I am currently a 3rd year student at a DO school. I plan on applying all over to both allo and osteo residencies. Not partial to either training, just would like to stay in the midwest. I'm a below avg-average?? applicant, USMLE 228, top 25%, year of research. My main question is how is work ethic and personality, essentially intangibles, valued during residency selection?? I have lived in the midwest my whole life and thus worked in tobacco and hay fields since I was a teenager. So I have always had a great work ethic and attitude and feel am easy to get along with. I know I am not the sharpest tool in the shed since I am not top of my class, >250 USMLE but would a "whole picture" app still compete?? Or am I better served finding those niche residencies that would place more value on the person rather than the paper (assuming these exist)??
Bottom line is that you need to highlight places with your subinternships that have a reputation for looking beyond the numbers, etc... Unfortunately, with as competitive as our field has become over the past decade the numbers strongly influence and bias the process. 240 used to be a score in rarified air and now it is viewed as fairly pedestrian.
What you need a program to do is see firsthand your work ethic but the challenge is for you to get your foot in the door. That's why your subinternships will be so crucial to your ultimate chances of success in the allopathic residency match.
