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- Dec 11, 2014
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So I’ve been harboring a secret. I failed level 1. I didn’t want to tell anyone and kept it from my classmates and SDN. I’m admitting it to the world now.
My step father very unexpectedly passed away during my dedicated time and I should have taken the time off but I thought I could power through it. I couldn’t.
I got my **** together, took the exam again and got a 53x. Not perfect but a significant improvement.
Now I’m at an impass on what to do. If I take time off for Step 2 I will graduate after residencies start. To let you all know I’m interested in psych, and while I get that it’s more competitive I’m willing to go to a low tier program in the middle of nowhere. My school still thinks it’s a viable option.
I have a few options going forward and my school basically told me they all suck and they didn’t have much to help with. So here they are:
1. Don’t take time off for step 2. This seems extremely risky for me since I already have a failure and I’m scared to fail/score low. I have to prove I don’t suck.
2. Walk with the class of 2019 and finish in Aug. From that point I can see if residencies will take me starting late, it seems unlikely. I could also wait and apply for 2020. But does graduating in the class a year sooner look awful?
3. Graduate with the class of 2020. The school doesn’t seem to like this option, I assume because it hurts their attrition rates. But this would put me graduating with the class when I would be applying.
I’ve appreciated SDN for a long time and I appreciate your feedback.
Edit for update:
I passed PE and got a 51x on my CE. I didn’t have much of a choice when it came down to it and I will Be graduating in 2020. I’m filling my free time with some depression research with a local doc.
Edit #2 because someone liked this and reminded me it existed:
I matched! A midtier university psychiatry residency. I networked like crazy, worked my butt off on AIs, and proved myself better than failing score. I'm actually very thankful I matched in 2020 post-merger because I ended up at a program that was a reach and always ACGME. I feel very likely that last year I would have ended up at one of the 3 programs I interviewed at that were still AOA. I appreciate all the feedback and support, I have an AMA thread if someone wants to ask me a question without bumping a 2 year old thread.
My step father very unexpectedly passed away during my dedicated time and I should have taken the time off but I thought I could power through it. I couldn’t.
I got my **** together, took the exam again and got a 53x. Not perfect but a significant improvement.
Now I’m at an impass on what to do. If I take time off for Step 2 I will graduate after residencies start. To let you all know I’m interested in psych, and while I get that it’s more competitive I’m willing to go to a low tier program in the middle of nowhere. My school still thinks it’s a viable option.
I have a few options going forward and my school basically told me they all suck and they didn’t have much to help with. So here they are:
1. Don’t take time off for step 2. This seems extremely risky for me since I already have a failure and I’m scared to fail/score low. I have to prove I don’t suck.
2. Walk with the class of 2019 and finish in Aug. From that point I can see if residencies will take me starting late, it seems unlikely. I could also wait and apply for 2020. But does graduating in the class a year sooner look awful?
3. Graduate with the class of 2020. The school doesn’t seem to like this option, I assume because it hurts their attrition rates. But this would put me graduating with the class when I would be applying.
I’ve appreciated SDN for a long time and I appreciate your feedback.
Edit for update:
I passed PE and got a 51x on my CE. I didn’t have much of a choice when it came down to it and I will Be graduating in 2020. I’m filling my free time with some depression research with a local doc.
Edit #2 because someone liked this and reminded me it existed:
I matched! A midtier university psychiatry residency. I networked like crazy, worked my butt off on AIs, and proved myself better than failing score. I'm actually very thankful I matched in 2020 post-merger because I ended up at a program that was a reach and always ACGME. I feel very likely that last year I would have ended up at one of the 3 programs I interviewed at that were still AOA. I appreciate all the feedback and support, I have an AMA thread if someone wants to ask me a question without bumping a 2 year old thread.
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