Hey all, I'm hopnig for some advice from those of you who've already been through this process. My third year schedule ends the end of June. i'm hoping to do my home Sub-I as well as 2 away rotations, before submitting my application. In addition, I really think I need to get Step 2 in, because I have 227 on Step 1, and i'm hoping to take a month to study for this. So, either I do Sub-I in july and aways in August and September, then Take october off to do Step 2, or some variation of this. What do you guys think? What order should these be in, or is impossible for me to do all of this in time for applications?I apprecite your input!!!
I'm in the same boat, but I was thinking about going ahead and getting step2 out of the way in July. That way, when my application is submitted in Sept, and the urology residency programs are screening my app, they will take step 2 into consideration. I am worried that if i wait til august or sept to take step 2, then it won't be looked at in the screening process. Sure it will help, but not in the early screening process. does this make sense?
With your step 1 you're going to be screened out of a lot of programs, so I think that taking step 2 in time for your score to be on your app when you submit in Sept is the priority. Take step 2 in july, home rotation in aug, the away that you want a LOR from in sept, and the away that you're just doing b/c you like the program/region in oct. That's a pretty typical schedule for a lot of people. Good luck.
Thanks for the reply! What's the earliest I can take Step 2 without having to automatically publish my scores? If i took it in late August, could I withold scores if I needed to? With that thinking, I could split my Sub-Is, do my home Sub-I in July, Step 2 in August, then aways in September and october? Also, if i'm submitting my application in early september, does that mean I have to have all my LORs in by then as well? If I dont do away until September/ October, that makes it an impossibility. What do people usually do here?
First of all, take a deep breath and cool down. Your Step 1 score is not bad, but will not get you an interview at schools that screen only based on USMLE scores (You also need to think critically about whether you want to go to these schools). That being said...I would also reccomed getting step 2 out of the way first, then focus on away rotations. If you are looking for top tier programs, they will screen you by mid-September. Assuming that you are interested in these programs, you will need Step 2 scores returned prior to September. Also, a month to study for Step 2 is a bit undo-able. You don't need nor will you actually study for the entire month. A good idea might be to study some of the month and use the time to scrub-in for urology surgeries at the same time at your home institution. This would better serve you and your applications via LORs. Away rotations need to be done before October. UTSW starts interviews in October. I know people who did away rotations there during their interviews (October) and were not offered an interview.As far as applications go, you want to submit as early as possible. You do not need all LORs in at time of submission. All you need is one or two good Urology or Surgery Chair letter(s). The rest can come later. Of course it looks better if all are in, but is not necessary and sh*t happens. Good luck.
[/quote] Sorry to hijack the thread. Are letters from surgery chair/General surgeons acceptable when applying for urology programs?[/quote]Surgery chair yes, especially since some Urology programs are still Divisions of General Surgery. I would be wary about general surgeon letters, unless perhaps the surgeon is well known and repected due to a recent career at the institution to which you are applying