Hello all,
Maybe the insights from someone who has breathed this program for 60-80 hours per week for the last 7.5 months can provide a little anxiety relief and shed some light onto the program.
Lets get the basics out of the way: I matched here and I never got an email about a second look. There, that is my anecdote. Take it or leave it. Let me just say that when we are anxious about important forks in the road (such as the match) we get easily worked up and sensitive about issues just like this. How much did I obsess about when I was offered interviews..."is this the first round they sent out, or the fourth? Why did girl x or guy y get an earlier invite, my numbers are better...should I write this email or phrase it that way...call, email, love letter, cash bribe?"...this whole process is anxiety provoking and its easy to anchor onto this minutiae.
Now, to the meat of this post. I love this program. Let me begin by saying that it wasn't even on my radar, let alone on my initial interview list when I first drafted one. I had no connection with Baltimore or Hopkins, but one of my advisors encouraged me to apply here, so I added it because it was easy and didn't cost much extra and...lets be honest, for the name ("hey ma', your child is interviewing at Hopkins, now go brag at bookclub about it").
When I got here, the people, most of all, blew me away. The dynamic program leadership, the enthusiastic attendings, the autonomous senior residents and the happy interns...each glimpse I got that day revealed a uniformly well-balanced institution and program. I was infatuated, I think would be the right term. I ranked, I matched (to my very big surprise) and a few months later I was heading to my new apartment and workplace.
Let me tell you, what I hoped for based on my interview day (without having money for a second look, it was all I had) has been met and then exceeded by magnitudes. I'm an intern who loves to go to work in the morning...the long hours, the difficult cases, the frustrating social/financial environment of east baltimore and the surrounding areas, all made bareable, even enjoyable by the people I get to work with here. Yes, yes, all the minutae is right - big children's hospital, every speciality you can think off at your fingertips, connections of alumni all over the country, reputation, etc, etc. All nice and important because it'll get you where you want to go after residency, wherever that might be. But I'd rather like to convince you to come here because the essence of this program is not about its name, the numbers, its match list or whether its one of the "best", but rather about the genuinely great experience I have had here so far. I have yet to meet a resident, fellow or attending that I have not enjoyed working with, whether in peds or when interacting with other specialities. The outstanding compassion, competency and enthusiasm for medicine, teaching & learning of each member has turned my infatuation into a deep appreciation and gratefulness to be here. This place makes me happy and I think that's a sentiment I share with 99% of my fellow interns and residents.
So, if you liked it here, if your gut tells you to come here then by all means rank accordingly. Don't let internet hysteria and the stressful nature of the process get in the way.
See you in a few months.
