Possible to be a competitive applicant to 2 programs?

[DeeplySuperficial]

Hello...I am just a first year med student but I was wondering if it is possible to be a competitive applicant to two competitive fields. For instance if I wanted to apply to 2 surgical fields (Urology and ENT) is it possible to do research, electives, and get the required reference letters etc. over the course of medical school to be a competitive applicant to both fields or is that too far fetched? 

Also, assuming I did that would the program directors rank me low because I am not showing explicit interest in their field, but rather showing interest in 2 fields? 

Thank you!!

[Edict]

2 hours ago, DeeplySuperficial said:

Hello...I am just a first year med student but I was wondering if it is possible to be a competitive applicant to two competitive fields. For instance if I wanted to apply to 2 surgical fields (Urology and ENT) is it possible to do research, electives, and get the required reference letters etc. over the course of medical school to be a competitive applicant to both fields or is that too far fetched? 

Also, assuming I did that would the program directors rank me low because I am not showing explicit interest in their field, but rather showing interest in 2 fields? 

Thank you!!

The question is, why are you interested in two fields? I think it isn't unreasonable to show interest in both, but the sooner you decide on one the better. These fields have similarities but they also have differences, so I would explore both. 

It probably is possible to be competitive in both, but it is also possible that you end up with neither. I think there are a few applicants each year that all programs would rank highly. If you are one of those that have it all, it is quite possible to end up in whichever specialty or location that you want. 

[freewheeler]

Agree with above. Both are pretty good fields as a staff. Good luck with the CaRMS process and residency for them.

From what I've heard though, a lot of it is about character attributes while on elective--ex. how well you mesh with the team, dependability, work ethic, etc.

Remember that programs are basically choosing to work closely with you for the next 5 years when they select you for their program, so they want to know as well as they possibly can, that they actually like working with you.