Should i give up based on step 1

Wild20 wrote: I would do as many as your program allowed. Most seem to let their students do 2-3 but have know some people that have done more. Most programs will probably not advertise their cutoffs. My advice would be to stick to the community programs as they may not be as quick to dismiss an applicant due to score alone. However, if you know someone at a program or really want to be at a specific program you should probably consider rotating there. Also I'd take step 2 early and (like I said before) rock it. If you score much better on step 2 and can put it on your applications, it could really help.

Would research still help for community programs? Where would I find a list of community vs university programs (FRIEDA?) I think I can def improve for step 2. Would it be wise to also apply to all ortho programs since I don't know which ones screen?

you should probably double apply unless you are fine with taking 1-2 research years or scrambling into a non-ortho field.

I was planning on taking a year of research between third and fourth year. Would you still recommend I double apply if I do that and am successful with networking and publications?

Lots of programs have cut offs...most (not all) will probably filter out your app before ever seeing 50+ pubs based on Step I alone. Most programs are gonna look at 1) Step 1 2) AOA? 3) Clerkship Grades 4) Step 2 > Pubs > everything else

I'd honestly think about what you like most about ortho and double apply. You can check many similar boxes in different fields

Ya, I'm not sure what other field I would apply to. I want to do surgery, but I don't really love general surgery. The other surgical fields seem just as competitive. So I'm not sure what else I would apply into, unless it wasn't a surgical field.

i know of a few ortho applicants who scrambled into anesthesia and radiology. they are less competitive, but still have procedures. if you like ortho-related stuff, anesthesia has regional fellowships and radiology has MSK and IR.