Now that my interviews are done and I have completed my one and only second look, I am trying (like most of us) to determine my ROL. I know that we have all been given the advice to "go with our gut" however I am finding this is not as easy as it seems. Of my top two--both gave me that "gut feeling" however, one has the better location the other the better reputation(I would say a tier above). I know that residency is only three years, but I am someone that is ready to put down some roots. So...in the end....which should win out....location or rep? btw, I am also interested in possibly doing a fellowship in GI.

If I knew I wanted to do GI, I would choose the program with more success getting folks into GI. This may not be the same as "reputation" but it may be.

I just submitted my rank list. I mainly went by my "gut" too, I'd reccomend just picturing where you think that you'd be most happy for 3 yrs. Most academic programs are going to boast of good fellowship placement, and remember that if you end up at a program that you aren't 100% happy at and don't get along with the people in say the prestigious GI department, you could end up hurting yourself more this way.

This is probably not what you want to hear, but i think everyone has their own "most important" criteria. For me, I only applied in locations I'd want to be so I am ranking based on where I think I'd be happy and get the most out of my training.

wow ckent! you must know where you want to go! i have no clue yet. at least we have one more month...

Originally posted by Southern Hick
wow ckent! you must know where you want to go! i have no clue yet. at least we have one more month...

Unfortunately, I only want to go to either my first or second choice. I'm going to be really disappointed if I end up anywhere past that, I just didn't like a lot of programs out there. Anyways, if you have any idea of where you want to go, I'd go ahead and certify a rank list because I didn't realize this before, but it's actually possible to certify a list and then change it as many times as you want until Feb 25th. No sense in waiting to the last minute with this decision.

Njib, I'd go with location.

Granted, I started this process weighing location very heavily, it seems to me, if you're really happy with your location, you'll likely be happier with work.

GI is non-match from what I understand so making local connections is essential and the more pleasant you are to work with, the more likely you'll get your foot in the door.

I genuinely believe connections and strong personal recommendations are more important than reputation in fellowship placement...my two cents.