Would you know that although they are strong students as you said,what was lacking in their c.vs that dint get them interviews at better,more reputed programs?
Does clerkship at one instution get more credit than another?Or is it how potentially good they seem through the way their l.o.rs are written?
I assumed good scores and l.o.rs from any good elective program would atleast get one invited to an interview at those better,more reputed programs where performance during the interview will decide if he/she is a suitable pick.
I think the only thing that is 'lacking' is the fact that they are IMGs.
That was the point of my post, to illustrate that competitiveness has gone up in psych, and therefore IMGs are feeling the brunt. 3-5 years ago, IMGs with those stats would have no problem muscling solid univ. programs, and now its becoming an uphill battle. So essentially my point is that it is a ripple effect. US MDs are still safe obviously, and should not worry about matching anywhere. But if this trend continues for the next 3-5 years, this will continue to impact first the DOs, then the low tier US MDs....etc.
I have to re-emphasize what LeoAquaris said about prestige. Its very. I remember as a college student, I thought getting into medical school would increase my prestige, and then again increase after getting into residency.
Not true.
My friends are still the same from highschool/college, I still eat the same food, wear the same type of clothes since college, date the same type of girls, etc.. Nothing really has changed after becoming an MD/Resident, so I highly doubt my life would be dramatically better right now if I was a neurosurgery resident at UCSF. People in the hospital don't really care what you do, they care more about how well you do what you do. And as a resident, I'm sure once you become an attending you are even more secluded in the working world and no one gives a crap about "prestige", but moreso on the type of work you are doing. It becomes even more moot if you are hidden in the private practice jungle. I'm sure attendings on this forum can back me up on this.
As I have said many times before, I am sure a pediatrician at CHOP or a psychiatrist at MGH or a Hospitalist at Hopkins commands more "prestige" (if that is what you are after), than a dermatologist in a community setting or an ophthalmologist in a community program (no slam towards community docs, but thats just how society perceives individuals, by their association to 'name brands').
So just do what you want to do, and if its prestige you are after, than be the best at what you are doing.
Just my 2 cents.