So aside from the fact that reading these kinds of posts, from this year and previous years, is entertaining...looking back on how many times i looked at this site in the year leading up to match day, I think advice is more helpful than board scores. You all know what you need to do as far as grades and boards and letters, and how well you should perform on rotations. You have to do the best you can. That being said, this is what I learned from this ridiculous process:
1. When you choose your away rotations, and please hammer this into your head, think about where you want to live for five years AND the quality of the program. I'm saying this because I rotated at great programs, but then when all was said and done and I had to make my rank list, I couldn't imagine living in those places and I was upset with myself. It sounds like a boneheaded thing to do, but at the time I really just was thinking about wanting the best training possible. Just remember the where is just as important as the quality...you will care, even if you think you wont. At the same token, if your grades dont support your application to the area that you want to live on, youll have to go for your #2 location. Dont waste time with miami or san diego if youre not realistically competitive. Because even if knock a rotation out of the park and you have a 200 on step I, theres another guy who rotated there just as hard working as you (most of us applying are hard working which is why the interviewers never want to hear this as a personal quality) and also has higher than a 240.
2. If you are a 1st or 2nd year reading this...for the love of G-d...just go study for step I. Its like six weeks out of seventy eighty ninety years...and you dont want to be pissed at yourself twenty years from now. Force yourself to study. Step I is what you need to get interviews, not to match.
3. The whole debate on who you should ask for a letter. Most programs allow 4...a few said only 3, some wanted a letter outside of ortho..some wanted a chief resident. The other question is...do you get a letter from someone well known who won't know you that well, or do you get a letter from a nobody who will say you are the best student he has ever seen? From my experience, watching all of my interviewers read my letters in front of me...if they didn't know the guy, or never heard about him...they would skip it and move on to the next one. If i had a letter from someone that was known, they would read it and say..ohhh i like that guy, then it didnt really matter if it wasnt a top 5% students all time letter. So when youre thinking about who to ask, first ask yourself...where do I want to go for residency. Do you want to go to Miami? Get someone who would be known in miami to write you a letter. And there is always one guy in every institution that is known by someone somewhere, you just have to find them. Some may disagree...might say the no name letter is just as good....im just sharing my experience.
4. Do research...doesnt have to be published at time of interview...you need to talk about it inteligently, be able to speak about the impact of the research...what you would have done differently, where the work will go in the future...clinical impact. As long as they think you will be capable of handling a project as a resident, you'll be fine.
5. Personal statement- tell a story. Pick something that happened to you in your life and write about it. Doesnt have to be about ortho. Its not an ortho statement. its about you. They can look at your application and find out all they need about your aptitude to be a surgeon...the whole point of this is for them to learn something else about you, and to give them something to talk to you about in your 10-20 mins with them. The whole reason you are interviewing is so they can find a reason why you are better than everyone else. Talking about football for 20 mins doesnt make you different than most other people. Talk about something you like doing and teach them about it.
6. Don't be a jackass on your away rotations. There was one rotation i did where the med student was way to chumy with the residents and fellows, and i was told on my last day of the rotation that they hated him. Just do your work, be nice, try to be around when things are happening. Don't sit and watch people do things, always try and help. Make sure you have trauma sheers and learn how to make splints. Take call when you can. And try your best to make a good first impression, because it makes the rest of the month much easier and pleasant. You will learn a lot of some rotations and will get to do a lot if you are just a person thats easy to get a long with.
7. Make sure your letter writers get your letters in by the last week of september. Some of these attendings are very busy or very lazy, or both...and you just have to ask and ask and ask...ask them and their secretaries. They might not remember what it was like, but there are some programs that send out invites early, and you dont want to miss out on these because of slow writers. If you dont feel like they will get there stuff in on time, get someone else to write for you, its not a bad idea to have an extra letter lined up. Most attendings are nice and are willing to help with letters as long as you helped them a bit during your time with them.
8. I read Hoppenfelds orthopedic surgery book before cases...taught me approaches and explained certain points that i got asked about in the or. Try your best to learn anatomy, its what you are asked about most.
9. Thank you notes....i liked that some programs said not to even bother because they make their rank lists the same day as the interview. I dont see any reason not to send thank you's, but i dont think it will make or break anything. just dont be lazy, if you have time...it wont hurt.
10. Schedule your fourth year AI's early...spots at good places fill up fast and you can get screwed over. Its almost april...you should be done applying or finishing up.
Good luck
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