Chicago v. Boston programs

[daffy duck]

Hey guys,

I'm about halfway through M3 and I am trying to get a better idea of the programs in both these cities as well as my competitiveness. My significant other will be moving to one of these two cities this year and my goal for matching is to be in the same city. Her decision between chicago and boston is partly based on my likelihood of matching in the city.

My stats:
Medical School: State School (M.D. in SE region)
Preclinical: top quartile , Not AOA
Step 1: 253
Step 2: not taken yet
Clerkships: Honors in Family Med/Peds/OBGYN/rads elective .... waiting on Surg grade (w/ A on shelf), currently on IM... have neuro and psyche to go
Research: 5 case reports, 7 poster presentations , with name on another 5 posters as second author

Specifically, I want to know if I have a significantly better chance of matching in chicago programs or boston programs or if both are equally within reach. I prefer to go to an academic program over a community one and I want to be within 45 min commute of the center of the city (for S.O.'s job).

I've considered the following for Chicago: Northwestern, U Chicago, Rush, Loyola, UIC, Cook County, and Advocate Healthcare

For Boston: MGH, BIDC, BU, BWH, Tufts, Lahey Clinic, and Mount Auburn Hospital Program

My gut feeling is that it would easier to match in Chicago since Boston's programs are so high-powered and if I don't match into those, then I would miss out on all the complex cases that would go to the big name schools. I feel this is less likely to happen if I'm in Chicago.

My next question is an away rotation (VSAS) mandatory for me as I am from the southeast?

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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[sievert_fever]

I had a nearly identical application to yours (including med school geography and tier) and got interview invitations from all of the top schools that you listed. Given that you have decent LoRs, you will be competitive at any program in the country.

No, away rotations are definitely not required for radiology. I did one in IR to see what it was like at a high-end program, since my school was relatively deficient. But most people would say it doesn't affect things much.

 

[daffy duck]

Thanks for your quick reply, Im glad to know that I am somewhat competitive. I am hoping that having a S.O. of 5 year in the same city is enough to convince P.D.s that I am willing to relocate.

So you think chicago and boston are equally realistic for me?

 

[GoPelicans]

bwh mgh kinda crapshoot otherwise I think you're competitive for everywhere else. I think a letter to the pd's at the beginning of the app cycle stating you are dead set on a particular city for so's job will be the most helpful thing you can do.

 

[Aurum]

Hey guys,

I'm about halfway through M3 and I am trying to get a better idea of the programs in both these cities as well as my competitiveness. My significant other will be moving to one of these two cities this year and my goal for matching is to be in the same city. Her decision between chicago and boston is partly based on my likelihood of matching in the city.

My stats:
Medical School: State School (M.D. in SE region)
Preclinical: top quartile , Not AOA
Step 1: 253
Step 2: not taken yet
Clerkships: Honors in Family Med/Peds/OBGYN/rads elective .... waiting on Surg grade (w/ A on shelf), currently on IM... have neuro and psyche to go
Research: 5 case reports, 7 poster presentations , with name on another 5 posters as second author

Specifically, I want to know if I have a significantly better chance of matching in chicago programs or boston programs or if both are equally within reach. I prefer to go to an academic program over a community one and I want to be within 45 min commute of the center of the city (for S.O.'s job).

I've considered the following for Chicago: Northwestern, U Chicago, Rush, Loyola, UIC, Cook County, and Advocate Healthcare

For Boston: MGH, BIDC, BU, BWH, Tufts, Lahey Clinic, and Mount Auburn Hospital Program

My gut feeling is that it would easier to match in Chicago since Boston's programs are so high-powered and if I don't match into those, then I would miss out on all the complex cases that would go to the big name schools. I feel this is less likely to happen if I'm in Chicago.

My next question is an away rotation (VSAS) mandatory for me as I am from the southeast?

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

In contrast to sievert, I had a similar app to yours but didn't get any interviews in Boston (applied to BIDMC, BWH, MGH, and BU) and got an interview only at UChicago (applied to NW, UC, and Rush). Regional bias was significant this year for both me and my classmates, and the whole process seemed more competitive than in previous years. I interviewed at top ranked programs in the same region as my medical school and the same region as my hometown, but I had a very low yield elsewhere.

The upper tier of rads programs is a total crapshoot in terms of interviews. I think you have the credentials to score an interview at all the programs listed besides BWH and MGH (just because those are hit or miss even for candidates at the tippy top). Pick a city and do an away at one or two of the stronger programs in that city to maximize your chances of interviewing there. It's really the only method to reliably make your application noticed for a particular program. Good luck!

 

[TCOM12]

I would only do an away if you can be normal for 4 weeks. You can hide crazy in a 4 hour interview. It’s hard to hide crazy for 4 weeks. Remember, in general the radiology rotations are auditions for your personality.

You can also write as many personal statements as you want. You can have a Boston one and a Chicago one and send to respective institutions.