After going through the match 2 times I felt like I had a
good handle on what to do for this match process. In addition to making sure
that my application was worked on diligently I did a few things that I believe
helped me fare better in this match compared to the other two times.
The first thing I focused on was to take the step 3. This
was an important step to let the residency program know that, while I had
failed the step 2 CS, I was fully capable of passing any other exam. I studied
very hard for this exam and I am happy I did so. It was one of the hardest
tests I’ve taken till now. I knew that failing that test would make it even
harder for me to go on. If you are interested in how I studied it’s on here
somewhere.
The second thing that I did was to go to a family medicine
conference. Each specialty has a conference where you can rub elbows with
residents, sometimes program coordinators and if you are lucky program
directors. I visited numerous booths, and talked to as many residents/pc’s/pd’s
as I could. I also met some good people that I kept in contact with afterward.
These people from different schools became my study partners, my interview
practice partners etc. Additionally, and more along the lines of what I’m sure
you want to hear, I interviewed at 2 of the programs that I met at the
conference.
The third thing that I did was contact programs. My sole
purpose here was to let them know of my interest in them.
Following these 3 steps I was able to get more interviews
than I got last year, and as a result I was able to match. Of course, I want to
remind you that these are just supplementary things. If your personal statement
is crap, your LOR’s say nothing good about you, your application is fraught
with grammatical errors these supplemental things will not help you.
Now, its time for bed so that I can wake up bright and early
for the first day of orientation at my residency program.
Hi- Your blog is very helpful, thank you. You mentioned that you contacted programs to let them know of your interest. May I ask when did you send these emails of interest? Prior to applying or after? Did you email all programs you applied to?
ReplyDeleteThank you! I contacted programs after I sent in my application. I contacted them around mid October. Yes, I contacted all the programs I applied to.
DeleteHi! How did you work on your personal statement and who did you ask to take a look?
ReplyDeleteHi there, I wrote about three things that i found to be helpful to me in writing my personal statement here ( https://kwasiroadthroughlife.blogspot.com/2017/05/tips-for-writing-great-personal.html )
DeleteBut more specifically to your question, I wrote out my personal statement, and then had someone proof read it for me. This can be anyone that is good with english. For me that person was a family member, for you that person can be a friend.
If you are still unsure on how to approach writing a good personal statement, look online or check out First Aid For The Match -which I used- for some samples. This book has numerous sample essays for different specialties.
I hope that helped.
you mentioned FM conference? Approx how many programs were you able to see/talk with?
ReplyDeleteI was very ambitious when I first got there. I wanted to see about 100 programs however that did not happen. I was only able to see about 20-30 something. Thank goodness, i had a list of places that I knew I really wanted to visit. If you are going make sure you go through the list of programs that you would definitely want to see.
DeleteHi Dr. Kwasi. Thanks for sharing the inspirational story! Congratulations!I am also applying this year for the second time around. I have passed step 3 since and I have been involved in clinical research since but haven't gotten any publications. I had a very unfortunate scheduling issue with my exams, resulting in cs and ck failure. However I passed both and raised my ck by 30 points and graduated on time. I interviewed and they went well but I didn't match. Now I have step 3 and AUC offered me an online MBA program through Devry. I am applying to FM and IM but am open to anything so I will also send apps in peds, path, psych. Any advice for me? I've been through a lot and I'm nervous about this application season.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
Not a problem glad to be of help. Congrats on passing all your exams, especially the step 3, which is a very tough exam. With your failures you have an uphill fight but you can still succeed. If I read correctly you had an interview or interviews so that means your application is not bad. With the step 3 and a possible "MBA" your will look even better. Now, calling your failures a scheduling issue is unacceptable. My advice is you need to come up with a candid and believable reason and answer for that question and for all the other common questions they can ask you. Kill whatever interview you have. any other questions shoot me an email: step2csbuddy@gmail.com
DeleteThank you Dr. Kwasi. I have been interviewing and explaining my situation, what I learned, etc. However, I did very well in last year's interviews as well.
ReplyDeleteMy question is: as a repeat applicant, should I take a specific approach different than last year? I feel as if I have maximized my efforts but there is still a lot of uncertainty. Any general tips would be appreciated, especially regarding highlighting my strengths to trump the red flags.
Also most importantly, how to approach programs if I'm contacting them (if I didn't get an interview there) and post-interview contact. I personalize the email to the interviewer, share what I liked best, and what I will contribute, Thank them, etc. And is it bad to email them again before ranking?
Thank you.
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late response; I have been very busy.
When you are trying to attain goals, all that matters is that you cinched got the result. No matter how you felt the interviews went it does not matter until you get a position. Sorry about being blunt. Most likely you did well enough to be ranked at least but they people ranked ahead of you just accepted the position. I know how you feel because I have been in that exact same position before.
This is what I did when I was in your shoes last year - exactly the same shoes-
- practiced really hard for my interviews
- Narrowed the my program application list to places whose criteria I most likely fit.
- contacted programs. What you wrote about how you'll write your post interview emails is spot on.
If you have any other questions shoot me an email (gyenyame25@gmail.com)