Help, How many is enough

[Pookies]

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Hello

I have seven interviews that I will/have gone to and I am running out of funding. I have three more moderate programs that it will cost $$$ to attend. How many interviews is enough?

Thank you.

 

[stormjen]

I think it was AndyM who posted a while back that the chance of matching starts to level off at around seven programs in the ROL. It looks like I will probably be doing ten interviews and ranking eight of them. I'm hoping it's enough.

This process is so ridiculously, sickly expensive. If only I were applying to only regional programs, then I could drive to all of them!

 

[jeff2005]

I think going to 10 is a good idea. I'm going to 12 and I'm going to rank every single one of them. I do not want to go through this process again.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

I'm with jeff2005 on this. I'll be interiewing at 11 and ranking all of them as well. I guess if I find a place I really really don't like, that number will drop.

But stormjen, you're right. I've heard from the "match adviser" here that 7 is for some reason the magic number. I don't know why that is but it probably has to do with some statistical mumbojumbo that was figured out by looking at match statistics.

The students here will have a workshop where this issue will be discussed more at length. If there are like figures/graphs that better illustrate this point, I'll post them.

 

[Pookies]

Thanks

I think I will now cut back a few to save some cash (credit card).

D

 

[yaah]

I don't know if there is a set # of places you "have" to rank. The majority of US grads go down no farther than 4 or 5 on their list. In my graduating med school class there were a couple of people who went down to #8 or so, but they were in nasty competitive fields like Ortho or something. It's very hard to say at what point you are "safe." You might be safe by ranking only one place. It all depends.

There is no reason to not rank as many places as you can (they start charging you after about 15 I think). Unless, of course, you visited a place and you would rather try to scramble than go there, which is possible. The scramble is bad. Don't look at past years results and think "that might not be so bad." It is bad. Stressful and difficult.

There is no magic number that applies to everyone though, unfortunately. But if you interview at a range of places and include some less competitive places (I know, it can be hard to tell whether a program is non competitive) you shouldn't have trouble. If you are ranking 5 programs but they are all high power programs that can be risky.

 

[deschutes]

To add a bit of perspective, a Canadian grad applying to surgery last year had two interviews, shat bricks and matched to her top choice.

I have six at this point (one less than the magic "7"! 😱 ) - I highly doubt any more are going to be coming in, will be interviewing and ranking all of them, and I sure as hell hope I match.

 

[joedogma]

I plan on interviewing at 10 places and think I will probably rank all of them unless I see some surprises during my visits. The applicant pool has exploded this year so I would rank as many as you can without ranking a program you would be miserable at...

I heard that there has been an applicant increase of 50% from US schools this year! A number I got was about 430 US grads/soon to be grads applied through eras for pathology...a lot when you consider how many total spots there are in the country.

 

[yaah]

I heard that there has been an applicant increase of 50% from US schools this year! A number I got was about 430 US grads/soon to be grads applied through eras for pathology...a lot when you consider how many total spots there are in the country.

😱 😱 😱

Damn CSI.

One of the med students I had down for the autopsy today (a 2nd year) was pimping me about pathology work hours and lifestyle. He said, "So, is it usually 7 days a week?" I laughed.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

I heard a while ago that this year, the number of US grads applying to path may actually exceed the number of spots. Has anyone else heard this?

 

[PFCortex]

i have heard that rumor as well, though for the life of me i can't remember who...

I heard a while ago that this year, the number of US grads applying to path may actually exceed the number of spots. Has anyone else heard this?

 

[stormjen]

I have six at this point (one less than the magic "7"! 😱 ) - I highly doubt any more are going to be coming in, will be interviewing and ranking all of them, and I sure as hell hope I match.

Those six are from pretty decent programs, if I remember correctly. So you must not stink, and all you have going against you is that you're Canadian (which is actually a positive in my mind - Canada rules! 😛 ).

Are you applying to Canadian residency programs too? I looked into it because I wanted to get the heck out of the U.S., but it sucked that they have to do an internship year up there. Plus the stipends are lower, if I remember correctly.

 

[Doctor B.]

I interviewed at 9 places and only found three that I wanted to rank. For whatever that's worth...

 

[deschutes]

Dr. B - that was a while ago though, I think?

Are you applying to Canadian residency programs too?

I am not. I've been in Canada only since the start of med school, on a student visa. CaRMS states that to hold a provincially-funded position (which all the residency positions are), I have to at least be a landed immigrant/permanent resident. I don't know how it would be for US grads.

I think stipends are actually pretty much in the same range, dollar-to-dollar. The thing about residency programs here is that the difference in quality between the so-called "top" program and "worst" program is really not all that much.

It sucks that I can't apply to CaRMS, since I've worked for the last year and a half with the recently-retired head of dept at my home school and I'm pretty sure I could have got in.

And since I'll be in the US on a J-1 visa if this match ever comes to anything, I have to leave the country after my residency/fellowship term is over.

No rest for the wicked!

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Dr. B - that was a while ago though, I think?

I don't think it was all that long ago. Yo B, you're like a 3rd year resident right? I mean we aren't talking eons here 😀

And since I'll be in the US on a J-1 visa if this match ever comes to anything, I have to leave the country after my residency/fellowship term is over.
No rest for the wicked!

That stinks. Any chance of applying for citizenship or is this J-1 visa thing a done deal?

 

[jeff2005]

I saw this link posted in another forum. It has some interesting statistics an matched and unmatched applicants.

applicants.http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/about_res/impact.html

 

[b&ierstiefel]

thanks for the link jeff.
So seven IS the magic number! That means that if I rank 14, my chances of matching will double!

 

[Pookies]

Unfortunately they do not have the one curve that matters. Using the average number of programs ranked blurs the statistics. Also this includes all specialties (FP to Derm). I am not sure you can use this data on an individual basis for a specific field.

Doubling your rank list from 7 to 14 will only increase your chance of matching in path by about 5%.

Of course, this could all be screwed this year with the large increase in applications.

 

[Doctor B.]

Dr. B - that was a while ago though, I think?

About 3 years ago, Andy's right. Seems like forever though.

 

[deschutes]

About 3 years ago, Andy's right. Seems like forever though.

Didn't mean to imply it was aeons! It's just that people keep saying over and over, how non-competitive Path was up until a couple of years previously.

It's like riding a horse. Some people just can't. They bump down just when the horse is bumping up. Ouch!

I hope this is not reflective of future trends in my career. Meeting with all you ultra-competitive applicants is taking years off my lifespan 😛

 

[Doctor B.]

It was less competitive when I applied, agreed. Looking at the board scores of some of the applicants we've interviewed the past few years, I'm glad I got in when I did!

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Didn't mean to imply it was aeons! It's just that people keep saying over and over, how non-competitive Path was up until a couple of years previously.

Don't come up with excuses! You're trying to say that Dr. B is an old fart. We know what you mean. Clearly for you, age 28 or over qualifies as old fart. Fine! You are a young, ripe, silent, deadly, smelly fart. There!