Do I have to be in the country during Match Week?

[Captopril]

I'm thinking about going overseas to visit my friends in March. Is there any compelling reason for me to delay my trip until after the Match? What I mean is, do I have to undertake any legal paperwork, etc during that time that would require me to be in the US?

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[bcat85]

I wouldn't leave during match week unless you are 100% certain that you're going to match. If you don't, and you can't be there to scramble, you are up a creek.

 

[gutonc]

I'm thinking about going overseas to visit my friends in March. Is there any compelling reason for me to delay my trip until after the Match? What I mean is, do I have to undertake any legal paperwork, etc during that time that would require me to be in the US?

Agree with bcat. If you match, it's unlikely that you'll need to do much of anything paperwork-wise for a few weeks (or even later). But if there's a chance you might not match (i.e. hyper-competitive specialty or borderline app), you'd best be around for the scramble.

But if you're convinced you're going to match, no practical reason to be there on Match day.

 

[Captopril]

Oh jeez just the thought of having to go through scramble is making my stomach churn. I hope it doesn't come to that...

 

[gutonc]

Oh jeez just the thought of having to go through scramble is making my stomach churn. I hope it doesn't come to that...

As it should. Imagine how much fun it will be to do it from Phuket or someplace like that where you were previously having a good time.

I don't know your story (AMG/IMG/DO; Steps; Specialty, etc) but if you're in any way a marginal candidate it might be best to stick around or at the very least, be somewhere with good internet and phone/Skype capabilities.

 

[peppy]

Even if you are a solid applicant and have no reason to think you won't match, I really wouldn't tempt fate by going somewhere before you're sure you matched.
The residency you end up with is such a huge life changing thing, that I don't think it's worth the risk of letting anything jeopardize that. Nobody can ever really be 100% sure they will match, even if the odds are in their favor. Every year, it seems like a few good applicants end up being surprised and disappointed to find out they didn't match.
It is not something anyone wants to think about, but with the risk being there, I'd advocate for staying in the country for match week. Then relax and enjoy your trip afterwards. 🙂

 

[Law2Doc]

I wouldn't leave during match week unless you are 100% certain that you're going to match. If you don't, and you can't be there to scramble, you are up a creek.

Agreed. Every year a couple of very good applicants slip through the cracks for a variety of reasons and unexpectedly have to scramble. Most end up fine in the scramble, but they need to be in town with good phone/fax/email access, and access to school administration/faculty to do this effectively. Postpone your trip until the week after the match,

 

[splik]

There is nothing that would require you to be in the US, as long as you were somewhere with access to email, Skype and telephone you will be fine. In previous years I think it would have been essential to be in the country, but with the co-ordinated scramble (SOAP) this year you will not have to make calls to programs, fax lots of documents, or even ask someone to contact programs on your behalf etc in fact this is forbidden for programs taking part in the match - it is all done through ERAS.

It is probably unlikely that you won't match but there is always a possibility and you have to ask yourself would you really want to hear such devastating news when you are supposed to be enjoying yourself. Also it might look bad if you are having a Skype interview on the beach or wherever but it seems unlikely a program would ding you for that. Or what if you are out of country and a program tries to call you and for some reason they can't (which though possible in the US is far more likely to occur if you are abroad) then you could hamper your chances of matching.

 

[Captopril]

Thanks a lot guys...looks like the consensus is to stay stateside. It won't be a big deal to delay my trip a couple weeks, so I think I will heed your guys' sound advice. Thanks again for the input.

 

[gutonc]

Thanks a lot guys...looks like the consensus is to stay stateside. It won't be a big deal to delay my trip a couple weeks, so I think I will heed your guys' sound advice. Thanks again for the input.

That's what I did. I left for a 2 week European trip 3 days after Match day. More likely than not, you'll be fine, but better safe than sorry.

 

[Law2Doc]

There is nothing that would require you to be in the US, as long as you were somewhere with access to email, Skype and telephone you will be fine. In previous years I think it would have been essential to be in the country, but with the co-ordinated scramble (SOAP) this year you will not have to make calls to programs, fax lots of documents, or even ask someone to contact programs on your behalf etc in fact this is forbidden for programs taking part in the match - it is all done through ERAS.

It is probably unlikely that you won't match but there is always a possibility and you have to ask yourself would you really want to hear such devastating news when you are supposed to be enjoying yourself. Also it might look bad if you are having a Skype interview on the beach or wherever but it seems unlikely a program would ding you for that. Or what if you are out of country and a program tries to call you and for some reason they can't (which though possible in the US is far more likely to occur if you are abroad) then you could hamper your chances of matching.

I wouldn't be too complacent that SOAP is going to work flawlessly the first time out of the box. You really need to be available that week if you get stuck scrambling. Residencies are often old school. They aren't all tech savvy Skype-ers.

 

[sunset823]

Does this apply to being on an away rotation during match time? I'm planning on applying for an elective in the southern US, and the schedule is such that I'm probably either going to have to miss match week or graduation, and I'd rather miss match week, cuz I think my parents will want to see me graduate lol (they wouldn't come to match day). My med school is in the midwest. So even if you are in the US, do you have to be at your school during that week, in case you have to scramble?

 

[CherryBomb]

Does this apply to being on an away rotation during match time? I'm planning on applying for an elective in the southern US, and the schedule is such that I'm probably either going to have to miss match week or graduation, and I'd rather miss match week, cuz I think my parents will want to see me graduate lol (they wouldn't come to match day). My med school is in the midwest. So even if you are in the US, do you have to be at your school during that week, in case you have to scramble?

I was out of town during the scramble - "on vacation."

You don't have to be at your school during that week. However, you do have to plan for the possibility that you will have to scramble. How you decide to do that is up to you - either you decide that you will fly/drive back to your school's campus ASAP if you find out on Black Monday that you didn't match, or you talk to your away rotation coordinator and arrange to have access to a quiet office with a landline phone, a computer (with reliable internet access), and a fax/copy machine. You will probably need access to all these things when you participate in the SOAP.

Finally, tell your dean before you go away on your away rotation. That way, they know how to contact you in the event that you don't match.

 

[splik]

You don't have to be at your school during that week. However, you do have to plan for the possibility that you will have to scramble. How you decide to do that is up to you - either you decide that you will fly/drive back to your school's campus ASAP if you find out on Black Monday that you didn't match, or you talk to your away rotation coordinator and arrange to have access to a quiet office with a landline phone, a computer (with reliable internet access), and a fax/copy machine. You will probably need access to all these things when you participate in the SOAP.

Finally, tell your dean before you go away on your away rotation. That way, they know how to contact you in the event that you don't match.

Err.. it is different this year with the SOAP. Everything is done through ERAS, your school is NOT allowed to make calls on your behalf (it is a match violation for the SOAP), and you are not allowed to fax anything or write or email to programs (violation) - it is all done through ERAS. Thus there is no benefit of being near your medical school.

The only issue is you will likely need to week off if you don't match in order to apply to programs and have telephone interviews and you will probably be preoccupied such that your performance in the clinical arena will be impaired.

 

[sunset823]

The only issue is you will likely need to week off if you don't match in order to apply to programs and have telephone interviews and you will probably be preoccupied such that your performance in the clinical arena will be impaired.

It's an epidemiology elective (CDC) so I don't really know how much 'clinical' stuff will be going on. And I'll be applying in IM (average joe applicant, but I'll be careful and apply widely to many tiers), and Atlanta is a pretty short flight to my home state, so I think I'll roll the dice (assuming I get the away), and worst comes to worst, fly back for a few days for SOAP. Anyway, apps are only due in the spring, so I have some more time to mull this over, and if match week falls a week earlier than I'm anticipating, I might be in the clear. Thanks guys.

 

[CherryBomb]

Err.. it is different this year with the SOAP. Everything is done through ERAS, your school is NOT allowed to make calls on your behalf (it is a match violation for the SOAP), and you are not allowed to fax anything or write or email to programs (violation) - it is all done through ERAS. Thus there is no benefit of being near your medical school.

Yes, I'm aware of that.

Based on my personal experience, having gone unmatched, there is definitely a lot of benefit to being near your school. You have less than 24 hours to figure out a strategy of what you want or hope to do. You will also need to discuss with your student deans exactly what you should (or should not) do during SOAP - do you take the first offer you get? Or do you wait? What should you do? Are these good programs? Is your dean (who may or may not be a physician) or your faculty mentor familiar with these programs? What questions should I ask when they call? Etc.

For me, the latter part was HUGE. My faculty mentor was familiar with the programs that were contacting me during the scramble, and he could steer me clear of malignant or otherwise "bad" programs.

Furthermore, many schools (although certainly not all) request a contact number for Match Week, as many schools will contact YOU if you go unmatched. Some schools page you, some call you on your cell phone.

The thing about the fax machine - even during the traditional scramble, I didn't use it very much. However, programs offered to fax ME things. The program that I eventually took a job with faxed me some paperwork that they wanted back ASAP. You should have access to a fax machine, just in case.

Finally, you're downplaying the emotional benefit of being near people who can emotionally support you through this process. Going unmatched is a huge blow to your ego, and a very frightening prospect. You will need people to give you a hug and morally support you while you're trying to rapidly re-figure your life out. Being in a different city, away from classmates, friends, advisors, and mentors, makes this difficult.

So, no, I think you're quite wrong. There's definite utility in at least being in contact with your dean, and even a fair bit of benefit being near your med school.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

The issue is "simple".

You certainly can try to SOAP away from your home institution. But doing so will be more difficult, although not impossible. If you KNEW you were going to not match, then you'd be CRAZY to be away from your Dean's office.

But, chances are you'll match and this will all be a moot point. So it all depends on how "lucky" you feel. Do you feel lucky, punk? Do ya?

 

[wannabeOBGYN]

Yes, I'm aware of that.

Based on my personal experience, having gone unmatched, there is definitely a lot of benefit to being near your school. You have less than 24 hours to figure out a strategy of what you want or hope to do. You will also need to discuss with your student deans exactly what you should (or should not) do during SOAP - do you take the first offer you get? Or do you wait? What should you do? Are these good programs? Is your dean (who may or may not be a physician) or your faculty mentor familiar with these programs? What questions should I ask when they call? Etc.

The PD at the program where I am currently rotating - along with multiple attendings/faculty at interviews I've had so far - have all said to take the first offer you get. It may very well be the only one, and it's only offered for a short time before they move on. There aren't going to be many spots (depending on the specialty, of course), and since someone in this situation would not have matched in the first place, there may be some sort of red flag in their application. Would you really want to give up a sure thing and hope something better comes along at that point? That would be ridiculous, in my opinion. Ideally we'll all match somewhere and not have to worry, but realistically that isn't going to happen. If I am one of the unfortunate souls forced to deal with SOAP, I'm taking the first thing I get. But that's just me.

 

[Law2Doc]

The PD at the program where I am currently rotating - along with multiple attendings/faculty at interviews I've had so far - have all said to take the first offer you get. It may very well be the only one, and it's only offered for a short time before they move on. There aren't going to be many spots (depending on the specialty, of course), and since someone in this situation would not have matched in the first place, there may be some sort of red flag in their application. Would you really want to give up a sure thing and hope something better comes along at that point? That would be ridiculous, in my opinion. Ideally we'll all match somewhere and not have to worry, but realistically that isn't going to happen. If I am one of the unfortunate souls forced to deal with SOAP, I'm taking the first thing I get. But that's just me.

That kind of depends on what the first offer is. If you are shooting for one specialty and the first call is from another specialty (assuming you cast a wide net), or if you are shooting for categorical and the first call is a dead end prelim, while it is better than nothing, you may be inclined to gamble and hope there's something behind door number two. But in general I agree with you, beggars aren't supposed to be choosers.

 

[wannabeOBGYN]

That kind of depends on what the first offer is. If you are shooting for one specialty and the first call is from another specialty (assuming you cast a wide net), or if you are shooting for categorical and the first call is a dead end prelim, while it is better than nothing, you may be inclined to gamble and hope there's something behind door number two. But in general I agree with you, beggars aren't supposed to be choosers.

I definitely see your point in those cases; I was referring to someone applying just within one specialty.

 

[CherryBomb]

The PD at the program where I am currently rotating - along with multiple attendings/faculty at interviews I've had so far - have all said to take the first offer you get. It may very well be the only one, and it's only offered for a short time before they move on.

I definitely see your point in those cases; I was referring to someone applying just within one specialty.

Honestly, I don't think that the PD at that program is the best source of advice. The advice of "take the first offer you get" is too simplistic.

Based on your username, I guess that you want to do OB. I don't know for sure off the top of my head, but I think that the number of OB spots available for the scramble in the past 4-5 years has been in the single digits.

So let's say you have to scramble. Do you apply ONLY to the 5 or 6 OB spots available, and pray that you are extraordinarily lucky, or do you apply to an additional 12 Family/Prelim Surgery spots, to be guaranteed of a job next year? And if you choose to apply to other specialties, which is better - a benign, friendly peds program, or a malignant OB program that went unfilled for very good reason?

These are the scenarios that need to be discussed with your dean - NOT a PD who may not be able to objectively advise you on applying for other specialties in the scramble as a backup.

 

[Law2Doc]

I definitely see your point in those cases; I was referring to someone applying just within one specialty.

I think folks tend to cast a wider net in the scramble. See Cherry Bombs post above. There might only be 1-2 scramble spots in your desired specialty in the parts of the country you would be willing to go to, so you almost certainly have to be willing to open the door to more choices. But that doesn't mean the first one to say yes needs to win, unless it's getting later in the day and things are looking bleak.

 

[peppy]

Based on my personal experience, having gone unmatched, there is definitely a lot of benefit to being near your school. You have less than 24 hours to figure out a strategy of what you want or hope to do. You will also need to discuss with your student deans exactly what you should (or should not) do during SOAP - do you take the first offer you get? Or do you wait? What should you do? Are these good programs? Is your dean (who may or may not be a physician) or your faculty mentor familiar with these programs? What questions should I ask when they call? Etc.

Sounds like your med school is good about this sort of thing. Honestly, my med school really wasn't that much help. I definitely was not contacted by anyone from the school, and when I contacted various people, they did offer some sympathy but didn't have a lot of concrete advice or help to offer.
I asked about if I could come to the office to use the fax machine and they seemed surprised by that request. Good thing my mom had a fax machine that I was able to use instead. I applied everywhere through ERAS, but I did have to fax back a "letter of intent" confirming that I wanted to be at the program I wound up agreeing to take.

Finally, you're downplaying the emotional benefit of being near people who can emotionally support you through this process. Going unmatched is a huge blow to your ego, and a very frightening prospect. You will need people to give you a hug and morally support you while you're trying to rapidly re-figure your life out. Being in a different city, away from classmates, friends, advisors, and mentors, makes this difficult.

I definitely agree that, if possible, you should try to arrange to have friends and/or family handy just in case you need their support.
I actively tried to avoid classmates until I was able to secure a spot in the scramble, though, because it is incredibly embarrassing to have to tell someone who did match that you didn't.
Once I scrambled into something, of course, it was easy to tell people where I was going trying to make it seem like "I meant to do that". 😛

 

[hidoc]

Agreed, i have heard it is not in anyone's interest (regardless of how competitive you may be) to leave your school should you need to Soap/scramble