Truth about MATCH RESULTS 2007

[CurryPower]

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When I compare this with med school statistics (different match list)- https://services.aamc.org/Publicatio...=238&pdf_id=95
and looking at the most competitive specialties such as Dermatology, orthopedics, and Plastic Surgery- the rate is about 61-62%, but then again, they provide the statistics for those who rank getting ranked - they all essentially have great board scores, lot of research experiences, high class rank, publications, etc...well, that essentially implies that people who apply will ONLY have high statistics to match or else it would be a waste of time to apply. This statement can be attributed to the fact that the results show people who DID NOT MATCH still having great board scores, ranking, etc..

So my questions, with regard to the match lists are,

1.) Whats the average USMLE score? What percentile is a 235 or above, as suggested that most candidates who get a top residency generally score in this range?
2.) Whats the average USMLE score at your school? Do higher ranked med schools (top 20 USNEWS) have higher USMLE averages?
3.) Basically, are there students, despite getting a USMLE score of 235 or above, getting AOA, having several 2-3 publications, getting solid letters of recc, STILL not getting a residency in derm or plastics? So, I realize its not like undergrad where a certain GPA and MCAT carry 90% of the weight in factoring an admissions decision. But for the match program, despite having top credentials
4.) As med school students, how do you get the time to publish, do research, do well in school and simultaneously. get time to study for the USMLE, which by the way, if you get a passing score that may not be enough for a top residency, you can't RETAKE like the MCAT. I mean for many, just to get a 37 or above on the MCAT, it requires, at least for people like me, a full summer to dedicate to get that kind of score.

Thank you.

 

[DwyaneWade]

When I compare this with med school statistics (different match list)- https://services.aamc.org/Publicatio...=238&pdf_id=95
and looking at the most competitive specialties such as Dermatology, orthopedics, and Plastic Surgery- the rate is about 61-62%, but then again, they provide the statistics for those who rank getting ranked - they all essentially have great board scores, lot of research experiences, high class rank, publications, etc...well, that essentially implies that people who apply will ONLY have high statistics to match or else it would be a waste of time to apply. This statement can be attributed to the fact that the results show people who DID NOT MATCH still having great board scores, ranking, etc..

So my questions, with regard to the match lists are,

1.) Whats the average USMLE score? What percentile is a 235 or above, as suggested that most candidates who get a top residency generally score in this range?
2.) Whats the average USMLE score at your school? Do higher ranked med schools (top 20 USNEWS) have higher USMLE averages?
3.) Basically, are there students, despite getting a USMLE score of 235 or above, getting AOA, having several 2-3 publications, getting solid letters of recc, STILL not getting a residency in derm or plastics? So, I realize its not like undergrad where a certain GPA and MCAT carry 90% of the weight in factoring an admissions decision. But for the match program, despite having top credentials
4.) As med school students, how do you get the time to publish, do research, do well in school and simultaneously. get time to study for the USMLE, which by the way, if you get a passing score that may not be enough for a top residency, you can't RETAKE like the MCAT. I mean for many, just to get a 37 or above on the MCAT, it requires, at least for people like me, a full summer to dedicate to get that kind of score.

Thank you.

Sorry I am getting kind of sick of these threads...The answer is you won't match in derm. Next?

Seriously focus on your MCAT, getting into medical school first. With an attitude like this you are setting yourself up for failure.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

1.) Whats the average USMLE score? What percentile is a 235 or above, as suggested that most candidates who get a top residency generally score in this range?

235 is about 75th percentile

2.) Whats the average USMLE score at your school? Do higher ranked med
schools (top 20 USNEWS) have higher USMLE averages?

This is not widely available or reliable information. I would imagine that top schools do get higher scores, since they have people who are better at these things.

3.) Basically, are there students, despite getting a USMLE score of 235 or above, getting AOA, having several 2-3 publications, getting solid letters of recc, STILL not getting a residency in derm or plastics? So, I realize its not like undergrad where a certain GPA and MCAT carry 90% of the weight in factoring an admissions decision. But for the match program, despite having top credentials

In general if you have achieved those things and are a pretty normal person you can be confident in matching into most competitive specialties, but as you know there are exceptions to every rule.

4.) As med school students, how do you get the time to publish, do research, do well in school and simultaneously. get time to study for the USMLE, which by the way, if you get a passing score that may not be enough for a top residency, you can't RETAKE like the MCAT. I mean for many, just to get a 37 or above on the MCAT, it requires, at least for people like me, a full summer to dedicate to get that kind of score.

Most are not able to simultaneously balance research, class studying, and board review. However it is not impossible and with dedicated effort it can be done during the first two years of medical school. Third year you will focus entirely on rotations. Check out the threads in the Step I forum if you are interested in how students usually approach board review.

 

[hb2998]

I miss the time I used to think that med school was going to be easy because I would put in 100% of my time, make AOA, and honor every class. CurryPower, medschool is hard, really really hard. It doesn't matter what school you go to, its the same material. You just have to master it. The anatomy of the heart is not going to be any harder or easier depending on the school you go to. Residency directors know this. "Low end schools" don't get much "lower end students." Its med school, the margins are very narrow. I know people with multiple interviews/waitlists/acceptance at top 10 schools, and ended up going to schools shunned by USNews&WR. Does it make these students less smart or dedicated? no! Residency directors know this, thats why we have the board, etc.

Being accepted to medschool is convincing a bunch of people to accept you so that you could pay them loads of cash and for them to have little contact with you. For residency, the people who interview you are going to be working with you for years. So as you could imagine, there is a lot of personal bias involved. Could every derm place hate your personality... sure. If you have a 250+ they're more likely to learn to stand you.

I think that picking a medschool based on where you want to end up is the worse idea ever. You should go to a school you feel comfortable at. You can do anything from anywhere. The only pattern I've seen, is that if you go to Yale med, you're more likely to go to Hopkins for residency, but you'll get any residency you want.

Going back to what I was saying. Med school is hard. Its very humbling. Its very easy to say, oh I'll go in and get AOA. Just assuming that you'll get AOA is inappropriate because you're assuming you'll do better than most others. We all dream of stuff we wish to accomplish, but there is a point when you feel you've hit your max. If you're one of those people that is super smart, you have nothing to worry about.

Getting into medschool is a blessing, don't ruin the wonderful experience by stressing too much. If you have reasonable expectations, do even okay in meschool and pass the boards you will match. There are plenty of family practice physicians that are very happy with their work and life.

 

[Blade28]

hb2998, outstanding post.

As they commonly say during med school orientation to all the new med students, "50% of you will graduate in the bottom half of your class."

Most med students have never been anywhere but at the top of their classes in high school/undergrad.

 

[OncHeme2B]

What do they call the person who graduates with the worst grades of their class from the lowest-ranked med school on the planet?

A DOCTOR!!!

😆

 

[blurry]

OSTEOPATHIC DOCTORS. However, I personally like to call them SLACKERS.

Dude, that's not very cool at all.

 

[Colbert]

[EDIT]

Are you serious right now?

 

[Vizsla]

its called a joke..kinda like how DO students say they have better looking classmates than MD schools

 

[Law2Doc]

So my questions, with regard to the match lists are,

1.) Whats the average USMLE score? What percentile is a 235 or above, as suggested that most candidates who get a top residency generally score in this range?
2.) Whats the average USMLE score at your school? Do higher ranked med schools (top 20 USNEWS) have higher USMLE averages?

Average USMLE score is 218. Because USMLE scores are not published, the averages at various schools are unknown, and info distributed by those schools tends to be questionable and subject to inflation (people who fail and retake often aren't factored in, etc). There isn't good evidence that the higher ranked schools have higher USMLE averages, and it certainly doesn't line up by rank -- part of this is due to the fact that US News rankings don't focus on student credentials as much as research dollars, so the criteria that goes into ranking and the criteria that would go into selecting high USMLE scorers don't line up perfectly. A school ranked a few spots lower could have higher numerical stats but be ranked lower because of NIH grant levels. There is nothing magical at the higher ranked schools in terms of better teaching that translates to higher scores, and if anything, those schools that "teach to the boards" tend to not be the high flyers. Certainly a few relatively lower ranked schools boast very high averages, and are among the few schools to actually release score data.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

1.) Whats the average USMLE score? What percentile is a 235 or above, as suggested that most candidates who get a top residency generally score in this range?

235 is about one standard deviation above normal, but everything I've ever seen shows that Step 1 scores are not normally distributed. So percentiles and std. deviations aren't that great.

2.) Whats the average USMLE score at your school? Do higher ranked med schools (top 20 USNEWS) have higher USMLE averages?

Usually slightly above average, this year got a blip up to around to the 230 range. But that's hearsay.

Higher ranked med schools do tend to have higher USMLE averages, but not due to education. It's because they accept people who score 42 on MCAT's and have 4.0's undergrad. Those things correlate with success in med school and board scores (not the best predictors, but it happens) so they're set up to have higher scores anyway.

3.) Basically, are there students, despite getting a USMLE score of 235 or above, getting AOA, having several 2-3 publications, getting solid letters of recc, STILL not getting a residency in derm or plastics? So, I realize its not like undergrad where a certain GPA and MCAT carry 90% of the weight in factoring an admissions decision. But for the match program, despite having top credentials

Yes. You said nothing about personality or ranking enough programs. If you come across as somebody the program wouldn't want to work with (arrogant, timid, confused, odd) they won't accept you. If you don't apply far enough, go on enough interviews, and make a long enough rank list, you can get passed over.

Some people just end up matching for no reason. That's why if you look at the people who match into derm and plastics, they rank other specialties in their match list, because nobody is assured.

4.) As med school students, how do you get the time to publish, do research, do well in school and simultaneously. get time to study for the USMLE, which by the way, if you get a passing score that may not be enough for a top residency, you can't RETAKE like the MCAT. I mean for many, just to get a 37 or above on the MCAT, it requires, at least for people like me, a full summer to dedicate to get that kind of score.

Between first and second year and during fourth year are prime times for research. Not everyone gets published in that time, so you can just get credit for participating in research (although, of course, published is stronger).

You seem to like the 235 score so I'll talk about. A 235 is a very attainable score to anyone who works hard enough. I think most people can hit 240 if they devote enough time and study appropriately if they've been able to handle med school up to that point.

 

[Mr. Tee]

Some food for thought...

Average score is supposedly ~235. From what it seems, the school "teaches for the boards."

I did some number crunching for match data over the past 10 years. Data is for the whole graduating class, including MD and MD/PhD.

Anesthesiology: 100% match rate, 3% were AOA
Dermatology: 86% match rate; 22% were AOA
Radiology: 90% match rate, 26% were AOA
Neurosurgery: 100% match rate, 44% were AOA
Optho: 93% match rate, 17% were AOA
Ortho: 91% match rate, 21% were AOA
Plastics: 86% match rate, 23% were AOA
Rad onc: 84% match rate, 11% were AOA

Who knows if there's self-selection going on. However, from the looks of it getting AOA is not too important.

 

[Law2Doc]

Who knows if there's self-selection going on.

I don't know anything about that particular school. But in terms of "self selection", bear in mind that at many schools, students are "strongly advised" (aka "told") not to apply to tracks they cannot attain. If you are a bottom 30% of the class student with, say, a 190 Step 1, you simply won't be "allowed" to apply to most of the competitive things. A mentor or dean will sit down with you and say "dude, reality check". I already know a few folks who have had these uncomfortable conversations where folks were told to rethink things and try to get themselves excited about other, less competitive, specialties. And since you need deans letters and faculty recommendations, they call the shots. So you don't get to take huge longshots at most places. Which is why the percentage matched is going to be so high -- your own school has already made significant selection cuts even before the application stage, let alone the match. So you can't read much in those percentages other than if it's lower than eg 80% the school probably missed the ball in its heavy handed advising.

 

[Blade28]

Law2Doc, nicely stated.

 

[dutchman]

4.) As med school students, how do you get the time to publish, do research, do well in school and simultaneously. get time to study for the USMLE, which by the way, if you get a passing score that may not be enough for a top residency, you can't RETAKE like the MCAT. I mean for many, just to get a 37 or above on the MCAT, it requires, at least for people like me, a full summer to dedicate to get that kind of score.
Thank you.

A few tips:

1)If you are in a relationship, go ahead and dump him/her, or prepare to get dumped.

2)Shower once a week as opposed to every day. That should buy you an extra 3-4 hours/week.

3)According to most residency programs, sleep is for slackers. Use that time for extra studying.

4)Now if you follow advice #1, you might find yourself a bit lonely. DO NOT engage in "self pleasure". It has been linked to depletion of physical and mental energy.

Hope that helps.

 

[ColinHay]

what has two thumbs and graduates at the bottom of the class

👍 this guy 👍

 

[Tired]

I don't know anything about that particular school. But in terms of "self selection", bear in mind that at many schools, students are "strongly advised" (aka "told") not to apply to tracks they cannot attain. If you are a bottom 30% of the class student with, say, a 190 Step 1, you simply won't be "allowed" to apply to most of the competitive things. A mentor or dean will sit down with you and say "dude, reality check". I already know a few folks who have had these uncomfortable conversations where folks were told to rethink things and try to get themselves excited about other, less competitive, specialties.

Thank goodness someone does it. The school my residency is associated with apparently doesn't.

Why, as an intern, am I the first person to tell the kid with a 190 that Urology is out of reach? Why do I see med students rotate through Ortho doing sub-i's who are borderline "mentally challenged"? It's a real waste of the potential these students do have, when their faculty allows them to waste time pursuing specialties they aren't competitive for.

 

[Long Dong]

To the OP
My advice is to go to the best school you can that you think you'll be happiest at. If you are in such a great postion to pick and choose between top med schools I'm sure you'll do fine where ever you go. I'll cut and past my reply in a ucsf vs ucla thread here since you asked particularly about derm in this thread and ucla in another one.

As to whether UCLA is significantly less competitive in residency directors eyes, I wouldn't say significantly less, but maybe a little less, given all things being equal. If 2 students given the same exact stats, applying for same spot, having gone to the bigger name/higher ranking school would help, but I think charming them at the interview would be a bigger tie braker.

As for 11 derm this year at ucla, it's not a fluke. You can't get much when comparing/looking at match lists cause it doesn't tell you how many people were interested in applying to that field that year. In 2006 only 2 derm from ucla but I heard only 3 applied, and as for this year 11 derms (3 aoa, 2 PhD)but 12 applied. A better measure is where did people match, and then taking into regional biasis and preferances.

Yes all 4 years is p/f which is a good thing, and we have letters of distinctions in year 3 for which there is no quota for how many students can get them, in essence =to honors, but w/o the limit how many students can recieve them.

These are quotes from the derm board from people who don't go to ucla:

http://p220.ezboard.com/fdermatology...art=21&stop=27

"ucla's deans letters do not distinguish students from each other very well. it is my understanding they don't use code language like outstanding vs. excellent vs. very good. also, they have "letters of distinction" instead of honors, and the deans letter does not say what percent of students got the letter of distinction in a particular rotation. thus, it may sound really impressive that you got a letter of distinction, but it may be that 90% of students got it (or it may be that only 10% got it). "

"i agree that clinical grades and dean's letters are bs. however, the way ucla does it puts their students at an advantage compared to students at other schools, because ucla's students don't directly compete with each other as they do at other schools. for example, an applicant from a school who was deemed to be "excellent" vs. an applicant at a school who was deemed to be "outstanding" would have been seen as a worse candidate (even though we know this is probably not true). or an applicant from a school who didn't receive honors when 25% of the class did would have looked worse than an applicant who did receive honors. it is harder to distinguish applicants when reading ucla's deans letters, so the "worst" applicants don't get weeded out as easily as they do at other schools."

There is no added pressure to do alot of ECs, I didn't do any except my research. Research is gonna be a big deal in any of the more competitve fields or even the none competitive fields at the big name institutions. I actually did my derm research at UCSF and the big name guy I got my letter of rec from actually helped me alot and was talked about at every interview.

So now back to the more important stuff like where are the hotties and dopest parties, I say in Los Angeles/OC and only Las Vegas and Miami can come close.😀

 

[Catalyst]

Why do I see med students rotate through Ortho doing sub-i's who are borderline "mentally challenged"?

HAHAHA, I'm imagining ortho residents at my school dealing with someone whom they think is "borderline 'mentally challenged'"... I'd pay money to see that

 

[Re3iRtH]

A few tips:

1)If you are in a relationship, go ahead and dump him/her, or prepare to get dumped.

2)Shower once a week as opposed to every day. That should buy you an extra 3-4 hours/week.

3)According to most residency programs, sleep is for slackers. Use that time for extra studying.

4)Now if you follow advice #1, you might find yourself a bit lonely. DO NOT engage in "self pleasure". It has been linked to depletion of physical and mental energy.

Hope that helps.

As for #4, funny you mention it, cause I was pondering this for quite awhile.
So I went ahead and tested it a week before my big biochemistry
exam. So what happened? I scored in the 98.7 %ile on my biochem
exam, missing only 2 questions (the hardest exam I ever took in
med school so far)
Keep in mind I was normally just an "above average" student.
Its gonna be a ritual for me, absoutely no sex or masturbation
for the 5 days before an exam.
Yea it helps you fall asleep faster, but you sure as hell ain't getting
up any easier. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Biscuit799]

As for #4, funny you mention it, cause I was pondering this for quite awhile.
So I went ahead and tested it a week before my big biochemistry
exam. So what happened? I scored in the 98.7 %ile on my biochem
exam, missing only 2 questions (the hardest exam I ever took in
med school so far)
Keep in mind I was normally just an "above average" student.
Its gonna be a ritual for me, absoutely no sex or masturbation
for the 5 days before an exam.
Yea it helps you fall asleep faster, but you sure as hell ain't getting
up any easier. Just my 2 cents.

I refuse to believe it until I see a double blind, controlled study in a major journal on it.

 

[CurryPower]

Thanks guys for your advice. This is going to sound a bit uneasy to say, but I think I am going to apply to dental school.

Well, I am also only a sophomore and if I recall, from the very first steps I took into college, I told myself that I was bound for medicine and as a result of my dedication, I have established a premed reputation in my class to a great extent-that is, when I walk into my orgo and gen bio classes, people expect me to have one of the highest scores in my class. The questions that my classmates would ask is not "what did you get on the exam or what was your gpa" but rather, "did you get a 4.0" or "did you get the highest score on the orgo exam?"

Overall, my credentials are solid- 3.97 GPA at a top 20 institution, started undergrad research as a freshman at a neighboring med school and, well, if I studied really hard on the MCAT, not to sound assertive, but I definitely feel like I could get the 35+. In addition, I have great recommendations for research at from a clinical professor at a neighboring med school + tons of shadowing and volunteering.

While it may have been fun at first to succeed and receive compliments from my professors and classmates, the stress, pulsating veins in my head, and tiredness overshadowed the importance of my success. Essentially, I thought to myself, maybe its not worth it financially and lifestyle-wise, but I did not want to give up my natural knack for science and pursue a business major. Instead, I thought to myself, I may still have the opportunity to try to do derm or plastic surgery, get into private practice, work 9-6 and and make a 500K+ salary.

However, after realizing the stress of what people go through in med school- USMLE, getting AOA, trying to do derm research and meeting top researchers all this while maintaining a straight face and covering up the all-nighter that they just pulled, its a really brutal path like I mentioned in my original post. I feel that while I may be the uber-competitive student right now trying to get into a top 10 med school, I may simply be average or falter in one criterion which would hinder my chances of getting into the coveted lifestyle+salary residencies in medicine. I mean honestly, if would I were to go into med school seeking only money/lifestyle (thus explaining why derm and plastics are the toughest specialties to get into), despite my academic background, the advice you would give me is probably "be ready to be disappointed just in case."

Although I am not sure whether to feel guilty about squandering my scientific talents by pursuing the dental route, a still highly respectable profession, the academic barriers in this path-the DAT, national board exams (which you can retake)- seem like a quiz compared to the MCAT and USMLE. Plus, there seems to be a better chance for me to specialize- though I will admit it is still difficult. Furthermore, it seems that, in comparison with medical schools, going to higher ranked dental school is important because they tend to send a significantly higher number of kids to tougher specialties and the students average significantly higher on the board exams. With regard to research and ECs, there isn't much of a burden as derm programs may seem to place on students.

Based on this, I realized that I still have an opportunity to enter the cosmetic industry as an M.D. physician. Ultimately, my dream goal now is to do the 6-year residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery after dental school where I go back for my 3rd and 4th years at a med school to get an MD degree, and finish the remaining 4 years of residency. On top of that, similar to what some general surgeons and ENT doctors do, I hope to fulfill a 2-year cosmetic surgery residency from the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, entailing me to do cosmetic procedures. Based on my training, I hope to run a practice built off oral and cosmetic surgery.

For example:
http://www.nuveencosmeticsurgery.com/dr-erik-nuveens-resume
or
http://www.cosmeticsurgicalartsmt.com/
or
http://www.vincentsurgicalarts.com/doctor.html

While this may not be the most honorable or noble thing to do with my skills (in the context of trying to live up to the Nip/Tuck or plastic surgeon fantasy), does this route substitute to what I could have attained in medicine (through plastic surgery) both financially and lifestyle?

Thanks for your help.

 

[RockShox]

I read through your post above and it does not seem to me that you want to be a dentist. I will not go deeply into your OCD issues with perfectionism but I will say that it complicates your though process. The dentist to plastic surgery route seems ridiculous to me. Just get your MD then if you don't get a plastics res. do gen surg then plastics fellow. Its shorter and you don't have to clean teeth and make dentures. Additionally, I would research the percentage of OMFS that get plastics fellowships vs. ENT vs. Gen Surg. I have no idea what the number is but anyone who doesn't say a bias exists is sleeping. If you go into dental school not really wanting to be a dentist you are doomed to be one of those classmates who is either aloof or always taking about what they will be when they grow up.

As an aside...I honored every course, got 250+ on my boards, made AOA, did the research, and the service, all the while working and having a family. I do not now nor before had much stress and I am not gifted in any sense. I have had plenty of time for fun and relaxation and never lived at school. Sure some weeks are full of stuff for exams but much more were quite laid back. Try not to psych yourself out too much about medical school.

 

[CurryPower]

Yeah, I realize that I am sort of seeking an easier path around, but at the same time, I would enjoy performing dental procedures in addition to cosmetic procedures...now I really do not have the depth to make an assessment of what I would like to do ultimately after I graduate from dental school, but its simply an idea I am throwing out there that I hope you could evaluate in the context of BTW, pursuing a "cosmetic fellowship" does not really require application process similar to what general surgeons have to do for a plastics fellowship. Note, this is a cosmetic fellowship - only 2 more years, totaling a 8 year residency, cumulative.

Overall, in response to the insight of what you provided, in plain words, I am basically saying that I worry that I may falter in an aspect in med school and the consequences as a result of that would not lend me to getting a residency that I may have wanted, while in dental school, there is a certain pressure that I feel that is manageable.

 

[Blade28]

The question is, what appeals to you more - a dental-related residency or a General Surgery residency?

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

Three words Currypowder: Fear of failure.

That's crippling you right now, you shouldn't let it. And just because I feel like it, here's the Litany against Fear from Dune.

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

Also, consider that maxofacial surgery (according to my dental colleagues) is as difficult to get as some of the more difficult medical residencies, so consider that as well.

 

[Blade28]

Also, consider that maxofacial surgery (according to my dental colleagues) is as difficult to get as some of the more difficult medical residencies, so consider that as well.

But surely not as hard as Integrated Plastics.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

But surely not as hard as Integrated Plastics.

I don't think there's anything as hard as Integrated Plastics 🙂. That said, I think his plan doesn't make sense because it's A: Very circuitous to get to cosmetic procedures and B: Not all that easy.

 

[Blade28]

I don't think there's anything as hard as Integrated Plastics 🙂.

Just Derm. 🙂

 

[Tired]

I don't think there's anything as hard as Integrated Plastics 🙂.

I know something harder than Integrated Plastics.

 

[drfunktacular]

I know something harder than Integrated Plastics.

HEY-OOOOOOOOOO

 

[DwyaneWade]

Three words Currypowder: Fear of failure.

That's crippling you right now, you shouldn't let it. And just because I feel like it, here's the Litany against Fear from Dune.

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

Also, consider that maxofacial surgery (according to my dental colleagues) is as difficult to get as some of the more difficult medical residencies, so consider that as well.

Great quote. I completely forgot about that from Dune, that has just earned a spot in my siggy.

 

[Long Dong]

I read through your post above and it does not seem to me that you want to be a dentist. I will not go deeply into your OCD issues with perfectionism but I will say that it complicates your though process.

I'm getting the OCD vibe from the OP who hasn't even finished half his college education yet.

OP you seem like one of those type A people who won't be happy unless you are at the top of the pile in whatever you do. You are fielding out some of the most competitive fields in medicine plastics/derm and dentistry ortho/omfs and probably haven't even finished o-chem yet. So my advice is to chill out a little and enjoy life. If you do want to go into dentistry you could always do omfs then plastics then craniofacial like the famous twin seperater Dr. K http://www.surgery.medsch.ucla.edu/plastic/doctors_Kawamoto.shtml

I had the pleasure of scrubbing in with Dr. K as med student the work he does on kids with craniofacial deformities is amazing and also fun.

 

[-Goose-]

I'm getting the OCD vibe from the OP who hasn't even finished half his college education yet.

OP you seem like one of those type A people who won't be happy unless you are at the top of the pile in whatever you do. You are fielding out some of the most competitive fields in medicine plastics/derm and dentistry ortho/omfs and probably haven't even finished o-chem yet. So my advice is to chill out a little and enjoy life. If you do want to go into dentistry you could always do omfs then plastics then craniofacial like the famous twin seperater Dr. K http://www.surgery.medsch.ucla.edu/plastic/doctors_Kawamoto.shtml

I had the pleasure of scrubbing in with Dr. K as med student the work he does on kids with craniofacial deformities is amazing and also fun.

You hit the nail on the head. The OCD-meter is off the charts.

OP, ask yourself what your goal is. Is it to make a lot of money and work few hours? Don't do medicine. The porn industry awaits you. 😉

Is it doing cosmetic procedures? Then ask yourself if you'd rather be a dentist or a general surgeon, because thats what you're safety net is going to be if you don't make it.

Focus on basic questions right now: medicine or dentistry? What about other careers. You are putting the cart before the horse.

Also, do not assume that you can get into one of the OMFS residencies more easily than plastic surgery or dermatology. These residencies are the most highly coveted of every top-notch dental student in the country. There are very, very few spots and competition is intense.

 

[MeowMix]

OP, you need to spend some time with regular people doing regular things, working a simple job and finding out what is important to you. Right now you are intellectualizing everything, and will not be able to see anything clearly until you can get out of that straitjacket of trying to impress others.

And please stop going on about squandering the amazing gift that you could be to humankind. Honest work of any kind, well done, is a gift to humankind.

 

[sprinkibrio]

I know you want the best for yourself. However, it's silly to be so meticulous with a future that is so far away and has so many unexpected turns at a point in your life when you're just beginning to understand yourself. If you don't believe me it just shows you haven't lived enough to understand how many unexpected things can come your way. I think you'll do well with either choice, but to make the choice based on such specificities is highly optimistic.