Is there such a thing as a 'safety' program? Or is it all about fit?

[raisinbrain]

I'm wondering how to take the general advice to interview at a couple of 'safety' programs for residency - my biggest difficulty is figuring out which programs would be considered a safety program. I thought after the interview process, it was mostly about fit, so how does one determine this beforehand?

I'll clarify that I'm not planning (or recommending) to only interview at top 10 or 25 or whatever number programs. I'm looking at several midwest programs that seem good to me, and fit with significant other preferences.

That said, is it necessary to go to the least competitive/most community based program that wouldn't really fit my career goals (i.e. having any access to research). My apologies for being a bit neurotic in this process - just looking for a good program to call home, but don't want to be shooting myself in the foot in the process!

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[valid username]

If it's amything like other job interviews there is no true safety.

You're right, you need to fit. And picking one your scores are high for may not even get an interview for you. Nobody wants to be the bottom of the list.

 

[TexasPhysician]

A “safety” is different from applicant to applicant.

Arkansas is a good program that is under-appreciated by applicants. They typically can fill with all US MD’s, but they aren’t Harvard either. A typical USMD with 240+ scores is almost guaranteed an interview there and without bombing the interviews, there is a great chance of getting in.

A US MD with 200 scores makes Arkansas a typical program to achieve, so safety schools will need to be lower quality.

I certainly believe that having a couple safety programs is important as not matching is an awful situation to be in.

 

[Psychotic]

Your home program (where you attend medical school) should be, but isn't necessarily so for all applicants, a safety. After that, it is tough to find safeties as you start applying to programs outside of your geographic region, programs where you have no obvious ties (like Arkansas listed above, if you are, for instance, born, bred, and educated in the northeastern US).

When I went through this process 4 years ago, I was often perplexed by the programs that did, and especially those that did not, offer me an interview, based on my perception of their overall standing, status, and competitiveness...apply broadly, hopefully your home program is a good fit and counts as your ace in the hole, and that is about all you can do.