The 2012 Rank List Help Thread

[Nooblet]

Random question:
How do you rank a certain program in the following manner:
1. Advanced Program A with Prelims at 1,2,3
2. Categorical Program A
3. Advanced Program A with Prelims 4,5,6

I can't do this on NRMP b/c it says I am duplicating Advanced Program A on the rank list

I want to rank the categorical program somewhere in the middle of different prelim programs for an advanced spot at the same place...

Thanks in advance

Yeah I was under the impression you could do this until I tried doing it...you cant. I asked the same question in the match forum and the replies I got confirmed this. Sucks big time because there were definitely some prelims I liked better than the categorical intern year, and definitely some categorical intern years that I liked better than the rest of my prelim list. Basically the categorical has to either come completely before, or completely after your prelim supplemental list.

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[jwizle]

Hey Guys,

I'm looking for some advice. So I applied to anesthesiology and am in the process of making my ROL. The program that I will be ranking has both categorical and advanced positions. What I want to know is, what is more competitive to match into advanced positions in anesthesiology or categorical positions? I just want to give myself the best chance of matching at this program. As of now, I am ranking the categorical program 1 and then the advanced position at the same program number 2. Should I switch the order of the two to increase my chances?

 

[bcat85]

Hey Guys,

I'm looking for some advice. So I applied to anesthesiology and am in the process of making my ROL. The program that I will be ranking has both categorical and advanced positions. What I want to know is, what is more competitive to match into advanced positions in anesthesiology or categorical positions? I just want to give myself the best chance of matching at this program. As of now, I am ranking the categorical program 1 and then the advanced position at the same program number 2. Should I switch the order of the two to increase my chances?

...why?

 

[Nooblet]

Hey Guys,

I'm looking for some advice. So I applied to anesthesiology and am in the process of making my ROL. The program that I will be ranking has both categorical and advanced positions. What I want to know is, what is more competitive to match into advanced positions in anesthesiology or categorical positions? I just want to give myself the best chance of matching at this program. As of now, I am ranking the categorical program 1 and then the advanced position at the same program number 2. Should I switch the order of the two to increase my chances?

no

 

[givesmegas]

Hey Guys,

I'm looking for some advice. So I applied to anesthesiology and am in the process of making my ROL. The program that I will be ranking has both categorical and advanced positions. What I want to know is, what is more competitive to match into advanced positions in anesthesiology or categorical positions? I just want to give myself the best chance of matching at this program. As of now, I am ranking the categorical program 1 and then the advanced position at the same program number 2. Should I switch the order of the two to increase my chances?

It doesn't matter. It's what you prefer. All of the programs I've talked to that have both categorical and advanced state that they rank all the applicants together for both.

 

[AnesthesiaAC]

Hey Guys,

I'm looking for some advice. So I applied to anesthesiology and am in the process of making my ROL. The program that I will be ranking has both categorical and advanced positions. What I want to know is, what is more competitive to match into advanced positions in anesthesiology or categorical positions? I just want to give myself the best chance of matching at this program. As of now, I am ranking the categorical program 1 and then the advanced position at the same program number 2. Should I switch the order of the two to increase my chances?

you cannot hurt yourself by ranking one track or one program lower than another. that is not how the match works, thank God

 

[gimili]

Need some help figuring things out with my rank list.

Stanford
UPenn
Columbia
Yale

How do Stanford and Yale compare clinically to Columbia and UPenn?
Also why does it seem that Stanford grads stay at Stanford for fellowship?

If anyone has advice on Stanford v. UPenn that would be even better.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[plexwriter5]

Hi, I need some advice on the ranking list. I made my top 5 choices but it's the middle tier I am having the most trouble with. How would you rank these programs? I'd appreciate any comments on these programs.

University of Illinois at Chicago
Rush University
University of Texas Southwestern
SUNY Downstate
University of Arizona

 

[ATeam2012]

I interviewed at the first three

UTSW
.
.
.
.
.
UIC
RUSH


Last two of the three are easily interchangeable IMO.

 

[AnesthesiaAC]

Hi, I need some advice on the ranking list. I made my top 5 choices but it's the middle tier I am having the most trouble with. How would you rank these programs? I'd appreciate any comments on these programs.

University of Illinois at Chicago
Rush University
University of Texas Southwestern
SUNY Downstate
University of Arizona

Interviewed at Rush and Arizona. You will get excellent clinical training at Rush, but you must be willing to work hard and obviously want to live in Chicago. The residents at Arizona work longer hours than average but not as long as those at Rush. Both programs are strong for anesthesia. I really liked Tucson; there seemed like there was alot of stuff to do for fun, great weather, and an appealing place for single people

 

[asmith1121]

Hi, I need some advice on the ranking list. I made my top 5 choices but it's the middle tier I am having the most trouble with. How would you rank these programs? I'd appreciate any comments on these programs.

University of Illinois at Chicago
Rush University
University of Texas Southwestern
SUNY Downstate
University of Arizona

UTSW by far! It doesn't even belong in the same category as Downstate. Didn't you get the vibe at downstate that the chief didn't want anything bad said about the program? He kept hovering, avoiding any negativity. Plus the chair at utsw is so passionate, almost like a grandfather type. They had the strongest didactic program by far. Didn't apply to Chicago and cancelled Arizona. But Dallas seems like a nice place to live, definitely beats Brooklyn.

 

[pgy13]

UTSW by far! It doesn't even belong in the same category as Downstate. Didn't you get the vibe at downstate that the chief didn't want anything bad said about the program? He kept hovering, avoiding any negativity. Plus the chair at utsw is so passionate, almost like a grandfather type. They had the strongest didactic program by far. Didn't apply to Chicago and cancelled Arizona. But Dallas seems like a nice place to live, definitely beats Brooklyn.

UTSW Chairman is an absolute gem, cares deeply about everyone who works for him.

 

[Rgaude]

Hey guys, I'm having a really hard time discerning between BID and GW for my number 1 & 2. Any input would be appreciated!

 

[jwizle]

Hey guys I have been thinking a lot about the ROL too. I'm having a really hard time ranking my top 3 (UT-Houston, Baylor, UTSW) so any help on differentiating these would be appreciated. I would like to stay in Texas, but Im not opposed to bigger cities as well. I also want a larger program with a great clinical experience. I think I want to do a fellowship at this point probably in pain (but this could change over the next few years...) Another important factor for me was the general vibe I got from the residents and faculty. I thought UTH had the nicest, down to earth people on the interview trail.

Top 5: UT-Houston, Baylor, UTSW, U of Wash, Rush

Middle 5: UIC, CCF, St. Luke's, OU, A&M

Bottom 5: UTMB, U of NM, Texas Tech, SUNY Downstate, Wayne State

Thanks and Good luck to everyone!

If I were to rank your top 5, I would go
1. UTSW
2. U of Wash
3. Baylor
4. UT-Houston
5. Rush

I interviewed at UTSW, Baylor, and UT-Houston and was extremely impressed with UTSW. The chairman was impressive and the workload there was less compared to UT-Houston or Baylor. UTSW is probably the more prestigious program also. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!!!

 

[anondes]

any advice on ranking the following programs? I'm from Long Island NY and would like to settle there eventually, if that makes a difference.

1) SUNY Downstate
2) SUNY Upstate
3) Maimonides
4) SUNY Stonybrook
5) UMDNJ New Brunswick
6) Montefiore
7) UConn
8) St. Lukes Roosevelt

thanks for your help!

Mine would be:
stonybrook
umdnj-rwj
st lukes
u conn
maimo
monte
(suny dstate if you must rank it all)

and I cannot comment on upstate as I have no info

 

[anondes]

UTSW by far! It doesn't even belong in the same category as Downstate. Didn't you get the vibe at downstate that the chief didn't want anything bad said about the program? He kept hovering, avoiding any negativity. Plus the chair at utsw is so passionate, almost like a grandfather type. They had the strongest didactic program by far. Didn't apply to Chicago and cancelled Arizona. But Dallas seems like a nice place to live, definitely beats Brooklyn.

Hi, I need some advice on the ranking list. I made my top 5 choices but it's the middle tier I am having the most trouble with. How would you rank these programs? I'd appreciate any comments on these programs.

University of Illinois at Chicago
Rush University
University of Texas Southwestern
SUNY Downstate
University of Arizona

Rush is awesome if you are willing to work hard. BUddy of mine is at UTSW - loves it but the location could be better (orig from Boston).

My rank would be: utsw, rush, uic (dono about az BUT, take my word, and skip dstate all together)

 

[Nooblet]

UTSW Chairman is an absolute gem, cares deeply about everyone who works for him.

Agree 100%

 

[Harrison486]

Wondering if anyone could offer opinions or shed some light on the differences between MGH, Cornell, and Columbia (aside from the obvious Boston vs. NYC thing)

 

[its1louder]

Hey guys, I'm having a really hard time discerning between BID and GW for my number 1 & 2. Any input would be appreciated!

This hardly seems like a question. Location is a toss-up. As for program quality, BID was on par with its Boston neighbors. GW can't say that.

 

[HelloMoon]

Hi, I need some advice on the ranking list. I made my top 5 choices but it's the middle tier I am having the most trouble with. How would you rank these programs? I'd appreciate any comments on these programs.

University of Illinois at Chicago
Rush University
University of Texas Southwestern
SUNY Downstate
University of Arizona

.

 

[Gern Blansten]

UTSW Chairman is an absolute gem, cares deeply about everyone who works for him.

Agree. He is a great guy. I have known him many years and he's an outstanding person.

 

[Cathyran]

Does anyone have any insight into how Duke's rank list system works? It was the only program I interviewed at that asked if I had an advanced/categorical/ACES preference. Do they have 3 separate lists? Does it matter which list you're on?

 

[jwizle]

Is anyone ranking an advanced anesthesiology position as their #1?

 

[ashkenazi1234]

i gotta say an advanced position is awesome because it is a free year off of residency... makes your real anesthesia residency only 3 years... most 1 year programs a very chill and dont expect much from you... if you end up going categorical you gotta start making an impression from day 1... too stressful...

 

[surgeryrulez]

which to rank #1?
interviewed at all 3 but can't really decide:

UTH
Baylor
UTMB

... any thoughts and why?

 

[DrMccodell]

Im having trouble deciding between Texas programs as well, particularly uth, baylor, and utsw. I also interviewed at Utmb and a&m and both are great programs but due to location I won't rank them as high. Interviewed at tech too but wasn't impressed with their program or PD.

My opinion so far is uth=utsw=Baylor in terms of clinical experience and facilities

Friendliness/approachability of people during the interview day: UTH>UTSW>Baylor

Moonlighting: UTH>UTSW>Baylor...Also pay is significantly more at utsw (~50,000 vs 44,000)

Houston and Dallas are both decent cities and big enough to find whatever you are looking for with very affordable housing and COL. Houston is more diverse and has more of an international feel than Dallas which can be very Texan in my opinion. Plus Houston is a little cheaper housing cost wise.

I found the residents at UTH to be the most down to earth. UTSW seemed pretty friendly as well and were not afraid to tell you that they worked hard. Overall, I could work with most of them, not a problem.

The PD's at all three were pretty laid back and seemed down to earth. The chair's at uth and utsw were both awesome.

Overall I think all three are great programs and I would be really excited to match any of them!

Overall, for me, I think I would rank UTSW>Baylor>UTH

...any thoughts?

 

[Ooglan]

.

 

[jwizle]

Im having trouble deciding between Texas programs as well, particularly uth, baylor, and utsw. I also interviewed at Utmb and a&m and both are great programs but do to location I won't rank them as high. Interviewed at tech too but that was a joke.

My opinion so far is uth=utsw=Baylor in terms of clinical experience and facilities

Uth>utsw>Baylor in terms of friendliness/approachability of people there

Moonlighting uth>utsw>Baylor Also pay is significantly more at utsw (~50,000 vs 44,000)

Houston and Dallas are both decent cities and big enough to find whatever you are looking for with very affordable housing and COL.

The PD's at all three were pretty laid back and seemed down to earth. The chair's at uth and utsw were both awesome. The chair at Baylor seemed kind of cold and unapproachable to me.

For me, I think I would rank utsw>uth>Baylor

...any thoughts?

Between the three programs, I would rank UTSW then Baylor then UTH. UTSW provides the best training out of the 3 programs, has amazing yet friendly faculty (the chairman is exceptional and truly cares for the residents) and Dallas is a little nicer of a city to live in compared to Houston (just my opinion). Out of the two houston programs, I rank Baylor higher than UTH cause I know the work load at UTH is quite heavy where they frequently reach their duty hour limits. The program director is also quite intimidating and isn't very approachable (just ask any UTH med student like myself). Just my 2 cents. Lastly, if your looking for fellowships, Baylor is the way to go. I hope this helps

 

[jwizle]

which to rank #1?
interviewed at all 3 but can't really decide:

UTH
Baylor
UTMB

... any thoughts and why?

I would rank Baylor 1 and it's a toss up between UTH and UTMB of who you would rank 2 and 3. Baylor will provide you excellent training, great cases (they get amazing trauma, a lot of gunshots, stab wounds, accidents) and good hours. UTH doesn't get nearly the variety in trauma that Baylor does and there residents work heavy hours. I'm not too familiar with UTMB but I do know that they are nationally renowned for having a very strong academic program. I hope this helps

 

[IDBasco]

Alright, I have 3 programs I am not sure how to rank. These all have +/- to me and I am having a hard time deciding what to do. What would you do and why?

In no order-

SLU
Henry Ford
SUNY Buffalo

Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[bcat85]

Alright, I have 3 programs I am not sure how to rank. These all have +/- to me and I am having a hard time deciding what to do. What would you do and why?

In no order-

SLU
Henry Ford
SUNY Buffalo

Thanks for any thoughts.

Interviewed at SLU. Seems like they have cool attendings, but their surgery dept is supposed to be struggling a bit. Peds was really solid at cardinal glennon, but I thought cardiac and OB were pretty weak. Overall, not a bad program.

 

[surgeryrulez]

I would rank Baylor 1 and it's a toss up between UTH and UTMB of who you would rank 2 and 3. Baylor will provide you excellent training, great cases (they get amazing trauma, a lot of gunshots, stab wounds, accidents) and good hours. UTH doesn't get nearly the variety in trauma that Baylor does and there residents work heavy hours. I'm not too familiar with UTMB but I do know that they are nationally renowned for having a very strong academic program. I hope this helps

i agree with you, I was thinking Baylor 1 but I don't get why its not overwhelmingly number 1. one would think BCM has the name recognition and reputation in texas (compared to other texas programs) that would make it an easy number 1 choice but that doesn't seem to be the case among applicants, why do u guys think that is? also what have u heard about the hours compared to UTH?

 

[jwizle]

i agree with you, I was thinking Baylor 1 but I don't get why its not overwhelmingly number 1. one would think BCM has the name recognition and reputation in texas (compared to other texas programs) that would make it an easy number 1 choice but that doesn't seem to be the case among applicants, why do u guys think that is? also what have u heard about the hours compared to UTH?

You usually work around 55-60 hours a week at Baylor which is really nice. ( I know this from my friend who is a CA-2 there). My friends at UT-H definitely work much harder frequently coming home around 7 everyday which averages to around 70-75 hours a week. The workload is definitely much more at UT-H and they are not afraid to let you know. Ask any resident there, they will tell you that you will be working long hours.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Interviewed at SLU. Seems like they have cool attendings, but their surgery dept is supposed to be struggling a bit. Peds was really solid at cardinal glennon, but I thought cardiac and OB were pretty weak. Overall, not a bad program.

My thoughts on the program are basically the same. I'd add that St. Louis is a pretty cool town and that the residents seemed reasonably happy.

As for UTMB, I got a pretty bad impression of it when I went. The intern year is chill as all hell, though, and their didactics seem excellent. If you want to do 300+ epidurals, it's also a good place to be. Other than that, meh.

 

[scotchnwater]

i gotta say an advanced position is awesome because it is a free year off of residency... makes your real anesthesia residency only 3 years... most 1 year programs a very chill and dont expect much from you... if you end up going categorical you gotta start making an impression from day 1... too stressful...

Seriously? That type of attitude will not get you very far at all in life, and only serves to reinforce what the older generation already assumes about current trainees. Your intern year is the chance to solidify the base of clinical knowledge you will draw from for the remainder of your career (not to mention a chance to form lasting relationships with colleagues in other specialties). If you spend that year dicking around, not taking call, and leaving at 3 pm every day how on earth would you expect to ever learn or experience anything worth knowing?

I'm not saying you need to train somewhere with gratuitous work hours or be a scut-monkey for a year, but having an appropriately challenging intern year will provide you - and your future patients - with countless rewards.

 

[GuP]

Seriously? That type of attitude will not get you very far at all in life, and only serves to reinforce what the older generation already assumes about current trainees. Your intern year is the chance to solidify the base of clinical knowledge you will draw from for the remainder of your career (not to mention a chance to form lasting relationships with colleagues in other specialties). If you spend that year dicking around, not taking call, and leaving at 3 pm every day how on earth would you expect to ever learn or experience anything worth knowing?

I'm not saying you need to train somewhere with gratuitous work hours or be a scut-monkey for a year, but having an appropriately challenging intern year will provide you - and your future patients - with countless rewards.

Stop preaching and being a ball-buster. You make some bull**** points. And wtf is an appropriately challenging intern year? Appropriate according to who? you?

To everyone applying - pick a chill intern year and make the best of it. Be wary of listening to people who insist that in order to be good you need to be up at 4am to see a medicine or surgery admission for a silly reason.

 

[scotchnwater]

Stop preaching and being a ball-buster. You make some bull**** points. And wtf is an appropriately challenging intern year? Appropriate according to who? you?

To everyone applying - pick a chill intern year and make the best of it. Be wary of listening to people who insist that in order to be good you need to be up at 4am to see a medicine or surgery admission for a silly reason.

I stand corrected. Definitely strive for the minimum amount of work required in all you do.

 

[MilkmanAl]

False dichotomy. I hate this "slacker" vs. "rigorous education" argument, so that's all I'm going to say.

 

[IDBasco]

Interviewed at SLU. Seems like they have cool attendings, but their surgery dept is supposed to be struggling a bit. Peds was really solid at cardinal glennon, but I thought cardiac and OB were pretty weak. Overall, not a bad program.

Oh, forgot about hearts and OB. It was a very early interview for me.

Remember anything about intern year? They have that one month of practice management or whatever, but the rest looks like a lot of ICU/CCM. Wonder if it comes with typical ICU hours (read: 80 hour limit).

 

[MilkmanAl]

I remember them saying that their ICU months were fairly relaxed. it was NICU and trauma that were crushing.

 

[ApplePiesAreYum]

Here are the programs I'm interested in:

Top Tier: UT Knoxville, Tulane, San Antonio, Kentucky (Lexington), UT Houston
Oklahoma

I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts/expereiences/etc with these programs. I'm more interested in the program than location. However, location does play some role and would prefer a sizable city (but a good program can trump that).
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[MilkmanAl]

I unfortunately missed my Knoxville interview since it somehow only got sent to my ERAS but not my email, but I've heard good things. I cancelled UT-H on a couple friends' insistence that it seemed like a work hours beatdown (stated in so many words by a current resident). San Antonio I've heard is not so good, either.

Oklahoma seemed like an average training program with an extremely awesome intern year. It's impossible to beat the combo of great hours and lots of useful experience, especially when the more likely alternative is being an ICU and/or medicine service scut monkey for a year.

Tulane seemed really chill, but they farm you out to a lot of hospitals to get the training you need. That doesn't bother me at all, but if you're looking to mostly stay with the same group of people in the same hospital during residency, that may not be your speed. New Orleans is, of course, freaking awesome.

As far as I can tell, Kentucky is probably the best training program you listed. Great experience, average hours, innovative rotation schedule, and solid didactics. Their chair and PD seem well-connected and extremely helpful. They're also quite responsive to feedback.

 

[jwizle]

Here are the programs I'm interested in:

Top Tier: UT Knoxville, Tulane, San Antonio, Kentucky (Lexington), UT Houston
Oklahoma

I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts/expereiences/etc with these programs. I'm more interested in the program than location. However, location does play some role and would prefer a sizable city (but a good program can trump that).
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

If I were you, this is how I would rank those programs.

1. UT knoxville
2. San Antonio
3. Kentucky
4. Tulane
5. Oklahoma
6. Houston

I interviewed at all the programs there except Kentucky. I really enjoyed Knoxville, the program was great, the residents were happy and satisfied and the workload was reasonable. And Knoxville seemed like a great city. I was also impressed with San Antonio. I have a friend at Kentucky who absolutely loves it there. He wouldn't go anywhere else if he had a choice. Lexington is a nice city from the time I've visited him there, obviously big into basketball and horses lol. I rank Houston last just cause the workload was extremely heavy, actually I think it had a heavier workload than any program I interviewed at. Hope this helps. Just my 2 cents

 

[Student007]

Seeing as how I got zero love on an earlier post, maybe I'll get some feedback here.

I have a close top 4, need some help/random insight or feeling on these programs:

UTSW, UW, UPMC, and Baylor

Thanks

 

[AnesthesiaAC]

Seeing as how I got zero love on an earlier post, maybe I'll get some feedback here.

I have a close top 4, need some help/random insight or feeling on these programs:

UTSW, UW, UPMC, and Baylor

Thanks

1a) UPMC
1b) UW
3) UTSW
4) Baylor

 

[Nooblet]

Seeing as how I got zero love on an earlier post, maybe I'll get some feedback here.

I have a close top 4, need some help/random insight or feeling on these programs:

UTSW, UW, UPMC, and Baylor

Thanks

Can't comment about UPMC since I didnt interview there, but I'd do UW > Baylor > UTSW

 

[Qed274]

how about UW, Dartmouth, Yale, UVA, Tufts?

 

[AnesthesiaAC]

how about UW, Dartmouth, Yale, UVA, Tufts?

1) UW
2) Yale / Dartmouth / UVA --> location preference?
5) Tufts

 

[jwizle]

Seeing as how I got zero love on an earlier post, maybe I'll get some feedback here.

I have a close top 4, need some help/random insight or feeling on these programs:

UTSW, UW, UPMC, and Baylor

Thanks

Depends on what your looking for. If you base this off of location then I would rank
1. UPMC
2. UTSW
3. UW
4. Baylor

If your looking for the best program then
either UPMC or UW as number 1 based on which program you liked better. Then UTSW as 3 and then Baylor as 4. Hope this helps

 

[ATeam2012]

Seeing as how I got zero love on an earlier post, maybe I'll get some feedback here.

I have a close top 4, need some help/random insight or feeling on these programs:

UTSW, UW, UPMC, and Baylor

Thanks

Texas resident interviewed at both Baylor and UTSW....
1. UTSW
2. Baylor