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Preparing myself for a competitive IM residency
- Thread starter IR3A4
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I think you forgot a step.
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Coming from a lower tier school makes it a more uphill battle.
If you can apply to other programs after the master's program without losing your guaranteed seat (though I'm guessing it's too late and you're starting med school in a couple months) I would strongly recommend that with the goal of ending up at a higher ranked program.
Beside that my second suggestion is open your eyes and realize that there's life outside of nyc. I was basically in the same exact boat as you. Native NYCer, first time leaving was to go to med school (though not as far as you've gone) and my absolute #1 goal from day 1 was to do residency in nyc. It's been 4 years since I graduated and I don't think I'll ever live in nyc again. My 3 years of IM residency in Boston (non-Harvard program) were some of the best years of my life and made me realize what a huge scam nyc has become.
Basically to even land an interview at one of the top nyc IM programs from a lower tier school you have to have 250+ step 1, be AOA, honor IM and most other classes. Note this isn't the case for those coming from higher ranked schools. I had a 248 step 1 but none of the rest (second quartile rank) and only got an interview at nyu. By the grace of the match's infinite wisdom I didn't match there despite ranking it first and it has been a huge blessing.
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No. If you have the stats as I described above don't bother because it'll be high risk low reward. If you don't then an away won't sway things. IM is too big of a field that they have to rely heavily on stats. I did an away at one of those programs and didn't even get an interview. They don't care. Granted it was a subspecialty rotation. It was a fun month in nyc though.
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definitely reach out to high achievers from your school
none of your undergrad stuff matters anymore, thankfully. i'm an MS2 who like you had a so-so GPA (though nowhere near that low), good MCAT, and am at a low-ranked USMD school looking to match IM in NYC. i'm now at the top of my class so things are looking good -- it's doable. you'll probably want to have some research under your belt at some point but for now i would focus on just crushing your classes and doing well on step 1. your advisor at school can help you plan this out better. this is definitely doable from your position if you have the work ethic to be a top student.
you'll obviously want some research, leadership, etc etc, all the usual resume-padding BS we all do, but opportunities will arise. worry about that after you get settled in with classes. you can match IM in NYC even from EVMS with great grades/AOA/step 1 score and mediocre extracurriculars, but it's probably harder the other way around
i don't have much advice for taking a year off to re-apply other than generally i would advise against it. take what you've got and make the most of it.
none of your undergrad stuff matters anymore, thankfully. i'm an MS2 who like you had a so-so GPA (though nowhere near that low), good MCAT, and am at a low-ranked USMD school looking to match IM in NYC. i'm now at the top of my class so things are looking good -- it's doable. you'll probably want to have some research under your belt at some point but for now i would focus on just crushing your classes and doing well on step 1. your advisor at school can help you plan this out better. this is definitely doable from your position if you have the work ethic to be a top student.
you'll obviously want some research, leadership, etc etc, all the usual resume-padding BS we all do, but opportunities will arise. worry about that after you get settled in with classes. you can match IM in NYC even from EVMS with great grades/AOA/step 1 score and mediocre extracurriculars, but it's probably harder the other way around
i don't have much advice for taking a year off to re-apply other than generally i would advise against it. take what you've got and make the most of it.
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The question becomes why do you want to secure a top IM spot? Would you be happy settling for a mid-tier that will help you secure a fellowship if you're a great resident with good research, connections, and letters instead? I understand that if you want to be some form of consultant or want to be influential in academia, higher the the tier the better, but I don't think (omit) is that young and delaying medical school for one year wouldn't be worth it in my eyes.
Also, I don't know the exact details behind all this but I thought delaying a legitimate acceptance was a red-flag.
Also, I don't know the exact details behind all this but I thought delaying a legitimate acceptance was a red-flag.
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I am a perma-new Yorker and wanted to stay in NY for residency and then fellowship and went to med school at NYMC. The problem with IM residencies in NYC is that besides the 4 in Manhattan the only other solid program is Monte. NSLIJ is OK and would fulfill your interest of staying in NY but it's a decent drop off in competitiveness between 4 NYC programs, then monte and then NSLIJ. I had really solid steps 2nd quartile but no AOA and no research or interesting ec's and I didn't even get an IV at any of the city programs. I ended up monte had an amazing experience and got to live in Manhattan the whole time (and will now be doing hem/onc fellowship in Manhattan) You should work really hard aim high and who knows what will happen. Do some research aim for >250 on step 1 have some ec's you can talk about and you should get at least a look from some of the programs in NYC. It's also helpful to look at what NYC programs your school has sent people to as a guide. I definitely wouldn't try reapplying for med schools just focus on doing the best you can where you are.
I'm assuming you applied to more than EVMS this past cycle. If so, what makes you think you would be more successful the second time around? Unfortunately your GPA is a killer, you are extremely fortunate to have an MD acceptance with your current stats. It sucks but that's just the way the game is currently played. If the F's are removed from your transcript and they literally disappear, and if your GPA changes to greater than 3.5 (preferably greater than a 3.6 or 3.7) then you might have better luck. Either way you are trading a guaranteed spot to become a doctor for the (unlikely) chance to get accepted to a "better" med school. Not to say it's impossible, but unfortunately it's more likely that you would end up with 0 acceptances vs getting accepted to a higher ranked school if you applied a second time.
Without knowing all the specific details, I would recommend you stick with what you have unless you know you would be absolutely miserable at that school. While the reputation of a med school matters to a certain degree, it's not the be all end all. You still have a shot at matching to a great program if you perform well. Not to mention it is very likely that you will change your specialty by the time you apply for residency. You will also learn during interviews that the prestige of a program isn't the most important thing. You might end up loving a place that is less prestigious but still a great program.
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Definitely stick with EVMS in this case. Stony brook won't give you any more of a boost (trust me I would know...since that's where I went).
As stated by my colleague monte is a feasible option and I probably would've matched there as well had I ranked it higher. Keep in mind though the reputation of nyc programs: transporting patients, drawing blood, tight schedules, etc.
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If you're willing to delay another year, doing a research year would be much more higher yield than reapplying to MD schools for sure. Also, do you have enough exposure to medicine to know as a pre-med that you definitely want to do IM (let alone IM in one of the NYC residencies)? I would advise you to keep your options open and explore as much as possible.
Regarding your question, IM is very much a numbers game. The top 20 programs have become extremely competitive and I definitely have the sense that med school pedigree matters a lot for the top tier. It's definitely still attainable from a lower tier though you would have to work harder than someone coming from a top 20. Strive for high board scores on 1/CK (250+) and AOA is pretty much a must (unless you have a really unique background or research experiences) when coming from a lower tier school to secure these interviews. Letters of rec and 3rd year comments/evals are also very important. Published research and a showing commitment by taking a gap year for research can be icing on the cake if everything else looks good. I just applied and matched to a top IM program this last cycle granted I came from a top 25 school. Only NYC program I applied to was Columbia (didn't apply to Cornell/Sinai/NYU/etc) and received an interview and later got a rank to match call there. Honestly, everything feels like a crapshoot and this was very much the sentiment talking to other applicants from my school and on the trail. Things have gotten very competitive (and will probably continue to do so next few years) so the attributes PDs look for are very much in a black box leading to the perceived "randomness" of the process. Just go look at the match results on the IM forum for the past few years to see for yourself. I would definitely reach out to your deans office and see if they can give you interview/match data on the past few years. One of the best predictors of where you can get interviews and perhaps ultimately match is how your school has historically done. There's a lot of regional and school bias when it comes to IM - certain programs are more likely to interview applicants from schools they are familiar with, have had residents where they have worked with, or may be in a region where the schools share geographic proximity.
For now just chill, and keep an open mind and figure out that you really want to do IM and where you want to live then. Lots of things can change over the next 3 years. Even when you think you know, when you get to interviews, lots of things can change and you may find programs that really surprise you for better or for worse. Regardless of what you want to do, try to get high board scores, AOA, and research. If you have more questions, PM me.
Regarding your question, IM is very much a numbers game. The top 20 programs have become extremely competitive and I definitely have the sense that med school pedigree matters a lot for the top tier. It's definitely still attainable from a lower tier though you would have to work harder than someone coming from a top 20. Strive for high board scores on 1/CK (250+) and AOA is pretty much a must (unless you have a really unique background or research experiences) when coming from a lower tier school to secure these interviews. Letters of rec and 3rd year comments/evals are also very important. Published research and a showing commitment by taking a gap year for research can be icing on the cake if everything else looks good. I just applied and matched to a top IM program this last cycle granted I came from a top 25 school. Only NYC program I applied to was Columbia (didn't apply to Cornell/Sinai/NYU/etc) and received an interview and later got a rank to match call there. Honestly, everything feels like a crapshoot and this was very much the sentiment talking to other applicants from my school and on the trail. Things have gotten very competitive (and will probably continue to do so next few years) so the attributes PDs look for are very much in a black box leading to the perceived "randomness" of the process. Just go look at the match results on the IM forum for the past few years to see for yourself. I would definitely reach out to your deans office and see if they can give you interview/match data on the past few years. One of the best predictors of where you can get interviews and perhaps ultimately match is how your school has historically done. There's a lot of regional and school bias when it comes to IM - certain programs are more likely to interview applicants from schools they are familiar with, have had residents where they have worked with, or may be in a region where the schools share geographic proximity.
For now just chill, and keep an open mind and figure out that you really want to do IM and where you want to live then. Lots of things can change over the next 3 years. Even when you think you know, when you get to interviews, lots of things can change and you may find programs that really surprise you for better or for worse. Regardless of what you want to do, try to get high board scores, AOA, and research. If you have more questions, PM me.
C
cellsaver
Sweetheart, you might consider deleting everything and anything you wrote that might identify you. You provided so much personal information that it would be easy for your classmates, faculty, admins, and students ahead of you to ID you.
You need to make friends not enemies. Some people may resent you for identifying the school and engaing in commentary about it supposedly being third tier (which means nothing), that you are exempt from taking courses due to your graduate program, that you will receive honors equivalent, etc
You are in a lovely school. The city/region is beautiful, rich history and is close to many key areas of the nation.
Do yourself a favor: delete the identifiable info because your first year at school might be more stressful and isolating than usual, all at your own hand.
To answer your questions- master the content of every course to the point that you can teach it to others blindfolded, win over friends, impress faculty as being sharp, engaged, motivated yet humble, help others in your class who are struggling (which is most students on any given metric), volunteer to tutor, lend a hand, but rock the boards. Let your actions speak volumes while saying little.
Do these and you will be a star
Here is a good role model
I wish you the best.
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Thank you for looking out for me!
I tend to forget the cut-throat nature of medicine.
