Is change of scenery important?

[zeppelinpage4]

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I love my home program and it is currently my number 1 choice in the rank list. I know all the faculty and have a great relationship with them, I like the location and am settled in where I live, and the training is good. I know that the residents and staff are all nice, and that it is a caring program.

I'm 99% sure i want to stay here (I got 10 other interviews and am ranking all of them), but a small part of me is wondering if I should move to different location for residency...I don't know why, but life seems sort of stagnant, and I think a change of scenery might be good for me (I struggled a lot in med school for a number of personal reasons, and I want to reset and start fresh in residency).

I really liked a program that is farther away, they emphasized a lot of what I am interested in (rural medicine, mental health care, etc.) And I loved the town it was in (This may be bad, but I mostly want to go for this reason). However, I didn't get to meet many of the residents, and am unsure as to what the faculty are like. Everyone seemed nice on interview day....but it's always so hard to tell.

My home program has it's flaws, like any other. Except, having done rotations here, I am aware of those flaws. Whereas, the flaws in this other program I like may have been kept hidden on interview day...and that may be part of why it "appears" to be more appealing.

Wondering if I should take a chance an rank this further program higher than my home program, with the chance of matching there. Is it better to go with a choice that you now is good? Or take a chance and go somewhere that you aren't familiar with, but could be great?

I know there's no definitive answer to this, but I just wanted to hear what others might do in this situation. I have everything ranked and certified and I know the deadline is close, so this may just be last minute ranking jitters. Regardless, it's a good problem to have, I'm just thankful to have gotten so many interviews and will be happy to match anywhere I interviewed.

 

[whatisthisstuff]

Pro's and cons. If you like the location, are settled, and like the program then its just about weighing how much you value a change of scenery. Sounds to me like not that much. Also seems like making the more informed choice is wiser. Since you know your home program well and like it, probably makes more sense to go with that over something you don't know as well because of the off chance you could like it more (which obviously comes with the potential to like it less).

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Pro's and cons. If you like the location, are settled, and like the program then its just about weighing how much you value a change of scenery. Sounds to me like not that much. Also seems like making the more informed choice is wiser. Since you know your home program well and like it, probably makes more sense to go with that over something you don't know as well because of the off chance you could like it more (which obviously comes with the potential to like it less).

Thanks, I like the way you put it. Looking at everything logically, and with the information I have, my home program makes a lot more sense.

I talked to a close friend as well, and we came to the same conclusion that my home program is the best place for me to be. I'm gonna chalk this up to last minute ranking jitters. I appreciate you providing me with a voice of reason.

 

[Levo]

How big are the programs? If you're trying to match into a specialty that's got 2 residents a year and 6 faculty members in the entire program, it may be a wiser move to branch out and get some experience with different attitudes and approaches than the ones in your home program. If you're trying to match into a huge residency program like IM, staying put wouldn't make any difference since you would have only interacted with a tiny fraction of the department as a med student anyway.

 

[sliceofbread136]

Having a very similar crisis right now, good luck deciding!

 

[MSTP18]

There's an MD/PhD student a few years ahead of me who did the MSTP, residency, and now fellowship all here (so 14 years of training here). If you think your home program is best for you, go for it!

 

[COTA2Phys]

I have everything ranked and certified and I know the deadline is close, so this may just be last minute ranking jitters. Regardless, it's a good problem to have, I'm just thankful to have gotten so many interviews and will be happy to match anywhere I interviewed.

I went through a very similar situation just recently when trying to rank programs. I bet the list you made when you ranked them and certified it is where your heart is. The advice that I was given by my advisor was to not to change your rank list after you create it and I think that's probably good advice.

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[zeppelinpage4]

How big are the programs? If you're trying to match into a specialty that's got 2 residents a year and 6 faculty members in the entire program, it may be a wiser move to branch out and get some experience with different attitudes and approaches than the ones in your home program. If you're trying to match into a huge residency program like IM, staying put wouldn't make any difference since you would have only interacted with a tiny fraction of the department as a med student anyway.

I'm applying pediatrics, so most programs have been relatively large. My home program is an academic teaching hospital, so it's a pretty good size program. The one that is further is a bit smaller and more rural.

Having a very similar crisis right now, good luck deciding!

Thanks sliceofbread, you too! Here's to us both ending up where where we're meant to be. 🙂 I've been seeing your posts since I was a pre-med, can't believe we're both weeks away from the match.

There's an MD/PhD student a few years ahead of me who did the MSTP, residency, and now fellowship all here (so 14 years of training here). If you think your home program is best for you, go for it!

It's always reassuring to hear about others who stayed at the same place and had a good experience. I feel better about my decision, thank you.

I went through a very similar situation just recently when trying to rank programs. I bet the list you made when you ranked them and certified it is where your heart is. The advice that I was given by my advisor was to not to change your rank list after you create it and I think that's probably good advice.

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Thanks! I like that. It's funny, one of my friends told me the same thing just yesterday when I was talking it over with them. I picked my original ranking for a reason, and last minute changes in moments of panic probably don't reflect how I really feel about the programs. I'll be keeping my home program number 1, and the rest of the list will remain the same. We'll see how things go in March!

 

[cbrons]

What specialy did u end of doing? Peds or FM?

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