Official 2011-2012 IM Residency WAMC (What Are My Chances) Thread

[koopa_troopa]

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Would like to attend a top 20 school (NYU, MSSM, OHSU, Mayo, Cornell, Chicago range) so that I can pursue a heme-onc fellowship afterwards.

Just so you know, you don't need to go to a top 20 program to go to a heme-onc fellowship. Most academic programs can help you get there.

 

[UofM527]

US allopathic student

Step 1: 254

Grades
- All pass during pre-clinical years (P/F)
- Rotations: Honors is pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, family medicine, and Ob-Gyn (H/HP/P/LP/F). Just started medicine.
- AOA highly likely (based on third year grades and Step 1)

Research experience during the summer after M1 with 1 publication and 1 floor presentation. Hoping to do some clinical research in IM over the next year (hopefully with another pub/poster or two). Some extracurriculars but nothing special.

I'd really like to stay in New England and preferably the Boston area for residency. That being said, how good of a shot will I have at getting interviews at places like MGH, BWH, and BID if things continue to go well for me during third and fourth year? Also, I know that there are pros and cons to taking Step 2 CK earlier during M4. Any ideas on when I should be looking to take it with a 254 and having medicine as last rotation of M3 would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I would say you have set yourself up quite well to garner invites from those programs...obviously your Step1 score is fantastic, and that pub will help too - the next key is nailing down at H in your internal rotation and getting the AOA status...if you can do all of those things you will have an excellent chance at interviews from all 3 of them. The AOA thing, at least from my observances this interview season, seems to be even more important if you are not from a big time medical school. Of course, in the end, its tough to know what you will/will not get at the top programs

As for the step 2 thing, take it very soon after internal med if possible - it really is not that difficult, easier when all the random shelf stuff and internal med is still fresh, and nice to get out of the way....obviously you are not in a position to need a great step 2 score to help your application, so you could take it late if you really want to put yourself through that - you seem to be doing well though so there is no reason why you would do poorly on step 2 anyway

 

[bcboy]

Just so you know, you don't need to go to a top 20 program to go to a heme-onc fellowship. Most academic programs can help you get there.

Good point. For me, having a chance at a top 20 IM program would justify the additional effort / risk of NRMP applications. Otherwise, I would rather complete my IM here and apply for fellowships a few years down the line.

 

[adagio]

Good point. For me, having a chance at a top 20 IM program would justify the additional effort / risk of NRMP applications. Otherwise, I would rather complete my IM here and apply for fellowships a few years down the line.

canadian medicine grads cannot compete with US grads. if you want a fellowship in the US, you are definitely better off doing your rez in the US

 

[bcboy]

canadian medicine grads cannot compete with US grads. if you want a fellowship in the US, you are definitely better off doing your rez in the US

Hmm, did not know this. Do you mean canadian IM grads are ineligible or that it is unlikely that they will get selected? Thx.

 

[koopa_troopa]

Good point. For me, having a chance at a top 20 IM program would justify the additional effort / risk of NRMP applications. Otherwise, I would rather complete my IM here and apply for fellowships a few years down the line.

Are you sure thats wise? You should do residency where you want to practice first of all. Its difficult to apply to both US and Canada. From what I understand the CaRMS match results come out before the NRMP, the only real way to do it is to only apply to the US since if you match in Canada (and I'm sure you will since it looks like have good US board scores) you will get pulled out of the NRMP match. And to bank on getting into only a top 20 is a very risky move. If you said you were willing to go to a top 50 program, I think that would be more reasonable. The top 20 is just so unpredictable.

The top 20 is not really indicative of the actual clinical training you receive. You should not get hung up on prestige. Decide which country you want to practice in. Most academic programs can help you meet your career goals and get you into a fellowship. A resident trained at MGH isn't 10x the doctor as someone trained at a non-top 20 program.

 

[adagio]

Hmm, did not know this. Do you mean canadian IM grads are ineligible or that it is unlikely that they will get selected? Thx.

This is the main issue, some fellowships welcome ACGME accredited graduates only. I do not know the full scope of this fact, but pretty certain that this is the case for some fellowships.

Also, from what I heard, US training is considered superior to Canadian training (We are talking about reputable US institutions here), if you are ECFMG certified, it would be better to train in a US program to be more marketable in the future.

 

[bcboy]

Are you sure thats wise? You should do residency where you want to practice first of all. Its difficult to apply to both US and Canada. From what I understand the CaRMS match results come out before the NRMP, the only real way to do it is to only apply to the US since if you match in Canada (and I'm sure you will since it looks like have good US board scores) you will get pulled out of the NRMP match. And to bank on getting into only a top 20 is a very risky move. If you said you were willing to go to a top 50 program, I think that would be more reasonable. The top 20 is just so unpredictable.

The top 20 is not really indicative of the actual clinical training you receive. You should not get hung up on prestige. Decide which country you want to practice in. Most academic programs can help you meet your career goals and get you into a fellowship. A resident trained at MGH isn't 10x the doctor as someone trained at a non-top 20 program.

I am not sure where I want to practice yet, thats part of the problem. The job outlook for some specialties in Canada is quite bleak, but hopefully that will change. Definitely, if I were to only apply to NRMP, then I would apply much more broadly than the top 20 programs to ensure that I end up matching somewhere. I guess it is hard to exactly gauge my competitiveness for a top 20 program to make that call. While I am not hung up on prestige, I would like to train at a more established institution as I have an interest in research and academic medicine. I agree with you that the clinical training will not be very different.

This is the main issue, some fellowships welcome ACGME accredited graduates only. I do not know the full scope of this fact, but pretty certain that this is the case for some fellowships.

Also, from what I heard, US training is considered superior to Canadian training (We are talking about reputable US institutions here), if you are ECFMG certified, it would be better to train in a US program to be more marketable in the future.

I tried looking this up but I couldn't any info on fellowships that Canadians were not eligible to apply for. Also, Canadian graduates don't require ECFMG certification because all our schools are LCME accredited. Also not sure about the superiority of US training 🙂 but certainly there are more research opportunities and academic powerhouses in the US!

 

[Pinworm]

So I am planning my 4th year away rotations and am wondering if I am qualified enough to get an interview at some of the top tier programs - hopkins, mgh, bwh, etc. I want to do away rotations at some of these site but don't want to try if it will be pointless. My most recent stats are below:

-First off, I go to a Mid-Low tier US medical school
-Step 1 236/99
-Sr. AOA - most likely
-Top 15% so far in 3rd year (High pass in Peds, Surgery, OBGYN / Honors in Family Med)
-Basic science and Clinical research experience
-2 published abstracts
-1st place at National poster competition
-AOA research grant - $5000
-3 other awards in research ($5000 more in total)
I feel like i'm decently strong in the research side of my application but my step 1 score and the fact that I'm currently at a lower tier medical school worries me.

What do you guys think? Should I apply for away rotations at those programs?

 

[SpookyDoc]

So I am planning my 4th year away rotations and am wondering if I am qualified enough to get an interview at some of the top tier programs - hopkins, mgh, bwh, etc. I want to do away rotations at some of these site but don't want to try if it will be pointless. My most recent stats are below:

-First off, I go to a Mid-Low tier US medical school
-Step 1 236/99
-Sr. AOA - most likely
-Top 15% so far in 3rd year (High pass in Peds, Surgery, OBGYN / Honors in Family Med)
-Basic science and Clinical research experience
-2 published abstracts
-1st place at National poster competition
-AOA research grant - $5000
-3 other awards in research ($5000 more in total)

I feel like i'm decently strong in the research side of my application but my step 1 score and the fact that I'm currently at a lower tier medical school worries me.

What do you guys think? Should I apply for away rotations at those programs?

Yes. If they are places you want to go, you should do aways there. You have solid numbers and the research really helps. If you really want to end up there, do an away and work your ass off. You'd have a chance without aways, but if you want to make a stronger case, work hard there and get a letter of rec.

 

[OptimusKane]

So I am planning my 4th year away rotations and am wondering if I am qualified enough to get an interview at some of the top tier programs - hopkins, mgh, bwh, etc. I want to do away rotations at some of these site but don't want to try if it will be pointless. My most recent stats are below:

-First off, I go to a Mid-Low tier US medical school
-Step 1 236/99
-Sr. AOA - most likely
-Top 15% so far in 3rd year (High pass in Peds, Surgery, OBGYN / Honors in Family Med)
-Basic science and Clinical research experience
-2 published abstracts
-1st place at National poster competition
-AOA research grant - $5000
-3 other awards in research ($5000 more in total)

I feel like i'm decently strong in the research side of my application but my step 1 score and the fact that I'm currently at a lower tier medical school worries me.

What do you guys think? Should I apply for away rotations at those programs?

You have a solid application. Definitely competitive for a lot of the top tier programs. MGH, BWH, Hopkins and UCSF are a mixed bag in terms of who get's invited, but if you are AOA and pull an Honors in your Medicine Clerkship and Sub-I, you put yourself in great position to get interviews just about anywhere in the country. If you are set on the super elite programs listed above, an away rotation can certainly help, granted you are not a total idiot/socially awkward. I think taking Step 2 CK early and rocking it will further help your case, given your Step 1 score is definitely solid but below what most people have for the elite 4 programs. There is no doubt you will be competitive for the rest of the top 30 programs in the country.

 

[Pinworm]

Yes. If they are places you want to go, you should do aways there...

You have a solid application. Definitely competitive for a lot of the top tier programs. MGH, BWH, Hopkins and UCSF are a mixed bag in terms of who get's invited, but if you are AOA and pull an Honors in your Medicine Clerkship and Sub-I, you put yourself in great position to get interviews just about anywhere in the country...

Thanks to both of you for the advice. I will talk to my advisor about this also, but from what you two are saying I will go ahead and plan to do some away rotations at these programs. I'm taking step 2CK in early July so my score will be back before applications go out. Hopefully I do well on it. Thanks again for the reassurance.

 

[shiny sides]

Hi Everyone,

I'm in my third year at a mid/lower tier US med school, trying to figure out what programs I should be thinking about for applying to next year. This board has been very helpful in giving me a better idea about many programs. I am wondering if I could get opinions about the list I've come up with given my stats..

Mostly HPs in my pre-clinical courses; a couple Hs and a couple Ps (in path and neuro)
HPs in OB/GYN, Psych, Family Med; a P in Peds; currently on my Medicine rotation
Step 1 = 208 🙁 ..plan on taking Step 2 early so its in my app on Sept 1..and hopefully improving a lot
I haven't done any research in med school
Decent amount of volunteer work and lots of participation in school events/organizations, including leadership positions as VP of my class and interest groups
2 Master's (1 in Biomedical Science and 1 MPH)
Likable personality; should be able to get good LORs

I realize I am not a very competitive candidate and will have to apply broadly/early. I would like to be in a larger city. I'm open to anywhere in the US. I would also like to go into Hem/Onc and therefore it seems like trying to go the university/academic route is ideal for that. Here is the list I have so far. What do you guys think/do I have a chance at any of these? Thanks in advance!

University of South Florida, University of Miami, University of Texas-Houston, University of Texas-San Antonio, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Case Western-University Program, Case Western-MetroHealth Program, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati, Rush University, Loyola University, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Southern California, University of Pittsburgh, Tufts University, Boston University, University of Louisville
University of Kentucky, University of Maryland, Medical University of South Carolina, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Program

 

[Piston95]

Hey everyone, currently a third year at a mid tier school in the US. Have decided to go into IM. Average grades first 2 years, maybe in the top 50% or so. Pretty good involvement in ECs and volunteer activities. Currently working on 2 outcomes studies and writing a review article that hopefully may get published. Clerkship grades are 50/50 HP/P and one Honor. The bad part is my step 1 sucks...216. Gonna take step 2 in Aug, and shoot for a 230+. Was interested in university programs in the southwest especially TX if anyone knows specifically about those programs. Thank you all for any advice you can give and good luck to all of you.

 

[gutonc]

The 2011-2012 season is now over. Closing and unsticking thread.