2016 Match Rank List Thread

[Quixotic2501]

Hey, so I have my top 2 places picked out... but I need some help with my next 6 programs.

UAB - excellent clinical training. Great moonlighting opportunities. The residents here seemed very collegial and down-to-earth. Birmingham was ok as a city, not the worst place in the world but not the best either. The PD was awesome, and the residents spoke very highly of their training. Maybe a little weak in peds.

Michigan - Big name program with a ton of alumni. Tremper is a pretty legendary name in anesthesiology. The intern year (yes I know not to pick based off of an intern year) seemed pretty intense comparatively. No flexibility in the CA-3 year for electives. Ann Arbor, though cold, was a pretty cool place.

Case UH- Relatively impressed with this program. Was expecting to like it less than CCF, but ended up liking it more. The residents were awesome, not sure about Cleveland.

Mayo (Rochester) - Big name in both the anesthesia and real worlds. They do ground-breaking stuff, but they do it in Rochester, MN. They can go to Wake, Brigham, and the other Mayo sites for rotations that might be lacking in MN. Seemed like less work hour intense when compared to Michigan. A lot of flexibility in the CA-3 year. Have you seen their gym?

UNC - I liked the feel of Chapel Hill a lot. The chair, PD, and residents were super friendly. Their match list was phenomenal, multiple residents went to "Harvard", Stanford, Duke etc within the past 5 years. From other people that I've talked to, it seems like a much smaller name than the other programs on my list, but they are still matching at great places for fellowship. 1 hour or so away from Raleigh for the bigger city stuff.

UPMC - I like the program at UPMC a lot. I'm not sure about the traveling to 7(?) different hospital sites within Pittsburgh. The city seemed fun, but pretty dense and hard to get around. Great CC training.

Thanks!

All great places to train as far as I am aware with Michigan, Mayo, and UPMC probably being a cut above the rest.

The gym at Mayo is CRAZY. I think by the time I was making my rank list, I forgot about it or I may have ranked it higher. If it were for being in Rochester, I may have ranked it number one.
The PD at UPMC mentioned that he "want[ed] to take back critical care," which really resonated with me. Rotating at so many hospitals has pluses and minuses, but for me personally, I decided it was more of a minus than anything else. Also, traffic in that city is insane. Too many bridges. Pretty sure their transplant service is super busy.

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[Quixotic2501]

1. Wake Forest
2. UAB
3. Brigham
4. MGH
5. UNC
6. WashU
7. UMichigan
8. Ochsner

It looks like location is playing a pretty big role in this list with you wanting to staying in the southeast or Atlantic coast? If that's the case, go with what feels right. I'm relatively familiar with 6/8 of the programs on your list, and I don't doubt you'll get great training at all of them if you put in work.

EDIT: Also just realized I could've posted my replies as one huge post. Will remember that for next time!

 

[projectpat]

Hey, so I have my top 2 places picked out... but I need some help with my next 6 programs.

UAB - excellent clinical training. Great moonlighting opportunities. The residents here seemed very collegial and down-to-earth. Birmingham was ok as a city, not the worst place in the world but not the best either. The PD was awesome, and the residents spoke very highly of their training. Maybe a little weak in peds.

Michigan - Big name program with a ton of alumni. Tremper is a pretty legendary name in anesthesiology. The intern year (yes I know not to pick based off of an intern year) seemed pretty intense comparatively. No flexibility in the CA-3 year for electives. Ann Arbor, though cold, was a pretty cool place.

I like the order you have here. Maybe bump up Michigan. Pitt could be bumped up as well.

 

[projectpat]

Posting anonymously for a member:

----

Main considerations in creating this ROL: Location, as I wanted to be on the east coast in a big city. Fit was very important and reputation mattered as well.

1) Brigham and Women's - Great reputation, connected to a Boston Children's, well known for ob and cardiac. I had a nice time at the dinner, residents looked happy and the pd seemed supportive. They didn't have livers. Boston is expensive. It has a reputation for hand holding and having a certain way of doing things. A lot of other great hospitals in the area.

2) Penn - Top notch program. Another fantastic children's hospital. Residents seemed a little unhappy and maybe a little overworked but great camraderie. Progtam director was fantastic. I'm not a huge fan of philadelphia but it seemed reasonably priced.

3) Cornell - Nicest location in Manhattan but pricey housing. Awesome regional at hss and also affiliated with mskcc. No free standing peds hospital. Seemed to be a fair amount of hand holding. There are a good number of negative reviews on scutwork but those were some years ago and the chair is different. The residents, who were very nice, spoke higher of brumberger who seemed to be doing a good job of changing cornell's reputation as a workhorse program. However, I hear that attendings play favorites here.

4) Mount Sinai - Best pd hands down in Adam Levine. Great resident advocate and is the face of the program. They acquired several hospitals recently and it seemed that the workload has increased greatly.

5) Columbia - This is a well known name. The icus are closed units and run by anesthesiologists. They have their own children's hospital and are great in cardiac. They give preference in fellowship to their own. The surgeons are apparently tough to deal with. The program director was described as aloof. The chair is stepping down. The area is not the best.

6) NYU - Lots of trauma. This program is great for pain and regional. They are building their own children's hospital. Residents were very nice and seemed pretty happy. Hours sounded good as residents are relived by crnas.

7) U Mich - Big name chair in Dr. Tremper, very supportive. This is a huge program and has a very friendly call schedule. Resident feedback matters a lot here and everyone seemed very happy. Ann Arbor is a college town.

8) Rochester - It is a city but had a college town feel to me. Their intern year sounded very nice where you rotate with many of the specialties that you'll be working with in the operating rooms. They also had early exposure to anesthesiology in intern year. Call schedule was unique and it sounded like their hours were on the lower side. I thought this was a great program, especially if you have a family.

9) Yale - I didn't feel like I connected with the residents or the faculty. Dr. Barash is here but he is retiring. They control most of the icus and are doing a lot more regional with ortho. I did not like New Haven.

10) Stony Brook - I thought this was a decent program. It looked like they were doing a fair amount of construction. It's a rather suburban area. There are no fellows so residents do all the cases. The residents seemed happy here.

11) NYMC - Similar sort of area to Stony. I thought Dr. McGoldrick was very honest. They seemed to match well for fellowship.

Strong list. Keep this order.

 

[tknight]

My top choice is clear and I have my fingers crossed. But, i'm torn on how to separate these programs. All great and on my personal spreadsheet they're all essentially rated as "equal." Any thoughts on: Ohio State, UIC, Rochester, Case Western/UH and Albany.
My gut says:
1.Case Western/UH
2.Ohio State
3.UIC
4.Rochester
5.Albany

 

[Nivens]

Having recently gone through this, my advice is don't overthink it. If your gut is telling you UCSD (a great program) and your ego is telling you Stanford (a great program w a huge brandname), go with your gut! Picking programs based on intern-year schedules and chairs and case mixes is failing to see the forest for the trees. Where do you feel at home?

 

[osumd]

Hey, so I have my top 2 places picked out... but I need some help with my next 6 programs.


Michigan - Big name program with a ton of alumni. Tremper is a pretty legendary name in anesthesiology. The intern year (yes I know not to pick based off of an intern year) seemed pretty intense comparatively. No flexibility in the CA-3 year for electives. Ann Arbor, though cold, was a pretty cool place.

Thanks!

I remember hearing that some people thought the intern year sounded tough. As a current resident, I'm not 100% sure where this comes from. Sure there are a couple ICU months and a bit of surgery, but there are also super chill research and pain months. The ENT month is always a favorite. Interns don't do nights while in the ED. On transplant surgery and neurosurgery (aka ICU-lite), there are tons of mid levels around to help with the busy work. Last I heard, our interns log an average of 50 something hours per week for the year (variable depending on month, of course).

 

[Triple AAA]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking around SDN for a while now and just wanted to get the ROL thread going. I was hoping I could hear/read some of your thoughts about my list as a start. I'm pretty set on doing a fellowship and location isn't my biggest concern but being close to/in a city would be nice.

1. Rush
2. SUNY Downstate
3. Cook

Thoughts?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/the-real-rush-anesthesiology.1113140/

If being in Chicago really means that much to you, than go ahead. Otherwise, I would save myself a lot of misery and rank Rush ALOT lower, if at all.

 

[jpeg1990]

b

 

[deleted547339]

The PD at UPMC mentioned that he "want[ed] to take back critical care," which really resonated with me.
Pretty sure their transplant service is super busy.

The thought of anesthesia "taking back critical care" at UPMC might sound good to a prospective resident, but it's absolute nonsense. UPMC is one of the only (if not the only) independent critical care departments. They are truly a multidisciplinary critical care model and that's kind of what defines their being. Don't expect that to change. The PD may have just meant they are hoping to have the chair of the dept be an anesthesiologist, but I wouldn't anticipate upmc's critical care having any huge upheaval. It's a machine.

Yes, they do a stupid amount of transplant, especially livers.


(Note: I'm not in anesthesia, but I interviewed for CC fellowship at UPMC)

 

[bv123]

Hooray for actually posting information we can work with.
BWH is an amazing hospital. I brought up the lack of livers in one of my interviews there, and they sort of brushed it off saying, "You learn about anesthesiology. You read about liver cases, and after one or two as an attending, you get it." Not exactly reassuring, but I don't know what I expected. They don't do livers, and I am not sure if I asked about other transplants. That being said, I honestly don't think you'll come out of Brigham deficient in any skill.

You're already aware about my qualms with Penn. If you can handle that, good on you.

UMich is a really great program with probably the most complete package of resident benefits. I don't think it gets enough love on these boards as it should, but people may not talk about it as much because most people know it's good and MS4s don't have to agonize whether or not they're making the correct choice. Drawbacks are the HUGE classes, lack of electives your final year, and how expensive Ann Arbor can be.

What are your qualms about Penn? I wanted to like the program but a few residents seemed unhappy and everyone said they are overworked.

 

[Quixotic2501]

What are your qualms about Penn? I wanted to like the program but a few residents seemed unhappy and everyone said they are overworked.

That was the mainly the only thing holding me back from ranking the program high. Morale seemed low, and the residents seem overworked. They were late to the pre-interview dinner because they were working. They can't study because they're stuck in the hospital all the time. While doing cases is going to be the way you actually learn and apply your knowledge, I think there are some diminishing returns there--especially if you have 0 time to actually do any substantial reading.

 

[Lora86]

Any input on this list? I'm trying to have a mix of good training with a city that isn't too expensive to live in. (I've only applied categorical because I hate the idea of moving twice)

UPMC - All around great feeling from the program/residents, tons of elective time. Lots of varied and high quality training (including a ton of livers!) and definitely a cheap place to live. I really enjoy the aspects of multiple sites.
Brigham - Great reputation, training, and although I know it isn't essential, they don't take much trauma or have liver transplants. Its a pretty large class and only about half of it is categorical. Boston is expensive to live in, but a fun city.
Vanderbilt - The perioperative emphasis is strong here with some great global health rotations. I'm not sure if PSH is a great idea, but exposure to it in residency would be great to have a first hand experience in it. Fun city!
Washington University - Solid training, multiple residents remarked that they worked hard but had valuable experiences. It didn't actually seem that they worked any harder than other programs and the residents seemed pretty happy with life. My only qualm is probably just living in MO.
Michigan - Solid program with a ton of resident benefits! I loved the EMR and Dr. Tremper's continued presence and tinkering with EMR is something I could see myself involved in. Ann Arbor is sort of expensive, though you do get two cities for the price of one.
Virginia Mason - Solid program, great city. Honestly, it was hard for me to separate my feelings about Seattle from my feelings about the program. I think if I went to Seattle I would never return to the east coast. I've got an interest in regional anesthesia with possibly a fellowship so their strength in local might make it a better idea for me to come here as a fellow. On the other hand, the solid regional experience here might just cause me to pursue another fellowship.
UVA - Such a great program. Charlottesville is a smaller city though but I was amazed at the variety of cases they saw.
Cornell - I really loved all my interviewers and had such a great day here. The residents seemed like they worked hard here and it seemed like moonlighting was almost essential to make ends meet in most of the NYC programs. Great regional experience and I have a soft spot for Sloan Kettering.
Cleveland - I enjoyed my day here but after leaving and reflecting I felt it was lacking slightly. Pediatric experience seemed to be a weak point since the cases are very complicated. In order to give a better variety of peds cases they send residents to an associated hospital which is about 40m-1hr away without housing nearby. Most of the residents were not enthusiastic about that.
Dartmouth - I felt the interviewers knew my application best here. I really clicked with faculty and thought the area was great. Unfortunately there isn't much of a city here. They do some very cool things with regional here it seems (it was even mentioned when I went to BWH)
Mt Sinai - Love the PD, again it suffers from being in NYC with high living costs. Residents are feeling a little overworked with recent acquisitions, but they mentioned the workload has been decreasing.
Columbia - What really stood out for me was residents looking really unhappy here and a few comments made to that effect. Also, NYC again.

 

[bv123]

That was the mainly the only thing holding me back from ranking the program high. Morale seemed low, and the residents seem overworked. They were late to the pre-interview dinner because they were working. They can't study because they're stuck in the hospital all the time. While doing cases is going to be the way you actually learn and apply your knowledge, I think there are some diminishing returns there--especially if you have 0 time to actually do any substantial reading.

I'm still inclined to rank it high becuase I believe it has the best recognition/prestige out of the programs I interviewed at. Do you think there is a significant difference in me going to penn vs. some of the other programs I interviewed at (see my above post) for future job/fellowships? Also curious to hear thoughts on Northwestern and the chair being asked to step down/attendings leaving and the controversy surrounding that. I really like the program, but was told by several people that is a red flag.

 

[SocialCapital]

I thought MUSC was very impressive. Seemed that the residents got the fellowships they wanted and had a good work/life balance. What do you think?

I was impressed with UTenn Knoxville's performance on the Basic exam (or whichever exam reports individual percentiles). Residents seemed very likable. No single thing really stuck out to me at MUSC but overall the program seemed solid. Charleston itself was great but it doesn't seem like there's much camping/hiking/kayaking/outdoors stuff unless you're doing it on a beach or in the ocean. Personally, I prefer mountains > beaches so maybe that's why I'm leaning towards UTenn Knoxville.

 

[RapSeqInt]

I was impressed with UTenn Knoxville's performance on the Basic exam (or whichever exam reports individual percentiles). Residents seemed very likable.

I agree about UTenn. Program had a very family-like environment (just don't let the chair know if you're liberal and everything will be copacetic ). Only negatives I could find are you have to travel to Vanderbilt for peds months (but they provide housing) and no liver transplants (I think they can send you to Memphis if you want that, maybe?).

 

[Arch Guillotti]

I'm still not fully decided. I could be pretty happy at any of the locations, so the program is the main feature I'm focused on. I think I will want to end up continuing my training into a fellowship and working at an academic center. I'm trying to decide between some of my top choices, but have only been able to put them into tiers so far.

Tier 1:
Mayo - This seems like a really solid place. Many senior residents emphasized they have a very large network of physicians all around the country, which has made their job searches easier. The residents seem happy with their call schedules, and they seem to get a lot of freedom during their CA-3 year with. They are really supportive of letting residents travel for research. And of course as others have mentioned, their fitness center is outstanding! Overall, it was difficult to find any significant weaknesses with the program.

Cleveland Clinic - Weaknesses include having to commute to another hospital further away during pediatric rotations, only one month of trauma at another outside hospital, and a lack of traumatic neurological injuries in ICU patients. Still, I got a very good feel from this place. The facilities are very nice (other than their crumby fitness center I hear), and they get very sick surgical patients. Their intern year does not seem overly work-intensive, and they get an early start on anesthesiology rotations. Their cardiology is ranked number 1, but I also wonder if the high number of fellows negatively affects resident learning. It would be nice if anybody from CCF could weigh in on this.

Michigan - Another big program with a large network of alumni facilitating job opportunities. The feature about Michigan that stands out the most to me is how supportive the department is of residents. They seem very responsive to resident needs. Michigan residents also seem to get great benefits. They seem to really facilitate getting involved in research for those interested by offering a introduction to research type of month during the intern year.

Washington University/BJH - I had a hard time finding a weakness here. Some people are saying the residents work pretty hard, but I didn't pick up on this when I was there. Can anybody expand on this? I especially like their critical care setup. Many if not all of the CVICU staff are anesthesiology trained and doubled board certified in CT and CC, and there are many anesthesiology-trained staff in the SICU too. Research opportunities seem to abound here. Solid trauma experience.

Tier 2:
NYU - Another seemingly strong program. Trauma experience is a big standout here, and other departments such as chronic pain seemed strong too. Residents seem to end up in very good fellowships positions when they apply. They gave us a tour of Bellevue Hospital, but not Tisch Hospital. Does anybody familiar with Tisch Hospital want to chime in about how it compares to Bellevue?

Wisconsin - While perhaps not as much of a prestigious academic powerhouse as a few of the programs in tier 1, the clinical training seems very solid. Many residents confirmed this. The department seems very supportive and responsive. They offer an away rotation for OB anesthesia at Northwestern, which sounds pretty neat too. Even though I said location is secondary to program, Madison is a very beautiful city that I would love living in.

Iowa - Like several other programs, Iowa residents seemed to have great camaraderie between them. In addition to the solid clinical training, some that stuck out in my memory from my visit is that residents seem to absolutely destroy their boards.


Everything below tier 2 is pretty much decided. Any help with any of these programs is much appreciated!

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

As a resident at a program with a decent amount of trauma, I will say that you aren't really missing much by going to a program that doesn't do much trauma. Don't get me wrong, I love my program, and I've had some great learning experiences when I was a junior, getting up in the middle of the night to rush some bloody mess to the OR, but you can easily learn how to do that with a limited trauma experience, and you will still get emergent cases wherever you go. As far as your overall education goes, you can take or leave the trauma. There is a reason its not explicitly required by ACGME anymore.

Just my opinion.

 

[bubbleboy123]

I'm still inclined to rank it high becuase I believe it has the best recognition/prestige out of the programs I interviewed at. Do you think there is a significant difference in me going to penn vs. some of the other programs I interviewed at (see my above post) for future job/fellowships? Also curious to hear thoughts on Northwestern and the chair being asked to step down/attendings leaving and the controversy surrounding that. I really like the program, but was told by several people that is a red flag.

If you think the happiest place you'll be is because it has a great name you may find yourself miserable for 4 years, especially at a workhorse program. Go where you will be happy and do your best work for 4 years - you'll still get to where you want to be.

 

[Mjsp678]

I'm still inclined to rank it high becuase I believe it has the best recognition/prestige out of the programs I interviewed at. Do you think there is a significant difference in me going to penn vs. some of the other programs I interviewed at (see my above post) for future job/fellowships? Also curious to hear thoughts on Northwestern and the chair being asked to step down/attendings leaving and the controversy surrounding that. I really like the program, but was told by several people that is a red flag.

Also had difficulty figuring out where to rank this program. Great clinical training, but seems like most places have that. Residents were nice, but did seem a little worked out. Another red flag to me was that is was one of three programs in the country with "continued accreditation with warning". Does anyone know what the warning is for? Given everything going on and the threads regarding this program from prior years I am hesitent to rank it high.

 

[ChanandlerBong3]

Another red flag to me was that is was one of three programs in the country with "continued accreditation with warning". Does anyone know what the warning is for? Given everything going on and the threads regarding this program from prior years I am hesitent to rank it high.

Where are you seeing Penn on "accreditation with warning"?

 

[RapSeqInt]

Where are you seeing Penn on "accreditation with warning"?

Wherever he/she saw it was false.

https://apps.acgme.org/ads/Public/P.../Search?stateId=39&specialtyId=3&orgCode&city
Original Accreditation Date: October 24, 1950
Accreditation Status: Continued Accreditation
Accreditation Effective Date: February 11, 2015
Accredited Length of Training: 4 years
Program Format: Standard

 

[Mjsp678]

Wherever he/she saw it was false.

https://apps.acgme.org/ads/Public/Programs/Detail?programId=331&ReturnUrl=https://apps.acgme.org/ads/Public/Programs/Search?stateId=39&specialtyId=3&orgCode&city
Original Accreditation Date: October 24, 1950
Accreditation Status: Continued Accreditation
Accreditation Effective Date: February 11, 2015
Accredited Length of Training: 4 years
Program Format: Standard

I was talking about northwestern

 

[raffithegiraffe]

Thoughts on Cedars-Sinai vs. USC vs. Irvine vs. UCSD?

Also had a great interview day at Yale and would appreciate thoughts on the program.

Thanks and good luck with your lists!!

 

[maxplankton]

Seems like Hopkins doesn't get much love on here. Just because it's advanced only, or are there other reasons?

 

[Psai]

Seems like Hopkins doesn't get much love on here. Just because it's advanced only, or are there other reasons?

More because they didn't interview me. Waitlist schmaitlist

 

[Ezekiel2517]

Thoughts on Cedars-Sinai vs. USC vs. Irvine vs. UCSD?

Also had a great interview day at Yale and would appreciate thoughts on the program.

Thanks and good luck with your lists!!

UCSD
UCI
USC and Cedars is a toss up

 

[Turtlez]

UCSD
UCI
USC and Cedars is a toss up

What do you think of UC Davis?

 

[Ezekiel2517]

What do you think of UC Davis?

In terms of rep, relative to the the other UC's, I'd place it below them. But I'm sure the training itself is good though.

 

[NotFrankUnderwood]

I'd appreciate some help on some key choices I'm trying to make

1) UCLA vs UCSF
I like LA better. I'd say the programs are about the same in most QoL metrics (hours worked ICU months etc) - ICU is better at SF. Pain is better at LA (I think?? I'm getting em all so confused now). I like that there is more flexibility at UCLA (UCSF has just 3 months of electives) - UCLA people were completing MBAs while in residency (and still finishing on time!) In the end I think I want to to put LA first, but I'm wondering if that will hurt me for career options in the long run. I honestly don't know whether I want to go into Academics or PP or Fellowship or business or whatever I'm wondering does the UCSF name really carry you that much further than UCLA?

2) Miami vs Penn
Lower down the list. Once again it becomes name vs location. Miami... Me encanta. Philly is... close to New York. Penn is also an incredibly hard working program (hardest working that I went to) which is fine if it gets me to where I want to go, but I'd rather not be killing my self with 70+ hour weeks in residency. Miami pain is supposedly strong (something I'm seriously considering). Penn is clearly a tier above.


The rest of the list I think I have down (with the above schools removed)
1
2
USC
UCI
NYU
Cornell
7
8
Wash U (amazing program but STL )
UChicago
Northwestern (slick interview day but too much drama IMO)

Probably won't rank UIC and Rush and Montefiore

 

[projectpat]

I'd appreciate some help on some key choices I'm trying to make

1) UCLA vs UCSF
but I'm wondering if that will hurt me for career options in the long run

I'm wondering does the UCSF name really carry you that much further than UCLA?

2) Miami vs Penn

1) UCSF and UCLA are both brand name programs that provide excellent training. Neither would ever "hurt" your career options. Look at the people and location - you said you like LA.

2) Location: Miami > Penn
"Reputation": Penn > Miami

Both good, hard working programs. You probably won't even fall this far down your list. Don't sweat it.

 

[whysopringles]

Would really appreciate some comments and assistance with sorting out my top 2 choices: U of Chicago vs. U of Washington (Seattle)

1) Location: Seattle > Chicago for me. I've been on the west coast all my life so it'd be less of a harsh transition for me, and Seattle in general is a great, growing city. That being said, I love the food in Chicago too.
2) Fit/culture (program): Chicago > Seattle. I felt like the residents had a better vibe over at UChicago. In terms of work-life balance, it's hugely in favor of Chicago. I got the feeling that residents in UW were overworked and didn't have enough time off. Kind of iffy about the huge # of faculty where few of them really know you.
3) Fit/culture (city): Seattle > Chicago. Really enjoy both, but Seattle's got a better, bustling tech culture I may want to be involved with in the future.

4) Reputation - This I'm not sure about and really need some input. I'm sure they're both great, but I don't know which one is perceived as "better" and I certainly don't know how to quantify it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Mjsp678]

Would really appreciate some comments and assistance with sorting out my top 2 choices: U of Chicago vs. U of Washington (Seattle)

1) Location: Seattle > Chicago for me. I've been on the west coast all my life so it'd be less of a harsh transition for me, and Seattle in general is a great, growing city. That being said, I love the food in Chicago too.
2) Fit/culture (program): Chicago > Seattle. I felt like the residents had a better vibe over at UChicago. In terms of work-life balance, it's hugely in favor of Chicago. I got the feeling that residents in UW were overworked and didn't have enough time off. Kind of iffy about the huge # of faculty where few of them really know you.
3) Fit/culture (city): Seattle > Chicago. Really enjoy both, but Seattle's got a better, bustling tech culture I may want to be involved with in the future.

4) Reputation - This I'm not sure about and really need some input. I'm sure they're both great, but I don't know which one is perceived as "better" and I certainly don't know how to quantify it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

They both have similar reputations, but if I had to put one over the other I would say that nationally UW is better known. I think Doximity puts UW at a top 15 program. I think it also depends on where you want to eventually settle down. UW's reputation is probably much stronger in the west compared to U of C, which is stronger in the midwest.

 

[Guy Caballero]

Good luck to all in the match!

 

[Psai]

They both have similar reputations, but if I had to put one over the other I would say that nationally UW is better known. I think Doximity puts UW at a top 15 program. I think it also depends on where you want to eventually settle down. UW's reputation is probably much stronger in the west compared to U of C, which is stronger in the midwest.

Lol are you really going to go by doximity

 

[medstudent33]

Did anyone get an email from Jefferson who already interviewed there saying they apologize they could not extend an interview invite? I know it was a mistake but I am just curious if other people received this

 

[SEPA]

Did anyone get an email from Jefferson who already interviewed there saying they apologize they could not extend an interview invite? I know it was a mistake but I am just curious if other people received this

+1 --- assumed it was sent in error

 

[Dawkter]

Would really appreciate some comments and assistance with sorting out my top 2 choices: U of Chicago vs. U of Washington (Seattle)

1) Location: Seattle > Chicago for me. I've been on the west coast all my life so it'd be less of a harsh transition for me, and Seattle in general is a great, growing city. That being said, I love the food in Chicago too.
2) Fit/culture (program): Chicago > Seattle. I felt like the residents had a better vibe over at UChicago. In terms of work-life balance, it's hugely in favor of Chicago. I got the feeling that residents in UW were overworked and didn't have enough time off. Kind of iffy about the huge # of faculty where few of them really know you.
3) Fit/culture (city): Seattle > Chicago. Really enjoy both, but Seattle's got a better, bustling tech culture I may want to be involved with in the future.

4) Reputation - This I'm not sure about and really need some input. I'm sure they're both great, but I don't know which one is perceived as "better" and I certainly don't know how to quantify it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I interviewed at UCLA a couple of years ago. Had interviews across the country and thought it was a balanced program and extremely strong on all fronts (one of the best I interviewed at). You cannot go wrong training here.

 

[whysopringles]

They both have similar reputations, but if I had to put one over the other I would say that nationally UW is better known. I think Doximity puts UW at a top 15 program. I think it also depends on where you want to eventually settle down. UW's reputation is probably much stronger in the west compared to U of C, which is stronger in the midwest.

Thanks for the tips - I certainly would prefer to stay on the west coast in the future, so I'll take that into consideration! Looks like UW is inching towards my #1 spot now

 

[lemur123]

Can anyone chime in on these programs for the middle of my rank list? I don't know too much about their reputation and training quality. In order currently:

Case Western UH
St. Luke's Roosevelt
U Illinois Chicago
Penn State
Ohio State
Montefiore
Loyola

Much appreciated!

 

[SEPA]

Looking for help regarding: Hopkins vs Penn vs Columbia

 

[patriot6]

A little about me: interested in cardiac fellowship, married with kiddo, would like to ultimately practice in the southeast - LA, MS, AL, TX area but not 100% certain. I think I'd prefer PP over academics.

1. Wake Forest: loved this program. the city is perfect for my growing family. the program places an obvious emphasis on resident education. clinical experience is solid especially in the primary sub-specialties. good moonlighting opportunities. friendly culture. low col. great CA3 call experience, but a graduated call burden into CA3 year (4-8 calls/mo?). residents seemed to love Wake. great leadership. strong reputation, with impressive fellowship matches. 3pm relief time with lectures 2x/week, followed by preops. sunday preops for CA1s. concern for regional ties back home in the LA, MS, AL area. wondering if it would be difficult to find a PP gig in this region after residency.
2. UAB: very similar to Wake in the sense that the area seems great for families, somewhat low col. good clinical experience all around aside from peds, though it sounds like you can have strong peds exposure here if you want it. obviously best moonlighting in the country. this program also seems to place a big emphasis on resident education. 3pm relief time with homecall system (moonlighting) afterwards. decreasing call burden (2-3 calls/mo as CA3); lectures in AM so you're off the hook at 3pm for preops.
3. Brigham: best interview day by far. strong cardiac/ICU experience. very friendly atmosphere. obviously amazing caseload. the deal breaker is Boston as I don't know if we could afford it. some moonlighting available. strong leadership. strong fellowship matches. unsure of typical work day/call schedule. didactics seemed meh.
4. Mayo Rochester: loved it. friendly residents. good work hours. great caseload. only drawback would be the location and the 5 month winters. though I'd be happy here even if I fell to #4 on my ROL; my wife on the other hand... lol.
5. MGH: same as the Brigham, except I didn't have as good of an interview day. still, very strong reputation and impressive caseload. 5pm relief time for preops. lectures on mondays/fridays 5-6p?
6. UNC: friendly PD, friendly residents, friendly schedule, friendly everything. chapel hill seems like a cool city. nice facilities. nothing bad to say about the program.
7. WashU: I honestly debated not ranking them. had a tough interview day. also got the impression that the residents were overworked and didn't have much time to read. didactics 1x/mo. CA1s thrown into big cases which was nice. though it sounded like the residents routinely relieved CRNAs.

 

[crisis]

Could definitely use some help with my rank list. I've got a couple of locations at "nearly equal" rank equivalence for me. Assuming that locations are all about the same to me, I could really use some input on ranking by reputation of the program alone:

Top 3:
UW
U of Chicago
UC Denver

There is a new chair starting this year, so my information might be dated. It seems to me that Colorado has given up on training physicians and instead seems committed to training anesthesia assistants in their newly started program, along with the occasional CRNA student rolling through. My experience is that the most attendings are rarely in the room teaching, and it seems pretty incestuous since many of the attendings trained at UC Denver. It's a great place to live, but maybe not such a great place to train when compared to your other top choices.

 

[MJ978]

A little about me: interested in cardiac fellowship, married with kiddo, would like to ultimately practice in the southeast - LA, MS, AL, TX area but not 100% certain. I think I'd prefer PP over academics.

1. Wake Forest: loved this program. the city is perfect for my growing family. the program places an obvious emphasis on resident education. clinical experience is solid especially in the primary sub-specialties. good moonlighting opportunities. friendly culture. low col. great CA3 call experience, but a graduated call burden into CA3 year (4-8 calls/mo?). residents seemed to love Wake. great leadership. strong reputation, with impressive fellowship matches. 3pm relief time with lectures 2x/week, followed by preops. sunday preops for CA1s. concern for regional ties back home in the LA, MS, AL area. wondering if it would be difficult to find a PP gig in this region after residency.
2. UAB: very similar to Wake in the sense that the area seems great for families, somewhat low col. good clinical experience all around aside from peds, though it sounds like you can have strong peds exposure here if you want it. obviously best moonlighting in the country. this program also seems to place a big emphasis on resident education. 3pm relief time with homecall system (moonlighting) afterwards. decreasing call burden (2-3 calls/mo as CA3); lectures in AM so you're off the hook at 3pm for preops.
3. Brigham: best interview day by far. strong cardiac/ICU experience. very friendly atmosphere. obviously amazing caseload. the deal breaker is Boston as I don't know if we could afford it. some moonlighting available. strong leadership. strong fellowship matches. unsure of typical work day/call schedule. didactics seemed meh.
4. Mayo Rochester: loved it. friendly residents. good work hours. great caseload. only drawback would be the location and the 5 month winters. though I'd be happy here even if I fell to #4 on my ROL; my wife on the other hand... lol.
5. MGH: same as the Brigham, except I didn't have as good of an interview day. still, very strong reputation and impressive caseload. 5pm relief time for preops. lectures on mondays/fridays 5-6p?
6. UNC: friendly PD, friendly residents, friendly schedule, friendly everything. chapel hill seems like a cool city. nice facilities. nothing bad to say about the program.
7. WashU: I honestly debated not ranking them. had a tough interview day. also got the impression that the residents were overworked and didn't have much time to read. didactics 1x/mo. CA1s thrown into big cases which was nice. though it sounded like the residents routinely relieved CRNAs.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using SDN mobile app

I really enjoyed reading your list and your reasoning. A lot of SDN posters are still caught up in the 'US News College Ranking' mentality, going for name above all else, while you seem to understand that fit of the program and happiness during residency are the key factors. As for your rankings, I know one person who recently finished at Wake and absolutely loved it, and for someone who is interested in staying in the southeast, it seems like a perfect match for you; great location, affordable, and family friendly.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

Here is my list. My ordering is probably a little different than most because my SO and I have strong geographic preferences.

#1 UTHSCSA (San Antonio)

Admittedly does not have the national reputation of some of the others on the list, but I think they have a solid, well-run program with a very sick patient population that will provide tough but great training. Residents seemed very happy and confident. My SO and I both have strong family ties to the area, we will be buying a home, and I see myself ultimately practicing in the Central Texas/Hill country region (probably after a fellowship elsewhere). I’m not convinced that going to a place with a bigger name would be worth it.

#2 Wake Forest
#3 UAB
#4 Wash U

If the above factors were non-issues then these are my next three favorite programs. All very strong and very respected. It is hard to differentiate between them, so I ordered by location preference and gestalt of “personality fit” I felt at the interviews.

#5 UTSW

Great program, many fellowships, but a little too big for my taste. Supportive and engaged chair. I’d rather live in Dallas than Houston, but if I train in Texas then San Antonio is where I really want to be.

#6 Baylor

Similar to UTSW, but in Houston. Probably a plus for many for many but a big minus for me.

#7 Scott and White (Temple, TX)

Definitely the most laid-back program I interviewed at, everyone was super happy and friendly. Training seems quite good – with a few areas of relative weakness (trauma, sick peds, not much sick OB, no transplants). Cardiac and regional are strengths. Seems to cater to trainees who know they want private practice in Texas and probably no fellowship. Temple is a beautiful and inexpensive medium-size city in central Texas.

#8 UT Houston

See Baylor, but residents seemed more tired and less happy.

#9 OHSU
#10 U Wash

Both are phenomenal programs… but insane cost of living and distance from family put both at the bottom of my list.

 

[GABAergic]

Here is my list. My ordering is probably a little different than most because my SO and I have strong geographic preferences.

#1 UTHSCSA (San Antonio)

Admittedly does not have the national reputation of some of the others on the list, but I think they have a solid, well-run program with a very sick patient population that will provide tough but great training. Residents seemed very happy and confident. My SO and I both have strong family ties to the area, we will be buying a home, and I see myself ultimately practicing in the Central Texas/Hill country region (probably after a fellowship elsewhere). I’m not convinced that going to a place with a bigger name would be worth it.

#2 Wake Forest
#3 UAB
#4 Wash U

If the above factors were non-issues then these are my next three favorite programs. All very strong and very respected. It is hard to differentiate between them, so I ordered by location preference and gestalt of “personality fit” I felt at the interviews.

#5 UTSW

Great program, many fellowships, but a little too big for my taste. Supportive and engaged chair. I’d rather live in Dallas than Houston, but if I train in Texas then San Antonio is where I really want to be.

#6 Baylor

Similar to UTSW, but in Houston. Probably a plus for many for many but a big minus for me.

#7 Scott and White (Temple, TX)

Definitely the most laid-back program I interviewed at, everyone was super happy and friendly. Training seems quite good – with a few areas of relative weakness (trauma, sick peds, not much sick OB, no transplants). Cardiac and regional are strengths. Seems to cater to trainees who know they want private practice in Texas and probably no fellowship. Temple is a beautiful and inexpensive medium-size city in central Texas.

#8 UT Houston

See Baylor, but residents seemed more tired and less happy.

#9 OHSU
#10 U Wash

Both are phenomenal programs… but insane cost of living and distance from family put both at the bottom of my list.

I interviewed at most of those programs. Canceled WF, didn't apply to OHSU or UT-Houston.

Assuming you interviewed reasonably well, you shouldn't drop as low as UTSW on your list. But that program gave me a negative vibe, so I put it below all the other programs you have listed. Have you talked to anybody else that interviewed there this year?

I can say that UAB has had a pipeline to a San Antonio private practice group in recent years. But I have heard that Texas is tightening up, so who knows. UAB will probably not be the rate limiting step for most people when it comes to a fellowship match. I think Scott and White is similar to UAB in terms of overall culture, and from what I've heard about WF, it's similar as well. Bottom line, it sounds like you'd be happy at your top 3 or 4 for sure and you should listen to your gut. If you don't speak Spanish, however, I'd reconsider your #1. Good luck!

 

[hockey10]

Looking for a little help, in no particular order. From the mid-atlantic region, very flexible for job placement, moving with wife and kid. Looking at peds or CT for fellowship. Looking to have awesome training in the best environment.
1) UK - good training, happy residents, commitment to education, good moonlighting opportunities, great didactics, not sure peds is incredibly strong, location isn't the greatest, PD was awesome
2) CCF- incredible cases, good didactics, cheap living, decent residents, felt like another cog in the wheel if you go there, the environment felt sorta sterile, drive 40 minutes to akron for peds
3) Rochester - good training, happy residents, great case exposure, good moonlighting opportunities,
4) VCU - happiest residents, really diverse experience, incredible moonlighting, Richmond is pretty awesome. Still can't figure out if the CRNA school impacts their training, virtually no didactics
5) Jefferson - good group of residents, good exposure in just about everything except maybe cardiac, were revamping that when I met with PD, good didactics, expensive, Philly, wondering if OB volume is enough
6) Hershey - good case exposure, tight knit residents, PD seemed like she would go to bat for you, really good peds, good location, cheap living. No moonlighting, seemed like they worked a lot of hours.

Looking for any help people would like to chime in. Thanks again

 

[ChanandlerBong3]

My list with my rationales - no real geographic preference, no big attachments anywhere. Important things to me were how I perceived training, 'hang-a-bility' people in program, and how much I enjoyed the city. I took very few notes - mostly instinctual list. All categorical, no advanced or combo programs.

1) UTSW

Vibe for me here was great - the city has a lot going on. Covers all the educational bases. CoL better than expected. New Parkland is a nice facility.

2) Penn

Applied here due to reputation - all around strong. Similar to Pitt for me, but Philly > Pittsburgh IMO.

3) Pitt

Was #1 for me for a few weeks. Enjoyed the people in the program, education solid.

4) CCF

The cases are there. I liked the residents and faculty I met. The mistake on the lake.

5) Mayo

Education solid. Residents were pretty cool. The Mayo vibe was a little cult-like to me. Rochester, MN.

6) UCSF

Solid cases. Residents I talked to were reticent to answer if they'd choose this program again. Bay area cool but expensive AF.

7) UW

Behemoth program. Good cases, otherwise anonymous to me.

8) WashU

Lots of cases. Residents were pretty cool. Faculty during interviews were alright. STL is pretty cool, rough around the edges.

9) UAB

Anonymously above average. Birmingham is meh.

10) Vanderbilt

A little too stiff/stuffy for me.

11) Wake Forest

Two thumbs down for Winston-Salem as a city.

12) MUSC

Anonymous. Charleston > Lexington.

13) UK

Anonymous. Every resident I met (>10) was married/engaged.

14) Ochsner

Anonymous. Wasn't impressed by the residents.

15) UChicago

Sat with a resident at dinner that made me want to gouge my eyes out. Facilities nice.


DNR:
Ohio State

Don't want to disparage them too much, but not matching for me is preferable to matching here.

 

[MJ978]

My list with my rationales - no real geographic preference, no big attachments anywhere. Important things to me were how I perceived training, 'hang-a-bility' people in program, and how much I enjoyed the city. I took very few notes - mostly instinctual list. All categorical, no advanced or combo programs.

1) UTSW

Vibe for me here was great - the city has a lot going on. Covers all the educational bases. CoL better than expected. New Parkland is a nice facility.

2) Penn

Applied here due to reputation - all around strong. Similar to Pitt for me, but Philly > Pittsburgh IMO.

3) Pitt

Was #1 for me for a few weeks. Enjoyed the people in the program, education solid.

4) CCF

The cases are there. I liked the residents and faculty I met. The mistake on the lake.

5) Mayo

Education solid. Residents were pretty cool. The Mayo vibe was a little cult-like to me. Rochester, MN.

6) UCSF

Solid cases. Residents I talked to were reticent to answer if they'd choose this program again. Bay area cool but expensive AF.

7) UW

Behemoth program. Good cases, otherwise anonymous to me.

8) WashU

Lots of cases. Residents were pretty cool. Faculty during interviews were alright. STL is pretty cool, rough around the edges.

9) UAB

Anonymously above average. Birmingham is meh.

10) Vanderbilt

A little too stiff/stuffy for me.

11) Wake Forest

Two thumbs down for Winston-Salem as a city.

12) MUSC

Anonymous. Charleston > Lexington.

13) UK

Anonymous. Every resident I met (>10) was married/engaged.

14) Ochsner

Anonymous. Wasn't impressed by the residents.

15) UChicago

Sat with a resident at dinner that made me want to gouge my eyes out. Facilities nice.


DNR:
Ohio State

Don't want to disparage them too much, but not matching for me is preferable to matching here.

Great list, congrats! You have great rationale for each program, it's certainly tailored for you, and I'd keep it as is.

One note I'd mention, for all applicants: for the most part, if you are a US MD, you will match in your top 3. I believe in charting outcomes it was over 95% last year, and at my home (mid tier) program 12/12 matched at #1 or 2.
Again, it's with caveats (red flags, etc), but I wouldn't stress too much about your rank list beyond 3-4 ish.

 

[maxplankton]

My list with my rationales - no real geographic preference, no big attachments anywhere. Important things to me were how I perceived training, 'hang-a-bility' people in program, and how much I enjoyed the city. I took very few notes - mostly instinctual list. All categorical, no advanced or combo programs.

1) UTSW

Vibe for me here was great - the city has a lot going on. Covers all the educational bases. CoL better than expected. New Parkland is a nice facility.

2) Penn

Applied here due to reputation - all around strong. Similar to Pitt for me, but Philly > Pittsburgh IMO.

3) Pitt

Was #1 for me for a few weeks. Enjoyed the people in the program, education solid.

4) CCF

The cases are there. I liked the residents and faculty I met. The mistake on the lake.

5) Mayo

Education solid. Residents were pretty cool. The Mayo vibe was a little cult-like to me. Rochester, MN.

6) UCSF

Solid cases. Residents I talked to were reticent to answer if they'd choose this program again. Bay area cool but expensive AF.

7) UW

Behemoth program. Good cases, otherwise anonymous to me.

8) WashU

Lots of cases. Residents were pretty cool. Faculty during interviews were alright. STL is pretty cool, rough around the edges.

9) UAB

Anonymously above average. Birmingham is meh.

10) Vanderbilt

A little too stiff/stuffy for me.

11) Wake Forest

Two thumbs down for Winston-Salem as a city.

12) MUSC

Anonymous. Charleston > Lexington.

13) UK

Anonymous. Every resident I met (>10) was married/engaged.

14) Ochsner

Anonymous. Wasn't impressed by the residents.

15) UChicago

Sat with a resident at dinner that made me want to gouge my eyes out. Facilities nice.


DNR:
Ohio State

Don't want to disparage them too much, but not matching for me is preferable to matching here.

Great all around list, reasonable rationale, questionable use of the word anonymous.