How many programs are you applying to?

[NeurologyICU]

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I thought it would be interesting to know...I'll start by saying, most probably 10.

 

[Septo Shock]

How many programs do most ppl typically apply to?

 

[95439]

I thought it would be interesting to know...I'll start by saying, most probably 10.

That's a low estimate. Assume you get interviews at 50% of those (if you have your 'easy', 'intermediate' and 'long shot' residencies). Then your rank list is 5 programs.
I applied to a...ridiculous amount of programs. And I don't regret it for a second. I saw several people apply to a low amount of programs (and yes, 10 is a low amount of programs, especially if you're including prelim programs) who ended up scrambling. If you're an FMG, apply to even more programs, especially for prelim year. A good average number of programs to apply to is 20.

 

[tunvneuro]

If I applied to 20 programs and got interview invites from 10 of them, would that be a good indication that I'll at least be matching somewhere?

 

[Philoso]

If you have 7-10 interviews as a US grad, I have been told by faculty that it would be a good stat. For FMG, the scenario must be tougher.

 

[95439]

If I applied to 20 programs and got interview invites from 10 of them, would that be a good indication that I'll at least be matching somewhere?

It all depends on your scores, but most likely you'd be fine with that. Just go for as many as you can. And apply to alot of prelim programs. Remember neuro applicants generally don't have the 'numbers' anesthesiology, radiology, and dermatology applicants have, and you're competing with them for the prelim spots.

 

[clement]

It all depends on your scores, but most likely you'd be fine with that. Just go for as many as you can. And apply to alot of prelim programs. Remember neuro applicants generally don't have the 'numbers' anesthesiology, radiology, and dermatology applicants have, and you're competing with them for the prelim spots.

why not apply to a lot of categorical programs/programs that promise you an IM year? i'm confused about this...is it because they're a lot more competitive? aren't there like 40-something of them?

 

[typhoonegator]

It's hard to know in August whether or not you're going to fall in love with a program that doesn't offer a prelim spot.

 

[ICCONFETTI]

I applied to a lot of neuro programs (50+) (as well as a number of prelim programs). Like someone who posted above, I figure it's better to get more interviews and have to turn them down, than to not get enough interviews to match somewhere.

I was talking with a peer who applied to neuro last year. He mentioned how he only applied to 2 prelim programs because he was pretty confident in his scores and ended up not matching, and having to scramble. He said it's one of the worst things to have to scramble, and definitely recommended applying to 'too many' programs, rather than 'not enough'.