Is a research year becoming necessary?
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No, I don't think it is necessary at all.
Sure, Urology is competitive. If I recall correctly, this year's match rate is actually fairly in line with what it has been prior to 2019/2018; we've just had a few years recently with uncharacteristically high match rates. Didn't do any googling though to verify this at all.
You just need to do all the usual things to get into competitive residencies - good grades, good step scores (step 2 scores in your case I would think), research, extracurricular engagement to build an application, etc. Just like getting into med school. Certainly a research year doesn't hurt and if that's something you want to do for other reasons, like to build research skills for an academic career or improve your chances to get into a "top" urology residency, then sure, it helps! But I don't think it is necessary.
I personally don't feel research years are necessary for plastics, derm or ortho either. At least I feel that plenty of people in my class matched those without research years.
Sure, Urology is competitive. If I recall correctly, this year's match rate is actually fairly in line with what it has been prior to 2019/2018; we've just had a few years recently with uncharacteristically high match rates. Didn't do any googling though to verify this at all.
You just need to do all the usual things to get into competitive residencies - good grades, good step scores (step 2 scores in your case I would think), research, extracurricular engagement to build an application, etc. Just like getting into med school. Certainly a research year doesn't hurt and if that's something you want to do for other reasons, like to build research skills for an academic career or improve your chances to get into a "top" urology residency, then sure, it helps! But I don't think it is necessary.
I personally don't feel research years are necessary for plastics, derm or ortho either. At least I feel that plenty of people in my class matched those without research years.
Absolutely, I think you are more likely to see a research year for those applying NSGY, plastics and possibly ortho & Uro if you are looking at matching to a powerhouse academic program. Additionally, if you need a boost to your app that may not be the most competitive, then I could also see why you may want a research year.. Remember, a research year with a prominent member of the respective field can also provide big dividends if you can impress.
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I agree - urology is absolutely competitive, and the match rate is usually pretty low. However, its definitely not required to do a research year to match - plenty of people (likely a majority) match without it. Does it help pad your resume? Sure. Do plenty of people still get good grades, do research through their med school career, and match at great places? Absolutely. It depends on what your CV looks like once you're heading into 4th year and thinking about applying.
May I DM you and ask another question?
Sure
