Hi,
I need SOAP advise.
What is best way to secure any position in SOAP ? If I don't match on March 17, which program should I apply for SOAP ? one that i went for interview already and have unfilled position ? or try program that i never went for interview ? or program I applied for and never got interview ?
First, based upon other posts/threads here, you have 19+ interviews, so your chances of not matching are low. But I understand you didn't match last year, so you will worry no matter what I say.
I would not apply to a program that you interviewed at and didn't match at that's in SOAP. That means that they didn't rank you, or you didn't rank them, or both. In any case, your chances are very poor.
If you applied and didn't get an interview, then there is some chance that they will reconsider your application. But I think this is also low likelihood, and would avoid it UNLESS you have a specific connection to that program. In SOAP, programs get to offer positions to applicants, who then get to pick where they go. Unlike in the match where the likelihood of someone ranking me highly doesn't really matter when I rank them (since if I don't get them, I get the next person on my list without any "penalty"), that's not what happens in SOAP. So when I make my one offer for my one open spot, I really want that person to take it. So I'd be looking for someone who is really interested in coming. If you can show that's you, then you should reapply (and stress that).
Overall, I think your apps are better directed at programs where you have never applied. In any case, you need to be targeted in your applications -- if you're a US grad who tried for Derm and failed but otherwise have a strong application, you should apply for competitive spots. If you're an IMG with red flags in your application, then you should be applying to less competitive programs in less desireable places. If you're the latter, you may find that your initial application list and the SOAP list overlap quite a bit.
Last, you'll need to decide whether you're going to try to SOAP into the same field, or something else. If you SOAP into something else, you should do so because you plan to complete training in that field. SOAPing into a field because it's "easier" and then planning on bailing to something else in the next match is 1) not the most professional thing to do, and 2) isn't as easy/successful as people think it will be. You can always complete one program, and then apply for training in a different program.
