Couples Match into ENT

[Ovaltine]

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Hey what's up,

Long time reader, first time poster (I think)

I'm at the start of my fourth year at a US med school and going to be applying into ENT. I feel that I'm qualified enough to match somewhere in the field: Step I 260+, hopefully AOA (not announced yet), honors in a couple clerkships, and some basic science research and non-ENT pubs, etc, but I plan on couples matching with my girlfriend who wants to go into pediatrics. For pediatrics, she is a very strong candidate.

We would like to stay in the Northeast (where we go to med school) but plan on sweeping applications from Ohio/Illinois down to the North Carolina area. We don't need to be at the same institute but preferably within an hour drive or so from each other.

Basically my question is: are there people out there who have been in this situation or know others who have and have advice or the "I wish I had known this back then..." sort of stuff. Like...
- Any ERAS specific advice or knowledge
- should we declare couples' matching when sending out the apps for interviews or just declare it after interview season right before we submit our ROL's
- do ENT or peds programs look favorably/unfavorably on this situation or do they not care?
- any programs in specific who like couple's applying to their institutes?
- Am I going to hurt her chances of getting interviews or being ranked? Or do programs not talk that much and I'm just paranoid? - I'll swallow my pride and admit that she's a much stronger Peds candidate than I am an ENT candidate
- Any other words of wisdom?

Thanks so much for any advice in advance

 

[Hermione03]

So I realize that this post is 6+ years old, but any feedback on this? OR has hopefully matched and is an attending by now but does anyone else have any input into ENT programs feelingsuch about couples matching? Both myself and SO are relatively competitive; one application to ENT one to OB/Gyn.

 

[Pangwyn]

For anyone viewing this years down the line - just went through the couples match with a very similar set up as OP with similarly empowered partner.

Couples match is certainly much harder on both applicants - think both have to go into it with the expectation that one person is likely to come out a little disappointed by the final result.

By and large I felt that all programs I applied to were responsive to and supportive of couples matching applicants - no program wants to be responsible for splitting up a couple. My partner was very competitive and received far above the normal # of interviews, while I was perhaps a handful more than average #. We both gained a few interviews through couples matching and overall I think it helps, particularly as a meaningful reason to reach out when they are giving interviews out for coordinating interviews at the same place.

Departments within an academic institution definitely differ in terms of how much they play well together, imo. For example, ENT and Gas folks are very well acquainted. But ENT and peds, they might only know each other as professional peers.

 

[operaman]

Sometimes you see weird stories from couples matching. I’ll never forget we had one applicant that was top of the rank list, beloved away rotator. Partner was couples matching into derm and didn’t get an interview at our local derm program. Our PD pleaded with theirs to at least consider but they wouldn’t budge.

I forget where the couple matched in the end - it was either Harvard or Michigan though. Obviously both were very strong applicants.

So be prepared from some non sensical bs along the way, but strong candidates will do ok in the end.