Choosing Programs: Help!!

[ex20]

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Hi guys,

In what I'm sure is the 100000th request of this nature, I was hoping for some input into the residency programs I'm applying to. I'm a competitive applicant but I want to make sure that I'm not overreaching with my list and applying to too many difficult programs without enough "backups."

A little about me: I'm a USMG from a top 20 school, 240+ step 1, Fulbright fellow (research on HIV/AIDS), Honors in psych, child psych and family med, won a prestigious psychiatry award, no publications but lots of public health research, some basic science research, some presentations.

My list so far reflects my desire to live in a big multicultural city in the NORTH (I dislike the south) and a major research institution (I am interested in doing research in the future). So far my list looks as follows, in no particular order:

Harvard MGH/McLean
Harvard-Cambridge
Harvard-Longwood
John Hopkins
NYP-Columbia
NYP-Cornell
NYU University
Mount Sinai
Stanford University
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Diego
University of Pittsburgh
Yale University
University of Pennsylvania
Northwestern University
UIC
University of Washington

Are there any other programs I should include based on my above preferences? Is this list appropriate or should I include a few less competitive programs? Thanks for your help guys!!

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Hi guys,

In what I'm sure is the 100000th request of this nature, I was hoping for some input into the residency programs I'm applying to. I'm a competitive applicant but I want to make sure that I'm not overreaching with my list and applying to too many difficult programs without enough "backups."

A little about me: I'm a USMG from a top 20 school, 240+ step 1, Fulbright fellow (research on HIV/AIDS), Honors in psych, child psych and family med, won a prestigious psychiatry award, no publications but lots of public health research, some basic science research, some presentations.

My list so far reflects my desire to live in a big multicultural city in the NORTH (I dislike the south) and a major research institution (I am interested in doing research in the future). So far my list looks as follows, in no particular order:

Harvard MGH/McLean
Harvard-Cambridge
Harvard-Longwood
John Hopkins
NYP-Columbia
NYP-Cornell
NYU University
Mount Sinai
Stanford University
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Diego
University of Pittsburgh
Yale University
University of Pennsylvania
Northwestern University
UIC
University of Washington

Are there any other programs I should include based on my above preferences? Is this list appropriate or should I include a few less competitive programs? Thanks for your help guys!!

You had me at USMG...🙂

Basically, you're in the driver's seat. Decide where you want to live and start your career and take it from there.

You left out a few midwestern programs that would love to have you--Wash U, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mayo--though your stated preference for multicultural cites might torpedo that idea.

 

[ex20]

You had me at USMG...🙂

Basically, you're in the driver's seat. Decide where you want to live and start your career and take it from there.

You left out a few midwestern programs that would love to have you--Wash U, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mayo--though your stated preference for multicultural cites might torpedo that idea.

That's nice to know, thanks! I don't know much about St. Louis. Does it compare to a Chicago, San Fran, Seattle or New York? I like museums and night life and jazz clubs and diverse people...

As for those others, I've lived too long in the Midwest and with the exception of Chicago, it's time to go!

Also, what about San Mateo? I heard it's a nice program and it's in San Fran but I don't know too much about it or if I'll get adequate exposure to research there...

 

[Doc Samson]

Don't forget Brown. Providence is more multicultural than you might think (certainly more so than New Haven or Baltimore), accessible to both Boston and NYC, and has a tradition of having a generally hip group of residents. I didn't go there b/c my wife was already in Boston, but I was tempted enough to calculate commute times if we lived in the 'burbs between the two.

 

[ex20]

Don't forget Brown. Providence is more multicultural than you might think (certainly more so than New Haven or Baltimore), accessible to both Boston and NYC, and has a tradition of having a generally hip group of residents. I didn't go there b/c my wife was already in Boston, but I was tempted enough to calculate commute times if we lived in the 'burbs between the two.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into Brown more seriously as well. Any others I should add or possibly subtract from my list?

 

[BCqueen]

Don't forget Brown. Providence is more multicultural than you might think (certainly more so than New Haven or Baltimore), accessible to both Boston and NYC, and has a tradition of having a generally hip group of residents. I didn't go there b/c my wife was already in Boston, but I was tempted enough to calculate commute times if we lived in the 'burbs between the two.

Hi I just wanted to respond to those saying that New Haven is not multicultural. I just moved here from NYC to do my psych residency and I must say that I am so pleasantly surprised just by how diverse New Haven actually is. At the hospital here I have encountered tremendous variety in the ethnic/racial/socioeconomic backrounds of the patients. It's actually more ethnically varied than the hospital that was affiliated with my med school in New York.
In addition, the multicultural opportunities and scene that I have seen in the two months since Ive been here are great. There are TONS of fabulous ethnic restauraunts serving anything from Ethiopian food, to Indain, to Thai, to Vietnamese, you name it and crave it you will find it here. In addition because Yale U is here there are tons of events here that promote cultural diversity/understanding--just last month we had a music festival that celbrated music of all types from hip-hop to country to folk and peole were out in the street on the New Haven green dancing and enjoying the scene.
Finally if you get bored of the opportunities New Haven has to offer (and there are a lot) NY is an 1:40 mins away and Boston is 2 hrs away though I must say I really don't need to go to either place to have a good time.

Sorry this was so long but I actually get a little frustrated when people say that New Haven isn't multcultural because at least in my experience that just is not the case.

Thanks!

 

[Sleepygator]

I am sure that most of us who are responding to the OP are going to plug where they are currently training or have completed training. So here is my plug...

I did my psychiatry residency at Dartmouth and felt it was a great experience. They are particularly good at community psychiatry. It is a rural program but draws from a large population across northern new england.

 

[Doc Samson]

Hi I just wanted to respond to those saying that New Haven is not multicultural. I just moved here from NYC to do my psych residency and I must say that I am so pleasantly surprised just by how diverse New Haven actually is. At the hospital here I have encountered tremendous variety in the ethnic/racial/socioeconomic backrounds of the patients. It's actually more ethnically varied than the hospital that was affiliated with my med school in New York.
In addition, the multicultural opportunities and scene that I have seen in the two months since Ive been here are great. There are TONS of fabulous ethnic restauraunts serving anything from Ethiopian food, to Indain, to Thai, to Vietnamese, you name it and crave it you will find it here. In addition because Yale U is here there are tons of events here that promote cultural diversity/understanding--just last month we had a music festival that celbrated music of all types from hip-hop to country to folk and peole were out in the street on the New Haven green dancing and enjoying the scene.
Finally if you get bored of the opportunities New Haven has to offer (and there are a lot) NY is an 1:40 mins away and Boston is 2 hrs away though I must say I really don't need to go to either place to have a good time.

Sorry this was so long but I actually get a little frustrated when people say that New Haven isn't multcultural because at least in my experience that just is not the case.

Thanks!

I didn't say that New Haven wasn't multicultural, I just said that Providence was, in my experience, more multicultural as New Haven (similar to saying New York is more multicultural than Boston - it doesn't mean that Boston isn't multicultural). I liked Yale when I was on the trail, would've been happy to go there if Mrs. DS weren't already training in Boston.

 

[Doc Samson]

I am sure that most of us who are responding to the OP are going to plug where they are currently training or have completed training. So here is my plug...

I did my psychiatry residency at Dartmouth and felt it was a great experience. They are particularly good at community psychiatry. It is a rural program but draws from a large population across northern new england.

Dartmouth is certainly a great program, but one of my favorite moments from the interview trail was when I asked about the ethnic diversity of the patients there, and the resident that was interviewing me thought hard for a few beats and replied, "Well, we do get some French Canadians admitted every now and then."

 

[Sleepygator]

Dartmouth is certainly a great program, but one of my favorite moments from the interview trail was when I asked about the ethnic diversity of the patients there, and the resident that was interviewing me thought hard for a few beats and replied, "Well, we do get some French Canadians admitted every now and then."

I totally agree. While Dartmouth does not have the racial diversity, there is a large economic diversity. If you are looking for racial diversity, northern new england is not the place to train. Stick with the bigger city programs.