How Bad Do You Want It?
Here's a success story filled with great advice for never giving up and learning from your mistakes to improve your chances of matching.
- Step 1: 216 (1st attempt)
- Step 2 Ck: 225 (1st attempt)
- Step 2 CS: Pass (2nd attempt)
- Gap since graduation: 5 years
- US IMG
- 2nd attempt at matching
- Number of interviews: 7 (last year only 1)
Hi Dr. Barone,
I wanted to share my story, hoping that can inspire those who didn’t match on their first attempt. "How bad do you want it?" This story is for everyone who feels that they are not going to make it.
Matching process
- 2018 match => 1 interview => SOAP, didn’t match.
- 2019 match => 7 interviews (all in internal medicine) -> Match!!!
When you start a process like the match, you must realize that this is something that you need all the help and guidance to be able to succeed. It is very hard, but it doesn’t have to be horrible. I think that one of the keys for successis to be very positive and believe that everything will be alright.
“You are an IMG. I think that you should go back to your country”; “do you realize that you will not make it, right?”; “this is going to be an uphill battle for you.”
To understand these comments, they don’t necessarily have a bad intention; maybe they are just trying to save you the disappointment. In this life, some people haven’t gone through the experience of being an IMG, so how can they understand? First of all, it’s difficult to understand things that you have not lived before, and you shouldn’t take this personally. On the contrary, I think that you should see these comments as a lesson and ask yourself the next question; HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT? My scores were not high enough, but I managed to find a way to make it happen. For this process, there are things that you can’t change like your scores, graduation year, and where you were born, but like Dr. Barone always says, you should focus on what you CAN change.
The STEP Exams
When I received my score report for step1, I was very disappointed, but something in me (I think is just my nature) told me to keep going. Then I took step 2 CK, and I did better, but still, I had my doubts if this was going to be enough to match in internal medicine. The big problem was when I took the “easiest test” step 2 CS. When I took it in Philadelphia, I was sure that I passed it, but when I received my score report, I was devastated (and that is normal).
I don’t know if you have had the experience of having failed one of the STEPS, but if you haven't, it’s a horrible experience!!!
During this very difficult time, I started to look for ways to overcome my failure, and for that reason, I started to do clinical rotations. This was very important for me because I got feedback from attendings, that help me to improve my mistakes, that I didn’t know that I made during my first attempt for the STEP 2 CS.
I knew that the scores are very important; they are the first thing that all the programs see when they are looking for applicants, so I had to make the programs view my application and see for themselves that my scores didn’t define me and that I have so much to give as a resident.
First Match:
During the first year I did research and some clinical rotations, and then I applied to the match, but this was not enough.
What were my mistakes?
1) No networking
2) I apply to Internal medicine with mostly LoRs from another specialty (which my mentors said that didn’t matter)
3) My clinical rotations were only outpatient
4) My research wasn't reflected in my application because I’ve found out that I had the abstracts accepted after I submitted my application
5) I only focused on one program
6) My scores were just simply not good enough
I was promised by my mentors that I was going to be taken care of and that I was going to match under their wing, and I truly believed it (yes, it sounds naïve, and yes, I was). Despite all odds against me (at that time I didn’t know it), I decided to participate in the match, receiving just one interview. My interview was very average because I didn’t prepare myself very well and of course, I didn’t match.
Second Match:
What did I do differently to improve my odds?
After I didn’t match, I knew that I needed to change my strategy leading me to find a new mentor, who knew very much about the match, and this time I had a great plan to help me succeed. The other very important thing was to contact all the people that I could to either do observerships, ask for advice and in some cases, getting an interview.
1) Networking(this can be a game changer)
2) LoRs within the specialty (very important)
3) My clinical rotations were inpatient and outpatient
4) My research was ready so that I could put it on myERAS app
5) I believed that I could make it
Interviews:
This time, I learned from my mistakes, and I knew that average answers were not going to be enough for me because I knew that the faculty would have many questions about my application.
How did I prepare myself for interviews?
1) Mock Interview
2) Anticipate the concerns about my red flags, and I was ready to answer them
3) I was honest
4) I recorded myself (you are your best critic)
5) The pool of most frequently asked questions
6) I was myself during the interview
To summarize:
1) Scores are important, but not all is about the scores
2) LORs within your specialty of choice
3) US clinical experience and research can help
4) The interview is a very important thing during this process. A poor interview can make a great applicant not to match
The most important thing that I can tell you about my story is that you don’t be afraid to ask for help and also don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Please, keep going and don’t look back asking you why you didn’t keep pushing forward.
V. A. March 19, 2019