Anyone having regrets?

[Fermi]

Wondering if anyone wanted to make last-minute changes but did't go through with it, and are now regretting it?

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[penguins]

I was extremely tempted to switch my #1 and #2 at the last minute. One thing that kept me from doing it was that I had already told my "first" #1 that they were my #1 and I just felt so terrible switching it. (Nobody yell at me for that, BTW.)
I ended up with #1 and maybe part of me will always wonder how my life would have been had I ended up at #2 (which I am pretty sure I would have gotten). In the end, I had to trust God that it didn't matter where I ranked them - I would end up where I was supposed to be.

 

[Ergo]

youve got to decide to be happy with whichever program you match at in March, because worrying about it and second guessing it wil not change anything - it wil only wear you down.

As my mentor/chairman said to me the day before rank list deadline day:
"Once that list is final, No regrets, no second thoughts. No matter what."

 

[u_r_my_serenity]

I was thinking this way this morning and decided I've had enough unnecessary stress. There are way too many factors for any one program to be the absolute perfect program in every respect. Depending on what is coursing through your mind at this very moment may cause you to change your mind about what is your first choice. It's probably wiser to go with a rank list you made when you were not under as much time pressure and thinking clearly. It's kind of like going back on the shelf exams to change answers- usually a bad idea even if another answer seems to make sense the second time around when there are less than five minutes left.

There are also too many factors to predict what your life would have been like at another institution. You may have died in an accident had you went to the other program. I'm trying to put things in perspective: I would have been so happy to know I would someday do a residency and actually make it to be a physician before I got accepted into medical school. Now my biggest problem is how much I will enjoy the city I will temporarily live in versus how well the program places into fellowship, etc. I don't have any exams left in medical school. I don't even have any real rotations left. Life should be good right now.

I'm really going to try to avoid thinking about the match so much until around match day. Easier said that done.

 

[DrNick2006]

I looked outside today and saw snow falling in a blizzard fashion and wished I ranked UCSD first.

 

[inositide]

I ranked a superior program (in every way) below another good but not as good program just because of family reasons. Most everyone has some family or geographic considerations that have to be factored into the list.

Don't worry about it. Let the match play itself out. Nothing is a lock to happen until it happens.

 

[Danger Man]

I can empathize with ROL decisions....just trust that the time and effort you put into the ranking process carries a lot more weight than eleventh hour doubts. Many good reasons exist for your respective rankings and they most likely far outweigh any last second doubts. I matched at my FIFTH ranked spot and was happy so rest assured.

 

[applecore]

I changed my rank list the night before. Yes, it was partly done by my gut feeling, but I also had valid reasons. I ended up switching my #1 Prelim spot. Originally, I had a very cushy, easy prelim #1, but decided to switch it with a more malignant program, mostly because of the proximity to my girlfriend. I know it will be tougher, but in the end, i think it is better for my relationship. Also, I bumped one of my categoricals way down, UC Irvine, because of the bad publicity it received in the news.

 

[secretwave101]

Changed mine 6h before deadline on an "epiphany". Have been VERY happy about it since, but it's hard to rationally believe that I suddenly realized something I hadn't figured out in the months before when I researched and interviewed and questioned residents and looked at real estate prices and on and on and on at all the programs. But still, I'm glad I changed. For now, anyway.

Silly. 1st choice odds aren't 100% anyway, so why care?