Official Eternal IM WAMC Thread

[wamchelpaccount]

Med School: Mid tier
M1-M2 grades: 2nd quartile
M3 grades: 1 honors in obygyn 2 HP in neuro and surgery, rest pass
M4 grades: Honors Sub-I
Class rank: probably 2nd quartile
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: 256
AOA: No
GHHS: No
Research: 2 (1st author was the PI, and 4th author) publications, 5-6 posters (1 national), 1 abstract
Extracurriculars: supplemental instructor, president of a club, volunteer, also digital artist as a part time job
LORs: 1 letter gastroenterologist (research), 1 sub-i letter, 1 icu letter, chair letter
Geographic Signaling: east coast area (aiming for NY area, but would be happy anywhere in the east coast)
Red flags: None

I'm not sure how to use my signals any suggestions? thank you guys!!

For funnsies:
Duke
Upenn
Yale
Mayo
Vanderbilt
UNC
Emory

Reach:
Boston U
UPMC (signaling) - did research there in undergraduate (went to carnegie mellon) and also did shadowing there
NYU
Cornell
Mt. Sinai (signaling)
UAB

Target:
MUSC (home school)
Thomas jefferson (signaling)
Brown university (signaling)
UVA (signaling)
Ohio State
Temple
Tufts
Albert Einstein
Wake Forest
Dartmouth
Cedar sinai
Rutgers
Rochester

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[hoopingdocs13]

Med School: USMD, Low-tier (outside top 100)
M1-M2 grades: 1st quartile
M3 grades: 6/8 Honors (including IM), HP in OBGYN, P in FM
M4 grades: don't have them as our M4 school year didn't start till last month
Class rank: 1st quartile
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: 250
AOA: Likely yes (AOA won't get decided till the end of the week)
GHHS: No
Research: 1 pub (abstract), 6 posters, a bunch of submitted manuscripts just keep being send back for edits
ECs: Class VP for finance, VP/Chair our student-run clinic, VP for another student-run club, serve as mentor for high-school students in the area for a summer, sit on the academic committee of the school with deans and profs to listen to listen to student's grievances/academic dishonesty cases, watch sports and blogs part-time in my free time
LORs: 1 chair letter, 1 heme/onc letter (I wrote this myself so should be strong), 1 ICU letter, and 1 peds letter (the prof really like me)
Geographic signaling: Midwest (Wisconsin + Illinois area), New York area, and Maryland-Virginia area
Red flags: none
Other: ORM (Asian)
Story: immigrant who came here with a family of 4 living on <1000/month, didn't get our green cards for 10+ years so couldn't work for a while and had to live on other means, had to get full ride to be able to go to college, etc.

I still don't know how to distribute the rest of my signals

Shooting for the stars:
UMich

Reach:
Cornell
Northwestern
UChicago
NYU
UPMC
Emory
Mt Sinai
UNC

Targets:
Wisconsin (signal) - originally from here, brother is still here lots of family around here
CCF (signal) - see above
BU (signal) - some family in the area, aunt is here
Case Western
UVA
Maryland
Georgetown
GWU
Jefferson
Temple
Cincinnati
UIC
Zucker
Rutgers
Rochester
Montefiore
Penn St
Wake Forest
Rush
Loyola
Hopkins Bayview

Safeties:
Medical College of Wisconsin
NYU Long Island
Beaumont (Michigan)
Carolinas Medical Center
Detroit Medical Center
Virginia Tech
Buffalo
Henry Ford
Metrohealth

 

[Adjet]

Med School: Mid tier
M1-M2 grades: 2nd quartile
M3 grades: 1 honors in obygyn 2 HP in neuro and surgery, rest pass
M4 grades: Honors Sub-I
Class rank: probably 2nd quartile
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: 256
AOA: No
GHHS: No
Research: 2 (1st author was the PI, and 4th author) publications, 5-6 posters (1 national), 1 abstract
Extracurriculars: supplemental instructor, president of a club, volunteer, also digital artist as a part time job
LORs: 1 letter gastroenterologist (research), 1 sub-i letter, 1 icu letter, chair letter
Geographic Signaling: east coast area (aiming for NY area, but would be happy anywhere in the east coast)
Red flags: None

I'm not sure how to use my signals any suggestions? thank you guys!!

For funnsies:
Duke
Upenn
Yale
Mayo
Vanderbilt
UNC
Emory

Reach:
Boston U
UPMC (signaling) - did research there in undergraduate (went to carnegie mellon) and also did shadowing there
NYU
Cornell
Mt. Sinai (signaling)
UAB

Target:
MUSC (home school)
Thomas jefferson (signaling)
Brown university (signaling)
UVA (signaling)
Ohio State
Temple
Tufts
Albert Einstein
Wake Forest
Dartmouth
Cedar sinai
Rutgers
Rochester

Your best shot would be at a mid-tier program without the H in medicine and slightly above average performance at a mid-tier school. Your list looks good. Consider Northwell as a target/safety. I matched at a time when signaling didn't exist so not sure how best to strategize, but looks reasonable to me.

Med School: USMD, Low-tier (outside top 100)
M1-M2 grades: 1st quartile
M3 grades: 6/8 Honors (including IM), HP in OBGYN, P in FM
M4 grades: don't have them as our M4 school year didn't start till last month
Class rank: 1st quartile
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: 250
AOA: Likely yes (AOA won't get decided till the end of the week)
GHHS: No
Research: 1 pub (abstract), 6 posters, a bunch of submitted manuscripts just keep being send back for edits
ECs: Class VP for finance, VP/Chair our student-run clinic, VP for another student-run club, serve as mentor for high-school students in the area for a summer, sit on the academic committee of the school with deans and profs to listen to listen to student's grievances/academic dishonesty cases, watch sports and blogs part-time in my free time
LORs: 1 chair letter, 1 heme/onc letter (I wrote this myself so should be strong), 1 ICU letter, and 1 peds letter (the prof really like me)
Geographic signaling: Midwest (Wisconsin + Illinois area), New York area, and Maryland-Virginia area
Red flags: none
Other: ORM (Asian)
Story: immigrant who came here with a family of 4 living on <1000/month, didn't get our green cards for 10+ years so couldn't work for a while and had to live on other means, had to get full ride to be able to go to college, etc.

I still don't know how to distribute the rest of my signals

Shooting for the stars:
UMich

Reach:
Cornell
Northwestern
UChicago
NYU
UPMC
Emory
Mt Sinai
UNC

Targets:
Wisconsin (signal) - originally from here, brother is still here lots of family around here
CCF (signal) - see above
BU (signal) - some family in the area, aunt is here
Case Western
UVA
Maryland
Georgetown
GWU
Jefferson
Temple
Cincinnati
UIC
Zucker
Rutgers
Rochester
Montefiore
Penn St
Wake Forest
Rush
Loyola
Hopkins Bayview

Safeties:
Medical College of Wisconsin
NYU Long Island
Beaumont (Michigan)
Carolinas Medical Center
Detroit Medical Center
Virginia Tech
Buffalo
Henry Ford
Metrohealth

Yes/No on AOA could make a significant difference but if you get it you may be selling yourself a tad short. Because of it's non-urban location you may have a better shot at UMich than NW/UChicago and I would consider signaling if you have a strong interest. You have more than enough midtier programs to match and will probably need to cancel interviews from safeties.

 

[danielblank313]

Med School: East coast DO school
M1-M2 grades: Ranked #1
M3-4 grades: Full honors
Class rank: 1st quartile
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: 265
AOA: No
GHHS: No
Research: No med school research. Two physics journal publications and 2 physics poster presentations from before med school.
Extracurriculars: 7 years of suicide counsellor hotline, amateur boxing, building CT scanner as a hobby
LORs: IM chair, previous director of critical care at Cornell, MICU director, IM attending
Geographic Signaling: New England, Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic
Red flags: None

On paper, the real thing that is holding me back is no med school research and obviously that I'm at a DO school. I kinda wanted to do an experiment and just apply to all the prestigious places for IM and see what happens! I know my odds are low as they would be for anyone who doesn't have a great med school name. But still wanted to see what you guys thought or if I should change things around.

Extreme reaches:

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Johns Hopkins University

Mass General Brigham

Massachusetts General Hospital

Mayo Clinic

NYU - Main Hospital

Cornell

Columbia

UPenn

University of California San Francisco

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Yale University

Mount Sinai Hospital

Stanford University Hospital

High Reach

Montefiore Medical Center

University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center

Duke University Hospital

Baylor College

Dartmouth

Brown University

McGaw Medical Center (Northwestern University)

Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center

University of California - Los Angeles

University of California - San Diego

University of California - Irvine

University of California - Davis

University of Michigan

University of Washington

Washington University (St. Louis)

Cleveland Clinic

University of Pittsburgh

Emory University

NYU - Bellevue

Target?

Tufts University

Boston University

Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital

Rush University

Temple University

University of Chicago

University of Maryland

Safety?

Hackensack University Medical Center

University Hospital - Newark

Mount Sinai Morningside/West

Mount Sinai Beth Israel

Maimonides Medical Center

Lenox Hill Hospital

Westchester Medical Center

Jersey City Medical Center

Cooper Medical School University Hospital

I want to expand the list of programs I'm applying at for like mid tier university programs... Any thoughts?

 

[880cylon]

Med school rank: low tier MD
USMLE Step 1: pass
USMLE Step 2: 254
AOA: no
Honors: 2 Honors, rest HP during 3rd year
Research: 7 publications(nature, JCI, etc) , 1 poster presentation at national conference
EC: tutor / mentor all throughout medical school
LOR: chair + 2 hospitalist
Other: URM (Hispanic)

Would like to stay in California but do not mind going out of state as long as its a good program. I also have aspirations for fellowship after residency. I am currently undecided about how many programs I should apply to.

Current list:

Loma Linda
USC+LAC
Cedars Sinai
UCSD
UC Irvine
UCSF Fresno
UCLA olive view
UCLA harbor
Santa Clara Valley
MedStar Health
George Washington
Minnesota
Rush
Loyola
Henry Ford
New Mexico
Stony Brook
University of Colorado
University of Utah
Arizona - Tucson
Arizona - phoenix
University of nevada - reno
UNLV Kerkorian
Huntington memorial hospital
Kaiser Fontana
Scripps Green
Emory
Kansas
Iowa
Missouri
U of Illinois
Case Western
Maryland
Jefferson
UT Houston
UT San Antonio
Dell UT Austin
Wake Forest
Dartmouth
Rutgers
Maryland
UPMC
Umass
tufts
UNC
UVA
Virginia Tech
Boston U
Brown
Cleveland Clinic

 

[obiwan]

Med School: East coast DO school
M1-M2 grades: Ranked #1
M3-4 grades: Full honors
Class rank: 1st quartile
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: 265
AOA: No
GHHS: No
Research: No med school research. Two physics journal publications and 2 physics poster presentations from before med school.
Extracurriculars: 7 years of suicide counsellor hotline, amateur boxing, building CT scanner as a hobby
LORs: IM chair, previous director of critical care at Cornell, MICU director, IM attending
Geographic Signaling: New England, Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic
Red flags: None

On paper, the real thing that is holding me back is no med school research and obviously that I'm at a DO school. I kinda wanted to do an experiment and just apply to all the prestigious places for IM and see what happens! I know my odds are low as they would be for anyone who doesn't have a great med school name. But still wanted to see what you guys thought or if I should change things around.

Extreme reaches:

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Johns Hopkins University

Mass General Brigham

Massachusetts General Hospital

Mayo Clinic

NYU - Main Hospital

Cornell

Columbia

UPenn

University of California San Francisco

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Yale University

Mount Sinai Hospital

Stanford University Hospital

High Reach

Montefiore Medical Center

University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center

Duke University Hospital

Baylor College

Dartmouth

Brown University

McGaw Medical Center (Northwestern University)

Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center

University of California - Los Angeles

University of California - San Diego

University of California - Irvine

University of California - Davis

University of Michigan

University of Washington

Washington University (St. Louis)

Cleveland Clinic

University of Pittsburgh

Emory University

NYU - Bellevue

Target?

Tufts University

Boston University

Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital

Rush University

Temple University

University of Chicago

University of Maryland

Safety?

Hackensack University Medical Center

University Hospital - Newark

Mount Sinai Morningside/West

Mount Sinai Beth Israel

Maimonides Medical Center

Lenox Hill Hospital

Westchester Medical Center

Jersey City Medical Center

Cooper Medical School University Hospital

I want to expand the list of programs I'm applying at for like mid tier university programs... Any thoughts?

You are more than free to conduct this experiment of yours but before you finalize your list, I would highly highly highly recommend that you go through the housestaff roster for your extreme/high reaches/targets and see how many DOs are at these programs to calibrate expectations and whether it might be more wise to replace those programs that are not DO friendly to those that are (the answer is yes). Even places on your target list like Tufts, Boston Univ, and University of Chicago are not what I consider DO friendly programs. I hope some of the DOs on this thread will be more helpful in telling you which programs are. Off the top of my head I believe Baylor/University of Washington/Emory have at least one DO. The lack of any medical school research is also basically shooting yourself in the foot before this race has started when it comes to trying to get into the big boy academic programs. So, yes, you need to take a different approach to your list. Look at where your peers matched for medicine to see where to apply. As the resident Texan, you can apply to Baylor, UT Houston, UTMB Galveston, UT San Antonio, Baylor University/Scott and White in Dallas and Temple, Texas Tech

 

[danielblank313]

You are more than free to conduct this experiment of yours but before you finalize your list, I would highly highly highly recommend that you go through the housestaff roster for your extreme/high reaches/targets and see how many DOs are at these programs to calibrate expectations and whether it might be more wise to replace those programs that are not DO friendly to those that are (the answer is yes). Even places on your target list like Tufts, Boston Univ, and University of Chicago are not what I consider DO friendly programs. I hope some of the DOs on this thread will be more helpful in telling you which programs are. Off the top of my head I believe Baylor/University of Washington/Emory have at least one DO. The lack of any medical school research is also basically shooting yourself in the foot before this race has started when it comes to trying to get into the big boy academic programs. So, yes, you need to take a different approach to your list. Look at where your peers matched for medicine to see where to apply. As the resident Texan, you can apply to Baylor, UT Houston, UTMB Galveston, UT San Antonio, Baylor University/Scott and White in Dallas and Temple, Texas Tech

Oh, for sure I have no illusion about expectations for a lot of that wildly top-heavy list I put haha. But also, sometimes I wonder if those housestaff lists are without DOs because of discouragement or because the bias really is that strong. I can't imagine there are many IM applicants on the DO side that will try with competitive scores so I hope other people will come across this when the experiment is done to see what happened to help guide them. Definitely need to expand that list by a good 15-20 I think with places that do have DOs for my own good though!

 

[WhatAreMyChances IM]

Med School: Northeast low tier MD

M1-M2 grades: P/F, Pass

M3-4 grades: Honors 7/8 3rd year including IM, Honors IM and MICU Sub-I 4th year

Step 1: P

Step 2: 255-260

Class rank: Unsure quartile, at least top 50%, would be surprised if not first quartile

AOA: No

GHHS: No

Research: 2 research experiences, 1 2nd author pub, 1 upcoming poster

Extracurriculars: Decent mentorship/volunteer experiences/prior work experience

LORs: Home program PD (Strong), MICU sub-I (Strong), IM Chair letter, 2 IM Sub-I (anticipated average)

Geographic Signaling: Mid Atlantic, East north central, New England

Red flags: None.

Other: Like to think I have a decent personal statement and story. Mostly worried about my lower amount of research experience comparatively for higher tier programs, no AOA and coming from a low tier MD school. Want to make sure my list isn’t too top heavy and have an appropriate amount of targets and safeties. No ties to California/Texas so didn't plan on applying to any programs in those regions. Also any programs worth cutting out or adding based on my stats?

Goals: Fellowship (One of the more competitive IM fellowships)

School List: Underlined are signals. 44 programs currently which feels like a lot but also have a fair amount of reaches.

Reach: BID, Duke, Emory, Hopkins, MGH, Brigham, Northwestern, Columbia, U Chicago, U Michigan, Penn, Vanderbilt, Wash U, Yale

Target: BU, Brown, Case Western, CCF, IU, Georgetown, OSU, Rutgers RWJ, Jefferson, Temple, Tufts, UPMC, U Cincinnati, UIC, U Maryland, U Minnesota, UNC, Rochester, UVA, U Wisconsin, VCU, Wake Forest

Safety: GWU, Loyola, MCW, Penn State, Rush, U Mass, Wright State, Virginia Tech

Appreciate any feedback, thank you!

 

[Adjet]

Med school rank: low tier MD
USMLE Step 1: pass
USMLE Step 2: 254
AOA: no
Honors: 2 Honors, rest HP during 3rd year
Research: 7 publications(nature, JCI, etc) , 1 poster presentation at national conference
EC: tutor / mentor all throughout medical school
LOR: chair + 2 hospitalist
Other: URM (Hispanic)

Would like to stay in California but do not mind going out of state as long as its a good program. I also have aspirations for fellowship after residency. I am currently undecided about how many programs I should apply to.

Current list:

Loma Linda
USC+LAC
Cedars Sinai
UCSD
UC Irvine
UCSF Fresno
UCLA olive view
UCLA harbor
Santa Clara Valley
MedStar Health
George Washington
Minnesota
Rush
Loyola
Henry Ford
New Mexico
Stony Brook
University of Colorado
University of Utah
Arizona - Tucson
Arizona - phoenix
University of nevada - reno
UNLV Kerkorian
Huntington memorial hospital
Kaiser Fontana
Scripps Green
Emory
Kansas
Iowa
Missouri
U of Illinois
Case Western
Maryland
Jefferson
UT Houston
UT San Antonio
Dell UT Austin
Wake Forest
Dartmouth
Rutgers
Maryland
UPMC
Umass
tufts
UNC
UVA
Virginia Tech
Boston U
Brown
Cleveland Clinic

Did you get a H or HP in medicine? Makes a difference. Assuming H, good research and URM can make some of the academic cali programs within reach (at least UCSD, USC, maybe others as well). You probably have many more programs than you need, like I think it's unnecessary to apply to more than a couple community programs/low tier academic places in undesirable locations outside of CA but I guess you can apply and cancel interviews down the road.

Med School: Northeast low tier MD

M1-M2 grades: P/F, Pass

M3-4 grades: Honors 7/8 3rd year including IM, Honors IM and MICU Sub-I 4th year

Step 1: P

Step 2: 255-260

Class rank: Unsure quartile, at least top 50%, would be surprised if not first quartile

AOA: No

GHHS: No

Research: 2 research experiences, 1 2nd author pub, 1 upcoming poster

Extracurriculars: Decent mentorship/volunteer experiences/prior work experience

LORs: Home program PD (Strong), MICU sub-I (Strong), 2 IM Sub-I (anticipated average)

Geographic Signaling: Mid Atlantic, East north central, New England

Red flags: None.

Other: Like to think I have a decent personal statement and story. Mostly worried about my lower amount of research experience comparatively for higher tier programs, no AOA and coming from a low tier MD school. Want to make sure my list isn’t too top heavy and have an appropriate amount of targets and safeties. No ties to California/Texas so didn't plan on applying to any programs in those regions. Also any programs worth cutting out or adding based on my stats?

Goals: Fellowship (One of the more competitive IM fellowships)

School List: Underlined are signals. 44 programs currently which feels like a lot but also have a fair amount of reaches.

Reach: BID, Duke, Emory, Hopkins, MGH, Brigham, Northwestern, Columbia, U Chicago, U Michigan, Penn, Vanderbilt, Wash U, Yale

Target: BU, Brown, Case Western, CCF, IU, Georgetown, OSU, Rutgers RWJ, Jefferson, Temple, Tufts, UPMC, U Cincinnati, UIC, U Maryland, U Minnesota, UNC, Rochester, UVA, U Wisconsin, VCU, Wake Forest

Safety: GWU, Loyola, MCW, Penn State, Rush, U Mass, Wright State, Virginia Tech

Appreciate any feedback, thank you!

You did great in clinicals which helps quite a bit. I think your list is solid and you have reasonable expectations of 'target' and 'reach'

 

[880cylon]

Did you get a H or HP in medicine? Makes a difference. Assuming H, good research and URM can make some of the academic cali programs within reach (at least UCSD, USC, maybe others as well). You probably have many more programs than you need, like I think it's unnecessary to apply to more than a couple community programs/low tier academic places in undesirable locations outside of CA but I guess you can apply and cancel interviews down the road.


You did great in clinicals which helps quite a bit. I think your list is solid and you have reasonable expectations of 'target' and 'reach'

HP in medicine.

 

[gutonc]

Med School: East coast DO school
M1-M2 grades: Ranked #1
M3-4 grades: Full honors
Class rank: 1st quartile
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: 265
AOA: No
GHHS: No
Research: No med school research. Two physics journal publications and 2 physics poster presentations from before med school.
Extracurriculars: 7 years of suicide counsellor hotline, amateur boxing, building CT scanner as a hobby
LORs: IM chair, previous director of critical care at Cornell, MICU director, IM attending
Geographic Signaling: New England, Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic
Red flags: None

On paper, the real thing that is holding me back is no med school research and obviously that I'm at a DO school. I kinda wanted to do an experiment and just apply to all the prestigious places for IM and see what happens! I know my odds are low as they would be for anyone who doesn't have a great med school name. But still wanted to see what you guys thought or if I should change things around.

Extreme reaches:

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Johns Hopkins University

Mass General Brigham

Massachusetts General Hospital

Mayo Clinic

NYU - Main Hospital

Cornell

Columbia

UPenn

University of California San Francisco

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Yale University

Mount Sinai Hospital

Stanford University Hospital

High Reach

Montefiore Medical Center

University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center

Duke University Hospital

Baylor College

Dartmouth

Brown University

McGaw Medical Center (Northwestern University)

Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center

University of California - Los Angeles

University of California - San Diego

University of California - Irvine

University of California - Davis

University of Michigan

University of Washington

Washington University (St. Louis)

Cleveland Clinic

University of Pittsburgh

Emory University

NYU - Bellevue

Target?

Tufts University

Boston University

Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital

Rush University

Temple University

University of Chicago

University of Maryland

Safety?

Hackensack University Medical Center

University Hospital - Newark

Mount Sinai Morningside/West

Mount Sinai Beth Israel

Maimonides Medical Center

Lenox Hill Hospital

Westchester Medical Center

Jersey City Medical Center

Cooper Medical School University Hospital

I want to expand the list of programs I'm applying at for like mid tier university programs... Any thoughts?

You can expand the "target" list easily since at least 1/3 of your high reach programs belong there (Irvine and Davis, Baylor, Dartmouth, Brown, RWJ and CCF are all great programs, they're just not reaches TBH). U of C and Duke both belong in the "high reach" tier.

You ignored a ton of great midwest programs that would go in your target category including Wisco, UMinn, Iowa, Indy, SLU, Cinci, Chicago-Northshore (or whatever it's called this week), MCW, Case...I could go on, but I'm bored...you get the point.

That list is more than long enough. And I totally support your plan to throw money at the dream programs. You'll never know if you don't try.

 

[OhFlDO]

Med School: East coast DO school
M1-M2 grades: Ranked #1
M3-4 grades: Full honors
Class rank: 1st quartile
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: 265
AOA: No
GHHS: No
Research: No med school research. Two physics journal publications and 2 physics poster presentations from before med school.
Extracurriculars: 7 years of suicide counsellor hotline, amateur boxing, building CT scanner as a hobby
LORs: IM chair, previous director of critical care at Cornell, MICU director, IM attending
Geographic Signaling: New England, Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic
Red flags: None

On paper, the real thing that is holding me back is no med school research and obviously that I'm at a DO school. I kinda wanted to do an experiment and just apply to all the prestigious places for IM and see what happens! I know my odds are low as they would be for anyone who doesn't have a great med school name. But still wanted to see what you guys thought or if I should change things around.

Extreme reaches:

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Johns Hopkins University

Mass General Brigham

Massachusetts General Hospital

Mayo Clinic

NYU - Main Hospital

Cornell

Columbia

UPenn

University of California San Francisco

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Yale University

Mount Sinai Hospital

Stanford University Hospital

High Reach

Montefiore Medical Center

University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center

Duke University Hospital

Baylor College

Dartmouth

Brown University

McGaw Medical Center (Northwestern University)

Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center

University of California - Los Angeles

University of California - San Diego

University of California - Irvine

University of California - Davis

University of Michigan

University of Washington

Washington University (St. Louis)

Cleveland Clinic

University of Pittsburgh

Emory University

NYU - Bellevue

Target?

Tufts University

Boston University

Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital

Rush University

Temple University

University of Chicago

University of Maryland

Safety?

Hackensack University Medical Center

University Hospital - Newark

Mount Sinai Morningside/West

Mount Sinai Beth Israel

Maimonides Medical Center

Lenox Hill Hospital

Westchester Medical Center

Jersey City Medical Center

Cooper Medical School University Hospital

I want to expand the list of programs I'm applying at for like mid tier university programs... Any thoughts?

I’m a DO applicant with essentially the exact same step 2 and class rank. Applying to the same big name/top tiers just to see what happens as well. We can do this experiment together lol

 

[Adjet]

Med School: USMD, Low-tier (outside top 100)
M1-M2 grades: 1st quartile
M3 grades: 7/8 Honors (including IM), HP in surg
M4 grades: Honors sub-I
Class rank: 2nd quartile
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: 263
AOA: no
GHHS: No
Research: 4th author on 2 manuscripts, 8 abstracts (first author on 1), no presentations (told you cant double count abstracts and presentations?)
ECs: lots of education/tutoring, good leadership, good volunteering i guess
LORs: 1 chair letter, 1 IM rotation letter, 1 sub-I (he said its really strong)
Geographic signaling: middle atlantic, new england, East North Central
Red flags: none
Other: ORM

Delusional:
Columbia (signal lol)

Reach:
Cornell (signal)
Northwestern
UChicago
NYU (signal)
UPMC
Emory
Mt Sinai (signal)
yale
Kaiser LA
Kaiser SF
UCSD
UCLA
Rush
tufts

Targets:
Montefiore (signal)
Zucker Northwell LIJ (signal)
RWJ (signal)
Wisconsin
CCF
BU
Case Western
UVA
Maryland
Georgetown
GWU
Jefferson
Temple
Cincinnati
UIC
Rutgers
Rochester
Penn St
Wake Forest
Rush
Hopkins Bayview

Safeties:
Stony
Lenox hill
Mount sinai M/W
Jacobi
Brooklyn Methodist
NYU LI
Buffalo
Westchester
Zucker staten island
Hackensack



Would really appreciate any advice on my candidacy/how rank list looks/ anything to change/add? Thanks

It can be tough to crack into the tippy top places without AOA at a low tier medical school, but your clinical grades and scores are great. Your list looks reasonable. Rush, Tufts, and Kaiser are def not 'reaches' more safety/targets. If you don't have an aversion to the cities Brown and BIDMC are worth adding. Can also consider WashU and Indiana in midwest. You don't need so many safeties.

 

[Zen Arcade]

You can expand the "target" list easily since at least 1/3 of your high reach programs belong there (Irvine and Davis, Baylor, Dartmouth, Brown, RWJ and CCF are all great programs, they're just not reaches TBH). U of C and Duke both belong in the "high reach" tier.

You ignored a ton of great midwest programs that would go in your target category including Wisco, UMinn, Iowa, Indy, SLU, Cinci, Chicago-Northshore (or whatever it's called this week), MCW, Case...I could go on, but I'm bored...you get the point.

That list is more than long enough. And I totally support your plan to throw money at the dream programs. You'll never know if you don't try.

Be careful about some of the 'target' programs as a DO. I know both Wisconsin and Iowa take pretty much zero DO's.

 

[danielblank313]

Be careful about some of the 'target' programs as a DO. I know both Wisconsin and Iowa take pretty much zero DO's.

This is such a frustrating thing to anticipate in a sense when making lists. On one hand, I feel that I have a competitive application, but some programs will simply see DO and throw it away. There are programs more competitive than Wisconsin and Iowa that will consider me and there are programs less competitive that won't. Very difficult to traverse.

Currently the goal is to be just broad thanks to everyone's advice and patrolling this forum. I'll make sure I have enough programs that take DO applicants seriously enough that I'll match but still get a chance at applying to the places where it's unclear how I'll be received and they may simply be donations.

 

[gutonc]

This is such a frustrating thing to anticipate in a sense when making lists. On one hand, I feel that I have a competitive application, but some programs will simply see DO and throw it away. There are programs more competitive than Wisconsin and Iowa that will consider me and there are programs less competitive that won't. Very difficult to traverse.

Currently the goal is to be just broad thanks to everyone's advice and patrolling this forum. I'll make sure I have enough programs that take DO applicants seriously enough that I'll match but still get a chance at applying to the places where it's unclear how I'll be received and they may simply be donations.

The problem is, you can't really predict which programs are/not going to give you app a shot. But you've got a much better chance at a place like Iowa than you do at Duke.

I will also say that just because a program doesn't have DOs in it's current/recent class, doesn't mean they don't consider DOs for interview/ranking.

 

[danielblank313]

The problem is, you can't really predict which programs are/not going to give you app a shot. But you've got a much better chance at a place like Iowa than you do at Duke.

I will also say that just because a program doesn't have DOs in it's current/recent class, doesn't mean they don't consider DOs for interview/ranking.

I'm glad to hear that, I agree completely. I don't want to simply blame being a DO for the reason why a program does or doesn't give me a shot. I think it's a good opportunity to be humble, there are some really great applicants out there, it's easy to say I didn't get in "because I was a DO".

 

[pepsipants]

It can be tough to crack into the tippy top places without AOA at a low tier medical school, but your clinical grades and scores are great. Your list looks reasonable. Rush, Tufts, and Kaiser are def not 'reaches' more safety/targets. If you don't have an aversion to the cities Brown and BIDMC are worth adding. Can also consider WashU and Indiana in midwest. You don't need so many safeties.

Thank you so much for the response. What are your thoughts on my research? Do you think that may prevent me from matching at top 30ish places?

 

[obiwan]

The problem is, you can't really predict which programs are/not going to give you app a shot. But you've got a much better chance at a place like Iowa than you do at Duke.

I will also say that just because a program doesn't have DOs in it's current/recent class, doesn't mean they don't consider DOs for interview/ranking.

If a program with 50+ residents per year does not have a single DO on its roster, I would safely say thats not a DO friendly program

 

[obiwan]

Thank you so much for the response. What are your thoughts on my research? Do you think that may prevent me from matching at top 30ish places?

Some research is better than no research IMO especially if you have something to show for it

 

[Adjet]

What I am worried about is that i have like 10 published abstracts but only one first author. And no presentations. Is this a bad look? Someone once mentioned that having disproportionate research to first authors can be seen as lazy

The value of research for matching into IM is minor compared to clinical grades/class rank/scores/AOA. Would having a first author be better? Sure, but not having any isn't the type of thing that would be held against you.

 

[Lalutanda69]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if you guys can give me some advice on ranking order for IM. Tbh I do care about location, but I’m willing to sacrifice location for the smoothest possible journey to Gastroenterology.

List in no order: Stanford, UCSD, USC, Beth Israel, Cornell, Mayo, UPENN, Irvine, Rush, Cedar Sinai

 

[rokshana]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if you guys can give me some advice on ranking order for IM. Tbh I do care about location, but I’m willing to sacrifice location for the smoothest possible journey to Gastroenterology.

List in no order: Stanford, UCSD, USC, Beth Israel, Cornell, Mayo, UPENN, Irvine, Rush, Cedar Sinai

You know there is a sticky for this?

Mods can this be moved to the WAMC thread?

 

[gutonc]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if you guys can give me some advice on ranking order for IM. Tbh I do care about location, but I’m willing to sacrifice location for the smoothest possible journey to Gastroenterology.

List in no order: Stanford, UCSD, USC, Beth Israel, Cornell, Mayo, UPENN, Irvine, Rush, Cedar Sinai

List them in an order that matters to you. Nobody but you can tell you what matters to you in a program.

 

[gutonc]

You know there is a sticky for this?

Mods can this be moved to the WAMC thread?

Done. Next time please just report.

 

[Angler]

Last year, there was a large, separate, "Help me rank" thread for IM. Isn't that a little bit different from WAMC?

"Help Me Rank" IM 2023

Deciding this portion of my rank list- MGH, BIDMC, Penn, Columbia. A bit worried about the amount of 24 hr call at MGH. Interested in PCCM, may want to do academics in the future but not 100% certain. For some reason doesn't seem like this is the top of your rank list and if thats the case...

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[Thaac41348]

Hello! I was hoping to get some honest advice on my application for a decent IM program (thinking of subspecializing down the road). I go to USMD affiliated with a good medical center. I just had a conversation with an advisor regarding my application and they told me that my ERAS will be basically empty by the time I apply because I have not being doing anything besides classes for the past 3 years. I've been so focused on just surviving medical school that I haven't had a ton of time to do things outside of academics.
So far I have 3 publications from before medical school including multiple poster/oral presentations. I have one leadership position that I started recently and should be able to get volunteering out of this also. I've been working on basic science project for the past year, it is close to being done and I anticipate at least 1 or 2 papers out of it. I should also be getting a case report soon. Otherwise, my leadership and volunteering experiences have been from before medical school.
I wanted to ask how alarmed should I be at this point and what sort of activities/experiences should I be working on to put together a decently competitive IM application by next September.
Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[gutonc]

Hello! I was hoping to get some honest advice on my application for a decent IM program (thinking of subspecializing down the road). I go to USMD affiliated with a good medical center. I just had a conversation with an advisor regarding my application and they told me that my ERAS will be basically empty by the time I apply because I have not being doing anything besides classes for the past 3 years. I've been so focused on just surviving medical school that I haven't had a ton of time to do things outside of academics.
So far I have 3 publications from before medical school including multiple poster/oral presentations. I have one leadership position that I started recently and should be able to get volunteering out of this also. I've been working on basic science project for the past year, it is close to being done and I anticipate at least 1 or 2 papers out of it. I should also be getting a case report soon. Otherwise, my leadership and volunteering experiences have been from before medical school.
I wanted to ask how alarmed should I be at this point and what sort of activities/experiences should I be working on to put together a decently competitive IM application by next September.
Any advice would be appreciated!

1. Moved to the WAMC megathread
2. Relax. Do some dumb stuff that checks some boxes and move on. Nobody really cares about that stuff anyway.

 

[PremedWanderer]

Hopefully this is the right thread for this, wanted to chance myself for a mid/lower tier academic program which can match cards.
Med School: Low tier MD
M1-M2 grades: probably 3rd or 2nd quartile
M3-4 grades: 3H 3HP, Honored IM shelf scores likely second/1st quartile (did best on IM and surgery shelves)
Class rank: 2nd or 3rd quartile (not sure yet)
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: no clue (shelf scores have been top 10%+ last few shelves and step 1 practice scores were 250s so hopefully around 250, will take in 2 months)
AOA: No
GHHS: No
Research: couple of case reports in cards, IM abstract, some QI projects/posters third author for some psych/PMR papers earlier in med school. Working on a super cool cards project as first author but will see if it gets published in time
Extracurriculars: kinda sucks here. I won a few hackathons and was working on a patent for a stroke recovery glove in undergrad. During med mainly just did tutoring and mentorship cuz I liked it and other than that focused on doing hobbies like cooking and gaming(I reached masters in a videogame if that's worth anything XD)
LORs: IM chair, Cardiologist who went to my top program (CCF is my dream), department letter, hopefully letters from whoever I do my AIs with
Geographic Signaling: East North central, Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic
Red flags: None


I wanted to know if I'd be a competitive applicant assuming I can pull of a 250 (I think I can go for higher and will try but at current stage would be a bit premature to say I'll get a high score) step 2 score for schools like Cinci and Rochester, or at the very least programs from which people can match cardiology. I intend to continue doing cards research 4th year and whatever else it may take to help my application.

 

[Señor S]

Hopefully this is the right thread for this, wanted to chance myself for a mid/lower tier academic program which can match cards.
Med School: Low tier MD
M1-M2 grades: probably 3rd or 2nd quartile
M3-4 grades: 3H 3HP, Honored IM shelf scores likely second/1st quartile (did best on IM and surgery shelves)
Class rank: 2nd or 3rd quartile (not sure yet)
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: no clue (shelf scores have been top 10%+ last few shelves and step 1 practice scores were 250s so hopefully around 250, will take in 2 months)
AOA: No
GHHS: No
Research: couple of case reports in cards, IM abstract, some QI projects/posters third author for some psych/PMR papers earlier in med school. Working on a super cool cards project as first author but will see if it gets published in time
Extracurriculars: kinda sucks here. I won a few hackathons and was working on a patent for a stroke recovery glove in undergrad. During med mainly just did tutoring and mentorship cuz I liked it and other than that focused on doing hobbies like cooking and gaming(I reached masters in a videogame if that's worth anything XD)
LORs: IM chair, Cardiologist who went to my top program (CCF is my dream), department letter, hopefully letters from whoever I do my AIs with
Geographic Signaling: East North central, Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic
Red flags: None


I wanted to know if I'd be a competitive applicant assuming I can pull of a 250 (I think I can go for higher and will try but at current stage would be a bit premature to say I'll get a high score) step 2 score for schools like Cinci and Rochester, or at the very least programs from which people can match cardiology. I intend to continue doing cards research 4th year and whatever else it may take to help my application.

I think the very top tier programs are probably out of reach (though probably worth applying to a few of them, especially if you do well on Step 2) but CCF and other similar places you'll get a look and stand a decent chance of an interview. Cincinatti and Rochester should be well within your wheelhouse.

 

[Anonymous2399]

Hello. I am a MS3 at a low tier medical school. I passed all my preclinical classes, and have gotten all Ps and one HP on my clinical rotations. The breakdown for my class is around 65% get Ps. I have one red flag. I had to take an academic leave of absence because I failed my gateway test for taking STEP1. My parent was in the hospital and I was their health care power of attorney during my time studying for my gateway exam. My school does not let us take a 3 month or 6 month leave of absence so I had to take a year. During my time off, I passed STEP 1 on my first try. I also got 1 publication, 5 poster presentations, and 3 oral presentations. Overall I have 1 publication, 8 poster presentations, and 3 oral presentations. I am applying both neurology and IM (back up) for next year. I can see myself doing PCCM, Rheumatology, and heme/onc.

I am applying to around 40 IM programs. I will have no fails on my transcript (the gateway exam is not put on our transcript). I have research, leadership, and volunteering as well. I am also a URM and am bilingual (spanish). I was wondering if my list is realistic for IM programs since I need to start applying for at least a few IM away rotations to get letters. Below are some of the programs I am aiming for. They are mostly community, community-university affiliated or low tier MD programs.

-ETSU TN
-Virginia Mason Medical Center WA
-UH MetroHealth OH
-UMMS-Baystate MA
-Mainline Health/Lankenuae PA
-Providence Health/St. Vincent Portland OR
-Hennepin Healthcare Program MI
-Abbott-Northwestern MI
-EVMS VA
- FSU Tallahassee FL
- TIGMER San Antonio

Should I be aiming higher, lower, or are these realistic programs for me. Thanks in advance.

 

[Calizboosted76]

Hello. I am a MS3 at a low tier medical school. I passed all my preclinical classes, and have gotten all Ps and one HP on my clinical rotations. The breakdown for my class is around 65% get Ps. I have one red flag. I had to take an academic leave of absence because I failed my gateway test for taking STEP1. My parent was in the hospital and I was their health care power of attorney during my time studying for my gateway exam. My school does not let us take a 3 month or 6 month leave of absence so I had to take a year. During my time off, I passed STEP 1 on my first try. I also got 1 publication, 5 poster presentations, and 3 oral presentations. Overall I have 1 publication, 8 poster presentations, and 3 oral presentations. I am applying both neurology and IM (back up) for next year. I can see myself doing PCCM, Rheumatology, and heme/onc.

I am applying to around 40 IM programs. I will have no fails on my transcript (the gateway exam is not put on our transcript). I have research, leadership, and volunteering as well. I am also a URM and am bilingual (spanish). I was wondering if my list is realistic for IM programs since I need to start applying for at least a few IM away rotations to get letters. Below are some of the programs I am aiming for. They are mostly community, community-university affiliated or low tier MD programs.

-ETSU TN
-Virginia Mason Medical Center WA
-UH MetroHealth OH
-UMMS-Baystate MA
-Mainline Health/Lankenuae PA
-Providence Health/St. Vincent Portland OR
-Hennepin Healthcare Program MI
-Abbott-Northwestern MI
-EVMS VA
- FSU Tallahassee FL
- TIGMER San Antonio

Should I be aiming higher, lower, or are these realistic programs for me. Thanks in advance.

Not sure if you should aim higher or lower. Just want to say that I rotated at FSU Tallahassee program and its pretty awesome. The preceptors are nice and the PD is a literal saint. One of the most caring individuals I have ever met. (They also matched PCCMx2, rheum (I think) and endo).

 

[Pacific_Ocean]

Med School: USMD mid-tier, midwest
M1-M2 grades: P/F, Pass
M3-4 grades: Honors 5/7 3rd year including IM. Advisor said my MSPE comments are very good but not sure what this means.
Step 1: P
Step 2: TBD (but expecting ~260 based on good shelf exam scores)
Class rank: 1st quartile
AOA: nominated, not sure if will be awarded
GHHS: No
Research: 3 middle author pubs, 15 total research items
Extracurriculars: Average to below average leadership/volunteer experiences/prior work experience
LORs: 2 from consult services, 1 sub I, 1 research letter. Believe all will be strong.
Goals: the fellowship I want to match into is very competitive

The advising at my school is not great so I was wondering which sorts of programs I would be competitive for.

Reach

UCSF

BWH

MGH

JHH

Duke

Penn

Columbia

WashU St. Louis

Michigan

Mayo

Cornell

Northwestern

UTSW

UCLA

Vanderbilt

UChicago

Stanford

Univ of Washington

BIDMC

Yale

Baylor

NYU

Sinai

UCSD

Emory

Target

Case Western Reserve

Brown

Wisconsin

BU

Ohio State

Rush

Cleveland Clinic
UVA
Colorado
UNC
UPMC


Safety

Georgetown

Maryland

Temple

Minnesota

VCU (Virginia Commonwealth)

Wake Forest

UIC

Cincinnati

UT Houston

Montefiore

Rochester

UC Davis

Rutgers RWJ

UC Irvine

Cedars-Sinai

Loyola

Tufts

Dartmouth

SKMC Jefferson

Hennepin County
Pennsylvania Hospital
JHU Bayview

 

[OncOncOnc]

Med School: USMD mid-tier, midwest
M1-M2 grades: P/F, Pass
M3-4 grades: Honors 5/7 3rd year including IM. Advisor said my MSPE comments are very good but not sure what this means.
Step 1: P
Step 2: TBD (but expecting ~260 based on good shelf exam scores)
Class rank: 1st quartile
AOA: nominated, not sure if will be awarded
GHHS: No
Research: 3 middle author pubs, 15 total research items
Extracurriculars: Average to below average leadership/volunteer experiences/prior work experience
LORs: 2 from consult services, 1 sub I, 1 research letter. Believe all will be strong.
Goals: the fellowship I want to match into is very competitive

The advising at my school is not great so I was wondering which sorts of programs I would be competitive for.

Reach

UCSF

BWH

MGH

JHH

Duke

Penn

Columbia

WashU St. Louis

Michigan

Mayo

Cornell

Northwestern

UTSW

UCLA

Vanderbilt

UChicago

Stanford

Univ of Washington

BIDMC

Yale

Baylor

NYU

Sinai

UCSD

Emory

Target

Case Western Reserve

Brown

Wisconsin

BU

Ohio State

Rush

Cleveland Clinic
UVA
Colorado
UNC
UPMC


Safety

Georgetown

Maryland

Temple

Minnesota

VCU (Virginia Commonwealth)

Wake Forest

UIC

Cincinnati

UT Houston

Montefiore

Rochester

UC Davis

Rutgers RWJ

UC Irvine

Cedars-Sinai

Loyola

Tufts

Dartmouth

SKMC Jefferson

Hennepin County
Pennsylvania Hospital
JHU Bayview

I’d put most of your reach and safety programs in the same broad category of upper-mid to mid-tier academic programs, and I agree that you should be a strong candidate for these types of places. You might also get some interviews from the bottom 2/3 of your reach list, especially those in the Midwest. Fanciest programs are extremely unlikely unless you end up with AOA and stellar step 2, then still a long shot. I don’t think you need to apply to community places unless you’re particularly excited about the program or location.

 

[Pacific_Ocean]

Thank you @OncOncOnc! I have some research projects in the works that I am trying to push to be published before the ERAS deadline. Do you think that having 2-3 more publications would help with where I would receive interviews?

 

[albert7888]

Hi! If anyone is able to help me curate my program list, I would greatly appreciate it. I have a pretty good grasp of West Coast IM programs, but am unsure of what strong programs for heme onc on the East Coast/Mid-West/Texas programs I may be competitive for. Have some ties to New England area so hopefully I'm not just written off from programs outside of the West.

Med School: USMD Mid-tier T30 west coast
M1-M2 grades: Pass
M3-4 grades: Honors 4/7 3rd year. HP 3/7. No honors in IM unfortunately
Step 1: P
Step 2: 270
Class rank: 1st or 2nd quartile unsure
AOA: nominated, am told will likely receive
GHHS: nominated, am told will likely receive
Research: 4 middle author papers, couple of first author abstract/poster presentations, 11 total research items
Extracurriculars: Above average good leadership/volunteer experience in health policy, med ed, and advocacy
LORs: 1 from consult service, 1 from IM clerkship, 1 research. All likely average letters
Goals: Interested in heme onc!

 

[OncOncOnc]

Thank you @OncOncOnc! I have some research projects in the works that I am trying to push to be published before the ERAS deadline. Do you think that having 2-3 more publications would help with where I would receive interviews?

More research never hurts, especially if you’re first author and/or have a strong story to tell about your research trajectory via your personal statement and recs. A very strong step 2 score would also help to differentiate you from the pack.

 

[GG4143252]

Med School: Mid low tier MD
M1-M2 grades: P
M3 grades: 1 honors , rest HP (IM included), 1 pass
M4 grades: in progress
Class rank: 2nd quartile
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: low 260s
AOA: No
GHHS: No
Research: 2 1st author publications (1 a case report) with 6-7 additional pubs, 2-3 posters,1 abstract
Extracurriculars: various med school leaderships and volunteering positions
Geographic Signaling: don't really care
Red flags: Not yet?

Hi everyone, I know my app is not quite complete (def not as competitive as many on here) and there is still quite some time before the next ERAS cycle begins. My eventual goal is to go for a competitive fellowship, so really hoping for an academic IM spot. Is it delusional/extremely risky to only apply academic programs when I am making the list? Thanks for the input.

 

[OncOncOnc]

Med School: Mid low tier MD
M1-M2 grades: P
M3 grades: 1 honors , rest HP (IM included), 1 pass
M4 grades: in progress
Class rank: 2nd quartile
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: low 260s
AOA: No
GHHS: No
Research: 2 1st author publications (1 a case report) with 6-7 additional pubs, 2-3 posters,1 abstract
Extracurriculars: various med school leaderships and volunteering positions
Geographic Signaling: don't really care
Red flags: Not yet?

Hi everyone, I know my app is not quite complete (def not as competitive as many on here) and there is still quite some time before the next ERAS cycle begins. My eventual goal is to go for a competitive fellowship, so really hoping for an academic IM spot. Is it delusional/extremely risky to only apply academic programs when I am making the list? Thanks for the input.

No, as long as you include some less competitive (lower tier and/or geographically less desirable) academic programs. A middle of the pack U.S. MD with a strong step 2 score, some research, and no red flags should do just fine.

 

[OncOncOnc]

Hi! If anyone is able to help me curate my program list, I would greatly appreciate it. I have a pretty good grasp of West Coast IM programs, but am unsure of what strong programs for heme onc on the East Coast/Mid-West/Texas programs I may be competitive for. Have some ties to New England area so hopefully I'm not just written off from programs outside of the West.

Med School: USMD Mid-tier T30 west coast
M1-M2 grades: Pass
M3-4 grades: Honors 4/7 3rd year. HP 3/7. No honors in IM unfortunately
Step 1: P
Step 2: 270
Class rank: 1st or 2nd quartile unsure
AOA: nominated, am told will likely receive
GHHS: nominated, am told will likely receive
Research: 4 middle author papers, couple of first author abstract/poster presentations, 11 total research items
Extracurriculars: Above average good leadership/volunteer experience in health policy, med ed, and advocacy
LORs: 1 from consult service, 1 from IM clerkship, 1 research. All likely average letters
Goals: Interested in heme onc!

You’re competitive for the same kinds of programs as Pacific_Ocean, many of which are very good for heme onc. A non-exhaustive list of mid-Atlantic and Midwestern programs to consider: Jefferson, Penn (reach), Maryland, Bayview, Georgetown, UVA, Pitt, Case Western, Cleveland Clinic, Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan, any of the Chicago academic programs (U Chicago and Northwestern are reaches), Wisconsin, Minnesota, Mayo if you can tolerate the location.

 

[PremedWanderer]

Hopefully this is the right thread for this, wanted to chance myself for a mid/lower tier academic program which can match cards.
Med School: Low tier MD
M1-M2 grades: probably 3rd or 2nd quartile
M3-4 grades: 3H 3HP, Honored IM shelf scores likely second/1st quartile (did best on IM and surgery shelves)
Class rank: 2nd or 3rd quartile (not sure yet)
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: no clue (shelf scores have been top 10%+ last few shelves and step 1 practice scores were 250s so hopefully around 250, will take in 2 months)
AOA: No
GHHS: No
Research: couple of case reports in cards, IM abstract, some QI projects/posters third author for some psych/PMR papers earlier in med school. Working on a super cool cards project as first author but will see if it gets published in time
Extracurriculars: kinda sucks here. I won a few hackathons and was working on a patent for a stroke recovery glove in undergrad. During med mainly just did tutoring and mentorship cuz I liked it and other than that focused on doing hobbies like cooking and gaming(I reached masters in a videogame if that's worth anything XD)
LORs: IM chair, Cardiologist who went to my top program (CCF is my dream), department letter, hopefully letters from whoever I do my AIs with
Geographic Signaling: East North central, Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic
Red flags: None


I wanted to know if I'd be a competitive applicant assuming I can pull of a 250 (I think I can go for higher and will try but at current stage would be a bit premature to say I'll get a high score) step 2 score for schools like Cinci and Rochester, or at the very least programs from which people can match cardiology. I intend to continue doing cards research 4th year and whatever else it may take to help my application.

Follow up; my quartile overall will likely be 3rd (shelf scores don't count towards quartile and my preclinical grades were 3rd quartile while 3H seems average/slightly above average for my school). I do have the option of my mspe not including class rank; should I take this option? Additionally to be clear I missed my honors in surgery and OB by evaluations, as we need to honor all of our domains to honor a clerkship (still has strong comments) was wondering if that's going to hurt a lot. Step studying is going well hoping 255+ based on practice. Wondering if this affects my target list (CCF, CWRU, OSU, Cinci, Rochester, fine with Buffalo/MCW so far)