Preparing to Reapply to Residency
Written by Clementine Young, MD
If you did not match this year, I am sorry. The weight of your entire career being in limbo for a year is no small thing to carry. In my case, I was offered a surgery prelim position at my home institution through the SOAP in Match 2021. In March 2022, I matched into a categorical general surgery intern position in Tucson and an entire year’s worth of anxiety finally evaporated. Now that I am on the other side, here is my advice on reapplying and interviewing while working as a surgery prelim intern.
Before orientation
Enjoy the rest of medical school just like you would have if you had matched. You are still going to be a doctor. You still worked hard for years to get to this point. There are a few things you can do to prepare to reapply. Talk to your future program director and current prelims about which rotations would be ideal for you to obtain letters of recommendation, as you only have two full months as an intern in which to obtain them. Talk to your letter writers from MS4 year, thank them for their support, and ask if they are willing to update their letter for your new application. Make a list of programs you want to apply to and create your spreadsheet so you will have one less thing to do in September. Update your CV and start a new personal statement.
ERAS
ERAS will copy your application forward which saves you a lot of time. You will still need to update whatever you did in MS4, which is why I recommend updating your CV before intern year starts to make it easier.
Interviews
As a reapplicant, you may not receive as many interview invitations as you did the first time. It was difficult for me to keep track of them and juggle the intern schedule, so I made sure to add them to my electronic calendar immediately. Prepare for interviews thoroughly. I practiced with a family friend who had me type out answers to a bunch of interview questions, which I had not done the first time. You will be asked in every single interview why you think you didn’t match the first time, so be prepared for that.
Rank list
As you interview, take detailed notes of your thoughts on each program. By the end of my interviews, I could not remember the differences between programs and the rank list process was tricky because I had not been diligent in documenting. Submit your rank list well before it’s due. On the day it was due, I had an unexpectedly busy day in the operating room and by the time I was done with work, the lists were locked. Good thing I had certified my list before work that day.
I hope you can find joy and fulfillment in this bonus year of training. It is not the easiest or most direct route, but I found it very rewarding to finally be my patients’ doctor, despite the uncertainty of being a prelim.
Instagram: @ClementineYoungMD
Twitter: @ClementineY_MD
