Current Residents: What do you think is most important when ranking?

[curius]

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Hi--I would love if any current residents or above could answer this question, please. I'm struggling a bit with my rank list and was wondering what factors, in retrospect, you think are the Most Important when coming up with a rank list? The ones I'm considering are: quality of teaching, reputation, exposure to diversity of cases and both subspecialty Neuro and general Neuro, work hrs (I like places with a night float), collegiality, size of program (would like 5 residents or above), environment (city, hospital), population diversity, ability to obtain a fellowship afterwards. I plan on doing a fellowship and entering academia after.

One big consideration I have is where my fiancee can go. My fiancee is limited to a couple of locations, one of which I prefer not to rank high but feel like I should so we won't be apart for four years. So I'm weighing my professional happiness with relationship and personal happiness. I would love for us to be together but also want to go to a great program.

Any input would be greaty appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[AznTrojan]

1. location (i wanted to be in a big city outside of california)
2. reputation/education (i wanted to be in a large county program)
3. autonomy (i work better without having others watching over me)
4. size of program (i have a class of 8)
5. fellowship opportunities

 

[Astrocyte]

I think the goal is to find the best environment for YOU to learn and do well. I sometimes think I wish I have matched somewhere higher or lower on my ranklist, but the fact of the matter is, I will never know how those programs might turn out if I indeed have gone there. So the only thing you can do is to identify qualities in programs that you think might best fit your personality, learning habits, interests, etc. And these things have nothing to do with prestige or so-called rankings, unless you think you are motivated by it and learn best in such environment.

I think above all else, good teaching attending and smart responsible fellow residents are key for me.

Good luck! It will be very exciting for you!