longwaytogo said:
How important are boards vs. evals vs. LOR's vs. Research vs. AOA when applying for plastics integrated??? Can anyone comment on how significant each of them is in relation to each other in the big scheme of things? Thanks
Your question has been asked over and over, and you need to realize it's not one thing being more important than the other...it's all about who you are in the, as you put it, the big scheme of things.
Just look at yourself as an applicant the way a food critic would look at a meal. One part of the meal, be it the service, the ingredients, the presentation, or the flavor, may not be as great as the others, and this could make the meal lousy, or bad service could be overlooked because the flavor and presentation is outstanding, or say the meal was something that person never liked the taste of, no matter how it's prepared.
I could go on but i think my point is clear. You are presenting yourself as a package to these programs, and all the things you're asking about are parts of the package. A weakness in one thing may not make one bit of difference if it's overshadowed by greatness in the other parts of your application. Like the meal analogy, some people are just not going to find you palatable no matter what, just because they have their own biases or prejudices. And a lot of your questions can be answered with just a little common sense.... if you have superior board scores, AOA, and 25 publications, you know as well as i do that if your letters of rec suck then no program will care about your academic achievement, cause there are more than enough brilliant applicants...when people have letters that make me want to meet you and work with you, then you'd be someone on my invite list when it came to interview time.
The reality is that your post was probably written because something or other must be weak in your application and you're looking for us to tell you that it's ok, it doesn't matter, you'll be safe. I went through this process...I know exactly what's going on in your mind. What's the flaw that's worrying you? And what makes you so nervous about it that it led you to post your question on this board?
The other reality (and this applies to anyone who asks these questions in the future) is that by the time you've asked this question, you've already taken your boards, you've been evaluated, you know if you're AOA or not, you've either done a lot of research or none at all, and you have no control over the content of the LORs you've asked for---essentially, your record has been established and with few exceptions there's
nothing you can do to change any of them, so what's the point? You can't change anything anymore, so you're either looking for validation or you're asking questions whose answers will somehow discourage you and will give you something to worry about for months--it's so self-defeating.
Just surrender and come to terms with the fact that what's done is done and you have no control over what programs are going to like or dislike about your qualifications. And even if you're a 1st year med student, I still feel these questions are purposeless. You know that you're going to give it your best shot when you take the boards no matter what. You're always going to strive to get good evals and AOA, and sometimes you'll work your butt off and your evaluator will still screw you over. And LORs can be written by very important people who know you very well and like you a lot but happen to be lousy writers.
There are no definite answers, and don't waste your energy worrying over things you have no control over. Even people with flawless apps and great interviews don't match every year. So make your choice---worry, worry, and worry or just let things happen and believe that if it's meant to be, it will be.
ok that's all. did that answer your question? LOL
