I should know better by now than to think things will go as planned. Once I realized I wouldn't be taking STEP 2 CK until August 23rd, I figured I should postpone my match date to 2019. I wasn't sure to have CK by the time residency applications opened, and all the upcoming CS dates were already taken up. I was told that it is best to apply only once I have a "complete" application in, including CK and CS. Since this wasn't my case, I figured I wouldn't match until 2019, but that has since changed.
I was speaking to a program residency director who said it is not too late to apply, and this was in late October. I began to contemplate if I could still get everything in, including LOR's, personal statement, and push up my CS date so that I could get results in by February. She said I should apply, so I did despite the opposing advice from my school advisor.
As a caribbean student, you already have a baseline tolerance for risk, so I decided to take the much riskier route. The risks are being labeled as a "second time applicant" if I don't match, which Ross statistics indicate will decreased my chances of matching next time by around 50%! Also, by the time I got my LOR's in, it was already Nov. 14th. By this time most programs have already filled all their interview slots. As of now, I only have one interview and am waitlisted for another program. We'll see how it all turns out. Praying for a family medicine residency.
There was a opening for Step 2 CS in Los Angeles, so I managed to take it on Tuesday, Nov 14th. I think it went well, but we'll see.
