Preparing for residency interviews is a critical part of the application process, regardless of whether your interviews are virtual or in-person. An interview can solidify (or counter) who you are on paper, and programs are looking for applicants who “fit,” with both their organizational and social cultures. As a program director told me last cycle, applicants tend to “surprise” admission committees in both good and bad ways.
The fourth year of medical school is full of changing expectations, moving pieces, and a lot of uncertainty.
First and foremost, what are the steps that you can take to start early? How can you be prepared for fourth year before it begins? I’ll start with a quick list here and dive into more detailed sections below.
The end of third year is monumental. You finished your rotations. You took all the shelf exams. You learned a great deal about what it means to “be a physician.” Now, you have to put it all together and take your second USMLE exam. It’s a daunting task, and it is a difficult test— but it is absolutely doable. How do you start? Here. This is how I jumped almost 30 points from STEP 1 and scored 95th percentile on STEP 2.
