Residency (AP) Doubts

[WildandWonderful]

I'm currently finishing up my 3rd year and will be applying to anatomic pathology residencies (US and EU) this coming summer. I currently go to a European school where GPA and class rank are not really relevant. We actually cannot receive a class rank. For context, anything above a 3.2 GPA is considered excellent and "top percentile" as exams are graded quite subjectively here, being mostly long, written answer.

I was wondering how important these metrics are when applying to US residencies as reading some posts here have me worried that not having a class rank and relatively quite low GPA, compared to US peers, will significantly harm my chances of acceptance. I am a US citizen so the VISA thing will not apply.

I do have extra curricular experience (first author publication, conference presentation, teaching experience, etc) and good LORs, hoping that it will give me a chance.

Thank you!!

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[pp9]

GPA and class rank are pretty important for getting into most US residencies. There is at least one US/North American school that does not do class rank, not sure exactly how they are evaluated objectively by programs in the match though (or is it they don't do GPA? It's one of the two, and I also cannot remember which school that is).

Tagging @WhtsThFrequency and @awesomenessity for path-specific guidance. I am not as familiar with path, but for almost any other specialty, anything less than a 3.0 would be a significant hurdle on the path to specialization. Certainly not impossible, but it would be difficult.

 

[JaynaAli]

I’m clin path not anatomic so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but in my opinion, who you know/who is writing your LORs, your experiences in the field, and general networking are probably more important than GPA and class rank. It’s definitely considered by most places, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Some places care more about GPA and rank than others. I had a below average GPA but outstanding LORs and extensive experience. Some places passed on me, some were very interested. As more schools go to pass/fail and don’t provide GPAs and/or class rank, programs will have to adapt. But still strive to do as well as you can in your classes.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I’m clin path not anatomic so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but in my opinion, who you know/who is writing your LORs, your experiences in the field, and general networking are probably more important than GPA and class rank. It’s definitely considered by most places, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Some places care more about GPA and rank than others. I had a below average GPA but outstanding LORs and extensive experience. Some places passed on me, some were very interested. As more schools go to pass/fail and don’t provide GPAs and/or class rank, programs will have to adapt. But still strive to do as well as you can in your classes.

AP here and I echo this. While GPA and rank are important, things like showing dedication (or at least exposure to) the field through electives, summer/break experiences, extracurriculars etc are even more so. Publishing and research experience is also definitely a plus. It sounds to me like you have a decent shot. Path is a small (and surprisingly competitive) specialty and showing experience and connections is important.

If your grading system is different than the US one, this will likely be taken into account - but just to be sure, on your CV, I would make it clear what the numbers mean - if 3.2 is considered top tier then say so and explain their grading tiers if you can.

Feel free to PM me if you would like.

 

[supershorty]

GPA and class rank are pretty important for getting into most US residencies. There is at least one US/North American school that does not do class rank, not sure exactly how they are evaluated objectively by programs in the match though (or is it they don't do GPA? It's one of the two, and I also cannot remember which school that is).

Tagging @WhtsThFrequency and @awesomenessity for path-specific guidance. I am not as familiar with path, but for almost any other specialty, anything less than a 3.0 would be a significant hurdle on the path to specialization. Certainly not impossible, but it would be difficult.

There are actually quite a few US schools that no longer do class rank. I went to one of them

 

[awesomenessity]

Yeah path is definitely less focused on GPA than some of the other residencies. The other thing I will mention is that pathology is "outside the match" unlike other residencies, at least last I checked. So it is a bit of a different system than other residency programs in that you have to apply to schools specifically rather than applying to essentially "be a resident" and hoping you end up somewhere you like.

 

[WildandWonderful]

Thank you guys for your replies! I appreciate the insight as the application processes can be a bit stressful gathering everything. I'm definitely doing all that I can with my grades, but it's nice to hear that some US schools have moved away from the GPA/Rank model.

I'm very excited to see what the future will look like and would rather go down trying than not try at all.