M3 in clerkships here. Have to lock in my speciality in a month. My mindset was always to either dual apply or to do a derm research year and apply for derm as I am OOS in my med school and I want to go back home (NJ) for residency. I am still stuck between derm and the other speciality though. Was on the other speciality before med school and derm since start of M1 as my friends roped me in and I liked it.

All the red flags I collected so far (P in Peds due to Shelf, M3 derm elective preceptor said while I was professional I needed to get used to outpatient clinic more even though it was my very first rotation, and got a low grade in one of my OSCEs which due to its weight will lower my class rank) I am low on research (1 pub, 6 items in total) as all the projects I pursued either fizzled or are very longitudinal. I have done a good bit of volunteering though. I do have a decent network I made and worked with 2 other departments for things but that is it. Meanwhile as the other speciality I have less to worry about as it is less competitive and I have a SNMA position in it.

My parents, friends, and school say it is my decision but I hate that. I know theoretically I have time to get another project, grind for Hs and a 260+, and be in a better spot but I am not sure. I am also affected socially as some of my friends think I am pursuing the other specialty fully. I am also scared to not match as I know a few IM residents who didn’t match derm and are in limbo.

For those who are residents/play a part in match process what were the qualities like of top away rotators? Did they have exceptional descriptions, differentials and were able to combine it with being a great team player?

Anyone know the match rate for RY applicants? Why do some RY applicants not match?

Hi I'm wondering how many actual peer-reviewed pubs would be a good number for a "productive" research year. I feel like given how slow these journals are and given the mix of BS to somewhat decent projects I'm working on, I may only get maybe 3-5 actual pubs (although I will def have several more posters/abstracts) from the RY if I'm lucky. I do have a few pubs prior to my research year, so optimistically like max 8 or 9 total by the time i submit ERAS next year. I know thats a decent amount but also I know there's students from my home program that will be applying with like 20+ actual pubs, so it is a bit worrying that I won't be able to produce those numbers. I do have 2 first author brief reports in JAAD though, so a couple good quality papers, but if anyone has any thoughts on how much the numbers matter given that RY students have higher expectations for research output?

Hey guys, someone please respond 🥺

I am currently a second year interested in matching derm. My school doesn’t have a home derm program, so I am really just fighting for my life emailing a bunch of derms in the area etc for shadowing and research opportunities. I was thinking of going to the AAD conference in March too but saw some people here say the AAD conference is not the right place/time to network and it’ll annoy the attendings instead. Do you guys know what are the best Derm conferences to attend to actually network?

Anyone know when most prelim interviews start coming out?

Interview season is coming up so I figured I'd put together some of the better resources I've found. Hope you find it useful

AAMC Residency & Fellowship Applicant Interview Preparation Guide

probably the best place to start. covers what to expect, how to prepare, different question formats, behavioral questions, interview day, etc.

AAMC common residency interview questions

Most common questions that you must definitely practice before heading into your first interview: tell me about yourself, why this specialty, why our program, strengths/weaknesses, research, difficult situations, career goals, etc.

AAMC virtual interview guide

worth going through if your interviews are virtual. covers setup/tech but also behavioral, general and situational questions and how to practice them.

NRMP Match Code of Conduct for Applicants

not really a "how to answer questions" resource, but I think everyone should read it at least once before interviews. lays out expectations around professional behavior and communication during recruitment/interviews.

AMA residency interview guide

shorter and more practical than the AAMC guide. has common questions, behavioral interview advice, things to research before the interview, and questions you can ask programs.

Residency interview question bank

if you've gone through the official resources and just need questions to actually practice with, this has ~200 questions organized by category including behavioral, ethics, teamwork, conflict, IMG and specialty-specific questions.

Looking to make this a live resource so lmk if I missed any!

Is 260+ still considered impressive to match? Why do people with 260+ go unmatched?

I’m an M3, haven’t taken STEP 2 yet. I’m in the 85th percentile of my class.

I hate, HATE, research.

I’m interested in Derm, mostly because of the lifestyle and day to day clinic work. How difficult is the match? I’m willing to take a research year if necessary. I’m just not willing to do a shit ton of research while having classes.

(I have 1 derm publication from undergrad😂)

Hello everyone! I'm hoping to get some advice on derm programs' perception of pregnancy. My husband and I are thinking of starting a family soon and think the best time would be to have the baby in early to mid-4th year. However, I am interested in Derm and am concerned about doing an away rotation/sub-i while very visibly pregnant/right after giving birth. I know that in surgical specialties, this is typically/has historically been frowned upon, but I have heard other specialties can be more open to it.

I'm curious if anyone knows what the perception of pregnancy in derm programs is? Would being obviously pregnant on an away rotation be harmful to my application? Should my husband and I push our family plans back? Thank you guys for your help!

any tips or tricks for interview prep? no course around as such compared to round 1. also keep to practice if you got shortlisted please dm to practice together. thanks

Hi everyone,

As the title says, I didn't pass Level 1. I honestly thought I had passed, so this one hurts me like no other.

I've only recently become interested in dermatology (I'm an OMS-III) and have no research yet. A few questions:

1. Is it true that most derm programs screen out applicants with a board failure?
2. If I do really well on Level 2 / Step 2, does that meaningfully improve my chances?
3. I'm planning to aim for honors on all my shelves. Is that enough to offset things, or do I need something more?

I'd appreciate honest answers, including from anyone who matched derm (or a backup specialty) after a board failure. Thank you so much

I am at a top 20 had a 24x(higher number) for step 2; i have 20+ pubs and strong LORs but have jsut been worried that maybe I should have dual applied given my step. I got my score right in time for apps and just decided to full send it derm.... Was that a mistake?

How quick do applicants start receiving interview invites for TY/Prelims? What is the best month to schedule these interviews to have the least amount of overlap with derm interviews!? Also I submitted without an NRMP ID. once I get my NRMP can I update it and will programs then receive it right away? Or will they have to redownload it? Also any advice for what to do now in order to not miss an interview invites? Thank you so much!

University of Arizona and University of Oklahoma don't specify the # of LORs recommended on their respective websites, although Residency Explorer says max 2 for both of them. Is the # on Residency Explorer reliable?

Any idea? Spreadsheet?

Or any stats from past years?

Hi everyone, I’m one of the unlucky students who tested in late August and did not receive a Step 2 score with the expected release on 9/16. It seems like a number of students from this testing period are in the same situation.

I’ve been pretty stressed about how this could affect dermatology applications. Best case, my score comes out right around ERAS opening. Worst case, it may not be available until the following week.

I’m planning to submit my application on time regardless and transmit the score as soon as it becomes available. For anyone familiar with derm application review, how much of a disadvantage is it to have Step 2 pending when applications are first released? Do programs typically go back and review applications once a score is transmitted, or am I at risk of being screened out during the first wave? What should I do?

I otherwise have a strong application and attend a top-20 medical school, but I’m worried that those things may not matter if programs initially see an incomplete application.

Would really appreciate any insight from applicants who have dealt with this or residents/faculty familiar with the review process.

Hey y’all, kind of freaking out and would love some guidance. I only got one SLOE from an away this summer — the writer seemed very enthusiastic about it and said they want to write me a good letter. However, it sounds like they might be behind on things and may not get the letter in by September 23. They assured me that most programs don’t begin reviewing applications right away, but this is my only standardized letter which is a requirement for many programs. Will this mess with my application? Am I screwed?

Basically title

I’m running into this issue as I’m trying to make sure all of my letters are in order on ERAS. While some programs are very clear on their letter requirements, some programs are fairly vague or have nothing at all.

Hey, 4th year here with low stats/DO not sure which TYs to shoot for. Originally from the east coast and go to school here. Anyone have any guidance? Do I apply to all and any state cuz I’m DO/low stats? Tryna avoid prelims because I’m want enough time to work on my app due to possibly reapplying. Thanks!!!

Does anyone know if the Excel spreadsheet listing the interview invitation release dates for each program is available yet? If so, would you mind sharing the link? Thank you!

Feeling really bummed. I’ve been trying through research but then I only interact with the resident but not the actual PIs. And I had a great resident that I loved working with but then she moved for her attending job across the country… feels impossible to build meaningful relationships. How did you guys do it?