How to Take Your Application Further

No matter what kind of obstacles or challenges you may face as a residency applicant, there are many ways to make your residency application stand out and increase your chances of finding your Match.

Improve Your Application

The strength of your residency application supporting documents is absolutely essential to your success in finding your residency Match. There are aspects of your application you cannot control, but you can control how programs view you through enhancing the rest of your application documents.

You will want to pay the most attention to your:

Letters of Recommendation -

You will need at least three per specialty. The strongest Letters of Recommendation are specialty specific, recent (within a year of applications), and from US clinical experience such as clinical rotations, Externships, Clerkships, or Sub-Internships. Even if you have flaws in your application,strong Letters of Recommendation can prove you are better than low USMLE exam scores.

Personal Statement -

You will need a minimum of one per specialty. They should be specialty specific and well crafted. The Personal Statement is the key place in your application to address your red flags and how you feel you’ve grown, developed and changed to better improve yourself. For professional Personal Statement assistance, visit Residency Statement.

ERAS Application -

This document must be fully completed and entirely error free. Fill out all of the sections which require content and do not underestimate the value of the Hobbies section. If you have red flags within this document, use any of the written sections to carefully explain the situation.

Prepare Your Choices

Depending on your own circumstances, you have some hard choices to make about what medical specialties you will apply to. For example, be open minded and look at more flexible specialties such as Psychiatry or Family Medicine which tend to consider the whole applicant rather than just scores. You will want to avoid specialties that require high USMLE scores such as Surgical specialties or Dermatology.

Your choices of which medical residency programs to apply to is incredibly relevant as well. You will need to find programs that have requirements you fulfill with your professional credentials. Then, you must have the finances to support applying to enough programs per specialty. It is suggested you apply to at least 100 programs per specialty, which can be well over $2,000 for 100 programs alone. Be sure to budget accordingly well in advance of the Residency Application Season.

Researching Programs is the Key

Finding and applying to programs that are compatible with your medical professional background is the key to finding a residency position. The main requirements you should be looking at for each residency program:

  • Time Since Graduation Cut Offs
  • USMLE Exam Scores
  • Multiple USMLE Attempt limits
  • (IMGs Only) US Clinical Experience, IMG acceptance rates, and Visa Policies

By finding programs you qualify for, you will be able to more wisely invest your financial resources and application efforts.

FIND COMPATIBLE PROGRAMS PER SPECIALTY

Overwhelmed? Don’t worry!

You don’t have to face the Residency Application Season alone. Match A Resident specializes in helping residency candidates overcome their challenges to obtain residency by:

  • Helping you locate the best potential programs to apply to
  • Providing free expert guidance and consultation
  • Introducing you to programs through the Smart Programs feature with a history of candidates like yourself invited for interviews

Match A Resident is wholly dedicated to giving candidates a fighting chance to defeat The Match and land a residency position.

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