Step 1 225....... so far all outstanding on m3 clerkships... few research projects possible publications.... planning on applying EVERYWHERE questions... thoughts about step 2 early? I am thinking about doing 3 aways total.... plus 4 weeks at my home institute.... so far i am thinking 1 month at Cleveland clinic... is this a waste of time? I was thinking big name big letter hopefuly 1 month at USC and then 1 month somewhere realistic...(much help needed here... where should this be) Is there anything else I should be doing....

If you wait until March 15 or maybe the afternoon of March 18, you may be able to get some realistic responses from the applicants (especially we with stats closer to yours that have applied this year). Otherwise, applicants this year can only speculate without much to show for. Try posting then.

would really like to know this as well. 228 step I. I feel like an extra month doing an away would better for my chances than *MAYBE* doing better on my step 2 cuz who knows if that will even happen?? honest responses for me and OP appreciated.

I am a pgy-4 and have been looking at this board fr about 6 years.... I have to say the most annoying and stupid posts are these "DO I HAVE A CHANCE POSTS" This posts make people who have insightful things to say get burned out on this board and stop responding....you think I want to reply to every medial student with a marginal application on paper and stroke his ego... ONLY YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE....this is not based on purely numbers...if you have a 265 on step one but are a huge dusche you may not match...if you have a 210 and rotate with me and I think you are the most amazing kick a$$ medical student I have ever see...I will talk you up to the chairman and you have a great chance of matching..... SO STOP ASKING THIS CRAP>>>> ITS ANNOYING AND WE ARE SICK OF IT>>>> THANKS AND GOOD LUCK

Rough weekend?

I am a pgy-4 and have been looking at this board fr about 6 years.... I have to say the most annoying and stupid posts are these "DO I HAVE A CHANCE POSTS" This posts make people who have insightful things to say get burned out on this board and stop responding....you think I want to reply to every medial student with a marginal application on paper and stroke his ego... ONLY YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE....this is not based on purely numbers...if you have a 265 on step one but are a huge dusche you may not match...if you have a 210 and rotate with me and I think you are the most amazing kick a$$ medical student I have ever see...I will talk you up to the chairman and you have a great chance of matching..... SO STOP ASKING THIS CRAP>>>> ITS ANNOYING AND WE ARE SICK OF IT>>>> THANKS AND GOOD LUCK

Wow, what a "dusche..."

so no one has answered my question regarding step 2? or the away at Cleveland? Also i know there are alot of "what are my chances" posts but everyone has a slight different story.... if your sick of them....please dont read them.... we appreciate all feedback and input.

The consensus seems to be that if you have a Step 1 on the lower side it's advantageous to take step 2 and kill it before apps go out. It may offset a low Step 1. I can't comment on the Cleveland rotation.

He has a point though. This same question has literally been asked 15 times in the last 6 months... and the answer doesn't change. There are surveys done by program directors that show what is important and data from the NRMP that shows the stats on successful & unsuccessful applicants. Just spend a few minutes and search on the net OR just go through some of the old topics. The same question over & over again really gets old. If you are honestly that concerned about your chances, the best place to start is with the chair or progam director at your home institution. They will know better than anyone. Rule #1 of a good applicant: you don't need someone to hold your hand when getting the job done. Get the point.

Actually, I can comment on the Cleveland rotation. From what I've read on the boards here some are in favor of the big name letter, some think there is a regional bias, and some say go to places you want to check out more in depth. The opinions tend to lean more in favor of the latter.

I'll try to give some insight based on my experience as a somewhat "average" applicant (and one trying to match in 2 weeks). My board score wasn't as low as those posted, but I was in the 230's, which is still a little less than some programs like to see. I chose not to take Step2 early, which may hurt me - but we'll find that out in 2 weeks. I think if you're in the 220's you have to take it early though - you just have to show that you can get that score up into the 230's or 240's. This means taking it in July/Aug so that when ERAS opens in Sept, you have your score ready to go. As far as aways go - I got a killer letter from my away rotation from a guy who's nationally known. I was told specifically by 3 program directors that that letter was the reason I got the interview. So I think it's a good idea (if you're average like me) to go to a well known place and kill the rotation. Now, not only do I have a shot at that program (which I otherwise would not have gotten) - but that rotation also scored me other interviews - most of which were outside of the region of said letter. I will say though, that I agree with perpetualpriapasm that it's ridiculous how much this question gets asked. It's basically a ploy to get others in the "ortho community" to tell you that everything will be all right - when in fact none of us have a clue - just ask the guys on here with >260 who didn't match - it can be a HUGE crapshoot. The same rules apply - it's not always about what you know, it's who you know. Kick ass on your rotations, work hard during 3rd year, and let the chips fall where they may.

I'll try to give some insight based on my experience as a somewhat "average" applicant (and one trying to match in 2 weeks). My board score wasn't as low as those posted, but I was in the 230's, which is still a little less than some programs like to see. I chose not to take Step2 early, which may hurt me - but we'll find that out in 2 weeks. I think if you're in the 220's you have to take it early though - you just have to show that you can get that score up into the 230's or 240's. This means taking it in July/Aug so that when ERAS opens in Sept, you have your score ready to go. As far as aways go - I got a killer letter from my away rotation from a guy who's nationally known. I was told specifically by 3 program directors that that letter was the reason I got the interview. So I think it's a good idea (if you're average like me) to go to a well known place and kill the rotation. Now, not only do I have a shot at that program (which I otherwise would not have gotten) - but that rotation also scored me other interviews - most of which were outside of the region of said letter. I will say though, that I agree with perpetualpriapasm that it's ridiculous how much this question gets asked. It's basically a ploy to get others in the "ortho community" to tell you that everything will be all right - when in fact none of us have a clue - just ask the guys on here with >260 who didn't match - it can be a HUGE crapshoot. The same rules apply - it's not always about what you know, it's who you know. Kick ass on your rotations, work hard during 3rd year, and let the chips fall where they may.

The question may be asked ad nauseum but sometimes people just need a little reassurance from their peers.

Rule #1 of a good applicant] Well put. Why would any rational person believe he would get a different response to this question? If you have to ask.....

While I agree that the question is asked on a regular basis on here, especially this time of year, the people that ask it are the 3rd years who are often new to the site and may not know this. The subject line of the post doesn't really leave any ambiguity...you know what the post is about, so if you're tired of reading about it, maybe the more productive thing to do is to just skip it over and move on, rather than berate the original poster like they are single-handedly driving people away from this message board. Don't get me wrong, I've done it before myself. But I think it's more respectful of all involved to just avoid it if it bothers you that much. Clearly, no matter how much you may dislike it, these posts are going to keep happening. As TKEP1024 alluded to, it's a frustrating, anxiety-provoking process and people ask these questions to hear stories or accounts of people who have made it work without the stellar numbers. Maybe you had stellar stats and never had to worry about these things, but many people don't, and rants like those above don't help anyone involved. If you want to give an honest, candid opinion in response to the question at hand, then fine. Otherwise, just let it go and take it easy on the new guys. I would have to agree with segal on one point, that the program director or advisor at your school, as well as the residents at your program, are by far the best places to start. That aside, I thought that if I got

While I agree that the question is asked on a regular basis on here, especially this time of year, the people that ask it are the 3rd years who are often new to the site and may not know this. The subject line of the post doesn't really leave any ambiguity...you know what the post is about, so if you're tired of reading about it, maybe the more productive thing to do is to just skip it over and move on, rather than berate the original poster like they are single-handedly driving people away from this message board. Don't get me wrong, I've done it before myself. But I think it's more respectful of all involved to just avoid it if it bothers you that much. Clearly, no matter how much you may dislike it, these posts are going to keep happening. As TKEP1024 alluded to, it's a frustrating, anxiety-provoking process and people ask these questions to hear stories or accounts of people who have made it work without the stellar numbers. Maybe you had stellar stats and never had to worry about these things, but many people don't, and rants like those above don't help anyone involved. If you want to give an honest, candid opinion in response to the question at hand, then fine. Otherwise, just let it go and take it easy on the new guys. I would have to agree with segal on one point, that the program director or advisor at your school, as well as the residents at your program, are by far the best places to start. That aside, I thought that if I got

i would say to take Step 2 early with a score in the 220s. Honestly, w/a 220s you should take it early AND do an extra away rotation AND apply to 60+ programs.

I am in a similar situation(220s), but don't care what 'my chances are' I am more interested to know about selecting aways. I've been told by my program director that their cutoff for application review is a Step 1 > 240: Knowing that my score is lower than most schools' application cutoff, is it still worth doing aways at programs I am interested in despite my low score(lower than their cutoff)? Or does doing the away kind of give you an interview despite the score (assuming you rock the rotation) I just don't want to waste a month doing an away if it doesn't at least get me an interview or a better shot at matching.