I saw the thread involving "dumb" med students and I had to jump in!
MS3 here with a dilemma. A combination of not working as hard as I should have + not being brilliant has led me to being a weak candidate in general. I'm going to be honest:
Pre-clinical years = a sea of Ps
Step 1 = 200/87, passed 1st try
I'm about 6 months into 3rd year and I'm pretty open about what to do. I used to be in love with EM, then it changed to Neuro, and now I'm leaning heavily towards IM or FM. I don't really care about procedures, though I'd want to do a fair share of office-based ones, nothing huge. I haven't had my surgery block yet, but it's fair to say I don't have the personality nor do I enjoy the lifestyle that I perceive to be the "surgery personality."
That said, again, I'm leaning towards FM or IM. I have a passion for medicine and all, but I'm being realistic and telling you that I don't expect to go and devote my heart and soul into IM's subspecialties (cards, GI), hence, I expect myself to end up in primary care (FM) or general IM.
I guess I just feel a bit discouraged by the whole process. Being a weaker applicant kind of pushes you into the "less desired" specialties. That's ok with me, as I'm thrilled to be here at all.
I go to a decent medical school, I'm fairly certain it is considered to be in the top third of all allopathic schools (not top 25, maybe top 50?) I am confident I can get decent letters of rec, as I am fairly capable in the clinical setting. I am just a weak test-taker, and have always struggled with standardized tests.
My draw for FM and IM is that for either specialty, I have a wealth of potential residency programs to apply to that are all within my state or only a state away (I am interested in remaining nearby where I went to med school). FM has somewhat more options than IM in terms of location and # of programs, but I want to figure out what I want to do more first. That matters more than the future of either field. I'd be completely satisfied with a mid-tier program.
So, competitiveness? Think someone with these "credentials" has a fair shot at matching into IM at a mid-tier program?
I feel I'm at a critical juncture in my decision-making process. I choose an advisor soon and begin thinking about residency apps. Any input would be greatly appreciated, thank you!