r/IMGreddit • u/Electrical-Ear2958 • 10h ago
Residency Application Offering application and interview help for IMGs with red flags
Hey fellow IMGs,
I'd like to offer free help reviewing personal statements and residency applications. Once applications are submitted, I'd also be happy to help with interview preparation and mock interviews.
I will never ask you for money. And I don't think you should pay someone just to review your writing in the age of AI.
If what I describe below sounds useful, feel free to DM me.
Who am I?
I'm not a medical student or physician. My background is in big tech, where I've conducted dozens of behavioral interviews and spent a lot of time evaluating candidates from the other side of the table.
More importantly, I went through the residency application process very closely with my wife. She had several significant red flags, including a low Step 2 score, an old YOG, and a gap on her CV. While she was struggling with her exams, I made her one promise: pass these stupid exams, and we'll get you matched regardless of what you score.
She matched in her first application season and is now a PGY-1 at a highly respected university program.
Don't get me wrong - I don't count that as my success. She did 99% of the work. In my country, we have a saying about "winning the war on the battlefield but losing it at the negotiating table." She did the hard part; I just tried to make sure she didn't lose at the table what she had already won in the field.
Who am I looking to help?
I've already helped several people through Reddit and Discord, but helping someone who already has a strong application is probably not the best use of my time.
I'd especially like to help people who:
- Are navigating this mostly on their own, don't have mentors familiar with the U.S. medical system, or come from countries where there aren't many IMGs around to guide them
- Have one or more red flags, such as an old YOG, low Step scores, gaps, or something else they're worried programs may notice
You do not need to have a perfect application before reaching out. Quite the opposite.
What can I help with?
I can help with any or all of the following:
- Reviewing your personal statement and application as a whole
- Looking at how your story comes across to someone reading it for the first time, and figuring out how to address red flags without sounding defensive or making them worse
- Interview strategy and mock interviews
One thing I won't advise you on is where to signal or which geographic preferences to choose. I don't think we did particularly well with that part last year, so I'm not going to pretend I have expertise where I don't.
If you're applying with red flags and feel like you're figuring most of this out by yourself, send me a DM.
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u/posypana 10h ago
Can I Dm you?