A few things after reading the numerous posts on matching...
Board scores matter, as does AOA, but neither is the most important thing.(although some places do use cutoffs - what can you do) We dont like to take people who fail the USMLE or do VERY poorly (because you want people to pass their boards when they are done or your program can get suspended).
More important are your letters of recommendations(the last line in the letter often tells the tale - orthospeak - how interested the person really is in you as a candidate) and your rotation if you do one with us(even though we take lots of people who never do). Get letters from as many orthopedists(especially ones who actually KNOW you!) as possible, as the other ones mean NOTHING AT ALL REALLY! A chief resident letter is required some places and can be helpful anywhere. We invite our chiefs to the rank meeting every year to get the residents input.
Research is a part of it too but again not even close to the most important thing.
Bottom line is to kick butt on your subI's and ask people for letters of recommendation afterwards. The problem is most people dont seem to know what to do on a sub I to stand out so we put together a tip sheet. If anyone wants it just email me and i'd be happy to forward it.
Also no matter how good you think your application is, be humble and apply to more programs than you need. If you limit areas of the country you may get burned, ive seen it happen to good applicants. Take all statements of interest in you with a grain of salt, applicants and programs both tend to exagerate interest in each other.
Anyone interested in (its not well known, but is outstanding - i stayed on as staff because i like it alot) feel free to contact me as well after checking out our web site if you have any questions. I'd encourage people to consider a sub I here as we really let our students do a lot (easier since we have no fellows).
Good luck,
