Official 2013-2014 - What are my chances thread?

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LimbicResponse

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Let me start by saying - If you are a human being, and have no red flags in your application - Congratulations ! You have matched in Psychiatry.

If you still don't believe me, and want some advice on where to apply or if you want us to caress your ego in order to relieve some pre-application anxiety, then go ahead and post here. Here is what you should tell us:

Step 1:
Step 2 CK/ CS:
School:
Class Rank:
Grades in Clerkship:
AOA:
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars:
Red Flags: (step failures, etc)
Overview of where you want to end up:
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If you could please caress my ego to relieve pre-app anxiety.

Step 1: 240+
Step 2 CK: July
Step 2 CS: September
School: UTMB
Class Rank: Probably <50th percentile?
Grades in Clerkship: Honors in Psych, High Pass in Internal, Pass everything else
AOA: No way
Research/Pubs/Extracurriculars: Mostly local volunteer and clinic work
Red Flags: Texas is kinda red.
Overview of where you want to end up: West Coast/Warm Weather areas with great rock climbing

I'm just worried because there's probably a ton of people that want to go West Coast.
 
HighNut

You have most of the automated cut-off requirements met - Your Step 1 is high, you got Honors in Psych, didn't honor medicine but got a high-pass. No research but, it seems like you don't want to be a researcher anyways.

I would say if you want to go west coast - the sky is the limit. With a set of strong psych letters and a great personal statement you will get all of the interviews on that coast. Find an area of psych that you can passionately talk about, and rock (get it) the interviews. The ball is in your court.
 
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We care more about the person behind the stats than the stats. Having sat in on a few residency committee meetings at a West Coast program I know. So all this ego-stroking may lead to surprising disappointments.
 
Thanks for the heads up, Leo. What kind of applicants were they looking for the most?
 
Forgive me, but I can't resist:

Is this a thread for threat making or receiving threats? "UCSF, I'll give you angry eyes if you don't interview me!" "Do better on Step 2 or you'll wind up at a program that fills interviews by advertising on bathroom walls."
 
InanelyHighNut said:
Thanks for the heads up, Leo. What kind of applicants were they looking for the most?
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We look for fit at our particular program, we look at how various people at our program feel about you from the interview and any rotations, we look at resilience and resolve to handle our challenging setting, we look at what others say about you in your letters, and then we add our gut - there could be something in your application that just rubs someone the wrong way. It's all a matter of taste, and scores just get you the interview. We would much rather have a group of well fit, hard working residents who are bright and personable than a bunch of 240+ step scores.

California programs have the luxury to be picky.
 
Let me add that fit is really the priority, and that each program has a very unique culture and flavor. You can only see 10%, maybe 20% of this prior to acceptance. It's up to the selection committee to see the rest of the 80% and rank you based on fit. If you don't match at your #1, it may be because selection committees knew more about your best fit than you.
 
pingouin said:
The grammar nazi in me cannot resist but to change the title, but I like Firewood's style. :)
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Yes, I noticed that too. Perhaps it should be the "What are my chances?" thread. ;)

However, I do not mean to come off as snobbish. My posts are always full of typos, and I often go back and correct them after posting.
 
Leo Aquarius said:
Let me add that fit is really the priority, and that each program has a very unique culture and flavor. You can only see 10%, maybe 20% of this prior to acceptance. It's up to the selection committee to see the rest of the 80% and rank you based on fit. If you don't match at your #1, it may be because selection committees knew more about your best fit than you.
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For the cultures of various California programs, is it possible for you to describe some of them or give a few examples?

Thanks for your earlier responses.
 
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InanelyHighNut said:
For the cultures of various California programs, is it possible for you to describe some of them or give a few examples?

Thanks for your earlier responses.
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USC = county program near downtown Los Angeles, psych dept is in the basement of LA+USC Hospital, the faculty are good but not taken care of by the department as much as they should, students seem happy there but in the recent past were not pleased about having no moonlighting opptys but that might be changing this year. Ok didactics. Ok overall support. The culture there is hands-off, so only self-motivated residents learn anything and they made this clear on interview day.
Resident Morale: B
Location: B -
Program Guidance: B -
Therapy Training: B -
Academic Research: B -
Patient Diversity: A
Reputation in the Workforce: B
Overall: B

UCSD = emphasis is on prescribing medications, less on therapy. Very research oriented. Very dedicated and hands on leadership and PD, in a beautiful location of San Diego by the beach, recent hospital closures have diverted lots of patients into their clinics so residents in recent past felt overwhelmed by the work demands. You have to drive to different sites. Not much elective time in 4th year - rigid curriculum. Tiny Consult psych service. They specialize in addictions. Very VA heavy - lots of time spent in the VA. Parking for residents and staff is terrible.
Resident Morale: B+
Location: A -
Program Guidance: A
Therapy Training: C
Academic Research: A
Patient Diversity: B+
Reputation in the Workforce: A
Overall: A -

UCLA-NPI = large beautiful hospital, tons of research opportunitites, but VA heavy since all first year is spent there, upper-income patients, a wide variety of psych clinics in your 4th year, very supportive leadership, located in West LA only 10 min from the beach. Residents are happy overall, but complain they are worked super hard and don't get diverse patients. Faculty control patient management, so there's little autonomy. They interview only the top in the country (I was among them - my not-so-humble plug). You drive to different locations. Reputation is strong.
Resident Morale: A -
Location: A -
Program Guidance: A
Therapy Training: A
Academic Research: A
Patient Diversity: B
Reputation in the Workforce: A+
Overall: A

UCLA-Harbor = employers have said this program offers the best clinical training in Southern Cali. Residents work hard and see lots of patients, they come out ready for most any job (ok maybe not eating disorders). This is a country program with direct UCLA links and affiliation. Lots of C/L, lots of therapy training, lots of ER psych, good child and adolescent exposure. Tons of elective time in 4th year, including the psych clinics at UCLA-NPI. Leadership is very supportive, faculty are excellent teachers. Department sits on the top floor of the hospital with a beautiful view, along with neurology and the hospital director's office. Situated in Torrance, not a beautiful area but not as bad as downtown LA. 15 min from the beach. Therapy is emphasized early, starting 2nd year. Residents start seeing patients early, PGY2. Moonlighting starts PGY2 as well. Overall are happy and tight there. Family feel. Faculty let residents call the shots so autonomy is respected. Very diverse patient population, true county experience.
Resident Morale: A
Location: A -
Program Guidance: A
Therapy Training: A
Academic Research: B -
Patient Diversity: A
Reputation in the Workforce: A+
Overall: A

Stanford = research emphasis, and historically research focused. Trying to move away from that a bit into clinical emphasis. New leadership, difficult to say but seem very dedicated and supportive. Residents seem happy there. Exposure mostly to VA patients and upper-class clients who frequent Stanford Hospital. Lots of research. Beautiful location. Expensive area. Respectable reputation. A program for those wanting academic careers, but surprisingly many residents go off into private practice in and around Silicon Valley.
Resident Morale: A -
Location: A -
Program Guidance: A -
Therapy Training: B +
Academic Research: A
Patient Diversity: B
Reputation in the Workforce: A -
Overall: A -

Due to lots of interest I've been getting on this topic, I'm going to start a new thread on CA programs.
 
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Led- You might want to delete your reviews and edit your post to just link to your other thread. Cross posting is technically against TOS and you'll wind up with two sets of discussion that might be useful if consolidated to your new thread.
 
I'm starting my 4th year pretty soon and was wondering what people thought given this information. What could I work on the next year to make my application stronger?

Step 1: 199
Step 2 CK/ CS: Taking it in September. I know I need to do much better on this.
School: US Medical School
Class Rank: No idea but i'd guess bottom half
Grades in Clerkship: All passes, one high pass. I do have very strong letters of rec.
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: I have maybe 5-6 papers not in psych and I was an assistant editor on a book. I started up a psychiatry club at school. I have an MPH also.
Red Flags: (step failures, etc) I didn't fail step 1 but I did have to repeat a block during 1st year.
Overview of where you want to end up: I ideally want to end up west coast, but I know that's pushing it. However I like programs that have an integrated medicine component and emphasis on therapy. Thanks for any feedback.
 
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Great,

You have done all the right things, you didn't crush step 1 , but didn't do poor either. You might not be able to secure a place at the VERY competitive spots but three programs I would strongly encourage you to apply are NYU, CHA, and Stanford. I think you are just around the type of applicant they would look at and all of them have great opportunities in child psychiatry/academics. I have a good feeling you will do much better on step 2 which will make your app stronger. Try to get the best letter from people that know you very well.

I wish you luck and have no doubt you'll end up somewhere great.


shinystar2014 said:
Step 1: 217
Step 2 CK/ CS: CK scheduled for July and anticipate doing significantly better than Step 1
School: Well known US Medical School, unsure of ranking
Class Rank: School does not rank
Grades in Clerkship: Received grades for 4 clerkships thus far (3 honors one of which was psychiatry, and 1 High Pass),
AOA: Haven't thought about it, but most likely not
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: Involved in a psychiatry research project earlier in medical school but the paper was never published but I did have a presentation, currently working on 2 psychiatry research projects in initial stages, involved in many extracurricular with significant leadership roles many of which were community service based and president of psychiatry group
Red Flags: (step failures, etc): I think this "red flag" may end up being a strength for me - I started with the class above me and quickly decided to take a leave of absence. I was in a combined 8 year program and felt rushed in my decision to pursue medical school for the goals I had. I knew I wanted to be in the mental health field, and after starting medical school I needed to take a step back and think about whether I wanted to be a psychiatrist or pursue a PhD in psychology. The time off gave me significant perspective and let me grow up a bit (I was 22), and helped me realize exactly what I am interested in which I have carried consistently throughout school. Best decision I have made in terms of my medical education.
Overview of where you want to end up: Not sure! Used to think only of NYC programs, but I think I actually would rather be somewhere else and lately I've thought more about Boston or California. I'm interested in child psychiatry and very likely an academic career. Suggestions welcome!!
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ima4ltrwrd said:
Step 1: 199
Step 2 CK/ CS: Taking it in September. I know I need to do much better on this.
School: US Medical School
Class Rank: No idea but i'd guess bottom half
Grades in Clerkship: All passes, one high pass. I do have very strong letters of rec.
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: I have maybe 5-6 papers not in psych and I was an assistant editor on a book. I started up a psychiatry club at school. I have an MPH also.
Red Flags: (step failures, etc) I didn't fail step 1 but I did have to repeat a block during 1st year.
Overview of where you want to end up: I ideally want to end up west coast, but I know that's pushing it. However I like programs that have an integrated medicine component and emphasis on therapy. Thanks for any feedback.
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if you're not too picky about where on the west coast you're probably fine - in cali UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA-SFV, UCSF-Fresno, Loma Linda are within your reach and there is no harm applying to other programs recognizing that stanford, ucsf, ucla are going to be out of your grasp. you may get some love at harbor-ucla. i dont know if you count UNM as west coast but you'd probably get a look in there. further up the west coast no harm in applying to ohsu and uw.

i would suggest doing step 2 in early august if possible so that you have score when you apply. it is going to be better, and if it is a fair bit better that may go a way to help you. i would also suggest doing some psych rotations early on, possibly at programs that you want to look into. in 3 months there is not all that much you can do to further boost your application than that. make sure your LoRs really are as strong as you say or think.

p.s. very, very few programs have an 'emphasis' on therapy, but most decent programs have enough elective time that you can carve out the time to do that if that is what you're interested in even at more 'biologically oriented' programs.
 
Step 1: COMLEX only; >500
Step 2 CK/ CS: Taking the COMLEX equivalents in July/August, probably score as well or better than Step I
School: Established DO school
Class Rank: Middle-of-the-pack
Grades in Clerkship: School is P/F only for clerkships, however, I have good evals.
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: Student leadership experience on school and national levels, some volunteer work, 1 abstract at a national conference, multiple poster presentations, worked sporadically during preclinical years in a non-medical family business.
Red Flags: None that I can think of

I'm trying to get as far north and west as possible... hoping that my DO-ness won't be too much of a disadvantage.
 
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I would really appreciate some feedback given my red flag situation. Thanks in advance

Step 1 194
Step 2 pending
Medschool: a top med school on east coast
Class rank: bottom half
Grades: hp psych, hp peds, pass everything else
AoA: nope
Research: not as yet, one project in works. I do some volunteering with a local kids program and some club memberships at school
Red flags: 3 failures of step 1 and some time off from med school (had some pretty serious family issues going on including multiple members passing away)
Where: I would love to end up in NC, but anywhere Maryland and down on the coast or in the south would be great.
 
AlwaysOnCall said:
I would really appreciate some feedback given my red flag situation. Thanks in advance

Step 1 194
Step 2 pending
Medschool: a top med school on east coast
Class rank: bottom half
Grades: hp psych, hp peds, pass everything else
AoA: nope
Research: not as yet, one project in works. I do some volunteering with a local kids program and some club memberships at school
Red flags: 3 failures of step 1 and some time off from med school (had some pretty serious family issues going on including multiple members passing away)
Where: I would love to end up in NC, but anywhere Maryland and down on the coast or in the south would be great.
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Unfortunately. many programs will sort you out on the basis of the sub-200 Step 1, as well as the 4 attempts to pass. By "pending" is your Step 2 already taken? A decent pass on the first attempt might give you a shot--but you need to have that score in the books before interview season. The other thing(s) you need are a couple of AWESOME letters in psych--preferably indicating that the writer knows you well, has no reservations about your ability, and would jump at the chance to have you in their own program if they had the opportunity. A kick ass personal statement and some local ties to the programs you hope to interview would help as well.
 
Is the consensus to apply right away once applications open or is there room to wait a few weeks to get a step 2 score back? The earliest I can take my step 2 ck is late August or first week of September and I have been hearing conflicting information on this.
 
ima4ltrwrd said:
Is the consensus to apply right away once applications open or is there room to wait a few weeks to get a step 2 score back? The earliest I can take my step 2 ck is late August or first week of September and I have been hearing conflicting information on this.
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Apply immediately. Anybody who says that you should wait doesn't really understand how ERAS works. As soon as your CK result comes out, the system will automatically be updated. If you were ever screened out for the lack of a CK score, you'll be screened back in as soon as the score comes out.

Granted, a difference of a couple of weeks is unlikely to have a massive impact on your application, especially if you're a US grad. But there's no benefit to waiting.
 
shan564 said:
Apply immediately. Anybody who says that you should wait doesn't really understand how ERAS works. As soon as your CK result comes out, the system will automatically be updated.
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+1

Minor clarification, scores aren't necessarilly automatically updated, you can choose that option or you can choose to update them when you want (to let you preview your score before programs see it).

As another reason to submit early, some programs will interview without Step 2 scores. I took my test in December, and did almost all my interviews before even taking Step 2. I think it held up some of my invites, but only one person mentioned it at interviews. Having said that, I interviewed very regionally so your mileage may vary.
 
I know a guy who interviewed at MGH, Penn, Yale, Duke, and WashU (and probably more) despite not having taken CK. He was a top-class candidate, but that shows that they won't filter you out based purely on the lack of a CK result.
 
Step 1: 254
Step 2 CK/ CS: TBD... taking this summer
School: top 25
Class Rank: no ranking
Grades in Clerkship: fam med A obgyn A- surgery A- Internal Med A Psych A Neuro A ER/Anesth A Peds A Surgical subspecialties Honors Pass
AOA: Yes
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: Lots of research in undergrad and during gap years in neuroscience. One third author paper. Involved with student government in med school.
Red Flags: (step failures, etc)
Overview of where you want to end up: Looking at mostly New England and Mid atlantic. Really like columbia, MGH, Pitt, and maybe hopkins. Looking at yale, brown, and longwood closely. Would be quite happy at any of the above.
 
FrasierMD said:
Step 1: 254
Step 2 CK/ CS: TBD... taking this summer
School: top 25
Class Rank: no ranking
Grades in Clerkship: fam med A obgyn A- surgery A- Internal Med A Psych A Neuro A ER/Anesth A Peds A Surgical subspecialties Honors Pass
AOA: Yes
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: Lots of research in undergrad and during gap years in neuroscience. One third author paper. Involved with student government in med school.
Red Flags: (step failures, etc)
Overview of where you want to end up: Looking at mostly New England and Mid atlantic. Really like columbia, MGH, Pitt, and maybe hopkins. Looking at yale, brown, and longwood closely. Would be quite happy at any of the above.
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As you probably already know, you'll be competitive everywhere, unless you show up to the interview in a wedding gown.
 
Step 1: 224
Step 2 CK: August
Step 2 CS: Sept
School: Southeast
Class Rank: Third Quartile
Grades in Clerkship: Pass in everything, High Pass in Family Med
AOA: nope
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: currently involved in a psychiatric project, 2 prior publications and 2 poster presentations in neuropsych journals/conferences done in the interim year between undergrad and med school. I also tutor middle/high school kids in math/science/health topics. I actively paint, perform spoken word, and rap.
Red Flags: (step failures, etc): I repeated second year due to personal distractions (family issues, motivation issues). My scholastic performance since displays an upward record of improvement. I will have solid LORs.
Overview of where you want to end up: I would love to go to one of the traditionally strong psych programs, but my personal interests lie in the interface between neuroscience and psychiatry. I also really enjoy learning about schizophrenia and addiction, but not really sure what direction to truly focus on. I am not totally opposed to research given my history, however I'm not particularly partial to it.
 
Fugued Men said:
Step 1: 224
Step 2 CK: August
Step 2 CS: Sept
School: Southeast
Class Rank: Third Quartile
Grades in Clerkship: Pass in everything, High Pass in Family Med
AOA: nope
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: currently involved in a psychiatric project, 2 prior publications and 2 poster presentations in neuropsych journals/conferences done in the interim year between undergrad and med school. I also tutor middle/high school kids in math/science/health topics. I actively paint, perform spoken word, and rap.
Red Flags: (step failures, etc): I repeated second year due to personal distractions (family issues, motivation issues). My scholastic performance since displays an upward record of improvement. I will have solid LORs.
Overview of where you want to end up: I would love to go to one of the traditionally strong psych programs, but my personal interests lie in the interface between neuroscience and psychiatry. I also really enjoy learning about schizophrenia and addiction, but not really sure what direction to truly focus on. I am not totally opposed to research given my history, however I'm not particularly partial to it.
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Your red flag might make it difficult for you to match at most of the "traditionally strong" programs in the Northeast and West Coast, but I think you'd have a decent shot if you don't mind coming to the Midwest. You say that your performance displays an upward trend since 2nd year, but if you ended up with P or HP in all of your clerkships, then I'm guessing that the trend was only slightly upward. Still, I think your Step 1 score will make you competitive at most of the strong programs in the flyover states, but a strong CK score might give you a big boost to partially make up for your weak clerkship grades.

Since you're in the Southeast, make sure to apply at Florida, Miami, Emory, MUSC, UNC, and Vanderbilt. They're all great neuroscience-oriented programs, and you'd probably have a decent shot at most of them. I don't know about your geographic preferences, but if you want to stay in the Southeast, I think that Florida is really a very good program and it's not very competitive.

The Midwest is automatically less competitive, so apply to WashU, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Mayo, Cleveland Clinic, Cincy, Wisconsin, Northwestern, UIC, and maybe Kansas. They're also strong programs with great neuroscience focus.

If you apply to Texas, don't forget Baylor and UTSW. Baylor isn't known for neuroscience, but they're been dumping a lot of money into it recently.
 
Step 1: 220

Step 2 CK/ CS: 251, CS in september

School: University of South Florida

Class Rank: average/middle of the road

Grades in Clerkship: All passes (grading system was Honors/Pass/Fail)

AOA: No

Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: Doing research with the USF Department of Psychiatry, not sure if I'm going to get it finished in time for interviews. Barely involved myself in clubs/volunteering during medical school.

Red Flags: (step failures, etc): I took a medical leave of absence for 1 year, sought appropriate treatment, and it resolved, and I returned to the curriculum without any academic issues. During this time period, I also used this opportunity to start some research with a faculty member in the USF Department of Psychiatry

Overview of where you want to end up: I want to stay in the southeast, but I'd definitely want to try some other programs up north, but I wouldn't mind trying more competitive programs if I have a shot.
 
ahmedjq said:
Step 1: 220

Step 2 CK/ CS: 251, CS in september

School: University of South Florida

Class Rank: average/middle of the road

Grades in Clerkship: All passes (grading system was Honors/Pass/Fail)

AOA: No

Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: Doing research with the USF Department of Psychiatry, not sure if I'm going to get it finished in time for interviews. Barely involved myself in clubs/volunteering during medical school.

Red Flags: (step failures, etc): I took a medical leave of absence for 1 year, sought appropriate treatment, and it resolved, and I returned to the curriculum without any academic issues. During this time period, I also used this opportunity to start some research with a faculty member in the USF Department of Psychiatry

Overview of where you want to end up: I want to stay in the southeast, but I'd definitely want to try some other programs up north, but I wouldn't mind trying more competitive programs if I have a shot.
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You have a good shot at most places. Lucky for you, the ratio of importance of Step 1 to Step 2ck is probably more in your favor in psych than in other specialties. I don't think that your "red flag" is really a red flag as long as you have a reasonable explanation for it.

If you want to stay in the Southeast, you'd be competitive for the top programs there (imo, Duke, Vanderbilt, Emory, MUSC, UNC, Miami, Florida).

If you want to venture out of that region, the only places that might be a stretch are the Harvard programs, Columbia/Cornell, UCSF, UCLA, and maybe Stanford and Yale. And I'm not sure about Stanford, Yale, and the non-MGH Harvard programs (Longwood, Cambridge).
 
.
 
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Fresno (UCSF),
Kern,
Visalia CA is starting a new program,
Pacific Hospital San Francisco,
UCLA-San Fernando Valley
San Mateo
Lots of choices
 
MacDonaldTriad said:
Fresno (UCSF),
Kern,
Visalia CA is starting a new program,
Pacific Hospital San Francisco,
UCLA-San Fernando Valley
San Mateo
Lots of choices
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Do you really think San Mateo would consider DO's? I know they didn't fill this year, but their website lists where their residents came from as "George Washington Univ, Harvard (2), Stanford (3), UC Davis (3), UCLA (2), UCSF (2), Univ of Nebraska, USC, Univ of Washington"... I took that as a sign that I shouldn't even bother with the application.
 
I have to admit that I don’t know much about San Metao. Seems like something went wrong with their business plan so who knows.
 
MacDonaldTriad said:
Fresno (UCSF),
Kern,
Visalia CA is starting a new program,
Pacific Hospital San Francisco,
UCLA-San Fernando Valley
San Mateo
Lots of choices
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:thumbup: Thank you for taking the time to answer my question... I appreciate it.
 
Step 1: 232 first attempt
Step 2 CK/ CS: taking CK in august, passed CS first attempt
School: one of the carib big 4. US citizen, born and raised in USA though.
Class Rank: don't know?
Grades in Clerkship: 4.0 in everything. We get letter grades, not P/F
AOA: no
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: did research in undergrad, no publications, decent amount volunteer work, am a member of a couple clubs in med school.
Red Flags: (step failures, etc): none
Overview of where you want to end up: somewhere on the east coast. preferably suburb of a big city, so I can have the best of both worlds. I'm originally from the mid-atlantic region so anything in Maryland, DC, VA would be amazing!

I feel like I have strong numbers, but the big issue here is that I'm a Carib IMG. Do I have a shot at any university programs? A few people from my school have definitely matched into amazing top tier university programs, but I have no idea what their stats were.
 
eastcoastdr said:
Step 1: 232 first attempt
Step 2 CK/ CS: taking CK in august, passed CS first attempt
School: one of the carib big 4. US citizen, born and raised in USA though.
Class Rank: don't know?
Grades in Clerkship: 4.0 in everything. We get letter grades, not P/F
AOA: no
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: did research in undergrad, no publications, decent amount volunteer work, am a member of a couple clubs in med school.
Red Flags: (step failures, etc): none
Overview of where you want to end up: somewhere on the east coast. preferably suburb of a big city, so I can have the best of both worlds. I'm originally from the mid-atlantic region so anything in Maryland, DC, VA would be amazing!

I feel like I have strong numbers, but the big issue here is that I'm a Carib IMG. Do I have a shot at any university programs? A few people from my school have definitely matched into amazing top tier university programs, but I have no idea what their stats were.
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With your story, the first thing that came to mind was Umaryland/SP. I thought it was a strong program, east coast, with availability to live a suburban lifestyle. I would advise you take a closer look at it.
 
LimbicResponse said:
With your story, the first thing that came to mind was Umaryland/SP. I thought it was a strong program, east coast, with availability to live a suburban lifestyle. I would advise you take a closer look at it.
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Thank you for the tip :) It sounds like a great program!
 
eastcoastdr said:
Thank you for the tip :) It sounds like a great program!
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You'd also have a fair shot at Georgetown. They invited me for an interview and my stats were worse than yours... although I went to med school in Australia, so I'm not sure if that made any difference.

Drexel and Cooper/Rowan will probably also invite you, but I wasn't really impressed by those places.
 
shan564 said:
You have a good shot at most places. Lucky for you, the ratio of importance of Step 1 to Step 2ck is probably more in your favor in psych than in other specialties. I don't think that your "red flag" is really a red flag as long as you have a reasonable explanation for it.

If you want to stay in the Southeast, you'd be competitive for the top programs there (imo, Duke, Vanderbilt, Emory, MUSC, UNC, Miami, Florida).

If you want to venture out of that region, the only places that might be a stretch are the Harvard programs, Columbia/Cornell, UCSF, UCLA, and maybe Stanford and Yale. And I'm not sure about Stanford, Yale, and the non-MGH Harvard programs (Longwood, Cambridge).
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I'm probably going to end up making MUSC my top choice, so I hope my chances are good, as long as I do well during the interview.
 
Step 1: 200+
Step 2 CK/ CS: Taking both next month, scored 233 on my first CK self-assessment today.
School: In the US.
Class Rank: Not sure.
Grades in Clerkship: Mostly ABs, two As, two Bs. AB in Psych (I missed the cutoff for an A on the Shelf portion by one stinking point!).
AOA: Nope.
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: MFM research for one year (thought I wanted to do women's health)/No publications/Coordinator of student run psych free clinic for one year, helped with this clinic several times after my tenure, volunteer with free clinic system during all years, co-chair of Psych interest group for one semester, co-chair of women's health advocacy group for one semester
Red Flags: (step failures, etc) Big red flag: My mom died my first year of med school and I tried to go on to year two, but family issues got in the way. I got an A in the first class of the year, but BCs in every other class that semester. I technically never failed anything. I took a leave of absence near the end of the semester (so there are three PIs on my record, but not PFs) and returned the next year for my second year. I petitioned to repeat the courses I earned BCs in, and finished my second attempt at second year with mostly ABs, some Bs, three As, and one BC.
Overview of where you want to end up: The Midwest, preferably my home institution.
 
Last edited:
Rebs28 said:
Step 1: 209
Step 2 CK/ CS: Taking both next month, scored 233 on my first CK self-assessment today.
School: In the US.
Class Rank: Not sure.
Grades in Clerkship: Mostly ABs, two As, two Bs. AB in Psych (I missed the cutoff for an A on the Shelf portion by one stinking point!).
AOA: Nope.
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: MFM research for one year (thought I wanted to do women's health)/No publications/Coordinator of student run psych free clinic for one year, helped with this clinic several times after my tenure, volunteer with free clinic system during all years, co-chair of Psych interest group for one semester, co-chair of women's health advocacy group for one semester
Red Flags: (step failures, etc) Big red flag: My mom died my first year of med school and I tried to go on to year two, but family issues got in the way. I got an A in the first class of the year, but BCs in every other class that semester. I technically never failed anything. I took a leave of absence near the end of the semester (so there are three PIs on my record, but not PFs) and returned the next year for my second year. I petitioned to repeat the courses I earned BCs in, and finished my second attempt at second year with mostly ABs, some Bs, three As, and one BC.
Overview of where you want to end up: The Midwest, preferably my home institution.
Click to expand...

If you want to wind up at your own institution, you generally shouldn't have a problem. Get to know the faculty, especially the PD. Let them know you want to stay. Work hard and ask pertinent questions. In my (admittedly limited) experience, most programs prefer to take at least a few of their own grads over relatively unknown and unproven students in the Match.

As for where else to look in the Midwest, I'll leave it to others who know better to give you advice.
 
Rebs28 said:
Step 1: 209
Step 2 CK/ CS: Taking both next month, scored 233 on my first CK self-assessment today.
School: In the US.
Class Rank: Not sure.
Grades in Clerkship: Mostly ABs, two As, two Bs. AB in Psych (I missed the cutoff for an A on the Shelf portion by one stinking point!).
AOA: Nope.
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: MFM research for one year (thought I wanted to do women's health)/No publications/Coordinator of student run psych free clinic for one year, helped with this clinic several times after my tenure, volunteer with free clinic system during all years, co-chair of Psych interest group for one semester, co-chair of women's health advocacy group for one semester
Red Flags: (step failures, etc) Big red flag: My mom died my first year of med school and I tried to go on to year two, but family issues got in the way. I got an A in the first class of the year, but BCs in every other class that semester. I technically never failed anything. I took a leave of absence near the end of the semester (so there are three PIs on my record, but not PFs) and returned the next year for my second year. I petitioned to repeat the courses I earned BCs in, and finished my second attempt at second year with mostly ABs, some Bs, three As, and one BC.
Overview of where you want to end up: The Midwest, preferably my home institution.
Click to expand...

I don't think that's a "big red flag." Maybe a yellow flag at worst. That's assuming that I understand what you're saying... I'm not sure that I know what you mean with that grading system. You're saying that you have some incompletes but no fails, right?

If you do well on CK, I think you'd be competitive at almost every program in the Midwest. Lucky for you, it's not a very competitive region and psych is not a very competitive specialty. I don't think there's any program in WI that's out of reach for you. In that region, you might also consider Mayo, Hennepin, U.Minnesota, U.Chicago, UIC, Northwestern, Iowa, and Michigan. On that list, I think that Iowa and Michigan might be the strongest programs, but they're all very good. If you don't mind going a bit farther, then there are great programs at Indiana, Cincinnati, Cleveland Clinic, and WashU. On my entire interview trail, Indiana and Iowa were the biggest surprises. Mayo and WashU were my favorite places in the Midwest, but I expected to like them.
 
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Thanks so much to both of you. My mind is much more at ease. Shan564, I appreciate the advice about programs. I've heard great things about Michigan, Iowa, Cincinnati, and Indiana.

That's correct, I don't have any failures, just incompletes, and I did finish those courses the next year.
 
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