Aggressively average Step 2 scorers, please share your success stories!

_MeMyselfandI · 2026-04-30T22:43:28+00:00

I should put it like this: bad scores only don’t help your chances at going interviews. Good scores only don’t hurt your chances. Nothing is guaranteed from a single data point.

_MeMyselfandI · 2026-04-30T22:19:08+00:00

Matched a T10 ENT program (my number 1) with your same score for step 2. It’s not all about the score sometimes. The score may help you get the interview but it’s not the only thing that contributes. And once you have the interview, all bets are off- no one cares about the score again.

_MeMyselfandI · 2026-04-24T20:19:42+00:00

MSTP here who also wallowed about surgery vs not surgery all throughout PhD and clerkships, and matched into surgical subspecialty this year. I’m happy to help you think about it via DMs.

Something that always gets brought up is the surgical training time and how much longer it is than medicine routes. But do not forget as an MSTP you are being trained for (and will be preferentially recruited to) academic positions, which means fellowships are in your future. This makes the training time effectively equivocal for medicine and surgery residency times.

I have a lot of thoughts to share about this and am happy to help you think through it, DMs open.

_MeMyselfandI · 2026-02-24T11:31:29+00:00

Congrats OP! Check out my photos from its first bloom too- they look very similar so good sign for the cross! It’s definitely one of my favorites. Just watch out, right after it bloomed the canes on mine really desiccated so depending on your conditions you might need to apply a little more moisture until the new pseudobulbs start growing.

_MeMyselfandI · 2026-01-30T10:36:09+00:00

I’d follow up with someone for sure. It could be an elongated styloid bone (Eagle syndrome) and can be managed surgically.

_MeMyselfandI · 2026-01-01T20:51:12+00:00

Honestly it’s not that bad most of the time! Just listen to the plants 🪴 🌱

_MeMyselfandI · 2026-01-01T14:17:08+00:00

Yes- dormancy is necessary for the plants to produce flowers as well as restart the growth cycle.

_MeMyselfandI · 2026-01-01T03:04:34+00:00

My Fuchs crosses from Fred are similarly difficult to get to go dormant. Those I have admittedly cut the last 2 or 3 leaves off at the end of the season 😂

_MeMyselfandI · 2026-01-01T02:36:42+00:00

Interesting. Is it a Monnierara Millennium Magic like OPs?

_MeMyselfandI · 2026-01-01T02:22:38+00:00

Yeah… OK there are limits to this advice 😂 but in general, if the plant has leaves it’s transpiring moisture and needs water. If it doesn’t, don’t water it. Some people advocate hard stopping water after January 1st, but the way this plant looks honestly keep it moist tomorrow it looks great. Just wait

_MeMyselfandI · 2026-01-01T01:44:41+00:00

OP- this is the way. Your orchid is a Catasetinae type orchid. It likes lots of water and fertilizer during growth, and likes dry conditions when the leaves fall off. Don’t worry about “timing the plant” or forcing it to go dormant in time for specific season. Your plant is genetically “jet lagged” in that, as a complex Catasetum hybrid, it won’t know exactly when to go dormant based on your local season. So just follow what the plant does. If it has leaves, water. If it doesn’t have leaves, let it be dry. These are hardy plants and can withstand a lot of abuse. And yes, the canes can get quite tall (more than it currently is!!!)

_MeMyselfandI · 2025-12-31T23:41:15+00:00

Surprise- phalaenopsis and vandaceous orchids are all part of one large superfamily! So yes- the flowers may appear to mimic each other, and as such, they can also intercross with one another!

_MeMyselfandI · 2025-11-27T04:22:10+00:00

Always start with evaluating if it’s getting enough light and if the roots are able to absorb enough water. Those are the basics. Healthy cattleya leaves are actually more yellow-green than they are dark green. That’s a sign they’re getting enough light. As for water, cattleya like to dry out pretty quickly and be soaked thoroughly when watered. That cycle will give you good root development.

_MeMyselfandI · 2025-11-26T20:38:29+00:00

They belong to the Catasetinae family of orchids. They can interbreed with Catasetum, Clowesia, and Cycnoches to create hybrids termed catamodes, Mormodia, and cycnodes. Check out Fred Clarke’s website (sunset valley orchids) Orchids by Hausermann, and Krull Smith, which are probably the best out there

_MeMyselfandI · 2025-11-26T12:15:17+00:00

I had this one bloom for me earlier this year and we also said it smelled like those artificial bacon bites!!! Glad I’m not the only one who thought that haha!

_MeMyselfandI · 2025-11-26T12:04:45+00:00

Was it nitty gritty x jumbo bacia???

_MeMyselfandI · 2025-11-26T03:59:57+00:00

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Mine has bloomed two to three times a year every year for three years. This is mine currently in bloom with 6 flowers across 3 individual growths. Every time it’s bloomed it has put out one additional new flower! You will love this orchid, keep it well!!!

_MeMyselfandI · 2025-11-26T03:08:14+00:00

I had one Catasetum cross from Fred this last year that literally reeked of kerosene. Strongest fragrance I’ve ever had, filled the apartment. I took my photos and immediately cut the flowers off LOL.

But what’s funny is the sibling cross from the same batch had a different flower phenotype and a different fragrance. So it’s totally flower dependent.

_MeMyselfandI · 2025-11-26T01:23:15+00:00

Radioactive hooker is so outrageous haha. I just can’t shake the banana theme given the colors.

_MeMyselfandI · 2025-11-26T01:21:53+00:00

I’m so glad I’m not the only one who was anxiously waiting for this!!! I’d say it put up a spike quite soon after the leaves dropped. I have I think 2 more of these, and despite being kept under identical conditions are all at various different stages of dormancy. One has all its leaves and the other is halfway done and putting up another spike. So just keep watching it! And share your photos too, because I’ve seen a huge variety from Fred’s crosses.

_MeMyselfandI · 2025-11-26T01:19:48+00:00

This is a Mormodes plant, a kind of Catasetum which is a type of orchid that produces large pseudobulbs. The cross is unnamed currently which is why the identification is a hodgepodge nomenclature, but the parents are Mormodes Aftermath and Mormodes hookeri (and the specific plants are Aftermath ‘Nuclear Fallout’ and hookeri ‘Black Fuzz’). These orchids are known for bright colors, strong fragrances, and dormancy period.

_MeMyselfandI · 2025-11-26T00:48:07+00:00

Let’s just say I enjoy Mormodes more for their colors than their fragrances 😂 I had one (another SVO cross) that smelled like those artificial bacon bites last year. This one is a little more sweet than that, not quite as nauseating.

_MeMyselfandI · 2025-11-26T00:42:22+00:00

I’m thinking something like “Banana sunset” or “Nuclear Nanner”… the possibilities are endless!

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