Neuro Prelim Year

[MelMelisqueen]

Hi everyone,

I'm an MS4 trying to make up my prelim application list, and was wondering if anyone had input on prelim years. It's really important to me that I'm well trained, but would also love to stay under the work week limit if possible. If I had to pick though, I'd rather work more than miss out on a good gen med foundation.
Philly, Boston, and North Carolina are where I'm looking to end up, but as a kind of middling applicant I'm applying to a wider range. Right now my list--

Yale New Have
Johns Hopkins bayview
Johns hopkins university
mass gen
Brigham-
St. Elizabeth's
Nassau University
Icahn at mt sinai
carolinas medical center
cone health program
unc
duke
wake forest
Albert einstein (philly)
Main Line Lankenau
Temple
Thomas Jefferson
Brown University
MUSC
UVa
Eastern Virginia
VCU

Any opinions would be welcome! thanks,

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[typhoonegator]

In Boston, what about BIDMC? North Shore Medical Center? Tufts? BU? UMass?

 

[NeuroAppl2016]

I think you need to apply to many more programs, remember for prelim spots you are competing against derm, optho, interventional radiology ect. applicants. If you are a middle of the road applicant you are going to struggle to get prelim interviews. They tend to be super competitive. Your best bet is always going to be your home medical school program or the program you match at. In addition do some more research, I know that Yale and Duke guarantee prelim years to people that match there for neuro if you want it even though they are technically advanced programs. Also, some of the programs you listed, especially the university ones, it is highly unlikely you get interview let alone match there unless you are going to go into their neurology program. This holds true especially if they have a categorical neurology program. The best thing I think to do is look at the programs website and look at theirs prelims and see if they match people that a) didn't go to med school there and b) are not staying there for an advanced program. Those programs are going to be rare, as there is little incentive to train a person for a year unless there is some connection.

I just went through this process. It is a big headache and a lot of work applying for both prelim and advanced programs. I was very pleased with where I interviewed at neurology wise, but I struggled to get prelim interviews. In the end it worked out though and I was very pleased with where I matched for prelim and advanced neurology.

 

[MelMelisqueen]

I think you need to apply to many more programs, remember for prelim spots you are competing against derm, optho, interventional radiology ect. applicants. If you are a middle of the road applicant you are going to struggle to get prelim interviews. They tend to be super competitive. Your best bet is always going to be your home medical school program or the program you match at. In addition do some more research, I know that Yale and Duke guarantee prelim years to people that match there for neuro if you want it even though they are technically advanced programs. Also, some of the programs you listed, especially the university ones, it is highly unlikely you get interview let alone match there unless you are going to go into their neurology program. This holds true especially if they have a categorical neurology program. The best thing I think to do is look at the programs website and look at theirs prelims and see if they match people that a) didn't go to med school there and b) are not staying there for an advanced program. Those programs are going to be rare, as there is little incentive to train a person for a year unless there is some connection.

I just went through this process. It is a big headache and a lot of work applying for both prelim and advanced programs. I was very pleased with where I interviewed at neurology wise, but I struggled to get prelim interviews. In the end it worked out though and I was very pleased with where I matched for prelim and advanced neurology.

Thanks! That's helpful. Yeah I feel like prelim is very unnecessarily complicated, though I get that the medicine departments can't handle all the neuro interns. I'd really like to be in North Carolina for the first year, even if I end up in an advanced program in Boston or Philly. I wish there were more programs there

 

[MelMelisqueen]

In Boston, what about BIDMC? North Shore Medical Center? Tufts? BU? UMass?

Yeah, I've been going back and forth. I would honestly only want to be in Boston if I matched there for Neuro, so felt that if I'd rather be at a less competitive program in NC than the better program in boston, it's not worth applyin. You're right though, I should apply quite a bit more broadly, especially as a not stellar applicant.