I feel like such a loser

[zzzzzz]

Here's my stats"

GPA: 77.2%
COMLEX I: 405 (10th percentile)
Class rank: 82/83

So what do the bottom of the barrel students like myself do to get a family practice spot? I never paid any attention to my class rank / GPA, so this is kind of a shock. I always just did my own thing, made sure I passed my classes, and didn't worry much more than that. But now I feel like such a loser. My clinical rotation evals, however, have been above average.

Thanks for your advice.

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[(nicedream)]

405 isn't passing is it?
Anyway, as long as you pass the boards, you will have no problem getting an FP spot somewhere.

 

[unk_fxn]

I know of quite a few people who had no trouble getting an FP slot even after multiple attempts at passing step 1. Don't expect to be doing Harvard for Neurosurg or Yale for Derm, but there are I am sure numerous FP programs that would be more than happy to have you.

 

[gagolden]

I know your scores arn't all that great, but look at it a different way. A HUGE number of slots, FP and IM go unfilled every year. I think only about 90% of IM fill even after the scramble. Go to scutwork.com and on the left side of the screen look for some PDF documents about unfilled residencies. That should give you a basic clue on some of the residencies that are less competative. There are good FP programs on there too (I know, I looked myself) Many are community, many are university. Dont worry to much, you'll match someplace

 

[macman]

Your clinical evals are much more important-esp. for FP. Maybe you could have worked harder in pre-clinical(?) but thats over now-do what you can to buff your file, get great letters, and maybe have a reasonable explanation as to why you did poorly (struggle w/ MC tests-but still know the info kind of thing) for interviews. Also- apply early

 

[zzzzzz]

Thanks you guys. 405 is passing, but only by 5 pts. Anyway, is there any way you could give me an example of how to phrase the "bad on tests but still know the stuff" explanation without sounding like a *****?

 

[macman]

Thanks you guys. 405 is passing, but only by 5 pts. Anyway, is there any way you could give me an example of how to phrase the "bad on tests but still know the stuff" explanation without sounding like a *****?

That will cost you! PM me and we'll talk about interview strategies.

 

[Ice-1]

Dude zzzz don't worry about it. I know about a guy in a similar situation except that he failed boards 1 three times before passing it but still got a good residency. Why? He rotated there, worked hard and made a good impression. Residency is like other job interviews and the first priority is not grades and scores but how well the hiring authorities think you will fit in with their existing program and if you will handle your share of the load. As far as answering questions about your grades or scores goes, check out a book called Success Types for Medical Students byt Dr. John Pelley at Texas Tech University School of Medicine (may be able to get more info about this on the web site). It gives a really good explanation of different learning styles based on the Myers-Briggs personality type indicators and you may be a person that just does not prefer to process information in the way that is generally rewarded in medical schools (MCQ type tests), and this has nothing to do with overall intellegence. Check it out and see for yourself! Good luck!

 

[brianjc]

You might not match into family, but if you quit now I'm sure some drug company would hire you to push their product!! And remember if you can't match family you can always specialize in OMM.

 

[zzzzzz]

You might not match into family, but if you quit now I'm sure some drug company would hire you to push their product!! And remember if you can't match family you can always specialize in OMM.

WTF?? Are you a pre-med or something?

 

[housecleaning]

You might not match into family, but if you quit now I'm sure some drug company would hire you to push their product!! And remember if you can't match family you can always specialize in OMM.

 

[jhug]

zzzz,
i have been told by a few different programs that at this point they don't even look at grades/board scores...
i agree with what was said earlier...impress them with your abilities/work ethic and everything else will fall into place.