Dr. Levine do you have any advise what I can do to match?

I am an avg medical student in at a top 25 medical school in the NE. my board scores are 252 step 1. I would really like to match at Columbia (or a program like it). unfortunately I discovered my passion for ortho late into my second year and do not have any research. I am working on a project in the GI dept that may result in a publication. I am also a hardworking but a relatively avg student (school is pass/fair first two years) and I dont expect AOA but hopefully honors medicine and surgery. what can I do at this point to make myself a stronger applicant? I spoke to the chair about ortho research and he got me in touch with a PHd doing work that is rather theoretical and may not result in a published article at this point. He is def open to doing a month research elective with me. is there anything i can do to make myself a stronger applicant- i was also thinking of taking a research year off or maybe doing an international health year off with the fogarty fellowship, do you have any recommendations for me? i sincerely appreciate any advise you can give.

Your USLME score will get you past every screen in every program so that's a plus of course. Getting honors in surgery and medicine will be very helpful as well. Your lack of ortho research is not a "death sentence" by any means - plenty of great residents have not done any research. Your letters of recommendation (as well as your sub-internships) will be critically important.

Good luck - -

wnl