anesthesia, Radiology, and Emergency medicine)
And I am shocked, angered, cried, disappointed that I have not received a single interview....why ???
Can someone help me match ?, I don't know what to do, i don't want gap or go through post match.

I have been following some forums and see posts from applicants who got interview and i am completely in utter shock and disappointment.
Here are few of them I saw:

1) Med school: Thailand: Non us citizen
step1 195 2nd attempt
step2 212
cs passed 2nd attempt
Awaiting ecfmg certification
no US clinical experience
Interviews : Applied to 110, Received 10 in IM so far.

2)caribbean grad: us citizen
step 1 205 step 2 220 on 2nd attempt
cs passed ecfmg certified, GPA- 3.1
As of November have 15 IV's in IM. Applied to 60 programs

3]Med school : india: Non US citizen
step 1 190 on 2nd attempt, step 2 215 on 2nd attempt
cs passed 2nd attempt
awaiting ecfmg certification
ive applied to 200 programs, got 7 interviews so far in IM, 1 in FM

4)caribbean grad: us citizen
step 1 200, step 2 210 2nd attempt
cs passed
ecfmg certified
gpa 2.8
applied to 250 programs got 12 interviews, 10 im FM, 2 IM

5) med school: london
step 1 198 3rd attempt
step 2: 212 1st attempt
cs passed 3rd attempt
ecfmg certified
applied to 148 programs- got 8 FM Ivs, 3 IM ivs, 1 Anesthesia IV

6) brazil med grad
step 1 212 4th attempt: my english no good so had hard time passing
but step 2 i got 215 1st attempt
cs passed 3rd attempt
ecfmg certified
i want to go to california and florida so i apply 100 programs got 12 interview 8 in FM and 4 in IM

7)caribbean grad : us citizen
my stats: step 1 got 210
step 2 took 2nd time 215
cs passed 2nd time
awaiting ecfmg certification
gpa : 2.7
applied to 170 programs- surprisingly got 20 interviews, 15 IM, 2 surgery, 1 EM

I saw quite some more--- can some resident, program director, help me out, i cried my heart out...i honestly don't know what to do or who to talk to, i am so disappointed.
Thnx.

Didn't you post about a week ago under a different user name?

 

[npappasan]

Which school did you graduate from?

 

[pseud0]

"I am a US citizen graduated from the Caribbean school."

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Didn't you post about a week ago under a different user name?

Yes, that thread is here: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/shocked-disappointed-seeking-help-from-anyone.1232410/

OP, that prior thread really covers your options. It's almost certainly too late to consider applying to more programs, so you need to make the best with what you've already done. You should ignore all Rads / Anesthesia / ED applications -- those have no chance. You should focus on your IM and FM applications, contact those programs, ask nicely for an update, state your interest. The more personal the email is, the better. If it's clear you've researched the program that might interest them more.

Meanwhile, you need to prepare for SOAP and applying again next year. For SOAP, there really isn't much else to do other than to be ready on match week, and consider having someone else block out time to help you. When you get the unfilled program list, you'll need to review it carefully. You only get a limited number of SOAP applications, and you can't purchase more. So you need to make every single one count. You should NOT apply to any open Rads, Anesthesia, or EM spots. You will not be getting one, and any application to these programs is a waste. Instead, all 30 (or however many they allow) need to be focused on community based FM programs.

Last, you need to start prepping for next year's match. You need to focus whatever time you have left in your 4th year doing rotations in the field you're interested in. FM, path, and neuro are possible. Psych is also an option although appears to have gotten somewhat more competitive recently. You need SubI's, hard working rotations where you can get as much experience as possible, and then ask for LOR's immediately afterwards -- have the letter writers hold onto them until next year (or they may decide to give you a copy). Then, once you've graduated, you'll want to find something to do that further helps your application. Some sort of clinical work is best, but that can be difficult. You can probably scribe. Research is also an option, but needs to be germane to your future field. There's no "easy" answer here.

Last, a mea culpa from me. Although I apologized to the OP in PM, a full explanation in public from me is needed. The OP posted their question on the board and PM'd me also. When this happens, I usually just post an answer publicly. Unfortunately, the OP had disclosed his problems with CS in my PM, but not in his post. Thus, I unfortunately "outed" the situation in my post, for which I feel terrible. Although, the CS problems is critical to the OP's request -- had they passed on their first attempt, matching would have been much more straightforward.

So, summary thoughts:

1. You don't seem to have good advising. Your USMLE performance makes you a weak applicant. Applying to EM, Anesthesia, and Rads is a huge stretch without connections (and even with connections). Although you have a chance in IM, your best chance is in FM (or path, or perhaps Neuro). The "best" advisor is someone from your school -- they can look at your performance and compare it with prior grads, and where they went, to help you target your applications in the future -- If your school actually has any advising at all.

It might be helpful to know which school you are from, also.

2. I don't know where your examples above are from. If they are recent posts (even if on another site), it would be helpful to hotlink to them. Plus it would be helpful to contact those people and find out what programs they received interviews from.

3. You might as well contact programs. The more personal / specific your emails are, the better. Prepare for a very low yield -- if you get 5 interviews from contacting all 129 programs, you've been very successful. If they reject you, you can certainly ask them if there is any feedback they can give you about your application. Unfortunately, you're unlikely to be told anything -- employers are leery of giving out any information as it could be used in a lawsuit against them in the future (i.e. if a program tells you that your USMLE's are too weak, and then you discover that they took someone else with similar scores, you could claim that they are discriminating against you based upon your race/sex/age/etc). So most HR departments teach their managers to simply say "we had more competitive candidates", or nothing at all -- neither of those answers can get us into trouble.

4. Maximize the value of the rest of your training, to prepare for SOAP and next year.

5. Build a SOAP plan. Find someone whom can help you. The more they know about this process, the better. SOAP is an emotional roller coaster, so you'll want to be prepared.

6. If SOAP fails, then you'll need a gap year plan. You'll still be looking for late openings, etc.

 

[the argus]

Didn't you post about a week ago under a different user name?

yes, except this time they left out the part about failing CS twice, which is pretty much the most important detail of the story!

 

[W19]

yes, except this time they left out the part about failing CS twice, which is pretty much the most important detail of the story!

ouch...

 

[npappasan]

"I am a US citizen graduated from the Caribbean school."

Yes, but WHICH school?

 

[Skip Intro]

I applied to 190 programs of my interests( IM, Anesthesia, Radiology, and Emergency medicine)

Whoa... how much did that cost? And zero Family Practice programs?

-Skip

 

[npappasan]

How can anyone conveivably apply to 190 programs? My God, the cost alone...

 

[npappasan]

yes, except this time they left out the part about failing CS twice, which is pretty much the most important detail of the story!

This is the kiss of death and puts the whole situation into perspective. I find it fascinating that these types of posters seem shocked they can't secure a residency interview. With all the viable applicants out there, why would any program waste time on an applicant who has failed a medical licensure exam step TWICE? There is this general lack of insight as to how this works, as if you can fail a step multiple times and then if you pass at some point, then that pass somehow becomes the absolute qualifying event for moving on.

 

[Shinken]

This is the kiss of death and puts the whole situation into perspective. I find it fascinating that these types of posters seem shocked they can't secure a residency interview. With all the viable applicants out there, why would any program waste time on an applicant who has failed a medical licensure exam step TWICE? There is this general lack of insight as to how this works, as if you can fail a step multiple times and then if you pass at some point, then that pass somehow becomes the absolute qualifying event for moving on.

Well said. I wish more Caribbean applicants realized this.

We receive hundreds (about 700-800s) of applications to our program every year from Caribbean grads, this is in addition to US MD and DO applicants. Once we apply a filter to filter out applicants with 2 or more board failures the applications are whittled down to about a dozen or so (of which those are further whittled down upon inspection). As I've said before, I can't speak for other programs but at our program unless you have a spotless record and are academically strong, there's no chance of getting an interview when coming from the Caribbean. Too many unknowns, why take a risk? It's a pain in the butt to sign a resident and then have to remediate them or dismiss them.