How many interviews is the right number?

[aterry]

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Hey everyone-

Hope interview season is treating everyone well! I am in the process of setting up all my interviews and I am curious what the optimal number of programs to interview/rank is? I currently have done 1 interview so far (at my current #1 pick) and I have 6 more scheduled. I have the potential to schedule 1 or 2 more depending on if I go out and go an interview for a combined program. I am feeling pretty good about my chances. My grades are good, my board scores are solid (COMLEX only) and I have 2 PD LORs on top of several other LORs from 3rd year and 4th year. I also did 3 audition rotations at my top choices and had great feedback from them all. I still have left to hear from UNC Chapel Hill (but I am assuming I probably won't get an interview there) and one other program (that I am only slightly interested in). Should I apply to more programs? Wouldn't it be too late to apply to more? Any advice would be appreciated!!

 

[Bacchus]

Hey everyone-

Hope interview season is treating everyone well! I am in the process of setting up all my interviews and I am curious what the optimal number of programs to interview/rank is? I currently have done 1 interview so far (at my current #1 pick) and I have 6 more scheduled. I have the potential to schedule 1 or 2 more depending on if I go out and go an interview for a combined program. I am feeling pretty good about my chances. My grades are good, my board scores are solid (COMLEX only) and I have 2 PD LORs on top of several other LORs from 3rd year and 4th year. I also did 3 audition rotations at my top choices and had great feedback from them all. I still have left to hear from UNC Chapel Hill (but I am assuming I probably won't get an interview there) and one other program (that I am only slightly interested in). Should I apply to more programs? Wouldn't it be too late to apply to more? Any advice would be appreciated!!

I sat down with a former program director. She said, as a PCOM student and because I'm only applying to OPTI programs, I should apply to 6 or 7 programs. I'm not a stellar candidate, ~575 for I and II, but mediocre grades at best 1st and 2nd year. There's also some other stuff I had to deal with.

You know what? The PD was right. I applied to 7 programs and now have interviews through December. After that I'll be sitting pretty until Match Day.

What's done is done. I think you're in a very good position. As long as your auditions adored you (it sounds like we've had similar experiences) you're going to have a bigger problem trying to put together a rank list that won't upset anyone versus trying to hodgepodge a list together.

 

[aterry]

Thanks for your fast response!! This is probably a stupid question but what is an OPTI program? Also, I think a 575 on step 1 is awesome!!! I'll put myself right out there -- I got 481 on step 1 and 581 on step II (so perhaps my scores aren't as good as I thought?) and my grades are all fine and perhaps a couple of good standouts with a GPA of 86%. I am doing MPH concurrently and have a high GPA there. I do worry about the fact that most of my programs are MD only (but have a good number of DOs in most of them and said they were fine with COMLEX only).

 

[Bacchus]

OPTI is our collection of residencies. http://www.pcom.edu/graduate_medical_education/PCOM_MEDNet/pcom_mednet.html