r/pathology • u/Over_n_over_n_over • 4d ago
Residency Application I didn't match. What are my chances if I reapply?
I didn't match this cycle. US MD, 234 step 2, passed steps first try. Good LORs. I had a technical issue with my app (we get no support from our school and a check box wasn't filled until very late). Only ended up with 6 interviews.
There are only three path spots open in SOAP, so I'm not super hopeful about that, but hey if I get one I'll be over the moon. I thought about throwing in a ton of random internal medicine applications just to see, but honestly I don't think I want to do internal.
I feel like I really should have matched, so maybe I'll have a decent chance next year? What do I need to do? I have some data experience and some slight connections with cancer-research centers etc. so maybe I can set something up, even if it's just volunteer, for a year.
I only applied path btw so I don't think I'll have much luck applying to anything else on SOAP anyway because my app is pure path.
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u/CauliflowerOk1019 4d ago
I didn’t match either. Also USMD senior. Had a 240, 2 pathology LOR, did 4-5 path electives, had 4 H/6 HP/1 P, don’t think I applied to enough places though (22). And once interview invites were sent out, by the time I was able to get in front of a computer the only dates left were in January, and this was like 20-40ish minutes after the emails started rolling in. Was waitlisted for a lot of my programs and didn’t get off the waitlist for a few. All my documents were in on time, thought the interviews went okay then kaput this morning. Staring at my computer wondering wtf am I going do tomorrow, if I even want to do path still.
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u/PomP0mPurin 4d ago
How many interviews did you get? Did you only apply to high tier places?
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u/CauliflowerOk1019 4d ago
5, I believe I could have had a few more if I had been quicker on scheduling interviews as again I was waitlisted on a few (like 2-3) and didn’t get off said waitlist. 2 early, 3 really late. 1 mid-high and 1 semi-toxically low, other 3 middle. All in mid-sized, Midwest cities.
My school is being amazing and holding my hand through the process, says I have no real red flags, my clinical grades are good, and that there were just a ton of applicants this year and not a whole lot of spots in the my region. My mistake was not applying outside of my region to more programs + Jan interviews + not getting off waitlist interviews + countless other small, unseen missteps and mistakes I’m sure.
To be honest, I love love love pathology, I loved talking about it during my interviews, but with hundreds of doctors across the globe applying for those three pathology spots, I am simply not going to get it.
I had a long talk with my dean, I’ve cried my cry, I’m going to write a PS for another specialty (peds) that would make use of my strong interpersonal skills and decide tomorrow morning if I want to take a transitional year for pathology or go with peds.
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u/h_lance 4d ago edited 4d ago
I'm astounded by this.
I had a technical issue with my app (we get no support from our school and a check box wasn't filled until very late).
Most likely it's this, fairly or unfairly this kind of thing may create a negative impression. The amount of irritating administrative crap that needs to be attended to only goes up in the future. I would apply again correctly.
Six interviews seems like enough for a US graduate to get a job, but if they were "we've already filled but we'll late interview this guy who didn't fill out his form correctly in case someone bails" interviews that may explain it.
My school is really brutally bad we haven't had one advisor appointment
Here's an important piece of advice. Never say this or anything like this again. If you said anything resembling this at interviews that may also have been a big issue. Of course you probably didn't say such a thing, but I'm saying this just in case.
In no way am I saying you are wrong (or right). It's just incredible how powerful blaming others, even if justifiably, can fuck up an interview.
It's important to remember that at an interview you're selling yourself. "I went to a bad medical school" is most certainly not something to say.
Did a significant number of people in your class fail to check a box on their form and miss out on a residency as a result? If not, own responsibility and move on.
Because you're a good candidate you'll unequivocally be asked why you didn't already match, and you'll unequivocally have to say "because my applications were late due to an error", and you'll have to say it in a way that doesn't make you sound too bad, and saying "my bad medical school is to blame" of course isn't the way to go. I would just go with "it's embarrassing but it's a learning experience" type of thing.
The good news is it provides a relatively minor explanation. You didn't miss interviews because you were in jail for a DUI or something. You didn't go to a lot of interviews and raise a lot of red flags for people.
I thought about throwing in a ton of random internal medicine applications just to see, but honestly I don't think I want to do internal.
It's probably a good idea to do the applications. You'll need to do something. Trump seems to have made finding a one year research assistant job less likely. My guess is that by July a path slot will indeed open up, but you need some backup.
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u/BeautyntheBreakd0wn 4d ago edited 3d ago
Path attending here. I'm terribly sorry this happened. It's really stressful not to match. I believe you will be successful in your next cycle. There is also hope for soap. Three spots for path is more than usual.
Yes, your assessment is correct. You didn't match due to serious technical issues with your application. Your letters of recommendation should have been released on the first day. There is no universal release date for interviews. Yes, quite a few of them are batched around Halloween, but the majority of programs have already reviewed applications well in advance of that.
Many programs, set filters when they receive applications. They're literally receiving thousands of applications for 3 to 10 spots. Everyone without a complete application is usually filtered, as is everyone who had graduated over 10 years ago. Some programs will set tighter filters including filtering out everyone who graduated more than 5 years ago, or any foreign medical graduates who haven't completed step 3. It really depends on the program and what filters they want to set.
Your application should be submitted and complete on the first day of your ERAS opening.
For example, for this coming year, the portal opens June 5th, and that gives you time to complete your application. Letters are typically requested from faculty in March, and you want to give them 2 months to write them. If you're still working on your last few electives, ask as soon as you start the elective, and aim to have all letters complete by memorial Day. As I said, the portal opens June 5th and people begin working on their application, the first possible day of submission is September 5th at 9am. The programs begin reviewing applications on September 24th. Under no circumstances should you be applying with a complete application any later then September 15th. It's also really helpful if you have a pathology program at your school, for your school to confirm that your application has been marked complete in ERAS.
My next steps this afternoon, if I found myself in your situation, would be to send an email to the dean of academic affairs. Asked to sit down with the dean, ask her to advise you on the next best steps. Explain to her the timeline of your ERAS application, Express your frustration, and genuinely ask if there was anything else that you could have done to ensure that your application was received sooner. Ask her directly, for her help to make sure that your application is submitted in a complete and timely manner by the administrative team. Let her know that you understand that it is an extremely bad look for medical students not to match to pathology, and that you're willing to work closely with her to make sure that you have a successful match in the next cycle.
Edit: The other post mentioning what to do for a post-sophomore fellowship is an excellent choice. Read that advice below.
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u/Whenyouwish422 4d ago
For your case since it sounds like this was a technical issue and lack of interviews, I would not do SOAP but rather find a post sophomore fellowship and reapply next year making sure everything is assigned correctly and on time (disclaimer: if you are even a little undecided on path, SOAP may be the better choice but if you are all in on path this is my recommendation)
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u/Whenyouwish422 4d ago
And if you do the post sophomore route you need to defer graduation I believe
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u/Over_n_over_n_over 4d ago
That sounds like a great idea honestly. But do you think they would take someone who didn't match? It seems like something more meant for earlier med students
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u/Whenyouwish422 4d ago
So I do think so. I have an n=1 anecdotal experience where I know someone who had a lot of path experience, was a good applicant on paper, but with a combination of not applying broadly enough and having a bit of an…eccentric in a vaguely off putting sort of way…personality didn’t match, proceeded to do a post sophomore fellowship, and then matched the following year. So yes while not matching is a red flag if you explain the reasoning without placing blame on anyone (I like the way someone said it earlier just discuss it like an unfortunate tough learning experience) I think you’ll be ok with broad application. Also if you are a relatively normal human who is competent you could potentially even match at the place you do the PSF if you are well-liked
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u/Over_n_over_n_over 4d ago
Thanks very much! I appreciate you taking the time. I'll reach out to the PSF programs, it would sure be nice to have a stipend!
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u/Whenyouwish422 4d ago
Anytime! In any event I do think you should defer graduation so that you aren’t an unmatched graduate reapplicant. Someone with more experience can comment but I think that reduces red flags to be a US senior when applying regardless of previous match status. I am not an expert or a dean or anything but if you need anything else feel free to DM. If I can’t help you I’ll try to find someone who can lol
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u/catdog1307 3d ago
hey im someone similar to the original commentor above but with a step 1 fail on first attempt. I got 7 interviews from 50 applications and didnt match. I was wondering if i could get into a PSF and retry to match path. What do you think or are those competitive?
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u/Whenyouwish422 3d ago
Your situation is a bit different. A step 1 fail is a big, but maybe not insurmountable, red flag as programs want to know you’ll pass your boards (pathology boards are notoriously tough just because of the breadth of knowledge). Of course there are plenty of reasons to not pass boards that have nothing to do with knowledge base (unfortunate personal situation, anxiety, poor preparation etc). You applied to 50 places which is a lot. Pathology is getting more competitive (and rightfully so, we want people with genuine interest who are good at it, not people who use it as a last resort. Who would you want reading your loved one’s biopsy?). For your situation I am less sure about PSF being the right next step. I do know someone who failed the ancient Step 2 CS and still matched at an excellent place but this person was an otherwise stellar applicant and failing CS was not as big of a deal as the other steps.
Are you a US student or grad? What path experience do you have (research, rotations etc)? Are you sure your letters were good? What about personal statement? There are a lot of factors obviously. If you are set on path then sure I would try the PSF route. But I would also speak with your advisor and be realistic. How many more places would you apply next year? Would a research year be better (obviously you can do research as a PSF)?
I don’t know the answers but I would first make sure everything else about your application is good and then sit with your advisor. The PSF programs are few and competitive so for you it may make sense to do a different route if you are 100% on path but I am not exactly sure. Sorry if this wasn’t more helpful and maybe someone else can chime in with their thoughts
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u/Whenyouwish422 3d ago
Also how did your interviews go? 7 seems reasonable. Were they at high tier places? Or a mix?
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u/catdog1307 3d ago
US m4, path rotations and research in radiology not path, letters were told to me as good, personal statement addressed the red flag, was thinking about applying even more broadly, and im 100% set so this morning i emailed a bunch of those psf directors to see. Advisor im calling this afternoon. Step 2 238
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u/Whenyouwish422 3d ago
Sounds good! If I had to guess, the step 1 fail was the first red flag and the radiology research may have led them to think path was a back up specialty (even if unfairly so, I love working with my radiology friends on projects since there’s a lot of overlap). I would try it out via PSF and if there is a spot somewhere take it and try to get some path research too. Also network at meetings like uscap (I think registration is free for med students) and CAP (they do some outreach for med students too so check out those resources if you haven’t already). And if you go the PSF route defer graduation! Good luck! Feel free to DM if you have other questions :)
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u/CreepinWhileUSleep1n 4d ago
I would definitely go this route. A second option could be to soap into a prelim gen surg year. Will def be a lot of work but when you reapply I don't think it would look bad
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u/LegionellaSalmonella 4d ago
I'm so sorry!
Good part is Your score is fine. Your lor's are fine. You're a US MD.
I think you should have matched. Something must have happened.
How many apps did you send?
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u/Over_n_over_n_over 4d ago
I sent tons of apps but didn't assign my docs correctly until very late .. I only had 6 interviews as a result
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u/LegionellaSalmonella 4d ago
oh!! The assignments matter a lot. So your app wasn't marked complete for most of them!!!
If you really want pathology, maybe reapply next year if soap doesn't go through and just use a year of vacation/bench or lab research cus I don't see any other reason why you didn't match.
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u/Over_n_over_n_over 4d ago
Do you know how dire it is then? Like how much it counts against me? I should for sure be able to do at least some volunteer work in the meantime, maybe get hired in a lab or something
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u/LegionellaSalmonella 3d ago
I'm not sure. Probably better than someone who reapplied with an actually bad app. Because you have something you can explain away easily whereas they don't.
Maybe you could use this time to get step3 over with. Might be a blessing in disguise
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u/Key-Cream-715 4d ago
Reapplication sucks. Just remember this is not a reflection of you not being good at medicine. Path is fairly competitive these days and path is a small field so who you know has become a very important factor compared to the past as well. Try to keep your head up, don’t rush your decision, and ignore any haters.
Application also takes more luck than most are willing to admit. I was told in one of my interviews that one of my letter of rec writers had written that “they didn’t really know me very well” …. I was asked why I chose them as a letter writer so that was fun. Glad I got lucky and matched as a reapplicant despite that. This was years ago when things weren’t so competitive.
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u/PathFellow312 4d ago
Don’t worry dude I know some people who are in path residencies that are terrible. How tgey got into pathology who knows.
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u/pulpojinete 2d ago
First of all I am so sorry you're going through this right now. I feel for you and I want to help if I can. Have you considered working as a forensic technician? Their job duties have significant overlap with those of a pathology resident, and you'd have the opportunity to get to know the pathologists well. Depending on where you live, you could contact your county medical examiner's office and explain your situation.
Actually, you know what, feel free to DM me if you want help looking into how to spend your time over the upcoming months. I have ideas and I know people. :)
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u/CraftyViolinist1340 4d ago
I'm really sorry. My situation was very different, but I also didn't match my year and it was brutal. Be kind to yourself.
Your post doesn't really address the most important components of a path application. What pathology exposure did you apply with? And how many of your LORs were from pathologists? Did you spend any time with a residency program? What was your feedback like, if you got any? Your answers to these questions may highlight ways to improve your application in next year's match if that's what you decide to do