Thanks for the information Skip!
Were you already ecfmg certified?
No, I was not. I could not get this until Ross released all of my information and I had actually graduated. Be careful about your timing of applying for ECFMG certification, too. A lot of people got screwed for applying too early (before all their credentials had been submitted) and they had to re-apply and re-submit the application fee. Ross did a poor job of telling us this could occur.
But, this does not matter for purposes of the Match and applying for residency. Most programs know you will inevitably get this when you graduate, and there are no restrictions on applying through ERAS for a spot in the coming year (as I'm aware) provided that you will have ECFMG certification when you start the program.
More info:
http://www.ecfmg.org
I know New York Methodist and Brookdale offer prematches. However, I would only leave these programs as a last resort since they are not strong programs, in my opinion.
Carib grads get into good programs every year. No reason for us not to 😉
First, it was neither of the two aforementioned programs. New York Methodist's program has likewise been closed. There are others in the New York/New Jersey area that have consistently offered pre-match spots. Brookdale offers almost all of there spots solely outside the match, and did not even open or attempt to download my application when I applied (in other words, don't bother applying through ERAS unless things have changed - if you want to go there, do a rotation and/or call the program directly).
And, yes, Carib grads get into good programs every year. Some of us (like myself) get into great University-level programs in excellent locations as well. So, although it's definitely getting tighter and tighter, no reason to believe that you don't have a chance if you've got the grades, scores, and letters to back it up. If you get enough interviews, no reason not to try the Match.
Good luck to everyone. The season is still early. If it gets later in the year, you didn't get as many interviews as you'd hoped, and you get a pre-match from a decent program, reconsider what I said above.
-Skip Intro