I'm in the third quartile. How screwed am I?

[mats7]

I'm at a low-ish ranked MD school.

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[bashwell]

I'm at a low-ish ranked MD school.

More info sure would be helpful! For example, by "third quartile" I'm guessing you mean your med school, but maybe you might mean your current class rank? Also, how "screwed" are you for what (e.g. for matching into dermatology, for school resources, for Step 1 preparation)? Are you in your pre-clinical or clinical years? Etc.

If you mean your med school, and if you mean for a field like family medicine, there are lots of FM residency programs that accept people from "low-ish ranked MD schools".

 

[gmbz]

Don't be a serial killer and you will be fine.

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

No ortho for you

 

[Brorthopedic]

Pretty screwed, GL getting laid OP

 

[mats7]

More info sure would be helpful! For example, by "third quartile" I'm guessing you mean your med school, but maybe you might mean your current class rank? Also, how "screwed" are you for what (e.g. for matching into dermatology, for school resources, for Step 1 preparation)? Are you in your pre-clinical or clinical years? Etc.

If you mean your med school, and if you mean for a field like family medicine, there are lots of FM residency programs that accept people from "low-ish ranked MD schools".

Pre-clinical. I'm interested in getting a cool M1 summer internship and maybe academic neurology or psychiatry in a big city.

 

[bashwell]

Pre-clinical. I'm interested in getting a cool M1 summer internship and maybe academic neurology or psychiatry in a big city.

It shouldn't be a problem for you to get into a psych or neuro academic/university residency from a "low-ish ranked MD school" as long as you do well in your med school, get around an average score on Step 1, get good clinical evals especially in your psych or neuro rotations, don't have any red flags, and are geographically flexible and apply broadly. Psych and neuro aren't competitive like derm or plastics. You'll be fine. 🙂

 

[Rumor13]

My student advising dean says all the time pre-clinical grades and rank don't mean anything to anyone except if your'e interested in super competitive fields (Derm, ortho, etc. Lower pre-clinical grades will not help you out; but they can certainly be overlooked with a strong Step 1 score and specialty specific research). The only things that matter, especially for average or non competitive specialties, are your Step 1 score, letters of recommendations, and your clinical grades in the rotations related to what you're interested in. Unless you are looking into top programs or highly desirable areas with high application volume, psych and neuro are fairly average in terms of competition. You just need to make sure you apply wisely, which your advisors should certainly help you do.

 

[Goro]

I'm surprised no one has posted this yet:

What do you call the person who ranks at the bottom of his/her med school class?

Doctor!

Even at low LizzyM score schools like Drexel, up to ~2/3rds of their grads go into specialties. Mercer? ~40%. My own students? ~33%, but they mostly self-select before coming here for Primary Care.

So quit fussing.

 

[Psai]

I'm surprised no one has posted this yet:

What do you call the person who ranks at the bottom of his/her med school class?

Doctor!

Even at low LizzyM score schools like Drexel, up to ~2/3rds of their grads go into specialties. Mercer? ~40%. My own students? ~33%, but they mostly self-select before coming here for Primary Care.

So quit fussing.

As a preclinical student who hasn't taken step 1 and done the clinical years, you don't realize how little each individual grade matters. Yes, aoa is important and yes better grades correlate with higher steps and clinical grades but if u get a high pass vs a pass in anatomy isn't going to break your application

 

[W19]

I am in a similar situation... I am in a low-ish ranked school and I am also in the 3rd quartile as of now. If by the end of MS2 I remain there, I think I would need a good score on step 1 (235+) in order to be able to match into psych or FM somewhere. A score lower than 225 would jeopardize my chances to match into one of these specialties since the match has gotten a lot more competitive in the past 2-3 years. I am contemplating withdrawal after MS2 if my class rank does not change and I score < 225 on step1... 130k student loan is a lot easier to pay back after MS2 than 260k after MS4 if one is unable to get a job or match.

Many have told me that it's easier to match into preliminary surgery (the road to nowhere); thus, I am also thinking about that option since one can be licensed in some states with 1-year post grad training...

 

[Rekt]

I am in a similar situation... I am in a low-ish ranked school and I am also in the 3rd quartile as of now. If by the end of MS2 I remain there, I think I would need a good score on step 1 (235+) in order to be able to match into psych or FM somewhere. A score lower than 225 would jeopardize my chances to match into one of these specialties since the match has gotten a lot more competitive in the past 2-3 years. I am contemplating withdrawal after MS2 if my class rank does not change and I score < 225 on step1... 130k student is a lot easier to pay back after MS2 than 260k after MS4 if one is unable to get a job or match.

Many have told me that it's easier to match into preliminary surgery (the road to nowhere); thus, I am also thinking about that option since one can be licensed in some states with 1-year post grad training...

Lmao

 

[Dires]

I am in a similar situation... I am in a low-ish ranked school and I am also in the 3rd quartile as of now. If by the end of MS2 I remain there, I think I would need a good score on step 1 (235+) in order to be able to match into psych or FM somewhere. A score lower than 225 would jeopardize my chances to match into one of these specialties since the match has gotten a lot more competitive in the past 2-3 years. I am contemplating withdrawal after MS2 if my class rank does not change and I score < 225 on step1... 130k student loan is a lot easier to pay back after MS2 than 260k after MS4 if one is unable to get a job or match.

Many have told me that it's easier to match into preliminary surgery (the road to nowhere); thus, I am also thinking about that option since one can be licensed in some states with 1-year post grad training...

This guy fvcks

 

[TwinsFan]

I am in a similar situation... I am in a low-ish ranked school and I am also in the 3rd quartile as of now. If by the end of MS2 I remain there, I think I would need a good score on step 1 (235+) in order to be able to match into psych or FM somewhere. A score lower than 225 would jeopardize my chances to match into one of these specialties since the match has gotten a lot more competitive in the past 2-3 years. I am contemplating withdrawal after MS2 if my class rank does not change and I score < 225 on step1... 130k student loan is a lot easier to pay back after MS2 than 260k after MS4 if one is unable to get a job or match.

Many have told me that it's easier to match into preliminary surgery (the road to nowhere); thus, I am also thinking about that option since one can be licensed in some states with 1-year post grad training...

Is this a serious post? A pulse and a good attitude will leave a lot of doors in psych and family open to a US MD even from... Gasp... The bottom quartile!

 

[Rumor13]

I am in a similar situation... I am in a low-ish ranked school and I am also in the 3rd quartile as of now. If by the end of MS2 I remain there, I think I would need a good score on step 1 (235+) in order to be able to match into psych or FM somewhere. A score lower than 225 would jeopardize my chances to match into one of these specialties since the match has gotten a lot more competitive in the past 2-3 years. I am contemplating withdrawal after MS2 if my class rank does not change and I score < 225 on step1... 130k student loan is a lot easier to pay back after MS2 than 260k after MS4 if one is unable to get a job or match.

Many have told me that it's easier to match into preliminary surgery (the road to nowhere); thus, I am also thinking about that option since one can be licensed in some states with 1-year post grad training...

This was a fun troll to read. And if you aren't a troll and actually think what you said is accurate: the overall match rate for allopathic US seniors was 93.9%, the highest in history, with 51.6% matching their first choice. Of the overall 1,306 unfilled spots on match day, 1,193 of them (91.3%) were filled during SOAP. For FM In 2014 (because I have that data and don't feel like looking 2015 up) 96% of US seniors matched with a mean Step 1 of 218. That score is the 25th percentile. I've never actually heard someone say they were concerned about matching in FM...

 

[adfalcon]

Psychiatry and Neuro are not extremely competitive, as long as you don't screw up major on step 1 and you get good clinical reviews you should be absolutely fine.

 

[PL198]

I am in a similar situation... I am in a low-ish ranked school and I am also in the 3rd quartile as of now. If by the end of MS2 I remain there, I think I would need a good score on step 1 (235+) in order to be able to match into psych or FM somewhere. A score lower than 225 would jeopardize my chances to match into one of these specialties since the match has gotten a lot more competitive in the past 2-3 years. I am contemplating withdrawal after MS2 if my class rank does not change and I score < 225 on step1... 130k student loan is a lot easier to pay back after MS2 than 260k after MS4 if one is unable to get a job or match.

Many have told me that it's easier to match into preliminary surgery (the road to nowhere); thus, I am also thinking about that option since one can be licensed in some states with 1-year post grad training...

honestly I don't know what world you live in. your posts continue to impress me

 

[ortnakas]

Only on SDN is the sky falling even if you pass all your classes and the USMLE.

 

[Merely]

I am in a similar situation... I am in a low-ish ranked school and I am also in the 3rd quartile as of now. If by the end of MS2 I remain there, I think I would need a good score on step 1 (235+) in order to be able to match into psych or FM somewhere. A score lower than 225 would jeopardize my chances to match into one of these specialties since the match has gotten a lot more competitive in the past 2-3 years. I am contemplating withdrawal after MS2 if my class rank does not change and I score < 225 on step1... 130k student loan is a lot easier to pay back after MS2 than 260k after MS4 if one is unable to get a job or match.

Many have told me that it's easier to match into preliminary surgery (the road to nowhere); thus, I am also thinking about that option since one can be licensed in some states with 1-year post grad training...

This is gold because he's def a troll but it also can seem believable hahahahahaha

 

[W19]

I challenge people that are calling me 'a troll' to read the FM/Psych residency interview invites (2015/2016); they will see how many programs good US students had to apply to get a handful of interviews... Why does OP start this thread? because he/she also understands that the landscape of residency is changing...

 

[Rumor13]

I challenge people that are calling me 'a troll' to read the FM/Psych residency interview invites (2015/2016); they will see how many programs good US students had to apply to get a handful of interviews... Why does OP start this thread? because he/she also understands that the landscape of residency is changing...

Go look at statistics. FM is exceptionally easy to match unless you are dead-set on only being in a highly desirable geographic location or applying to only top tier programs. Everybody applies to a lot of places only to get a few interviews, it's the same thing with applying to med school: you catch more fish with a wide net.

 

[PL198]

I challenge people that are calling me 'a troll' to read the FM/Psych residency interview invites (2015/2016); they will see how many programs good US students had to apply to get a handful of interviews... Why does OP start this thread? because he/she also understands that the landscape of residency is changing...

avg matched step 1 2014 FM matched: 218

yeah you totally need 235 to have a shot.

I really don't think you understand math.

the people who barely passed step 1, 181-190 34/40 matched

201-210? 266/274 matched . thats 97 percent

 

[GucciKitty]

I'm being a little lazy here by not looking in other threads, but why is ortho so competitve to match in to? Genuinely curious, is it just because it's so highly sought after, or are there just very few residency spots available?

 

[joker2400]

I'm being a little lazy here by not looking in other threads, but why is ortho so competitve to match in to? Genuinely curious, is it just because it's so highly sought after, or are there just very few residency spots available?

Both

 

[Anicetus]

OP it depends what you wanna do. Dermatology? Your chances are already pretty low from being at a low tier school as crappy as that sounds but if you're interested in something not ultra competitive you will most likely be fine. You also can listen to the posts that are going to say "just own step 1" but everyone and their mom will think they will ace step 1. 50% of the med school students got below a 230.

Youll be fine if you stay realistic.

 

[Mad Jack]

I'm being a little lazy here by not looking in other threads, but why is ortho so competitve to match in to? Genuinely curious, is it just because it's so highly sought after, or are there just very few residency spots available?

Because it's like general surgery, but pays more, has a better lifestyle, and your patients are happier. So basically it's not like general surgery at all.

 

[Slack3r]

I'm being a little lazy here by not looking in other threads, but why is ortho so competitve to match in to? Genuinely curious, is it just because it's so highly sought after, or are there just very few residency spots available?

Google "average orthopedic surgeon salary". That's a good place to start.

 

[Raininleuf]

it is insane how many people the first day of MS1 said they wanted to do orthopedic surgery. that field has really got a hold on people.

 

[Mad Jack]

it is insane how many people the first day of MS1 said they wanted to do orthopedic surgery. that field has really got a hold on people.

Depends on the class. Where I'm at it's all EM- I'd say one in six kids is gunning for the ED.

 

[psychMDhopefully]

it is insane how many people the first day of MS1 said they wanted to do orthopedic surgery. that field has really got a hold on people.

Thts become everyone thinks they are going to be top of the class when med school starts, then they see they can't just climb from the bottom to the top like undergrad, med school classes have too much talent. 90% of the ortho and derm gunners now are like " yeah I've always wanted to do IM"

 

[TBV]

Thts become everyone thinks they are going to be top of the class when med school starts, then they see they can't just climb from the bottom to the top like undergrad, med school classes have too much talent. 90% of the ortho and derm gunners now are like " yeah I've always wanted to do IM"

Not like interventional is hard on the ol bank account though

 

[sunealoneal]

I challenge people that are calling me 'a troll' to read the FM/Psych residency interview invites (2015/2016); they will see how many programs good US students had to apply to get a handful of interviews... Why does OP start this thread? because he/she also understands that the landscape of residency is changing...

The average USMLE for unmatched FM/Psych was 201/205 respectively... Average for those who matched was 218/220. Unless you're suggesting that there were radical changes over the last 2 years, which is obviously silly. Number of programs to get a handful of interviews is a nonsensical metric.