Tigerz_Fan - going into Pulm/CC by any chance?
Pulm/CCM is not a competitive specialty. Even some of the best programs have difficulty getting quality fellows.
While I think this is shaping up to be the stupidest thread ever I'd just like to sign off by saying there is wider variation within a specialty (much much easier to get a community GI or cardiology fellowship than an pulm or rheum fellowship at Hopkins for example) than between specialties.
General trends are generally accepted: For programs of similar quality the difficulty of matching is something like:
GI maybe very slightly harder than cards (but basically the same at top
places)
>
Oncology slightly harder than Allergy (for top programs, although few allergy programs means mid-tier applicants have a much harder time getting an allergy fellowship)
>>>>
Pulm/CCM slightly above the others (Rheum/Nephro/Endo/ID)
>>
Finally Geriatrics, GIM, Palliative Care, HIV, Public Health, Policy etc are generally non-competitive.
Hope this helps somebody somewhere. Essentially though - if you work at it - and are reasonably good - you can match *somewhere* in what you want to do (except Allergy) if you put the extra effort in.