After eight years of hard work, four years as a premed and four in medical school, coupled with the astronomical education costs that came with it, you didn’t match into residency. And even worse, you didn’t match into residency after the frantic and chaotic week of applications and interviews that make up the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP). Despite everything you have sacrificed, the door has been slammed in your face. No match. Now you must face reapplying to residency.
It’s nothing short of devastating. But the fight isn’t over. You’re still in this. As with any setback, what matters most is what you learn from the experience. Will it make you stronger, or will you crumble under the weight of your own disappointment?
If you’ve just found out you didn’t match, your emotions are likely pretty high, and you may not know where to begin. Before you make any decisions, take a breath and give yourself a moment to reflect and move forward.
If you’re in this situation, we recommend also reading our article What to Do if You Don’t Match Into Residency (After SOAP), which covers what to do and what to avoid immediately after finding out you didn’t match.
In this guide, we will cover how to improve your residency application in 5 steps.
Reapplying to Residency Timeline
Residency applications open at the beginning of June, and it’s prudent that you apply as soon as possible so that you don’t fall behind other applicants. Residency interviews continue from October to February of the following year, but applicants do not find out where they match or if they matched until Match Week.
Match Week occurs in the middle of March each year. On Monday of Match Week, medical students find out whether or not they matched, but not where they matched. Unmatched applicants have an opportunity to complete the fast-paced SOAP process (Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program) over the following few days. If applicants are still unmatched after the week is complete, they will need to reapply in another application cycle.
Timing is a massive issue for residency reapplicants. Since you only find out whether or not you matched in mid-March and residency applicants must be submitted by September, that leaves very little time to make significant improvements to your application.
It’s not impossible, but for many reapplicants, five months is not enough time to reassess their application and make the necessary improvements in time for the following cycle. What you absolutely must avoid is making the same mistake twice by submitting the application that earned you a no match, as this could result in needing to reapply a third time.
Whether you reapply in the same year or choose to reapply the following year is a decision that should not be made lightly. To determine which path is best for you, you must take time to thoroughly assess your unsuccessful application and your own unique situation. More on how to do this below.
How to Improve Residency Application
If you do not make noteworthy changes to your residency application, you cannot expect different results when you reapply. Here are 5 ways you can improve your application to ensure you receive a match the next time around.
Step 1: Assess Your Application
After you have taken the time to acknowledge and work through what are sure to be overwhelming emotions, it’s time to reset and thoroughly evaluate your application.
Where did you go wrong? Was it your board scores? Is there a notable weak area on your application you were hoping wouldn’t hold you back? Did your personal statement lack a cohesive or intriguing narrative? Did you include one or more lackluster letters of recommendation? Did you fumble during your interviews? Was your Step 2 CK score not what you hoped it would be? Was your Rank Order List (ROL) too narrow or selective in scope?
Keep in mind that nearly every component of your application could be improved, but your time is limited. It is essential that you zero in on the areas that will give you the most bang for your buck and generate the largest ROI.
A comprehensive assessment of your strengths and weaknesses will determine what you need to focus on as well as whether or not you can apply this cycle or next. For example, if it was your residency interviews that caused you the most trouble, you may only need to make minor adjustments to your application while taking the next few months to build your interview confidence through habitual daily practice and mock interviews.
On the other hand, if you lack longitudinal commitments in your experiences or require more research experience, it will be very difficult to illustrate significant improvements in these areas in only a few short months. At Med School Insiders, we’ve helped residency reapplicants make substantial improvements to their experiences section to gain a match for the next cycle, but this requires extreme effort and is not the norm.
Step 2: Seek Unbiased Feedback
After you complete your own assessment, it’s important to seek out unbiased feedback from experts who understand the residency application process. It’s often difficult for medical students to pinpoint their own strengths and weaknesses, which is why outside advice from people who have been intimately involved with the Match process is key to your success.
Speak to your academic advisors, faculty members, letter writers, any current residents you know, your Dean, and anyone you trust to give you objective feedback on your application. It can feel embarrassing to admit to these people you were unsuccessful, but these feelings shouldn’t hold you back from seeking the feedback you need. Reaching out to professionals you trust demonstrates the respect you have for them as well as your own maturity and willingness to grow and learn.
Be cautious in only seeking feedback from those who know you well, as they may not be able to view your application objectively. If you don’t know someone who has direct experience with the residency admission decision making process, seek advice from professionals who can assess your application strategically and objectively.
Step 3: Consider Impact vs. Effort
Time is your biggest challenge when reapplying to residency. Whether you are applying the same year or the following year, you still must be intentional with your time. Focus on the areas of your application where you can make the biggest improvements with the least amount of effort.
Even with over a year until the following cycle, time is still of the utmost importance. Far too often, medical students who do take an extra year to improve their application lose their focus, believing they have tons of time available. This is rarely the case. Time will fly by so much faster than you expect.
Zero in on the improvements that will make the largest impact on your application while considering the effort and time it will take to complete each new task.
An impact effort matrix can help you determine the areas of your application to focus on first. List all of the possible improvements you can make to your application and then place them where you believe they fall on the matrix according to impact and effort.
Forget about the low-impact, high-effort tasks. You can get to these if you happen to have extra time before application season begins. Prioritize high-impact, low-effort tasks, followed by high-impact, high-effort tasks, and then low-impact, low-effort tasks.
You’ll still have a lot on your plate as you reapply to residency, including finishing up your studies and studying for exams. You need to make the most of your time by looking for the application improvements that will result in the greatest return on investment.
Step 4: Be Realistic and Give Yourself Enough Time
We need to hit this point one more time because the absolute worst case scenario of reapplying to residency is going in unprepared and not matching again. You are far better off taking the extra time to ensure you have the best possible application.
Intentionally block out the time it will take to make the necessary improvements to your residency application. Can you make these improvements in five months before the next cycle begins? Can you make these changes while keeping up with your studies, exams, extracurricular commitments, and employment?
This setback will undoubtedly make you feel like you need to rush to catch up to get to residency as soon as possible. Instead, try to turn the negative outcome into a positive one. What activities, research, or passions can you pursue with another year of residency? How do you make the most of the setback to come out all the stronger, with even better residency program opportunities?
Do not make the decision to reapply again in the same year lightly. It is possible to gain a match the following cycle, but depending on the weaknesses of your application, it will be very difficult, and it could set you back another two years.
Step 5: Create a Step-by-Step Plan and Timeline
After you have thoroughly evaluated your application, had it assessed by experts intimately familiar with the residency admissions process, and decided where you can make the greatest improvements, it’s time to create a plan of attack.
If you are reapplying for the next application cycle, you only have about six months. How can you make the most of this time and optimize your productivity? If you decide to take an extra year, how can you use this time most effectively without losing momentum? Would taking USMLE Step 3 during this time make you more attractive to admissions committees? Do you need more research experience? How can you get started as soon as possible?
Research takes a great deal of time to show meaningful results, which makes it quite difficult to do in only 6 to 18 months. While it’s possible to publish a number of papers during this time, it’s a Herculean effort that could require you to put in 70-100 hours per week. That said, with the right strategy, it can certainly be done. Speak to a one-on-one advisor at Med School Insiders if you’re in this situation.
Regardless of if you’re applying in 6 months or a year and 6 months, the key is being proactive. Get involved in a research project. Look for mentors at your school who are currently working in the medical specialty you’re most interested in and volunteer. Explore innovative opportunities in medical technology or consider working as a medical consultant for a startup.
This minor setback leaves you with loads of different opportunities—too many! Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew. Always remember your main goal, which is to match into residency. Create a step-by-step plan that outlines exactly how you will approach the next 6 to 18 months based on everything you’ve learned, as well as expert feedback.
Reapply With Confidence
If you were faced with a no match this year, it is critical that you reevaluate your application and seek expert, professional advice so that you can zero in on any problem areas and make the necessary improvements to guarantee yourself a match for the next cycle.
Whether it’s your first or second time applying, Med School Insiders can help you prepare a stand out residency application. We offer a number of Residency Admissions Consulting Services tailored to your needs, including personal statement editing, USMLE tutoring, interview prep and mock interviews, and overall application editing.
