US IMG. Graduated college with a decent GPA (~3.4) and a good MCAT score but didn't get into any US schools. Decided to apply to a Caribbean school rather than wait a year for another application cycle. Went, loved the learning but hated the location. Was told from the beginning of med school that getting into any specialty other than FM/IM/Peds would be very difficult, but I was ready for an uphill battle.
Studied hard, worked harder on my clerkships, did well on Step 1 & CK, passed CS. Decided at the end of my 3rd year I wanted to go into EM, but due to my school's scheduling was only able to get 1 SLOE in time for interview season. I'm sure this hurt me quite a bit. Decided to go all in and only apply EM anyway. Only got 7 interviews, but yesterday I matched!
Don't let anyone dictate what you can and can't do, but do be smart about what you choose. I've had several M3s tell me things like "Oh, I'm thinking about going into EM because the lifestyle is better than surgery." If you're going to go after something risky, do it because that's the only thing you can see yourself doing, not because you think it's the easy way out.