Interested in Optho But....

[uthopeful]

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I did a short rotation in optho a few weeks ago and am very interested in the field. I am concerned about my board scores, 215. My grades are pretty solid, top 15-20%. Assuming I get good evaluations during clerkship, LOR, etc how much with my step 1 score hurt me?

 

[DiveMD]

Like everybody else...apply broadly and early...

DIVEMD

 

[Olddog1]

I did a short rotation in optho a few weeks ago and am very interested in the field. I am concerned about my board scores, 215. My grades are pretty solid, top 15-20%. Assuming I get good evaluations during clerkship, LOR, etc how much with my step 1 score hurt me?

Don't wait until the middle of 4th year to take Step 2. Take it early (on time) so residency committees will have the scores when evaluating your application. If you are in the top 20% of your class a good score on Step 2 would make it easier to overlook the 215 on Step 1 (esp. if you have good grades from the 1st two years of med school).

 

[ckyuen]

I had a horrible step one, took step 2 early and did much better and sent those scores off. Matched well

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Make sure you don't write opthalmology on your ap.

 

[4424]

if you get your step 2 after you sent in your application and you still want to submit it, do you have to contact each individual program you applied to and mail it to them? or is there an easier way? thanks

 

[DiveMD]

if you get your step 2 after you sent in your application and you still want to submit it, do you have to contact each individual program you applied to and mail it to them? or is there an easier way? thanks

Call the SF Match help line for a definite answer.

 

[koolkatmd]

I had a horrible step one, took step 2 early and did much better and sent those scores off. Matched well

im interested in ophtho, but dont know if my chances are shot?
3rd year med student
step 2=mid 220's
research in optho, surgery with no pubs yet
mid-tier med school, ranked top 30
some foreign experience in ophtho clinics.

what do you think my chances are? what do you think i should do to strengthen my app?
Thanks alot!😕

 

[skier]

I know of many people who matched in ophtho with step 1 of 220 or less including myself. If this is what you want to do you should go for it. As said many times programs look at the whole application. Don't give up without trying.

 

[koolkatmd]

I know of many people who matched in ophtho with step 1 of 220 or less including myself. If this is what you want to do you should go for it. As said many times programs look at the whole application. Don't give up without trying.

Thanks for the hope skier! What are some things that strengthened your app, or what suggestions can you give me??

 

[rice]

I know of many people who matched in ophtho with step 1 of 220 or less including myself. If this is what you want to do you should go for it. As said many times programs look at the whole application. Don't give up without trying.

Well, I tried...I had a horrible step 1 and didn't do much better on step 2...partly my fault, but went to a highly regarded med school, did decently but not great, and did an extra year of published research. Went through the match/interview cycle multiple times to no avail. Maybe I am an isolated case or a horrible at interviews (which I didn't think was the case), but I do caution against becoming too optimistic if your boards aren't up to snuff. Now I did match in Internal Medicine without a problem and then matched in a competitive, procedural, pretty well-reimbursed subspecialty so I'm not hurting too much...but I loved ophtho and am sad I didn't have the opportunity to practice it.

 

[koolkatmd]

any more advice for my posts (above)??

 

[turkdlit]

Well, I tried...I had a horrible step 1 and didn't do much better on step 2...partly my fault, but went to a highly regarded med school, did decently but not great, and did an extra year of published research. Went through the match/interview cycle multiple times to no avail. Maybe I am an isolated case or a horrible at interviews (which I didn't think was the case), but I do caution against becoming too optimistic if your boards aren't up to snuff. Now I did match in Internal Medicine without a problem and then matched in a competitive, procedural, pretty well-reimbursed subspecialty so I'm not hurting too much...but I loved ophtho and am sad I didn't have the opportunity to practice it.

how "horrible" was this step 1 score of yours? Just curious so we can all get an idea

 

[speyeder]

any more advice for my posts (above)??

Like most things in life, it's all about balance. An applicant with below average numbers usually has to make up for this by being stronger in other areas. So being AOA, if possible helps. Publications help. Honoring as many rotations does as well. In ophtho especially, letters of recommendations and connections matters a lot. If your home program has an ophtho program, make every effort to speak to the chairman/program director. Make your interest in ophtho known to them, ask for advice about what things you can do to better your chances. Show as much facetime as possible so they know who you are. Your best chances are probably at your home program anyway. Next I would schedule ophtho electives away at top tier programs, work my butt off and try to get letters from well known faculty members. Ophtho is a small field and name recognition carries a lot of weight. Schedule these electives early, as spots can fill up quickly, aiming for electives before August. August is okay, but you probably won't be able to get a letter in time to include with your application. Good luck.

 

[medhopeful08]

Like most things in life, it's all about balance. An applicant with below average numbers usually has to make up for this by being stronger in other areas. So being AOA, if possible helps. Publications help. Honoring as many rotations does as well. In ophtho especially, letters of recommendations and connections matters a lot. If your home program has an ophtho program, make every effort to speak to the chairman/program director. Make your interest in ophtho known to them, ask for advice about what things you can do to better your chances. Show as much facetime as possible so they know who you are. Your best chances are probably at your home program anyway. Next I would schedule ophtho electives away at top tier programs, work my butt off and try to get letters from well known faculty members. Ophtho is a small field and name recognition carries a lot of weight. Schedule these electives early, as spots can fill up quickly, aiming for electives before August. August is okay, but you probably won't be able to get a letter in time to include with your application. Good luck.

ll

 

[speyeder]

How early do you usually have to schedule away rotations in advance to get a spot for July, Aug, or Sept? thx.

It depends on the program but the earlier the better. Personally I would apply at least 3 months in advance. If you're super organized, try 6 months in advance to be safe. Keep in mind that some programs give preference to their own students so in actuality, there may be only a handful of spots available during the prime months of May-July.

 

[MR1]

I would either get info from their website or call the residency coordinator early next year because some programs won't except applications before a certain date (May or June in some cases) and some say the earlier the better. I was trying for a Aug/Sept rotation and got mine in around end of April and thought I was running a little behind (some schools had already filled up at that point).

 

[koolkatmd]

hey ckuyen and skiier..or anyone else out there with similar stats to mine (see above posts) or anyone with advice.....
what do you think helped you get interview and match with your relatively low step 1 scores? would really appreciate it if anyone had any input...
thanks!

 

[speyeder]

hey ckuyen and skiier..or anyone else out there with similar stats to mine (see above posts) or anyone with advice.....
what do you think helped you get interview and match with your relatively low step 1 scores? would really appreciate it if anyone had any input...
thanks!

I don't think your Step 1 score is that terrible. You're slightly below average for those who match in that respect. 230 was the mean among matched applicants last year. You may get shut out from the top programs but if the rest of your application is strong, you should still get enough interviews to match. The strength of your LOR's will probably be the single most important factor right now in terms of being selected for an interview. If they're strong, you may be surprised at how many interviews you get. After that, how well you interview is probably the most important factor regarding whether and how high you match. Going to a top 30 school helps. And if your school has a strong ophtho program, that helps even more. If you're doing a late rotation and can get another strong ophtho letter, send it to every program you applied. It may swing the momentum in your favor regarding an interview decision. To help yourself even more, when the interview season is over, ask the chairman or PD at your home ophtho program to make a few calls to your top 2 or 3 choices. Doing these things will maximize your chances of matching. After that there's not much else you can do to help your cause.

 

[skier]

I agree with what has been said. Personally I took step 2 early and did well. I studied really hard for it. In addition I had some ongoing ophtho research I was able to discuss during interviews which lead to ARVO abstracts. All that programs knew was that I had submitted them as they had not yet been accepted. Strong letters also help. I did not do an away rotation. Remeber the average step 1 is 230 that means someone has to balance out those who get 250-260. I did not interview at any top 10 programs but ended up with 15 interview offers. Hope this helps.