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The first—and only—time that I (C.S.) missed a residency interview invitation was a hard lesson. Like all of my peers applying for obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn) residency, I set up a robust alert system on my smartphone to ensure that I did not miss a single potentially important email: special inbox filters that triggered a text message for e-mails that included the word ‘‘interview’’ and at least 2 different apps that were set to constantly refresh for new e-mails. Unfortunately, my system failed me that day. Upon exiting the anatomy lab I checked my e-mail and realized with a wave of panic that I had missed an invitation delivered 90 minutes earlier. I immediately telephoned the program but all 6 of the interview dates that had been offered were already filled. I did not get a spot.
From then on my fellow applicants and I increased our electronic vigilance. We kept our phones perched precariously on the bathroom sink while showering. We would immediately pull over to the side of the road if our phones vibrated in the car. One classmate fortuitously was working on her laptop when an invitation from one of her top programs arrived. She scheduled her interview within seconds, though when she refreshed the webpage just 2 minutes later, no dates remained.
At 7% of programs, all interview spots were filled less than 10 minutes after invitations were sent. One-third of programs said their spots filled in less than an hour, and another third said their spots were full within one business day. In total, nearly three-quarters of programs completely filled their interview spots within a single business day.
From then on my fellow applicants and I increased our electronic vigilance. We kept our phones perched precariously on the bathroom sink while showering. We would immediately pull over to the side of the road if our phones vibrated in the car. One classmate fortuitously was working on her laptop when an invitation from one of her top programs arrived. She scheduled her interview within seconds, though when she refreshed the webpage just 2 minutes later, no dates remained.
At 7% of programs, all interview spots were filled less than 10 minutes after invitations were sent. One-third of programs said their spots filled in less than an hour, and another third said their spots were full within one business day. In total, nearly three-quarters of programs completely filled their interview spots within a single business day.
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