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alibubble

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Happy holidays everyone!

Just wondering if anyone is willing to brag about his/her qualifications-- grades, boards, research, recommendations, amazing experiences, etc. If you could include the departments in which the professors who wrote your recommendations worked, it'd be great. I'm trying to get a feel for how competitive the field is and which classes (if any) are more important recommendation-wise. Feel free to PM me, if you don't want to post the info on the forum.

Also, if anyone wants to share some tips on how to become a competitive applicant, it'd be very much appreciated. A rank of importance among the different factors (grades, boards, research, recommendations, dean's letter) would be really nice too-- it probably varies between different programs, so program names would help. Thanks!
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alibubble said:
Happy holidays everyone!

Just wondering if anyone is willing to brag about his/her qualifications-- grades, boards, research, recommendations, amazing experiences, etc. If you could include the departments in which the professors who wrote your recommendations worked, it'd be great. I'm trying to get a feel for how competitive the field is and which classes (if any) are more important recommendation-wise. Feel free to PM me, if you don't want to post the info on the forum.

Also, if anyone wants to share some tips on how to become a competitive applicant, it'd be very much appreciated. A rank of importance among the different factors (grades, boards, research, recommendations, dean's letter) would be really nice too-- it probably varies between different programs, so program names would help. Thanks!
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My take on getting into oto: getting in is dependant on USMLE, grades, and research. Everybody's LOR's look pretty similar (unless you are a convict, or, conversely, a saint), and the Dean's letter is just a summation of your performance at med school. Even if you know you are not going into academics, you must have research to get in. Good research will get you farther than grades or board scores, IMO.

If you want numbers to shoot for, I would say a step I score of above 235 is a good start. I would say that most, but not all, applicants who secure a position are AOA.

My stats:
AOA,
step I of 254,
spent 10 weeks doing basic science otology research (no publication, though),
LOR's from our oto head, my mentor on my research project, and an FP that I really liked.
 
Thanks for the response! If anyone else has some info to add, it'd be much appreciated.
 
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I agree with above that the grades and board scores are the start, but you need to convey to the programs that you will be someone who will change their program for the better after five years. One caveat, the above poster is a resident at THE 1 or 2 ranked program in the country, so don't take those stats as standard. I am currently interviewing for an ent spot. I have received interviews at a good number of high end programs, even though I am not from a top 30 med school. Junior AOA, 3.97, step 1 = 248, step 2 = 252, 1 oto pub, 6 other pubs, 8-9 poster pres (overlap with pub work), letters from two otos and one gen surg.
 
I wouldn't worry about being AOA. It varies a lot from school to school. If you are, thats great, but if you are not, its not going to stop you from getting into programs as long as your grades are good, board scores are high (agree >230 is a good start), and you have some research under your belt.

I would have to disagree about Iowa being one of the top 2 programs in the country. Maybe top 5, but in an undesireable location. I think Iowa is the second best program in the Midwest behind Michigan, but they do have the awesome facilities.
 
Gradenigo said:
I wouldn't worry about being AOA. It varies a lot from school to school. If you are, thats great, but if you are not, its not going to stop you from getting into programs as long as your grades are good, board scores are high (agree >230 is a good start), and you have some research under your belt.

I would have to disagree about Iowa being one of the top 2 programs in the country. Maybe top 5, but in an undesireable location. I think Iowa is the second best program in the Midwest behind Michigan, but they do have the awesome facilities.
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I agree about AOA. I interviewed at several programs before my med school (Baylor) even released who was AOA during my 4th year. Obviously, junior AOA had already been selected.

I agree that Iowa shouldn't be considered "the top 1 or 2 programs in the country." Why? Not bc/ I don't like the program, but bc/ the USNWR is ranking the HOSPITAL, not the progam. There are many great programs around the nation, and Iowa is one of them. I think that in the Midwest, Iowa, Michigan, and Mayo are all top tier programs, but Ohio State and Cinci should not be overlooked as well.
 
Gradenigo said:
I wouldn't worry about being AOA. It varies a lot from school to school. If you are, thats great, but if you are not, its not going to stop you from getting into programs as long as your grades are good, board scores are high (agree >230 is a good start), and you have some research under your belt.

I would have to disagree about Iowa being one of the top 2 programs in the country. Maybe top 5, but in an undesireable location. I think Iowa is the second best program in the Midwest behind Michigan, but they do have the awesome facilities.
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Thanks for saying that ... though I am a second year, I am not sure of what my chances are for getting AOA (lots of very highly qualified people in my class).

I have a question -- I wanted to do ENT only just recently, after my summer research and second year research project were already set (in heme/onc). Is it too late to try to do research in oto in some of the flex blocks i have in fourth year? i know that i can't get any specifically oto research project going before then. i'm not looking to get into a top oto program, i just want to get into it in a place that isn't too remote. :)
 
dara678 said:
Thanks for saying that ... though I am a second year, I am not sure of what my chances are for getting AOA (lots of very highly qualified people in my class).

I have a question -- I wanted to do ENT only just recently, after my summer research and second year research project were already set (in heme/onc). Is it too late to try to do research in oto in some of the flex blocks i have in fourth year? i know that i can't get any specifically oto research project going before then. i'm not looking to get into a top oto program, i just want to get into it in a place that isn't too remote. :)
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If you really want to do Oto, I would highly recommend speaking with some of the attendings in the department about what research they have going and tell them that you are interested in doing some outcomes research that involves chartwork and then find time to do it between now and interview time. Chartwork can be so easy and flexible on your time and usually produces something that you can publish. Just let them know that your schedule is really busy, but you'd like to strengthen your application and most of the faculty will be very understanding. I am not telling you this because I don't think you can get a spot going the route that you are talking about (you can) but in my opinion this would be much better. It will look as if you made up your mind sooner (which usually means more committed) and gives you something to talk about that the interviewers will be interested in and understand (not as likely with the heme-onc stuff). If you find time during your fourth year to do some basic science, transition into it as that will look good too. Anyway, this is just my opinion. I'm sure others will feel differently.

Another reason that AOA is so variable is simply that some schools select the top 10% while others select the top 15% or more. I'm sure that at just about every school, there are a lot of really smart and talented people that compete for those top spots....
 
murph79 said:
I agree with above that the grades and board scores are the start, but you need to convey to the programs that you will be someone who will change their program for the better after five years. One caveat, the above poster is a resident at THE 1 or 2 ranked program in the country, so don't take those stats as standard. I am currently interviewing for an ent spot. I have received interviews at a good number of high end programs, even though I am not from a top 30 med school. Junior AOA, 3.97, step 1 = 248, step 2 = 252, 1 oto pub, 6 other pubs, 8-9 poster pres (overlap with pub work), letters from two otos and one gen surg.
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Just curious how you know if you're attending one of the top 30 med schools, and how I know which ENT programs are the best? Also, I can't seem to find any average stats on accepted applicants, do they not release these kinds of things? I'm just a clueless first year, but am pretty sure that I want to go into this field.

Thanks!
 
Is research an absolute necessity? I am in the top 10 of my class and got >240 on step 1, but I HATE research - that is why i went to med school and not grad school! Do you guys think I would have any chance of matching w/o any research/pubs?
 
kam730 said:
Is research an absolute necessity? I am in the top 10 of my class and got >240 on step 1, but I HATE research - that is why i went to med school and not grad school! Do you guys think I would have any chance of matching w/o any research/pubs?
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I am struggling with the same question albeit at a different point in the process (class of 2010).

In the past, I have found myself more inclined to help at free clinics during the school year and participate in medical service trips during the summer. Will this hurt me if I intend to go after a residency such as Oto? Or should I just think about another speciality?
 
kam730 said:
Is research an absolute necessity? I am in the top 10 of my class and got >240 on step 1, but I HATE research - that is why i went to med school and not grad school! Do you guys think I would have any chance of matching w/o any research/pubs?
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Sorry, but the answer is yes, some form of research is an absolute necessity to get into a good program. I have never interviewed an applicant that had no research experience. When I entered residency, I thought that I didn't like research either, but the fact is that almost all academic MD's are intellectually curious people. You may not like "research", but when you are truly interested in a field, you will find questions that don't have answers yet. If you have no curiousity regarding the field, then that will reflect itself in your application and interview. This leads to being an unattractive applicant.
 
Some more questions:

1) Preclinical grades - matter or not, assuming I don't get AOA? It's very possible to honor your entire 3rd and 4th year and not get AOA because you only passed your classes the first two (we don't have high passes).

2) Research - does it matter where it is published? That is, would I be better off with one first author pub in Science/Nature/JAMA or 3-4 pubs in J. Obscure Res.?
 
Iwy Em Hotep said:
Some more questions:

1) Preclinical grades - matter or not, assuming I don't get AOA? It's very possible to honor your entire 3rd and 4th year and not get AOA because you only passed your classes the first two (we don't have high passes).

2) Research - does it matter where it is published? That is, would I be better off with one first author pub in Science/Nature/JAMA or 3-4 pubs in J. Obscure Res.?
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1. Preclinical grades do matter, but clinical grades are more important. Honoring the entire 3rd and 4th year will definitely help you get interviews, assuming you do well on the step I.

2. The type of research that you do doesn't matter. It even doesn't matter that much if you don't have it published yet. I came to interviews with 10 weeks of basic science work that I had done. I had no publication. So I printed out an abstract of my work, made a 5-10 slide power point presentation, printed out the slides on a color printer, and took that to my interivews. Anytime I got asked, "tell me about your research", I whipped out my 5 minute minipresentation as I flipped through my "slides" for them. Being able to present your research in a concise fashion and showing interest in the field will go much farther for you than just being published. As far as publications go, one good article in a big journal is more impressive than several in smaller journals.
 
TheThroat said:
So I printed out an abstract of my work, made a 5-10 slide power point presentation, printed out the slides on a color printer, and took that to my interivews. Anytime I got asked, "tell me about your research", I whipped out my 5 minute minipresentation as I flipped through my "slides" for them. Being able to present your research in a concise fashion and showing interest in the field will go much farther for you than just being published.
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That is one of the most clever approaches I have ever heard of on SDN.

Hmmm...I hope you won't mind if I replicate your idea.
 
p53 said:
That is one of the most clever approaches I have ever heard of on SDN.

Hmmm...I hope you won't mind if I replicate your idea.
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Agreed. Great idea!
 
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