Curious about potential Texas residency programs "rivalry"

[LavenderDreams]

Hi all! I am an incoming MS1 so a total newbie and very grateful for making it into medical school. My goal is psychiatry due to past work related to the field. I've been looking at Match Lists for the past few years out of curiosity and I am noticing (and someone mentioned it at some point during a presentation) that some programs don't seem to match students from other programs. Particularly, I have heard and noticed that UT Houston or Baylor programs don't match many students from UTMB, and vice versa a little bit. Is there an unspoken thing going on between these two areas - Houston programs and UTMB in Galveston? Please don't throw eggs at me lol I know that most program directors will say the school doesn't matter, the applicant does, so they will take the most qualified candidates. However, I can't help but notice the lack of UTMB folks matched into UT Houston or Baylor residencies in Psych. I noticed the same for Derm, but I will post this question there. Thanks so much! I could be totally crazy and imagining things, but I was just wondering if this beloved community had anything to say abut this Thank you!

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[Stagg737]

Hi all! I am an incoming MS1 so a total newbie and very grateful for making it into medical school. My goal is psychiatry due to past work related to the field. I've been looking at Match Lists for the past few years out of curiosity and I am noticing (and someone mentioned it at some point during a presentation) that some programs don't seem to match students from other programs. Particularly, I have heard and noticed that UT Houston or Baylor programs don't match many students from UTMB, and vice versa a little bit. Is there an unspoken thing going on between these two areas - Houston programs and UTMB in Galveston? Please don't throw eggs at me lol I know that most program directors will say the school doesn't matter, the applicant does, so they will take the most qualified candidates. However, I can't help but notice the lack of UTMB folks matched into UT Houston or Baylor residencies in Psych. I noticed the same for Derm, but I will post this question there. Thanks so much! I could be totally crazy and imagining things, but I was just wondering if this beloved community had anything to say abut this Thank you!

Can't say for sure with Texas programs, but where I'm at has multiple programs in the same city. I think the bigger reason is that most people who really want to stay in town often match at their home program and prefer that rather than learning a whole new system. There is little crossover between our program and the others despite each program keeping a few of their own most years. Those that can't match their home program are probably going to struggle to match at programs in the same city unless the other programs are weak or had a favorable experience with them (strong audition rotation). It's possible UTH and Baylor have been burned by students from UTMB in the past or that there is some kind of problem, but you'd probably have to speak directly to someone there or someone who previously worked at those programs.

 

[TexasPhysician]

There is no rivalry. The three are very different programs that often attract different candidates. It is common for regional applicants to apply to all 3 and come away ranking them very differently.

UTMB students generally aren’t leaving Galveston for a Houston program willingly. They either want to stay at UTMB or are looking for something very different.

 

[comp1]

I think most reasonable people, if they have a choice, pick their program primarily based on geography since the vast majority of physicians will stay where they do residency. I know if there is some weird geography mismatch, ie born and raised in NYC, interviewing at UCLA, a program will ask about it during the interview. If two programs are in the same general geographic location, unless you absolutely hated your med school AND wanted to stay in the same geographic location, I would assume that you'd stay where you did med school for residency. The reason for this being that you're dealing with a known quantity and you'd be familiar with the systems like the EMR. Similarly, the program is dealing with a known quantity in the trainee. That probably explains what you're seeing. Ironically, if you DID see a lot of switching, it could indicate that one or both programs had some very unhappy medical students.

 

[LavenderDreams]

I think most reasonable people, if they have a choice, pick their program primarily based on geography since the vast majority of physicians will stay where they do residency. I know if there is some weird geography mismatch, ie born and raised in NYC, interviewing at UCLA, a program will ask about it during the interview. If two programs are in the same general geographic location, unless you absolutely hated your med school AND wanted to stay in the same geographic location, I would assume that you'd stay where you did med school for residency. The reason for this being that you're dealing with a known quantity and you'd be familiar with the systems like the EMR. Similarly, the program is dealing with a known quantity in the trainee. That probably explains what you're seeing. Ironically, if you DID see a lot of switching, it could indicate that one or both programs had some very unhappy medical students.

Brilliant! Thank you so much! I never considered these aspects, and that is why I post: to get perspectives and to learn, especially given that I am so new to all this. I really appreciate this!

 

[LavenderDreams]

There is no rivalry. The three are very different programs that often attract different candidates. It is common for regional applicants to apply to all 3 and come away ranking them very differently.

UTMB students generally aren’t leaving Galveston for a Houston program willingly. They either want to stay at UTMB or are looking for something very different.

This makes sense, thank you! I put "rivalry" in quotes because I wasn't quite sure how to name what I was seeing in match lists, but this helps a ton, thank you so much! I'm sure I'll learn more about the different programs as I progress through my path and then some more preferences and clarity will unfold. Thank you again!

 

[LavenderDreams]

Can't say for sure with Texas programs, but where I'm at has multiple programs in the same city. I think the bigger reason is that most people who really want to stay in town often match at their home program and prefer that rather than learning a whole new system. There is little crossover between our program and the others despite each program keeping a few of their own most years. Those that can't match their home program are probably going to struggle to match at programs in the same city unless the other programs are weak or had a favorable experience with them (strong audition rotation). It's possible UTH and Baylor have been burned by students from UTMB in the past or that there is some kind of problem, but you'd probably have to speak directly to someone there or someone who previously worked at those programs.

Thanks so much!! I never considered this "logistical" side of things involving being used to a certain system etc. Most of the people I know in the field of medicine have mostly matched away from the medical school they attended, so I had no idea this is not the norm. As for asking folks in the residency programs, I will do my best! I have asked some folks in the past, and I mostly received very safe and politically correct answers...