I had all passes M3 and 240s step. Didn't get many interviews so make sure you apply to plenty of back ups. Your long shots are virtually impossible without an away or significant rads research. I can't speak for Loyola but got rejected from all of your last group of programs as well. I was at unranked northeast school
FAQ: What are my chances?
- Thread starter hans19
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I had all passes M3 and 240s step. Didn't get many interviews so make sure you apply to plenty of back ups. Your long shots are virtually impossible without an away or significant rads research. I can't speak for Loyola but got rejected from all of your last group of programs as well. I was at unranked northeast school
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M3 at NE MD school, mid tier
M1, M2: mostly Ps, a few HPs
M3: Honors in a few, rest HPs
Step 1: 240s
Research: Research in non-rads field that went nowhere, one non-rads poster (1st author). Working on rads research now.
AOA unlikely
Top choices right now would be UWashington, OHSU, Virginia Mason; also thinking UColorado, Dartmouth, UVermont, Maine.
Thoughts? And thanks.
M1, M2: mostly Ps, a few HPs
M3: Honors in a few, rest HPs
Step 1: 240s
Research: Research in non-rads field that went nowhere, one non-rads poster (1st author). Working on rads research now.
AOA unlikely
Top choices right now would be UWashington, OHSU, Virginia Mason; also thinking UColorado, Dartmouth, UVermont, Maine.
Thoughts? And thanks.
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How many programs would you recommend applying to? 35-40?
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where did you get interviews? I have a friend with the same stats applying
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I'm a current 3rd year at a south east DO school. I was wondering my shot at an DR/ESIR program in the Midwest/southeast such as MUSC, Baylor, Texas tech , Louisville, ect or Drexel.
Usmle high 240s
Complex low 700s
As and 1 B for clerkship grades so far. I don't know how that converts to H/HP/P
No med school research or meaningful ECs but trying to get in on a rad project.
Thanks for being such a helpful resource people of the sdn!
Usmle high 240s
Complex low 700s
As and 1 B for clerkship grades so far. I don't know how that converts to H/HP/P
No med school research or meaningful ECs but trying to get in on a rad project.
Thanks for being such a helpful resource people of the sdn!
prob will get interviews at most of those places, but U wash will be a reach
it may be tough for you to get interviews at: nw, michigan, upmc, wisc, mayo, uva, hopkins, indiana, jeff, wake
you never know, i would apply anyway. i got many rejections at places i thought i wouldn't and got interviews at places i thought i wouldn't. apply broadly adn don't put too much stock into any one program
the carib school will make things tougher. apply very broadly
if i were you i'd apply to every program in every urban area you'd want to live in
i would say you have a good shot at several university programs in the south
That's a good idea. I've looked into about 70 programs I'd be okay with and I'll apply to them. I know Rads is getting more competitive again so it'll be an uphill battle.
Thanks a lot for you response!
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Finishing M3
School: Mid tier, northeast, MD
Preclinical: all honors
Clinical: Mostly passes, couple honors, pass in Surg, pass in IM
Step 1: 260
Step 2: wont take until after September
Research: 5 peer reviewed papers, none first author, 2 on the way. ~20 abstracts, posters, presentations. None in rads, most in Rad Onc, 12 posters/presentations at ASTRO.
ECs: normal med school stuff, couple interest groups, tutoring.
Letters: none so far, planning to have one from surgery AI next month and couple from rads attendings at my institution.
AOA: not sure
Wondering if I can get someone where I'm can get Neuro or MSK fellowships and what these places are.
School: Mid tier, northeast, MD
Preclinical: all honors
Clinical: Mostly passes, couple honors, pass in Surg, pass in IM
Step 1: 260
Step 2: wont take until after September
Research: 5 peer reviewed papers, none first author, 2 on the way. ~20 abstracts, posters, presentations. None in rads, most in Rad Onc, 12 posters/presentations at ASTRO.
ECs: normal med school stuff, couple interest groups, tutoring.
Letters: none so far, planning to have one from surgery AI next month and couple from rads attendings at my institution.
AOA: not sure
Wondering if I can get someone where I'm can get Neuro or MSK fellowships and what these places are.
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Youll find a community program somewhere
if you choose your programs carefully, that should be fine. you could add a few more for comfort
"i have a friend"...okay
community programs in desirable areas and a couple university in rural areas
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no but seriously. it was actually for my friend because of laziness to create an SDN account hahaha
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Noone can say for sure other than the fact that top-tier programs are likely out.
Things you can do now to help yourself (in no particular order) which is probably more important:
- Don't go down on Step 2
- Make sure you honor whatever courses you choose for the first months of MS4 (your Med/Surg sub-I + Rad rotation will probably be the most helpful)
- Try to at least get on a case report. Coming from a "Top 20" med school, there's no excuse to have zero given that research is what these rankings are based on
- Do aways at programs in that region. Consider case report here +/- strong LOR, if feasible
- Mention you are serious about getting back to Southern California in your personal statement. Contact them if you don't get an interview in the first couple of interview invites
Things you can do now to help yourself (in no particular order) which is probably more important:
- Don't go down on Step 2
- Make sure you honor whatever courses you choose for the first months of MS4 (your Med/Surg sub-I + Rad rotation will probably be the most helpful)
- Try to at least get on a case report. Coming from a "Top 20" med school, there's no excuse to have zero given that research is what these rankings are based on
- Do aways at programs in that region. Consider case report here +/- strong LOR, if feasible
- Mention you are serious about getting back to Southern California in your personal statement. Contact them if you don't get an interview in the first couple of interview invites
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Hey everyone! Im a 3rd year DO student who recently experienced radiology during one of my rotations and fell in love with it. I have strong support from 2 of my rads attendings who both volunteered to write me strong letters if I decide on Rads (one adjunct faculty at my school and the other at a local community hospital). Given the following info, I'm guessing I'd be a sub-optimal applicant, but I'd sincerely appreciate knowing what you think my chances are, tips on where/how many programs to apply to, roughly the number of interviews I'd need to be "safe", as well as expectations and advice in general. Thank you all in advance.
School: Considered upper tier among DO schools
Step1: 234
Step 2: July 2017
Class rank: Bottom quarter (no fails/repeats, but still my biggest concern)
Rotation grades: All pass (still haven't received half of my shelf grades) (great evals from all attendings so far)
LoRs: 2 radiology, a neurosurgeon I know well and either a surgery or IM chair letter (I have close ties with both chairs)
Research: 5 abstracts, 3 presentations (2 more coming up), 3 abstracts submitted for publication so far (none in rads)
Extracurricular: Several school-representing roles and leadership positions (again none in rads due to new interest)
School: Considered upper tier among DO schools
Step1: 234
Step 2: July 2017
Class rank: Bottom quarter (no fails/repeats, but still my biggest concern)
Rotation grades: All pass (still haven't received half of my shelf grades) (great evals from all attendings so far)
LoRs: 2 radiology, a neurosurgeon I know well and either a surgery or IM chair letter (I have close ties with both chairs)
Research: 5 abstracts, 3 presentations (2 more coming up), 3 abstracts submitted for publication so far (none in rads)
Extracurricular: Several school-representing roles and leadership positions (again none in rads due to new interest)
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You'll be okay. I had a similar step score and class rank ( mid to lower tier, no fails or repeats ) , and while my average / lower med school grades DID get brought up on my interviews, my step score and the rest of my application ended up evening it out.
I graduated from what is considered a 'top tier' DO school in the midwest but the DO thing still hurts. I barely got interviews from academic centers, got a decent amount from mid range places, my MD friends got way more interviews with average usmle scores .
One thing that helped was emailing the program coordinators ( and program directors or chief residents, if their emails were available ) at programs i was specifically interested in to reinforce my interest in interviewing with them. That's how I ended up getting an interview at my current residency program. With so many applications to filter through, our chiefs and PD's look closer and pick out the apps from people that made the effort to reach out.
good luck!
Longshots are accurate. Your decent chance line can be pretty difficult too- hit or miss depending on your region (I was midwest, got half of them). Good chances seem spot on. UI-Peoria is a diamond in the rough. Solid Hybrid (academic/pp) program with awesome IR. They typically have trouble attracting people to Peoria, but its not bad, I ranked them in the top half of my list. Indiana should be added to the long shots. Unless you are from Illinois, Loyola may be difficult. They get >600 applicants a year. UNC, Thomas Jeff, WF also may be difficult unless you are from the area. WF will probably give you in interview if you show interest and have a decent app. This is all using my experience as someone with similar stats but a lot more research and previous career in healthcare. Dont assume any school will interview you because they may not. My peers and I thought we would surely have x,y, and z schools, but got less than expected. I am very pleased with my match results for Rads, but a lot of my peers dropped pretty low on the list.
Hello all, I'm doing a research year between M3 and M4 and about to head back to finish up rotations and start applying! I just wanted to get an understanding of what programs are open to me and then specifically about a few locations being Cali bay area, San diego, LA, and Seattle as I will be couples matching and my SO is very interested in programs there or nearby.
Top 20 MD program in the midwest
Personal ties to the south and SO has strong ties to Cali
Step 1 - 256
Step 2 CK - 247
Rotations - All Honors but HP in medicine and surgery
Research - Machine learning reserach M1-M2 with no pubs, doing nanotech oncology stuff currently and hoping to push out 1-2 impactful coauthor papers
LOR - Research mentor will give a great one for sure but he is not rads related, charismatic guy so he has some personal rads contacts across the country but don't know if he has much sway overall in the rads community
- Can probably line up a solid rads one from an upcoming rotation but nothing unusually spectacular
-Will have a very solid surgery one
- Still thinking on my 4th letter
E/C - pretty minimal volunteering, otherwise not much leadership
In addition, what can I do to buff my application. Sadly, while my current research is not super rads oriented, it is very interesting to me as well as time consuming so I'd only pick up some side rads review type projects if that really buffs my chances. Additionally, are aways a thing to seriously contemplate? At my institution I've been getting a lot of mixed reviews on aways since med student performance in the reading rooms is a bit hard to evaluate?
Top 20 MD program in the midwest
Personal ties to the south and SO has strong ties to Cali
Step 1 - 256
Step 2 CK - 247
Rotations - All Honors but HP in medicine and surgery
Research - Machine learning reserach M1-M2 with no pubs, doing nanotech oncology stuff currently and hoping to push out 1-2 impactful coauthor papers
LOR - Research mentor will give a great one for sure but he is not rads related, charismatic guy so he has some personal rads contacts across the country but don't know if he has much sway overall in the rads community
- Can probably line up a solid rads one from an upcoming rotation but nothing unusually spectacular
-Will have a very solid surgery one
- Still thinking on my 4th letter
E/C - pretty minimal volunteering, otherwise not much leadership
In addition, what can I do to buff my application. Sadly, while my current research is not super rads oriented, it is very interesting to me as well as time consuming so I'd only pick up some side rads review type projects if that really buffs my chances. Additionally, are aways a thing to seriously contemplate? At my institution I've been getting a lot of mixed reviews on aways since med student performance in the reading rooms is a bit hard to evaluate?
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I cant imagine you will have a hard time matching to a great program (top 20). I think the issue will be your region. California and other western states are really hard to break into. Maybe an away will help you out with a specific school. Find some radiologist with connections to those schools and see if they will call on your behalf.
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General question: Does this still apply if you have ties to California? IE: you grew up there/never left there except for medical school? Thanks for any insight!
I am from the midwest so I cannot really be 100%, but I met a lot of people from california on the interview trail. I was under the impression that they too had difficulty getting interviews at many california schools. Maybe someone else can chime in, but its hard either way. I can imagine that it would be slightly easier if you have stronger ties.
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Step 1 - 261
Step 2CK- deciding whether to take it before interview season
Clinical year - all HPs (H/HP/P/F) good comments no real negative feedback
Top 10 NE school
No AOA
Research- three presentations (1 in radiology), one case report in radiology starting a three month project with a neuroradiologist but probably hard time publishing before interviews
LOR - good research recs working on getting big name rads people in my school
E/C - random stuff worked in a nuclear medicine dept during college summers
Interested in matching at a top tier academic program in NE (e.g columbia cornell nyu sinai yale) besides harvard, hopkins, penn which I know I'll def get screened out based on clinical grades. Any advice? (Aways, step 2 etc?)
Step 2CK- deciding whether to take it before interview season
Clinical year - all HPs (H/HP/P/F) good comments no real negative feedback
Top 10 NE school
No AOA
Research- three presentations (1 in radiology), one case report in radiology starting a three month project with a neuroradiologist but probably hard time publishing before interviews
LOR - good research recs working on getting big name rads people in my school
E/C - random stuff worked in a nuclear medicine dept during college summers
Interested in matching at a top tier academic program in NE (e.g columbia cornell nyu sinai yale) besides harvard, hopkins, penn which I know I'll def get screened out based on clinical grades. Any advice? (Aways, step 2 etc?)
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lol
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School: top 5 medical school
Step 1 - 260
Step 2CK- Not sure whether to take it before interviews
Preclinicals - H/P/F. Honors in every class.
Clinical year - H/HP/P/F system. Honors in Neuro, Emergency, OB/Gyn, Psych. Unfortunately HP in IM, Surgery, Pediatrics
Likely no AOA given clinical grades
Research- 4 first author publications in basic science in high impact journals, with some MRI research but none of my radiology work was actually published. Work was done before med school but two papers were published during med school). 1 non-first author pub. Conducted basic-science research over the summer between M1 and M2.
LOR - Have to work on these
E/C - Some volunteering during M1, but not much during medical school
Interested in matching at a top tier academic programs for diagnostic radiology but am kind of worried given lack of ECs and less research experience in medical school. Any suggestions?
Step 1 - 260
Step 2CK- Not sure whether to take it before interviews
Preclinicals - H/P/F. Honors in every class.
Clinical year - H/HP/P/F system. Honors in Neuro, Emergency, OB/Gyn, Psych. Unfortunately HP in IM, Surgery, Pediatrics
Likely no AOA given clinical grades
Research- 4 first author publications in basic science in high impact journals, with some MRI research but none of my radiology work was actually published. Work was done before med school but two papers were published during med school). 1 non-first author pub. Conducted basic-science research over the summer between M1 and M2.
LOR - Have to work on these
E/C - Some volunteering during M1, but not much during medical school
Interested in matching at a top tier academic programs for diagnostic radiology but am kind of worried given lack of ECs and less research experience in medical school. Any suggestions?
Lol you're gonna be fine. Apply broadly and you will land at a very good academic program.
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Another what are my chances...
I am an M3, still deciding on whether I want to pursue radiology. Basically wondering when I should take step 2 CK, what programs might be available to me along with a ballpark number of how many programs I may need to apply to. I am located in the Midwest, but have lived on west coast and east coast, I'm hoping to move back to either one.
School: MD
Step 1 - 237
Step 2CK- likely will take in summer?
Pre-clinicals: pretty even split of H/HP/P
Clinical year - OB/GYN, Neuro, Psych Pass; IM HP; Peds Honors; primary care and surgery not completed yet
Research - 2 oral presentations, 1 at RSNA this year; 4 publications (3 in radiology, but 0 first author); a couple of accepted abstracts
LOR - 1 from medicine & asking for a second; asking my research mentors, not sure what else to try and get?
E/C - volunteering some; president of 2 student interest groups; americorp/TFA work prior to medical school
I am interested in DR and wondering how competitive I will be, etc. Worried about clinical grades/class rank being about average.
Thanks!
I am an M3, still deciding on whether I want to pursue radiology. Basically wondering when I should take step 2 CK, what programs might be available to me along with a ballpark number of how many programs I may need to apply to. I am located in the Midwest, but have lived on west coast and east coast, I'm hoping to move back to either one.
School: MD
Step 1 - 237
Step 2CK- likely will take in summer?
Pre-clinicals: pretty even split of H/HP/P
Clinical year - OB/GYN, Neuro, Psych Pass; IM HP; Peds Honors; primary care and surgery not completed yet
Research - 2 oral presentations, 1 at RSNA this year; 4 publications (3 in radiology, but 0 first author); a couple of accepted abstracts
LOR - 1 from medicine & asking for a second; asking my research mentors, not sure what else to try and get?
E/C - volunteering some; president of 2 student interest groups; americorp/TFA work prior to medical school
I am interested in DR and wondering how competitive I will be, etc. Worried about clinical grades/class rank being about average.
Thanks!
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Not a post asking about my chances, but I was hoping to get some clarification about what people listed in the publications category. I am a M2 preparing for STEP at the moment so I haven't yet taken a look at the residency application (please forgive my ignorance).
I have 1 research project that I have presented 4 times : once at my school's research symposium as a poster, once as an oral presentation at a regional conference, and twice at two different national conferences as a poster. Would a fifth presentation at a local conference be of much significance to me? Or should I begin working on a different research project?
Additionally, I have worked on 4 case reports. Only one was published to PubMed and the remaining three are on this peer reviewed Rads database (Eurorad). <-- Do these count as publications ? Does a Eurorad case report hold much weight or is it viewed negatively in the field ?
Lastly, could you tell me how my research resume so far stacks up? My fear is that I falsely think my work is up to par with my peers, but then it turns out to be vastly underwhelming.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Best
I have 1 research project that I have presented 4 times : once at my school's research symposium as a poster, once as an oral presentation at a regional conference, and twice at two different national conferences as a poster. Would a fifth presentation at a local conference be of much significance to me? Or should I begin working on a different research project?
Additionally, I have worked on 4 case reports. Only one was published to PubMed and the remaining three are on this peer reviewed Rads database (Eurorad). <-- Do these count as publications ? Does a Eurorad case report hold much weight or is it viewed negatively in the field ?
Lastly, could you tell me how my research resume so far stacks up? My fear is that I falsely think my work is up to par with my peers, but then it turns out to be vastly underwhelming.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Best
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Hi all.
I am a primary care physician who always had a passion for radiology. I am seriously thinking to apply for the radiology residency program.
Medical School: Top 10 medical school, India
I passed every year in the the medical school for 5 years with distinction (as NRI) (I was under the Top 5)
Step 1: 220
Step 2: 249
Step 3: 233
Residency: 3 years family medicine residency in New York
During residency: surgical award
now: working 7 years as primary care physician
LoR: during medical school (gynaecologist, internist, cardiologist, primary care physicians), during residency (program director, thoracic surgeon, primary care physician) now (co-physicians, gastroenterologist)
Research: I did few during my residency but were not published
Thank you for your honest replies.
I am a primary care physician who always had a passion for radiology. I am seriously thinking to apply for the radiology residency program.
Medical School: Top 10 medical school, India
I passed every year in the the medical school for 5 years with distinction (as NRI) (I was under the Top 5)
Step 1: 220
Step 2: 249
Step 3: 233
Residency: 3 years family medicine residency in New York
During residency: surgical award
now: working 7 years as primary care physician
LoR: during medical school (gynaecologist, internist, cardiologist, primary care physicians), during residency (program director, thoracic surgeon, primary care physician) now (co-physicians, gastroenterologist)
Research: I did few during my residency but were not published
Thank you for your honest replies.
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your case is very interesting. i have no clue, but i would say you have better chances than average IMG.
At one of my interviews at a competitive program I met another applicant who had been working as a Surgeon for about 5 years post residency but wanted to switch careers into Radiology. I am not sure about what kind of scores or credentials this person had, but they were obviously being considered for a spot. Does the program where you trained have a Radiology residency? It might be worth it to reach out to them and explain your situation. You might be able to talk to the program director there and get some advice and guidance.
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Thanks for your reply
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Thanks for your reply
I think a surgeon has more chance to get into other specialist residency than a family physician. Surely I will not apply for a top programs- Joined
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Current M3
School: DO
Preclinical: A's and high B's
Step 1: 240
COMLEX 1: 630
Step 2: tbd
COMLEX PE: tbd
COMLEX 2: tbd
Class rank: around top 10% first two years
Research: three years of bench research during undergrad with one poster presentation. No research during medical school
ECs: student government, volunteering, etc.
AOA: SSP
What I think hurts my application is that I didn't decide on radiology until recently, and because of that I haven't had an official radiology rotation yet. I have my first radiology rotation scheduled this summer and will hopefully get a letter before applications are due. My other letters are from core clerkships. I'm looking at applying to all DO programs along with approximately 50 MD and around 25 prelim programs. Any thoughts on my chances at matching either DO or MD would be appreciated! along with any advice whether or not I should add more programs to the list because of my late interest and lack of radiology exposure.
School: DO
Preclinical: A's and high B's
Step 1: 240
COMLEX 1: 630
Step 2: tbd
COMLEX PE: tbd
COMLEX 2: tbd
Class rank: around top 10% first two years
Research: three years of bench research during undergrad with one poster presentation. No research during medical school
ECs: student government, volunteering, etc.
AOA: SSP
What I think hurts my application is that I didn't decide on radiology until recently, and because of that I haven't had an official radiology rotation yet. I have my first radiology rotation scheduled this summer and will hopefully get a letter before applications are due. My other letters are from core clerkships. I'm looking at applying to all DO programs along with approximately 50 MD and around 25 prelim programs. Any thoughts on my chances at matching either DO or MD would be appreciated! along with any advice whether or not I should add more programs to the list because of my late interest and lack of radiology exposure.
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I think your late interest doesn't hurt you at all. I am a fellow DO who just matched rads and have plenty of classmates with similar scores that were able to get an allopathic rads spot. Definitely try and improve on step 2 if you can and try and get involved in some rads research if possible (even if just a poster I think it is better then nothing). Otherwise just be yourself and enjoy the process! Sounds like you are applying pretty broadly so that is really the only big advice I would have. The other thing is most people agree that Rads away rotations don't do much but I think as a DO it is much more helpful to rotate at an allopathic site you want since we are already starting at a disadvantage. Most my fellow classmates matched somewhere they rotated at. Depending on your location I would focus on middle tier academic programs to get the most bang for your buck. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions.
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Current MS3
Medical School: Top 15 in Northeast
Step 1: 272
Clinical: All Honors (including Radiology elective)
Pre-Clinical: ungraded P/F
Step 2: tbd
Research: 4 publications, none first author, one first author in submission, and 2 posters, but no radiology research - deciding late. Will this hurt my chances?
Extracurriculars: multiple leadership positions, 600 hours of community service
LORs: multiple possibilities for people who could write strong letters but not close to any radiology faculty - how important is it to get an LOR from a Radiology faculty member?
Would prefer a top academic program in the NE or California - what are my chances given the lack of specific radiology research in the past?
Medical School: Top 15 in Northeast
Step 1: 272
Clinical: All Honors (including Radiology elective)
Pre-Clinical: ungraded P/F
Step 2: tbd
Research: 4 publications, none first author, one first author in submission, and 2 posters, but no radiology research - deciding late. Will this hurt my chances?
Extracurriculars: multiple leadership positions, 600 hours of community service
LORs: multiple possibilities for people who could write strong letters but not close to any radiology faculty - how important is it to get an LOR from a Radiology faculty member?
Would prefer a top academic program in the NE or California - what are my chances given the lack of specific radiology research in the past?
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very low consider taking 2-3 years off
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What a terrible POS resume. Go back to primary care, scrub.
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maybe if you are lucky you get into a community program
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OKAY sorry for being neurotic
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MS3 who just decided
Medical School: Top 25
Step 1: 260
Step 2: will take after applications are in
Clinical: All HP so far (Surgery, Neuro, Psych, IM, FM). Most likely will HP Peds and Ob-Gyn
Pre-Clinical: P/F unranked
Research: 2 middle author papers. 1 from undergrad(medical device), 1 from med school(cancer/path).
Extracurriculars: Leadership in 2 school clubs, music
LOR: 1 from research mentor, will try to pick up 1-2 letters from my medicine Sub-I in in the summer.
My question is mainly about the amount and type of radiology experience that I should have on my application, and where to focus my efforts since I don't have a lot of time. Should I try to get on a radiology research project now? Do an early elective in 4th and try to get a letter? Just a little lost on how to proceed.
I would also appreciate advice on type and location of programs to target. I have ties to the west coast and go to school in the mid-west.
Medical School: Top 25
Step 1: 260
Step 2: will take after applications are in
Clinical: All HP so far (Surgery, Neuro, Psych, IM, FM). Most likely will HP Peds and Ob-Gyn
Pre-Clinical: P/F unranked
Research: 2 middle author papers. 1 from undergrad(medical device), 1 from med school(cancer/path).
Extracurriculars: Leadership in 2 school clubs, music
LOR: 1 from research mentor, will try to pick up 1-2 letters from my medicine Sub-I in in the summer.
My question is mainly about the amount and type of radiology experience that I should have on my application, and where to focus my efforts since I don't have a lot of time. Should I try to get on a radiology research project now? Do an early elective in 4th and try to get a letter? Just a little lost on how to proceed.
I would also appreciate advice on type and location of programs to target. I have ties to the west coast and go to school in the mid-west.
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This thread is sort of a waste of time in its current form. The only thing it does is potentially reveal your stats and identity on a public forum. IMO you are better off finding a radiology advisor at your school or people who matched radiology in the class above yours (even this is not 100% fool-proof as the application environment can change yearly). The new thread with the Rad advisor is probably more helpful because it gives you an insider's perspective on how decisions are made at least at one program. Most people on here cannot reliably tell you which specific programs to target and unless you are strapped for cash, it probably makes sense to apply conservatively.
General rule of thumb for those of you from "Top X" school +/- great board scores: Apply to the "tops" if you're into that sort of thing, you have a serious advantage at those places (but you probably already knew that).
General rule of thumb for those of you with "late interest in rads/no research": You'll be fine. Set the beginning of your 4th year accordingly so that you can speak about rads intelligently +/- an away +/- poster or case report if you really want to.
General rule of thumb for everyone: A dose of common sense goes a long way. Apply to some reaches, mostly good fits, some safeties. After 33 pages of examples and the latest charting outcomes data, you should have a general idea of what these are for you. Good luck.
General rule of thumb for those of you from "Top X" school +/- great board scores: Apply to the "tops" if you're into that sort of thing, you have a serious advantage at those places (but you probably already knew that).
General rule of thumb for those of you with "late interest in rads/no research": You'll be fine. Set the beginning of your 4th year accordingly so that you can speak about rads intelligently +/- an away +/- poster or case report if you really want to.
General rule of thumb for everyone: A dose of common sense goes a long way. Apply to some reaches, mostly good fits, some safeties. After 33 pages of examples and the latest charting outcomes data, you should have a general idea of what these are for you. Good luck.
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I get where you're coming from but I think people are going to always want a personalized opinion about their application and chances. This is exemplified (albeit somewhat annoyingly) by the fact that there are people posting with 260+ Step 1 scores from top schools with relevant research still wanting advice - even though they likely realize how competitive they really are.
I know it gets repetitive when you have been on SDN for a long time and you see these 'What are My Chances' posts constantly, but the advice that the community provides for people looking for insight really does provide a lot of help (for posters and lurkers alike) and is part of what makes this forum so popular. Beyond that there are always people who really are uninformed when it comes to applying, have been given horrible advice by their school advisors, or have truly unique circumstances. The landscape changes over time too. As long as there are residents and attendings willing to contribute to this thread, I think it is still tremendously helpful for everyone thinking of going into rads.
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I agree. It definitely provides value and there is unique, actionable advice in some cases.
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