Long time lurker here, first time poster :)

I thought twice about posting but I decided to solicit some opinions on here. Here is my situation. I have extremely limited money to use for the residency application/interviewing process and I want to be as careful as possible when I send out my ERAS. My school does not give us much more financial aid during M4 year so it is unrealistic for me to fly out to many cities, pay for hotel stay (I will definitely staying with friends when I can), etc. I don't want to apply to too many programs over the 10 covered in the ERAS fee but I figure I might have to if I want to include a few "safety" programs and some "reaches."

A little about me:
-middle tier state school in midwest
-step 1: 243/99
-grades first two years: top 25% (my school doesn't give specific rankings, only quartiles)
-grades M3 year: honors in IM/peds/family with very solid comments; advanced in surg/ob
-AOA status: unknown - probably have a 50% shot at it but won't know until after I submit ERAS
-good LORs
-research: took one year off for doris duke fellowship which resulted in one publication at present (several manuscripts in the works); have a bunch of abstracts and presentations; won a couple seed grants (few grand) for small projects
-extra curricular: lots of leadership stuff in medial school; started free school physical days (twice per year) at underserved school, some cultural leadership, etc
-goal: the best IM program I can get into; no geographic preference; want to do cards; want to stay in academic medicine and have a portion of career devoted to research; would love to go a big name program as this will certainly open doors for me regarding fellowship and future faculty positions/grant funding (after going to a middle tier med school, i now appreciate how much name can make a difference)

My question is where should I apply? I have a list of about 30 programs that I'm considering and I cannot possibly apply to all of them. I would like to stay as close to 10 as possible given my financial situation. I don't come from a top tier medical school so I know I have this working against me and I don't want to waste my money applying to programs that will screen out my application based on this criteria. If money wasn't an issue, I wouldn't post here. I just want to be realistic about my applications when I send them out.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

-goal: the best IM program I can get into; no geographic preference; want to do cards; want to stay in academic medicine and have a portion of career devoted to research; would love to go a big name program as this will certainly open doors for me regarding fellowship and future faculty positions/grant funding (after going to a middle tier med school, i now appreciate how much name can make a difference)

I've heard that the most helpful factor in terms of landing fellowships is being "in house" for your IM. If that's the case, I'd apply to and rank your 10 programs not based on where you'd like to do IM...but where you'd like to do cardiology. With your Step and your pubs, I'd imagine that you'd have a good chance of being in the fortunate position to pick where you go.

I've heard that the most helpful factor in terms of landing fellowships is being "in house" for your IM. If that's the case, I'd apply to and rank your 10 programs not based on where you'd like to do IM...but where you'd like to do cardiology. With your Step and your pubs, I'd imagine that you'd have a good chance of being in the fortunate position to pick where you go.


Thanks for the info. I don't know too much about good places for cards fellowships. I can surmise that all the good IM programs have good cards fellowships (in general) but I'm not sure. Also, regarding my pubs, I have one definite one and a bunch of abstracts/presentations. The manuscripts (since they haven't been finalized yet) won't be on my CV unfortunately.

Any specific suggestions on programs? I am going to have two "safety" programs in the midwest (one being my home program). So I need eight others to figure out to stay at 10 total programs.

Mayo, Rochester

One, it's got cardiology. Two, for the thrifty scholar, they will put you up in the Kahler Grand hotel for your interview so it will keep you costs down. Also since you are in the midwest consider "megabus" instead of flying - its as cheap as all get out. I bussed from Illinois to Baltimore and then to Durham and back and I also bussed from Seattle to the bay area and saved a boat load of money. If you can keep yourself on the ground for a few of your interviews then you can splurge and fly a few places. Also nice about busses is that you can lay your suit out in the bins above and it comes out looking like a hundred dollars.

Mayo, Rochester

One, it's got cardiology. Two, for the thrifty scholar, they will put you up in the Kahler Grand hotel for your interview so it will keep you costs down. Also since you are in the midwest consider "megabus" instead of flying - its as cheap as all get out. I bussed from Illinois to Baltimore and then to Durham and back and I also bussed from Seattle to the bay area and saved a boat load of money. If you can keep yourself on the ground for a few of your interviews then you can splurge and fly a few places. Also nice about busses is that you can lay your suit out in the bins above and it comes out looking like a hundred dollars.

Great suggestions. I definitely plan on driving/taking the bus or train when possible (especially for the midwest programs).

Yea, I was thinking about Mayo. They've taken several residents each in the past couple years from my school which is good. I'm also looking into WashU, NU, and UChicago. Anyone have thoughts on these programs or some of the ones on the coasts? Are they worth the money spent to apply?

Sounds like you have a very strong application and should be competitive among the best programs. Your assessment that a "big name" residency program will be critical to getting a good fellowship spot is correct. Given your stats I would apply to the top programs in the country (espeically those w/ strong fellowships), and perhaps 3-4 additional programs.

Honestly if you want to maximize your chances at a top program, you should include a few more in your initial ERAS application... and then pair down depending on the interviews you get.

If i absolutely had to stick to 10 my list would be

brigham
mgh
hopkins
duke
ucsf
bid
mayo
utsw
your home school
One additional backup that you would be geographically happy with

Sounds like you have a very strong application and should be competitive among the best programs. Your assessment that a "big name" residency program will be critical to getting a good fellowship spot is correct. Given your stats I would apply to the top programs in the country (espeically those w/ strong fellowships), and perhaps 3-4 additional programs.

Honestly if you want to maximize your chances at a top program, you should include a few more in your initial ERAS application... and then pair down depending on the interviews you get.

If i absolutely had to stick to 10 my list would be

brigham
mgh
hopkins
duke
ucsf
bid
mayo
utsw
your home school
One additional backup that you would be geographically happy with

Thanks for the recommendations. When I entered medical school, I thought everyone was more or less on an equal playing field (in other words, the name of the medical school didn't matter much). but I was pretty surprised to find out this is hardly the case. Hence, I really want to make sure I aim for the best program I'm competitive for so that when it comes time for my career, I won't have any doors closed. Unfortunately, names appear to matter quite a bit in terms of getting a tenure-track faculty position, grant applications, etc. This was only highlighted during my Doris Duke year where the name of one's medical school was pretty important in assembling the ultimate ranking list for residency (as far I know per my discussions with my PI who was in the loop). He has seen many applicants with better grades/scores who went to average medical schools passed up for students who went to top schools (obviously, they still had great numbers as well).

In terms of the schools mentioned above, I looked through the match lists for the previous years at my school, and unfortunately I didn't see many people match at them. :( But hopefully things will change.

I definitely plan on pairing my interviews so more incentive for me to send my ERAS out as soon as I can. Hopefully I can coordinate everything so I can do all the east coast schools in one trip.

I was also considering applying to UChicago, NU, and WashU because of geography (driving distance for me and I have friends I can stay with).

If you are interested in the midwest, I'd also look into University of Michigan!

If you are interested in the midwest, I'd also look into University of Michigan!

Cool, will do. More so than geography, I'm interested in good programs with good fellowship/career potential. The midwest programs are easiest for me to drive/bus/train to. :)

Cool, will do. More so than geography, I'm interested in good programs with good fellowship/career potential. The midwest programs are easiest for me to drive/bus/train to. :)

U of M has opportunities in spades. It's definitely a power program (as I'm sure you already know) with excellent fellowship placements. The hospital is amazing, the faculty outstanding, and the med students smart/interested (based on my limited experience with them). I moved from Chicago to start my fellowship at U of M and I have been so impressed - could not be happier :-)
I just wish it was located in Chicago heheheh - not that Ann Arbor is a bad place to be ^_^

why not apply for a private education loan/physician loan through a bank like citibank or suntrust in order to get the money you need?

why not apply for a private education loan/physician loan through a bank like citibank or suntrust in order to get the money you need?

I've thought about this. As it stands, I think my cash flow will be sufficient for 10 interviews. Hopefully I'll be able to borrow a little money from family if need arises. I want to avoid taking out another loan if possible (for obvious reasons).

I think you're getting some great advice here. I'd echo that if you want to do cards then it's best to go to a "top program," provided that you'd be happy in that particular city and with that particular program's structure. Just make sure that you aren't thinking too far ahead and that you actually like the place you choose, because 3 years and 80hrs/wk passes very slowly if you're miserable :)

There are actually lots of differences in call structures at various programs too, with now only about 10% of IM programs still doing overnight call (seemingly more of the "top tier" programs still do overnight though). So one way to narrow down your choices would be to consider whether you would be open to overnight call, or whether you would prefer night float...some people are very opinionated about it, as I certainly was. I felt that night float didn't fit my personal learning style as well, whereas others have never taken overnight call at their med schools and are absoultely terrified about the prospect, thus wanting nothing to do with it. I think that dismissing traditional call programs due to this perception is a mistake, but it's certainly something that applicants do each year.

In terms of specific places, the aforementioned programs are GREAT ones to consider for top-notch medicine training that will position you well to match in cards. At Duke this past cycle we just matched at least a dozen people into cards, including THREE at the Cleveland Clinic (this is unheard of just about anywhere), THREE at Duke, one at Texas Heart, and the list goes on. The name of your residency program matters a lot when you're applying to very competitive specialties. I'd echo a few specific places, including Duke of course, and Penn, Michigan, UTSW, MGH, Brigham, BID, UCSF. Don't forget about programs like Vanderbilt or UVA too. Wash U is a very different program in terms of being all night-float, so it may be worth a look for that reason alone, but I tend not to favor their style for personal reasons. Northwestern is problematic for me because of the private patient issue and apparent lack of autonomy I've heard lots about, but it's certainly a reputable program, and much of what I've heard may be unsubstantiated rumor.

Another way to help pare down the number of programs on your list is to think about the cities themselves, and quality of life issues. For example, some people are gung ho about living in NYC, while others don't even want to think about the possibility. Others don't want to live in California because residents are paid less and it costs LOTS more to live there. This might be a way for you to eliminate certain possibilities. Some people choose not to apply to Hopkins because of Baltimore, or Duke because of Durham, although I'd argue that the quality of life we have here is actually better than most other top programs since it's so affordable to live in Durham, and thus is VERY comfortable on just the house staff salary. Plus there's way more culture and fun things to do than outsiders typically realize. But for some people, being in "the big city" is more important. Don't forget to consider these issues, otherwise you'll find yourself interviewing at a bunch of places where you'd never even dream of actually living, and feeling like you wasted your money to travel there.

Even if you don't think you have geographical preferences, you probably have some sense of city vs. suburban, large vs. small area, costal vs. midwest, and possible family concerns that can help you make what is somewhat of an arbitrary decision in the end anyway.

I hope that helps!

I think you're getting some great advice here. I'd echo that if you want to do cards then it's best to go to a "top program," provided that you'd be happy in that particular city and with that particular program's structure. Just make sure that you aren't thinking too far ahead and that you actually like the place you choose, because 3 years and 80hrs/wk passes very slowly if you're miserable :)

There are actually lots of differences in call structures at various programs too, with now only about 10% of IM programs still doing overnight call (seemingly more of the "top tier" programs still do overnight though). So one way to narrow down your choices would be to consider whether you would be open to overnight call, or whether you would prefer night float...some people are very opinionated about it, as I certainly was. I felt that night float didn't fit my personal learning style as well, whereas others have never taken overnight call at their med schools and are absoultely terrified about the prospect, thus wanting nothing to do with it. I think that dismissing traditional call programs due to this perception is a mistake, but it's certainly something that applicants do each year.

In terms of specific places, the aforementioned programs are GREAT ones to consider for top-notch medicine training that will position you well to match in cards. At Duke this past cycle we just matched at least a dozen people into cards, including THREE at the Cleveland Clinic (this is unheard of just about anywhere), THREE at Duke, one at Texas Heart, and the list goes on. The name of your residency program matters a lot when you're applying to very competitive specialties. I'd echo a few specific places, including Duke of course, and Penn, Michigan, UTSW, MGH, Brigham, BID, UCSF. Don't forget about programs like Vanderbilt or UVA too. Wash U is a very different program in terms of being all night-float, so it may be worth a look for that reason alone, but I tend not to favor their style for personal reasons. Northwestern is problematic for me because of the private patient issue and apparent lack of autonomy I've heard lots about, but it's certainly a reputable program, and much of what I've heard may be unsubstantiated rumor.

Another way to help pare down the number of programs on your list is to think about the cities themselves, and quality of life issues. For example, some people are gung ho about living in NYC, while others don't even want to think about the possibility. Others don't want to live in California because residents are paid less and it costs LOTS more to live there. This might be a way for you to eliminate certain possibilities. Some people choose not to apply to Hopkins because of Baltimore, or Duke because of Durham, although I'd argue that the quality of life we have here is actually better than most other top programs since it's so affordable to live in Durham, and thus is VERY comfortable on just the house staff salary. Plus there's way more culture and fun things to do than outsiders typically realize. But for some people, being in "the big city" is more important. Don't forget to consider these issues, otherwise you'll find yourself interviewing at a bunch of places where you'd never even dream of actually living, and feeling like you wasted your money to travel there.

Even if you don't think you have geographical preferences, you probably have some sense of city vs. suburban, large vs. small area, costal vs. midwest, and possible family concerns that can help you make what is somewhat of an arbitrary decision in the end anyway.

I hope that helps!


This is an amazing post! Thank you very much for your solid advice!

I did not know that so few programs are still doing overnight call - I thought it was just the opposite. Personally, I'd prefer not to have overnight call but it's not a deal breaker for me by any means.

Regarding geography, while I don't have any strong feelings regarding any part of the country, it would be nice to be in a big city. Again, definitely not a deal breaker.

In terms of the programs you and others have mentioned, I started to research them to find out as much information before I apply. I'm worried that everyone here is recommending such stellar programs when the name of my medical school is average at best. Just as we all know fellowship placement is highly dependent on where one does residency, doesn't residency placement also depend (perhaps not as much as fellowship placement) on one's medical school?

Thanks for the advice regarding Vandy and UVa - they seem moderate in competitiveness compared to the previously mentioned programs.

If the program to which you are applying has a medical school (and all of the above do), consider trying to contact that school to see if you can stay with a local student. Offer to reciprocate, if that helps.

Also, the AMA offers a similar program (http://www.amaalliance.org/site/epage/41976_625.htm).

I thought there was another, student generated exchange list, but can;t find it now.

I did not know that so few programs are still doing overnight call - I thought it was just the opposite. Personally, I'd prefer not to have overnight call but it's not a deal breaker for me by any means.

I'm not sure if that's a realistic # or not but keep in mind that programs may have different call styles within a single program.

As an example, the program I just finished up with has 2 hospitals (Univ and VA) and 5 different inpt rotations. There are 5 different call schedules including: Q5 overnight, Q5 w/ NF and overnight only on weekends (do 1-2 overnights/month), Q3 overnight in the ICU, Q3 w/ night float and 1 overnight per month plus 1 wk of nights in the other ICU and Q-Random w/ night float and 1 overnight per month plus 1 wk of nights in the CCU. So, this program does have Night Float but you're still doing overnight call on 40% of your rotations. My med school had 3 sites with 6 different inpatient rotations and 4 different call schedules.

I didn't do a single 24h medicine call until I was an intern so I thought it would be horrible. It's not awesome, don't get me wrong, but it's not the end of the world and I was usually just as fried from a call night w/ NF as I was from an overnight call w/o any sleep. I wouldn't use NF vs O/N call as a determining factor for whether you'd rank a program.

Just thought I'd add my $0.02 since I'm on vacation.

It sounds like you're trying to maximize the prestige and chances at interview of your application list, always a tricky proposition. I was in your shoes last year (slightly higher Step I score, lower class ranking but at a highly ranked med school). I applied to all of the top 20 programs (after UCSF, Hopkins and MGH, you will always get a lot of argument about what exactly constitutes the other 7 members of the "top 10," but I think everyone agrees on the top 20 programs) - it's only a couple extra dollars, and I'd then try to choose your interviews if needed based on the results and location.

The schools being bandied about are tough interviews to get. For example, Duke only interviewed about 300 folks last year, and while I'd like to think that they might be a little more generous this year since they went unmatched for 10 spots last year (not a reflection of the program at all, but a reflection of how closely matched these top programs are and how difficult it is for even a top program to interview only 6 people per spot), you never know. The other programs interview about 8-9 people per spot. I wouldn't worry too much about med school reputation - I would say about half to slightly greater than half of residents at even top programs are gonna be from schools that are "mid-range" as you put it. It sounds like you've really distinguished yourself, and you're likely going to get some great interviews.

Also, each of these programs has a very different and very specific personality - I thought this was a joke when seniors told me this 2 years ago, but after interviewing, you will feel comfortable at one program more than the others. And while people keep talking about how easy an application IM is, I don't think it is for two reasons: 1) the top programs are still attracting people with impressive credentials, and there are more than enough applicants with the right combo of AOA / school reputation / Step score to fill those spots and 2) Step score matters far less in IM than it does for the "competitive" specialties.

Good luck!

If the program to which you are applying has a medical school (and all of the above do), consider trying to contact that school to see if you can stay with a local student. Offer to reciprocate, if that helps.

Also, the AMA offers a similar program (http://www.amaalliance.org/site/epage/41976_625.htm).

I thought there was another, student generated exchange list, but can;t find it now.

Thank you for the link! I definitely plan on using all my friends/family/contacts when interviewing so that I can minimize hotel costs. Also, I will priceline flights and hotels to be as economical as possible. Hopefully gas prices continue to decrease a bit...

I'm not sure if that's a realistic # or not but keep in mind that programs may have different call styles within a single program.

As an example, the program I just finished up with has 2 hospitals (Univ and VA) and 5 different inpt rotations. There are 5 different call schedules including: Q5 overnight, Q5 w/ NF and overnight only on weekends (do 1-2 overnights/month), Q3 overnight in the ICU, Q3 w/ night float and 1 overnight per month plus 1 wk of nights in the other ICU and Q-Random w/ night float and 1 overnight per month plus 1 wk of nights in the CCU. So, this program does have Night Float but you're still doing overnight call on 40% of your rotations. My med school had 3 sites with 6 different inpatient rotations and 4 different call schedules.

I didn't do a single 24h medicine call until I was an intern so I thought it would be horrible. It's not awesome, don't get me wrong, but it's not the end of the world and I was usually just as fried from a call night w/ NF as I was from an overnight call w/o any sleep. I wouldn't use NF vs O/N call as a determining factor for whether you'd rank a program.

Good point. During my IM rotation, our teams had different call schedules depending on the hospital (university vs. VA) so I'm aware that call can be quite variable within a single program. In terms of importance of schedule on a scale from 0 (least important) to 10 (extremely important), it ranks about a 1 for me.

Just thought I'd add my $0.02 since I'm on vacation.

It sounds like you're trying to maximize the prestige and chances at interview of your application list, always a tricky proposition. I was in your shoes last year (slightly higher Step I score, lower class ranking but at a highly ranked med school). I applied to all of the top 20 programs (after UCSF, Hopkins and MGH, you will always get a lot of argument about what exactly constitutes the other 7 members of the "top 10," but I think everyone agrees on the top 20 programs) - it's only a couple extra dollars, and I'd then try to choose your interviews if needed based on the results and location.

The schools being bandied about are tough interviews to get. For example, Duke only interviewed about 300 folks last year, and while I'd like to think that they might be a little more generous this year since they went unmatched for 10 spots last year (not a reflection of the program at all, but a reflection of how closely matched these top programs are and how difficult it is for even a top program to interview only 6 people per spot), you never know. The other programs interview about 8-9 people per spot. I wouldn't worry too much about med school reputation - I would say about half to slightly greater than half of residents at even top programs are gonna be from schools that are "mid-range" as you put it. It sounds like you've really distinguished yourself, and you're likely going to get some great interviews.

Also, each of these programs has a very different and very specific personality - I thought this was a joke when seniors told me this 2 years ago, but after interviewing, you will feel comfortable at one program more than the others. And while people keep talking about how easy an application IM is, I don't think it is for two reasons: 1) the top programs are still attracting people with impressive credentials, and there are more than enough applicants with the right combo of AOA / school reputation / Step score to fill those spots and 2) Step score matters far less in IM than it does for the "competitive" specialties.

Good luck!


Thank you very much for your post. The stats you mentioned are exactly what scares me about applying. All of the top programs probably interview 10+ applicants per categorical position available. If I went to a top ranked medical school or knew for sure I was going to be AOA, I would have no problems applying just to the top 10 programs plus a few safety/moderate range programs. However, since my med school is average and I don't know my AOA status, I'm afraid to take that gamble. I think sending out my ERAS to schools in the top 20 and then going from there in terms of interviews is solid.

I know it may seem odd, but money is really tight for my family so even an extra $100 or so is tough. Also, I'm not a spendthrift by any means. My family's financial situation has changed recently and unfortunately my financial aid didn't increase to reflect this.

Well, here's my list of the top 20, in roughly geographic order:

U-Wash
UCSF
Stanford
UCLA
UCSD
UT Southwestern
Michigan
Wash U
Northwestern
U of Chicago
Mayo
Vanderbilt
Duke
Hopkins
Penn
Columbia
Cornell
Beth Israel Deaconness
Brigham & Women's
MGH

How did I come up with this list? Well, they seem to be the ones that seem to keep interviewing the same folks... especially if you're interested in cardiology, I'd put Emory on the list as well (some are understandably scared of Grady, but it's (along with Parkland) one of the great public hospitals in the country).

I appreciate that even $100 is a lot of money, but try to find a way to come up with it. When you compare it to how much you're going to be making even next year, it's worth it to make sure you match and you give yourself the option of finding the best program for your growth. You do also have the option of applying to fewer programs and then sending out more applications if you don't get interview hits immediately (the vast majority of your interview offers will come within the first month or so after you submit - I think I got 2 interviews after my Dean's Letter was in, because it's largely recognized as worthless).

Well, here's my list of the top 20, in roughly geographic order:

U-Wash
UCSF
Stanford
UCLA
UCSD
UT Southwestern
Michigan
Wash U
Northwestern
U of Chicago
Mayo
Vanderbilt
Duke
Hopkins
Penn
Columbia
Cornell
Beth Israel Deaconness
Brigham & Women's
MGH

How did I come up with this list? Well, they seem to be the ones that seem to keep interviewing the same folks... especially if you're interested in cardiology, I'd put Emory on the list as well (some are understandably scared of Grady, but it's (along with Parkland) one of the great public hospitals in the country).

I appreciate that even $100 is a lot of money, but try to find a way to come up with it. When you compare it to how much you're going to be making even next year, it's worth it to make sure you match and you give yourself the option of finding the best program for your growth. You do also have the option of applying to fewer programs and then sending out more applications if you don't get interview hits immediately (the vast majority of your interview offers will come within the first month or so after you submit - I think I got 2 interviews after my Dean's Letter was in, because it's largely recognized as worthless).

Not trying to highjack the thread, but this is probably the best, honest set of feedback I've seen in a while. That being said, could anyone offer any advice for a lower step 1 scores (232), top 25 state school, top 30-35% of class and 1st author paper in cards.

After 230, the IM programs really don't care. I can tell you that I rocked Step I and Step II, and the response I got from my top 4 choices (which are in my top 20 list and top 10 by NIH and USNews IM rankings) was a collective yawn. They're far more concerned, after 230, with AOA and Honoring IM rotations, and then papers. Which kinda made me sad because I went to a "top-ranked school" that is notorious for having off-the-wall average USMLE scores, and with that comes extreme difficulty in being AOA.

My advice if you're not geographically limited is to apply to the top 20-30 programs (if you can apply to 30, I'd toss in places like Emory, UAB, Yale, UNC, OHSU, Case Western, UPMC, BCM, NYU, Mt Sinai, Colorado, JHU Bayview) and see what happens. At worst, you get rejected, and you're out $10. But then you can always pick and choose your interviews based on geographic or prestige preferences... with a first-author paper, potential AOA and a 232, you're in good shape. MGH/Hopkins/UCSF are always a reach, but you will likely get into a top-tier program, from which you will get into a cardiology fellowship somewhere. There's a lot of cards fellowships out there, and while the overall match rate is low, the match rate for US grads is in the high 80s. So coming from a highly-regarded university program, you will be able to get in *somewhere* - now, if you've got your eye on Texas Heart or the Cleveland Clinic, you'll have to go to one of those programs and do a crapload of research and be a paper machine, as much as is humanly possible.

I would add Univ of Maryland. They have a great IM residency and take cards fellows from their program.

to the op-
here's an idea. why don't you choose the thirty programs you are most interested in, and apply to them?

:thumbup:

Baylorlion, I think you might be wrong about the cards match rate for US grads. I thought it was more like high 70 percents or so.
But the OP doesn't sound like he'll be someone who will have a hard time matching in cards, so it's largely an academic debate.

The numbers I have heard (and I think I've seen it in print, but not absolute sure) say mid-60s overall match rate for cards, and a high 80s match rate for US grads (and that's possibly specifically for US grads at university programs).

The OP shouldn't have a problem matching for cards. Hopefully I won't either :D

Well, here's my list of the top 20, in roughly geographic order:

U-Wash
UCSF
Stanford
UCLA
UCSD
UT Southwestern
Michigan
Wash U
Northwestern
U of Chicago
Mayo
Vanderbilt
Duke
Hopkins
Penn
Columbia
Cornell
Beth Israel Deaconness
Brigham & Women's
MGH

How did I come up with this list? Well, they seem to be the ones that seem to keep interviewing the same folks... especially if you're interested in cardiology, I'd put Emory on the list as well (some are understandably scared of Grady, but it's (along with Parkland) one of the great public hospitals in the country).

I appreciate that even $100 is a lot of money, but try to find a way to come up with it. When you compare it to how much you're going to be making even next year, it's worth it to make sure you match and you give yourself the option of finding the best program for your growth. You do also have the option of applying to fewer programs and then sending out more applications if you don't get interview hits immediately (the vast majority of your interview offers will come within the first month or so after you submit - I think I got 2 interviews after my Dean's Letter was in, because it's largely recognized as worthless).


Thank you very much for this list. I could guess the top 10-15 but a few of the other programs I wouldn't have known about until you mentioned them. Plan for the next day or two is to look over all of them online

And I definitely agree with you about the money. Money spent now is a small price compared to finding the right residency that will set myself up for a career in academic medicine/research. I definitely recognize this and will come up with as much extra money as I can.

I truly appreciate your help. :)

The numbers I have heard (and I think I've seen it in print, but not absolute sure) say mid-60s overall match rate for cards, and a high 80s match rate for US grads (and that's possibly specifically for US grads at university programs).

The OP shouldn't have a problem matching for cards. Hopefully I won't either :D


Although it's a few years away, I hope that you are right and I don't have a problem matching for cards. :) Since scores/grades matter less for fellowship than do name of residency/LORs/research/contacts, I hope to secure a competitive IM residency where I will be happy. :)

The numbers I have heard (and I think I've seen it in print, but not absolute sure) say mid-60s overall match rate for cards, and a high 80s match rate for US grads (and that's possibly specifically for US grads at university programs).

The OP shouldn't have a problem matching for cards. Hopefully I won't either :D

Just FYI:
http://www.nrmp.org/data/resultsanddatasms2008.pdf

Per the above data -

79.6% of US grad applicants matched in Cards

35.7 % of Non-US grad applicants matched in Cards

Once you do get interview offers, you should contact your school's Office of Student Affairs/administrative office and the medical school alumni association. Both of those places could put you in touch with former students in the area who would probably be happy to host you during your interview, which would save you some money.