I used this site last year and was just looking through to see what the word on the street is this time around....my two cents (unsolicited)
First of, certain programs will invite you by e-mail, others by mail or even telephone. After your interview you may receive letters, phone calls, or both. None of this makes any difference. Some programs (Hopkins for example) will go as far as to tell you approximately where you are ranked. B.S.... This is all an interview technique. They want to see your reaction. If you are extremely excited about being ranked in their "top third" and having a "great chance of matching," they may just rank you high and then go on to brag on their website how they got their first choice of applicants with great scores. All of this is B.S.... Be careful, ignore the "thank you for visiting letters." Just because your friend got one and you didn't, doe not mean that they will get in and you won't.
Second, if you are extremely interested in a program do a second look, spend time with the chief residents. They were most likely chosen because the faculty likes them and trusts their opinion. Who knows, they may even help you by saying a few good things about how you were very interested in the OR and asked good questions and helped fill syringes.... You know, the things med students do.... A second look can't hurt.
Third, "top programs" What is that? There is no such concept. Every PD thinks of their program as being the top (just ask Sinai, Cornell, Columbia, and NYU) Then there is the East vs. West coast. It's all about where you want to practice or do fellowship. If you want to do cardiac anesthesia you may just want to go to a less known program in Texas because the faculty there can get you a Texas Heart fellowship... Last year, if you wanted to do Ob a good place was St.Lukes/Rosevelt in Ny, b/c Dr. Birnbach was there. He left somewhere else though..... For pain, a great place is Buffalo, because the editor of one of the ASA publications is the chair and Dr. Oscar ... (forget the last name) is there as well.
My opinion on some of the programs:
U. Michigan: Best overall training. They didn't fill last year b/c of location. It's hard not to see daylight for most of the year. They had tough cases, excellent faculty, a good relationship with the surgeons, and excellent facilities.
Hopkins: great faculty, good Ca1 and 2 cases, not enough Ca-3 cases (although they will brag about having 5 Whipple's on the schedule every day...big deal...all it is a "fluids management" case)...The majority of the residents were from the mid-west and did not seem very diverse. They are nice people, but they just didn't seem to do much outside of work....Baltimore, of course, does not help. Yes, it is close to DC, but when you get home at 7:30pm and want to go out somewhere local w/o running into folks w/ one tooth....you get the point.
Penn: Excellent, but too big for its own good...surgery has too much pull there and you don't get much respect. Very DO friendly program and some MD grads may not like that.
Columbia: you may hear that's its not friendly, that's B.S. you may hear that the facilities and the neighborhood suck, that's true, BUT...most residents live either down town (the "cool" area of the city) or in NJ... Lot's of good cases, lot's of responsibility early on and good confidence when you graduate. Best in NY? Doubtful, because the reputation is on its way down...financial problems and large faculty turn-over do catch up to the name
Cornell: Definitely the most outgoing and social residents in NY, the PD and faculty socialize w/ residents regularly. It's nice to know that your attending can not only show you something in the OR, but is also "socially capable" of hanging out w/ you. The case load is good, may be a little weak on peds cases, but that's not a big deal.... Probably the best place in NY as far as national level fellowships go... Can get cardiac anywhere, because of Dr. Thomas, pain b/c of another attending whose name I forget, good job channels for when you are done,... after you've done cases at Sloan-Kettering you are not likely to be surprised/scared by anything. There is also something to be said by being in one of the top two regional programs in the country (by rotations at HSS, the other one is Virginia Mason in Seattle, but they have nothing else to offer), and last it's nice to deal w/ intelligent patients who appreciate what you are doing instead of the bums from 168th street, also housing is a bonus, b/c getting to work in 5 minutes is nice even though you may have to work until 7:30pm.
Sinai: Excellent place, happy residents, good cases, basically as good as Cornell, but simply not as social and a bit more "dorky"
...I have omitted Boston b/c I did not apply there, but purely by reputation B&W, then MGH, then BID are what I've heard of.
Finally teaching during residency: You will hear people complain about the lack of teaching in different programs (read the review on Hopkins for example), but the truth is, once you are an attending there are two ways to go: academic vs. not. The beauty of academic practice is that you are never in the OR except to stick your head in at the very beginning and then the very end.... hence, the residents complain of no teaching... may be they leave you alone in the room because they trust you enough and want you to develop self-confidence. ??? Plus, most of the teaching happens by reading the book and doing the case yourself. May be the attending doing research on some drug wants to use it b/c he is interested, but the reality is, is that you will never use this drug when you are out there two years from now doing a case at @$$ community hospital... In other words don't look at "teaching" as a major factor. Look at the environment, location, opportunities, will you be able to spend time outside the OR w/ the residents at the program? Will you be able to go on a ski trip or to a hockey/b-ball game w/ these people. if you are single, will one of these people take one for the team and talk to the ugly friend for you. That's what it's all about. Residency is hard work, nobody leaves at 1pm and gets good in the OR. Working until 8pm is the way to go, but on weekends it's nice to know that Lot 61 is owned by someone who is related to your attending and you can get in, or that your PD has a great travel agent who can get you that Colorado ski vacation for less....
Those are my very long and unsolicited two cents. I am expecting criticism, but will not reply to it. Sorry, if I have offended anyone.
P.S. I matched in one of the aforementioned programs and love it.
