How many match cycles before giving up?

[Guest]

Assuming you didn't match first try, how many cycles would you try before giving up?

[Guest]

I would have dual-applied the second time. Probably radiology. Might have even done a prelim year after not matching so I could try to go straight into a pgy2 radiology spot. Not sure how realistic the pgy2 part is, but if you're even remotely competitive for neurosurgery you're competitive for radiology, probably even after not matching the year before.

[Guest]

didn't match twice here. eventually got a spot. don't quit unless you don't want it any more.

[Guest]

(05-07-2020, 06:19 PM)Guest Wrote: didn't match twice here. eventually got a spot. don't quit unless you don't want it any more.

Congratulations on persisting. Why do you think you didn’t match the first two times and what changed the third time?

What did you do after not matching the first two times? Research year, pre-lim?

[Guest]

A friend of mine didn't match twice. Delayed graduation once, then prelim'd, then found a PGY2 opening. Ended up at a coveted fellowship after residency and has a great attending job now.