Competition at University of Colorado radiology?

[RadsHopefulGO]

Hi, I'm an ms4 at US MD school and I'm really looking into matching at CO for rads. I haven't been able to get a gauge for the kind of applicant that ends up matching there, because I'm not from the area.

Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

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[mpdoc2]

If your honing in on one institution you should be so familiar with the department that you should know the level of competition to get there.

 

[Strawman123]

Hi, I'm an ms4 at US MD school and I'm really looking into matching at CO for rads. I haven't been able to get a gauge for the kind of applicant that ends up matching there, because I'm not from the area.

Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

If you have your heart set on one program, Definitely do an away there. There are many qualified applicants who apply to the top and mid tier programs so it can sometimes come down to random chance whether you do or do not get an interview at a specific program. Demonstrating an interest in a program by doing an away can be a way to insulate yourself against getting lost in the shuffle.

 

[CorneliaSt]

Agree with advice above. Colorado can be more competitive than its peer programs because of its desirable location. Can be difficult to get an interview there if you don't have connections to the area.

 

[Radz123]

UC in general is a very competitive place to get into. I would imagine Radiology is no different.

 

[Apoplexy__]

I interviewed there, and other interviews I got were generally mid-tier academics like the Universities of California. I believe Doximity ranks them top 50 for Rads, if that means anything to you.

Pulling this out of thin air, I would guess people who interview there are generally >240 on Step 1 with some research experience.

 

[Strawman123]

As best I can recall, they have very few interview days and each day has a large number of interviewees, which makes the benefit of doing an away and getting to know the residents and faculty personally even more valuable.

 

[RadsHopefulGO]

Thanks everyone for the replies, this is all very helpful. Seems like doing an away is a no-brainer.

For what its worth, I have 250+ step 1 and some rads research experience (plus other research experience in another specialty). I imagine CO is at least somewhat competitive due to location alone.

I have some personal interest in going there, since my fiancee is from the area and we'd like to end up near his family.

 

[Apoplexy__]

Thanks everyone for the replies, this is all very helpful. Seems like doing an away is a no-brainer.

For what its worth, I have 250+ step 1 and some rads research experience (plus other research experience in another specialty). I imagine CO is at least somewhat competitive due to location alone.

I have some personal interest in going there, since my fiancee is from the area and we'd like to end up near his family.

You're definitely interview material, in my opinion. Doing an away will really make you a desirable candidate.

 

[deleted564680]

I know of numerous DOs who interviewed there with 240+ so MDs probably can get an interview with 230 or so. I'd say it's mid to mid-upper tier overall with its location the main factor like others have mentioned.

 

[COradsMD]

I’m a current radiology resident at University of Colorado and wanted to weigh in on some of the things mentioned in this thread; even though it’s an older post, I know people may read this around interview time. In the order a few topics came up:
(1) Doing an away rotation. I did an away in IR and I’m pretty sure it helped me get an interview and get accepted to the program. As many people probably advise applicants, doing aways can help or harm. In radiology, doing an away in diagnostics is tough, in my opinion -- hard to show much more than an ability to sit still and maybe occasionally ask good questions. Much easier on IR to show your motivation and work ethic, even if IR isn’t your area of choice within radiology.

(2) Needing a connection to the area to get in. I happen to have grown up in CO, but everyone else my year has little or no connection to the area. I would heed that “advice” as suspect. We are looking for strong personality fits in high quality applicants (who isn’t?), not so much that you have a particular connection to the area. That being said, to the extent that your enjoyment of a program is connected to your comfort and happiness in a particular area, perhaps that consideration crops up in a PD’s mind...I can’t say for sure. If you have a sincere interest in any program, it’s helpful to reach out to the PD.

(3) The large interview day. This has changed after years of feedback that many applicants (and residents) did not like this. Our PD and chief residents from last year took feedback very seriously and have changed the program for the best in many ways, this being one of them. As of this past year, we now offer 10-12 interview dates with around a dozen applicants at each.

Feel free to PM if you have any further questions. I love the program and am happy to answer you honestly or direct you to someone who can. Our PD is also fantastic and transparent and would be happy to field questions. We’re setting up an anonymous “Ask the PD” and “Ask the residents” section on our website so that if you have a question you can ask without worrying that your name will be attached, if that suits you better. Check out the website (updates are ongoing) for more info

 

[tco]

I’m a current radiology resident at University of Colorado and wanted to weigh in on some of the things mentioned in this thread; even though it’s an older post, I know people may read this around interview time. In the order a few topics came up:
(1) Doing an away rotation. I did an away in IR and I’m pretty sure it helped me get an interview and get accepted to the program. As many people probably advise applicants, doing aways can help or harm. In radiology, doing an away in diagnostics is tough, in my opinion -- hard to show much more than an ability to sit still and maybe occasionally ask good questions. Much easier on IR to show your motivation and work ethic, even if IR isn’t your area of choice within radiology.

(2) Needing a connection to the area to get in. I happen to have grown up in CO, but everyone else my year has little or no connection to the area. I would heed that “advice” as suspect. We are looking for strong personality fits in high quality applicants (who isn’t?), not so much that you have a particular connection to the area. That being said, to the extent that your enjoyment of a program is connected to your comfort and happiness in a particular area, perhaps that consideration crops up in a PD’s mind...I can’t say for sure. If you have a sincere interest in any program, it’s helpful to reach out to the PD.

(3) The large interview day. This has changed after years of feedback that many applicants (and residents) did not like this. Our PD and chief residents from last year took feedback very seriously and have changed the program for the best in many ways, this being one of them. As of this past year, we now offer 10-12 interview dates with around a dozen applicants at each.

Feel free to PM if you have any further questions. I love the program and am happy to answer you honestly or direct you to someone who can. Our PD is also fantastic and transparent and would be happy to field questions. We’re setting up an anonymous “Ask the PD” and “Ask the residents” section on our website so that if you have a question you can ask without worrying that your name will be attached, if that suits you better. Check out the website (updates are ongoing) for more info

Glad to hear the interview day changed.

I actually loved the program, loved Denver, and I'm sure it's a fantastic place, but I couldn't get myself to rank it higher because the day felt so impersonal.

 

[BoulderRadiology]

I'm a resident at University of Colorado Radiology & absolutely love our program. In an effort to provide an avenue for our applicants to get the best info straight from the source, we've created an anonymous online Q&A. This is in response to seeing some outdated and bogus info on forums. Also, we understand that applicants have questions after the interview day & may be hesitant to ask for fear of it negatively impacting their rank. Questions go to a group of residents & we post answers. We hope this helps make interview season & ranking a little bit easier. Visit our residency page and click 'Resident Q&A'.