Mediocrity... What are my options?

I'm just a first year so I don't really know any more than you do...but I don't think 2 units will either make or break a career. You could honor all the rest of your courses and be an amazing applicant for residency, or fail the next 3 and be not so good.

What I personally plan to do to be a good applicant (a full 3 years from now) is kick a$$ in the rest of my classes, do research this summer in the field I'm interested in (I set something up already for this summer just by talking to my dean and sending a few emails), and stop worrying so much.


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What is considered "honoring" a course? Is this referring to the honor/high pass/pass/fail system alot of schools are on? Is it like top 10% or a certain grade? We have grades (A, B, C, etc) at my school, so I was just wondering what this means.........

-tx

 

I was referring to the honors/pass/fail system we have at our school. You get an H on your transcript for a final grade above 90, P for anything between 70 and 90, F for anything below 70.


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You may be worrying a bit too early. Don't forget that, a lot like undergrad, there's enormous variation in grading throughout the country's medical schools. So, like the MCAT, your Step 1 is gonna be a more "powerful" marker of your "place" among other applicants for residency. Stay with passing, as knock out the Step 1 and you're golden.

dc

 

also remember, half the doctors out there graduated in the bottom half of their class...

 

Relax. Only top 50% in the class? There is no field that is closed to you at this point. (Note: I'd say that if you didn't honor any courses all year. Just do well on the boards and all is forgiven.)

 

Your performance during third year will be the most important part of your record. Most programs (except for maybe the most ultra competitive of residencies) could really care less about your first two years. The USMLE Step 1 will tell them all they want to know in that regard. So study hard for it, do well third year and you should be in good shape.

 

Grades during the first 2 years are at the BOTTOM of the list.

The most important things that residencies look at are the following:

Clinical grade in the rotation of the specialty you are applying for.
Other clinical grades.
Board scores.

 

I understand if you're talking about the top half of the clas, but say for example, you're in the top 10 in your class... are grades still at the "bottom" of the list? I would think it would weigh pretty heavily then...

 

No.

If this were true, how could you compare your applications to those that attend schools that grade solely off of pass/fail?

You couldn't. This is why they don't.

Sorry to burst your bubble.

Kill the boards and get honors in your rotations, and you'll get in wherever you want.

 

To get back to the OP's question, no, 2 units will not hurt you. But, personally, a rule I follow by is to do my best all the time (no cruising through, even if basic sciences apparently don't count, though I've gotten conflicting information from all sides [see my previous thread: do grades count nowadays?]).

So, no bursting of bubbles here. Besides, wouldn't you want to play it safe and do your best anyway? That's as good an advice as I can give.

Here's a website I got from a fellow sdner: http://www.meded.umn.edu/students/specialties/guide/index.cfm

This shows a guideline of when honors and other activities do matter.

 

I don't know how much I would trust the information from the website linked in the previous post. They make it appear that its easier to match into otolaryntology than it is to match into general surgery (i.e. honors are less important in the former). And from everything I've heard so far otolaryntology is one of the more competitive fields typically requiring a year off for research during medical school.

Didn't compare all the specialties, but that popped out to me.

 

I seriously doubt that.

 

You can doubt all you want. I wasn't trying to scare anyone with that comment, just relaying what I consider to be a gross inaccuracy. Even if you don't have to take off a year of research, otolaryntology is indubitably more competitive than general surgery (as is urology, ortho, neuro...).

 

I would trust it pretty well if I was applying to U of Minnesota (this is their website telling you how competitive you will be for their programs after all). That is far from "gross inaccuracy." In terms of legitimacy, I would say yes, it is legit.

I only said this was a guide. At the very least, you have some kind of idea what one school is looking for (instead of being totally clueless). If you truly believe otolaryngology is that much more competitive, then by all means, become that competitive. It can only help you.