How many applications?

[mules05]

Hey 4th years,
So I (and I'm sure all the other 3rd years) am starting to make a list of programs I'm thinking of applying to, since a lot of them have different requirements- I don't want to realize in August that I need a medicine letter! I'm wondering how many programs you all applied to and how many interviews you went on, and whether you think that was too many, too few, or just right.

How many days till match day? Good luck!

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[JulianCrane]

Hey 4th years,
So I (and I'm sure all the other 3rd years) am starting to make a list of programs I'm thinking of applying to, since a lot of them have different requirements- I don't want to realize in August that I need a medicine letter! I'm wondering how many programs you all applied to and how many interviews you went on, and whether you think that was too many, too few, or just right.

How many days till match day? Good luck!

I didn't know exactly where I wanted to live and I wasn't tied to the city in which I go to medical school, so I applied to a wide variety of academic programs. I interviewed at 11 programs and ranked all 11 of them, though the very bottom of the list would never ever be a great match for me. I think that you should iron out right now is OB/GYN the specialty you want to pursue. If so, then think about the locations that appeal to you and things that would factor into moving to and living in those places and also think about whether you want to do an academic vs community program. I don't think there a magic number of applications/interviews per se, though ranking 10 programs is thrown around a securing a spot in the match. Hope this helps.

 

[chrisisinnocent]

Same as Julian as far as locations go. I interviewed coast to coast. Applied at 30 or so programs went on 11 interviews will rank all of them. I only applied to academic programs that had fellowships and research opportunities.

 

[boost3]

To the above 2 posters, curious to know whether you did any away electives? I too am not geographically bound, and will be applying all over the country, but am at a loss as to how to narrow down and choose a place.

 

[drlexygoat]

For me, when starting out, it was all about making a list of priorities. For instance, for me, my priorities were: location, available jobs for my husband in said city, cost of living, size of program (not too large), night float, etc. The things that were NOT important to me also helped me as well. For instance, I'm not planning on doing a fellowship, so I wasn't constrained to looking at only places that had placed folks in fellowship in years prior.

I'd suggest starting with your priority (and non-priority) list. From there, you can sort of start researching what programs might suit your needs. A good resource for you is apgo.org, where you can look at info supplied by the PDs of diff programs, although sometimes outdated.

As for LORs, you're right about the variety. I did have a program of two that required a mandatory non-ob /g letter, programs that required letters from the Chair, etc. I'd suggest making a list now of what programs will need so you don't get insanely confused. Organization helps!

good luck!

PS - I applied to 21, got interviews at 20, went to 11, ranking 9. In retrospect, I applied to waaayyy too many.

 

[BBCatcherVA]

Like many of the other posters, I was not constrained by location per se. I am married (need job opportunities for hubby) and have schoolage children (need good schools) and have designs on doing a fellowship (need strong academics) and those factors entered into it. I applied only to academic programs that had MFM fellowships. Because of this narrow program pool I felt I needed to increase the # of programs to which I applied. I applied to 23, got interviews at 21, interviewed at 13, and ranked 10. I feel that I probably applied to too many (I wasn't sure of my competitiveness for these large name academic programs) and interviewed at about the right amount. Focus on what is best for you... There will be other Ob/Gyn folks at your school that will all have different criteria for making their application lists and they may all be right for them. Good luck and I'm keeping my fingers crossed until match day.

 

[OrnotMajestic]

My problem is mainly that my board scores aren't competitive, per se. I'm not entirely worried since my grades are average and I'll have some good letters...but I know that as a specialty OB/GYN is getting more competitive. I'll probably end up doing what everyone does...applies to WAY too many schools, goes on way too many interviews, then realizes I should have saved some money.

 

[Sharkfan]

My problem is mainly that my board scores aren't competitive, per se. I'm not entirely worried since my grades are average and I'll have some good letters...but I know that as a specialty OB/GYN is getting more competitive. I'll probably end up doing what everyone does...applies to WAY too many schools, goes on way too many interviews, then realizes I should have saved some money.

It will be helpful to see how this year's match shakes out- once you get an idea how far people fell on their lists, and how many people didn't match, you'll have a better handle on what you're looking at. You don't have to have all honors or > 230 scores to get interviews at good places, but I can guarantee you you'll be interviewing with people who do. Speaking from experience, this year's applicant pool was incredible. Looks like OB's coming back with a vengeance.

 

[OrnotMajestic]

It will be helpful to see how this year's match shakes out- once you get an idea how far people fell on their lists, and how many people didn't match, you'll have a better handle on what you're looking at. You don't have to have all honors or > 230 scores to get interviews at good places, but I can guarantee you you'll be interviewing with people who do. Speaking from experience, this year's applicant pool was incredible. Looks like OB's coming back with a vengeance.

Yeah, i'll wait for the Charting Outcomes 2008 to see where I fall on the list. Luckily, I'm looking at smaller, non-academically powerful programs around the Southeast, mainly. In 2007, the match numbers weren't that hot, but I know that times, they are a changin'. So far, I've mostly honored 3rd year, which has helped to make up for a multitude of sins in 1st/2nd year, but I'm just hoping my personality pushes me through. I guess it's a "wait and see" thing for the moment...