Advice on doing an Away in my situation

[medstar2330]

I've been going back and fourth on doing an Away in IM after initially shutting out the possibility. I've scoured previous threads and would appreciate some input. (Please don't quite in case I decide to delete some of the info below in the future.)

Would you advise doing an away if:

1. This program is a "Top XX" Program (10 maybe?) and is far and away my top choice
2. They have a great, established relationship with my specific med school and we consistently match 1-2 of us there each year
3. I am borderline in terms of academics for that institution (Step 1 230s, HP (medicine), very, very good MPSE comments all around) but with good research (a couple 1st author + more) and outstanding ECs/hobbies
4. Was told specifically by an adcom from there to really consider doing an away there
5. Students from my med school who have previously done aways there have matched there and had great experiences; students who have not done aways have matched there too - they were all strong enough academically to have went into pretty much any field they wanted however
6. It would have to be in October - after ERAS is submitted and interviews are starting to roll in

What are your thoughts? I want to do one there specifically to boost my chances for that particular program, not to get a letter etc to help me elsewhere. I initially declined to do one as I thought I would hurt myself more than help. However, the fact that I'm not quite academically up to par with previous students who have matched there, that it's my top choice and was told specifically to really consider one are driving me to do it. I'm really confident in myself to do just about as well as any med student can and am generally a fun person to be around. The other part of me thinks that I'm well rounded enough to potentially get an II without the away. I'd appreciate your input.

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[jdh71]

Don't do it. Top 10 places give **** all about your rotation with them. You'll either have the stats and rep to get the interview invite or you wont - at baseline. Now if you go there and look like a *****, very possibly through no fault of your own - just learning a new EMR can be enough - well . . . You can do the math there. Aways at top 10's are really just your opportunity to ruin your chances rather than make any big impressions. It's your invite to lose rather than gain. You are not going to stand out from their students enough that they will just have to have you.

 

[P Diddy]

I've been going back and fourth on doing an Away in IM after initially shutting out the possibility. I've scoured previous threads and would appreciate some input. (Please don't quite in case I decide to delete some of the info below in the future.)

Would you advise doing an away if:

1. This program is a "Top XX" Program (10 maybe?) and is far and away my top choice
2. They have a great, established relationship with my specific med school and we consistently match 1-2 of us there each year
3. I am borderline in terms of academics for that institution (Step 1 230s, HP (medicine), very, very good MPSE comments all around) but with good research (a couple 1st author + more) and outstanding ECs/hobbies
4. Was told specifically by an adcom from there to really consider doing an away there
5. Students from my med school who have previously done aways there have matched there and had great experiences; students who have not done aways have matched there too - they were all strong enough academically to have went into pretty much any field they wanted however
6. It would have to be in October - after ERAS is submitted and interviews are starting to roll in

What are your thoughts? I want to do one there specifically to boost my chances for that particular program, not to get a letter etc to help me elsewhere. I initially declined to do one as I thought I would hurt myself more than help. However, the fact that I'm not quite academically up to par with previous students who have matched there, that it's my top choice and was told specifically to really consider one are driving me to do it. I'm really confident in myself to do just about as well as any med student can and am generally a fun person to be around. The other part of me thinks that I'm well rounded enough to potentially get an II without the away. I'd appreciate your input.

I would do it. I did an away at a top 10 and that's the only reason I matched there. The reasons you enumerate only reinforce the potential benefit.

Could you **** up? Sure. Or you could excel and absolutely stand out by virtue of your work ethic, presentations, and knowledge base.

You can act scared and follow the above advice, or be confident in yourself and take the chance.

You could also find that the program is not what you had dreamed of, which would make the away even more worth it.

p diddy

 

[VentJockey]

Away rotations are good for two things: 1) audition if you want to match there. 2) get an educational experience not available at home.

Personally, I think the risk of *ucking up and ruining your application is a poor reason to avoid an away rotation.

 

[Meridian32]

Have you talked to your clerkship director in internal medicine or someone else in internal medicine advising to see what they think, based on their institutional knowledge of what it takes for students from your school to match at this program? This seems like a situation where someone with long term familiarity with students from your specific school would be best positioned to advise you.

That said, I was in a somewhat similar situation this past application season - strong preference for a specific "big 4" program for personal reasons, at a school that matches 1-2 to this program annually, with a reasonably good application but also an understanding that there are no guarantees in a situation like this. I was advised to do an away because of my situation and did one. It actually didn't go very well - partly, as jdh71 said, due to the unfamiliar EMR and hospital system, and partly due to my own initial nervousness. I was very, very lucky and ended up matching at this program nonetheless, but genuinely didn't expect to due to my mediocre away performance.

So I would have to agree with jdh71 - aways are a roll of the dice and can go awry despite your (or at least my) best efforts. However, a suboptimal away performance won't necessarily kill you. And I'm not sure how much of a difference an away in October will make for interviews since most interview invites will get sent before your away is complete.