What comes next?

[CRAZYTERP]

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Ok so I want to make sure I am picking up what everyone is putting down...

In order to be accepted into a top teir residency the most important things are to:

1) Do exceptionally well during years three and four and get bombass rec letters from your docs
2) AND to do really well on your USMLE after year two

I see how doing well your first two years should correlate into doing well on the USMLE and also help you be accepted into AOA or whatever else you want to get into but I mean is it that cut and dry?

Do residency programs take other things into account such as MCATS, Community service, leadership positions etc like med schools say they do?

I know I am a long ways away bc I have not even started med school yet but I just want to have an idea of what to expect. I don't know about anyone else but I have spent the last four years trying to figure out how to get into medical school and now that I am in I am not sure what to do next.

If some MI, II, or III's out there could fill us younger kids in that would be great. Thanks.

-CT

 

[CRAZYTERP]

I know someone out there wants to respond...

 

[Cydney Foote]

OK, I'll take a stab at it ...

You're right in that your USMLE scores, clinical skills in years 3&4, and LORs are probably the primary objective criteria used by residency programs. But you'll still have to stand out from the rest of the applicants. You?ll have gained some valuable technical skills and exposure to clinical practice, but so will all your classmates. Which of your unique qualities will make your #1 residency program rank you as their #1 choice?

Your personal experiences, both in medical school and outside, will reveal a lot more about you than your C.V. and USMLE step exams ever can. Community service, leadership positions, and even personal hobbies or interests can all provide vital raw material that you can use to reveal your personality. In many ways, what you do is less important than the fact that you are doing it and that it interests you.

At this point in your med school career, keep doing what interests you, but do something. There are (at least) 2 reasons for this: (1) Residency programs are usually smaller, more intimate environments. Different personal interests makes for a more productive learning environment. (2) The demands of residency programs take a toll on even the most well-adjusted individual. External interests are a way to blow off steam and deal with the pressures of the program.

After you start your rotations, you'll get a better sense of what field interests you most. Chances are you'll see that aspects of some of your underlying interests transfers into your preference for a particular medical specialty. When you start applying to residency programs, you can write about your experiences in the context of what?s needed for that specialty. For instance, will the listening skills you developed in college debate help you as a family practitioner? Have your quick reflexes, honed through years of playing piano, prepared you for the technical dexterity you?ll need in emergency medicine? Will your teamwork skills developed as captain of your soccer team improve your coordination as part of a surgical team? Using specific examples like these will demonstrate your strengths and bring your paper profile to life.

But this is all in the future. For now, just do what you love!!

Good luck (and sorry this is such a lengthy reply)!🙂