competitiveness this year

[macrocyte]

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Does anyone have any idea how competitive this years match will be. Anyone here anything by word of mouth about the applicant pool? Do you guys think it's gonna be more competitive this year than last? I've got 0 interviews thus far and I submitted day one.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Do you have any LORs in? Maybe they won't offer interviews without letters...dunno.

I think this year will be more competitive in terms of number of people applying. There are 8 people applying to path from my school and this is unprecedented. And they're good candidates and are expecting to match well.

I've heard that path is becoming more popular at other schools. Some of my good friends who are MSTP's at other schools are also applying to path. We all applied to pretty much the same programs. If this sample pool is in any way indicative of the applicant pool, I do believe that pathology will be more competitive this year and will continue to become more competitive in the years to come (unless this year is some odd year).

C'est la vie...just like getting into med school, all this is a crapshoot.

 

[Logos']

...

 

[yaah]

It is still early - bear in mind there are many who have not even submitted their applications yet. Last year I ended up being offered interviews everywhere I applied, and I only had one interview (I think) at this point last year.

It is certainly not time to panic, or even mildly worry. For even though applicants want things to happen quickly, programs often have other agendas or processes.

In terms of competitiveness, it's hard to know. Over the previous 2 years there was a large bump in applicants. Per my discussions last year, the increase in numbers was mostly from "good solid students." There have always been a number of top-shelf, highly desirable applicants to path, because the field does tend to attract a lot of high achievers. And there have always been a large number of people who apply to path who feel they are not good enough to match in other specialties. The number of top shelf candidates apparently hasn't changed much. What has changed is that more "average" (and by average I do not mean to insult anyone or imply anything - the average med student is a great student who will succeed extremely well in residency) applicants. People who in the past would have gone into IM or surgery. Thus in the past if you were an "average" student (like board scores 200-220, some honors grades, some extracurriculars, maybe a research project but probably no publications) you could probably match anywhere you wanted in path. Now that is not so certain, but you still stand a good chance of matching anywhere you want if you have good LORs and interview well. And you will probably get interviews at most of the places you applied barring a low board score or red flags on your transcript.

However, even with the large bumps in applicants there were still unfilled programs, so don't worry. It isn't quite urology yet.

477 spots last year
292 filled by US grads
438 filled overall. (all per scutwork.com)

I can't find the number of US applicants who went unmatched in path. Not sure if this info is out there.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

It is certainly not time to panic, or even mildly worry. For even though applicants want things to happen quickly, programs often have other agendas or processes.

Unlike my sarcasm post in the other thread, my only main worry at this point in the application process is getting all my letters in. I worry more about this than getting any kind of interviews at this point because if my letters don't come in, then my application will never be complete (serious Andy speaking).

Oh well, after taking a long nap, I found out that the first of my letters were actually uploaded into ERAS...that's a step in the right direction, right? 🙂

 

[yaah]

LORs are tough in that sense. I sympathize. I had one letter writer that was somewhat slow in getting things done, and I had to resort to the old "thank you again for agreeing to write a letter of reference for me, I have now submitted my ERAS application and am looking forward to the interview season. I will let you know how things go" tract. Gentle nudging reminder.

The problem with LORs is that you, as the applicant, don't have a ton of control over them. All you can do is ask and hope the writer gets around to it before thanksgiving.

I would give it another month though before you start to worry too much though.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

LORs are tough in that sense. I sympathize. I had one letter writer that was somewhat slow in getting things done, and I had to resort to the old "thank you again for agreeing to write a letter of reference for me, I have now submitted my ERAS application and am looking forward to the interview season. I will let you know how things go" tract. Gentle nudging reminder.

Dude, that was the email I sent to one of my LOR writers a few days ago...he just emailed me to say he finished writing it. Now let's hope it makes it to the ERAS coordinator's office 🙂

I will give it another month for other letters to arrive...then I will flip out like them ninjas!

 

[deschutes]

If the letter-writer has a secretary, I usually launch a (gentle) two-pronged attack.

I had to resort to the old "thank you again for agreeing to write a letter of reference for me, I have now submitted my ERAS application..." tract.

As self-assigned vocabulary cop for the night, do you not mean "tack"? 😛

 

[yaah]

As self-assigned vocabulary cop for the night, do you not mean "tack"? 😛

No, actually I meant tract. It was a metaphor. 😉 If you don't believe that, it was simply a "brief treatise" I used.

Definition: [n] a bundle of nerve fibers following a path through the brain
[n] a system of body parts that together serve some particular purpose
[n] a brief treatise on a subject of interest; published in the form of a booklet
[n] an extended area of land

Actually I meant to write "tact" but the darn R is so close to the darn T and I must have slipped. Thank you for being grammar cop though. It can be fun! Now, let's all diagram sentences.

 

[deschutes]

Actually I meant to write "tact" but the darn R is so close to the darn T and I must have slipped.

Well...

tact
1. sensitive mental or aesthetic perception
2. a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others or avoid offence

whereas...

tack
2 a : the direction of a ship with respect to the trim of her sails <starboard tack>
b : the run of a sailing ship on one tack
c : a change when close-hauled from the starboard to the port tack or vice versa
d : a zigzag movement on land
e : a course or method of action; especially : one sharply divergent from that previously followed

http://www.illinoisgop.org/archives/storys/issue_84.html
The nominations may not prove to be divisive if Bush continues along his old tack of naming very senior--and in some cases elderly--people who are well known to the public.

http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/extract.htm?command=search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=0552548588
'I still can't see why you don't take me with you,' she grumbled - although this was an old tack, and she knew it would get her nowhere.

http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/sayingso.htm
"On the right/wrong tack" - in the right/wrong direction; following the (in)correct course of action or line of thought
"To go (off) on another tack": to take another course of action than that previously followed.
From sailing, in which tack means 'direction'. More specifically it means the direction given to a ship's course by the act of tacking, i.e. moving in a zig-zag fashion by adjusting the sails so as to move into the wind but obliquely to its direction.

http://www.google.ca/search?q=cache...ounce.htm+english+sayings+tack&hl=en&start=50
From "100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English"

"If things are not going your way, do not lose your tact?that would be tactless?but take a different tack."

~
To be frank, this is the first I have seen "tact" used in place of "tack" in the old saying "resort to an old/different/another tack" - but I Googled it and it seems not uncommon.

How the twain doth part I have no clue - perhaps the pervasion of an error made a long time ago? 😉 But doubtless we will tactfully agree to disagree while you allow me the pleasure of my purist tack.

Wow I just wasted another hour of this Sunday morning!

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Wow I just wasted another hour of this Sunday morning!

Yeah...your momma would be so proud 🙂

 

[GreatPumpkin]

Numbers seem up again this year so far. We have 9 people from our med school applying to path.

The desirable places will be very competitive. But, there should be more than enough spots for most everyone.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Numbers seem up again this year so far. We have 9 people from our med school applying to path.

The desirable places will be very competitive. But, there should be more than enough spots for most everyone.

Consistent with your observation, we have 8 going into path this year. I believe 6 are AP/CP, one CP, and one AP.

 

[yaah]

In case anyone is curious - applications are up again this year, apparently. It isn't a huge jump, but perhaps about 10%, at least in terms of US grad applicants.

As I have said before though, who knows what type of candidates constitute this increase.

This does not mean anyone should stress out. Just FYI.

 

[Primate]

Glad to sea that the discussion is getting back on tack. (sorry)

We have 3 or 4 MD/PhDs applying AP/NP, and 2 or 3 (or 4, depending on the last AP/NP person) applying AP/CP (and maybe one more - too many people, I can't remember). There are also a couple MD's applying.

Per our PD, the applications are up, but they are from all types of candidates (the erstwhile hyperachieving Derm applicants - at least those who've seen the light - and also from people who've failed USMLE exams), whereas the increase the last two years consisted more exclusively of highly qualified applicants. Not sure what that means for this years match - probably as stated above (harder at top spots, otherwise not too much different than last two years).

Looks like path is tract to take. 😛

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Glad to sea that the discussion is getting back on tack. (sorry)

We have 3 or 4 MD/PhDs applying AP/NP, and 2 or 3 (or 4, depending on the last AP/NP person) applying AP/CP (and maybe one more - too many people, I can't remember). There are also a couple MD's applying.

Per our PD, the applications are up, but they are from all types of candidates (the erstwhile hyperachieving Derm applicants - at least those who've seen the light - and also from people who've failed USMLE exams), whereas the increase the last two years consisted more exclusively of highly qualified applicants. Not sure what that means for this years match - probably as stated above (harder at top spots, otherwise not too much different than last two years).

Looks like path is tract to take. 😛

My first instinct would be to panic a bit about the increased numbers. But if one takes a step back and look at the big picture, the path situation is still far far better than other specialties. I mean, at our school there are many people applying to radiology, derm, opthalmology, and anesthesiology. The numbers for rads, derm, and opthy are crazy (opthy being a little bit better). So we still got it good. I'm just thankful that I found a field that strikes my fancy (although it took 15 months for me to realize that there was a field out there for me).

Regarding top spots, it is my thought that regardless of specialty, getting a "top" spot is always gonna be difficult. That's just the nature of the beast.

 

[SLUsagar]

Per our PD, the applications are up, but they are from all types of candidates (the erstwhile hyperachieving Derm applicants - at least those who've seen the light - and also from people who've failed USMLE exams), whereas the increase the last two years consisted more exclusively of highly qualified applicants. Not sure what that means for this years match - probably as stated above (harder at top spots, otherwise not too much different than last two years).

agreed...
When i asked my PD about the nature of path, or more specifically about the competitiveness of the applicants etc, I was told that candidates that had been turned down in last year's match would have easily made it and been accepted just 5 or so years ago. But still, people are still gonna choose optho, derm, rad, anesthesia, (and now ever so popular and hella compet.) PM&R, .....which leaves us wise folks to choose path. sweetness.

 

[desmangt]

Yeah I agree that path is getting much more competitive. My program has 4 or 5 medical students going into path. Also, I guess that two years ago, at my program, there was a 20% increase in the number of US grad applicantions, last year a 30% increase, and this year they have already received close to 15% more applications from US grads (this is via the residency coordinator). So.... I think pathology is getting much more competitive. But I don't think there is any reason to worry. It is my opnion, that there are far more "great" programs out there than there are programs filled with "great residents". Know what I mean? I don't think there should be any worry about not getting into a good program. I did a ton of away rotations last year and noticied very little difference between most of the departments except for the quality of the residents and maybe the volume.