Matched!!

I'm feeling the pain of not matching too.
242, top 1/3 at a strong school, ortho research, 14 interviews with a wide range of programs, 3 ortho rotations with great evals. I blame the chads
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Anyway, good luck to those who did match. Hope everyone gets the place they want.

As far as doing research vs prelim year, I was advised by three different people (ortho advisor, scramble advisor, and dean) that this was not a good idea. I took a prelim spot at UCSF and plan on working like a dog next year. I guess I'll have to dust off the stethoscope and learn to read EKGs
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Most prelim programs will try to give you time off for interviews as their accreditation is dependent on placing people into spots after the prelim year. I think the process will probably be pretty painful (q2 call to open up dates, no vacation time after interviewing), but I hope it can be done.

Sadly, I too did not matched. The scramble was bad as all the programs I called were full. Unofficially took a prelim at an average gen surg place and I'm confused about whether to go through with it or do research for a year. Everyone has different advice. Still walking around stunned and dazed. Would appreciate advice.
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to all of those who did not match and are suffering through the scrambling process, hang in there, because anything can happen. i know it is a painful time right now, i was there 2 years ago. the remaining "unfilled" ortho spots were worthless. i ended up scrambling into a g. surg prelim spot, the decision was based on location and the program's reputation. the first month of my internship was so dismal that i thought about quitting each and every day in that month. i thought about the possibility of applying to business or law schools or just take a year off (skiing, cycling, traveling, playing golf) and apply the following year. however, 6 weeks into my intern year, i received a phone call out of the blue from an ortho program in the same city. 3 months later, i transferred and never missed a step. currently, i can't imagine myself being happier anywhere else in the country. call me a lucky @#$%^&*...i can not argue.
in addition, there was another person who didn't match in ortho and scrambled into the same g. surg prelim program that i was in, he ended up finishing up the year there. the ortho program at the same institution offered him a spot, however, he landed a 2nd year spot elsewhere without missing a beat.
anyways, the point is hang in there and hope for the best.

Gambit:

I was wondering what your strategy was in matching. I have similar stats right now, 217 on Step I and in the middle of my class, doing rotations right now. Wondering what I can do to match. Any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

My heart goes out to those of you who did not match. Received this email from Maryland today -- maybe someone would be interested...

Dear Applicant:

The Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Maryland is offering a one year research position (outside of the match) in the Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory beginning July 1, 2003. Expereince in animal surgery will be gained while studying heterotopic bone formation and fracture healing in a rabbit model.

If you are interested in this one year research position, please e-mail Cathy Malecki at [url=mailto][email protected][/url], as soon as possible. Please send, via email, a letter of interest and your C.V.

This is a one year position only and you would need to re-apply to the match next year.

Sincerely,

Vincent D. Pellegrini, Jr., M.D.
J.L. Kernan Professor and Chair

AOA, solid boards, awesome letters, two away rotations and a big fat sorry you did not match!
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I ranked 7 programs and felt very competetive. I even had a program director speak to my advisor and say that he had a spot fo me. Do not believe anything you hear from these programs. The scramble is the most god aweful process i have ever endured. Congrats to those who matched and believe me I am with those who did not. I will reapply next year as Ortho is the only thing I want to do.

My heart goes out to you screwed, g-love, and newguy. I had twelve programs ranked, two of which i rotated at and was pretty sure i was a shoe-in. i didnt match on monday, went into scramble day thinking i would go for a prelim, and holy-freakin @$%& i got one of the south carolina spots. i feel like the luckiest unluckiest guy on earth. all you guys and gals that didnt match (or scramble to a spot) dont give up. the system is completely @$%&ing stupid and random and its totally unfair; i feel like all of us should have matched. keep trying, i know you'll all suceed if you do - you've all worked too hard to give up, your determination will eventually pay off. good luck to the rest of you who matched, i hope everyone will get the spots they deserve. me, i'm just feling incredibly grateful and lucky to be able to do ortho after a bunch of probably random circumstances conspired to make me not match, and then match - its been the craziest 24 hours in my life. good luck to everyone in the future!! and watch out south carolina!!!!

retard....I know it has been over three years since I have had genetics, but I am pretty sure that females have XX.

Oooh. Oooh.

XY genotype ya moron
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That really sucks screwed. I hope you were one of the lucky three to land the sweet spot in Madison.

If you don't mind me asking, what did your ROL look like? I am curious to see what programs will throw aside an obviously qualified applicant for and XX genotype.

Sorry to here it 'screwed'
Raw deal.
Heart goes out to ya.


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congratulations to those who matched and to those who didn't keep trying. if you feel like posting would you mind telling those of us who are applying for next year if you did away rotations and if you had ranked them high. Just some additional insight. good luck.

To those who did not match, I truly feel for you.
I did not match last year, and reapplied and somehow matched this year. It's not easy on your mental state (a year of uncertainty and sweating is very unpleasant) but it can be done. Try for the scramble and there may be some outside the match research postions out there. Talk to secretaries at schools where you interviewed if they have heard anything.
I know a guy who applied 4 times before he got a spot. It can be done. Good luck!

to those who did not match, i offer my deepest regrets. I had a guy in my class last year that did not match, and the dirty part of it was that our own med school did not match one of their spots, meaning that they did not rank him AT ALL! Thats pretty crappy to not even rank your own students unless there is some bizzare circumstance, which was not the case here.
As far as spots in the scramble, some of those may be positions that were offered/accepted outside the match, keep that in mind....

screwed,
i'll be scrambling with you tomorrow. don't see how i can compete with those numbers. if you don't get a spot this week and can't live without ortho, keep looking for spots that open later in the year (i know you shouldn't have to). if you do get a spot, let us know.

screwed,
Don't let this slow you down. You're obviously qualified and should definitely look attractive to those unfilled programs.
Good Luck!

Screwed,

Sorry to hear about not matching. I wish you all the luck in the world with the scramble if that is what you choose to pursue.

I've gone back and forth with myself and with friends about the pro's and con's of being female and applying in orthopaedics. You're obviously qualified on paper and despite not knowing you personally I will assume you are a decent person like 99% of the people out there. I still think a significant "boys club" attitude still pervades ortho despite its largely unspoken nature. Many of the women I met on interviews felt their gender was a double edged sword in that it was an edge for some places (eg Stanford -- they even told us that diversity was a plus during the interview welcome) or a hindrance at others (Baylor had no female applicants at their only interview day -- I was there).

Stranger things have happened, and even stranger things have yet to come. The "magic number" of interviews is merely a statistical likelihood and not a fixed rule. I myself was worried I wouldn't match despite 11 interviews because you can always be close on some programs list but not quite there. This isn't like medicine where there are 20+ spots per program.

screwed,
you must be stunned more than I was...

243, top quarter, offered 29 interviews out of 55 applied, ranked 17 programs, NO match.

scrambling tomorrow. yeah buddy. :pimp:

Screwed,
I am shocked you didn't match. Best of luck with the scramble.

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