Asking for residency advice from an M3 with a few blemishes on transcript

[redrosesfi]

Hi I attend a low-tier US MD school on the east coast (not in WV) and I am a non-traditional student that started med school at age 30. I failed histology my first year and remediated it the following summer. During my second year I failed a capstone course (meaning I didn't pass one of the required shelf exams at the end of the year and did not sit for step 1), and had to repeat my whole M2 year per my school's policies. Though it was a shock at first and I wanted to continue with my classmates, it was honestly what I needed, because it helped me become more confident in my knowledge base. I've completed my second go around of M2 year recently and passed Step 1 on my first attempt! Now I'm in the middle of rotations for my M3 year and am open-minded about what to choose. Repeating my M2 year was very beneficial for me to be completely honest, my grades were higher the second time around and I passed my Step 1 exam. My question is, how do two Fs on my transcript look like? I'm not interested in anything super competitive, but what would I need to do for something like General surgery if that's what I choose? Please give me brutally honest feedback, as I enjoy constructive criticism. I am enjoying my third year of medical school and the opportunity to be in the hospital. Thanks.

My whole second year (first time) was online due to covid, and even if we had in-person instruction, perhaps the outcome would have been the same, as I take complete responsibility for my grades during medical school during that time.

Thanks for all the feedback, positive and negative!

TL;DR 2 Fs on transcript (1 during M1 year, 1 during M2 year), repeated M2 year successfully, passed Step 1 on first attempt

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[deleted50541]

Glad to hear you feel like you're back on track. I know you say you're open to career options, but you really need to make a choice and come up with a solid plan for how you're gonna land a residency spot. That includes doing well on rotations and exams, especially for your chosen field, and connecting with people in that field for guidance. Given your academic history, I assume you've had a lot of contact with administration. Use them as a resource as well to develop a game plan for success. Their job is to help you succeed if you're putting in the effort.

The transcript grades don't look great and your school will discuss your early academic troubles in the letter they write for your residency application. But again, by working with them and if you're now in good standing, they can help downplay that and highlight your achievements.

It's been a minute since I did residency applications from med school so I can't comment more specifically on what gen surg programs are looking for now.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Locking as this is posted in another location with more responses. Anyone wishing to help the OP may do so here: Asking for residency advice from an M3 with a few blemishes on transcript