Pathology Residency Application - do grades matter?

[neulite30]

I'm an IMG in Australia applying for path residency next year. I was wondering what was typically emphasized in applications to most programs.

I've never failed or had to re-sit anything but I have average grades, nothing spectacular. Would good Step 1 (244/99) and Step 2 (in December) scores plus American pathologists LORs be a decent start?

It's a bit frustrating when and if grades are considered since they use completely different scoring systems here and what they test is very much different from US allopathic schools. There are no shelf exams.

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[Unty]

I'm an IMG in Australia applying for path residency next year. I was wondering what was typically emphasized in applications to most programs.

I've never failed or had to re-sit anything but I have average grades, nothing spectacular. Would good Step 1 (244/99) and Step 2 (in December) scores plus American pathologists LORs be a decent start?

It's a bit frustrating when and if grades are considered since they use completely different scoring systems here and what they test is very much different from US allopathic schools. There are no shelf exams.

Im sure they will look at it. I think your Step scores are more important. Apply to as many programs as you can afford and see what happens. If you have any Path experience that would be good.

 

[pathmaster]

It's a bit frustrating when and if grades are considered since they use completely different scoring systems here and what they test is very much different from US allopathic schools. There are no shelf exams.

If you are frustrated...then do not apply to US programs. It is as simple as that.

 

[Unty]

If you are frustrated...then do not apply to US programs. It is as simple as that.

Wow what a rude comment!

 

[2121115]

The honest answer is that your Step 1 trumps everything. They will tell you a bunch of bull about looking at the whole application and what not, but that is basically like guys saying they like girls with good personalities too. If you have high grades and a bad step 1 people doubt you and your school's rigor. If you have bad grades and a stellar step 1 people assume you are really smart and they just don't understand how your school grades or they assume you had some hardship that inhibited your school work. It probably shouldn't be like that but it is. It will probably be even more like that now that the recent article in Archives came out saying that Step 1 predicts first time board passage rate. Now there is data backing up these assumptions.

 

[mlw03]

Yeah, I tend to agree that of all the numbers, step 1 matters most. Interview matters more, as in if you're a huge douche with a 265 it doesn't matter, but step 1 is by far by single biggest numeric factor.

 

[TMZ2007]

It probably doesn't matter, as long as your Step 1 score is high. It might raise a few eyebrows if you had multiple failures on your transcript, but simply average grades should not be a hindrance.

 

[KCShaw]

I don't recall ever looking at or talking about someone's actual med school grades when looking at residency applicants. Might've happened, I just don't remember it. Pretty much anything other than F's may not even be noticed, and if they are it's not likely to matter so long as Step I is average or above. I guess someone MIGHT ask about why you failed half of your classes and had to repeat a year yet ended up with a 261 Step I, but unless they think you cheated it still probably wouldn't matter at a lot of places. Everyone in med school seems to talk and worry about "grades," but it's almost utterly irrelevant -- except that it generally correlates with how well one does on Step I, and of course you need to do well enough to get the degree.

 

[MirkoCrocop]

Well for wha it's worth several fellowships ask for med school transcripts

 

[KCShaw]

Well for wha it's worth several fellowships ask for med school transcripts

I wonder if these are the same places that use the resident application as a fellowship application (a standard GME app)? I remember coming across several such back when I was looking, asking for things which I didn't think had much relevance to a potential fellow by that point. I can see obtaining a copy to prove a person has a degree, I suppose.