Match Success Stories 2017

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

throwawayywat

New Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2017
Messages
1
Reaction score
6
Congrats to all that matched this year! I wanted to start a thread where people can share their match stories - especially the underdog ones. I think it would be helpful/inspiring to those of us who are nervous about going through the process in the next few years. Thanks all!

Members don't see this ad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users
Had some tough personal issues in M1 that greatly exacerbated my depression and anxiety. Lead to a low Step 1 score <200, and failing both my pediatrics and ob/gyn shelf exams third year.

Went on a leave to remediate my shelf exams and get my mental health stuff treated. Had some other health stuff come up and my LOA kept getting extended. I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it back in time to graduate. Fortunately, with lots of support I fully recovered health wise and successfully remediated my failed shelf exams. Came back in time to finish my remaining rotations and squeezed in all neccesary 4th year things so I could apply for residency with my class and be back on track to graduate. Improved on Step 2 CK (not a good score, but a lot better than my step 1) but failed CS due to lack of study time (lost alot of my alloted 4th year vacation/dedicated study time to make up for my leave) and me underestimating the exam.

Just found out I passed my CS re-take 2 weeks ago and happily matched at my top choice pediatric program. :)

Could not be more thankful to be matched at a program that I love and on track to graduate with the rest of my class. It's been a tough journey, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to pull it all off when still on my LOA last year.

If you're struggling, don't be afraid to ask for help and take things one step at a time, you'll get to the finish line. Slow and steady wins the race.

TLDR: Low board scores, 2 failed shelf exams, failed CS, major depression and anxiety, and LOA. Was able to jump back into the class in time to match with support from friends and family. Incredibly thankful and relieved.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 36 users
Had some tough personal issues in M1 that greatly exacerbated my depression and anxiety. Lead to a low Step 1 score <200, and failing both my pediatrics and ob/gyn shelf exams third year.

Went on a leave to remediate my shelf exams and get my mental health stuff treated. Had some other health stuff come up and my LOA kept getting extended. I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it back in time to graduate. Fortunately, with lots of support I fully recovered health wise and successfully remediated my failed shelf exams. Came back in time to finish my remaining rotations and squeezed in all neccesary 4th year things so I could apply for residency with my class and be back on track to graduate. Improved on Step 2 CK (not a good score, but a lot better than my step 1) but failed CS due to lack of study time (lost alot of my alloted 4th year vacation/dedicated study time to make up for my leave) and me underestimating the exam.

Just found out I passed my CS re-take 2 weeks ago and happily matched at my top choice pediatric program. :)

Could not be more thankful to be matched at a program that I love and on track to graduate with the rest of my class. It's been a tough journey, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to pull it all off when still on my LOA last year.

If you're struggling, don't be afraid to ask for help and take things one step at a time, you'll get to the finish line. Slow and steady wins the race.

TLDR: Low board scores, 2 failed shelf exams, failed CS, major depression and anxiety, and LOA. Was able to jump back into the class in time to match with support from friends and family. Incredibly thankful and relieved.

Whew that is rough. Good for you for persevering.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Members don't see this ad :)
Had some tough personal issues in M1 that greatly exacerbated my depression and anxiety. Lead to a low Step 1 score <200, and failing both my pediatrics and ob/gyn shelf exams third year.

Went on a leave to remediate my shelf exams and get my mental health stuff treated. Had some other health stuff come up and my LOA kept getting extended. I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it back in time to graduate. Fortunately, with lots of support I fully recovered health wise and successfully remediated my failed shelf exams. Came back in time to finish my remaining rotations and squeezed in all neccesary 4th year things so I could apply for residency with my class and be back on track to graduate. Improved on Step 2 CK (not a good score, but a lot better than my step 1) but failed CS due to lack of study time (lost alot of my alloted 4th year vacation/dedicated study time to make up for my leave) and me underestimating the exam.

Just found out I passed my CS re-take 2 weeks ago and happily matched at my top choice pediatric program. :)

Could not be more thankful to be matched at a program that I love and on track to graduate with the rest of my class. It's been a tough journey, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to pull it all off when still on my LOA last year.

If you're struggling, don't be afraid to ask for help and take things one step at a time, you'll get to the finish line. Slow and steady wins the race.

TLDR: Low board scores, 2 failed shelf exams, failed CS, major depression and anxiety, and LOA. Was able to jump back into the class in time to match with support from friends and family. Incredibly thankful and relieved.
I remember your posts from 1-2 years ago and I'm so, so happy you ended up where you wanted! I've always appreciated your openness and honesty about coping with depression in medical school, because I think it's something a lot of us deal with at some point but don't hear much about. Anyway, I've been quietly rooting for you for some time and I'm just so excited for your success. Wishing you all the best as you move forward and congratulations!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Whew that is rough. Good for you for persevering.
Thanks! I doubted myself many times, but I was fortunate to have a number of close friends and family who helped me keep faith that things would work out and constantly encouraged me to push forward during the more difficult moments.

I remember your posts from 1-2 years ago and I'm so, so happy you ended up where you wanted! I've always appreciated your openness and honesty about coping with depression in medical school, because I think it's something a lot of us deal with at some point but don't hear much about. Anyway, I've been quietly rooting for you for some time and I'm just so excited for your success. Wishing you all the best as you move forward and congratulations!
Hi Affiche! It has been quite a long time! I remember our discussions on mental health in the allo forums. And thanks, I try my best to be open. I'm always happy to share my experience on this site if it helps another student who is struggling. It was just such an isolating experience at the start of going through all that, but sharing my experience with classmates and folks on SDN over those months really helped me see that I wasn't alone. I hope I can advocate even more for mental health in the years to come. We gotta look out for each other after all.

Again thank you so much, I hope you've been well too! :)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Had some tough personal issues in M1 that greatly exacerbated my depression and anxiety. Lead to a low Step 1 score <200, and failing both my pediatrics and ob/gyn shelf exams third year.

Went on a leave to remediate my shelf exams and get my mental health stuff treated. Had some other health stuff come up and my LOA kept getting extended. I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it back in time to graduate. Fortunately, with lots of support I fully recovered health wise and successfully remediated my failed shelf exams. Came back in time to finish my remaining rotations and squeezed in all neccesary 4th year things so I could apply for residency with my class and be back on track to graduate. Improved on Step 2 CK (not a good score, but a lot better than my step 1) but failed CS due to lack of study time (lost alot of my alloted 4th year vacation/dedicated study time to make up for my leave) and me underestimating the exam.

Just found out I passed my CS re-take 2 weeks ago and happily matched at my top choice pediatric program. :)

Could not be more thankful to be matched at a program that I love and on track to graduate with the rest of my class. It's been a tough journey, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to pull it all off when still on my LOA last year.

If you're struggling, don't be afraid to ask for help and take things one step at a time, you'll get to the finish line. Slow and steady wins the race.

TLDR: Low board scores, 2 failed shelf exams, failed CS, major depression and anxiety, and LOA. Was able to jump back into the class in time to match with support from friends and family. Incredibly thankful and relieved.

Roger Roger! Congrats!!!!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Had some tough personal issues in M1 that greatly exacerbated my depression and anxiety. Lead to a low Step 1 score <200, and failing both my pediatrics and ob/gyn shelf exams third year.

Went on a leave to remediate my shelf exams and get my mental health stuff treated. Had some other health stuff come up and my LOA kept getting extended. I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it back in time to graduate. Fortunately, with lots of support I fully recovered health wise and successfully remediated my failed shelf exams. Came back in time to finish my remaining rotations and squeezed in all neccesary 4th year things so I could apply for residency with my class and be back on track to graduate. Improved on Step 2 CK (not a good score, but a lot better than my step 1) but failed CS due to lack of study time (lost alot of my alloted 4th year vacation/dedicated study time to make up for my leave) and me underestimating the exam.

Just found out I passed my CS re-take 2 weeks ago and happily matched at my top choice pediatric program. :)

Could not be more thankful to be matched at a program that I love and on track to graduate with the rest of my class. It's been a tough journey, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to pull it all off when still on my LOA last year.

If you're struggling, don't be afraid to ask for help and take things one step at a time, you'll get to the finish line. Slow and steady wins the race.

TLDR: Low board scores, 2 failed shelf exams, failed CS, major depression and anxiety, and LOA. Was able to jump back into the class in time to match with support from friends and family. Incredibly thankful and relieved.

Congratulations man! Reading your posts for a while :)


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I graduated from a top 20 medical school a couple of years ago. Failed a class in MS1 year and successfully remediated the following summer. Step 1 score was not strong. Did very well on clinical rotations. I was well liked and had very strong letters. I applied to Ob/Gyn, but due to bad judgment and ongoing personal issues, I significantly delayed taking Step 2 CK until February of MS4 year. For this reason, I did not have a score ahead of interview offers, and I believe this precluded me from offers that I may have gotten otherwise. I failed to match that year, which of course was devastating. I SOAPed into a General Surgery prelim spot at a well-regarded institution. It was a very grueling and difficult year, but I worked extremely hard and others took notice. In lieu of re-applying during my prelim year, I decided to delay and instead sought out a research opportunity within the same institution. While working in this research position, I re-applied and am happy to say that I successfully matched to Ob/Gyn at the same institution that I did my surgery year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 10 users
Had some tough personal issues in M1 that greatly exacerbated my depression and anxiety. Lead to a low Step 1 score <200, and failing both my pediatrics and ob/gyn shelf exams third year.

Went on a leave to remediate my shelf exams and get my mental health stuff treated. Had some other health stuff come up and my LOA kept getting extended. I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it back in time to graduate. Fortunately, with lots of support I fully recovered health wise and successfully remediated my failed shelf exams. Came back in time to finish my remaining rotations and squeezed in all neccesary 4th year things so I could apply for residency with my class and be back on track to graduate. Improved on Step 2 CK (not a good score, but a lot better than my step 1) but failed CS due to lack of study time (lost alot of my alloted 4th year vacation/dedicated study time to make up for my leave) and me underestimating the exam.

Just found out I passed my CS re-take 2 weeks ago and happily matched at my top choice pediatric program. :)

Could not be more thankful to be matched at a program that I love and on track to graduate with the rest of my class. It's been a tough journey, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to pull it all off when still on my LOA last year.

If you're struggling, don't be afraid to ask for help and take things one step at a time, you'll get to the finish line. Slow and steady wins the race.

TLDR: Low board scores, 2 failed shelf exams, failed CS, major depression and anxiety, and LOA. Was able to jump back into the class in time to match with support from friends and family. Incredibly thankful and relieved.
Thank you! what do you credit for getting your top choice peds match? How did you explain your situation if it came up in interviews?
 
Switched specialties last week of october to radiology after doing an elective. Rewrote PS and got letters and submitted within a week. Average step scores and grades. Matched to a harvard program for rads! Still in shock!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
Switched specialties last week of october to radiology after doing an elective. Rewrote PS and got letters and submitted within a week. Average step scores and grades. Matched to a harvard program for rads! Still in shock!
Did you go to a top 20 school?
 
Roger Roger! Congrats!!!!!!
Thanks so much Fancy! ^_^
Congratulations man! Reading your posts for a while :)

Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Thanks dude, likewise! :) It's always nice to hear from users I've followed and posted with over all these years, feels like we fought in the trenches of med school together.

Thank you! what do you credit for getting your top choice peds match? How did you explain your situation if it came up in interviews?
For me the biggest thing was that my top choice also happened to be my home program and I was able to build a really good relationship with the department over my third and fourth year.
I got to know the department head, program directors, and other faculty members who would later fight or speak up for me when red flags like my CS failure came up. I owe this program a lot because some places flat out did not rank me due to my CS failure/lack of a passing score during ranking time, but this program still had my back.

I knew going into the app season I was a weaker applicant, and I also knew I'd be happy to stay at my home institution (I didn't expect it to end up being my top choice then, but I knew it would be up there), so I did my best to make a good impression when doing my SubI and 4th year electives.

When not asked about it, I made sure to bring up my LOA and shelf failures during most of my interviews so I could explain what happened in my own words and ease the PDs mind.

I explained to interviewers that the failures were due to mental health problems, which were now resolved and being treated. I also made sure to show them that I successfully came back from my prior struggles, and that am a stronger person for it. I wanted them to know that my past issues are not a problem now, and that I am actively doing everything I can to prevent any future episodes. I think in some ways, it might have helped me because I had a story about overcoming a struggle and coming back strong.
Basically, I stayed honest and genuine on interviews and tried to show them that I really was better and that I had learned alot from my hardships. I think they appreciated that.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Top