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Surgical electives ?

I'm a 2nd year med student at Exeter, going into my 3rd year. I'm interested in applying for a surgical elective either here or abroad for my final year. I was wondering if I should do anything at this moment to increase my chances of getting into a program? My grades in first year weren't exactly great but I have improved this year, and I'm planning on doing an audit during the summers. Apart from this, I haven't got a lot in my CV apart from a surgical SSC and attending 2 surgical conferences. I would love to get more info on where and when I should apply with a realistic chance of getting in. Thanks!

Reply 1

nexttime

Hmm maybe I'm wrong here but every elective I've seen, even the very competitive ones, has its places allocated based on how early you apply and how whether you are willing to pay the fees (up to '000s/week in the US). You're just a student - they aren't employing you. But maybe I'm wrong in some cases - you specifically talk about a "program" rather than what most electives are (placements) so perhaps you have something specific in mind?

In any case - CV building is normally based on the same things - prizes, audits, teaching, posters, publications, extra degrees. It early in your training, probably the best thing you can do CV-wise is to try to get a couple merits/distinctions in exams. If you wanted to do something extra helping out ward staff with audits or asking around about research etc is probably your best bet.