Applying to university programs (IM) only... Safe? - glkmlee

[ArchivalUser]

Hi guys, is it safe only to apply to 50-ish IM university programs as an IMG? I enjoy academic medicine and I only want to go into academia that's why...

Can I expect to get a decent number of interviews?

Thanks for your help!

[ArchivalUser]

You won't get to practice academic medicine if you don't match at all.
No matter how good your scores are....apply broadly because residency is competitive. Most of the university programs have few IMGs and there is no guarantee that u will be one of them.
There are a lot of academic community programs

[ArchivalUser]

no stats / and CV info

we can't help

[ArchivalUser]

hi op - I remember you posted somewhere else that your scores are 260+/260+/250+ - so of course based on scores, you're good and you know it.

But I think you're right to still be worried about your chances because you don't want to be the person with the great scores who doesn't match (it does happen once in a blue moon). So the safe thing to do if you want to save $ is to apply to 20 ultra-IMG friendly community programs as a safety on top of the 50 university-based programs you'll be applying to.

One of my residents who I rotated with at a community-based IM program didn't match her first year with 250+/250+/270+ in her first application cycle and matched second-time around into a community-program. She got tons of IVs - just did poorly on them.

So moral of the story: Be ye not the arrogant IMG who believes their high scores is a guarantee.

[ArchivalUser]

how do i now a community base hospital?
Thanks

[ArchivalUser]

Thanks very much for your advice!

Yes my scores are good - 262/264/pass for step 1/CK/CS all at the first attempt. I cleared step 3 with a score of 253 also at the first attempt. My YOG is 2011, but have been involved in clinical practice in Internal Medicine since. I have 5-6 months of hands on US clinical experience with very strong letters of recommendations, have 10 peer-reviewed journal publications (7 published, 3 in press), 1 book chapter, and multiple oral and poster presentations in European and American conferences. I am a foreign IMG who is a native English speaker and require visa sponsorship.

Any idea on my chances of landing a handful of interviews at university programs? Is it true that no matter how good my credentials are, some programs will automatically filter out IMGs like myself?

I will definitely take your advice and apply to a handful of community programs!

[ArchivalUser]

you have a great chance because of your research and not because of your scores, I know more 250/250s at community programs than I do at University institutions, difference being Contacts / Research / Pedigree (reputation of international medical school)


your CV is as good as it can get, you need to work on your contacts, and apply to good community programs as a backup. They are good if 1) good fellowship match list 2) good percentage AMGs 3)research opportunities and also apply to community programs that have taken students from your institution

good luck

[ArchivalUser]

The top-tier programs are a crap-shoot for an IMG from a run of the mill school. If you happen to be from Cambridge or some equivalent that Americans will actually have heard of, then you're not from a run of the mill school and this stuff doesn't apply to you.

If you apply smart, your chance of matching is 100% (assuming you don't sexually harass a PD in your IV). Visa will not hurt you at the top programs. But it will hurt you when you apply for community programs, so maybe consider applying to more than a handful of those.

An IMG friend of mine interviewed at Harvard last year with scores in the 230/240 range. So anything is possible.

[ArchivalUser]

There are a lot of top Tier University Programmes which will not even look at IMG's - they may call them for IV to put them at the bottom of their ROL I guess.

So, do apply carefully & in a mix of CBU & Univ Progs.