Well I just ruined my life

[Taddy Mason]

Someone looked past my poor MCAT score ...my dismal Step score...

Low 30s is not a poor MCAT score. 222 is not a dismal Step score. Having a "woe is me" kind of attitude with every post you make and starting a thread like this right after someone created a thread about failing Step 1 is what's rubbing people the wrong way.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[IsleyOfTheNorth]

Someone in some specialty will look past my dismal Step score and see all the great things I did. I have faith in that.

Rules are made by people, which means that there isn't any rule that can't be circumvented by the signature of the right person.

 

[Voodoo Chile]

Cry me a river. You could be in your early 20s with metastatic a** cancer. Go into gen surg if you want to operate/not have a life.

 

[FlowersFromTheSun]

Your over-the-top personality will be a bigger impediment to successfully matching than your step 1 score. Take it down one or ten notches. Based off the nrmp data cited above, you still have ~50% chance of matching into ENT with your board score.

That's cold, bro. Must be nice to have a life where you've never had cause for major distress and no one to talk to.

 

[FlowersFromTheSun]

Cry me a river. You could be in your early 20s with metastatic a** cancer. Go into gen surg if you want to operate/not have a life.

I agree. Always good to remember you could be unlucky enough to be cheated out of life entirely.

 

[FlowersFromTheSun]

[QUOTE="Mad Jack, post: 17962206, member: 562008"
Your career isn't your life, and numbers don't define you.[/QUOTE]

Except when your entire life is devoted to your career?

I think OP can overcome this bad score, but medicine as a career does consume most of your life

 

[Mad Jack]

Except when your entire life is devoted to your career?

I think OP can overcome this bad score, but medicine as a career does consume most of your life

Not really. It consumes a decent period of a finite portion of your life. Implying medicine is your life and your whole life is over if it doesn't pan out is melodramatic and childish.

 

[Bobcat18]

Get some perspective OP. Your life as you know it is in fact... not over.

 

[Anicetus]

Yeah like the others are saying above, OP. Look at the bright side, at least you're not dead. Got that going for you.

 

[IlDestriero]

Lots of people grow to love Family Medicine...


--
Il Destriero

 

[VisionaryTics]

Lots of people grow to love Family Medicine...


--
Il Destriero

 

[Milotic]

Lots of people grow to love Family Medicine...


--
Il Destriero

They usually don't grow to love it until about a month after Step 1. In reality, Third year mostly shows med students that the specialty lifestyle isn't all that its chocked up to be and FM is one of the choices for better lifestyles.

 

[itsogre]

this wasn't a good thread to read in my first week of MS2

 

[wizzed101]

 

[sloop]

Low 30s is not a poor MCAT score. 222 is not a dismal Step score. Having a "woe is me" kind of attitude with every post you make and starting a thread like this right after someone created a thread about failing Step 1 is what's rubbing people the wrong way.

OP does not have a responsibility to reframe his legitimate career-focused life worries so they play well in the context of the rest of the threads on the forum . . .

What is wrong with you people that you think this is a reasonable expectation?

 

[Localnative]

A 222. Wanted to do ENT, I'll be lucky get my MD and match anything now. Actually I don't even deserve to match. I really did give this is my all, I really did. Completed all of Uworld (73% percentile), multiple times I did Pathoma, multiple times I did Sketchy, multiple times I did FA. And for what? A failure. That's all I am in life, a failure. I wish I could give you guys advice on how to study for Step, but you don't want mine. I was a very strong applicant to medical school in every regard, but my low 30s MCAT held me back then. I had to explain myself on every interview. Luckily one good school gave me a chance. In retrospect they shouldn't have. I disgraced my med school, my family, and most of all myself.

I did well the first two years. I have 5 first author publications (real publications, not that case report crap), 7 poster/oral presentations. All that time I spent, all for nothing. Well I take that back, at least I hope it helps the field, the field I'm never going to be a part of. And that's the hardest part, I never will be a part of the field because I just can't take a freaking standardized test to save my life. The best part is that I have an oral presentation on my research at a meeting coming up in a couple of months. I have to figure out how to pull myself together to give this talk to a bunch of academic ENTs, because deep down inside I just feel embarrassed now. Just so embarrassed. I'm even embarrassed to talk to my mentor anymore. The supportive 4th years and residents told me that you aren't your score, but God knows that's just how I (and every residency program) am going to see myself for the next two years. It was the same way with my MCAT score (everything else was good, actually great...but that score defined me and now this score defines me). I purposely never met with my program director here to show interest just in case this happened, and well, it happened.

If I could just give any advice to any 1st or 2nd years reading this (especially if you struggled with standardized tests like I have my whole life), try your hardest. The test is difficult especially if you are stupid like me or aren't a good test taker like me. You don't want to be as broken apart as I am right now. I'm going to keep trying hard on my rotations to honor them and keep writing papers, but I know in my heart that I just ruined my life, plain and simple.

Listen my brother (or sister)

You have got to get a grip. Yes, this is a sizable bump in the road, but not something that is impossible to navigate through. You need to develop a healthy attitude about LIFE. The life of a surgeon, any field in surgery, is fraught with a myriad ups and downs, in the background of which you have to healthily and delicately balance work and home life. This I speak from experience. What if a larger hurdle comes your way, such as a malpractice suit, death of a loved one, or physical disability that prevents you from at least temporarily being gainfully employed? There is always a plan B. A healthy mentality about life and its successes and failures will guide you on the right path.

Its all about perspective my friend. Take a few steps back, away from classmates, the med school environment etc and consider yourself to be very fortunate given all of your accomplishments thus far.

M

 

[order66.exe]

I don't get it. I mean Step 1 is obviously really important but it still seems that you still have a good ENT oriented application Why don't you go talk to the program director and lay everything on the table and see what can be done?

 

[Taddy Mason]

OP does not have a responsibility to reframe his legitimate career-focused life worries so they play well in the context of the rest of the threads on the forum . . .

What is wrong with you people that you think this is a reasonable expectation?

Its OPs attitude + context that's the issue.

 

[Psai]

I don't get it. I mean Step 1 is obviously really important but it still seems that you still have a good ENT oriented application Why don't you go talk to the program director and lay everything on the table and see what can be done?

That's cause you haven't submitted eras yet

 

[tvb]

They usually don't grow to love it until about a month after Step 1. In reality, Third year mostly shows med students that the specialty lifestyle isn't all that its chocked up to be and FM is one of the choices for better lifestyles.

Starting to realize this even with the >250 step 1

 

[NWwildcat2013]

Starting to realize this even with the >250 step 1

Sometimes I wonder how, if someone is smart enough to score 250+, they aren't also smart enough to stop chasing money and prestige.

Suuuureeee... some people are just born knowing they love urology or ENT, but I think many people get caught up in the rat race. I've been there, so I get it. I think you convince yourself "Oh ortho/ophtho are wonderful fields because you make a tangible difference right away". While that is true I still think there are tons of people who have good scores and want to make a ton of money so they tell themselves that and push forward with the lucrative option. That is fine as long as you give your full consideration to other fields as you experience them, but I don't think that usually happens. I doubt many ENT gunners who put in the work for a 260+ and multiple publications truly open themselves to the possibility of liking and doing family, peds, or even something like neuro. I think that is a shame.

Again, wanting to make money is not a sin. I want to make decent money because debt sucks and we all put in way to much work not to get compensated well. All I wanted to say is that I find it highly unlikely that the percentage of 250+ students who end up in competitive specialties is actually representative of what percentage of those students are truly interested in those fields more than anything else in medicine. Before med school, I would have thought that the smartest students would tend to gravitate towards fields where the differentials are most broad and challenging.

 

[Amygdarya]

Before med school, I would have thought that the smartest students would tend to gravitate towards fields where the differentials are most broad and challenging.

I've heard that general surgery and internal medicine used to be the most competitive for this exact reason - more competitive than ortho anyway - but then compensation and more recently lifestyle have taken over.

 

[sloop]

Sometimes I wonder how, if someone is smart enough to score 250+, they aren't also smart enough to stop chasing money and prestige.

We exist. Steps 1 and 2 both in the 250s and going into psychiatry. Not everyone who scores well is fixated on surgical subspecialties or derm. I in no way feel like I've "wasted" anything by applying to what I love.

I do think people should choose what they love more than what they think will make others proud of them or give them money without time to spend it.

 

[tvb]

Sometimes I wonder how, if someone is smart enough to score 250+, they aren't also smart enough to stop chasing money and prestige.

Suuuureeee... some people are just born knowing they love urology or ENT, but I think many people get caught up in the rat race. I've been there, so I get it. I think you convince yourself "Oh ortho/ophtho are wonderful fields because you make a tangible difference right away". While that is true I still think there are tons of people who have good scores and want to make a ton of money so they tell themselves that and push forward with the lucrative option. That is fine as long as you give your full consideration to other fields as you experience them, but I don't think that usually happens. I doubt many ENT gunners who put in the work for a 260+ and multiple publications truly open themselves to the possibility of liking and doing family, peds, or even something like neuro. I think that is a shame.

Again, wanting to make money is not a sin. I want to make decent money because debt sucks and we all put in way to much work not to get compensated well. All I wanted to say is that I find it highly unlikely that the percentage of 250+ students who end up in competitive specialties is actually representative of what percentage of those students are truly interested in those fields more than anything else in medicine. Before med school, I would have thought that the smartest students would tend to gravitate towards fields where the differentials are most broad and challenging.

Meh I do love derm but that's such a crapshoot I have to start thinking of plan B

 

[Redpancreas]

What happened?

 

[Preston Garvey]

11 ENT spots in the SOAP. My money is on OP matching.

 

[ortnakas]

Seems how this is already necrobumped... @failedatlife I truly hope you got good news yesterday! (And if you didn’t, that you SOAP into a spot that turns out to be a blessing in disguise)

 

[AsianPersuasion]

Seems how this is already necrobumped... @failedatlife I truly hope you got good news yesterday! (And if you didn’t, that you SOAP into a spot that turns out to be a blessing in disguise)

Hey @ortnakas, I hope you matched!

 

[treebeardette]

Literally logged on to SDN just to see if @failedatlife matched.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Eagerly awaiting an update from @failedatlife.

 

[ortnakas]

Hey @ortnakas, I hope you matched!

Did the AOA match and matched IM last month. Thank you!

 

[Donald Juan]

I can only imagine his silence means he matched. If failedatlife didn't match he'd be here immediately to talk about it.

 

[DO2015CA]

I can only imagine his silence means he matched. If failedatlife didn't match he'd be here immediately to talk about it.

hopefully, Id be opposite and fall off the face of the earth until I secured a spot somewhere in the SOAP

 

[nymedstudent874]

Sometimes I wonder how, if someone is smart enough to score 250+, they aren't also smart enough to stop chasing money and prestige.

Suuuureeee... some people are just born knowing they love urology or ENT, but I think many people get caught up in the rat race. I've been there, so I get it. I think you convince yourself "Oh ortho/ophtho are wonderful fields because you make a tangible difference right away". While that is true I still think there are tons of people who have good scores and want to make a ton of money so they tell themselves that and push forward with the lucrative option. That is fine as long as you give your full consideration to other fields as you experience them, but I don't think that usually happens. I doubt many ENT gunners who put in the work for a 260+ and multiple publications truly open themselves to the possibility of liking and doing family, peds, or even something like neuro. I think that is a shame.

Again, wanting to make money is not a sin. I want to make decent money because debt sucks and we all put in way to much work not to get compensated well. All I wanted to say is that I find it highly unlikely that the percentage of 250+ students who end up in competitive specialties is actually representative of what percentage of those students are truly interested in those fields more than anything else in medicine. Before med school, I would have thought that the smartest students would tend to gravitate towards fields where the differentials are most broad and challenging.

You could make this argument about any specialty, not just competitive ones. A whole bunch of factors ranging from rotation site, attitude of attendings and residents, autonomy given to students (aka not gloried shadowing vs. actually seeing patients), etc can affect this. Even just chance. Most students don’t rotate on every possible specialty including all the IM sub specialties, GS sub specialties, etc. If a student spends their elective on ENT, ophtho or whatnot and actually enjoyed themselves then why not pursue it? Sure there’s a chance there’s something else they might enjoy more but practically speaking with regards to the restraints of actually choosing and applying to something competitive as well as the limited timespan of third year- most students regardless of specialty don’t know 100% what they’re really getting themselves into.

On another note, this is purely anecdotal but I’ve noticed the majority of people im friends with that are pursing lower paying specialties like Peds, FM already come from backgrounds where they didn’t have to worry about money excessively.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Atom612]

Reading through the first page of this post and had a good laugh at this:

 

[Chamanit2]

A 222. Wanted to do ENT, I'll be lucky get my MD and match anything now. Actually I don't even deserve to match. I really did give this is my all, I really did. Completed all of Uworld (73% percentile), multiple times I did Pathoma, multiple times I did Sketchy, multiple times I did FA. And for what? A failure. That's all I am in life, a failure. I wish I could give you guys advice on how to study for Step, but you don't want mine. I was a very strong applicant to medical school in every regard, but my low 30s MCAT held me back then. I had to explain myself on every interview. Luckily one good school gave me a chance. In retrospect they shouldn't have. I disgraced my med school, my family, and most of all myself.

I did well the first two years. I have 5 first author publications (real publications, not that case report crap), 7 poster/oral presentations. All that time I spent, all for nothing. Well I take that back, at least I hope it helps the field, the field I'm never going to be a part of. And that's the hardest part, I never will be a part of the field because I just can't take a freaking standardized test to save my life. The best part is that I have an oral presentation on my research at a meeting coming up in a couple of months. I have to figure out how to pull myself together to give this talk to a bunch of academic ENTs, because deep down inside I just feel embarrassed now. Just so embarrassed. I'm even embarrassed to talk to my mentor anymore. The supportive 4th years and residents told me that you aren't your score, but God knows that's just how I (and every residency program) am going to see myself for the next two years. It was the same way with my MCAT score (everything else was good, actually great...but that score defined me and now this score defines me). I purposely never met with my program director here to show interest just in case this happened, and well, it happened.

If I could just give any advice to any 1st or 2nd years reading this (especially if you struggled with standardized tests like I have my whole life), try your hardest. The test is difficult especially if you are stupid like me or aren't a good test taker like me. You don't want to be as broken apart as I am right now. I'm going to keep trying hard on my rotations to honor them and keep writing papers, but I know in my heart that I just ruined my life, plain and simple.

Stop, already. Stop right there. Your embarrassing claim to "genetic stupidity" does not go well with your admitting to "5 first author publications" and "7 poster/oral presentations". Furthermore, the time spent studying was far from being a waste of time, as you most certainly have learned a great deal more medicine than if you hadn't studied. If you can't help yourself emotionally now to persevere, then tell me how, please, will you convince a patient to persevere in their treatment, to keep on going, to have hope? Failing was part of learning. Now keep going. You know deep down what you need to do. No false self-denigration. Aren't you curious just a little bit as to why you seem not to be able to take standardized tests? Isn't there anything that you can do to find out why and improve this skill? Numbers don't define you, but what you can do with or in spite of your numbers does.

 

[DO2015CA]

Stop, already. Stop right there. Your embarrassing claim to "genetic stupidity" does not go well with your admitting to "5 first author publications" and "7 poster/oral presentations". Furthermore, the time spent studying was far from being a waste of time, as you most certainly have learned a great deal more medicine than if you hadn't studied. If you can't help yourself emotionally now to persevere, then tell me how, please, will you convince a patient to persevere in their treatment, to keep on going, to have hope? Failing was part of learning. Now keep going. You know deep down what you need to do. No false self-denigration. Aren't you curious just a little bit as to why you seem not to be able to take standardized tests? Isn't there anything that you can do to find out why and improve this skill? Numbers don't define you, but what you can do with or in spite of your numbers does.

You are new here so we will let you slide , but @failedatlife brings much entertainment to SDN due to pessimistic neuroticism. Dont you ever change @failedatlife

 

[DBV]

Honestly scared for the guy. I feel like if he matched he would have been on here right away with some feel good ****.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Honestly scared for the guy. I feel like if he matched he would have been on here right away with some feel good ****.

Nah man he's been having his pity party for over 2 years now. You think he'll want that to end?

He probably matched and he's just out celebrating. He's not going to come post about his success to SDN lol

 

[valleyrekt]

222 is more than okay.

 

[W19]

222 is more than okay.

OK for IM/FM/Gas/EM etc.... Not ok for ENT though.

 

[QueenJames]

Damn it @failedatlife where are you at! I wanna know what field you went into dagnammit!

 

[Donald Juan]

Honestly scared for the guy. I feel like if he matched he would have been on here right away with some feel good ****.

I would expect "matched, but at a low tier crap program all because of my step 1 FML"

222 is more than okay.

It's a big downside of an ENT application. Although, I wouldn't be surprised at all if someone with a 222, good research, improved step 2, good grades, and who was personable on away rotations and worked hard could match into ENT without significant worry.

 

[TheIllusionist]

I wish trolls had a known weakness like garlic for vampires on kryptonite for superman. We need a downvote system like the misc.

 

[Goro]

You are new here so we will let you slide , but @failedatlife brings much entertainment to SDN due to pessimistic neuroticism. Dont you ever change @failedatlife

I think the clinical term is "histrionics"

 

[WingedOx]

Nah man he's been having his pity party for over 2 years now. You think he'll want that to end?

He probably matched and he's just out celebrating. He's not going to come post about his success to SDN lol

I drunkposted to SDN on match day, so no excuses.

 

[Oso]

I drunkposted to SDN on match day, so no excuses.

quotes or it didn't happen

 

[DBV]

Nah man he's been having his pity party for over 2 years now. You think he'll want that to end?

He probably matched and he's just out celebrating. He's not going to come post about his success to SDN lol

I hope so for his sake

 

[treebeardette]

I think we can all agree he's definitely not trying to SOAP into an ENT spot, or we would 100% hear about it. The question is does his silence mean success or failure? I honestly think it could go either way.

It's a big downside of an ENT application. Although, I wouldn't be surprised at all if someone with a 222, good research, improved step 2, good grades, and who was personable on away rotations and worked hard could match into ENT without significant worry.

Agreed. I think people are overly cautious about applying to ENT because they're told it's next to impossible. So we've had a record low number of applicants despite maintained or increasing stats and now 2 years in a row with >10 unfilled spots. According to the data on our applicant spreadsheet, there are people with low 230's step 1 and minimal improvement in step 2 who are raking in the interviews. Nobody with a 220 score put their data in the spreadsheet yet, but there's a 200 step 1 who managed 8 interviews. It is possible.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Dammit @failedatlife. You're keeping us all in suspense. This better be good.