Is it bad to interview in January?

[MedicineMan99]

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I am doing lots of interviews and am really having a difficult time finding space for all of them. Some places offer final dates in January. I know PDs don't have to submit their rankings until after that... but I am paranoid that they have already determined their rankings and don't take January interviews into consideration.

Can someone provide me some comfort that it's ok to interview in January?

Thanks very much.

 

[Quink]

I am doing lots of interviews and am really having a difficult time finding space for all of them. Some places offer final dates in January. I know PDs don't have to submit their rankings until after that... but I am paranoid that they have already determined their rankings and don't take January interviews into consideration.

Can someone provide me some comfort that it's ok to interview in January?

Thanks very much.

THIS IS TOTALLY UNTRUE! I don't know why this myth gets repeated year after year, but programs would not even CONSIDER putting in the effort it takes to run an interview day and then not look at those candidates for ranking.

It doesn't matter when you interview....early or late. Program administrators actually spread out the interviewing in order to accommodate applicants and faculty. They keep records. They remember all of the applicants no matter when they interviewed. Date of interview has no correlation to place on the match list.

 

[MedicineMan99]

Thank you for the reply! It feels great to hear that!

 

[IMChief]

I have to agree. I know that in our program we treat each interview day as a possibility of finding a new house officer. It does not matter to us--at all--when the interview occurs. So, don't worry.

 

[gutonc]

As both aPD (who is, you know, a PD) and mcl (who is a PC) have noted here myriad times, it's a crapload of work to put together an interview day, even for just one person.

So if they're going to take the time and energy to interview you, you're on the "may get ranked" list even before you show up. Where you from there is up to you on interview day.

 

[peppy]

The only way that interviewing late might hurt you is if you are an independent applicant and hoping to pre-match. The pre-match offers are sometimes made earlier on and they may have already offered it to someone else if you are interviewing towards the end of their season. If you go through the normal match though it will not matter! I know this firsthand. 🙂

 

[Rogue Synapse]

I think january is the best month to set aside for interviewing. As the others have mentioned, it doesn't put you at a competitive disadvantage, and if you only have one totally clear month in your schedule, it's a great month to reschedule and get late interviews as some people start canceling interviews in January. I wound up getting a few choice late interviews in January, and it was a pain in the butt to schedule them that month because i was on my senior medicine rotation, having already set aside November and December for interviews. I think it's the month with the most movement in terms of interview scheduling.

 

[md2011]

I asked the PD at my school. He said applicants with Jan interview might indeed have a bit of advantage, as the memory is fresh when they rank

 

[clement]

I asked the PD at my school. He said applicants with Jan interview might indeed have a bit of advantage, as the memory is fresh when they rank

Yea, but are we including the END of Jan as far as "still good to interview?"
Doesn't ranking begin on Jan 15?

 

[Law2Doc]

...He said applicants with Jan interview might indeed have a bit of advantage, as the memory is fresh when they rank

I actually think it cuts both ways, and various applicants might benefit being at one end of the interview dates vs the other. On the one hand, going last gives you the best chance of being remembered. Debaters and trial lawyers can tell you it's a huge advantage to go last. On the other hand, it would be naive to think that PDs and their colleagues don't start discussing their applicants before that final interview date. So there is a chance that folks come in early, make a great impression, and then you then basically need to "unseat" them in a PD's mind to have a shot. So you really don't know if it makes a difference. My advice, if you are interested in the program and get an interview go. Worst case scenario is it's just another place you can rank. I know plenty of people who got into their dream programs with post-holiday interviews. As mentioned, it is a lot of work to hold an interview day, and so even if you think a program might waste your time, you can count on them not to be wasting THEIR time. So if they continue interviews up until the first week in February, then they will consider applicants up until that date, and will not issue a permanent match list prior to that date. If you are interested in the place just go. Don't try to psych yourself out -- many people do too much of this.