M3: How Behind Am I? Advice?

[Guest]

What if you are from shit-tier school but you do research with an attending from a top place? Does that compensate?

[Guest]

Well… short answer, it depends. Are you going to help a predatory attending who only wants more papers or someone who will be willing to mentor you?

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^agree. But still, no amount of papers alone will get you there unless you’re well connected.

[Guest]

^ How do you get connected without family/friends at top places? Is research the only option?

[Guest]

You can shadow, network at conferences, and reach out to residents at these places to familiarize them with you

[Guest]

OP, you seem like a decent person. You're not falling for, nor are you feeding the trolls.
Your timing is what used to be just the right time to get prepared for a competitive residency app. Things have shifted a bit, but not a ton. If you play your cards right, seeing as you are at a top15 program already, the sky is the limit.
First of, please be aware that taking a research year will mean you won't be able to just compare yourself to the average anymore. The RY, in your situation, can work out nicely, but it's not a net positive and you may be able to match at a decent program without it. I've seen plenty of people match at great operative programs (Rush, Buffalo, Alabama, Mayo) with ~3-5 papers. You just can't rely on it and need strong SubI's and good letters from them. If you do take a research year, you need to use it. You need pubs, otherwise it's an more of an indicator that you're not academically productive than not having published enough during medical school.

Since you did clinical work before, do the RY with a clinical mentor. This, generally, is a less risky endeavor anyways, seeing as the numbers game is still on and you can't rely on publishing much in a year if you decide to do bench work. Not without having done some work on the side that could get you going right away. Go through recent match lists and look at those that did research years. Look at their match trajectory in terms of ranks climbed from home program to matched program. There are 5-10 great mentors out there, that also take students from other schools. Look at social media. I despise it, but it is what it is, if your mentor gives shoutouts and is openly pushing you online, that goes a long way. It's all about name recognition and strong support.
You need to get pubs during a research year, so come up with ideas beforehand. Think about a certain method or a certain topic that, while not publishing on it or with it exclusively, you can build a story around. People are fed up with random review and retrospective study writers about every topic in this field. Be strategic in your research now, so that you can sell yourself later.

You have a great home program, you're not one of the idiots on this forum, you're flexible in terms of location and open to a research year. Everything is still possible. You might not become one of the top 5 guys everyone talks about on the trail, but even that is still possible if you're likeable and do well on your RY.
All the best.

[Guest]

In your opinion, what does it take to become a top 5 guy on the trial? Is it pubs, step scores, or other factors?

[Guest]

top 5 applicants, is what I should've written.

I think it's soft skills, at the end of the day. These applicants have all the metrics covered. Good to great scores, research, letters. On the trail, it's all about how you interact with residents, faculty, and co-applicants. This isn't supposed to discourage people that have a hard time with others or take longer to open up. Just don't be a dick. You can be the shy or silent applicant that knows every damn answer while getting pimped, helps others out, and is reliable and kind. You can also be the fun, bubbly extrovert that makes everyone comfortable and gives programs the impression that you're the one that will bring in cohesiveness, comradery, and fun.

Be authentic and work on your toxic traits. If you're a gunner (and many are in this field), embrace it, show why, and let your passion for the field shine, but don't screw over the others. If you're on neurosurgeryhub to troll others and think you can be a prick that hides behind anonymity, be sure that the ~400 people that you interact with and that watch your every move to filter people like you out, will most likely see you for who you are.

[Guest]

I believe anything after a 230 on step 2 your scores stop mattering and your research and letters matter more

[Guest]

Also, don’t go to interviews at programs where there’s a rumor that the spot has already been filled. That will save you money and time.

[Guest]

For those of you ghetto fools who don't know better, by "soft skills" they are referring to the sort of mannerisms and etiquette you'd only learn at elite prep schools and colleges, like Phillips, Andover, Grotton, Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Penn etc.

So a lot of you idiots here from muh Alabama State will say, "b-b-but I have muh friends, I have muh soft skills."But muh working class mannerism is not what the elite programs want, buddy buyo. They want the short of behavior you only learn by being born elite and attending select institutions. "Soft skills" is just a code word.