How to match in top programs

[ChocolateKiss]

Hi everyone,

I was hoping someone could give me a little advice. When you are doing the Match, do extracurricular activities, volunteer work, international experiences, athletics, or ethnicity/SES play any role in admissions? I realize these factors don't play nearly the same role as they do in medical school admissions, but do they matter at all for residency applications? Or do they only consider test scores/grades/AOA/letters of rec/research for the match?


Thank you!

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[colbgw02]

Hi everyone,

I was hoping someone could give me a little advice. When you are doing the Match, do extracurricular activities, volunteer work, international experiences, athletics, or ethnicity/SES play any role in admissions? I realize these factors don't play nearly the same role as they do in medical school admissions, but do they matter at all for residency applications? Or do they only consider test scores/grades/AOA/letters of rec/research for the match?


Thank you!

in a word, yes.

extra-curriculars definitely help, but as a whole, your straight numbers are probably more important. in other words, you could have saved an entire village from a cholera epidemic by single-handedly digging them a new well, but if you only got a 190 on step 1, you're still not making it into derm. you get the idea.

 

[jennyboo]

I think what matters, in order of importance, is:

1. Knowing the right people. A letter of recommendation from a well respected faculty member, or just getting to know people within said residency face to face, goes a long way. If they like you, they'll want you to come. There is indeed an "old boys' club" and networking goes a long way.

2. Grades and USMLE scores. If they know you and like you (see above) and want you to come, they need to see you have above average numbers. You don't necessarily need top numbers to land at a top residency if they know and like you, but your numbers need to at least reassure them they're not making a mistake.

3. Telling them you really want to come. Doesn't matter how good your numbers are. If you don't express STRONG interest in a program, they won't usually rank you as highly as if you did tell them that you really, really want to come. Thank them in writing (and reiterate how interested you are) after every interview. Thank by email or in writing after every meeting with faculty for advising or other purposes.

4. Sell thyself. Market yourself by presenting your accomplishments and strengths well in your application, during your interviews, and -- this is actually important -- in your thank you letters and other correspondences.

 

[cytoborg]

Applying to residency is pretty different than med school applications. You're a professional now and the expectations are different. Forget the flowery essays about how your grandma's death inspired your passion to help people, or how you worked 3 jobs during college because your parents were poor migrant farmers. Likewise your intramural soccer or mentoring high school students are pretty much irrelevant. You're applying for a job, just like applying to be a project manager or systems analyst or whatever. Yeah they want likeable, cool people to work with, who are normal human beings with interests other than medicine - but once they check that off the list, they are looking for smart people who learn fast, perform under pressure, get results, are committed to the field, and will thrive in the residency environment. Have the right references, have the scores & experiences to back them up, and present yourself professionally. Also, I agree it's quite important to express a strong interest in their program. They want people who want to be there. Your hobbies may come up as ice-breakers in the interview and hopefully form a bond between you and the interviewer, but your professional accomplishments are going to be vastly more important. Likewise ethnic status does not matter in the same way (and it shouldn't, you're applying for a job, and I'm pretty sure that would be illegal). I definitely got the sense that some of my hobbies/extracurricular stuff biased my interviewers in my favor (i.e. we had stuff in common so we hit it off, and had an enjoyable interview) so perhaps in a subtle way it did facilitate a higher ranking, but I don't think the committee sits down in January and bases their ranklist decisions on that stuff.

 

[Gfunk6]

For what it's worth . . .
http://phius.com/medicine/medx.htm