Interest in top psychiatry residencies/Trouble with clinical grades

[HLA-E]

Current M3 here. Recently in third year, I decided that I plan on applying into psychiatry with plans on going into C&A Psychiatry to work with trans adolescents. I was originally planning on going into Urology (weird combo I know), so some of my extracurriculars and research (1 Abstract at national AUA conference) are focused in that area. I am currently set up to start analyzing data for a research project in psychiatry soon to remedy the lack of psych research/get a psych publication, and a lot of my other extracurriculars were focused on LGBTQ health and other health equity issues. Step 1 score is 250+ and I go to a top 30 allopathic school. My main issue is that third year grading hasn't been going amazingly so far, as I have all HP with one Honors in my psych clerkship. Of my remaining clerkships, I can potentially honor FM and/or IM but it will be difficult as my school has moved to only giving out about ~20% Honors in each clerkship. I also aim to do well on Step 2 and take several psych electives and a Peds sub-I in the beginning of M4 so that they will be on my MSPE. Will getting all HP except Honors in psych for my M3 clerkships significantly hurt my chances at places like MGH/McLean, UCSF, and Northwestern? I know psych is getting more competitive by the year, so I'm worried.

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[Ole_Toe]

It sounds like your biggest issue is med student syndrome. You should be feeling confident as *** right now, but instead you are feeling insecure? I don't get it. Incredible step score, HPs and honors in clinicals, unique story and path to psychiatry, blah blah blah. You're a star, but that neurosis will hold you back! No one is a sure shot for MGH UCSF etc, but in the aggregate I'm sure you will land at a top tier academic program based on what you've shared.

"Trouble with clinical grades" lol