?
And how many ortho rotations (both in their own school and away) do people generally do?
Since I know I am going to do ortho, I am not doing my Surgery Sub-i until after Christmas. No sense burning out before my ortho rotations.
I consider myself a very competitive applicant and I am doing 1 home rotation and 3 aways. I think most people do 1 home and 2 aways. Barring any personality disorders, I think doing as many aways as you can is desirable if you are a hard worker and easy to get a long with. Away rotations are not only a chance for a program to get to know you and see that you are a hard worker, but it is also a chance for you to see if YOU like the program (or type of program) and if you fit in with the residents.
Aways can be your best ally or your greatest enemy. If you work hard and are easy to get along with, that will GREATLY improve your chances of matching there. If you are a slacker that cuts out early, complains, or annoying to the residents, you can kiss that program goodbye.
It can be tough fitting 3 aways in before Dec so start planning early. Look at how the dates for visiting students overlap and fit the programs you want together. You pretty much will only have time for 1 "time switch" so put the programs that are on the same cycle back to back.
I recommend varying the type of programs you pick for your aways. For example, I am doing a top tier community program (3 residents), then a very well respected mid sized program (4 residents), and then a top tier academic powerhouse program (8 residents). This way I can see what kind of program is a best fit for me.
Also, when you are picking your places, be realistic about yourself as an applicant. If you are below average, I would not suggest rotating at a top tier program. I would pick programs a little above where you think you can match. I could be wrong about this, because I'm sure someone with a <220 has matched at a top Tier place because of an amazing rotation, but I would not expect that to be the norm at all.
