Would REALLY appreciate some guidance...no home program to ask for advice?!

[Zulfiqar786]

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[Arch Guillotti]

Yeah we are sick of it but I think your chances are very good. You are doing all the right things. I think you might get into trouble if you blew things off and didn't take the process seriously but it doesn't sound like that is going to happen. 215 on Step I is not terrible, failing is terrible.

Good luck.

So this is another "what are my chances" threads, but I would genuinely appreciate some feedback. My school does not have a home anesthesiology program so no one to turn to for advice and I am concerned about matching as I keep hearing various things from various people. Long story short:

I am at a US Allopathic state school. I did terrible on Step I (215) and am currently studying for Step II (hope to get at least >230). My grades have been pretty mediocre with mostly High Pass and Pass and I think I am in the bottom half of my class. I have done a 2wk anesthesia rotation wich I Honored and will get a great LOR from. I also am getting LORs from internal medicine which will be good. I am set up to do another 2wk at a local hospital and then an AI 4wk Anesthesia away at a reputable school near the end of Sept (which i hope to get a LOR...but may be late in the game..mid Oct?)

I took a leave of absence for one year as a clinical research fellow and had a great outcome, but unfortunately the research was in a non anesthesia related field (I thought i wanted to do it, but will not be pursuing for multiple reasons).

Also, I was awarded a full merit scholarship to medical school, which is kinda rare.(I don't know if that makes any difference for residency..probably).

I know you guys get tons of these threads and are sick of it, but I would really appreciate some genuine advice about what my chances are. I am planning to apply VERY broadly, but really would like to match into anesthesia as I think it is a great fit for my personality and the care I want to provide. Not having any home school to ask, I am sweating bullets here about what my chances are considering my weak Step I and grades.

Really appreciate any thoughts...thanks!!

 

[Zulfiqar786]

Yeah we are sick of it but I think your chances are very good. You are doing all the right things. I think you might get into trouble if you blew things off and didn't take the process seriously but it doesn't sound like that is going to happen. 215 on Step I is not terrible, failing is terrible.

Good luck.

Thanks Arch for the insight. One of my big concerns is that most of my 4th year rotations, particularly my Sub-I, will not start until late Sept....do you think that is too late? Also, at this point I am considering pushing my Step II back 2weeks until mid Sept to really try to do well on it, is that unwise? I hope to have my application submitted Sept. 15th (when ERAS opens), but will not have my Step II score in until mid Oct. and my AI Anesthesia grade/LOR until mid Oct. as well.

How many places would be recommended that I apply to insure my chances of matching. Do I need to apply to ALL of them..or is 75 good? 50?.

Really appreciate the insight.

 

[AngryBird69]

Thanks Arch for the insight. One of my big concerns is that most of my 4th year rotations, particularly my Sub-I, will not start until late Sept....do you think that is too late? Also, at this point I am considering pushing my Step II back 2weeks until mid Sept to really try to do well on it, is that unwise? I hope to have my application submitted Sept. 15th (when ERAS opens), but will not have my Step II score in until mid Oct. and my AI Anesthesia grade/LOR until mid Oct. as well.

How many places would be recommended that I apply to insure my chances of matching. Do I need to apply to ALL of them..or is 75 good? 50?.

Really appreciate the insight.

Zulfiqar, as Arch said, you're in good shape. A 215 on step 1 isn't the end of the world and much can be said by following up with a strong S2. Also, I personally know of 2 people with stats muuuuch worse than yours and they still matched within their top 5. Your attitude and demeanor seems right and it will pay off.

 

[gasblaster]

Thanks Arch for the insight. One of my big concerns is that most of my 4th year rotations, particularly my Sub-I, will not start until late Sept....do you think that is too late? Also, at this point I am considering pushing my Step II back 2weeks until mid Sept to really try to do well on it, is that unwise? I hope to have my application submitted Sept. 15th (when ERAS opens), but will not have my Step II score in until mid Oct. and my AI Anesthesia grade/LOR until mid Oct. as well.

How many places would be recommended that I apply to insure my chances of matching. Do I need to apply to ALL of them..or is 75 good? 50?.

Really appreciate the insight.

Well I'm assuming there is not much you can do now in regards to the timing of your Sub-I, Sub-I grade, and LOR. It isn't that late however your application won't likely be complete until you've submitted your ERAS including a transcript and all your LORs. I don't think programs review applications until those are in, but some wait for the Dean's letter anyways whereas some offer interviews before then. Just work on having everything in asap, rocking your anesthesia rotation, and Step 2.

You definitely don't need to apply to all of them. IMHO I would say maybe on the 50ish end, especially if you are realistic about programs and apply broadly in terms of location.

 

[Gern Blansten]

The thing that would worry me most about your application is the year off. People end up taking a year off for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is their choosing, sometimes it is not. Many people try to hide it as taking a year off to do research. I would dig deeper to find out the real reason you took time off and will not graduate with the class you started with. If it truly was for research, show me the finished products of papers and describe in detail the nature of the research that made it meaningful enough for you to delay your training. If you took time off for something else and just happened to do research during that year, I would want to know that and I would ask questions to find out the truth. Sometimes people need to take a break from med school due to outside stressors, but be prepared to discuss it in detail. Examples I have seen include death in the family, nasty breakup of long term relationship etc. For me, it would be a red flag. Better to get your story straight now than be surprised by the interrogation. But above all, be honest. Dishonesty in your application can void your contract for residency.
I am not saying that no one takes a year off to do research in medical school. It happens but not that often. Most of the time, when it does, we call that the MD/PhD track.
I suspect that you will get some interviews and have a good chance of matching. Just wanted to point out what I saw as a potential concern.

 

[Zulfiqar786]

The thing that would worry me most about your application is the year off. People end up taking a year off for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is their choosing, sometimes it is not. Many people try to hide it as taking a year off to do research. I would dig deeper to find out the real reason you took time off and will not graduate with the class you started with. If it truly was for research, show me the finished products of papers and describe in detail the nature of the research that made it meaningful enough for you to delay your training. If you took time off for something else and just happened to do research during that year, I would want to know that and I would ask questions to find out the truth. Sometimes people need to take a break from med school due to outside stressors, but be prepared to discuss it in detail. Examples I have seen include death in the family, nasty breakup of long term relationship etc. For me, it would be a red flag. Better to get your story straight now than be surprised by the interrogation. But above all, be honest. Dishonesty in your application can void your contract for residency.
I am not saying that no one takes a year off to do research in medical school. It happens but not that often. Most of the time, when it does, we call that the MD/PhD track.
I suspect that you will get some interviews and have a good chance of matching. Just wanted to point out what I saw as a potential concern.

Thank you all for the honest feedback. It has really been extremely helpful.

 

[Gern Blansten]

Not necessarily a problem. Just something that will require honest explanation. If for illness, probably not a red flag. Just wanted to clarify. If a LOA due to breaking up with girlfriend, may be a red flag.