Step 1- 244, ck-251, cs-pass 1st time, step 3- 238

step 1- 244, ck-251, cs-pass 1st time, step 3- 238
USCE- 4mo( 3externships, 1observership)
research- 1poster presentation, 1 case report(unpublished)
YOG- 2017
non US IMG

So guess I’ll share my experience in this group. First off, I went into the season fairly confident that I would get a good number of ivs considering I have decent creds. But I guess I underestimated the competition as I ended up only getting 2 ivs throughout the season. That caused a lot of self doubt and anxiety as I couldn’t pin point the reason behind the lacklustre season I was having. Was it my PS, the generic LOR’s, lack of publications, visa requirement, or a combination of everything? (even doubted my eras photo where i decided to keep a beard which I now think was a dumb idea). I frantically started contacting programs through email initially and later by calling each one but to no avail. Tried reaching out to contacts as well and that is actually how I got my second interview. So, kinda realised how important networking is in this whole process. But even then 2 interviews seemed very underwhelming considering how hard it was to get to this point and realising that my chances to match were pretty slim.
I reluctantly accepted the fact that i could possibly have to rely entirely on those 2 interviews for a residency position and that I would have to prepare as thoroughly as I could to not f@#$ it up(you got one shot, one opportunity :P). The interviews went well and I started feeling more positive about my outcome. Knowing there was nothing else to do than wait, I made the most of my time, binging on tv shows, video games and…erm…other things. :stuck_out_tongue:
In the end it all seems to have worked out just fine and I am super stoked to start my residency in the US! I just want to encourage and remind ppl to never lose hope, that it only takes one interview to match and also the lesson that scores are not everything. Make contacts, try getting really good LOR’s, and work hard on your PS. I don’t think anyone knows how this whole process works and what programs really look for in an applicant, so can’t afford to slack off on any part of your application.
With that, I wanna Wish everyone the best of luck for the future and congratulations to everyone who matched.
#gooutandpartytime #ohwaitcovid19 #stayhomeandpartytime.