Tough year

[Gastrox]

Hey all, I will be applying to ENT this cycle and was reviewing the match statistics from last year. From the looks of it, the 2013 match was particularly brutal with over 110 people unmatched (vs 60-something in 2012) and a 70ish% match rate (vs 80%ish last year). And not to mention the many anecdotes of highly qualified applicants unmatched. This puts ENT on the same level as plastics and derm in terms of competitiveness (if not higher...).

Is this a trend we can expect to continue this year, or are there always years where there is a random spike in applicants (40 more than last year)?

Apologizing in advance in case people get freaked out by this.

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[OtoHNS]

Hey all, I will be applying to ENT this cycle and was reviewing the match statistics from last year. From the looks of it, the 2013 match was particularly brutal with over 110 people unmatched (vs 60-something in 2012) and a 70ish% match rate (vs 80%ish last year). And not to mention the many anecdotes of highly qualified applicants unmatched. This puts ENT on the same level as plastics and derm in terms of competitiveness (if not higher...).

Is this a trend we can expect to continue this year, or are there always years where there is a random spike in applicants (40 more than last year)?

Apologizing in advance in case people get freaked out by this.

Last year's match did seem particularly brutal based on the posts I saw on here.

Hard to tell if it was an outlier year or if it's the new normal- maybe the academic guys on here have a better idea.

Either way, focus on you and making yourself the best applicant possible. You'll need to do that whether the match rate is 100% or 50%.

 

[Tatastrophy]

Hey, I am applying this year also. I'm Tatastrophy and as an expert worrier and worry-inventor, I am going to tell you that it's going to be ok. The following is all anecdotal but its experience of a bunch of different people amalgamated into one so I say miss-perceptions and biases if present are likely tempered. Also, all of it has probably been said here before.
I think self selection is what keeps ENT match rate pretty dang reasonable. I think last year, that process didn't function as well. My exhibit 1 of 1:
One of the ENT applicants at my school didn't match last year. There were 4 going for it and whenever I'd mention that I am aiming for ENT, her name would always come up. She was involved in a big research project that our chairman led and was very proud of. I thought she was da bomb diggity. So her not matching was a crazy, terror inducing shock to my system.
As I found out later, it wasn't a shock to any of our ENT residents. From our conversations, I could tell they all liked her and wished her well but "she just didn't have the scores needed".
What I took away from that event is that the people who everyone talks about (accomplishments in xyz) likely really NEED that extra fancy street cred because they are refuse to self select themselves out of what might be their dream. What we need to do is not worry about what shiny new titles and praise others have (try to be happy for them, really) and focus on what it takes to get you matched.

All that being said, last year seems to have made everyone at our department sit up and take notice. Our chairman told all of us applying this year in no uncertain terms "have a backup plan, apply for prelim year at least". It was really hard to hear when I've been 100% sure on this path for like 4 years but he is right because that way if you don't match ENT, at least you still will have a job.

That's all the wisdom I've got. It's keeping me pretty chill, hope it helps you too.
-T

 

[DoctwoB]

Hey all, I will be applying to ENT this cycle and was reviewing the match statistics from last year. From the looks of it, the 2013 match was particularly brutal with over 110 people unmatched (vs 60-something in 2012) and a 70ish% match rate (vs 80%ish last year). And not to mention the many anecdotes of highly qualified applicants unmatched. This puts ENT on the same level as plastics and derm in terms of competitiveness (if not higher...).

Is this a trend we can expect to continue this year, or are there always years where there is a random spike in applicants (40 more than last year)?

Apologizing in advance in case people get freaked out by this.

This was true for Urology as well (match rate went from mid ~70s to 64%. It's impossible to say this is the new normal based on one year, but I would expect a trend towards lower match rates and increased competition for spots. More med schools are opening up combined with more applicants moving away from primary care and towards surgical subspecialties. ENT and Urology are small fields, so even small increases in the number of applicants will drop match rates significantly.

 

[neutropeniaboy]

I'm not sure what to think of that "self selection" post other than the thought that it's coming from someone who really has little experience in these matters.

There are a multitude of reasons why someone wouldn't match -- scores being only one of them.

I've laid this out pretty clearly in the sticky post, and I'm aware that it is simply my opinion. In my opinion, the only street "cred" you need is to be known as a hard worker. Your file will speak for itself.

Sent via Tapatalk.

 

[Tatastrophy]

I'm not sure what to think of that "self selection" post other than the thought that it's coming from someone who really has little experience in these matters.
There are a multitude of reasons why someone wouldn't match -- scores being only one of them.
n my opinion, the only street "cred" you need is to be known as a hard worker.=

You are right, I am inexperienced and have a much more naive/neurotic view of the process than anyone who's made it to the other side of match. I suppose it would be more clear if I left out my personal perception of the situation I described in my post, but I wasn't actually saying anything profoundly different from the things you discuss in your sticky.

The girl didn't score well on Step 1. But I guess her heart was set on ENT, so she went for it even though most people would just go for something they are more competitive in. She did her best to demonstrate to the programs she applied to that her talents simply lie outside of "standardized test taking". She is a hard worker but a lot more doors were closed to her from the get go because of her score. Unfortunately despite the amazing work she put out, it seems she had too few interviews to really find her fit.

Her work didn't go unnoticed, however, by other students. During the application season I basically assumed that her Step 1 score was >240. So while her intense involvement with the department and research was her trying to regain some lost ground, to outsiders like me, it looked like she is the candidate many programs would want. That's what I meant by "street cred"-her matching was a given to anybody you'd ask.

In my post, I was just suggesting that last year seems especially rough because it was but also maybe there were more people like the one I described. All of that is to say-we all have our challenges, even the people who you'd think are impossibly perfect, there is little point in worrying about anybody else and just do your best.

/endnovel