05-05-2020, 09:22 PM
(05-04-2020, 10:11 PM)Guest Wrote:(05-04-2020, 09:37 PM)Guest Wrote:(05-04-2020, 09:17 PM)Guest Wrote:(05-04-2020, 07:41 PM)Guest Wrote: This cycle is going to be nebulous. I was recommended to take a research year and apply when aways are status quo again and I don’t have to get a gen surg letter
In the same boat. Although I was told I could match this year, it was suggested that without aways it would be tough for me to match in what would have been my top 5. I'm taking a year for research so I can do a Sub-I at my dream program and hopefully have a higher chance of matching at a program of my choice
sure sure... but let me play devils advocate. Lets say you apply this year and don't get your top 5, but you do get into a program that will train you to become a neurosurgeon.... Instead you take a year off to do research, when in reality you'll get maybe 1-2 quality publications before applications are due again in September. You will have taken on more loan burden to take an additional year. You will also need to explain why you chose to do a year of research. Also, there's no guarantee that aways will be allowed next year either. But for the sake of argument lets say you do rotate at your "dream" place and after all of that you still don't match top 5, but instead at another program.
I think that all of you people wanting to take a year off should really consider how worth while that is. If you're competitive now do you think a year of research is going to set you apart. Also, if a significant portion of applicants decide to take time off to get their "dream" away rotation then everyone is in the exact same boat they are in now. Except you will have wasted a year and still have matched where ever you were going to match.
That being said. If your application needs work then some time off is probably good. But it takes more than a year to get quality publications out or to do quality research...
What's one year compared to 7 years somewhere you don't want to be? "You will also need to explain why you chose to do a year of research"...taking a research year no longer needs to be defended given how common it is these days, and COVID is a perfectly reasonable explanation that all PDs will understand. In fact, it can show you are willing to do whatever it takes.
Agree with your other points though, there is no way to guarantee you'll match at a specific program and being set on one program is not a good idea. I also agree with quality; applicant pubs are through the roof with many departments tagging on med students as an nth author to all papers and seems like people are starting to see through this. You can definitely get some stuff out though in one year, especially with clinical research.
I know this isn't the number 1 consideration, but I would also keep in mind that by taking a year off you're essentially pushing back your attending salary a year. So not including extra tuition costs this decision will cost you around $500,000-700,000. Is it worth paying that to have a chance to match at a marginally better program?
In all reality there's not much of a difference in the training between programs in similar tiers. Unless you think that one year is going to bump you into the UCSF/BNI/Hopkins tier from the LSU/Nebraska/UC Irvine type programs, or will cause you to go from not matching to matching, i'm not sure it's worth it. In the big picture it's unlikely to significantly change your career trajectory and will cost you a small fortune.
