Average student?

[Rollo]

Hey folks

M2 here. I'm very interested in ENT since I fell in love with head and neck anatomy last year. And the more I explore the field, the more interesting I find it. We're supposed to have ENT lectures sometime later this year (our school is systems-based). And we get roughly 6 months of elective time during M3/M4 years.

I've looked at the NRMP data and have read around this forum and discovered that ENT is a very competitive field. I'm an average student, I've mostly ended up with mid-high Bs in the first year.

My concern aren't the grades from the first 2 years. Mostly, my concern is how well I'll be able to do on the boards.

Is it realistic to expect an average student like myself to do above average on boards? I'm aiming for 240+.

Thanks folks.

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[resxn]

Is it realistic to expect an average student like myself to do above average on boards? I'm aiming for 240+.

Assuming the effort is the same, no. It's certainly possible, but not realistic.

 

[Rollo]

Assuming the effort is the same, no. It's certainly possible, but not realistic.

Besides putting more effort, what else do you think could help me get better grades this year AND above average board score?

 

[AggieSean]

Besides putting more effort, what else do you think could help me get better grades this year AND above average board score?

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[lipofuscin232]

I apologize for the awful response you have received on this thread, I hope it was sarcastic. But yes, it is absolutely possible. I recommend you go to the USMLE step I thread and read the tips submitted on there. There is a ton of great advice. One of the books I found most helpful was Goljan. Also, know first aid as well as possible. 90% of the questions will stem from that information. Do as many questions on USMLE world as you can. These questions are extremely similar to the ones you will see on step 1. PM me if you need any further advice or questions. ENT is a great field, do not let others make you think you feel underqualified!!!!!!!!! There is a lot more of yourself left to prove than your 1st and 2nd year grades (which are prob the least impt part of your app).

 

[resxn]

I apologize for the awful response you have received on this thread, I hope it was sarcastic. But yes, it is absolutely possible. I recommend you go to the USMLE step I thread and read the tips submitted on there. There is a ton of great advice. One of the books I found most helpful was Goljan. Also, know first aid as well as possible. 90% of the questions will stem from that information. Do as many questions on USMLE world as you can. These questions are extremely similar to the ones you will see on step 1. PM me if you need any further advice or questions. ENT is a great field, do not let others make you think you feel underqualified!!!!!!!!! There is a lot more of yourself left to prove than your 1st and 2nd year grades (which are prob the least impt part of your app).

Are you telling me that someone who is putting in a significant effort to get good grades in their first 2 years of med school but comes up with avg or just above avg grades can all of a sudden have some kind of inspiration and rock the boards more than a standard deviation and a half above the average? Just because something is possible, doesn't mean it's realistic. I said it's possible, but not a realistic expectation. I suck at taking standardized tests and didn't get much other than an above average score on Step I, but I was chosen to be the administrative chief in my residency--a position given to who is thought to be overall the best resident. So I'm not saying it's not realistic to be an ENT, just unrealistic to expect that you can perform dramatically different all of a sudden outside what your past history indicates you're capable.

Plan for the worst, hope and work for the best.

There is something that you need to realize to be a good resident and a good physician. #1 - Hoping doesn't get the job done. This is a career defined by incredibly hard work and dedication. Without that, you won't last, or at least thrive and be good (or as good as you can/should be) #2 Having said that, it's far more important to be someone who cares and is of avg skill/intelligence than someone who doesn't who has exceptional skill/intelligence. As an attending and a senior resident I'd far more have an idiot who cares than a genius who doesn't.

I can't honestly tell you specifically what you need to do to rock the boards because I'm too far removed from that to even know and I don't know how you're studying anyway nor your strengths or weaknesses. I can tell you it won't happen without changing what you've done in the past which hasn't lead you to ace previous grades.

 

[neutropeniaboy]

Have to agree with resxn. With respect to USMLE Step I (and the Otolaryngology boards I might add), there's no substitution for hard work and excellent performance during the years leading up to the exam.

It would just seem to me to be a very difficult task to land a competitive score on Step I if you gave average effort the first two years of medical school.

 

[Rollo]

I can tell you it won't happen without changing what you've done in the past which hasn't lead you to ace previous grades.

You know, this should be an is common sense advice but for some reason it's really difficult to embrace this advice and implement it.

For me, its difficult because of this fear that if I start to work harder and become more disciplined, and I still end up doing average or just slightly better than average...then what I'm left with besides having "wasted" all the time and energy into working hard.

Writing that out just made me realize how absurd that sounds. Regardless, that's what it is. I don't want to sit here and make excuses for less-than-hard work and discipline I'm putting in right now. Time to say the hell with it and let's give it a shot anyway. Worse case scenario, I become a little more mature and disciplined through out the whole process.

 

[Ableton]

You know, this should be an is common sense advice but for some reason it's really difficult to embrace this advice and implement it.

For me, its difficult because of this fear that if I start to work harder and become more disciplined, and I still end up doing average or just slightly better than average...then what I'm left with besides having "wasted" all the time and energy into working hard.

Writing that out just made me realize how absurd that sounds. Regardless, that's what it is. I don't want to sit here and make excuses for less-than-hard work and discipline I'm putting in right now. Time to say the hell with it and let's give it a shot anyway. Worse case scenario, I become a little more mature and disciplined through out the whole process.

There's no sense in mulling over this and trying to predict the future. Just get through the year, learn as much as possible in order to do as best you can, and then just see how step 1 goes. If you do well, then great! If not, then there are still other ways to get into otolaryngology.

I believe in taking things one step at a time. Looking too far ahead leads to obsessions that just add unnecessary anxiety and stress, which is bound to impact your performance. So focus on doing the best you can!