I wasn't going to add to this post since I'm not a student/resident looking for a position. Speaking from the program perspective, we are looking at the overall package. USMLE scores of greater than 240 are always a perk, but it's not a deal breaker for us. We look at board scores, IM/EM/Surg/Peds grades and whether you H/HP/P, SLOE's for sure and we like to see at least 2 with one being from your home institution. We also look at your interests, any awards you might have, etc. I also like that my PD likes when he see's something in a packet that is interesting and makes the applicant stand out. That doesn't mean AOA either.
From the program side, we have to make a decision who to interview on whether we not only think they may seriously consider us, but whether they'd be a good fit for the temperature of our program and make a real contribution.
Don't stress, offers will come and by the time you're all done with interviews you'll wonder why you worried so much because you'll be exhausted from traveling so much... and too broke to care!
Best wishes to you all during this busy interview season.




