worried about residency (need advice)

[hypocratic]

So I am well aware of the phrase "P=MD" but that has never been my style. With a high mcat score and high gpa I easily got into medical school but once I started... I was quickly humbled. I managed to only pass all my classes and even lowpass two of them. I greatly enjoy/love the material, but I find test-taking at school a bit tough.

I am now studying for boards (as all pre-3rd year students are), however the thought looms over my head that I have doomed myself... that my low grades my first and second year will greatly hurt my chances of getting into a residency I want. I have no doubt that I will do better my 3rd year because I work much better in a clinical setting (hands on). But that is all in the future, and here I am studying for boards with this thought looming over my head that my chances are shot.

I enjoy medicine greatly, however do I still have a shot at landing a residency of my choice?

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[doc05]

nobody cares about your preclinical grades. except for maybe derm and plastics, where everyone has honored everything and you'd stand out in a bad way.

focus on step 1, try to enjoy 3rd year (next to impossible though), and decide on a specialty next year.

 

[lowbudget]

You're neither the first nor the last to be in your position. Doc05 is right. Stop thinking about the past, focus on the next couple of weeks: Step 1 is a great equalizer. When you do practice problems, focus on what the level of knowledge the question is testing (i.e. Step 1 will test what a 2nd year med student should know, not what a PhD or MD intern/resident should know... get it?) Kicking butt during 3rd year is the other great equalizer, where your grades are more dependent on your clinical performance and your evaluations carry a bit more weight. When you apply for residencies, people will read your evaluations as they get copied and paste onto your Dean's Letter. Study hard as needed, decompress as needed, be normal, and be a kind and compassionate human being. With that, believe it or not, everything will fall in place.

 

[MS05']

You're neither the first nor the last to be in your position. Doc05 is right. Stop thinking about the past, focus on the next couple of weeks: Step 1 is a great equalizer. When you do practice problems, focus on what the level of knowledge the question is testing (i.e. Step 1 will test what a 2nd year med student should know, not what a PhD or MD intern/resident should know... get it?) Kicking butt during 3rd year is the other great equalizer, where your grades are more dependent on your clinical performance and your evaluations carry a bit more weight. When you apply for residencies, people will read your evaluations as they get copied and paste onto your Dean's Letter. Study hard as needed, decompress as needed, be normal, and be a kind and compassionate human being. With that, believe it or not, everything will fall in place.

Agree with the above. I know of a pediatric specialist who also happens to be the chair of the peds department who mentioned to me one day that in the deans letters he receives for each candidate the preclinical years (year 1 and 2) there is about a paragraph in a typical 3 page long dean letter about these years. Maybe a little bit longer if you did research, discovered the cure to cancer or the equation for perpetual motion. He flat out told me that he and the committee skim the paragraph for key words and move on to the rest of the 2.95 pages that they really care about....the clinical years. Did you kill anyone, can you work with people (in a team), were you up to date on your patients and therapeutics, were you nice and courteous to patients etc etc etc. There are thousands of medical graduates per year. What residency directors want to know if can they work with you for three years and will you carry your weight and be a contributing member to your team.

Relax. Carry as many patients as you can safely (and as many as you can stay current on), read the literature regarding each patients dz, get to know an attending or two for future references, try to do well on the shelf exams and most importantly, try to have a good time....

 

[beyond all hope]

Do well in your clinicals and on the boards and no one will care about your preclinicals. Really.

 

[skypilot]

So I am well aware of the phrase "P=MD" but that has never been my style. With a high mcat score and high gpa I easily got into medical school but once I started... I was quickly humbled. I managed to only pass all my classes and even lowpass two of them. I greatly enjoy/love the material, but I find test-taking at school a bit tough.

I am now studying for boards (as all pre-3rd year students are), however the thought looms over my head that I have doomed myself... that my low grades my first and second year will greatly hurt my chances of getting into a residency I want. I have no doubt that I will do better my 3rd year because I work much better in a clinical setting (hands on). But that is all in the future, and here I am studying for boards with this thought looming over my head that my chances are shot.

I enjoy medicine greatly, however do I still have a shot at landing a residency of my choice?

I think all the advice you have been given is excellent. But you also should remember that there is nothing you can do about the past. As a doc you will have failures, patient deaths, and mistakes. You will have to pick yourself up after these setbacks and move on. So look forward to your future as a doctor and don't worry about landing "the residency of your choice." Wherever you end up you will have a great opportunity to be of service to your patients.

 

[triciatmd]

Hey I Am Having The Same Problem Deciding Which Medical School I Want To Attend. I Am Trying To Decide Between Medical College Of Georgia And Mercer University...both Of Which Are In Georgia. I Do Feel Like Medical College Of Georgia Has Alot More Prestige But I Believe I Will Like Mercer's Small Atmosphere Better; However, I Want To Go To The Place That Will Help Me In The Long Run. Do Y'all Think It Is Better To Be Higher In A Small School Like Mercer Or Get Lost In The Middle Of The Class At A More Prestigious Large School Like Mcg? Mercer Does Not Give Grades In The 1st 2 Years...just Pass Or Fail? Does This Matter To Get Into Residency? Will Either School Help Me Get Into A Better Residency?

 

[NinerNiner999]

Hey I Am Having The Same Problem Deciding Which Medical School I Want To Attend. I Am Trying To Decide Between Medical College Of Georgia And Mercer University...both Of Which Are In Georgia. I Do Feel Like Medical College Of Georgia Has Alot More Prestige But I Believe I Will Like Mercer's Small Atmosphere Better; However, I Want To Go To The Place That Will Help Me In The Long Run. Do Y'all Think It Is Better To Be Higher In A Small School Like Mercer Or Get Lost In The Middle Of The Class At A More Prestigious Large School Like Mcg? Mercer Does Not Give Grades In The 1st 2 Years...just Pass Or Fail? Does This Matter To Get Into Residency? Will Either School Help Me Get Into A Better Residency?

I think you're looking at things the wrong way. It is difficult to assume you will have a "higher" rank in a small school versus a large one. Med school is tough any way you slice it, and thanks to the good old bell curve, you probably have the same liklihood of finishing in the same "position" regardless of the school you go to. The bottom line is to go where you think you will learn the best, and where you will be happiest outside of the classroom...