No honors in first two years = red flag?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Some schools don't even have 'Honors' as an option. I don't think it matters as long as you pass.
 
Preclinical coursework performance is waaay down there on the list of things to be worried about. Even class rank isn't that important for the vast majority of residencies. 3rd year + Step I + LORs are where you should concentrate your efforts. As a byproduct, your 3rd year grades usually matter most in determining class rank at many schools.
 
Just kill your boards to show you know the material well.
 
This answer is dependent on what your school takes into account for awarding AOA and class rank (both of which are important for residency).
 
I didn't honor anything my first 2 years, AND even failed a class. I scored the exact national average on my Step 1. Then I got into the hospital (which I actually enjoyed) and honored the crap out of 3rd and 4th year. Matched to my #1 residency choice at a fairly prestigious program. You'll be fine!!
 
Slowpoke said:
This answer is dependent on what your school takes into account for awarding AOA and class rank (both of which are important for residency).
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. I think the key is to look at charting outcomes. I "believe" (saying this I haven't looked recently, and don't feel like looking now) but Plastics, Derm, and IM (I'm assuming this is for the top 20 more so) are the only specialties to rank aoa very highly. Class Ranking is fun, but let's face it...you can be first in your class but if your Step isn't 240+ who gives a damn.

Study for your Step 1. The PD here I work for says the two things he looks for to set applicants apart are quality (quantity) of research and Step 1. Again, I highly believe that this is specialty and program specific tho.
 
LargeDocGuy2 said:
I know most people aren't gunning for AOA but does it make a difference to residencies if you got honors in a couple of classes compared to none at all?
Click to expand...

Yes if you aim for highly competitive specialties such as Derm, Plastic and ENT. Also third-year honors count more than the first two years. Would be nice to honor a clerkship related to your future specialty but it's not a requisite for a successful match. But otherwise no one really cares as long as you get acceptable boards scores and don't fail a class.
 
FIREitUP said:
jesus this gets posted every week.
Click to expand...

seriously.

preclinical grades don't matter unless your class rank matters to you. class rank doesn't end up mattering for at least half the class, because that's the half that is at the bottom, got "so-and-so is overall a good student and I recommend him warmly" on their MSPE and guess what, they still match. and there are honestly ways of getting into any field in medicine even if you're ranked in the bottom half of your class. but if you want something like a surgical subspecialty, or derm, or want to do something like peds at a place like CHOP, then you're only going to get one strike. if your class rank sucks, you'll need stellar board scores, reasonable research exposure, and excellent clinical evals/LORs.

the system is of course already sorting some of this out for us. that is, not many people with mediocre preclinical grades are going to rock boards, and perform well enough on shelves to get many clinical honors. but there are plenty of exceptions to that, and most PDs in every field are well aware of what poor markers preclinical grades are for, well, anything. that preclinical grades are used for ranking or AOA anywhere is a complete farce IMO.
 
Even within "competitive" specialties, I feel like AOA/class rank is kinda far down the list compared to Step 1/3rd year/research; you absolutely have to have those three to even get you in the door, yet even for the most competitive specialties, only about ~50% have AOA, so by definition half of the people who match AREN'T AOA. Sure, it's always good to have, but if you got honors throughout 3rd year and crushed Step 1 I have a hard time believing it would kill you at any except MAYBE the most competitive programs.
 
Yeah, getting As is good for those competitive specialities...........but AOA is a whole different beast.

Not that many get it so obviously not that many getting into even the competitive programs will have it.

AOA is great if you get it but not that needed.
 
As a DO student with mostly average grades, does this even matter as we don't even have AOA.

I'm just going to focus on passing everything and hopefully do better on boards, 3rd year rotations and letter of recommendations.
 
FutureDO2016 said:
As a DO student with mostly average grades, does this even matter as we don't even have AOA.

I'm just going to focus on passing everything and hopefully do better on boards, 3rd year rotations and letter of recommendations.
Click to expand...

Sounds like every other medical student in this country. I personally don't know how SSP is viewed outside of the DO community, but it is on the application. I'm hoping to join next semester.
 
NeuroLAX said:
Sounds like every other medical student in this country. I personally don't know how SSP is viewed outside of the DO community, but it is on the application. I'm hoping to join next semester.
Click to expand...

Not a single interviewer mentioned SSP when I was in the interview trail. Who knows if it helped get interviews though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Red flag…help with matching
Replies
2
Views
536
slightlycharred
S
B
Impact of this red flag?
Replies
5
Views
1K
Euxox
Euxox
U
Is matching diagnostic radiology impossible? Many Red flags.
Replies
4
Views
836
Ho0v-man
Ho0v-man
C
What's a bigger red flag: lukewarm LOR or no letter from one of my sub-Is?
Replies
10
Views
2K
mike-sheree
mike-sheree
D
Is this a red flag? Locked into 3rd quartile at this point
Replies
5
Views
2K
amoxicillin_resistant
amoxicillin_resistant
Top