Only applying to categorical programs?

[wanderlust1]

Good or bad idea?

The vast majority of the programs I'm interested in are categorical (or at least have a guaranteed PGY1 year at the same institution). I'd much prefer to do all four years of residency at one location and it seems like an epic hassle / expense to have to apply to separate TY/prelim programs in addition to neurology programs.

Some top notch programs (e.g. Mayo, UPenn, etc.) have a mixture of advanced and categorical positions. Is it going to look strange or bad in some way if they see I'm only applying for their categorical spots? Another potential downside is that the categorical positions at these types of places are obviously going to be more coveted and therefore harder to match into. Finally, the biggest and most obvious downside to this approach is that there are a small handful of programs programs (e.g. Yale) that I'd really like to check out but are advanced only.

Any thoughts / advice?

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[typhoonegator]

Ha! At least you can do it all through one match now, it used to be two different mechanisms. You can prefer categorical all you want, but if you fall in love with a training program you're going to want to be there no matter what, and that includes doing internship across town or even in another city. Sucks a little bit but people do it all the time. It won't look "strange" if you restrict yourself to categorical spots, but it will reduce your chances of matching at a particular program. It's not like programs rank you differently for categorical than advanced, so you're pricing yourself out of the market if you only pick one. Then again, maybe you're awesome and will be everyone's top choice, in which case carry on.

 

[Gnocchi Monster]

Tough call, I'm dealing with the same situation. The downside like you said is that some cities (Boston, Chicago, last time time I looked) have advanced only programs.

 

[TUGM]

A lot of programs in the northeast have only advanced programs, with a few of them having some sort of arrangement with IM departments for some spots. Program directors generally advise you to apply to both advanced and categorical spots for competitive programs you really want to go to.

 

[Thama]

Good or bad idea?

The vast majority of the programs I'm interested in are categorical (or at least have a guaranteed PGY1 year at the same institution). I'd much prefer to do all four years of residency at one location and it seems like an epic hassle / expense to have to apply to separate TY/prelim programs in addition to neurology programs.

Some top notch programs (e.g. Mayo, UPenn, etc.) have a mixture of advanced and categorical positions. Is it going to look strange or bad in some way if they see I'm only applying for their categorical spots? Another potential downside is that the categorical positions at these types of places are obviously going to be more coveted and therefore harder to match into. Finally, the biggest and most obvious downside to this approach is that there are a small handful of programs programs (e.g. Yale) that I'd really like to check out but are advanced only.

Any thoughts / advice?

I only did categorical programs and others that guaranteed PGY-1, though it was for couples match reasons. It turned out just fine, and I found that even with that restriction there were far more fantastic programs than I had time to interview at. Frankly it's not a big deal unless you really want to match in the urban northeast, as other regions don't generally make you jump through hoops to land a prelim spot.