tg78 said:
I am a 3rd year who has recently started thinking about rads (big change for someone who always thought theyd do peds). I go to a top school and have a 232 on step 1 but have not done research or much outside of class to strengthen my resume. Any thoughts about what it would take for me to put together a competitive application? Thanks!
1. Try your best this year to get awesome evaluations from you clinical rotations. That way you can get good letters of rec in the future.
Whatever grades you got in the past you can not change, just do your best now.
2. 232 is not bad, but these days 240's are a dime a dozen. Take step 2 at the end of 3rd year and kick ass.
3. No research? Well if you have time to do it, then do it. Rads research > basic science > clinical > case report.
4. Just apply. Just like the lotto you can't win if you don't buy a ticket.
5. Apply early.
6. Apply to a LOT of programs if you still don't feel you are the most competitive applicant. Its better to drop $10K now and do it right the first time, than risk not matching. Reapplying your intern year will suck! You will be so friggin busy. You'll have to get a whole new set of letters. Will you have time to interview at a lot of places with 3 weeks off? How many programs will let you take 3 weeks off all at once? The logistics suck.
Ask any one who didn't match last year and is reapplying: If they could do it over again, they would have dropped a few extra grand if it would have increased their odds of getting in the first time around. Whats money in the grand scheme of things when you already owe 6 figures in debt?
Best of luck .
