help me on IM residency information in northeast

[jeevesbond]

Hi...

Im a US medical student in a northeast medical school (MD program and I am going to be a fourth year) with a 250+ on my step 1 and am currently Alpha Omega Alpha (junior)...my school is not really well known (i.e. not a top medical school). I don't really have any publications, though I have done lots of research and almost have a case report. I am trying to look into top medical residencies in the northeast (spanning really from Boston to philadelphia). I am really looking for advice on which programs I should apply to and also a comparison of program strength (by reputation). I really want to get into a top program. In addition, I would like advice as to where I stand when looking into a top program. I'm not sure what sort of applicant I am in terms of where I stand for top programs. I am more than willing to provide more info about me if that will help give a better idea of me as an applicant. Please advise and also let me know about any other info about programs that are recommended. Also comparison of NY programs vs programs in other places is needed as well. I thank everyone in advance for helping me out. Incidentally, as many programs as you can list people...I need to get ready for apps coming soon...

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[jeevesbond]

oh yeah...im looking to do a fellowship in cardiology, so comments on programsw ith strong fellowship slant is appreciated...thanks again to the community

 

[lurkerboy]

do a search of old messages on this forum. there are a lot of people who reported on their impressions of programs across the northeast. most of the discussions focus around nyc and boston programs.

 

[CCMD2005]

Hi...

Im a US medical student in an AOA accredited northeast medical school (MD program and I am going to be a fourth year) with a 257 on my step 1 and am currently Alpha Omega Alpha (junior)...my school is not really well known (i.e. not a top medical school). I don't really have any publications, though I have done lots of research and almost have a case report. I am trying to look into top medical residencies in the northeast (spanning really from Boston to philadelphia). I am really looking for advice on which programs I should apply to and also a comparison of program strength (by reputation). I really want to get into a top program. In addition, I would like advice as to where I stand when looking into a top program. I'm not sure what sort of applicant I am in terms of where I stand for top programs. I am more than willing to provide more info about me if that will help give a better idea of me as an applicant. Please advise and also let me know about any other info about programs that are recommended. Also comparison of NY programs vs programs in other places is needed as well. I thank everyone in advance for helping me out. Incidentally, as many programs as you can list people...I need to get ready for apps coming soon...

Top Programs from Boston to Philly (no order)
-MGH
-BWH
-BIDMC
-Yale
-Columbia
-Cornell
-UPenn
Other top Programs:
-BU
-Tufts
-Brown
-Yale Primary Care
-Mt. Sinai - some say most resident friendly in NYC.
-NYU
-Jefferson

Others outside northeast you might want to look at if interested in cards (all seem to place very well in cards): no order
-Duke
-Johns Hopkins
-Mayo-Rochester
-Emory
-Baylor
-Wash U.
-Michigan
-U. of Chicago
-Northwestern
-U. of Virginia
-UCSF
-Stanford
-U. of Washington.
Here's a start.
Which school do you go to?
-CCMD UVA

 

[jeevesbond]

Top Programs from Boston to Philly (no order)
-MGH
-BWH
-BIDMC
-Yale
-Columbia
-Cornell
-UPenn
Other top Programs:
-BU
-Tufts
-Brown
-Yale Primary Care
-Mt. Sinai - some say most resident friendly in NYC.
-NYU
-Jefferson

Others outside northeast you might want to look at if interested in cards (all seem to place very well in cards): no order
-Duke
-Johns Hopkins
-Mayo-Rochester
-Emory
-Baylor
-Wash U.
-Michigan
-U. of Chicago
-Northwestern
-U. of Virginia
-UCSF
-Stanford
-U. of Washington.
Here's a start.
Which school do you go to?
-CCMD UVA

Wow thanks ccmd...

Any suggestions as to my chances as an applicant to any of these top schools...I can provide more info if it will be useful

Incidentally any thought on what is better...penn vs cornell vs columbia vs yale vs BWH vs MGH??? And what do u think of deaconess...

also i searched the three pages of this forum, but could not find the info the first reply poster was referring to...if you would be so kind as to direct me to the correct place, or provide any more info id be much obliged

 

[AJM]

Wow thanks ccmd...I go to New Jersey Medical School...(not robert wood johnson)...its a great place, but generally isnt well known outside the region...

Any suggestions as to my chances as an applicant to any of these top schools...I can provide more info if it will be useful

Incidentally any thought on what is better...penn vs cornell vs columbia vs yale vs BWH vs MGH??? And what do u think of deaconess...

also i searched the three pages of this forum, but could not find the info the first reply poster was referring to...if you would be so kind as to direct me to the correct place, or provide any more info id be much obliged

There is a search function that you can use to search through all old posts in the forum by keyword. If you're in the IM forum, go to the "Search this Forum" option in the top right of the page. You can then do a search on the various programs you're interested in. There have been extensive discussions in the past on many of these programs.

 

[AJM]

Any suggestions as to my chances as an applicant to any of these top schools...I can provide more info if it will be useful

Incidentally any thought on what is better...penn vs cornell vs columbia vs yale vs BWH vs MGH??? And what do u think of deaconess...

The big academic powerhouses of the northeast are mainly BWH, MGH, and Penn. If you are interested in cards, both BWH and Penn are very heavily slanted towards cardiology. Columbia is also also a very highly respected program. Yale, Cornell, and BID don't quite have the reputation that the other above-named programs do, but they provide excellent training in their own right. I don't know too much about Yale or Cornell, but the BID residents have the added advantage of being a Harvard-affiliated program, and therefore tend to have an easier time matching into many of the Harvard-affiliated fellowship programs.

As far as your chances at the various programs, it's really hard to tell. For the powerhouse programs, simply having great Board scores and AOA is usually not sufficient. People who get into these programs usually have that "something extra", such as publications, unique extracurriculars, and/or a great letter from a very well-known attending. That's not to say you shouldn't apply to these programs, but unless you've done something unique or had at least one publication in med school or undergrad, then you will probably be fighting an uphill battle.

 

[doc05]

how is NJMS an "AOA-accredited" med school? Aren't you pursuing an MD?

 

[jeevesbond]

So to clarify, I need to do something extra to get in huh...Unfortunately we dont have many nationally known physicians in terms of internal medicine...research, my basic science research always fizzled out, and i always ended up getting nothing out of them (three summers yuck, 2 before med and one between ms1 and ms2!!!)...I am trying to get this case report out, though people have said they mean nothing...there arent a whole lot of clinical researchers with projects that will go to completion anytime soon, which implies probably no chance of publication before interviews...the attendings I asked to write recs for me, actually OFFERRED to write me the LORs without my even asking, so I assume they will be really stellar...but then again, i dont believe they are really very well known...

Have any suggestions on how I can go about improving my chances? Looks like my outlook is not so good then =(...I know a lot of talk on these boards has been about how med school name gets you into residencies...makes me sad to think that had I chosen a different school, my chances may have been improved comparitively...anyway thanks to all of you guys for advice in advance...

 

[AJM]

So to clarify, I need to do something extra to get in huh...Unfortunately we dont have many nationally known physicians in terms of internal medicine...research, my basic science research always fizzled out, and i always ended up getting nothing out of them (three summers yuck, 2 before med and one between ms1 and ms2!!!)...I am trying to get this case report out, though people have said they mean nothing...there arent a whole lot of clinical researchers with projects that will go to completion anytime soon, which implies probably no chance of publication before interviews...the attendings I asked to write recs for me, actually OFFERRED to write me the LORs without my even asking, so I assume they will be really stellar...but then again, i dont believe they are really very well known...

Have any suggestions on how I can go about improving my chances? Looks like my outlook is not so good then =(...I know a lot of talk on these boards has been about how med school name gets you into residencies...makes me sad to think that had I chosen a different school, my chances may have been improved comparitively...anyway thanks to all of you guys for advice in advance...

Don't take what I said in my previous post to mean that you have to do something extra to get into any top IM program. I was just talking about the powerhouse programs (BWH, MGH, and Penn). From what I read in your posts, I think that these programs would be a longshot. If you publish the case report and have great letters, with your scores you probably stand a decent chance at matching at BID, Yale, or maybe Cornell. (or any of the other academic programs previously mentioned).

 

[jeevesbond]

i didnt realize penn was such a powerhouse...they took three ppl from our school this year...i think my general package is probably better than at least 2 of them...we had two go to yale, but i have heard yale isnt that well respected compared to other big names...one a piece for columbia and cornell...

what are my chances for columbia incidentally...and between columbia cornell and penn, any opinion on which is better (or worse)...i took a look at the searched threads btw, but a lot of them generally degenerate into people just arguing, and from what I have seen, they are all kind of arguing...wondering if you have seen consensus...

also any opinion on other NY schools like NYU, sinai, AECOM?? Any of these worth applying to? I have heard of at least two attendings tell me than if I stay at NJMS for IM, they will give me cheif residency most likely and subsequent cards...is it worth it to take the risk, or do you think going to competitive residencies are better?

thanks for your advice...I'll keep trying hard...I really want to match at a competitive IM residency...we'll see what I can work up...also where are you AJM? in IM, fellowship, med school...and whats your opinion on your place...

 

[jeevesbond]

Bump...still looking for help from the wonderful people on this forum...thanks already to AJM for his help and advice...any other people's input (or AJM's guidance again) would still be great...thanks

 

[P Diddy]

Bump...still looking for help from the wonderful people on this forum...thanks already to AJM for his help and advice...any other people's input (or AJM's guidance again) would still be great...thanks

hey man,

i had similar stats to you and junior AOA from an average state school (but not as much research) and I matched into a top 10 IM program and now cardiology. you should apply to Brigham and MGH as these programs do take residents from lower tier med schools (when I interviewed at MGH, I saw U Kansas on their residency list). Granted, the Kansas grad probably made a vaccine out of corn or they felt sorry for her being stuck in Kansas. PM me with questions and drink some Natty Light.

P Diddy

 

[irlandesa]

NJMS's match list is excellent, I know someone from your school with significantly lower board scores and grades than you who matched at one of the programs listed and got interviewed at other stellar programs on the list (Duke, UNC, BIDMC, not BWH/MGH though).

 

[AJM]

i didnt realize penn was such a powerhouse...they took three ppl from our school this year...i think my general package is probably better than at least 2 of them...we had two go to yale, but i have heard yale isnt that well respected compared to other big names...one a piece for columbia and cornell...

Your comments demonstrate that much of this process is about who you know and the experiences programs have with certain schools. My guess is that there have been a few graduates from your med school that have done residency at Penn, and the program was impressed with them. Therefore they will continue to take students from your school into their residency program. As far as the powerhouse comment, it is mostly relative to the rest of the East Coast programs and what Penn's reputation is in cardiology -- I don't have any 1st hand knowledge of the program, but only what I know about it's reputation.

 

[AJM]

also any opinion on other NY schools like NYU, sinai, AECOM?? Any of these worth applying to? I have heard of at least two attendings tell me than if I stay at NJMS for IM, they will give me cheif residency most likely and subsequent cards...is it worth it to take the risk, or do you think going to competitive residencies are better?

thanks for your advice...I'll keep trying hard...I really want to match at a competitive IM residency...we'll see what I can work up...also where are you AJM? in IM, fellowship, med school...and whats your opinion on your place...

Sorry, I don't know much about the NY programs (have never been a fan of NYC). A couple of words about promises -- be very wary when someone promises you something of this nature. Remember that they can always change their mind and screw you over in the future. For example, this year at Hopkins there were several Hopkins residents applying in cards, many of whom were told by their own cards program that they could stay so they neglected their applications to other places. When Match day came, much to everyone's surprise, not a single resident from Hopkins matched to Hopkins cards. IMO I think you would do much better if you go to a competitive residency to keep your options open -- from what it sounds like, I'm sure that NJMS would love it if you came back for cards after doing residency elsewhere, so don't think that if you leave that door is closed for you.

About me -- I just finished IM residency, and am 3 days away from starting my fellowship in pulmonary/critical care. Feel free to PM me with other questions.

 

[jeevesbond]

Wow thanks to everyone who have commented...I really appreciate it and it helps me focus my ideas and have a little confidence as well...I will surely be posting more messages (or Pmming some of you if you dont mind) in the coming months...thanks again