Interviews, 2006

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yay! my first rejection today from Boston University!
at least they have the decency to let me know, right?? :meanie:
congrats to everyone with interviews - hang in there y'all
 
first rejection from Wilmer (snail) - boo...

have an interview offer from U Rochester - anybody know anything about their program?
 
Got that email too...they received 500 apps! Yikes, don't want that much competition.
 
Mustafa said:
Sisyphus22, what state are you in?
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New York.

Not that I was expecting to get into Wilmer, but I'm sort of shocked that they rejected me right off the bat (the letter was dated Sept 29, and my application was uploaded by SFmatch the week prior). They must have looked at my application and immediately saw something they didn't like....but my step 1 score should make any cut-offs (unless theirs is like 250+). What else could programs could be using to screen applicants?
 
Your application was probably received right before admissions committee first meeting; that's the likely reason for getting an answer so quickly. As you know, SFMatch had trouble with application distribution this year and since our interviews are in mid-October this year, the committee has to move fast. I am sure this will not reflect your overall chances in the match.

This is from Wilmer's residency FAQ's:

What do we look for in the applicants?

Excellent board scores.
Outstanding grades.
Selection to AOA (if available) at the applicant's medical school.
Evidence of scholarly activity (clinical or bench research, publications).
Outstanding letters of recommendation from faculty who can comment on applicants based on personal interaction.
Favorable Dean's Letter.
Above all, however, we look for candidates who demonstrate a true passion for ophthalmology and who show the potential to become leaders in the field.

Who applied to Wilmer?

In the 2004-05 Match, there were approximately 350 applicants, of whom 63 were interviewed. The interviewees included 24 women and 39 men from 29 different medical schools. Eight applicants had Ph.D. degrees and six had a Master's degree. There were 3 foreign medical graduates. The average USMLE Step 1 scores ranged from 186-268 (mean 243) and the Step 2 scores (when available) ranged from 195-270 (mean 253). The numbers for the 2005-06 year were comparable.


Good luck!!!
 
My wife seems to think I am good looking🙂 .

Obviously, being as good looking as you are I am glad you are not coming here...

xaelia said:
...yep, clearly Wilmer does not use physical attractiveness as a selection criterion. 😉
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time to wipe away those BU tears...

email from sinai baltimore today (batch #2) - interview dates are dec 7 & 8, with a happy hour on the 7th

speaking of wilmer, any thoughts on the whole phasing out of the hopkins/sinai merger thru 2009?
 
I have seen JR in person...he is a good looking guy.

BTW, Xaelia, I wish you would not use your personal photograph for your avatar.
 
First few interviews this week:

Oklahoma, Med College of GA, & Texas Tech

Not going to be able to go to the TT interview. All by email.
 
Got my first interview today via email...Univ. Rochester, interviewing Oct. 20, Oct. 27, and Dec. 1. Sisyphus, when are you interviewing there? I'll be there on Oct 20. Good luck to everyone!
 
UTSW today by email.

I have heard mixed things about this program...any thoughts?
 
congratulations to everyone!

but can i just say, i hate fridays...never any interview emails for some reason. 😱
 
got a call from cook county today. oct 25 & nov 1, not sure of other dates...
 
Got it by snail mail from LSU Shreveport today. The first paragraph tells me that my application is complete and tells the interview dates and what the interview day will be like. It then tells me to call a number to set up an interview.

The second paragraph is about the local hotels and rates. There is a statement saying that if I choose these hotels, to inform the hotel agent that I am with the "group of applicants interviewing at LSU Health Sciences Center, Department of Ophthalmology" in order to receive special rates.

No where does it say that I am actually invited for an interview!! Does every applicant get a letter like this ? I cant call them since its a Saturday.😕

Any ideas ?
 
stepBYstep said:
Got it by snail mail from LSU Shreveport today. The first paragraph tells me that my application is complete and tells the interview dates and what the interview day will be like. It then tells me to call a number to set up an interview.

The second paragraph is about the local hotels and rates. There is a statement saying that if I choose these hotels, to inform the hotel agent that I am with the "group of applicants interviewing at LSU Health Sciences Center, Department of Ophthalmology" in order to receive special rates.

No where does it say that I am actually invited for an interview!! Does every applicant get a letter like this ? I cant call them since its a Saturday.😕

Any ideas ?
Click to expand...


Yes, this is in fact an interview invitation. I know because I received an identical letter when I applied. I did call and schedule an interview with them, but later canceled it in favor of another program.
 
speyeder said:
Yes, this is in fact an interview invitation. I know because I received an identical letter when I applied. I did call and schedule an interview with them, but later canceled it in favor of another program.
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Thanks Speyeder! Kinda makes my weekend🙂 !! GL to all!!
 
UTMB by email on Oct 4th (batch 2). Also got my SECOND rejection email from Boston U! I guess they want to make extra sure I know I'm not good enough for their program :laugh:
 
TicToc22 said:
Got my first interview today via email...Univ. Rochester, interviewing Oct. 20, Oct. 27, and Dec. 1. Sisyphus, when are you interviewing there? I'll be there on Oct 20. Good luck to everyone!
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i'll also be interviewing on oct 20! i haven't made my travel or hotel arrangements yet though (rochester said they'd email me with more info, but they haven't done so yet). i'm going to call them on monday and plan my flight/hotel arrangements then. let me know what your plans are...also, do you know if there is a dinner we're supposed to attend?
 
xaelia said:
University of Virginia by e-mail (on a Sunday!)
Dates are Nov. 17th, 18th, and 20th.

Also helpfully included, an ACGME probation letter.
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just got the same email - how is this program? should we be concerned about the probation thing (their letter states the issues leading to probation were entirely administrative in nature)
 
haha i just got the same email from UVA...and getting the email on a sunday was like finding 10 bucks under the couch 😎

not sure what to think about that gme office probation, though they did make it pretty clear that it had nothing to do with ophtho. anyone know anything about the UVA program?
 
I heard UVA is a pleasant little program of decent quality and friendly residents. The probation is a little odd, though; I'll still schedule it.

I am batch #1.
 
I think I'm in the second batch, although I could have been in the first. So far I've heard from:
1. SUMMA/NEOUCOM
2. Henry Ford (10/4) - interview dates 11/17, 11/20, 12/4, 12/8, 12/11
3. Got that BU email
 
i got the uva invite. i don't know what batch i was but i was at least batch 3 and more likely batch 4.
 
I also got the same UVA invite with the delightful probation letter. I talked to a PGY-2 at my program who interviewed last year at UVA, and he was very disappointed with the program.

Also got snail mail from Florida...1st snail of the year.
 
As a UVA med student and fellow ophtho applicant I can offer a few thoughts. First regarding the probation, this is a University-wide thing primarily brought down by surgery residents lying about their work hours and getting caught. The ACGME is currently reviewing the school this month and is expected to lift the probation. As far as the ophtho program goes, great residents and accomplished attendings, including a current chief resident who turned down a job at Wilmer for next year to stay on the faculty at UVA and will be a huge asset to the program (don't underestimate this), but unfortunately the thing that turns most people off is the shape of the resident clinic. Amidst a beautiful hospital and many impeccable clinics, the ophthalmology clinic is old, outdated, and cramped. Workspace is small. If you can look past that, then it is a great program to consider. And of course, in my opinion, Charlottesville is one of the most gorgeous towns in all of america. Really a fantastic place to live.
 
Regarding the UVA program, I'd echo the thoughts of stutims3 above, especially regarding the current chief who will be staying at their program. I met Dr. Ghazi at a review course and he truly is an amazing teacher, and if he and the other senior resident (who I also know) are any indication of the quality of the residents at their program, it would be a great place to train.
 
Thanks for the info about UVA. I was happy to get the invite and will interview, but I also wanted to pass along info that I had heard. Sounds like the people are great but the facilities need improvement.
 
Anyone in the 3rd or 4th batch heard yet? I am pretty sure I am in the third but starting to get anxious waiting! Appreciate your help 😉

- plasticbuddy
 
sisyphus22 said:
i'll also be interviewing on oct 20! i haven't made my travel or hotel arrangements yet though (rochester said they'd email me with more info, but they haven't done so yet). i'm going to call them on monday and plan my flight/hotel arrangements then. let me know what your plans are...also, do you know if there is a dinner we're supposed to attend?
Click to expand...

Great, i'll see you there! I'm at SUNY Upstate in Syracuse, which is only 1 hr. 10 minutes from Rochester, so i probably won't be getting a hotel there unless they offer to put me up. I havn't heard anything about a dinner, but if there is one then i'll definitely go. See you soon

Chris
 
First batch and have not heard anything except two rejections and a couple of 'application accepted' notices, at when should I start freaking out????????😱 😱 😱
 
UC Davis, 10/10 by phone (Batch #1), interview dates 11/3, 12/1
 
No 3rd or 4th Batchers getting interviews yet?

Hrm... what is going on? Is the entire SFMatch late... from my friends last year a lot had gotten interviews but I guess they were in Batch2

- PlasticBuddy
 
I was told by friends who went in for the Ophtho Match last year that at least 60-80% of the programs would acknowledge your application. If thats true, I am not sure about whats happing with my application cause I have received acknowledgements from less than 10% of the programs I applied to . Is this something to be concerned about ?
 
I applied to a lot of programs and only received a few acknowledgements. This process is frustrating since we will have little to no time to plan the interview/back packing USA process…
 
from what sf match told me, i was in the first batch and have received the acknowledgements from about 10% of the programs i have applied to. don't worry. there is still a ton of time, and the flood of invites should begin in a couple of weeks!
good luck everyone.:luck:
 
...hope this makes people feel better, but I was talking to some residents and they said their interviews only really started coming after the 3rd week of October 🙂
 
kkumar99 said:
...hope this makes people feel better, but I was talking to some residents and they said their interviews only really started coming after the 3rd week of October 🙂
Click to expand...


I agree. At about the 3rd week of October or so is when the interviews really start trickling in.
 
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