couple matching in same program?

[bunny cat]

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Hi all,

This is my first time posting after lurking for the past week, and you guys seem like a really helpful, honest bunch. To that end, I was hoping to get your sort of collective pulse on something:

My boyfriend and I are both applying in psychiatry this year (couples matching), and while we're applying in a couple cities that would allow us to match in separate programs, there are a couple cities where there is really only one big contender program in which we're both interested (eg, Brown), and I've been worrying that the fact that we're a couple applying to the same small program would be considered a major handicap. Cambridge has explicitly expressed some hesitation about accepting a couple in that it might create a weird/skewed dynamic so early on and in such a small incoming class, but the PD at our current school has reassured us that this generally isn't a concern. We're not one of those weird, conjoined-twin couples who spends all our time together, and we each have our own opinions/circle of friends/etc, and have VERY distinct academic interests (he's more of a psychotherapy/community/child psych kind of guy, and I like the acuity of inpt, and fall more in the psychosomatic end of the spectrum). I readily accept that we'll probably be a walking punchline for going into the same profession (I've already heard pretty much every permutation on the "oh, you're gonna have messed up kids" theme), but I'm worried that some of the programs we're both really interested will only consider taking one of us. Any thoughts/opinions would be really appreciated!

 

[Doc Samson]

Hi all,

This is my first time posting after lurking for the past week, and you guys seem like a really helpful, honest bunch. To that end, I was hoping to get your sort of collective pulse on something:

My boyfriend and I are both applying in psychiatry this year (couples matching), and while we're applying in couple cities that would allow us to match in separate programs, there are a couple cities where there is really only one big contender program in which we're both interested (eg, Brown), and I've been worrying that the fact that we're a couple applying to the same small program would be considered a handicap. Cambridge has explicitly expressed some hesitation about accepting a couple creating a weird/skewed dynamic so early on and in such a small incoming class, but the PD at our current school has reassured us that this generally wouldn't be the case. We're not one of those weird, conjoined-twin couples who spends all our time together, and we each have our own opinions/circle of friends/etc, and have VERY distinct academic interests (he's more of a psychotherapy/community/child psych kind of guy, and I like the acuity of inpt, and fall more in the psychosomatic end of the spectrum). I readily accept that we'll probably be a walking punchline for going into the same profession (I've already heard pretty much every permutation on the "oh, you're gonna have messed up kids" theme), but I'm worried that some of the programs we're both really interested will only consider taking one of us. Any thoughts/opinions would be really appreciated!

Mrs. DS and I matched into the same program a year apart - she was a year ahead of me. Really wasn't a problem - we managed our schedules to the point that she was my senior resident on call only once in all our time there. Having different interests certainly helps - along with the fact that a few of our co-residents coupled-up after arriving at the program (but we were at a big program >60 residents). You're dead on with the jokes, BTW - will hear that for the rest of your life and your kids will probably hear it for the rest of theirs.

 

[bunny cat]

Thanks, DS; I really appreciate the reassuring post. Our PD also pointed to the inevitability of post-Match coupling within a class, but that didn't really reassure me about the pre-Match impact of being a couple; glad to hear we're not alone. Not thrilled to hear that those jokes keep coming, though 😉

 

[Doc Samson]

One thing we did do was only look at cities with lots of options for psychiatry residencies (for us, that boiled down to NYC, Boston, and Chicago). That way there's a lot of permutations for the couple's match where you can both end up in the same city if not the same program.

 

[psychattending]

Hi all,

This is my first time posting after lurking for the past week, and you guys seem like a really helpful, honest bunch. To that end, I was hoping to get your sort of collective pulse on something:

My boyfriend and I are both applying in psychiatry this year (couples matching), and while we're applying in a couple cities that would allow us to match in separate programs, there are a couple cities where there is really only one big contender program in which we're both interested (eg, Brown), and I've been worrying that the fact that we're a couple applying to the same small program would be considered a major handicap. Cambridge has explicitly expressed some hesitation about accepting a couple in that it might create a weird/skewed dynamic so early on and in such a small incoming class, but the PD at our current school has reassured us that this generally isn't a concern. We're not one of those weird, conjoined-twin couples who spends all our time together, and we each have our own opinions/circle of friends/etc, and have VERY distinct academic interests (he's more of a psychotherapy/community/child psych kind of guy, and I like the acuity of inpt, and fall more in the psychosomatic end of the spectrum). I readily accept that we'll probably be a walking punchline for going into the same profession (I've already heard pretty much every permutation on the "oh, you're gonna have messed up kids" theme), but I'm worried that some of the programs we're both really interested will only consider taking one of us. Any thoughts/opinions would be really appreciated!

For most programs I would not think that it is a problem. You should try to find programs and cities that will meet both of your needs. The only negative is if one of the two people has some major academic negative in his or her application.