I agree mostly with what was said, but I disagree that you 'failed' last year.
I think that's a negative way to look at it, and there are a LOT of factors that are outside the interview..some of which are outside of your control.
You will get asked 'what happened'.. and you WILL get sick of that question.. just don't say something like 'you fell through the cracks'.. let the interviewer say that.. Many of the interviews i had.. I went through my experience..
"I've thought about this all year long, over and over, and I think that it was a combination of many things..I didn't apply broadly enough, I could have had more research, I didn't have a mentor, etc...It was a very humbling experience, and this was in the end, a positive experience for me. I had many opportunities to get involved in a variety of research projects, and learned very much in the process"
Invariably, people would say.. "You must have fell through the cracks because you're god's gift to ortho blah blah blah"...
When you walk in they will have the assumption that 1. something is wrong with you. By having a good attitude and being personable that will help wipe this preconceived vision of you.
I know for me, the big thing was having a mentor. It seems like what happened with me the second time around was that folks who liked me, still doubted me (because I didn't match) and then in order to make sure there wasn't something wrong with me (which I think there is, but hey..whatever) they called my letter writer.
Anyway, the big lesson is always, do your best. Having a mentor will help... and people WILL make phone calls about you. It's scary to think that people are talking about you..but they do. In this case, they need more than a positive application or letter.. the committee wants to hear from someone they know.. "yeah, I can't believe this guy didn't match.. he's a great candidate" or something along those lines.
but don't be discouraged. There's way too much negativity surrounding reapplicants, especially considering how competitive the specialty is. (that's because it is so cool, and you know you want to be a part of it..)
Matching is surreal when you didn't the first time around, and when that happens..all that pain, all that work, it's totally worth it..the fun is just beginning
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-iliiz.
