Official 2012-2013 IM Residency WAMC (What Are My Chances) Thread

Hello again

My question now is how many programs to apply to?

I am dead set on the NYC metro area, in particular the Big 4 (Columbia, Cornell, NYU, MtSinai)

Without having to search for my old post, I'll just bring up that the kind posters on here told me I had a good chance at interviews at these four places (except Columbia which is "wierd" when it came to interviews)

My new question now is how many programs to apply to?

I do not want to apply to so few that if anything happened I would have to go to the scramble (which would be funny.. I must admit)

But I also do not want to apply to too many because I may be forced to go to every single interview out of courtesy and create new gameplans each time I go (not the worst thing in the world)

I am thinking about 12-13 programs. Would that be a good idea?


Thanks

Perhaps I will broaden a bit

however, I am geographically bound for the most part.

I guess going on the interview trail to learn more wouldn't be such a bad idea.

And well... I survived my month long general + vascular surgery rotation in third year (on call every weekend, 14 hours a day, standing nonstop, manning the floors, doing wound care, getting pimped like crazy) and managed to do well on the surgery shelf

so... unless IM will be anything like that (which it has not been so far, thankfully), I think I can tell myself to keep my complaints to myself.

Besides, I am a very very patient individual. In college, I waited in the cold winter on line by a Walmart for the Nintendo Wii for 17 hours and then waited another time for 20 hours for the first iPhone. It's not something I am proud of or happy about... but such experiences taught me the virtue of patience and... things could be much worse (as in much longer)

Perhaps the best way to describe my personality is:

When the "you know what" hits the fan, I just take out a mop and diligently clean up every fleck and speck.


thanks for your input though gutonc.



Although this may not be the ideal place to ask, but if the interviews cut into my normal elective time, would the attendings usually be okay with me going out for a day? (even if I may not be able to make that time back up?)


Edit: If I am correct in assuming that many NYC residents are a bit unhappy, then I suppose it could be attributed to the voluminous workload coupled to the fact that they may not have the time to enjoy the city as the banksters can.

If that is the case, then I should suffer so such issues because I grew up in NYC and have virtually seen every single part of NYC already.

Being closer to home (vs being in rural Pennsylvania) should make me HAPPIER, if anything

LOL @ all the posts about how even the elite NYC programs blow, mainly because of the NYC thing. I'll go ahead and second that. Buyer beware.

Undergrad: UC Berkeley Engineering
Non-traditional, mostly engineering background and graduate degree in business
US Allopathic Med School: Mid Tier (Midwest)
Step 1: 256
Step 2: 272
AOA: Yes (Senior)
Honors in FamMed, Psych, ObGyn, Peds, Surgery
Advanced in IM(my first rotation), but Honors in SubI IM
Research: (non-medical) non-profit business models w/ 1 poster presentation
LOR: IM program director at my school(he offered), FamMed Attending, Medicine Attending

You might think my numbers are good and I wouldn't have a problem, but as you can see from my MDapplicants profile, I had good numbers for Med School applications and barely scraped myself into a program. I think my non-traditional status had a lot to do with it, but I have no idea how that figures into residency programs. Plus, I didn't honor the Medicine clerkship which hurts.

I'm originally from California Bay Area, prefer to return there, or stay put in Chicago, otherwise big city is a must for my wife's employment and ease of travel. I want to do a fellowship in something, so I figure I probably need an academic based program. Broad range of programs on my list right now because I really don't know where my app can get me. Thanks for your thoughts!

UCSF
Stanford
Kaiser(SF, Oakland, Santa Clara)
St Mary's Hospital (SF)
California Pacific Medical Center
SCVMC
UCD

UCLA Ronald Reagan
UCLA Harbor
Cedar-Sinai
USC
St. Mary's (Long Beach)
Kaiser LA

UCSD
Scripps

Northwestern
UC
UIC
Rush
Stroger(Cook County)
Loyola

UW
OHSU

gutonc said:

It all comes down to the nursing, ancillary staff and other associated hangers on in the hospitals. In short, they are a nightmare. You will spend a massive amount of your time either following them around trying to get them to do their jobs, or (more likely...they've got years of experience in waiting out residents) just doing it yourself. I was blown away when I left NYC for residency to discover that there were nurses who did things like take care of their patients. Phlebotomists that actually drew labs when they were ordered. Social workers that called SNFs to arrange discharge. EKG and radiology techs that got the studies you ordered done, etc.

Click to expand...

I can't wait...

gutonc said:

I don't think you understand why being a resident in NYC sucks. It has nothing to do with the workload (although it tends to be pretty heavy most places). It has nothing to do with the patients (patients are a pain in the ass everywhere). It has nothing to do with the attendings or programs being "malignant" or "hardcore" (although they do tend to be a bit more uptight than in other places).

It all comes down to the nursing, ancillary staff and other associated hangers on in the hospitals. In short, they are a nightmare. You will spend a massive amount of your time either following them around trying to get them to do their jobs, or (more likely...they've got years of experience in waiting out residents) just doing it yourself. I was blown away when I left NYC for residency to discover that there were nurses who did things like take care of their patients. Phlebotomists that actually drew labs when they were ordered. Social workers that called SNFs to arrange discharge. EKG and radiology techs that got the studies you ordered done, etc.

The training in those NYC programs is going to be good...no doubt. But you're going to spend a lot of time and energy on meaningless crap like the above (never mind the drudgery you're going to have to deal with at every other program).

Click to expand...

yes I have heard of this.

Though going through NYPH and NSLIJ for elective/subI, I found that it's not as terrible as it seems as they've adapted to it.

Moreover, NYU "claims" to have dedicated teams to eliminate physician scut work on their website. (well I did put the word "claim" into quotations for a reason)

Ultimately, chasing people around can be addressed by buying donuts, coffee, appealing to their ego, etc.. (my father, who also did his residency in NYC quite a while back, told me this was the way to go in order to get the staff on your side... so I hope...)

But in the end, nothign is worse than than vascular surgery rotation I had.. oh boy... anything would be better than that.



But point well taken. I may think I can handle it, but I'm sure there will be so many frustrating events for me as the time goes on. I better bring out the broom and get ready to sweep up...

School: Average state MD school in Midwest (not top 40)
Step 1:230
Step 2:238
Class Rank ~105/180 my school will list it ☹
ECs: Lots and lots of volunteering, organizing, and leadership type things in med school. Some interesting research projects, but no publications yet besides poster at school sponsored event
Clerkships: A in Medicine, Neuro, Ob, Family, Psych Bs in Peds and Surgery
Other: Had previous successful career in my 20s, in early 30s now. Really interested in working with underserved populations and primary care (my activities show it)
Recs: I assume they are decent?

Want to be in the Boston (1st Choice), NYC (2nd Choice), DC, Chicago (last choice), or Cali for SO job reasons

Boston area : Tufts, BU, UMass, Brown (average chance?)
Boston area: BID, MGH, BW (no chance?)
NYC: Columbia, Cornell, MSSM, NYU (no chance?)
DC: Georgetown, GW (average chance?)
Chicago: UIC, Rush, Loyola (average chance)
Chicago: NW, UC (no real chance)

What are some other NYC, Boston, DC, LA, SF, or Chicago area academic programs I have a decent shot at? I’m worried about my less than stellar pre-clinical grades. Thanks. Appreciate it.

school: average allopathic school
step 1: 217
step 2: waiting for scores
preclinical grades: all pass
clinical grades: 2 outstanding, 2 high pass, 2 pass
research: received fellowship from med school to do research and did a poster presentation, but no publication
extracurricular: leadership in student org with health fair organizing

Sorry for re-posting, but now that i've come closer to finalizing my list of programs, I'd appreciate anyone willing to give me some input on whether or not it looks like I'd have a good chance of matching somewhere given the whole picture...or if you think I need to add more programs, or more programs within my reach. A little worried about matching in general, given my Step 1 score and 2 passes on clinical grades during third year. I'm mostly interested in academic programs given possible interest in specializing later down the road (maybe GI). Prefer midwest and west coast, but also open to east coast. Thanks!

UIC
Rush
Northwestern
Loyola
U of C
North Shore
Med College of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin
SLU
Case Western
Cleveland Clinic
UCSD
UC Irvine
UCLA
USC
Cedars Sinai
Scripps
kaiser LA
kaiser SF
UC Davis
Loma Linda
OHSU
U Washington
BU
Tufts
Rochester
Albert Einstein - Montefiore
Temple
Drexel
Thomas Jefferson

School: Mid Tier
Step 1: 255
Step 2: 272
AOA: yes (senior)
Preclinical grades: doesn't matter (P/F at my school)
Clinical grades: All H's.
Class Rank: Top 10%
Pubs: 2 journal articles (1st author on one); 6 posters (1st author on a couple). However, all of the research is in a different field (neuro).
Extracurriculars: several leadership positions at my school. Good volunteer experiences.
LORs: I think they will be strong, but they won't knock anyone's socks off either.

I want to go into academic medicine. Probably looking towards becoming a hospitalist.

Here is my list. What are my chances at the top programs? Is my list too top heavy?

UCSF
Mass Gen
Brigham & Women's
Hopkins
Stanford
Beth Israel
UCSD
UCLA
Univ. of Washington
University of Oregon
UC Davis
Columbia
Wash U
University of Chicago
Duke
Colorado
UPenn
Yale
BU

Med School: Top 20 US Allopathic
Step 1: 270+
Step 2: taking early October
Rank: School does not rank
AOA: No
Pre-Clinical Grades: Pass/Fail system
Clinical Grades: H/P/F system for third year. P in everything except H in Surgery. Per the student affairs office the majority of the class doesn't even have a single honors and they told me not to worry, but I can't comment on the accuracy of this. My written evals in Medicine clerkship and Medicine Sub-I were very good.
Research: Several publications (none first author) - one basic science, one clinical, several review articles and case reports, one first-author published abstract (clinical research)
Other: Typical volunteering/extracurriculars
LOR: One from research advisor, one from Medicine clerkship attending, one from Medicine Sub-I attending (was told by each of them that letters would be strong)

Programs: I am planning on going into Cardiology and would like to be at an academic program that will position me well for fellowship match. I realize my list is top-heavy especially with only a Pass in Medicine, I welcome suggestions for additional safety programs in big cities that are academic and would match well in cards.

University of Washington
OHSU
UCSF
Stanford
UCLA
Cedars
USC
UCSD
University of Chicago
Northwestern
UPMC
Penn
Hopkins
BWH
MGH
BIDMC
Yale
Columbia
Cornell
Mount Sinai
NYU
University of Michigan

I am going through ERAS now and wanted to see if anyone had any ideas about Los Angeles area IM programs. I left LA for med school and I am planning on coming back for residency. I have come to the conclusion that I will probably not be interviewed by UCLA so that pretty much narrows it down to Cedars, USC, UC Irvine, and Kaiser. Any thoughts?? Thanks in advance for your help

gutonc said:

With the exception of these programs (for which you don't stand a chance)...


...you'll get plenty of interview offers. Certainly not all of them but definitely 10-15.

Also, your list is kind of weird. CCF and Case (both mediocre programs at best) but not UMinn, Mayo (an admitted stretch...but much less than NW, UofC, etc.) or OSU? LLU and the Kaisers but not CPMC or SCVMC (similar strength programs with equal or better fellowship matches in equal or better locations)?

Click to expand...

Thanks for your input! I don't really have a good sense of programs outside of where I'm from, so your advice is helpful.

Gundersen Lutheran. A strong program on the Mn-WI border with good reputation.

ericL said:

Top 25 School
Step 1: 232
Step 2: TBD (Planning on taking in September?)
Preclinical: Mix of mainly AB and B
Clinical: Same, mix of AB and B
Middle 10-15% of class, not AOA
Research prior to med school, and again the summer between 1st and 2nd year- no pubs, one poster at a school sponsored event

Planning to Apply to:
Hennepin
U-MN
Abbott Northwestern
Mayo
U-WI
MCW
U-Chicago
Northwestern
Rush
Loyola
UIC

Hoping to stay in MN or WI, what other schools would I add to round out my list more. Thinking of other midwest university or strong community programs, not certain about fellowship yet.

Click to expand...

You should think about Gundersen Lutheran. They are on the WI-MN border and are a strong program.

VitruvianMan said:

You should think about Gundersen Lutheran. They are on the WI-MN border and are a strong program.

Click to expand...

Too much of a community program for me, and in too small of a location. Though La Crosse is a beautiful place.

Anyone have any input on the LA and NYC programs I listed? Missing anything I should add, drop some reaches?

School: Not top 50 East Coast
Step 1: 225
Step 2: 257
Rank: Top Half; Top 15% for third year grades as per dean's letter
Pre-clinical: 2 honors, 1 high pass, the rest pass
Clinical: honors in all clerkships, honors in sub-i, pass in neuro
EC: school committees for student/curriculum advancement, regular volunteer work, photography
Research: 2 publicaitons (2nd author and 3rd author), 2 posters (1st auth and 2nd auth) accepted to national meeting
LOR: Chair, IM clerkship, SUB-I, primary care

Would like to go into cards or heme/onc.

CA: UCD, UCI, UCLA, USC, UCSD, UCR, Cedars, Harbor, Olive, Scripps Clinic/Scripps Green, Scripps Mercy, Loma Linda, St Mary's, Kaiser (all of them)
ID: Boise
OR: OHSU
WA: UW
CO: Univ Col
NY: Monte, NSLIJ, MSSM, NYU, NYP Columbia, NYP Cornell
MA: BID, BU, Tufts
TX: UTSW, Baylor
IL: Northwestern, UIC, UC, Rush
WI: UWisc

School: West Coast Osteopathic School
Step 1: 245
Step 2: 251
Rank: Top 5%
No Honors Society
Preclinical: All A's
Clinical: All Honors
Research: Only in College with poster presentation
EC: Regular volunteering, school committees, student run clinics

Would like to go into Fellowship possibly Cards

Applying mostly CA: pretty much same as the above poster, all of them =P
UCD, UCI, UCLA, USC, UCSD, UCR, Cedars, Harbor, Olive, Scripps Clinic/Scripps Green, Scripps Mercy, Loma Linda, St Mary's, Kaiser Fontana, Kaiser LA, Kaiser Oakland
OR: OHSU
WA: UW, Virginia Mason, Sacred Heart

Only problem is failed COMLEX PE on first try. Is that a dealbreaker for most programs? Or will they not really notice it and I still got a good chance? WAMC with that blemish?

School: US FMG at big Caribbean school
Step 1: 233
Step 2: 238
AOA: No
Preclinical grades: 3.6 GPA
Clinical grades: A's in all 3rd year cores; IM, Psych, OBGyn, Surgery, and Peds
Overall ranked in top 20%
Pubs: 1 Publication before med school in respectable journal, 1 abstract b4 med school, 1 online journal publication in 3rd year (not IM related)
Extracurriculars: The usual, lots of volunteer work, club officers, etc.
LORs: Strong IM Chair letter, IM attending/preceptor, strong Surgery attending letter.

Career Goals: Cardiology, maybe GI, Pulm/CCM. Probably Academic or some sort of teaching involved. Not really interested in Primary care, looking for the best program to get me to these fellowships mainly on the coasts. Not sure if these are all reaches or I have a realistic shot at some of these.

AZ
Mayo, U. Arizona,

CA
Loma Linda, USC-LACounty, Kaiser-LA, UCSD, UCI, UCLA-Harbor, UCLA-OV, Cedars-Sinai, Kaiser-Fontana, Scripps-Green, Scripps-Mercy

CO
U. CO

CT
U. Conn, Yale-Bridgeport

DC:
Georgetown, GW, Washington hosp.

FL
U. Miami, USF, Mayo-Jax, CCF-Florida ,Jackson Memorial, UF-Gainsville, UF-Jacksonville, Mt Sinai

HI
U. Hawaii

IL
Rush, Loyola, UIC

MA
Baystate, U. Mass

MD
UMD, JHU-Bayview, JHU-Sinai

NJ
UMDNJ-NJMS, UMDNJ-RWJ

NY
Monte,Monte-North, Jacobi, Beth Israel, St Lukes-R, Lenox Hill, NSJLIJ, SUNY-Stony, SUNY-Upstate, SUNY-Downstate, NYMC

OH
Case Western-Metro, U. Toledo, OSU,

PA
UPMC, Penn State, Thomas Jefferson, Temple, Drexel,

TX
Baylor CM, Texas A&M, UT-Houston, UT-San Antonio

VA
Carilion Clinic-Virginia Tech, VCU

Backups
CA- Kern, UC Riverside
NY- LICH/Downstate, NYHQ, Mt. Sinai-Elmhurst, Brooklyn Hospital, Maimonides, NY Methodist
NJ- Newark Beth Israel, Seton Hall-St. Michael's

Super Reach (Should I just remove these?)
BU, Tufts, UCLA, Case Western, CCF, Yale, Wake Forest, Dartmouth, NYU, Mt Sinai, Cornell, UVa

.

Hi all, I'm applying to the 2013 match, and want to get some honest opinions regarding my school selection given my stats and circumstances.

School: Top 25
Step 1: 230
Step 2: Take it in 7 days
Rank: Not heard back, so I'm guessing no AOA
Pre-clinical: All P (our school is P/F only)
Clinical (H, High Pass, Pass, Fail): H in IM and Neuro; HP in all others
EC: tons of experience in various clubs
Research: 1st author on publication prior to med school; 1st author on poster presentation at a neurosurgery national conference; 4th author on two other neurooncology posters
Career goals: Heme/Onc, Allergy/Immunology, Cards

Region: West Coast/East Coast; maybe big cities in the MidWest
Ideal: University program with great fellowship placement

I am a Canadian citizen, though I will be graduating from a US medical school (i.e. I am NOT an IMG, but I will need a visa... as far as I've seen, no one on these forums is in this exact situation, but if there is anyone out there... thoughts/experiences?)

Here is my list of programs

Reach
UCLA
Stanford
UW
Yale
Mass General
Brigham
UPenn
Cornell
Northwestern
Mayo
UMich
Duke
Beth-Israel

Competitive
UPitt
UChicago
OHSU
Mount Sinai
NYU
Emory
Baylor-Houston
BU
UColorado
UCSD

Less Competitive
USC
UC Davis
Cedar-Sinai
University of Arizona
Bridgeport
Jefferson
UMass
Dartmouth
St. Lukes
Rush
UCincinnati
Wayne State

Thoughts? Comments? Should I add or subtract more?

School: Not top 25
Step 1: 231
Step 2: 235
AOA: No
Preclinical grades: mostly honors
Clinical grades: (H Ob/gyn), (HP IM, Neuro, Fam,Psych), (Pass surg, peds)
Overall ranked in 2nd quartile- 25-50%
Pubs: none
Extracurriculars: solid amt of volunteer work, other extra-curriculars
LORs: IM Chair letter, 2 IM rotation attendings, IM Sub-I attending

UIC
Rush
Loyola
UofChicago
UofWisconsin
UofColorado
OHSU
UofWashington
UofMinnesota
Hennipin
Abbott-Northwestern
UofNorthCarolina
GW
Georgetown

My application seems very average. I feel that several of these are reaches (UofChicago, UofColorado, UofWisconsin, UofWashington). Do I need to add more to this list? Any suggestions? Interested in university programs or strong community programs.

.

anondoc2 said:

Thank you all. NON-Top 50 allopathic US School.

MS1: Honored everything
MS2: Honored everything (minus ethics)
Step 1: 257
MS3: Honors in: Peds, Neuro, Psych. Only P/F/H system. Only a P in Medicine (good narrative though)
Step 2 CK: 267
MS4: Will likely get high-pass in sub-I (honors not part of grading system for this) but won't appear on transcript anyways because of timing

Top quartile. Have award stating I am 1st or 2nd ("Top 2") at end of MS1. Other academic awards. Estimated 1st or 2nd cumulatively at end of MS2.

Two very good LORs anticipated (one from sub-I attending). 1 "average" "courtesy" one from chief of medicine likely. [But he did say he'll write me a good one... not sure]

AOA Nominated but not chosen both junior and senior years [will not mention in my app]. No research experience but do have award stating I was top in public health/Evidence-based medicine class (probably doesn't help though).

Phew. done with that. I'll list some programs now.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Vanderbilt
University of North Carolina
Brigham and Women’s
Massachusetts General Hospital
Ohio State University
Penn State
Pennsylvania
Case Western Reserve
Temple
Cincinnati
University of Virginia
Tennessee
University of Michigan
University of Washington
Colorado
Wisconsin-Madison
Washington at St. Louis
Yale
Northwestern
Johns Hopkins
Duke
Chicago
Stanford
UCLA
UCSD
Creighton University
Univ. of Maryland

Click to expand...

Looks like you have no geographic restrictions. If you're aiming high, might as well add Columbia and UCSF to the list. Other "top" programs worth considering would include UAB, Emory, Mayo, UTSW.

Programs that could be taken off the list: Penn State, Case Western, Temple, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Creighton.

.

KRichards62 said:

Looks like you have no geographic restrictions. If you're aiming high, might as well add Columbia and UCSF to the list. Other "top" programs worth considering would include UAB, Emory, Mayo, UTSW.

Programs that could be taken off the list: Penn State, Case Western, Temple, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Creighton.

Click to expand...

Thanks

Why the suggestion for taking some of them off the list? (They are unpleasant programs to train in?)

WAMC regarding the ones I did list (like the harder ones. vs easier). I have a specific interest in UPMC actually...

gutonc said:

Just curious...if a random stranger on the internet told you that you had no chance of matching there (or alternatively, a 100% chance of matching), would that in any way change your application strategy?

Please say no.... My faith in humanity is hanging on by a thread as it is.

Click to expand...

Edited for pun'ing humor. Should've left it at that.

.

gutonc said:

Just curious...if a random stranger on the internet told you that you had no chance of matching there (or alternatively, a 100% chance of matching), would that in any way change your application strategy?

Please say no.... My faith in humanity is hanging on by a thread as it is. Mostly as a result of this thread.

Click to expand...

No I would still apply but I just want an idea is all. I guess I'll find out in a few weeks/month

Thanks

School: US mid-tier allopathic
Citizenship: Canadian. Tricky situation as a Canadian citizen going to US school
Step 1: 250+
Step 2 CK: pending

pre-clinical - just 1 H, the rest pass. nothing fancy
clinical - H in IM and surgery. No subI yet because of scheduling conflicts. HP in Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Family Medicine. P in OB/Gyn, Neurology

research (basic science/translational) - started this before medical school and continued in med school - 1 high profile pub (2nd author), multiple conference presentations, 1 first author in preparation (still)

AOA - nope. Will end up better than average class rank though
LORs - fantastic LORs from attendings who i've gotten to know really well who have said that I'm one of the best they've worked with.

Programs

Eastcoast: MGH, BIDMC, BWH, UPenn, Hopkins, Yale (no NY programs b/c of problems discussed on SDN and don't want to be poor)
Midwest: UIC, Rush, NW, UChicago, Michigan, Case Western, Pitt, Mayo
Westcoast: UCSF, Stanford, UC Davis (family there)

Would like to stay near family in Canada or Bay area- so hope for Good midwest program near borders, unless blown away by other programs on eastcoast

I dont think i have enough safety programs but don't know which ones to put on. Biggest thing I'm looking for is autonomy as an intern/resident to make decisions and a curriculum that has less general floor months with more subspecialty months. Looking for cards or heme onc in the future.

I would consider USC as an option. Not the highest ranked program in the West Coast, but not bad either. They have an amazing pathology that they see regularly at the LA County Hospital and as an intern you delegated unbelievable autonomy and freedom with your patients. Also, the attendings (especially on the sub-specialty services) are really excellent and the general atmosphere is not as "stuffy" as some of the other programs.

joseph MD said:

School: US mid-tier allopathic
Citizenship: Canadian. Tricky situation as a Canadian citizen going to US school
Step 1: 250+
Step 2 CK: pending

pre-clinical - just 1 H, the rest pass. nothing fancy
clinical - H in IM and surgery. No subI yet because of scheduling conflicts. HP in Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Family Medicine. P in OB/Gyn, Neurology

research (basic science/translational) - started this before medical school and continued in med school - 1 high profile pub (2nd author), multiple conference presentations, 1 first author in preparation (still)

AOA - nope. Will end up better than average class rank though
LORs - fantastic LORs from attendings who i've gotten to know really well who have said that I'm one of the best they've worked with.

Programs

Eastcoast: MGH, BIDMC, BWH, UPenn, Hopkins, Yale (no NY programs b/c of problems discussed on SDN and don't want to be poor)
Midwest: UIC, Rush, NW, UChicago, Michigan, Case Western, Pitt, Mayo
Westcoast: UCSF, Stanford, UC Davis (family there)

Would like to stay near family in Canada or Bay area- so hope for Good midwest program near borders, unless blown away by other programs on eastcoast

I dont think i have enough safety programs but don't know which ones to put on. Biggest thing I'm looking for is autonomy as an intern/resident to make decisions and a curriculum that has less general floor months with more subspecialty months. Looking for cards or heme onc in the future.

Click to expand...

I would consider USC as an option. Not the highest ranked program in the West Coast, but not bad either. They have an amazing pathology that they see regularly at the LA County Hospital and as an intern you delegated unbelievable autonomy and freedom with your patients. Also, the attendings (especially on the sub-specialty services) are really excellent and the general atmosphere is not as "stuffy" as some of the other programs.

.

School: Western U Osteopathic
Step 1: 188
Step 1 COMLEX: 427
Step 2: 219
Step 2 COMLEX: 433

Pre-clinical -All pass
Clinical - High pass/Honors.
Class Rank - Bottom 1/3

AOA - Yes
LORs - 2 strong LoR, 1 from my program director

Programs:

Alameda County
Santa Clara Valley
Kaiser Oakland/SF/Santa Clara
White Memorial
Scripps
USC/LA County
Santa Barbara Cottage

AOA:
Valley Las Vegas
Arrowhead

I need some serious help. I would love to stay in California but know that might be hard considering my scores. I am also open to spots in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York city.

6-year BA/MD program

Step 1: 240s/99
Step 2: Not taken yet
GPA: 3.88
AOA: Possible, elections later
H: Surgery, IM, Cardiology elective HP: Peds, Ob/Gyn, Fam Med, P: Psych
Decent amount of volunteering, some research. Radiology dictation presentation will be presented at RSNA, one of the world's largest medical conferences. One manuscript submitted, awaiting decision by journal. No red flags.
LORs: Chairman letter, Two excellent IM letters, one from state governor of ACP.

Want to apply to Northeast (From NE) and Midwest mainly. Don't need many safeties because I'm a shoe-in for my school's program, so no reason.

MGH
JH
BID
Columbia
Cornell
Yale
Penn
NYU
Emory
UWash-Sea
WashU-StL
UChicago
Mount Sinai-NYC
UTSW
Baylor
Rush
UIC
Vandy
UColorado
GeorgeWashington
Duke
UAB
Ohio State
Indiana
Cleveland Clinc
Case

Appreciate the feedback.

metsfan31 said:

6-year BA/MD program

Step 1: 240s/99
Step 2: Not taken yet
GPA: 3.88
AOA: Possible, elections later
H: Surgery, IM, Cardiology elective HP: Peds, Ob/Gyn, Fam Med, P: Psych
Decent amount of volunteering, some research. Radiology dictation presentation will be presented at RSNA, one of the world's largest medical conferences. One manuscript submitted, awaiting decision by journal. No red flags.
LORs: Chairman letter, Two excellent IM letters, one from state governor of ACP.

Want to apply to Northeast (From NE) and Midwest mainly. Don't need many safeties because I'm a shoe-in for my school's program, so no reason.

MGH
JH
BID
Columbia
Cornell
Yale
Penn
NYU
Emory
UWash-Sea
WashU-StL
UChicago
Mount Sinai-NYC
UTSW
Baylor
Rush
UIC
Vandy
UColorado
GeorgeWashington
Duke
UAB
Ohio State
Indiana
Cleveland Clinc
Case

Appreciate the feedback.

Click to expand...

If you're interested in the midwest and feel that safe at your home school you could consider adding UMich and Mayo and dropping some of the others.

Hi, I've read through a lot of the posts and have noticed that IMGs tend to not get as much advice, probably owing to the obvious handicap from the get-go. That said, I'd like to give the wisdom of crowds a chance.

US citizen, 2010 graduate from Warsaw, Poland (my parents emigrated from Poland to the US). Currently in my 2nd year of residency in London, UK at Imperial College London. Full registration in the UK. Due to specialization starting after the 2nd year, I'm set to have 14 months of practicing medicine, 6 of surgery and 4 of emergency medicine before I'd start a program if I were to match.

Step 1: 217
Step 2: 253
CS: passed on second attempt
Step 3: 236

3 strong LORs from ICL IM faculty I worked for as a House Officer
1 strong LOR from an ICL orthopedic attending I worked for as a House Officer

A summer of research / an observership early on in medical school at an east coast state medical school

I'm looking to apply for programs in New England (where I'm from) and along the east coast. I'd ideally like a university program or a strong university-affiliated community program, but realize it'll be difficult to get interviews. Any advise on where to apply? Thanks in advance.

School: Just in top 50
Step 1: 256
Step 2: 262
Rank:1/230; AOA: Voted in as MS3; Gold Humanism Honor Society: MS4
Pre-clinical: 4.0 GPA
Clinical: 4.0 GPA
EC: volunteer work, Histo TA
Research: Poster presentation but no publications ;’(
LOR: Chair, IM clerkship, Peds clerkship, Medicine Sub-I
Career goals: GI/cards

Region: Texas

I would like to know how competitive I will be in the schools below. I am not from the NE and have no firsthand experience with those programs. What do you think?
Also, All of these people on other threads are saying that they got invites already. I turned my ERAS packet in on Sunday and have only received one invite. Don't know though b/c some people may not tell the whole truth.

California:
Stanford University
UCLA Medical Center
University of California (San Francisco)

University of Colorado Denver

North/Atlantic:
Cleveland Clinic (Florida/Ohio Programs)
Mayo Clinic (Rochester /Jacksonville)
University of Michigan
Washington University
Duke University Hospital

Northeast:
Yale-New Haven
Georgetown University Hospital
Brigham and Women's
Massachusetts General
Johns Hopkins University

South:
University of Alabama, Birmingham
Tulane University
Baylor (Houston/Dallas)
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston)
University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (Austin/Dallas)
University of Texas at Houston Program

Thanks for the advice.

TxMed13 said:

School: Just in top 50
Step 1: 256
Step 2: 262
Rank:1/230; AOA: Voted in as MS3; Gold Humanism Honor Society: MS4
Pre-clinical: 4.0 GPA
Clinical: 4.0 GPA
EC: volunteer work, Histo TA
Research: Poster presentation but no publications ;’(
LOR: Chair, IM clerkship, Peds clerkship, Medicine Sub-I
Career goals: GI/cards

Region: Texas

I would like to know how competitive I will be in the schools below. I am not from the NE and have no firsthand experience with those programs. What do you think?
Also, All of these people on other threads are saying that they got invites already. I turned my ERAS packet in on Sunday and have only received one invite. Don't know though b/c some people may not tell the whole truth.

California:
Stanford University
UCLA Medical Center
University of California (San Francisco)

University of Colorado Denver

North/Atlantic:
Cleveland Clinic (Florida/Ohio Programs)
Mayo Clinic (Rochester /Jacksonville)
University of Michigan
Washington University
Duke University Hospital

Northeast:
Yale-New Haven
Georgetown University Hospital
Brigham and Women's
Massachusetts General
Johns Hopkins University

South:
University of Alabama, Birmingham
Tulane University
Baylor (Houston/Dallas)
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston)
University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (Austin/Dallas)
University of Texas at Houston Program

Click to expand...

did you read this thread at all?

you're absolutely fine with anywhere you apply.

Undergrad: Ivy engineering
US Allopathic Med School: Mid Tier (East Coast)
Step 1: 224
Step 2: 242
AOA: No; top 25%
Honors in Surgery, OB/GYN, Family, elective, Sub-I; High Pass in Medicine, Psychiatry, Neuro
Research: 1 peer-reviewed journal article (2nd author), 3 poster presentations at major national conferences, several abstracts
LOR: 2 medicine attendings, program director, sub-I attending (very well known)

Programs:
Tufts, Brown, Dartmouth, BostonU
Maryland, JHU-Bayview
Georgetown, GW
UVA, VCU, EVMS
Temple, Jefferson, Drexel, UPenn, Penn St.
Case Western, OSU
UMDNJ-RWJ
Rochester, Buffalo

My stats:

- Non carib IMG. Need VISA
- YOG: 2010
- Step 1: 257
- Step 2: 243
- CS: Pass (Second attempt)
- 2 months USCE at a university program, one month medicine, one surgery (with one strong LoR)
- Working currently with Doctors Without Borders (I think it's unique, but I don't know how much it matters)
- Applying to IM/FM.

- Would like to know what kind of programs to target and in which geographic locations (My list currently has IL, NY, NJ, TX, PA, MA, CT, OH covered, but I don't know where else; currently 126 programs between IM and FM).
- Would also like to know how much would a high score in Step 3 matter on my chances (considering I plan to take it in Nov., hopefully the results will be out on some of the IVs)...

Thanks a bunch!