WTH!? Do I need to apply for a backup?

[ENT123]

My advisor just told me I need to apply to a backup specialty. She laughed at my numbers. Should I apply for a backup? Wouldn't applying for a backup hurt me when the same hospital sees me twice?

Step 1: 260
Honored Surgery, HP everything else
2 years of basic science research
one pending ENT case report

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[asmallchild]

My advisor just told me I need to apply to a backup specialty. She laughed at my numbers. Should I apply for a backup? Wouldn't applying for a backup hurt me when the same hospital sees me twice?

Step 1: 260
Honored Surgery, HP everything else
2 years of basic science research
one pending ENT case report

Assuming this isn't a troll post, I think you need to find a new advisor.

You can certainly apply for a backup if you feel it's necessary (and if you feel it's something you would be equally happy doing.) It would NOT be wise to apply for a backup in the same hospitals that have an ENT residency.

 

[ENT123]

No this is not a troll post. I think her job is to make sure our school has a high match rate. I hear that she does this to everyone applying for competitive programs but she has seriously made me doubt my chances.

 

[forbin]

Is your advisor an otolaryngologist or just some random administrator/dean? Sounds like you have the stats to get plenty of interviews if you apply broadly. Would recommend trying to get a little more ENT research in the works. Once you get interviews, it is more about personality than anything else.

No this is not a troll post. I think her job is to make sure our school has a high match rate. I hear that she does this to everyone applying for competitive programs but she has seriously made me doubt my chances.

 

[ENT123]

My advisor is not an otolaryngologist but she is a doctor. I'm not exactly sure what the deal is. I thought I had a good shot too and I do plan to apply broadly until she told me that my gpa is too low and I have little research. Are all ENT residents scoring >260 and honoring all 3rd year rotations??

I'm quite worried about my interview skills as well because I am extremely quiet.

 

[blz]

My advisor is not an otolaryngologist but she is a doctor. I'm not exactly sure what the deal is. I thought I had a good shot too and I do plan to apply broadly until she told me that my gpa is too low and I have little research. Are all ENT residents scoring >260 and honoring all 3rd year rotations??

I'm quite worried about my interview skills as well because I am extremely quiet.

2 years of basic science research is too little? I think you are more than fine. I feel like most don't match because of their board scores, which is obviously not a concern to you.

btw, were you able to get any pubs from the basic science research?

 

[ENT123]

yes, I published two papers and I was first author on both.

 

[gstrub]

Then your advisor is either an idiot, or there is something you are not telling us. Dude...260 and 2 1st author papers with honors in surgery? Do you have only one arm or something? You should be FINE.

 

[FatPigeon]

I'm going to go ahead and agree with your preceptor on this one. I've had an interest in otolaryngology and done a whole lot of research on the subject, spoken to the people in the department at my school, and so on.

Otolaryngology is competitive to a stupid degree. Everyone wants to be a surgeon without the awful hours, and everyone is looking for a back door (not to mention a less grueling) path to plastic surgery. The reasons for its competitiveness, as with most competitive fields, are very superficial...making it frustrating to be an applicant with a legitimate interest in, say, head and neck cancer or otology.

The standard scenario is as follows: Top 30 NIH research med school student, 250 Step 1, Honors in Surgery and several other rotations, two or three research projects, one away and great letters....applying to 50 places...gets you...

...11 interviews, in random places throughout the country. You attend 10 of these due to a scheduling conflict...

...You rank 9 because you hated one of them, and you match at #7.

Congratulations.

 

[ENT123]

I'm going to go ahead and agree with your preceptor on this one. I've had an interest in otolaryngology and done a whole lot of research on the subject, spoken to the people in the department at my school, and so on.

Otolaryngology is competitive to a stupid degree. Everyone wants to be a surgeon without the awful hours, and everyone is looking for a back door (not to mention a less grueling) path to plastic surgery. The reasons for its competitiveness, as with most competitive fields, are very superficial...making it frustrating to be an applicant with a legitimate interest in, say, head and neck cancer or otology.

The standard scenario is as follows: Top 30 NIH research med school student, 250 Step 1, Honors in Surgery and several other rotations, two or three research projects, one away and great letters....applying to 50 places...gets you...

...11 interviews, in random places throughout the country. You attend 10 of these due to a scheduling conflict...

...You rank 9 because you hated one of them, and you match at #7.

Congratulations.

I don't really understand what you're talking about. Was that your scenario? Are you making a prediction for me?

 

[5150]

I'm going to go ahead and agree with your preceptor on this one. I've had an interest in otolaryngology and done a whole lot of research on the subject, spoken to the people in the department at my school, and so on.

Otolaryngology is competitive to a stupid degree. Everyone wants to be a surgeon without the awful hours, and everyone is looking for a back door (not to mention a less grueling) path to plastic surgery. The reasons for its competitiveness, as with most competitive fields, are very superficial...making it frustrating to be an applicant with a legitimate interest in, say, head and neck cancer or otology.

The standard scenario is as follows: Top 30 NIH research med school student, 250 Step 1, Honors in Surgery and several other rotations, two or three research projects, one away and great letters....applying to 50 places...gets you...

...11 interviews, in random places throughout the country. You attend 10 of these due to a scheduling conflict...

...You rank 9 because you hated one of them, and you match at #7.

Congratulations.

I think you might be overstating the competitiveness a tad bit. I just went through the match with similar stats to the OP and I had quiet different results from that fictional scenario you just presented.

Step 1: 260, Honors in Surg, Medicine, and Psych; HP in the rest of 3rd year. 1 basic science pub (3rd author), and several poster presentations (all ENT related). I was also AOA but this was not known at the time my application was submitted.

I had a regional bias, and applied to around 38-40 programs (cant remember), received probably around 25 or so invitations. I ended up interviewing at 14 (all of which were in CA or in the northeast), and matched at my #1.

ENT is getting very competitive these days, but lets not get carried away here. To the OP: I agree with the poster above... unless there is something you are not telling us (carribean medical school? you slept with your advisors daughter?), you have the stats to get a good amount of interviews. The only thing keeping you from matching would be HOW you interview (glaring personality issues).

Best of luck!!! It's a stressful time but I'm sure you'll do well.

 

[forbin]

Soooo... what you're saying is that this person in your hypothetical scenario would get plenty of interviews and match and become an otolaryngologist. Sweet!

To the OP, I think you should be fine from what you've told us. Just act normal at your interviews and you will very likely match. Having a quiet personality is ok (I'm assuming of course that you aren't super awkward/stilted, that might be an issue).

I'm going to go ahead and agree with your preceptor on this one. I've had an interest in otolaryngology and done a whole lot of research on the subject, spoken to the people in the department at my school, and so on.

Otolaryngology is competitive to a stupid degree. Everyone wants to be a surgeon without the awful hours, and everyone is looking for a back door (not to mention a less grueling) path to plastic surgery. The reasons for its competitiveness, as with most competitive fields, are very superficial...making it frustrating to be an applicant with a legitimate interest in, say, head and neck cancer or otology.

The standard scenario is as follows: Top 30 NIH research med school student, 250 Step 1, Honors in Surgery and several other rotations, two or three research projects, one away and great letters....applying to 50 places...gets you...

...11 interviews, in random places throughout the country. You attend 10 of these due to a scheduling conflict...

...You rank 9 because you hated one of them, and you match at #7.

Congratulations.