Aways/4th year schedule question

[dropout87]

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I was told by my home PD to not do aways since the chances of getting letter from well known faculty is slim and in past few years, students from my school who did aways at a program did not match there. Is this sound advice? And does it look poorly if you don't have aways/LOR from away programs? I have decent stats like step 1 ~265, honors in all 3rd year clerkships so far (I have yet to do medicine/peds), and two derm publications. And there are at least 2 well known faculty members at my school who can write a good letter for me.

 

[dermie1985]

I was told by my home PD to not do aways since the chances of getting letter from well known faculty is slim and in past few years, students from my school who did aways at a program did not match there. Is this sound advice? And does it look poorly if you don't have aways/LOR from away programs? I have decent stats like step 1 ~265, honors in all 3rd year clerkships so far (I have yet to do medicine/peds), and two derm publications. And there are at least 2 well known faculty members at my school who can write a good letter for me.

My advisors told me the same thing when I applied. Though, in retrospect, I think I disagree with it. Many programs do preference audition rotators, or even guarantee interview invites. They know you better and even though there may be other qualified interviewees who may even be more impressive than you in terms of grades/stats/interview, you're still less of a "roll of the dice" than going with someone most faculty talked to for about 5-10 minutes. Even if it doesn't lead to a residency position, it's still an opportunity to network, maybe do a little research, travel, get to know other dermatologists, and learn more derm. Who knows, some of those social networking connections might lead to a job or faculty position down the line. Derm is a lot about building a strong professional network to get ahead and you might as well start now.

If you have your heart set on a particular program (or geographical area) and aren't a totally socially awkward person, it can definitely work in your favor. There are certain caveats about away rotations (i.e. you'll be going to a new city, new hospital, new EMR, new attendings, and it may be harder to "impress" given those restraints) and there are certain programs that are more low-yield (for instance, Harvard or UCSF). So...just do your homework before signing up.

I'd sign up now though, because April is almost getting too-late to schedule Summer away rotations.

 

[PatsyStone]

I was told by my home PD to not do aways since the chances of getting letter from well known faculty is slim and in past few years, students from my school who did aways at a program did not match there. Is this sound advice? And does it look poorly if you don't have aways/LOR from away programs? I have decent stats like step 1 ~265, honors in all 3rd year clerkships so far (I have yet to do medicine/peds), and two derm publications. And there are at least 2 well known faculty members at my school who can write a good letter for me.

I know the derm departments at Hopkins and UT Houston tell their students this.

Aways can help you or hurt you; only you know how likable your are (at least I hope you do). One of the great things about aways is that besides having an opportunity to learn more about dermatology and meet people in the field, it can lead to a LOR. Having LORs from different program--particularly if they are from different areas of the country--can be tremendously helpful. Besides, even if you do get a letter from a big-wig, the letter may be generic versus getting an enthusiastic letter from a junior faculty member. I'll also echo that at many of the top-tier programs, your away may be less helpful than at a "mid" or "low tier" program

 

[dropout87]

Thank you very much! One more question, should I do all derm electives fall of 4th year or add things like rheumatology/infectious disease for a varied exposure?

 

[asmallchild]

I was told by my home PD to not do aways since the chances of getting letter from well known faculty is slim and in past few years, students from my school who did aways at a program did not match there. Is this sound advice? And does it look poorly if you don't have aways/LOR from away programs? I have decent stats like step 1 ~265, honors in all 3rd year clerkships so far (I have yet to do medicine/peds), and two derm publications. And there are at least 2 well known faculty members at my school who can write a good letter for me.

Agree with the above. It can be hard for students to know how "likable" they are (hint: we all tend to overestimate this quality in ourselves) and it can be hard for an outsider to know what the culture of a program is like. For instance, my home program had numerous problems with resident behavior and was looking for residents who would be quiet and just get work done. As students, we are all taught to be inquisitive, bubbly, and interested. You can imagine the clash of cultures between the rotators and the residents.

If your stats are good enough, I agree with your home PD. Perhaps do one away just to see how other programs structure their clinic / didactics / etc. If your stats aren't good enough, you can do multiple aways but you need to make sure you are on your game from start to finish. Not rotating might lower your chances at certain programs. A poor rotation will almost certainly doom you at most programs.

You can try mixing up your exposure to derm in various ways to boot: perhaps try a research rotation to buffer your research. Perhaps a dermpath rotation? Perhaps a pediatric derm rotation?

Rotations like rheum and ID won't hurt but I don't think they are essential. If you are a good candidate, get the rotations you need for your application (e.g. home rotation / away rotation) and then get the required rotations out of the way so you aren't stuck doing your sub-I during the match. If you aren't as good of a candidate, then yes, the fall of 4th year should fit in as many derm electives as possible as you'll need to shine in person to overshadow your paper application.