IamNikolas
Registered User
Posts: 1
(4/9/01 7:48:06 pm)
Reply
Backup Blues
I want to apply for Ortho, but I wanted to apply for a backup specialty -- General Surgery. Does anyone
know how to go about this? That is, I cannot get letters from general surgeons because I'm doing all
Ortho electives early in my 4th year. Would any decent surgery program interview me if I don't have
letters of rec from gen. surgeons??? Does anyone know of someone who's done this? Thanks.
hurricane26
Registered User
Posts: 9
(4/9/01 8:12:12 pm)
Reply
Backup
You can get as many letters you want from whoever you want. Then you designate which
schools/programs recieve which letters. You don't have to send the same 4 LOR to everyone. You can
even write two personal statement and no one will know your motives.
IamNikolas
Registered User
Posts: 2
(4/9/01 10:24:56 pm)
Reply
Re: Backup
I didn't know that about the personal statements...Thanks. But in regards to the letters, my problem is
that I don't know any general surgeons to get letters from....and this summer, I'm ONLY doing Ortho
electives...so I won't have a chance to get letters from general surgeons, let alone do an elective in
general surgery. So am I pretty much out of luck as far as general surgery goes?
Ortho2002
Registered User
Posts: 11
(4/10/01 5:38:01 am)
Reply
Letters
Didn't you do a surgery rotation in your third year? If you got honors in that, getting a letter from your
chairman in the department of surgery shouldn't be a stretch.
IamNikolas
Registered User
Posts: 3
(4/10/01 10:14:20 pm)
Reply
Re: Letters
I haven't gotten my grade back yet...but let's say I did get honors...would letters from 3rd year be good
enough. Everyone I know who's going into gen surg is doing electives early in their 4th year. I figure if I
don't do ortho, I would like to at least get into one of the top programs in gen surg...I'm wondering if
anyone else has done this or knows of someone in same position...Thanks for all previous replies.
Techno
Registered User
Posts: 10
(4/11/01 10:12:36 am)
Reply
Backup
General surgery isn't that competitive--that's why it's your backup, right? You probably won't get into
the primo general surgery programs without doing a 4th year elective in gen surg, but you wouldn't want
to anyway, given how malignant some of the top gen surg programs are.
Personally, I wouldn't do a 4th year elective in gen surg just to generate a rec letter. Get rec letters from
your 3rd-year rotations and pray that you get a spot in ortho. Campaign hard for ortho instead of
splitting your time between two specialties. Ortho is much better specialty in terms of surgeries
(subjectively speaking), hours, lifestyle, pay, and... most importantly... PRESTIGE. Just kidding about the
last one.
Registered User
Posts: 1
(4/9/01 7:48:06 pm)
Reply
Backup Blues
I want to apply for Ortho, but I wanted to apply for a backup specialty -- General Surgery. Does anyone
know how to go about this? That is, I cannot get letters from general surgeons because I'm doing all
Ortho electives early in my 4th year. Would any decent surgery program interview me if I don't have
letters of rec from gen. surgeons??? Does anyone know of someone who's done this? Thanks.
hurricane26
Registered User
Posts: 9
(4/9/01 8:12:12 pm)
Reply
Backup
You can get as many letters you want from whoever you want. Then you designate which
schools/programs recieve which letters. You don't have to send the same 4 LOR to everyone. You can
even write two personal statement and no one will know your motives.
IamNikolas
Registered User
Posts: 2
(4/9/01 10:24:56 pm)
Reply
Re: Backup
I didn't know that about the personal statements...Thanks. But in regards to the letters, my problem is
that I don't know any general surgeons to get letters from....and this summer, I'm ONLY doing Ortho
electives...so I won't have a chance to get letters from general surgeons, let alone do an elective in
general surgery. So am I pretty much out of luck as far as general surgery goes?
Ortho2002
Registered User
Posts: 11
(4/10/01 5:38:01 am)
Reply
Letters
Didn't you do a surgery rotation in your third year? If you got honors in that, getting a letter from your
chairman in the department of surgery shouldn't be a stretch.
IamNikolas
Registered User
Posts: 3
(4/10/01 10:14:20 pm)
Reply
Re: Letters
I haven't gotten my grade back yet...but let's say I did get honors...would letters from 3rd year be good
enough. Everyone I know who's going into gen surg is doing electives early in their 4th year. I figure if I
don't do ortho, I would like to at least get into one of the top programs in gen surg...I'm wondering if
anyone else has done this or knows of someone in same position...Thanks for all previous replies.
Techno
Registered User
Posts: 10
(4/11/01 10:12:36 am)
Reply
Backup
General surgery isn't that competitive--that's why it's your backup, right? You probably won't get into
the primo general surgery programs without doing a 4th year elective in gen surg, but you wouldn't want
to anyway, given how malignant some of the top gen surg programs are.
Personally, I wouldn't do a 4th year elective in gen surg just to generate a rec letter. Get rec letters from
your 3rd-year rotations and pray that you get a spot in ortho. Campaign hard for ortho instead of
splitting your time between two specialties. Ortho is much better specialty in terms of surgeries
(subjectively speaking), hours, lifestyle, pay, and... most importantly... PRESTIGE. Just kidding about the
last one.