Hey everyone!
As match season gets underway (and I'm sipping hot chocolate in my scrubs on an overnight call) I couldn't help but get nostalgic about all the fun ya'll are about to have! All of you will be getting loads of advice from classmates, residents, and family (don't leave them out!) and if you are like me you will internalize A LOT of that information whether you try to block it out or not. There will be rankings posted on here, sdn, and doximity from last year, two years ago, ten years ago (you get my drift), and while everyone will point out that those rankings "don't mean anything" it will be almost impossible to convince yourself of that. So what can/should you do? 1. Be strategic 2. Have fun 3. Have more fun!
1. Strategy - by now you've already applied and so your list of possible programs is (for the most part) done. At this point, I would do a pre-rank of the programs you've applied to based on the factors you know now that are important to YOU (geography, family, prestige, etc) so that when the interviews come in (and they will) you don't give programs too far down your list good interview dates. By that I mean don't give all of your interview dates in December to programs that are at the bottom of your pre-interview list. A strategy I found helpful was to accept their invites and plan them for January (only breaking this rule by having my home program and one of these schools as initial interviews to "get your feet wet" in October). That way, you can make sure that the programs you really want to go to (at this point at least) don't require double-booking with another program that you've already accepted other than in the month of January. This is also a great strategy because while you feel like every interview is crucial right now and you couldn't imagine not flying to NYC to interview at program X which was last on your pre-interview list, come mid-December, you will have a great feel for A LOT of programs and will begin cancelling interviews that you had planned in January that no longer feel so necessary (this happens every year and every applicant does this). Better to be cancelling programs that were already at the bottom of your pre-interview list then Duke or Emory.
2. Have fun - Enjoy the traveling, the companionship, and the friendships you'll make on the interview trail. So much of medicine is enjoying others' company that you need to let the stats and pride go by the wayside. Don't be intimidated by ordering what you want for dinner. Don't be afraid to sit at the end of the table with most of the residents. Don't overdress (or under-dress...). Just be yourself and try to see in those few hours if this group of people is who you want to be sitting next to for the next few years. This is HUGELY important! Last year, I knew pretty quickly that i didn't fit into one of my top 3 pre-interview programs. I just wasn't as interested in research and academia as the typical resident that program seemed to attract. I struggled with this realization (for many reasons, one for sure being that this program was located in the city my wife really wanted to live in) but in the end I sided with the advice that my mentor gave me "Go to the program where you will be the happiest for the small amount of time that you're not at work or home reading." And after talking things over with my wife, we agreed that we both had better options for our family (and we couldn't be happier with how it turned out)!
3. Have fun - Again, enjoy this experience! Life doesn't get much better than 4th year. Oh, and make sure to snag a "cush TY" spot that everyone talks about.
Finals Ramblings...
- Don't be afraid to contact PCs to let them know of your continued interest. A great email would include a small bit about you, what you can bring to their program, and why you are interested in them.
- Send a personalized thank you email to everyone you met within 36 hours. After that, don't bother. Some of you reading this will disagree with this point (how could I not recommend buying locally sourced and handmade cards off etsy with personalized hand-written notes?) and that's OK. Do as you feel comfortable. Be YOU!
- The program rankings... oh those program rankings! I struggled with this because my favorite 2 programs were ranked below my 3-5... In the end, I ranked how I felt I "fit" the best. I didn't go based on the rankings, but boy it messed with my head for awhile.
- TY vs IM prelim vs Surgery prelim... Take the TY all-day every-day! Even if you're interested in IR, why do a surgery prelim year? You'll work a lot harder and get a minimal amount of surgery that *may* involve IR-related procedures for 1 or 2 months out of 12. You won't have a leg up on anyone. You'll just be more mentally beaten down. Although, the IR doc of today lives a surgeons lifestyle so you'll need to get acquainted with it at some point I guess..
- Make sure to have a boat load of questions prepared for each place you visit. Have a go-to group of 6-8 questions and then have a few questions tailored to that program.
- Consider your family's wishes: it's important! They often get lost in this crazy period and they shouldn't. Involve them, let them live vicariously through you as you travel the US and meet/see some great people.
PEACE!
As match season gets underway (and I'm sipping hot chocolate in my scrubs on an overnight call) I couldn't help but get nostalgic about all the fun ya'll are about to have! All of you will be getting loads of advice from classmates, residents, and family (don't leave them out!) and if you are like me you will internalize A LOT of that information whether you try to block it out or not. There will be rankings posted on here, sdn, and doximity from last year, two years ago, ten years ago (you get my drift), and while everyone will point out that those rankings "don't mean anything" it will be almost impossible to convince yourself of that. So what can/should you do? 1. Be strategic 2. Have fun 3. Have more fun!
1. Strategy - by now you've already applied and so your list of possible programs is (for the most part) done. At this point, I would do a pre-rank of the programs you've applied to based on the factors you know now that are important to YOU (geography, family, prestige, etc) so that when the interviews come in (and they will) you don't give programs too far down your list good interview dates. By that I mean don't give all of your interview dates in December to programs that are at the bottom of your pre-interview list. A strategy I found helpful was to accept their invites and plan them for January (only breaking this rule by having my home program and one of these schools as initial interviews to "get your feet wet" in October). That way, you can make sure that the programs you really want to go to (at this point at least) don't require double-booking with another program that you've already accepted other than in the month of January. This is also a great strategy because while you feel like every interview is crucial right now and you couldn't imagine not flying to NYC to interview at program X which was last on your pre-interview list, come mid-December, you will have a great feel for A LOT of programs and will begin cancelling interviews that you had planned in January that no longer feel so necessary (this happens every year and every applicant does this). Better to be cancelling programs that were already at the bottom of your pre-interview list then Duke or Emory.
2. Have fun - Enjoy the traveling, the companionship, and the friendships you'll make on the interview trail. So much of medicine is enjoying others' company that you need to let the stats and pride go by the wayside. Don't be intimidated by ordering what you want for dinner. Don't be afraid to sit at the end of the table with most of the residents. Don't overdress (or under-dress...). Just be yourself and try to see in those few hours if this group of people is who you want to be sitting next to for the next few years. This is HUGELY important! Last year, I knew pretty quickly that i didn't fit into one of my top 3 pre-interview programs. I just wasn't as interested in research and academia as the typical resident that program seemed to attract. I struggled with this realization (for many reasons, one for sure being that this program was located in the city my wife really wanted to live in) but in the end I sided with the advice that my mentor gave me "Go to the program where you will be the happiest for the small amount of time that you're not at work or home reading." And after talking things over with my wife, we agreed that we both had better options for our family (and we couldn't be happier with how it turned out)!
3. Have fun - Again, enjoy this experience! Life doesn't get much better than 4th year. Oh, and make sure to snag a "cush TY" spot that everyone talks about.
Finals Ramblings...
- Don't be afraid to contact PCs to let them know of your continued interest. A great email would include a small bit about you, what you can bring to their program, and why you are interested in them.
- Send a personalized thank you email to everyone you met within 36 hours. After that, don't bother. Some of you reading this will disagree with this point (how could I not recommend buying locally sourced and handmade cards off etsy with personalized hand-written notes?) and that's OK. Do as you feel comfortable. Be YOU!
- The program rankings... oh those program rankings! I struggled with this because my favorite 2 programs were ranked below my 3-5... In the end, I ranked how I felt I "fit" the best. I didn't go based on the rankings, but boy it messed with my head for awhile.
- TY vs IM prelim vs Surgery prelim... Take the TY all-day every-day! Even if you're interested in IR, why do a surgery prelim year? You'll work a lot harder and get a minimal amount of surgery that *may* involve IR-related procedures for 1 or 2 months out of 12. You won't have a leg up on anyone. You'll just be more mentally beaten down. Although, the IR doc of today lives a surgeons lifestyle so you'll need to get acquainted with it at some point I guess..
- Make sure to have a boat load of questions prepared for each place you visit. Have a go-to group of 6-8 questions and then have a few questions tailored to that program.
- Consider your family's wishes: it's important! They often get lost in this crazy period and they shouldn't. Involve them, let them live vicariously through you as you travel the US and meet/see some great people.
PEACE!
