Away rotations needed to get to the west coast?

[aprilfools]

Hey everyone, I'm an M3 who will be applying Gen Surg later this year. I'm in the process of figuring out my fourth year schedule and if I should be applying for aways. I'm at a lower-middle tier program on the East Coast and will be couples matching with my SO who is in a similar caliber program in the Midwest, and she will be applying peds. We would like to get over the to the West Coast, ideally Utah/CO/SoCal, and I would like to be at an academic institution. While she does have family in SoCal, and did live in Utah at one point, I do not really have any connection there.

Basically, should I try and set up an away rotation and try and get a hot shot letter from someone on the West Coast? If so, should I be looking to apply for aways to our number 1/2 choices, or just somewhere where I can get a good letter? I'm super competitive, though I have no connection to the west coast and my SO is not as competitive as I am.

Step1: low 260s
AOA, random preclinical award
All honors grades so far
1 transplant surg pub and 3 ortho pubs, all 2nd-4th author, 10+ poster presentations
buncha school/community service stuff like firefighting/EMS, tutoring, step1 mentor

FWIW, SO's step score is in the high 210s, though she will be applying peds.

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[wanderingraven]

Everything looks great except your SO's score. I would say that you've got the golden ticket and pretty much can go anywhere you want but when your couples matching with someone who has a score like that you may have a problem. Not to be callous but it may be worth considering not couples matching and just trying to hit the same region. If you don't couples match you can land in the west coast easily.

 

[aprilfools]

Not to be callous but it may be worth considering not couples matching and just trying to hit the same region

While I very much appreciate the input, this sentiment/advice makes absolutely no sense.

You can prove mathematically that couples matching has the exact same odds of matching for both partners. You just have to rank all possible combinations. We can quite literally create the exact same outcome that would have happened if we didn't couples match by creating the rank list correctly, but also have the possibility of matching together.

 

[wanderingraven]

this sentiment/advice makes absolutely no sense.

Hey, I did not mean to offend, but I am not here to tell you that everything is honky dory and you're going to get that spot at UCSF guaranteed no questions asked. So if you don't care about people's opinions who have been through this process then I advise you not to ask for them in the first place. As someone who just matched into their number 1 applying to the same region that you're shooting for I may have some insight. All I know is this.

For couples matching the algorithm takes into account how both partners are ranked by the institutions they interviewed at. That is why when people are couples matching it is important for them to be realistic about how competitive they are. A more competitive partner may be able to boost the less competitive one but if thats the case then the inverse is certainly true... Now I just went through the match for gen surge by myself. However, multiple friends of mine went through the couples match, some with great success, and others with not so much. You are competitive, that is for sure. But when your couples matching both of you are applying, together.

Going forward I would advise you to keep 2 things in mind;
1. When PDs see an applicant for couples match it can make that candidate less desirable (no matter how good they are). This is because no matter how they feel about the applicant in front of them there is a wildcard applicant that is attached. Since they will not be interviewing them they have no say about that persons chances at the programs in the region. It makes you look riskier as a candidate because even if you rank the program number 1 and they rank you number 1 it all could be fouled up by your partner being ranked low or not at all by the regional program. Hence the risk... This brings me to my next point.

2. Let's say you go to your top west coast program and they love you and they think your great. You rank them number 1, they rank you number 1... Now if you were in the normal match. BOOM! done deal. You're in. But if your in the couples match, not so fast... So the worst case scenario is that you have a partner who messes up their interview and doesn't get ranked at any of the local programs. Guess what, you didnt match at your number 1. Now how likely is that scenario?... very unlikely. The question is how does the algorithm account for you being ranked in the top 10% and your partner being ranked not in the to 10% in a given pair. I don't know. Do you?

You are extremely competitive, your numbers are stellar. So how much will a less competitive partner act as an anchor in a non-competitive specialty... Probably not much. But mind you, it can happen. There was a 2020er with numbers better than yours that fell to their 13/15 on their rank list couples matching into neurosurgery with a less competitive partner going into primary care.

I admire your dedication to your partner and I think that your chances are good. I am not even telling you not to do it. And lets be real here. Obviously you're going to do it. You care about this person, you want to be with them, and that is admirable. The couples match was created exactly for this reason. I think you should do it. But I am not going to sugar coat it and tell you what you want to hear. I am just telling you how it is.