Scott Silverstein Registered User Posts: 2 (3/8/01 7:37:11 pm) Reply Advice to MS3's A few things after reading the numerous posts on matching... Board scores matter as does AOA but neither is the most important thing.(although some places do use cutoffs - what can you do) We dont like to take people who fail the USMLE or do VERY poorly (because you want people to pass their boards when they are done or your program can get suspended). More important is your letters of recommendations(the last line in the letter tells the tale - orthospeak - how interested the person really is in you as a candidate) and your rotation if you do one with us(even though we take lots of people who never do). Get letters from as many orthopedists as possible, as the other ones mean NOTHING AT ALL REALLY! A chief resident letter is required some places and can be helpful anywhere. We invite our chiefs to the rank meeting every year to get the residents input. Research is a part of it too but again not even close to the most important thing. Bottom line is to kick butt on your subI's and ask people for letters of recommendation afterwards. The problem is most people dont seem to know what to do on a sub I to stand out so we put together a tip sheet. If anyone wants it just email me and i'd be happy to forward it. Also no matter how good you think your application is, be humble and apply to more programs than you need. If you limit areas of the country you may get burned, ive seen it happen to good applicants. Take all statements of interest in you with a grain of salt, applicants and programs both tend to exagerate interest in each other. Anyone interested in our program (its not well known but is outstanding - i stayed on as staff because i like it alot) feel free to contact me as well after checking out our web site if you have any questions. I'd encourage people to consider a sub I here as we really let our students do a lot (easier since we have no fellows). Good luck, Scott Silverstein MD Assistant Education Director WVU Orthopedics www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/ortho/orthores.html ssilvers@wvu.edu Scott Silverstein Registered User Posts: 5 (3/26/01 7:20:36 pm) Reply Re: Advice to MS3's I repeat earlier advice...and add one other though...if you arent sure where to rotate...go there for a few days now during your 3rd year (most places wont mind if you call first) and get a feel whether you'd fit in. I've seen some candidates really work this angle well. Being aggressive wont usually hurt you going into a competitive match like ortho. NG22 Registered User Posts: 3 (3/28/01 7:16:15 pm) Reply advice Remember no matter how good you think you are or how great of letters you get, you may not match. Have a back-up. og71 Registered User Posts: 4 (3/28/01 8:30:07 pm) Reply Advice Remember no matter how average you are or how poor your chances are, you may still match. Give it a shot! At some point, it's about the person, not the numbers. NG22 Registered User Posts: 4 (3/29/01 6:50:11 am) Reply match That's what I thought. Scott Silverstein Registered User Posts: 6 (3/29/01 9:16:17 am) Reply Re: Advice to MS3's If your goal is really truly to do ortho, your back up should be to do a year of gen surg or lab work and reapply. If you really want it you'll get it. Doing ED or something else as a back up is a sign you didnt want it bad enough.