2009 Application Process

[Miss155]

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Hi

I am a current MS3. I will be applying this year. Can someone tell me when the ideal time is to take electives and how many? How many letters of recommendation? Lastly what are the top OB programs?

 

[rayofdiana]

Okay, I'll bite. Keep in mind that I'm currently in the midst of applying myself, so I don't really know how all of this will turn out.

Take your "important" electives before September. Remember that you want your grades on your transcript by the time you submit (as soon after September 1st as you can manage). Important electives include your AI/sub-internship and any away electives if you have a dream school already. Other than that, do things that interest you and you think will help you be a better OB/GYN. I've heard people do Radiology, ICU months, anesthesia, ER, breast clinic/surg, Endocrine, Derm, among others. How many OB/GYN electives you want to do is kind of up to you. I did an Acting Internship and an REI elective prior to applying, and then I did two weeks of MFM and a Family Planning elective after applying (just for the educational experience, not because I wanted it on my transcript).

LORs? Most programs want 3 and will accept 4. There are a lot of theories about who you should get letters from, and I don't really know which theory holds the most weight, so I'll leave that to other people.

As for top programs, you're not going to like this answer, but there is no answer. It is soooo individualized. I am interested in Family Planning, so there are some "top" programs I didn't apply to at all since that is not one of their priorities. Does that make "my" programs better? No, it makes them better for me. There are quite a few competitive applicants from my school this year, and we've interviewed at a lot of the same places. Are our #1s the same? Nope. We're different people with different personalities and different career goals. If you tell us more of what you're looking for, we might be able to tell you some programs that fit that.

Good luck!

 

[Miss155]

I would like to later do a gyn onco fellowship. Which schools should I apply to? Is Baylor a good school to consider?

 

[smq123]

I would like to later do a gyn onco fellowship. Which schools should I apply to? Is Baylor a good school to consider?

These are things that you should really be discussing with faculty, one on one. And preferably discussing it with the program director at your school.

There are lots of strong programs out there. Baylor is one of them. But we can't tell you what places to apply to, because it's all very subjective.

 

[rayofdiana]

I didn't apply to Baylor, since I had the combined restrictions of strong Family Planning and strong Emergency Medicine (couples match).

Programs that are strong in gyn-onc are typically large academic programs. If you know that's what you want to do, you should probably try to go to a program that has a gyn-onc fellowship, because you will find mentors easily there. Other than that, figure out geographically what you're interested in. Good luck!

 

[civic4982]

Do electives early in June/July/August and get a letter from one if you want. Keep in mind what caliber of places you're getting your letters from. A very good letter from a big name place and big name faculty that will make calls for you is a good place to start.

As for Baylor, I interviewed there and really liked it. I think it's definitely a place to look at as are the other programs in Houston and their residents tend to place well into fellowship. Since you're a student there I'm sure you know the program well.

If there's any programs you're really interested in that already have fellowships available then it's good to do an away there in case you might want to apply there as well.