Pass/fail schools and specializing

[campbellsoup]

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Hi I am likely going to RVC this fall and I understand they are pass/fail and do not do rankings. I am also very interested in specializing (ophtho). How does it work with getting internships after going to a pass/fail school? Is this more difficult?

 

[sassyvet12]

Following this, also curious!

 

[JaynaAli]

If your school doesn’t provide that data, then it obviously can’t be used and they’ll go off the remainder of your application materials. Impact will vary from program to program…most will adapt, but some places might be stuck in their ways and because they’ve always made initial cuts based on those stats, it’s possible your app might get overlooked. You’d hope not but I am sure it happens. People are often hesitant to change, but change has to happen since that info just isn’t available. It’s not like in human med where they have largely gone away from grades and rely heavily on step scores (and I certainly hope NAVLE scores never enter into the conversation, but people do love numeric ways to judge people…)

 

[apoptosis09]

P/F schools will still give a class ranking that can be used in place of GPA, and is becoming more common.
Although I've heard from more newer residents that residency programs are beginning to weigh other parts of the application (LoRs, etc.) more strongly as the P/F shift in U.S. schools becomes more prevalent.

 

[FelineFine30]

NCSU is also P/F. If schools didn't look at applicants from P/F schools they would overlook a lot of applicants from top ranked programs! At NCSU, apparently to get your ranking you must ask the Dean to write a letter for residency applications. The students don't see it as a big deal