What are some things that stand out on residency applications?

[SillyGenius]

I mean things besides honors in a bunch of rotations, AOA, and 270+ Step 2 scores.

What are some ECs that look really good or some other things that look great on apps?

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[Mr.Smile12]

I mean things besides honors in a bunch of rotations, AOA, and 270+ Step 2 scores.

What are some ECs that look really good or some other things that look great on apps?

Is there a specific set of residency specialties you want to address this question? With so many programs, I am sure there is a consensus but not specific rules.

 

[SillyGenius]

Is there a specific set of residency specialties you want to address this question? With so many programs, I am sure there is a consensus but not specific rules.

IM and FM

 

[Goro]

I mean things besides honors in a bunch of rotations, AOA, and 270+ Step 2 scores.

What are some ECs that look really good or some other things that look great on apps?

Evidence that one is a good team player.

 

[SillyGenius]

Evidence that one is a good team player.

I assume that would only be shown/ said in a LOR? How else could someone prove they work well in teams?

 

[Goro]

I assume that would only be shown/ said in a LOR? How else could someone prove they work well in teams?

You tell me

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Research is the most important thing after scores and grades

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Having a realistic longterm goal

 

[SillyGenius]

Having a realistic longterm goal

Isn't the long-term goal for all med school graduates and residents to practice medicine for 40-60 hours a week? What other long-term goals are there besides practicing? I know very few do research but is there anything else?

 

[Med Ed]

This isn't meant as a criticism, but it looks like you've got too much free time on your hands.

The EC parade you need to get into medical school doesn't really translate into the residency application process. "Research" is the default answer from a lot of medical students nowadays, but FM doesn't give a flip about research, and only a subset of IM programs do. FM is way more concerned that you actually want to be a family medicine doctor. IM is full of people who get excited about magnesium levels. Find the right specialty and you won't need to stand our because you'll fit right in.

 

[HopelessMS]

As a FM resident, please show not tell how well you work in a team. PDs want to know if you want to practice FM but your future co residents want to know that they can rely on you. If you like to live in your own world and do the bare minimum it shows very quickly.

 

[mgm125]

Participating in community outreach programs offered at a school may go a long way for an FM program, I imagine.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Isn't the long-term goal for all med school graduates and residents to practice medicine for 40-60 hours a week? What other long-term goals are there besides practicing? I know very few do research but is there anything else?

But what does the bolded actually mean to you? In particular, FM is a very broad field--are you planning to work in an urban underserved environment? Be involved in advocacy/leadership? Work in a rural area with EM and/or OB coverage? Are you going to go cultivate a niche and be, say, the sports medicine person in your private practice group? If IM, do you have a subspecialty in mind? If not, are you thinking of being a hospitalist or a PCP? Across any specialty, are you going to stay in academia or go out into private practice or a private hospital? Staying in academia doesn't mean doing research to everyone, lots of people can see patients and be involved in other academic pursuits like resident/medical student education.

You certainly don't need to have the answer right now, and of course the answer can and often does change during residency--nobody expects you to have everything figured out by the end of med school, let alone as an MS1. But the bottom line is that the answer can't be, "Well, I failed M1 so I figured IM/FM was all I could do, so I settled for that." You don't even need any particular ECs to craft a story for any of the paths I outlined above, but you do need to figure out the answer for yourself over the next 4 years and figure out how to sell that story in interviews. For either of these specialties, how you come across in the interview is going to likely matter more than whatever fluffy ECs you put on your ERAS. And regardless, you need to worry first and foremost about getting your academic bearings next year before branching out and adding ECs.

One caveat to the "research" answer--I agree research is not required by either FM or community IM programs, but if you do have some legitimate primary care research it would probably stand out and show some evidence that you're actually committed to the specialty. I wouldn't do it unless you're interested in the project, though.

 

[mistafab]

Most things don’t stand out and that’s totally fine. You do not need to stand out to match anywhere, just meet criteria and have a good interview.

Things that stand out to me are (in no particular order):
Prior career
Athletics
Military service
Rare awards/ commendations, or achievements associated with a hobby
Letter from or papers with faculty member I recognize
Research in a particular area I’m familiar with
Strong regional ties
From institution with top specialty department

 

[AnonymousDoctorGuyPerson]

Trying to pick and choose things to stand out usually falls short, as passion is something that typically shines bright on these applications and passion can be hard to manufacture.

Do something you /want/ to do, and put your time and mental resources into it.

 

[aldol16]

Climbing Everest is always great. Pro-level sports.

In honesty, you're either going to enjoy doing something or you're not. No need to force it just to try to "stand out."

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Some unofficial things that stand out:
Punctuality or being the first to arrive and last to leave
Confidence that one won't cause trouble
Not a social media diva or influencer
Pleasant to be with
Conservative choices in professional attire (like, no tan suits or bow ties for men; no rainbow dyeing hair for women)... slightly kidding.

This is about getting a job at the lowest rung on the totem pole, not joining a fraternity.

 

[mrbreakfast]

Keep in mind that, by definition, the average medical student is an average applicant.

Things I/my department consider as "standing out":
-Grades that are good, or an exceptionally high Step 2 score
-Letters from people I recognize, or really strong letters. Everyone's letters are complementary, but there are good letters and then there are great letters. Things like "this is one of the best students I've worked with in my entire career," or letters that express a hope the applicant matches at their home program, stand out.
-Research or extracurriculars that aren't fluff, or which clearly required significant time/effort. This is uncommon.
-Great accomplishments, or leadership positions, including those that don't involve medicine.

 

[mrbreakfast]

Conservative choices in professional attire (like, no tan suits or bow ties for men; no rainbow dyeing hair for women)... slightly kidding.

This is so much less of a thing for virtual interviews, but the advice that you don't want to stand out in a bad way still holds. If your virtual setup looks like you're sitting in someone's basement with a 15-year old webcam, please fix that.

As for the attire, just dress professionally like you are excited to be there, which will reflect well. It's a small thing (and should be) but every few years a resident gets some comments/complaints about their attire in the hospital, which is awkward to address.

 

[SillyGenius]

-Grades that are good, or an exceptionally high Step 2 score

What would be considered an exceptionally high step 2 score? A score greater than 255? I guess this number changes based on the specialty an applicant is aiming for. But say an applicant who is hoping for a categorical IM or FM position, what would be considered exceptional in that circumstance?

 

[mrbreakfast]

What would be considered an exceptionally high step 2 score?

This would depend on many factors, including specialty as well as how competitive the specific program is. For example, the average Step 2 score is a good deal higher for IM vs FM applicants; and for my program (which is neither of those specialties) the type of people we are interviewing are generally going to have higher step 2 scores than the specialty-specific mean.

For me, an exceptional step 2 score is going to be upper 260s+. But, that is a single part of the application, and it's not like we are not going to interview an otherwise-strong applicant with a 250 (nor is it that our resident class is full of people scoring 260s).

I would overall not worry about it too much. As I said before, not everyone has something that "stands out." For example, in a recent interview batch, I interviewed one applicant (A) who was overall average to slightly-above average across the board - decent step score, above average grades, a couple posters and fluff papers, various ECs, etc - and another applicant (B) who had some of the best letters I've ever read and very unique ECs, but also was bottom quartile of the class in grades with some lukewarm evals and had zero research. How differently do those two "grade out" overall? That depends who's grading them. I'm slightly taking B over A, but I have no doubt a number of my colleagues are taking A. Sometimes, just having a well-rounded application, without anything standing out, is all you need.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

This is so much less of a thing for virtual interviews, but the advice that you don't want to stand out in a bad way still holds. If your virtual setup looks like you're sitting in someone's basement with a 15-year old webcam, please fix that.

As for the attire, just dress professionally like you are excited to be there, which will reflect well. It's a small thing (and should be) but every few years a resident gets some comments/complaints about their attire in the hospital, which is awkward to address.

So pre-pandemic, I only bring it up as a slight joke in that a clinical faculty member asked why I was wearing a pin-striped suit to a conference (held in-house). "Only bankers wear pin-striped suits." (The tone of the remark was not super-serious.)

 

[mrbreakfast]

So pre-pandemic, I only bring it up as a slight joke in that a clinical faculty member asked why I was wearing a pin-striped suit to a conference (held in-house). "Only bankers wear pin-striped suits." (The tone of the remark was not super-serious.)

I'm in neurology and so there's a lot of tweed jackets and bowties floating around at conferences. We're an eccentric breed, so if someone wants to show up in a floral print or a banker's shirt or a green suit or what have you, I'll raise an eyebrow and let it slide. Pinstripes wouldn't even move the needle.

I only care if you show up in an ill-fitting $30 black suit with no tie or belt and wearing sneakers (had a few of those every year) or, for women, it is very apparent that you have never even heard of "conservative business formal wear" (which also did happen).

 

[Smurfette]

This reminds me of one of the prelim surgery residents when I was in residency.
The national conference was in town, which was a suit-and-tie event. Very conservative attire.
As residents, it was a slow week as most faculty were attending. We were told we could go if our service was slow and someone on the team remained in-house to take care of any emergencies.
The prelim resident, desperately wanting to set herself up to match into a categorical position the next year, fanagled her way to the conference a couple days that week.
She wore a bright red, low cut suit with a skirt a bit too short for typical business scenarios, heavy makeup fit for a night out on the town, hair to match, stockings with seams, and shoes best described as stripper heels. To say she stood out is an understatement. She then boldly would go up to bigwigs in surgery to try to put her name out there and get interviews.
Not surprisingly, our PD got complaints about her. She was advised to "tone it down" and she could not understand what was wrong about her approach.
While she eventually scrambled into another surgery spot, she ultimately ended up being an FP.

 

[mrbreakfast]

We're getting way off topic, but a similar thing happened very early in my own interview trail; an applicant wore a purple sequined tight, very low-cut/short dress with spaghetti straps, heavy makeup, purple lipstick, and literally gladiator pumps. She looked very confident until several admin people whispered to her for awhile, then she wore her jacket over her shoulders for the rest of the day.

Also seen a few times when residents interpreted "you can wear scrubs and a t-shirt in the hospital" as "you can wear whatever you want" and got complaints about what they picked out, including from other uncomfortable residents.