Are Aways at Powerhouses Necessary?

[wanderlustin]

so i'm trying to decide where to do my aways and a few fourth years have advised me to do them specifically for "big name" letters that will get me interviews. i was hoping to use my aways as more of seeing-if-they-fit type of thing--they get to know me and i get to know them/the city/program strengths and weaknesses--and of course letters, too, but not necessarily from a big name place (Stanford, Emory, Harvard, etc.)

is it more important to go where i may see myself as a resident or to go to the big name programs/PDs for widespread appeal and recognition?

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[ccfccp]

It's MUCH more important to go to a place you may want to go as a resident on at least two levels. As an FYI I did away rotations at two very well known programs, and got good letters from both of them. They were both programs I was very interested in attending (and turned out not to be where I ended up going.) However, that's not the most important thing. Good letters from most programs with a residency will help you out. And if you're interested in a certain area, getting a letter from in the region will definitely help.

One, you may find out you either do or do not want to actually go there which will be a huge piece of information for you. One of the hardest things about the match process is trying to get a "feel" for a program from internet reviews and an afternoon interview there. If you think you want to be at a place, spend a month there, and that decision gets a whole lot easier.

Two, if you DO want to go there, doing well on an away rotation will likely help your chances. If you've got a moderate application, but then blow people away (figuratively) on your away, that's likely to bump you up on the rank list. We've had a couple of people who've moved way up the list based on knowing them from their rotations, their work ethic, personality, etc.

As an aside, remember that often the "best" med students do aways at the "best" programs. It may be harder to "shine" on your rotation if you're surrounded by some of the best applicants in the country. Also, these rotations tend to fill up pretty early as I remember as they draw the Type A crowd. A lot of these questions have been discussed at lengths in other posts on this forum. Use the search function and you should come up with some useful information.

 

[gro2001]

so i'm trying to decide where to do my aways and a few fourth years have advised me to do them specifically for "big name" letters that will get me interviews. i was hoping to use my aways as more of seeing-if-they-fit type of thing--they get to know me and i get to know them/the city/program strengths and weaknesses--and of course letters, too, but not necessarily from a big name place (Stanford, Emory, Harvard, etc.)

is it more important to go where i may see myself as a resident or to go to the big name programs/PDs for widespread appeal and recognition?

Both are reasonable strategies. It partly depends on how competitive an applicant you are otherwise (superstar can do whatever, someone who has failed step 1 will need all the help they can get) and what region of the country you are planning to apply to.

That said, I would probably try different types of places to see what kind of program fits you best. If I could pick any rotation schedule, I would do one rotation at a big-shot academic place and another at a hard-core county type place and one more at a community program just to see the different environments. That is, unless you already know what kind of places you are interested in, in which case target those programs.

Also, 'big name' places in EM are not the same as in other specialities. I don't mean to imply anything about the quality of training at any particular program, but the 'name cred' of EM programs like Cook County, Downstate, Jacobi, etc is probably greater than that of most Ivy League places.

 

[quicknss]

Likewise most people have never even heard of Hennepin County yet it is one of the best EM programs in the country

 

[DrVanNostran]

Likewise most people have never even heard of Hennepin County yet it is one of the best EM programs in the country

I just heard about Hennepin from a buddy of mine who really wants to go there. After researching them, they seem phenomenal. What are other programs like this?

To the OP, I was recommended to do On EM rotation at my home institution and another in the REGION I hope to match into. A letter from any one known in the midwest will help you all over the midwest. I was also told that it is sometimes a lot harder to shine in EM than in other fields, so an away at your number one could be a shot in the foot.

 

[wanderlustin]

of umaryland, carolinas, unc, duke, and brown, would a letter from some or any of these programs help get me an interview on the east coast?

 

[WildMed16]

I was also told that it is sometimes a lot harder to shine in EM than in other fields, so an away at your number one could be a shot in the foot.

That's interesting. Never heard that before. Not sure why that would be

 

[SepulvedaMD]

Originally Posted by DrVanNostran
I was also told that it is sometimes a lot harder to shine in EM than in other fields, so an away at your number one could be a shot in the foot.

I've never heard that either. What was the reasoning?

Also, remember that EM is still a relatively small field. Thus when PD X from wherever writes a letter for a student applying within the region, the letter carries more weight because the PDs likely know each other. At least that's what I was told at a EMIG meeting from some current EM residents.

I have interest in a particular region and hope to do aways their to establish a local cred.