Age old question... and what to do?

[CueDoc]

What is a good number of interviews to have right now and what number should make someone nervous? part deux. what do you do if you do not meet the quota?

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[crewmaster1]

I'm not sure. But as of right now I have 25 scheduled. My goal is to be less than 20. It's pretty hard to cut so many without visiting!

 

[CueDoc]

I'm not sure. But as of right now I have 25 scheduled. My goal is to be less than 20. It's pretty hard to cut so many without visiting!

I feel for you.

 

[medicineman1]

Crewmaster- I think its a safe bet that the OP is worried about lack of interviews (ie) nervous. So , to again hear about your nervousness in which interviews to cut- I'm banking - is rubbing salt. Deflate my friend.

 

[medicineman1]

I'm guessing at this stage most programs have picked their first round draft picks if you will. From now through the middle of January, you will hear from many programs with regrets, and an occasional invite as people cancel, and/or the program is running late. Judging by the invite list, I'm thinking most programs have completed first round. Now, If you havent been flat out denied, you are probably in the grey abyss- which is a crap shoot! They say (who the hell are they)? that with ten invites you will statistically be ok. If you are at 3-5 interviews AND waiting for that second round- well- perhaps a little nervous? People do match their top 3 many of times. If you are borderline with Step 1 etc, I think that even if you interview well, you are still further down the list at the places that you do interview, and SO especially in these cases need to have 10-15 interviews to feel comfortable. Good luck

 

[anonymousEM]

What can you do? If you haven't heard, it is ok to call to inquire about your status...I'd give it a week or so...some programs don't even look at apps until the Dean's Letter is available. Then talk to the secretary and find out if your file is complete and if there is any other info you can provide. They will usually let you know when you can expect to hear something...and your interest MAY lead to you getting into the "give this one a chance" pile. I assume your file on ERAS IS complete, right? I do have a friend who only had 3 EM interviews and ultimately finished an EM residency this year--but it wasn't without lots of anxiety. What you're feeling at this point is normal no matter how many interviews you have it's a really scary part of med school! Hang in there!

 

[NinerNiner999]

10

 

[EctopicFetus]

Interviewing at more than 12 imo is insane. It gets old friends. Pick based on your interests and the program strengths and by geography. To do 20 interviews if you are a good candidate is just plain dumb IMO.

 

[EctopicFetus]

Also out of courtesy you should start cutting them down, not only for your fellow ms4s but also for the programs who want to interview people who will end up there.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

As I recall I was still getting invites 1-2 weeks into December. The game ain't over yet.

Your question about what do you do if you don't get enough? Pray more. Perform better at the ones you do go to. Apply again next year. Find another specialty. Lots of options, none of them good.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Interviewing at more than 12 imo is insane. It gets old friends. Pick based on your interests and the program strengths and by geography. To do 20 interviews if you are a good candidate is just plain dumb IMO.

Yup. You're right. But it was fun to see so many programs and meet so many people in the EM world. If I had to do it over again I would definitely limit it to 10-15.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

I'm not sure. But as of right now I have 25 scheduled. My goal is to be less than 20. It's pretty hard to cut so many without visiting!

Wow! Are you this sensitive with your patients?

 

[Jimmy1]

the original reply to your post was ridiculous.

I think MOST people are in the same boat as you. Personally, I would wait a while before getting too worried. Like the previous posters said, the first round has gone out, but there sure to be more invites sent out as people start to decline interviews.

I might add- it would take 6+ weeks to do 20 interviews if you did 3-4/week. If you are such a 'strong' candidate to get 25 interviews this early, WHY would you WANT or NEED to interview at that many places?

 

[SolidGold]

I'm not sure. But as of right now I have 25 scheduled. My goal is to be less than 20. It's pretty hard to cut so many without visiting!

Are you f***ing kidding me?

Do yourself, other applicants, and some of the programs a favor...cut your list down. It was hard for me to cut my list down too, and I imagine that it is for everyone. Don't be such an ass unless you seriously have nothing better to do than go to 25 interviews during the holiday months.

To the OP:

It is a fact that if you rank 10 places, you will match into Emergency Medicine. Going to a few more interviews than that is probably a good idea in case there ends up being a few places you would never go to and therefore should not rank.

My target is a max of 14. I have 20 invites up to now, cancelled 5, and will cancel another soon but would like to wait a few more days to see if I am fortunate enough to be offered any more interviews.