Why am I not getting interviews??

[spes93]

Did not match diagnostic radiology last cycle but had 15 interviews.

Potential red flags
Am a DO grad. Have a medical leave of absence I explain in PS which was due to mono-like illness, didn’t hold me back from invites last year. Also explain switch from radiology to path in my PS and my path letter writers describe my strong interest.

Application:
1 inperson and 1 virtual elective path rotations, 3 research positions 2 are path, 5 journal pubs 1 is path related and two others are first author. I have 2 strong path letters and a third from my PD in my intern year. Odd jobs like scribing and Uber.

Stats:
Steps 260/261 and levels 699/690
2H/2HP/2P clinical grades
Top 33% graduating class

Personal statement describes path experience reason for interest, shift from radiology, and describes my intern year.

Why am I missing out on invites? Even if my PD wrote lukewarm letter, would that be enough to explain it?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[KeratinPearls]

Isn’t it still early in the application season? Don’t worry about being a DO grad. More than 50% of path trainees are foreign grads, some of whom shouldn’t even be in Pathology in the first place.

Pathology residency programs get a bunch of crap applications like IMGs who have graduated more than 10 years ago from med school. Foreign grads know pathology isn’t competitive and look to land a residency spot in the US. It’s unfortunate really and hurts the field.

Some get into path then jump ship to internal medicine, leaving the program to have to fill the spot.

No one knows your application in detail. You said you got a lukewarm letter from your PD from your preliminary year?

We really don’t know what your letters say. I’m guessing some programs may be questioning your interest in path but you mentioned your letters demonstrate you have interest.

Your scores are good but my guess is that it’s either your previous application to radiology which may be hurting you or something in your letters that are conveying something negative.

Furthermore, some people can feign an interest in Path just to get a residency spot, then get exposed in residency.

Are you a normal person? Are you an arrogant ahole? Are you weird or have underlying psych issues? Personality also plays a role which can be screened for sometimes during the interview stage.

Why couldn’t you get a rads spot? That’s another question. Your scores are good. 15 interviews and you couldn’t match? Why not reapply to radiology if that’s what you really want to do. 15 interviews is a lot. Why give up on radiology and not try again?

These are all questions programs will ask you if you do get interviews down the road.

 

[Med Director New England]

Agree with keratin
If you got 15 interviews in Radiology you will be fine getting into path. I think a lot of us old timers in here don’t know what your scores mean - scales have changed in last 20 yrs & levels are new I guess ?

I don’t think having a change of heart (rads vs path) should hurt you. Both fields tend to attract the same type of person

 

[ScubaV]

Everything on paper seems fine. Not matching last year and reapplying to a different specialty will probably bump you to the second tier of invites so I would expect them to come later assuming you applied fairly broadly and not just to big names. The interview phase might be more tricky. I would do some honest self-reflection as to why you got 15 interviews but didn't match. Maybe it's just bad luck, but more likely there's something that turned people off in person and you should figure out what it might be.

 

[spes93]

Everything on paper seems fine. Not matching last year and reapplying to a different specialty will probably bump you to the second tier of invites so I would expect them to come later assuming you applied fairly broadly and not just to big names. The interview phase might be more tricky. I would do some honest self-reflection as to why you got 15 interviews but didn't match. Maybe it's just bad luck, but more likely there's something that turned people off in person and you should figure out what it might be.

That makes sense, thank you! I did miss mostly only big names so far. I’m still hopeful.

 

[MetroPath]

The real question you should be asking yourself is “why did I get 15 interviews in Radiology but still didn’t match?”

 

[spes93]

The real question you should be asking yourself is “why did I get 15 interviews in Radiology but still didn’t match?”

I was nervous in interviews and didn’t explain my medical leave of absence well.

 

[spes93]

Do you have any path invites so far? If so, how many? And how many did you apply to?

I got my first today, so one. I initially applied to 33 ap/cp and 15 ap/np then next day added ap/cp to ap/np programs.. two days ago added about 30 more programs.

I had been told by multiple people 30 should be fine given my stats