jfanman said:
Thanks for all your advice, Kasimagore1. It probably won't be possible to do a Sub-I at UCLA because of the time constraints like you mentioned. I wanted to ask you why you thought USC was a disappointment? So in your opinion, should I just do fun electives and don't even worry about audition electives for a person just trying to get back to Cali for residency from NYC?
1) It was a disappointment because they did not put into any efforts to showcase the program. I hope they have made some changes since then, but the interview experience a couple years ago was so terrible, some people did not even bother to finish the whole thing. First off, they asked you to meet the inpatient team in LA county hospital--that is, no reception from staff member, no direction, and you just wandering in that grungy hospital, and stopped any passing residents, and hoping someone will know where the neuro team room is. Then the residents were surprised to see us....and we were ignored for about half an hour while they were preparing for the AM round. The next hour we were invited to the grand round....and you truly find a big difference between a neuro powerhouse like columbia and UCSF, where the entire lecture hall was packed with people, vs. a mediocre one where there were only a couple dozen people sitting there...and many were residents who are busy scribbling, not about the lecture, but the progress notes. Later, we were taken to this hallway outside the neurology dept to meet the residency coordinator--a full 3 hours after our arrival @ USC (wait, isn't their job to welcome us and show us where to go from the start?). So, 5 of us, sitting/standing in the hallway (mind you, not a room), and waiting to be interviewed. So, now it's lunch time...despite no pre-interview dinner to chat with the residents, we were delighted to have the opportunities to meet the residents and talk about the program informally. So we waited and waited...for another hour, and now it's 1:30 pm...and where are the residents (actually, I was wondering where is the food--as we were sitting in the physician dinning area in the cafeteria, and we weren't sure if we should just go ahead and get in line and purchase our lunch???) Finally a chief resident showed up, and embarrassed that there was no one else here, he quickly paged some other residents to join us, which took another 20 minutes. Ty the time we finish lunch, about 2:30pm, the chief announced: well, now is the chairman interview....and unfortunately we don't have time to give you a tour to the medical center! (what?! this is the only interview where a tour was not provided). We were then escorted to a room next to the chair's office, and we were asked to go in one by one...so that's another 45 min wait for me. After all, it was a terrible interview experience. I have read somewhere in this forum that they have successfully recruited Damasio...hopefully they will do a better job to attract prospective residents. As for me, I didn't even bother to rank the program.
2) I would probably save the fun rotations to the second half of 4th year. As for now I would work as hard, if not harder on the next 3-4 rotations where you can still ask for LORs. There are so many neuro visiting clerkship oppotunities around NYC area. I did a month of critical care neuro @ columbia....busy but fun. Ultimately, audition rotation in Neuro is not a requirement de facto as in some other ultra-competative specialty---think it as an opportunity to explore the city, the people, and the practice philosophy (especially true in neuro critical care...it seems each program has their own "experimental" protocol-evidence based or not) in other parts of the states.
