Match Post

[avanb803]

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Good luck to everyone! Since the 2006 class is very close to having the weight of the match off of your shoulders, I was hoping that some of you could post where you match so the class of 2007 can start worrying. So when you all get about a 6 pack polished off, how about posting before you finish off the rest of the case. Hope everyone gets their #1.

Step1
Step2
Class rank
Research
#programs applied to
#interviews
MATCH!

 

[avanb803]

Bump. I know this post is similar to one currently getting slammed, but as much info as you guys want to share would be much appreciated by the class of 2007. And yes, this post has been done before, but the old posts seem fairly obsure due to the increased competitiveness of this years match. Thanks a lot.

 

[vecuronium]

I can't resist helping you 007s, especially since I was in the same boat and had so little information back when I was applying. I would encourage those who matched this year to help them out as well by posting some of your stats.

Me:
Top 30 allo
No class rank, but would guess around middle of the pack.
216/218
No published research, but did perform one clinical trial research with the anesthesiology department that is not yet published.
Very good letters - I asked mainly people who truly KNEW and LIKED me. The letters were glowing and were the best part of my app. I know because at some interviews, the interviewer asked me about them and gave them to me to read. I'm EXTREMELY thankful for the attendings who wrote my letters.

I applied to around 30, interviewed at 15, and ranked 14. I was so afraid of not matching and was really insecured because EVERYONE in my class who was going into anesthesia had incredible stats, much much better than mine. My fear was unfounded, as I ended up getting interviews at a lot of good programs. My advice would be to apply to lots of programs, interview as much as possible and rank around 10. No need to go overboard if you're a solid candidate.

I matched at my #1, Baylor. I felt so fortunate and blessed. Just pure joy knowing that I'm going to where I want to go, to learn what I want to learn.

I hope you all experience the same joy once you've matched. Don't hesitate to PM me if I could help.

 

[ThinkFast007]

...

 

[jennyboo]

Step1 230 < me < 240
Step2 not back yet
Class rank not AOA. Honored barely anything (1 preclinical and 3 electives in four years).
Research Couple of small projects (surgery, EM), no publications. No anesthesia research.
Med school top 30-40 allopathic school (i.e. average but with surprisingly better name than substance)

#programs applied to 29 (I over-applied)
#interviews Offered maybe 24, went to 11, ranked 8.
#prelim interviews Applied maybe 15, offered 8, went to 5, ranked 5.
LORS were good and well known.
Aways yes
MATCH! a "best of the best" residency (see the anesthesia FAQ #1).

 

[roctown]

Hope I can provide encouragment for all those with average board scores:

Step I and II: 210
Class rank: top 20% and AOA member
research: little bit, not in anesthesia though, no papers or publications
Interviews: Received interviews at all top NYC, Philly and Boston programs
send out applications within first two weeks: it really helps
Matched: to my #1 -Mount Sinai

Even though a lot of cats in the field now have board scores in the 230s and up, I think my case is an example of a well rounded person who interviews well doing very well with match despite average board scores. A classmate of mine with same board scores who was not AOA but also very well rounded also got #1 choice of Columbia.

So don't lose too much sleep if you are not getting 99s on step I and II and want to go into anethesia, though it would certainly help.

 

[ThinkFast007]

hey guys, i think it woudl help these folks if we mentioned also if we were Allopathic vs. DO vs FMG

 

[Idiopathic]

Good luck!

 

[Just_Curious]

Step I <<200
Step II <<200
AOA - Laughed at me
HONORS - Not even close
LOR - AMA Leadership, ASA Leadership, PD Ivy League Program, Chair Ivy League Program
Away Rotations - None
Class Rank - Last Place or Tied for Last Place
MATCH: #2 = COLUMBIA BABY
MAJOR FACTOR: I'm an IVY LEAGUE US ALLOPATH

 

[cutdacheese]

Hope this helps you guys out. Also remember that the stats you see here do not accurately represent everyone applying; remember that most people dont post their stats, let alone even talk about them.

US Allopath
Step1 236
Step2 247
One thing i would like to add here is that from the feedback i got from pds and chairmen is that the board score is very impt in some of the higher tier places. your saying "duh, sherlock"- but i just wanted to emphasize that grades in clerkships never even entered into the conversations... that being said, i only had a couple of honors, mostly high passes, and some passes mixed in during 3-4 yr. SO if i had to do it over i would def not worry about my clerkship grades as much... my advice is spend your time studying for the boards and kick ass on them, it will open up alot of doors for you. Having great clerkship grades will not. This was the impression i got anyway.
Class rank Have no idea,and who the f cares... med school fabricated way to make students more anal retentive and worry if they are up to par with their peers. Non AOA, by the way...another bs subjective thing. Is a non-AOA doc any worse than an AOA doc. Its all bs, if you ask me.
Research Anesthesia research (2-3mos in early 4th yr) that was submitted for potential publication in a major anesthesia journal... alot of interviewers asked about this. I felt that it was a real asset to have in my application from the feedback of so many interviewers. Def would recommend hooking up with someone in your home prog and getting involved in research or even a case report write up.. it shows that you are serious about your specialty and that you're not one of those "i'll apply to 3 rads, derm, gas and see what i'll end up doing in the end" people.
#programs applied to 15-20
#interviews 15 or so... got the big names in NY, Boston, PA, and Conn. Declined the Boston interiews after some soul searching as to whether i would be happy living there. Surpirsingly, some of the lower caliber progs did not grant me an interview, as well as 1 or 2 middle tier progs... very wierd mix- very random if you ask me. Did 10 interviews and ranked 10.
Letters Contrary to what others might say, i felt that the people that i got letters from (guy i did research with, chairmen at home prog, avg joe anesthesia attending, and med attending) knew me minimally, but prob had a good impression of me from the limited interactions that we did have. However, the feedback i got was that interviewers were impressed by the letters and they especially focused on the last paragraph of my chairmens letter in which i believe is used to compare you to others going into the field that yr and in yrs past. I feel that if you arent a real jerk or do anything incredibly stupid, you will get strong letters as a baseline. Some people i don't dispute probably got outstanding "i would adopt this person if i could" letters.
MATCH! At my #1 Mt Sinai

I am really excited about residency and the field of anesthesia in general. Seriously though, the caliber of applicants was awesome and we are gonna kick ass in the future... i am honored to have you guys as colleagues.

 

[Idiopathic]

Surpirsingly, some of the lower caliber progs did not grant me an interview, as well as 1 or 2 middle tier progs... very wierd mix- very random if you ask me.

I thought a lot about this. Some of the lower and middle tiers probably got shotgunned by many people as possible during this process, and they cant realistically grant interviews to the best candidates, because they know they are competing with Penn, MGH, JHU, UCSF, etc. and they will rarely win that battle. I also think this is why a program like SLU might not fill. Everyone I talked to really liked their interview there, but then they have 5 unfilled spots, possibly because they interviewed too many excellent candidates? I dont know, but I equate it with 'knowning your station'.

 

[avanb803]

Step I <<200
Step II <<200
AOA - Laughed at me
HONORS - Not even close
LOR - AMA Leadership, ASA Leadership, PD Ivy League Program, Chair Ivy League Program
Away Rotations - None
Class Rank - Last Place or Tied for Last Place
MATCH: #2 = COLUMBIA BABY
MAJOR FACTOR: I'm an IVY LEAGUE US ALLOPATH

Ok we get it, you are a slacker that enjoys using the words "ivy league" as often as possible. Which you will no doubt bring up to people in the hospital at any given chance so they can roll their eyes when you turn you back. And you didn't learn jack while you were there... congrats on skating through. I'm sure they are proud to have you as a student. You've got it made pal, hope you pass the drug test mr. IVY LEAGUE.

So to those of you who didn't get didn't sneak into an IVY LEAGUE with mild MR, could we hear from some of the DOs out there who matched? I curious to find out how many programs looked at the applicant and even which ones prefer half witts who can't stop saying IVY LEAGUE.

 

[BuffaloMed]

Since I've gotten so much from others here in the past, I figured I'd add what I could.

US Allopath at mid-level program
Step I : 192 (never studied for a test in my life, definitely a wake up call)
Step II: Scored phenomenally but got my results back two days after rank
orders were sent in so didn't help me with the application
Class Rank: Middle third
Research: Two publications (1 in clinical surgery, 1 basic science), 4 presentations
(3 local poster style with 2 awards, 1 national powerpoint)
Programs Applied To: 25 (all across the US, east to west coast + the south
since I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for)
Interviews: Offered 15 (not from the Ivy's, big suprise), went on 12, ranked 10
LORs: 2 from junior medicine faculty, heavy contact, must have been amazing
because I was asked about them on every interview, 1 from anesthesiology
faculty, limited contact, officer in the ASA
Matched: My #1

So there you go, you can in fact score below 200 and still have a wide variety of programs to choose from.
It does help if the rest of your application is strong or at least has some highlights. Maybe this will give a little
hope to people out there who are wondering if they can match in anesthesia. Even in this (supposedly)
more competitive year I got my #1.

🙂

 

[ThinkFast007]

Ok we get it, you are a slacker that enjoys using the words "ivy league" as often as possible. Which you will no doubt bring up to people in the hospital at any given chance so they can roll their eyes when you turn you back. And you didn't learn jack while you were there... congrats on skating through. I'm sure they are proud to have you as a student. You've got it made pal, hope you pass the drug test mr. IVY LEAGUE.

So to those of you who didn't get didn't sneak into an IVY LEAGUE with mild MR, could we hear from some of the DOs out there who matched? I curious to find out how many programs looked at the applicant and even which ones prefer half witts who can't stop saying IVY LEAGUE.

first off...i have no idea who this guy was. BUT to me, it didnt seem like he was braggin about his IVY league status. Personally, I think it's commendable.

get off your soapbox and stop taking things so personally.

 

[Idiopathic]

first off...i have no idea who this guy was. BUT to me, it didnt seem like he was braggin about his IVY league status. Personally, I think it's commendable.

get off your soapbox and stop taking things so personally.

Read Just_Curious other post in the "will it hurt to be a DO" thread (i think thats it). Hes either a liar, a tool or both. And he did capitalize ivy league, and he probably matched at his home program.

 

[blocks]

first off...i have no idea who this guy was. BUT to me, it didnt seem like he was braggin about his IVY league status. Personally, I think it's commendable.

get off your soapbox and stop taking things so personally.

I hope for Columbia's sake that post is BS and this guy is a troll. They are a great program and they don't need a tool like this. As an american MD myself, it's not commendable to be a totally subpar Ivy league applicant, with no outside rotations...it's weak.

 

[ThinkFast007]

as i stated i dont knwo the guy..thsi was the first post i saw of him. it is what it is. those are his scores/stats. thats what the youngins on here want to see.

blocks....cracking 200 doesnt mean S hit. There's a lot more too it. I mean some ppl figure, hey they worked there as s off to get into a US allo med school...now i can 'chill' a little bit.

at the end of the day....if these guys can still do JUST as well during their 3rd and 4th yr and could honor stuff and could itnerview well...i'd PERSONALLY say these cats are more qualified.

 

[MD/TX2006]

US Allopath... lower tier school
(couples matching with Radiology)

Step I : 200 (didn't even know how to study!)
Step II: 235... finally learned my successful studying style ( 👍 I second whoever said board scores is a HUGE deal... shows the programs you will not be a liability when it comes to passing your specialty boards.)

Class Rank: middle third...

Research: ten-week program b/t first and second year... learned a lot, but NO publications.

Programs Applied To: 30 programs all over the place (with couples matching I think this is warranted... single, I would have done 20)

Interviews: invited to 16, declined 4, ranked 12 (so random... some "guaranteed/safety" schools gave me a big ol' rejection, some top-ten schools said to come on down!)

LORs: people who I knew liked me... one surgery, two anesthesia (including my chair... and everyone loved his letter), one internal medicine

Matched: #4- one of my dream schools! Also, considering I had two Harvards (B&W and BID) and a Vandy above AND we were couples matching into competitive specialities, we were amazed we did this well.

Aways: we did three months away together, at great places. Including my match. This probably helped a whole deal, because when we went back for interviews I knew the people and I knew I would be so happy there and have a awesome training experience. Also, I would highly recommend doing aways just because they are FUN! And if you come from a school like mine... "where's that again???", having these experiences at top-tier schools and getting "honored" in those aways helps out your application- although I didn't know I was supposed to put it on my ERAS.

Ok... that was too long. Hope it helps someone else.
Now... on to my wedding plans!

 

[cubs3canes]

first off...i have no idea who this guy was. BUT to me, it didnt seem like he was braggin about his IVY league status. Personally, I think it's commendable.

get off your soapbox and stop taking things so personally.

Step 1: 216
Step 2: 222
Med school: Two of them First, DO in Florida..then MD in Louisiana
Class Ranks: 12/185 at first school., unknown at second school. I did well on my third year rotations.
Rotations: Hurricane Katrina driven. I did not get do a rotation at my number 1 because of the hurricane, but I went there during my vacation and did two days as an informal student. I went to all of the Journal Clubs and I showed interest early.
Applied to 15..only in the south. Offered 12, interviewed at 11. Ranked 10.
Letters: They knew me very well
Research: none
Match: My number 1. Ochsner Hospital.

Advice: Apply early and be nice on your interview. Make a couple of jokes. Stand out. Also, bring pictures of your cute kids.

 

[toughlife]

Step I <<200
Step II <<200
AOA - Laughed at me
HONORS - Not even close
LOR - AMA Leadership, ASA Leadership, PD Ivy League Program, Chair Ivy League Program
Away Rotations - None
Class Rank - Last Place or Tied for Last Place
MATCH: #2 = COLUMBIA BABY
MAJOR FACTOR: I'm an IVY LEAGUE US ALLOPATH

Ok I must admit I am bitter but man, seeing that makes me feel Columbia was lame after all. My stats were better than yours, and I also go to a top allo school, published twice, but no Columbia. Very happy with my #2 choice but makes me wonder how a slacker like you can get in while better qualified allo applicants get shunned.

 

[chicamedica]

Step1 220s
Step2 220s
Med School: Top 20 US allo
Class rank Have no idea. Not AOA.
All preclinical Pass, mostly High Pass in clerkships, 2 honors (FAM MED 😀 and psych, but the psych grade got averaged with the Neuro grade, so didn't show up in transcript 😡 ). I agree w/ whoever said clerkship grades are not as impt as board scores. It's only fair, cause clerkship grades are so subjective and the same grade can represent quite different levels of performance depending on who the grader is. So, my advice is to just go into rotations wanting to learn as much as you can and help out the team with what you can as a med student (you ARE needed 😉 ). I realized early that stressing about the grade would drive me insane and prevent me from learning, and thus, have had very educational, positive, rewarding experiences on the wards, with minimal stress (other than sleep-deprivation 😛).

Research
Yes. Did significant amt in undergrad. Wrote a thesis re: 2 years of work. Coauthored pub on anesthesia-related research in med school. Worked on multi-disciplinary research long-term, didn't have a pub from it by the time I applied, but am currently writing it up.

#programs applied to: I think about 17 anesthesia

#interviews: 10 offered, declined 2, went on 8. I echo what someone mentioned about being offered interviews by some top notch programs, but rejected/waitlisted by some mid-tiers. My feeling was that programs tend to think about who would be the best "fit" for their programs, just as much as applicants aim for the best "fit" for themselves. Although I didn't apply to any program I considered weak, I could understand why with my career goal being clinical anesthesia and research, some programs with less emphasis/opportunities for research would feel I would not be as good a fit (examples Mt. Sinai, BID, Cornell--disclaimer: these are NOT who i'm referring to as mid-tiers).

MATCH! Columbia-NYP, my #3. Was pretty undecided among my top 3-4, although all 7 of my ranked programs were pretty darned close; in retrospect, while most programs on my list were equally superb in terms of clinical training, Columbia did seem to be the most supportive and encouraging of my research interest out of my top 3 (there were 2 other places that were equally encouraging, but were lower on my list purely due to location and those were Wash U St. Louis and Mayo). So, I am elated with my match and truly do believe NRMP and the programs made the perfect decision for me, even though i continue to dread living in NYC on a resident's salary . ( 😍 everything else about the big apple tho).


GOOD LUCK TO THE CLASS OF 2007!!

 

[chicamedica]

Ok I must admit I am bitter but man, seeing that makes me feel Columbia was lame after all. My stats were better than yours, and I also go to a top allo school, published twice, but no Columbia. Very happy with my #2 choice but makes me wonder how a slacker like you can get in while better qualified allo applicants get shunned.

Did you guys notice that he was the PD and chair of an Ivy league program, though? 😉

Dont' be dissin on my Columbia now!! 😡

 

[avanb803]

as i stated i dont knwo the guy..thsi was the first post i saw of him. it is what it is. those are his scores/stats. thats what the youngins on here want to see.

blocks....cracking 200 doesnt mean S hit. There's a lot more too it. I mean some ppl figure, hey they worked there as s off to get into a US allo med school...now i can 'chill' a little bit.

at the end of the day....if these guys can still do JUST as well during their 3rd and 4th yr and could honor stuff and could itnerview well...i'd PERSONALLY say these cats are more qualified.

You are a joke. The ONLY thing that makes a person more qualified is the letters behind their name? So this guy who may have studied physics and organic chem like crazy to get into IVY LEAGUE allopathic but then screws off in med school is more qualified for a residency spot? He takes pride in lousy board scores, lousy grades and judging by his inflammatory posts, his lousy personality... yet STILL he is more qualified to you. Ok so maybe he failed pharmacology, but his MCAT score sure will be good for the program. As I said in another post... you are such a tool.

 

[Beck928]

Since everyone here has helped me, I'm giving even more hope to those that don't have the highest scores on Earth

Step I: 207 USMLE, 599 COMLEX
Step II: Took after interviews, passed (COMLEX only)
Med School😀O
Class Rank: Top half (no AOA for DO schools)
Research: Clinical research b/t MSI-MSII in ER with Spansih-speaking population, also worked that summer at state health dept working with West Nile and got acknowledged on a paper appearing in the MMWR (also seen in JAMA).
#programs: slightly over 30
#interviews😳ffered 9, went on 9
Aways:3- AZ, Vandy, Ohio State, letters from the first two (pre-ERAS rotations) and one additional from Surgeon. These letters are glowing, even if they not from Chair/PD's.
Match: #1, AZ! I'm with Idio, the away rotation is KEY. Work your tail off, go the extra mile, appear interested at ALL TIMES, take call, scut yourself out....whatever it takes. It's hard for me to see people on here matching that are lazy SOB's, but I'm better off for having to work hard 🙂 .

 

[BuffaloMed]

...I'm giving even more hope to those that don't have the highest scores on Earth...

Thanks for sharing. I think SDN can scare a lot of people because of the super high board scores
a lot of posters seem to have. I think it makes it that much more important for people with average
or even slightly below average scores to post to show that not everyone here scored in the
99.999178 %ile (kudos if you did) and yet we all matched pretty well and will all be anesthesiologists
(or whatever your prospective field may be). Congrats on your excellent match and good luck next year.

🙂

 

[B-Bone]

I'll bite:

Middlin' medical school
-Step1: 228
-Step2: 239
-Class rank: not sure. Tested AOA positive. Passed all my preclinicals (no honors), clinical honors is medicine, surgery, peds, neuro, psych, medicine sub-I, family med, and some electives (not anesthesia though).
-Away rotation at site of my match
-Research: 5 papers published, all second author, all non-anesthesia
-Letters: haven't seen 'em. 1 from anesthesia big-wig, otherwise normal dudes.
-#programs applied to: 20 (UCLA, UCSF, UCSD, UW, Virginia Mason, OHSU, CO, AZ, MN, Mayo, IA, WI, UMich, KS, UVM, Cornell, Northwestern, WFU, UNC, UVA)
-#interview offers: 18 (everywhere except UW and OHSU)
-#interviews attended: 10
-MATCH: Mayo (my #1!)

Biggest advice: apply early and broadly. check email several times a day and get back to programs within hours to schedule interviews (those spots go quickly). I also wrote specific personal statements for my top choices about why I wanted to be there (I think that helped).

 

[24858]

Step1 217 usmle, 617 comlex
Step2 633 comlex
Class rank #1
Research One unpublished study
#programs applied to 17
#interviews 8 interviews, turned 1 down, 8 rejections
MATCH! At my number 11. If I had to do it again, I probably would have ranked this program number 1. Hindsight is always 20/20 however. I made up my rank list the wrong way and am very happy how it turned out, my foolishness ended up not hurting me.

 

[person2006]

US Allopath at mid-level program
Step I : 224
Step II: 212
Class Rank: Middle
Research: significant
Programs Applied To: 30
Interviews: Offered 18 top, middle, lower mix; went on 14 ranked 14
LORs: good letters, told so at interviews
Matched: unmatched
I hope you all don't get ****ed like I did. Get people to make phone calls for you and tell everyone they're your number 1.[/QUOTE]

 

[Idiopathic]

blocks....cracking 200 doesnt mean S hit. There's a lot more too it. I mean some ppl figure, hey they worked there as s off to get into a US allo med school...now i can 'chill' a little bit.

You are incredible.

You would say that someone who got good grades and did a few points better on a test that was taken nearly 6 years ago can just 'chill' in medical school now that they are in a 'US allo school'? Is that how you approached med school? Isnt your licensing series more important than the MCAT?

Cracking 200 may not mean anything in and of itself, but doesnt how you perform in medical school and on boards mean something? Using your logic it doesnt mean anything as long as you go to X, Y, or Z. I know this isnt really PC, but f you cant even approach the national average on a test that you get two years to study for, the last thing you should be doing is bragging about where you go to school, because I am sure they would rather you shut your mouth and work a little harder.

I wish I could leave your posts alone, but I think you have a serious problem.

 

[24858]

Van Morrison Lyrics
Song Title: Village Idiot

Did you see the lad, on the corner
He was standing drinking wine
Wears his overcoat in the summer
And short sleeves in the winter time

Takes his holidays, down at the bookies
Well he knows how to pick a horse
Village tramping round the countryside
He wears a smile, but he doesn't say much

Village idiot, he's complicated
Village idiot, simple mind
Village idiot, he does know something
But he's just not saying

Don't you know he's onto something
You can see it, you can see it in his eyes
Sometimes he looks so happy
As he goes strolling by

Oh village idiot, he's complicated
Village idiot, he's got a simple mind
Village idiot, must know something
But he's just not saying

Well you all know he's onto something
You can see it in his eyes
Sometimes he looks so happy
When he goes walking by
Sometimes he looks so happy
When he goes walking by
Sometimes he looks so happy

 

[ThinkFast007]

You are incredible.

You would say that someone who got good grades and did a few points better on a test that was taken nearly 6 years ago can just 'chill' in medical school now that they are in a 'US allo school'? Is that how you approached med school? Isnt your licensing series more important than the MCAT?

Cracking 200 may not mean anything in and of itself, but doesnt how you perform in medical school and on boards mean something? Using your logic it doesnt mean anything as long as you go to X, Y, or Z. I know this isnt really PC, but f you cant even approach the national average on a test that you get two years to study for, the last thing you should be doing is bragging about where you go to school, because I am sure they would rather you shut your mouth and work a little harder.

I wish I could leave your posts alone, but I think you have a serious problem.

first, dont take my post out of context....Some ppl dont do well their 'first year or so'. I know many students from my undergrad that approached first year med school w/ that attitude, but soon changed.

The clinical years are VASTLY different. I do believe the clinical years is when you 'learn medicine and how to treat patients". Jee you think that could be the reason why most residency programs flat out tell you that they dont give a rat's tail about the first two years, and it's the clinical years/LORs that theyre MOST concerned about?

You shoudl realize this my friend idio. It looks like you started off med school when you were slightly 'older'. Others came straight out of undergrad. They may have had a little adapting to do. If I take YOUR harsh opinion of ppl that this occurred to, I can point fingers back at you and ask you WTF were you doing those X number of years after you graduated? werent you motivated to become a doctor? where was your passion and drive? Do I question that? absolutely not. I do agree that slacking all FOUR years is doing a disservice to your patient. But if you had a 'slower' start...heck I'm ok with that.

Ppl are on different learning curves and take a little 'adjusting'. But, by the end of whatever grade you are in (ie high school, college, med school) is when one's credibility should be looked at. Remember in college and high school...what did your profs tell you, "junior year is the most important". So.....going back to your point, I must disagree...some ppl take a little longer to 'get it'... in the realm of medicine...the bottom line is can you responsibly take care of the patient and do a good job at it. If you can PROGRESS through med school and show residencies you can... you've got the residency of your dreams 😉

 

[Idiopathic]

first, dont take my post out of context....Some ppl dont do well their 'first year or so'. I know many students from my undergrad that approached first year med school w/ that attitude, but soon changed.

The clinical years are VASTLY different. I do believe the clinical years is when you 'learn medicine and how to treat patients". Jee you think that could be the reason why most residency programs flat out tell you that they dont give a rat's tail about the first two years, and it's the clinical years/LORs that theyre MOST concerned about?

You shoudl realize this my friend idio. It looks like you started off med school when you were slightly 'older'. Others came straight out of undergrad. They may have had a little adapting to do. If I take YOUR harsh opinion of ppl that this occurred to, I can point fingers back at you and ask you WTF were you doing those X number of years after you graduated? werent you motivated to become a doctor? where was your passion and drive? Do I question that? absolutely not. I do agree that slacking all FOUR years is doing a disservice to your patient. But if you had a 'slower' start...heck I'm ok with that.

Ppl are on different learning curves and take a little 'adjusting'. But, by the end of whatever grade you are in (ie high school, college, med school) is when one's credibility should be looked at. Remember in college and high school...what did your profs tell you, "junior year is the most important". So.....going back to your point, I must disagree...some ppl take a little longer to 'get it'... in the realm of medicine...the bottom line is can you responsibly take care of the patient and do a good job at it. If you can PROGRESS through med school and show residencies you can... you've got the residency of your dreams 😉

I take exception to one things that you have said multiple times: one) going to a US allo med school should get you into a good residency regardless of how you perform, and what you do before medical school is more/equally as important to what you do in medical school, provided you go to a US allo med school. I think you have a lot of learning and growing up to do. Maybe I did that in the five years before college, but at least I became motivated when it mattered (i.e. when I was learning medicine and preparing for my career).

I think you offer assessments that are inaccurate, "progress through med school = residency of your dreams". Are you serious? You should be careful and realize that you have a sample size of one and, for someone who doesnt even care to post his own info, you really shouldnt even be posting in this thread.

 

[Idiopathic]

Van Morrison

God bless you, Mea. Make me remember whats really important 😉

 

[bullard]

I think I've posted most of this elsewhere, but in any case--

School: Top 50 US allopathic
Step 1: 210-220
Step 2: 235-240
Grades: One H during third year, one during fourth year (ICU rotation), rest high pass
Extracurriculars: Earned a masters during med school
Research: what's research? 🙂
Letters: Very strong, from what interviewers told me, but not from luminaries in the field.
Interviews: Got interviews in 3/4 NYC programs, all Chicago programs, 2/3 Harvard programs, couple of other reputable joints elsewhere
Aways: one (at the place I ended up matching at)
MATCH: Northwestern (not my #1, but I ain't complaining. Plus, I changed my rank list about 320542423492 times).

Things I think I did right:

-took step 2 early and did well
-the extra degree. If nothing else, it shows industriousness. Don't just go to med school. Go to med school and start a non-profit that collects old vents to send to Guatemala or something. 🙂
-applied to all kinds of programs
-did an ICU rotation

Things I think I did wrong:

-no research
-lousy step 1, lousy grades
-should have done an away where I'd have a chance to spend an extended period of time working with one attending who's just pumping out the clinical research papers (like a Daniel Sessler-type person). This kind of goes with the "no research" point above. 🙂
-did two general anesthesiology electives. Might not have been a bad idea to do one general and one in pedi or OB.
-didn't go to Harvard. 🙂

That was entirely too long, but hopefully it helps somebody.

 

[ThinkFast007]

I think you offer assessments that are inaccurate, "progress through med school = residency of your dreams". .....

Are you kidding me.

Man, you have some real issues. Go talk to you PD at Vandy. Ask him. Would you rather get a guy that PROGRESSED through med school (ie was in bottom of class, did whateve ron step 1 and then now is upper 1/3 of his class).... OR would he want a guy that stayed in the middle of his class all FOUR years.

The former is what I think he would say. Sample size of 1? Buddy pal, idio....I only wish you could speak to others on this forum that have emailed me last year (who are now interns) and to the myriads of others that are out there in similar situations!

give me a break.

 

[Idiopathic]

Don't just go to med school. Go to med school and start a non-profit that collects old vents to send to Guatemala or something. 🙂

I dont know, you could have just 'progressed' through medical school. Why overachieve? 😉 Congrats on an excellent match, btw. Thanks for sharing your info.

 

[blocks]

The clinical years are VASTLY different. I do believe the clinical years is when you 'learn medicine and how to treat patients". Jee you think that could be the reason why most residency programs flat out tell you that they dont give a rat's tail about the first two years, and it's the clinical years/LORs that theyre MOST concerned about?



Whatever dude. Just_Curious said that he scored <200 on Step 1 AND Step 2. Last time I checked, Step 2 was given after 3rd year, covering clinical medicine scenarios regarding how to treat patients. Bottom line is the guy is just screwing around, and you're applauding him because he's a subpar allopath that took a spot away from a better qualified DO.

Weak stuff, bro. 👎

 

[Don8455]

My board scores weren't that stellar. However, other parts of my application were strong. My interviews were limited, but I am extremely happy about where I matched.

Fortunately, board scores aren't the only thing that is looked at. Performance on two tests do not define the candidate.

I don't think I'm an MD who "took a spot" from "a better qualified" candidate.
I earned that spot.

I am getting pretty ticked at all this bickering on an otherwise very informative board. This should be a time of celebration, not petty arguments about 3 digit scores.

Congrats to all that matched.

 

[drRumi]

US Allopath at mid-level program
Step I : 224
Step II: 212
Class Rank: Middle
Research: significant
Programs Applied To: 30
Interviews: Offered 18 top, middle, lower mix; went on 14 ranked 14
LORs: good letters, told so at interviews
Matched: unmatched
I hope you all don't get ****ed like I did. Get people to make phone calls for you and tell everyone they're your number 1.

[/QUOTE]


umm..... am i missing something here? why didnt you match, if i may ask? seems people with those kind of numbers are not having much difficulty matching. well, at least in the SDN world. hope things work out for you.

 

[smedly2]

DO- one of the top schools
comlex I 615 and II 634, never took usmle
top 5% in the class, we have Sigma sigma something instead of AOA
LOR 2 MD anes and 1 DO medicine
no research
2 anes rotations
applied 10 prgms in North East (needed to stay local)
interviewed at 5, cancelled rest
matched 1# in NE!!!!!

 

[blocks]

My board scores weren't that stellar. However, other parts of my application were strong. My interviews were limited, but I am extremely happy about where I matched.

Fortunately, board scores aren't the only thing that is looked at. Performance on two tests do not define the candidate.

I don't think I'm an MD who "took a spot" from "a better qualified" candidate.
I earned that spot.

I am getting pretty ticked at all this bickering on an otherwise very informative board. This should be a time of celebration, not petty arguments about 3 digit scores.

Congrats to all that matched.

Don, I think you're taking my post the wrong way. Congrats on matching, I 'm sure it's well deserved. 👍

 

[Don8455]

blocks

Not a problem man. I'm in a bad mood totally unrelated to the topic.

It's just that I've corresponded with some people who are stressing out because of board scores that are lower than what people post here. I went through the same thing last year! Board scores are important yes, but they aren't everything. Good luck to all future applicants!

 

[supahfresh]

blocks

Not a problem man. I'm in a bad mood totally unrelated to the topic.

It's just that I've corresponded with some people who are stressing out because of board scores that are lower than what people post here. I went through the same thing last year! Board scores are important yes, but they aren't everything. Good luck to all future applicants!

enjoy your internship Don because we are going to work you to the bone. Mwahhahahahah!

 

[person2006]

umm..... am i missing something here? why didnt you match, if i may ask? seems people with those kind of numbers are not having much difficulty matching. well, at least in the SDN world. hope things work out for you.

I wish I knew. Life's not fair...? -not a very satisfying answer

 

[Don8455]

enjoy your internship Don because we are going to work you to the bone. Mwahhahahahah!

lol. whatever it takes man, whatever it takes.

 

[supahfresh]

lol. whatever it takes man, whatever it takes.

Just Kidding, Don. we're pretty benign compared to many other programs. But still, I will have to test your liver against mine at Bar when you get here.

 

[Idiopathic]

My board scores weren't that stellar. However, other parts of my application were strong. My interviews were limited, but I am extremely happy about where I matched.

Fortunately, board scores aren't the only thing that is looked at. Performance on two tests do not define the candidate.

I don't think I'm an MD who "took a spot" from "a better qualified" candidate.
I earned that spot.

I am getting pretty ticked at all this bickering on an otherwise very informative board. This should be a time of celebration, not petty arguments about 3 digit scores.

Congrats to all that matched.

I think the only thing that is being questioned here is the post of someone who went out of their way to emphasize that they had no redeeming qualities whatsoever (board scores, grades, research) besides going to an Ivy League school. Nobody is saying that someone with low board scores should be denied a top residency. Just that complete tools with paragraph-long CV's should have it a little harder, perhaps 😉

 

[Don8455]

Just Kidding, Don. we're pretty benign compared to many other programs. But still, I will have to test your liver against mine at Bar when you get here.

I am up for that challenge. Man, I haven't stopped smiling since Thursday. I think that is a good sign! Not sure what 3 years in Connecticut will be like, but it won't hurt me to be outside of Michigan for a little bit. Hope all is well.

(Alright, I'm done hijacking this thread, lol)

 

[Don8455]

I think the only thing that is being questioned here is the post of someone who went out of their way to emphasize that they had no redeeming qualities whatsoever (board scores, grades, research) besides going to an Ivy League school. Nobody is saying that someone with low board scores should be denied a top residency. Just that complete tools with paragraph-long CV's should have it a little harder, perhaps 😉

All right, its official. I over-reacted. I think its better when I just lurk and don't post 🙂 .

I blame the "elective" in cardiology that I'm currently on where I'm in the hospital over 50 hours a week. I was getting used to being a spoiled 4th year.

 

[Idiopathic]

All right, its official. I over-reacted. I think its better when I just lurk and don't post 🙂 .

I blame the "elective" in cardiology that I'm currently on where I'm in the hospital over 50 hours a week. I was getting used to being a spoiled 4th year.

No, no, everyones still a little keyed up around here. I feel bad for those of you on killer electives, sub-I's, etc in march. Im finishing up my last rotation (vacation in April!) working about 25 hours/week (Wednesday's off!), so Im pretty relaxed...I have no excuse.