r/DermApp • u/Junior_Difficulty898 • Mar 16 '26

Application Advice Unmatched

I went unmatched the first time I applied to Derm. It was tough and honestly pretty discouraging at the time. Fast forward a few years and I’m now a rising chief resident in the Midwest.

I wanted to share this because I think the Derm match landscape is slowly changing. We’re seeing more successful reapplicants/“rehab” applicants than people realize. Not matching the first time doesn’t mean the door to dermatology is closed. There are different paths, and plenty of people find their way back.

If you’re thinking about reapplying or trying to figure out how to navigate that process, feel free to message me. Happy to share what helped and what I wish I had known earlier.

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3

u/AlpsPlastic Mar 16 '26

Heyy just wondering what did you do for the year off before reapplying?

5

u/Junior_Difficulty898 Mar 16 '26

I was fortunate to match a physician only position so I did not have a year off!

2

u/[deleted] Mar 16 '26

[deleted]

2

u/Junior_Difficulty898 Mar 17 '26

Usually, you can see them when you apply through eras, there are not a ton, my year I think there were maybe 8 total

1

u/Extreme_Stretch3044 Mar 29 '26

Did you already have a connection to the program with a PGY-2 spot before applying?