Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

How to match into dermatology: A medical student shares her success story

Jenny Wang
Education
March 24, 2019
Share
Tweet
Share

I didn’t match dermatology the first time. It was a harrowing experience, and I had a chip on my shoulder until the day I opened my match envelope.

The reality is that in the last ten years, dermatology has become the most competitive specialty in medicine. Hundreds of extremely qualified applicants are disappointed each year. Therefore, not matching is not a reflection of one’s qualifications as a future doctor. It just means there aren’t enough spots. This year 700+ applicants competed for roughly ~450 spots. 250 applicants didn’t match.

If you’re applying into dermatology, you’re competing against the top medical students in the country.  Last year’s mean Step 1 score for matched candidates was 249 — the highest for any given specialty. 49 percent of matched candidates are members of AOA. The reason I mention these stats is because they are both important and trivial at the same time.

What do I mean by that?

I mean that it’s simply not enough. When everyone looks the same on paper, what separates you and the applicant next to you is your advocate. And not just any advocate will do. You need an advocate who sits on the admissions committee.

First, each program receives 500 to 600 applications. There might be a Step 1 cut-off to make the process more efficient. After that, faculty members are assigned a stack of applications (probably 20 to 60 each) to screen for interviews. If programs have on average four spots per year, and they interview 1:10 applicants per spot, faculty members can only flag a few applications each. Screening applications is not easy because everyone has competitive scores, good grades, and tons of relevant publications. So you get flagged for interviews based on who your advocate is.

Who is an advocate?

An advocate is your recommendation letter-writer. She is your mentor. Your cheerleader. The one making calls for you to other program directors. If your advocate is well-known (because dermatology is a small field), her letter will bear much more weight, and your application will get flagged. If the faculty member reading your application is somehow friends with or trained with one of your letter-writers, you will get flagged. Accidents do not happen in competitive specialties. Someone felt compelled to flag your application, and it probably wasn’t your personal statement.

Where do I find an advocate?

Home institution and/or research fellowships: Cultivating a strong relationship with an advocate takes time. Establishing yourself at your home department early on is the most accessible way. But if you don’t have a home program (or even if you do), research fellowships can be just as rewarding. More applicants each year enter research fellowships. Publishing is important, but your ultimate goal should be to get to know the department. Research fellowships are essentially a year-long audition process for the department. If you show you can work hard and are well-liked by everyone, you are automatically in a more favorable position to match there. Stellar scores or 10+ publications are not going to impress anyone if you don’t have advocates.

Away rotations: Away rotations can be a double-edged sword. They are costly and picking the right one is so difficult. The best rotators are not only strong clinically, but also well-liked by the department. If you are not both of those things, you will not match there. Once again, your goal should be to impress or establish relationships with advocates on the committee. Start by identifying programs you may already have a connection to. If your letter-writer or research mentor is friends with a committee member at another institution, you now have another advocate by proxy.

The interview

After you are miraculously plucked from obscurity and placed into the coveted “interview” pile, your chances of matching skyrocket. But it’s still not over. From this point on, you’re interviewing against an even more elite group of individuals who are all somehow personally connected to the institution. Dermatology interviews are akin to speed dating. Typically, you’ll rotate through ~10 rooms with 1 to 2 faculty members each. Each room will last ~10 minutes. Immediately post-interview, the committee gathers together to rank the interviewed candidates.

The interview is immensely important because it’s another opportunity to gain advocates. Strong interviewers can win over departments with their charisma or impress them with their passion for research. Luck also plays a role. If you serendipitously sat next to an influential committee member at your pre-interview dinner, you will increase your chances of winning over an advocate.

The opposite is also true. Your interview can tank you. When committee members are trying to rank 40+ extremely qualified applicants in order, every little blunder is microanalyzed. The details matter. Yawning, appearing disinterested or shy during pre-interview dinners, sounding smug or generic, can all be reasons to tank someone. It’s like walking on eggshells. Also, don’t feel too bad if you don’t have that many interviews. The number of interviews you have will not impact your chances at a particular institution. Remember, having a strong connection to one program is better than weak connections to 15 programs.

OK, so if it’s just about who you know, why even bother trying to look good on paper?

Because it’s still easier to advocate for someone who checks all of the boxes. If you’re weaker on paper, it will be an uphill battle for your advocate to make a case for why you should be picked over someone else. But having the right advocate trumps (almost) all deficiencies. Obviously, if there are major red flags on your application, it will be that much harder to match.

ADVERTISEMENT

Lastly, I sincerely hope that if you didn’t match — do not give up. You deserve it just as much as the person next to you. Do some introspection and address any deficiencies (we all have them!) in your application. But more importantly, find advocates invested in your journey. Whatever your calling is, you’ll get there eventually. It might just take a bit more strategy (or luck).

Jenny Wang is a medical student and can be reached at the Vibrant Med. Read the original article.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Watching clot-busting drugs work is science in action

March 24, 2019 Kevin 1
…
Next

Practicing medicine in a divided country

March 25, 2019 Kevin 8
…

Tagged as: Dermatology, Medical school

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Watching clot-busting drugs work is science in action
Next Post >
Practicing medicine in a divided country

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • A medical student as storyteller and story-listener

    Yoo Jung Kim, MD
  • 9 medical student tips to prepare for the Match

    Diego Razura
  • A medical student’s story of racism and bias

    Akosua Y. Oppong
  • What inspires this medical student

    Jamie Katuna
  • Change the experience: a Muslim medical student’s story

    Manar Mohammad, MD
  • Why this medical student tutors

    Michelle Ikoma

More in Education

  • What it means to be a woman in medicine today

    Annie M. Trumbull
  • How Japan and the U.S. can collaborate for better health care

    Vikram Madireddy, MD, Masashi Hamada, MD, PhD, and Hibiki Yamazaki
  • The case for a standard pre-med major in U.S. universities

    Devin Behjatnia
  • From rejection to resilience: a doctor’s rise through the Caribbean route

    Ryan Nadelson, MD
  • The hidden cost of professionalism in medical training

    Hannah Wulk
  • The cost of ending shadowing in medical education

    Matthew Ryan, MD, PhD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance
    • How AI, animals, and ecosystems reveal a new kind of intelligence

      Fateh Entabi, MD | Tech
    • Why kratom addiction is the next public health crisis

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Meds
    • A physician employment agreement term that often tricks physicians

      Dennis Hursh, Esq | Finance
    • The hidden moral injury behind value-based health care

      Jonathan Bushman, DO | Physician
    • Why embracing imperfection makes you truly unforgettable

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • Why embracing imperfection makes you truly unforgettable

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
    • Affordable postpartum hemorrhage solutions every OB/GYN should know

      Frank I. Jackson, DO | Conditions
    • Why kratom addiction is the next public health crisis

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Meds
    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance
    • How are prostate exams done and why you shouldn’t avoid them

      Martina Ambardjieva, MD, PhD | Conditions
    • Airlines’ policy ignores your do not resuscitate (DNR): Discover why and some ways to protect yourself

      Althea Halchuck, EJD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 5 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance
    • How AI, animals, and ecosystems reveal a new kind of intelligence

      Fateh Entabi, MD | Tech
    • Why kratom addiction is the next public health crisis

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Meds
    • A physician employment agreement term that often tricks physicians

      Dennis Hursh, Esq | Finance
    • The hidden moral injury behind value-based health care

      Jonathan Bushman, DO | Physician
    • Why embracing imperfection makes you truly unforgettable

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • Why embracing imperfection makes you truly unforgettable

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
    • Affordable postpartum hemorrhage solutions every OB/GYN should know

      Frank I. Jackson, DO | Conditions
    • Why kratom addiction is the next public health crisis

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Meds
    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance
    • How are prostate exams done and why you shouldn’t avoid them

      Martina Ambardjieva, MD, PhD | Conditions
    • Airlines’ policy ignores your do not resuscitate (DNR): Discover why and some ways to protect yourself

      Althea Halchuck, EJD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

How to match into dermatology: A medical student shares her success story
5 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...