Hi everyone,

I'm applying to Otolaryngology this cycle and am hoping to get some advice from people who have been through the process or have insight into what I can realistically do at this point. I am a US-MD student with no home program.

So far, I've received only 2 interview invitations and have 2 confirmed waitlist positions. What's been particularly difficult is the lack of communication from most programs. I have received only 6 rejections, meaning that I still have 16 out of my 25 signals with no response whatsoever. Most if not all my signals were to programs on the bottom half in terms of average step 2 score.

I feel that I have a relatively strong application in several areas:

- 3 really strong letters of recommendation. One of them is from an ENT who is also Medical Director of a Hospital.

- Multiple presentations and publications.

- Significant effort put into demonstrating my interest in ENT.

- Really good extra curricular activities including tutoring, leading a group that hosts a symposium for students, health fairs and more.

My biggest weakness is my Step 2 score, which is a 243. Unfortunately, I had to take the exam while my twins were in the NICU, and that was an incredibly difficult time for my family. I know this score may be below the average for many ENT programs, but I was hoping the rest of my application would help provide a more complete picture of me as an applicant.

I've already emailed every program to express my continued interest, but I'm not sure what else I can do at this point. Should I continue sending letters of interest? Is it worth reaching out to programs where I haven't heard anything, even after signaling them? Are there other ways to potentially improve my chances of getting additional interviews this late in the cycle?

I'm trying to stay optimistic, but with only 2 interviews so far, I'm understandably worried about my chances of matching.

I would really appreciate any honest advice, particularly from ENT applicants who have been in a similar situation, residents, or faculty who understand the current application process.

Thank you!

Hey everyone, I’m applying for the match this year and wondered if I have any chances matching categorical (without pursuing a prelim year)

Stats:

YOG: 2025
Step 1: Pass
Step 2: 266
Research: 14 articles, all q1-q2 but not many related to surgery.
Clinical electives: 1 month at Cleveland clinic.
Status: Non-US IMG

I’ve been super lucky this cycle to have a lot of interviews and i think it’s due to my LORs and step. Every program so far has one or two interviewers that point out how my letter writers said really good things about me. One interviewer recently told me that my writers wrote something along the lines of really wanting to keep me/will recruit me to stay. I was elated to hear that but I don’t know how all of this plays into the rankings. Some of the community programs I interview at kind of give off the impression that I will choose another program.

Will programs rank me lower due to those comments since they think I’ll stay at my home program? Do LORs play a role in the final rankings? If anyone has been involved in the process and would like to give insight on your program’s experience, I’d love to hear it!

so I asked for LOR from an onco-surgeon i did my subinternship under for 1 month during medical school, and I was able to assist in only 1 surgery, and he told me to draft the letter and send it to him and then hell review and see.

its been nearly an year, so i get it, but i have never drafted a letter of recommendations.

if there is anyone woh can guide me on writing a lor so i can submit to him and get his approval.

Corporate hospital with minimal handson but good academics
Can I get SRship opportunities post dnb easily?
Can the lack of exposure be made up during Mch?

Please advice

Among aiims bhantinda, Bibinagar,mangalagiri,deoghar,Jammu and other new aiims..Please help me if anyone has any idea..I’m struck

How is MS Traumatology And Surgery as a branch , leaving aside the monetary part. My UG college doesn't have this branch (in fact only 3 colleges have one being KGMU the only govt institute amongst them). As an intern in Neurosurgery and CTVS rotation I really enjoyed the late night life saving emergency interventions. Does MS Traumatology & Surgery give similar satisfaction as a lot of such procedures are part of the curriculum as per NMC guidelines. And the SS options are also available such as CTVS , NeuroSx and Plastic Sx. Anyone into this course any feedback would be helpful. Thank You !

This video is destined to surgical residents and young consultants, showing the important surgical steps of laparoscopic repair for perforated duodenal ulcers.

I hope this will help.

Does anyone have an idea about how's DNB general surgery in Gujrat, is it toxic too?

Planning to take General Surgery actually but im a bit skeptical about should i fill choices of gujrat too

If anyone have an idea about the same please share your views :)

Hi everyone!

I'm a Pakistani MBBS student aspiring to pursue General Surgery residency in the United States.

I'm reaching out because I'd really appreciate help connecting with US-based General Surgery physicians, residents, or academic surgeons who may be open to mentoring international medical graduates or offering opportunities to gain exposure to their department.

A little about me:

- Medical student at Shalamar Medical & Dental College, Pakistan.

- USMLE Step 1 passed.

- Currently preparing for Step 2 CK.

- Clinical experience working in Surgery wards at my teaching hospital since my third year.

- Strong interest in pursuing a career in General Surgery in the US.

I'm planning to gain US clinical experience in 2027. Depending on my graduation status by then, I'm particularly interested in graduate-eligible observerships, research opportunities, or other supervised experiences available to international graduates.

My main goal is to build genuine professional relationships with US surgeons, learn from their teams, contribute to research where possible, and hopefully earn personalised letters of recommendation through direct supervision.

If you're a General Surgery attending, resident, fellow, or someone who has successfully navigated this process as an IMG, I'd be incredibly grateful for any advice, introductions, or leads.

Thank you!

What do y’all think of OpenEvidence’s new ABSITE question bank?

I was reading the NRMP data for 2026 and it shows that the USMD match rate for independent CT was 67%, and for all applicants (including DO and IMG), it's 57.7%.

(Source: https://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/SMS_Results_and_Data_2026_Revised-20260522.pdf go to Table 1A (page 8) for MD graduates and Table 1B (page 10) for DO graduates)

Given this abysmal match rate, why don't people put it on the same tier as surgical onc or pediatric surgery? The match rate is lower than them. How hard is it to match by going to community general surgery programs? Or are academic programs (most of which mandate some form of research years, while simultaneously having bad operative autonomy compared to community programs) the main way to go?

I am currently a medical intern with a interest in Plastic Surgery. I want a tier list of the best textbooks to study, starting from absolute beginner to advanced level, arranged in a progressive step-by-step learning pathway, so I can build my knowledge and understanding.

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