Tips for Urology Match Reapplicants
Written by Marne Louters, DO
Going unmatched is an experience like no other and is difficult to understand unless you’ve been through it. After working so hard throughout medical school and passing all the necessary steps (i.e. school and board exams, clinical and audition rotations), going unmatched can bring about feelings of defeat and failure. But this outcome is more than a reflection of you and the hard work you’ve put in, and your response in the immediate aftermath is a testament to your dedication and true character.
I opened the 2021 urology match results during Epic training and was immediately overwhelmed with sadness. Given the short turnaround time between match cycles, I gave myself 24-hours to grieve before plotting my comeback. The most important step after going unmatched is taking the time for introspection and asking yourself, “what was/were the shortcoming(s) of my application?” This is not only necessary to develop a solution, but this question will also be a hot topic for future discussions (personal statement, interviews). Specific examples may include board scores, performance on clinical rotations, letters of recommendation, research experience, and mentorship. Once the areas of improvement are identified, you should seek advice and recommendations from as many residents and attending physicians as possible. It may also be beneficial to reach out to programs you interviewed at, express your continued interest in their program (and briefly why), and seek advice on ways to improve your application. Importantly, the discussion should include getting opinions on taking research versus a preliminary surgery year. These conversations will also help with networking, identifying potential mentors, and starting research projects. Please, remember to update these individuals throughout the reapplication process!
For me, the deficiencies in my application were obvious and included a lack of mentorship, research, and letters of recommendation. I immediately began research projects and applied for both research and preliminary surgical years. It’s always important to have a backup plan. There are several important and unique questions to ask when interviewing for a research year and should include (1) is the year paid or unpaid, (2) how many research fellows they’ve had in the past, and if they successfully matched the second time, and (3) identifying if their main goal is to assist you in achieving a urology residency position. When applying for preliminary surgery, it’s important to focus on residency programs that have your specific subspecialty and then apply to a handful of lower-, mid-, and high-tier programs. Urology is unique in that it’s an early match, so some programs have already finished interviewing for preliminary surgery spots. To avoid wasting money, I recommend reaching out to programs to see if they’re still interviewing before applying via ERAS. During the interviews, you should ask about early rotations in your specific subspecialty. If you don’t feel the program will help you reach your ultimate match goal, listen to your intuition, and don’t rank them.
After going unmatched and accepting a research position, I knew I wouldn’t have liability insurance after medical school graduation. So, I decided to do another audition rotation, which ended up being a critical step in my reapplication process. With this additional rotation, I was able to form new relationships within the field and acquire strong, updated letters of recommendation. This rotation was also during the audition rotation “off-season,” so I had the opportunity to shine and didn’t have to compete with other medical students.
Remember when I said networking and following up are important? When it comes time to reapply, you will want a team of supporters! First, it’s important to have as many people as possible read your personal statement. You should plan to discuss why you think you didn’t match and what you’ve accomplished to improve your application and candidacy. One thing I strongly recommend is when talking about positive characteristics, give an example! Second, you will want to obtain strong letters of recommendation in both clinical and research domains. If, for example, you have stronger research letters, you may have your research mentor reach out to a clinical mentor to comment on your clinical competency, and vice versa. This was recommended at the AUA22 medical student forum. Third, your mentors must know the application timeline. In urology, there are opportunities to get off interview waitlists (“flush day”), and it may be beneficial to have your mentor reach out on your behalf. Finally, have a backup plan. You’ve put your heart and soul into this process, but there’s always a chance you won’t match. You can be happy, fulfilled, and successful in other fields of medicine.
Throughout this blog post, I’ve hinted that success comes with the support of those around you. Networking and finding the right mentor for you is an absolute requirement. For me, networking and mentorship came from Twitter, connecting to a friend of a friend of a friend, and urology conferences. Networking will take work and require you to get out of your comfort zone, but the only way to get comfortable and grow is to dive headfirst into the discomfort.
Throughout the reapplication process, I often felt guilty and burdensome to those mentoring me, but then I realized that if I enjoy helping others, they likely do as well! Please, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. I am here to help! Below are some key points:
- Start research ASAP.
- Get advice from anyone that offers.
- Seek clinical and research mentorship and continue to update them on how things are going.
- Do an additional audition rotation before graduation.
- If you have more letters of recommendation from research mentors, ask them to reach out to clinical mentors to comment on your performance in the clinical setting and vice versa. Ask for strong letters of recommendation.
- Network, network, network.
- Let your mentors know the application timeline and when you may need their assistance.
- Always have a backup plan.
