Great Advice on Perseverance
Here's a great story and great advice from an IMG that failed step 1, didn't match last year, and was "advised" by many to give up! Find out what she did to make it to her dream!!!!
Hi Dr Barone,
I received my match results today... Fortunate enough to have "Matched" after all the hard work.
Just wanted to take a moment to thank you for all your constant support to everyone that ever sits in your classroom.
I passed step 1 on my 2nd attempt with a 239 and step 2 CK on the first attempt with a 248.
And you teaching us live in class in NY was one of the factors that’s fuelled my growth from an initial step 1 fail... to a 240+ on both steps!
Reading on your blog, the true stories of the docs that matched, inspite of their attempts… kept me going on days when i doubted myself.
You once told us that with hard work and perseverance ... ANYTHING is possible! and for me.. that was proved!!
THANK YOU!! for everything that you do for your mafia!
J. M. 3/17/2014
1. Any visa issues?
No
2. Where did you do medical school?
India
3. Any gap between med school and the match?
Yes, 3 years since graduation
4. Tell me about your step 1 experience?
The first time I took step 1 I was in the final year of Med school. The two big mistakes I think I made were simply - Not having any guidance/feedback and simply rushing into the test. When I received my result I was shocked to say the least.
5. What motivated you to rock the step1 on the second attempt?
After the initial Step 1 attempt - alot of people "advised" me to just quit. Because according to the general thoughts out there - No one could match after failing. But honestly this was my DREAM. there was NO way i was going to give up on it without a fight... no matter how hard it seemed at the time.
6. What did you differently on the second attempt?
a) Feedback: - The second time around I enrolled at Kaplan. Obviously learning from some of the best teachers helped tremendously, but what helped more was the support system I developed. I was with people in the exactly same situation as me and i turned frequently to my peers/ medical advisors and my teachers for feedback on where they thought i could improve. It was initially a little challenging to hear their criticism and implement their suggestions... but I knew that the only way things would be different the 2nd time around was if I changed my patterns.
b) Study resources: - I used multiple study resources to understand the concepts and their applications. Read multiple books/ did multiple qbanks. A few friends and I actually formed a study group (4-5 people) and we would get together and have frequent discussions. This helped clear out alot of concepts (teaching someone else is the BEST way to study) and also we kept a check on each other to make sure everyone was on track.
c) Pushed myself to the limit: - I knew this would be super important. I still remember speaking to Dr Fischer and Dr Barone on the first days of my step 1 physiology & pathology lectures and they both said the same thing - "you have one chance to get this right. Pass big and the attempt is downplayed. You have to aim for gunner!" and its something i reminded myself of everyday. Every time I got a questions wrong.. i went back and read and re-read the concepts. Every time I thought of taking a day off/ getting lazy and not studying I reminded myself of my goal - reaching the 240 number. I did not give my test till I got there on the self assessment tests. My total prep time was around 6 months.
7. How many interviews did you get?
5
8. What did they ask about on the interview in terms of your step 1?
They asked me to explain what went wrong on the initial attempt.
9. Did connections help you match?
No
10. What do you think was the most important factor in your matching?
It was a balance of Passing Big on the 2nd step 1 attempt + passing Big on Step 2 + being able to show to the PDs how i had grown from the experience of giving the exam twice.
11. What specialty did you match in?
Internal medicine
12. What advice would you give to students in similar situations as you had?
It is an extremely difficult phase to go through.. but you have to sit down and analyze practically what went wrong... and then Start afresh. Do things differently from what you did in the first run. Get help from your peers and professors on how they think you can improve - and then ACCEPT their advise and honestly work on it. Push yourself as much as you can. Dont settle for a low score on a self assessment. The BEST thing about the USMLE is that everything is CONCEPT BASED. So if you have worked the right way and really understood the applications of the material.. you will do well. There are days that you will question yourself and wonder if you should give up... But continue to HAVE FAITH IN YOURSELF and in your knowledge! This is your dream. It is worth the effort.
PS- After passing step 1.. I implemented the exact same thing for Step 2CK - AIM FOR GUNNER. Post ECFMG certification I applied to multiple places for US clincal experience. I went through the Match last year with NO interviews and tried again this year and matched into my top choice program. Perseverence (while practically working on your weaknesses) is the key!
I hope this helps someone next year to achieve their dream. - J.M.
Thank you for sharing this valuable advice! You can do this too! - Dr. Barone
