How many is a lot of programs when applying for residency?

[MiesVanDerMom]

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Hello. I'm a D.O. student with not-so-amazing numbers, so, I'm planning on applying broadly. My question is: what is broadly? How many? I have a list of 37 programs I'm interested in (trying to stay within a 6 hour radius of my hometown). How many of these should I plan on applying to? They're not "upper tier" superhard programs except for one or two. The region is mid-atlantic/midwest. Any and all input highly appreciated. Just looking for something general here.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

In psych, I'd say applying to anything more than 10 to 15 would be a lot of programs. Interviewing at anywhere more than 10 would be a lot. Based on some stuff I observed last year, though, I'd think maybe trying to do at least 10 interviews would be good for most applicants.

I got all indecisive and applied to I think 21 programs, interviewing at 13. That's more than almost anyone I know. 37 is probably too many. 🙂

 

[maranatha]

In psych, I'd say applying to anything more than 10 to 15 would be a lot of programs. Interviewing at anywhere more than 10 would be a lot. Based on some stuff I observed last year, though, I'd think maybe trying to do at least 10 interviews would be good for most applicants.

I got all indecisive and applied to I think 21 programs, interviewing at 13. That's more than almost anyone I know. 37 is probably too many. 🙂

I would generally agree with this. However, it will really come down to how much time and money you want to spend in the process. If you are concerned about the time and money then I'd agree with Doc Bagel here that going on about 10 interviews is more then enough for the average applicant. But the more interviews you go on, the more informed your decision will be in the process. I personally went on 14 interviews and really enjoyed learning about a wide variety of programs. However, I was in an unique position as I was in the couple's match and my spouse was applying to a relatively competitive speciality. If I were not in the couple's match, I would not have gone on more then 10 interviews.

Obviously, there is no perfect way to do this and you'll have to do what makes you most comfortable to quell your own anxiety...

Good luck!

 

[peppy]

In your situation, since you are a mother and a DO in one of the "four states", I definitely think it would be good to aim for at least 10 interviews.
Even though it shouldn't happen, you never know if you will run into an interviewer who has a problem with the fact that you have kids (and, yes, even though it's supposed to be illegal to inquire about family status, I was openly asked by a few interviewers about it, so expect it).
Even a program that has historically been DO-friendly can have a change in leadership and the new leaders may not like DOs as much.
A program that is DO-friendly may hear about the apparent change in Penn's stance on Resolution 42 and decide that they don't want to bother with the confusion that might be caused by taking a DO this year.
You may also run into problems getting to interviews due to snowstorms or programs only offering you a narrow range of interview dates.
For these reasons, I'd apply to as many programs as you can realistically picture yourself wanting to go to and then turn down the extra interview invites once you see how many invitations you get and when the interviews are being held. Good luck!

 

[atsai3]

Hello. I'm a D.O. student with not-so-amazing numbers, so, I'm planning on applying broadly. My question is: what is broadly? How many? I have a list of 37 programs I'm interested in (trying to stay within a 6 hour radius of my hometown). How many of these should I plan on applying to? They're not "upper tier" superhard programs except for one or two. The region is mid-atlantic/midwest. Any and all input highly appreciated. Just looking for something general here.

Agree with Doctor Bagel. If your student dean is doing her job and steering you towards a good range of programs that are appropriate for the competitiveness of your application, then 10-15 programs is a sufficient number. That being said, when I applied, I applied to 20(+?) programs. After my first week of interviews, I realized that was too many, canceled half of them, and then just went to about 10 of them.

-AT.

 

[whopper]

Agree with the above. The key I'd emphasize is 10-15 interviews. Depending on the competitiveness of the program, what they're looking for, and your application, you may have to apply to many many programs to get 10-15 interviews, you may only have to apply for slightly more than 10-15.

IMHO, there's nothing much to lose other than a small amount of money by overapplying to programs. You don't want to be in a position where you don't have enough interviews, and you can always turn down interviews. The real harm and time waster if going to too many interviews.

 

[atsai3]

Agree with the above. The key I'd emphasize is 10-15 interviews. Depending on the competitiveness of the program, what they're looking for, and your application, you may have to apply to many many programs to get 10-15 interviews, you may only have to apply for slightly more than 10-15.

IMHO, there's nothing much to lose other than a small amount of money by overapplying to programs. You don't want to be in a position where you don't have enough interviews, and you can always turn down interviews. The real harm and time waster if going to too many interviews.

Oops, thanks for the clarification-- 10-15 interviews (not 10-15 applications).

-AT.