I want the straight answer...

[Shades McCool]

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Ok I know this has been covered time and time again, but here we go.

I have been told to imagine my application for residency as a yard stick. Then I was told that on that yard stick, my grades during my first two years is about 4 inches. I know a lot of you have dealt with the issue. So what is your take? Are Step 1 and 3rd year scores along with letters that much more important?

TIA

 

[BKN]

Ok I know this has been covered time and time again, but here we go.

I have been told to imagine my application for residency as a yard stick. Then I was told that on that yard stick, my grades during my first two years is about 4 inches. I know a lot of you have dealt with the issue. So what is your take? Are Step 1 and 3rd year scores along with letters that much more important?

TIA

It has been covered time and again, but I'll give it a shot.

I'm a PD, I review >300 apps per year in a moderately competitive specialty. Grading schemes vary from pass/fail on up to 5 levels depending on the school. Further some schools are very good about providing grade distributions by course, many others are intentionally obfuscatory. Because of all this, I often can't evaluate the transcript. Therefore I tend to pay too much attention to mles (step 1, both parts of step 2) and letters of recommmendation.

However- failing a couple of courses or consistently mediocre grades (think Cs or whatever your school has that is equivalent) could sink you.

Clear as mud?

 

[Shades McCool]

Well according to our grading system right now (quartile system), I am in the top 25% and I was wondering what would happen if I ever fell to the middle 50%.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Well according to our grading system right now (quartile system), I am in the top 25% and I was wondering what would happen if I ever fell to the middle 50%.

Eternal pain.

 

[BKN]

Well according to our grading system right now (quartile system), I am in the top 25% and I was wondering what would happen if I ever fell to the middle 50%.

Depends on what you want to train in, but for most specialities middle of allopathic US class is fine.

 

[Gauss]

Eternal pain.

and suffering

 

[Hercules]

Well according to our grading system right now (quartile system), I am in the top 25% and I was wondering what would happen if I ever fell to the middle 50%.

I graduated from your school. I was in the middle half after the first two years, did well on Step 1, top 1/4 3rd year, and had some very strong LORs. Got interviews everywhere I applied in the moderately competitive specialty in which BKN is a PD. You'll be fine even if you fall to the middle half. PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

[neutropenic]

and suffering

They will take away your library card.

Seriously though, I don't know what matters, as I mentioned in your other post, had someone with barely passing preclincial test scores (at P/F school) go to Hopkins IM and people who spent more than two years in preclinical years match into very hard specialties for anyone to match into. We have had people with the "lowest" recommendation word (our only psuedorank) match into uro, oto, radiology, GS, most everything except combined plastics, derm, and rad onc.

"High rank," I would say is an enabler, whereas "low rank" is not really a disabler if everything else is ok.

Well according to our grading system right now (quartile system), I am in the top 25% and I was wondering what would happen if I ever fell to the middle 50%.

 

[MediCane2006]

Class rank came up in a few interviews (I was 2nd quartile) but only in passing. Not sure what role it played in the pre-interview screening process, but I got the distinct impression that interviewers were much more interested in discussing my Step scores.

I think that as long as your class rank isn't a red flag, and your step scores are solid, you'll be fine.