MS1 wondering about Alaska

[Shredder]

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Hey I would be open to doing residency in Alaska if it means I can slack more during med school and still match into a decent program in Rads or Path. I'm going to shoot for 220-240 on the Step 1 and I have a good history of testing so I think it is reasonable for me to estimate this. My suspicion has been that with Alaska being remote and ostensibly undesirable as a location it would be easier to match there in any given field. My basic sci grades are pretty lackluster and I'll have to see how clinicals go. It's not a lack of aptitude but my passions lie elsewhere, namely business. So that's one other thing--how's the economy there and business scene? If anyone happens to know.

I think I'm only cool with Anchorage though as other places would be too desolate for me. In spite of its location I hear Anchorage's climate is surprisingly temperate. I dislike heat anyway as I grew up in Houston and found it intensely unpleasant. The population's about 250k I think; is there a good party scene? That is important to me.

Well just wanted to bring this up as it was only recently that it occurred to me somewhat seriously. Somehow I feel like I'd prefer the exoticism of Alaska over other places such as Wyoming, Montana or other ho hum midwestern regions. Incidentally, are there many cute Asian girls there?

 

[mig26x]

good luck but there are no programs for radiology or pathology in Alaska, according to FREIDA.

NO IM, EM also. Only a program in FM in Anchorage.

 

[Shredder]

Oh wow that hadn't occurred to me, so I guess that means no "teaching hospitals" then? I didn't think to make the distinction between academic and private medicine, I only thought there had to be docs there. In that case what might be other less competitive locations? I'm wondering how locations factor into residency competitiveness, it's a long way off for me so I haven't looked into it yet but I'd like to be knowledgeable ahead of time. Ghettos/"underserved" doesn't really cut it for me though as I am picky about that much.

Didn't know about that FREIDA site, thx I'll check it out

 

[pillowhead]

Oh wow that hadn't occurred to me, so I guess that means no "teaching hospitals" then? I didn't think to make the distinction between academic and private medicine, I only thought there had to be docs there. In that case what might be other less competitive locations? I'm wondering how locations factor into residency competitiveness, it's a long way off for me so I haven't looked into it yet but I'd like to be knowledgeable ahead of time. Ghettos/"underserved" doesn't really cut it for me though as I am picky about that much.

Didn't know about that FREIDA site, thx I'll check it out

i believe alaska, wyoming, and montana are all limited to family medicine for residency.

Check out the Dakotas--they have more residency programs although no radiology.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Here's the link to FREIDA: http://www.ama-assn.org/vapp/freida/srch/

Take the info there with a grain of salt - ie, the info about salaries, hours worked, number of applicants - its often out of date. However, at least you can look up geographic locations of programs.

Conventional wisdom holds that Rads is going to be pretty much competitive anywhere. You'll have to do well on your clinical rotations outside of your Step 1 scores; your "outside interests" won't hold much weight with those reviewing your application. Path is less competitive as a specialty but may be more so at some locations. Less competitive geographically doesn't necessarily mean remote or the urban "ghetto". There are lots of people who want to be in these places - for the outdoor recreation, being in the city and the potential for jobs for an SO.

 

[Obedeli]

Oh wow that hadn't occurred to me, so I guess that means no "teaching hospitals" then? I didn't think to make the distinction between academic and private medicine, I only thought there had to be docs there. In that case what might be other less competitive locations? I'm wondering how locations factor into residency competitiveness, it's a long way off for me so I haven't looked into it yet but I'd like to be knowledgeable ahead of time. Ghettos/"underserved" doesn't really cut it for me though as I am picky about that much.

Didn't know about that FREIDA site, thx I'll check it out

You are an MS1 already resigned to the fact that you won't be competitive 😕 🙄 Rads is competitive no matter where you go. You have plenty of time to turn your ship around at this point unless you have a red flag (cheating, failing a class, etc).

You original post about purposefully slacking in medical school and trying to weasel out of the consequences by geographical location is disturbing. Look if you are into business, do IM or FM and get an MBA.

 

[Shredder]

I only want to be as competitive as necessary to achieve my ends. In my case it's Rads or Path. I'm more interested in Path as a subject but Rads has other advantages. The ROI of going to med school and doing IM or FM is dismal. I am planning on starting an MBA in a year at my institution, which will add a year to my schooling but that is ok with me.

I don't see anything disturbing, I am being totally up front. Undesirable locations need docs too, and there's not really a difference between me who slacks and does poorly versus people who try and still do poorly, ceteris paribus. Presumably we will do the same job as residents/docs and I can just pretend to be working hard.

Less competitive can have a host of insinuations. They're not really relevant, I personally just want to avoid places generally deemed as ghettos. But I don't see anything inherently wrong about my strategy of relegating studies to the backburner with the understanding that I'm willing to bear some repercussions for it, namely heading to a place where many ppl may not want to be. Anyway Alaska's looking grim as of now, guess I'll have to ponder other options.

 

[dilated]

Dude, for someone who's all about business you seem unaware of the fact that lots of the time business is just as tedious and mind numbing as learning medicine (actually about 5000x worse). Right now there are hundreds of young i-bankers at work at 10pm putting together meaningless powerpoint presentations which nobody will read and nobody will care about. If you can't man up for the couple of hours a day it takes to do decently in your classes you've got bigger problems than whether Alaska has rads residencies.

 

[Shredder]

No this is a good point and that's why I've not jumped ship and gone into something like that for now. But jobs like that are more analogous to residency than med school. I don't understand, is there some value per se in acing my classes? What problems are there? I'm very well capable of manning up but what's the reason? Obviously I've done well academically in the past to make it to where I am, I'm no academic lout.

Also the ibankers get paid 50-100k/year to do that, not shelling out 50k for school or getting paid 40k for residency which is just as demanding. I'm tired of striving for good grades, it's a nuisance and ppl are usually hard pressed to cite tangible benefits of them.

 

[Obedeli]

I only want to be as competitive as necessary to achieve my ends. In my case it's Rads or Path. I'm more interested in Path as a subject but Rads has other advantages. The ROI of going to med school and doing IM or FM is dismal. I am planning on starting an MBA in a year at my institution, which will add a year to my schooling but that is ok with me.

I don't see anything disturbing, I am being totally up front. Undesirable locations need docs too, and there's not really a difference between me who slacks and does poorly versus people who try and still do poorly, ceteris paribus. Presumably we will do the same job as residents/docs and I can just pretend to be working hard.

Less competitive can have a host of insinuations. They're not really relevant, I personally just want to avoid places generally deemed as ghettos. But I don't see anything inherently wrong about my strategy of relegating studies to the backburner with the understanding that I'm willing to bear some repercussions for it, namely heading to a place where many ppl may not want to be. Anyway Alaska's looking grim as of now, guess I'll have to ponder other options.

I feel like you are a troll but I will reply nonetheless.

The problem with your strategy is that there is no magic score or number you can plan on to get in. There is no final tally of all of your medical school experience that will come together as one number and somehow you aim for that borderline. It sounds fine in a rhetorical discussion but implimentation is in fantasy land. How can you expect a 222 on step 1 vs a 232?!?! That's insane. You simply can't plan for your scores. You will eventually do piss poor and thus make yourself not competitive. There is no safe haven of non-competitiveness in rads. If this attitude is revealed (which I expect it will) during third year, you will be screwed. Residents do not tolerate medical students who just do enough to get by. As a matter of fact, that is a question on the evaluations of medical students. It doesn't matter what I say because it sounds like your head is as hard as a rock. Good luck pal, I will be looking for you (or your types) on the interview circuit in several years.

 

[Bitsy3221]

I also call troll, but just for kicks let me see if I get this straight,

You are unwilling to work hard
You want to do a competitive residency
You want to have the ability to pursure other passions (i.e. business)
You don't like warm climates
You want someplace with a good economy and business scene
You want someplace "exotic" and essentially think the central/moutain timezones are "ho-hum"
You want a place with a good party scene
You are into Asian chicks, and want to be someplace with lots of them
You don't want to train someplace near a "ghetto"
You don't want to treat the underserved

.....but you aren't picky 🙄

In an odd way, I appreciate your honesty and I know you aren't alone in your thinking, but with all due respect you are completely deluded. Face it--you are picky. Do you really think you are the only person looking to work in a wealthy, booming area with great weather, hot women and a good party scene? What you are looking for is a training program in the most sought after areas, not the undesireable locations!

You want me to cite some "tangible evidence" to do well in school? Here's two:
1. So you can be a good physician. This isn't a game. Would you want to be treated by a doc who made a concerted effort to know as little as possible while still being able to squeak by? Would you want this doc treating your mom/kid/hot Asian wife?
2. So you can be competitive enough to match into a residency program in the location you described. I did do well, and as much as it sucked when I was mired in medical school (particularly the first two years) but man oh man was I glad I did when I got the residency interviews I wanted and matched at my top choice. Trust me--THAT is worth it, and I have a letter from the NRMP if you want tangible evidence.

 

[Shredder]

Word of advice don't call troll on ppl with 10x as many posts as you, it looks silly. Aside from that my motives don't matter, the crux is that some locations will be less competitive than others and I'd like to know where those are. Alaska at this point in time doesn't seem viable but that could change in some years, no way of telling. Everyone is picky about some things and not picky about others, it's a prioritization thing.

Btw I'm pretty good at targeting what test scores I want, I don't just go all out on every test at the expense of everything else that's important to me. I'll probably shoot for about 10 to 15 points higher than what I minimally want on the Step 1 and study accordingly. I've done this on every test I've ever taken, maybe it's a talent. Grades/scores vs studying follows a logarithmic curve, most ppl don't acknowledge this.

Essentially I'm looking for sleeper locations that are underrated, something like picking investments. I'd like to know what's important to others in ranking residencies and avoid butting heads with all the gunners or ppl who actually tried in school. Once again I'm not planning on making a show of my apathy during rotations, I'm no fool. Also I'll be sure to avoid interview areas with ppl like yourself, if you want to be ominous about it. Sounds like ppl are pissed off bc they work hard or are passionate about med, neither of which applies to me. Go ahead and be pissed off then, sometimes ppl like me come around, and no they don't always flounder either. Working hard doesn't matter unless one is looking for approval or promotions, only getting the job done and not being obviously lazy/indifferent matters. If you extrapolate my demeanor and speech on online forums toward how I behave in the presence of higher ups then you need to learn better what anonymous forums are all about.

Oh one more thing, those are commonly cited reasons but are still intangible. It's hard to place a real value on them other than generally feeling good. Consensus from numerous sources is that yr 1 and 2 grades are minimally important other than as an indicator of preparedness for the usmle. I'm confident I can study specifically for the step and glean more from that than from classes. I did it for the MCAT

 

[Proton Dense]

Why troll?
Why deluded?

I think Shredder is taking an interesting approach, actually more to the point, one which we all do... he is just doing it more conciously and openly.

Please correct me if I am wrong Shredder, but let me present it another way. I think what he is saying is, he wants to first and foremost get into the residency phyllum of his choosing- apparently radiology or pathology. Period. OK that is obviously fine. Now those (particularly rads) is competititve. What happens when you have a competitive end goal being pursued by hyper-competitive individuals? An ultra-competitive environment being affected by a multitude of input factors.

One of the important variables in landing a residency is location. He is just trying to exert some control over that variable to his favor by picking a location which he thinks would be less popular- in his example a state not contiguous with the lower 48, Alaska. You guys added in your own opinions of apparently undesireable living situations (the Dakotas, Wyoming, and Montana). You guys are correct, these are less competitive. Just peruse through these forms to see how many cannot fathom going anywhere other than the coasts or god forbid a *red* state, and lose their cred as well as a significant portion of their source of self esteem.

Other important factors include board scores, which he states he is planning on doing well on. Again, fine. Where it sounds as if he will be cutting back are evaluations and possibly class grades. Meaning he won't be kissing as much ass or trying to show up his classmates, which is how you most readily stand out. Disagree if you want, but then we must have had different experiences in medical school. The class grades are more complicated, but as I am starting PGY-4, I find little use for the Kreb's cycle as one of a million examples. Not killing yourself on that stuff, but rather focusing energies elsewhere is not a ridiculous impulse. It does not mean he will be a poor physician.

As for the Asian girls, that may be a different matter.

 

[Geri_Gal]

I'd like to know what's important to others in ranking residencies and avoid butting heads with all the gunners or ppl who actually tried in school. Once again I'm not planning on making a show of my apathy during rotations, I'm no fool. Also I'll be sure to avoid interview areas with ppl like yourself, if you want to be ominous about it. Sounds like ppl are pissed off bc they work hard or are passionate about med, neither of which applies to me. Go ahead and be pissed off then, sometimes ppl like me come around, and no they don't always flounder either. Working hard doesn't matter unless one is looking for approval or promotions, only getting the job done and not being obviously lazy/indifferent matters. If you extrapolate my demeanor and speech on online forums toward how I behave in the presence of higher ups then you need to learn better what anonymous forums are all about.

You will find it difficult to avoid "gunners" or "people who actually tried in school" on the interview trail...especially when interviewing for radiology programs. Path and Rads sound like great fields for you. Midwestern programs in mid-size/small cities tend to be less competitive. The Midwest is underrated, in general.

My biggest question after reading your initial post is: If your passion lies in business, why are you in medicine? Life is too precious and brief to spend the majority of your time doing something that does not interest you!

 

[Bitsy3221]

Why deluded?

I don't think he's deluded b/c he is setting the bar low--like I said, I appreciate his honesty. I think he's deluded b/c he thinks that an "undesireable location" = wealthy, fun locations. Given the choice, most people would prefer to live and work in upper class, safe (i.e. not "ghetto"), fun locations with good weather. I am just saying he should be honest with himself and recognize that he IS picky.

The fact is, he clearly does have several specific requirements in terms of location, wants to do a competitive specialty and doesn't want to work very hard. There are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule, but far and away you can't have all three. Don't want to work hard? Pick something non-competitive. Want to do rads or have a major say in where you end up? Well, at this level you do have to put in some effort to attain these things. There are no shortcuts. There are enough unmatched medical students who wanted to do rads and were truly willing to go anywhere to attest to this fact.

 

[Bitsy3221]

Word of advice don't call troll on ppl with 10x as many posts as you, it looks silly. Aside from that my motives don't matter, the crux is that some locations will be less competitive than others and I'd like to know where those are. Alaska at this point in time doesn't seem viable but that could change in some years, no way of telling. Everyone is picky about some things and not picky about others, it's a prioritization thing.

Btw I'm pretty good at targeting what test scores I want, I don't just go all out on every test at the expense of everything else that's important to me. I'll probably shoot for about 10 to 15 points higher than what I minimally want on the Step 1 and study accordingly. I've done this on every test I've ever taken, maybe it's a talent. Grades/scores vs studying follows a logarithmic curve, most ppl don't acknowledge this.

Essentially I'm looking for sleeper locations that are underrated, something like picking investments. I'd like to know what's important to others in ranking residencies and avoid butting heads with all the gunners or ppl who actually tried in school. Once again I'm not planning on making a show of my apathy during rotations, I'm no fool. Also I'll be sure to avoid interview areas with ppl like yourself, if you want to be ominous about it. Sounds like ppl are pissed off bc they work hard or are passionate about med, neither of which applies to me. Go ahead and be pissed off then, sometimes ppl like me come around, and no they don't always flounder either. Working hard doesn't matter unless one is looking for approval or promotions, only getting the job done and not being obviously lazy/indifferent matters. If you extrapolate my demeanor and speech on online forums toward how I behave in the presence of higher ups then you need to learn better what anonymous forums are all about.

Oh one more thing, those are commonly cited reasons but are still intangible. It's hard to place a real value on them other than generally feeling good. Consensus from numerous sources is that yr 1 and 2 grades are minimally important other than as an indicator of preparedness for the usmle. I'm confident I can study specifically for the step and glean more from that than from classes. I did it for the MCAT

I am not "pissed off" by your motives, I actually find them amusing. I am also not "pissed off" because I worked somewhat hard or because I am passionate about medicine (not sure why this should "piss me off" in the first place), I just value my time too much to spend nine years training to do something I am not passionate about as I frankly have a lot of other things I could do. You started this thread looking for advice and you got some--there is no training program in Alaska, and when it comes to something as competitive as radiology there are enough people who want to do it that there really are no "undesireable locations."

As far as tangible benefits to trying your best, what is more relevant than having control over where you live and what you do, which will ultimately lead to a better quality of life, the chance to do things you enjoy with people you love and peace of mind?

Doing well in school does not require one to be a gunner. As already mentioned, it is the clinical years that largely determine your grades/rank/competitiveness. At my institution, funny enough it was the students who were quietly laid back, who worked well as a team and helped each other out that did the best. The backstabbers were rapidly revealed and their behaviour was neither tolerated nor rewarded. And if you are trying to avoid "people like me" (which I find an interesting statement--how do you feel you are justified in making such a proclamation about me and then, several sentences later make the comment "If you extrapolate my demeanor and speech on online forums toward how I behave in the presence of higher ups then you need to learn better what anonymous forums are all about.") then you should probably not apply to programs in an economically thriving area with a good party scene and lots to do with a good climate.

As far as something useful for you, I think your best bet is to look at smaller community programs in urban areas. FREIDA is a useful tool for listing programs, but as KC said the nitty-gritty data is often incorrect. The other thing you should do is figure out where clinical faculty at your school have connections and see if these programs interest you--a well placed phone call can move a less competitive applicant up the list.

 

[Shredder]

Sry Bitsy I get defensive sometimes when I start feeling like ppl lecture me as I typically resent that. Thx for the input all. I wasn't all that clear in who I was addressing either so it was not entirely you. Tangible benefits err yes you have some points, however I have always been of the opinion that residency is a temporary thing and I can stomach substandard conditions for a few years if I need to. Beyond residency I have not given thought to location as that's too far off for me. True, I've read that clinical performance is meaningful--it's also a ways off for me so I'll have to gauge things at that time. I've little interest in backstabbing as my dream is not to be Chief of this or that department in a hospital.

Deluded no, I guess that is what set me off. I have expressed disinterest in ghettos but there are other locations that are less competitive too and I would be open to considering. Ghettos I would just find intensely unpleasant and also dangerous. I would also be unsettled by the financial situations of those hospitals but that's straying. Btw good climate, I started this thread about Alaska...usually those two don't go hand in hand so you are making me out to be more picky than I am. I can express preferences and still not be picky as the only criterion that's truly imp and probably constraining to me is the ghetto factor. You're improperly equating preferences with requirements and this is somewhat frustrating.

As for ppl who can't match in Radiology--I'm unsure of this as I believe I've seen information indicating that there are still spots going to IMGs. Perhaps people who don't match do not meet Step 1 cutoffs and are unrealistic, as such cutoffs are generally acknowledged to exist. Also everyone makes out Rads to be as competitive as things like Plastic Surgery or Derm but it's not. Gunners don't usually go for Rads, it's not a gunner field. I'm in the Midwest currently; inbreeding at my institution is an option but I'd like to see another place.

The hotty azns was an aside...there are some in almost any location. And who doesn't love a busy, unshaven resident? But Proton yes thx that is pretty much what I am saying. One reason I like Path as a backup option is bc I think it is one of the underrated specialties in medicine that ppl shy away from but I would welcome. So I was wondering the same about locations regarding Rads.

Oh yeah business--I'm doing an MBA I believe soon at my institution. Ditching med school entirely is impractical right now and I'm not having difficulty so why bother. I'm open to not doing a residency at all depending on opportunities, but that is beyond the scope of the thread.

 

[lilnoelle]

I have a similar question as the Op, but slightly different circumstances.

I'm not interested in Radiology but may be interested in some of the more competitive surgical fields. (My favorite is plastics, but I'm not betting on that) Maybe Ophthalmology or ENT.
I'm from the midwest and actually prefer to stay here. Is it really less competitive to get into a midwestern program? How much less? (I live in Kansas City and am originally from Iowa, any midwestern program would be fine by me)
I'm not honoring my classes and probably will not be able to honor next year. I'm getting high passes pretty much straight across the board.
I have no clue how I'll do on Step I because I really have nothing to measure it against. (Although I've always performed well on standardized tests, my MCAT score was not fantastic due to being out of school a while before taking it - and obviously just because I scored well on standardized tests in high school and college, med school is a whole different level with completely different norms.) I'm relatively confident that I'll be able to perform well in third year (willing to work very hard and I tend to get along well with people).

My reason for not honoring my courses is different than the Op's. I'm willing to put in the work - but I have outside responsibilities (look at my avatar).
My concern (other than my non perfect grades) is that I'm gonna find it difficult to get productive research done and have difficulty building relationships with people in my departments of choice because of my outside responsibilities. When I'm already strapped for time, its hard to imagine adding more onto my plate. (I realize residency will be a whole lot more added to my plate, but one thing at a time)

If I decide to do Ophtho - I do have a relationship with a nearby practice that is VERY involved in running a local Ophtho residency. This may prove helpful, but again, I'm gonna have to find time to get involved in their practice and do some research with them.

Ok - this post was long and convoluted. I know you guys don't have a magic 8 ball and there is no way of determining my likeliness to get into a program.

My main question was already stated - is it really less competitive to get into a less desireable location, and if it is, how much?

 

[DarksideAllstar]

My main question was already stated - is it really less competitive to get into a less desireable location, and if it is, how much?

For Derm, Optho, Rads, Rad Onc, Ortho, and Plastics all bets are off. You'll find a lot of people applying to 60+ programs (in some cases all of them) in many of these specialties. So, probably not less competitive if you want to go somewhere "less desirable".

 

[lilnoelle]

Thats what I thought. Oh well, I guess its good that I also like some non competitive specialties. Now just to find the time to get involved in some of them (to both find out what I like the best and to get some good experience/LORs/research.)

 

[heech]

My suggestion would be stepping into the "step 1" forum and getting a better feel for the test before committing too much to this strategic path. Many have argued that step 1 is substantially different from previous standardized tests due to the depth of knowledge required, and that the only way to perform well is to focus in all of your preclinical classes starting from day 1. (This distinguishes it from the SAT/GMAT/GREs, for example, which a precocious 12 year old could successfully crush.)

I would probably agree that *after* you've done well on your step 1s, you could hit cruise control on some of clerkships... but doing so during your preclinical years seems like a very, very risky proposition.

 

[lilnoelle]

I would probably agree that *after* you've done well on your step 1s, you could hit cruise control on some of clerkships... but doing so during your preclinical years seems like a very, very risky proposition.

Thats my thought... although I'm afraid it makes me hesitant to get excited about the possibility of obtaining the more competitive specialties because it seems they may be "out of reach".
I'm certainly trying to do as well as I can, but I don't want to get my hopes up only to be dashed on the stone that is Step I.

 

[Miami_med]

I've discovered that it is possible to do 40% of the Q-bank and not raise your average score by more than 5%. I love Step I 🙄

 

[Shredder]

This document is outstanding and speaks louder than subjective opinions
http://www.nrmp.org/matchoutcomes.pdf

According to this, if you score 220 on the step and rank about 7 programs contiguously you stood a very good chance of matching rads in 2005. All 72 applicants who did absolutely no research matched.

 

[Winged Scapula]

This document is outstanding and speaks louder than subjective opinions
http://www.nrmp.org/matchoutcomes.pdf

According to this, if you score 220 on the step and rank about 7 programs contiguously you stood a very good chance of matching rads in 2005. All 72 applicants who did absolutely no research matched.

Trouble is:

- two year old data; a lifetime in the cycle of residency applications
- you have no idea what other attributes those without research had. They might have had Step 1 scores > 250, might have had publications but not listed it as research, might have had great rotations at said matched programs, etc.

I do think the competitiveness of Rads has been somewhat overstated with some including it with PRS, Derm, etc. but given that the 72 matched without research is less than 10% of the total Rads matched applicants, it would appear that the vast majority of those who match in Rads DO have research.

If you wanna play the odds and believe you're the 1 in 10, then fine, but it would be a mistake, IMHO, to attach your red wagon to these numbers and assume that as long as you score > 220 on Step 1, that you can screw around with your grades and still match into Rads.

Just my two cents...

 

[Drakensoul]

Sounds to me like your best bet would be to put your ability to target your scores to use and aim for a 250 on the Step 1 instead of a 230. It may take a lot of studying, but it's a one-time effort and you'll have a lot better chance of matching. Then you can go back to slacking as much as possible.

Just one big cram session. Well, a month long. But just tear it up.

 

[heech]

This document is outstanding and speaks louder than subjective opinions
http://www.nrmp.org/matchoutcomes.pdf

According to this, if you score 220 on the step and rank about 7 programs contiguously you stood a very good chance of matching rads in 2005. All 72 applicants who did absolutely no research matched.

Shredder,

There's a difference between causality and correlation, and hopefully you aren't confusing the two here. There's certainly a high correlation between step 1 performance + ranking sufficient programs and subsequently matching in rads... but there's also a high correlation between being attractive and a career as Hollywood starlet. It doesn't mean that being attractive is sufficient for a career in Hollywood. (Well... depends on what kind of 'career' you're looking for, I suppose.)

Note that if you were instead to look at AOA as factor, 48 without AOA did not match... while only 2 AOA (out of 202) members failed to match. It looks to me like AOA membership is more highly correlated with success in rads matching than USMLE score. And it doesn't sound like AOA membership is likely to be in your future.

I think if you were realistic about this, this should be raising red flags.

 

[heech]

Not to beat a dead horse... but I thought I'd link this related thread:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=220050&highlight=%22kaplan+classes"