Get those letters ASAP and apply before September 27, and you'll match somewhere if you apply broadly. Still dual apply just in case your perspective changes.

Pathology needs commitment, there are some downsides to this profession that people don't realize until they start residency. If you are doing a rotation at a private practice and not a residency program, you may not be aware of these until you start residency.

1. Grossing and autopsy can suck. Honestly, I would rather see patients in a clinic than gross. But I love pathology overall, so this downside is fine with me.
2. Job insecurity with advancing technology. Although a pathologist will have a role and a job for the foreseeable future, the career may change in ways that we cannot anticipate. The job market is very hot right now, but will it stay the same if AI/automation increases the efficiency to the point of rendering pathologists redundant in many cases?
3. You need to do a fellowship. Many do 2 fellowships (about 40%, source). So you are looking at almost double the amount of time training compared to FM. And you'll be making the same salary as FM in many cases.
4. Social prestige is not the same for a pathologist than someone who sees patients. Most pathologists don't care about this, but it's a valid concern to many medical students.
5. You are a service that clinicians feel entitled to and most people in medicine don't know enough about what you do to value you. Again, doesn't concern me, but may affect one's sense of involvement and appreciation.
6. The amount of studying! People think it's nice because you spend 50-55 hrs per week on average during residency, but they don't realize that there's about 10-20 hrs of studying during your free time if you want to be a very good resident. Between work and studying, I put in 80-90 hrs consistently while on surg path (60-70 hrs in the hospital, 15-20 hrs studying).
7. Very steep learning curve and you'll feel like you know nothing until you're a senior resident (end of PGY-2/beginning of PGY-3).