just not that interested in going on interviews.....

[anesthesiarocks]

applying for psych and have pretty poor stats. Failed step 1 first time around. Passed with a good score second. Mostly B's on core rotations(a C in medicine...long story...and an A in psych and obgyn). Decent psych letters and good psych narrative evals but so-so narrative evals in other areas. No other red flags(ie arrests, suspensions, etc). 2.9ish gpa overall.

Anyways, I wouldn't mind staying at my med school for psych, and Im pretty sure they would take me because they make a really big point of ranking their own students at the top and they usually take 2 or so IMG's a year anyways because they cant fill with all american students. But it's a decent program So I'll definately go on that interview.

But I scheduled and cancelled interviews already at Emory and UNC(just didn't want to make the drive and didn't want to be at those programs anyways...and didnt really think they would take me anyways).

I do have an interview scheduled at South Carolina in columbia I plan on going to because of the no-call thing and the fact that it's close and supposed to be a laid back program. I have another interview scheduled at ETSU I might go to for similar reasons(although I would rather be in columbia than johnson city). And then I have an interview scheduled at wake forest Im going to go to because they supposedly have a pretty laid back program with no inpatient non-psych months the first year(all laid back outpatient stuff) and the program is supposedly pretty benign. I also have interviews scheduled at vandy and uva I can't decide if I want to go on, for pretty much the same reasons I cancelled the emory and unc interviews. And I have an interview at south alabama in mobile Im kinda 50/50 on going to.

So if I think I have a >85% or more chance to match at my home program(if I decide I want to), would it be ok to "only" go on that interview, south carolina, wake, and etsu and maybe South alabama? Or is that just way too few for an app like myself?

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[originial dream]

applying for psych and have pretty poor stats. Failed step 1 first time around. Passed with a good score second. Mostly B's on core rotations(a C in medicine...long story...and an A in psych and obgyn). Decent psych letters and good psych narrative evals but so-so narrative evals in other areas. No other red flags(ie arrests, suspensions, etc). 2.9ish gpa overall.

Anyways, I wouldn't mind staying at my med school for psych, and Im pretty sure they would take me because they make a really big point of ranking their own students at the top and they usually take 2 or so IMG's a year anyways because they cant fill with all american students. But it's a decent program So I'll definately go on that interview.

But I scheduled and cancelled interviews already at Emory and UNC(just didn't want to make the drive and didn't want to be at those programs anyways...and didnt really think they would take me anyways).

I do have an interview scheduled at South Carolina in columbia I plan on going to because of the no-call thing and the fact that it's close and supposed to be a laid back program. I have another interview scheduled at ETSU I might go to for similar reasons(although I would rather be in columbia than johnson city). And then I have an interview scheduled at wake forest Im going to go to because they supposedly have a pretty laid back program with no inpatient non-psych months the first year(all laid back outpatient stuff) and the program is supposedly pretty benign. I also have interviews scheduled at vandy and uva I can't decide if I want to go on, for pretty much the same reasons I cancelled the emory and unc interviews. And I have an interview at south alabama in mobile Im kinda 50/50 on going to.

So if I think I have a >85% or more chance to match at my home program(if I decide I want to), would it be ok to "only" go on that interview, south carolina, wake, and etsu and maybe South alabama? Or is that just way too few for an app like myself?

5, including your school, may not be that bad. You could look this up, but I think it's like 80% of US grads rank into their top 3 choices, and that includes everyone (ENT, derm, etc.). If you wanted to be on the careful side you could go on a couple more.

 

[billypilgrim37]

Emory and UNC are great programs. Vandy and UVA are pretty darn good ones. You owe it to yourself to at least visit some places with these reputations just so you can settle for yourself what the fuss might be.

Just interviewing at these 5 will almost certainly result in a match that you will be fine with. But you only interview for residency once, gas prices are down, and you'll have guaranteed employment for the next four years (assuming that you match, which sounds like a pretty safe assumption). You don't have much to lose, and it might even snap you out of the generalized ennui that oozes through your post.

These four are each a tier or two above the places you're interviewing at by reputation. At least go see what the hype might be about.

Being an American grad in the south without a criminal record who wants to stay in the south and be a psychiatrst is like being a 7 year old just picked for one of those Toys'R'Us Super Toy Runs they did when we were little. Or like being a fat dude at a lobster buffet. The Confederacy is your oyster!

And just wondering, but why no UAB in that mix? That's a pretty solid "up and coming" program in that same proximity, probably similar to Vandy and UVA in repuation.

 

[anesthesiarocks]

1) I didn't go to the emory interview because their call schedule sucks(at least by psych standards) and the first two years are supposed to be "hard"(at least by psych standards). They also weren't going to pay for a hotel, and in that part of atlanta it was going to cost me about 150 bucks. And since I am not crazy about living in atlanta, I just skipped it.

2) UVA I plan on going to that interview, but it's just so far away from my family. Im going to have to look up and see how much inpatient off-service stuff you have to do the first year there, and whether the neuro stuff is inpatient or consult.

3) Vandy, out of their 6 off service months, has 5 inpatient months(2 neuro, 3IM) and then a month of EM. Just ridiculous. And nashville is sorta expensive for a resident to live in. Still might go on that interview though.

4) I cancelled uab because quite honestly I don't like birmingham and the quality of their residents didn't look a whole lot different than the quality of the residents at the medical school I go to(some img's, some do's, and then mostly their own)

5) UNC I'll probably go to, but again I need to see what the off-service stuff is like and given my application I really dont think I'll match there.

I like etsu and south carolina because I've heard they are really laid back programs, and of course south carolina has no call, which is awesome. And I love wake because of the off-service setup and it seems like a decent program. And of course I feel comfortable at my program now so I'll probably end up there.

But really....Im not interested in a career in academia or research and I don't want to do a child fellowship. I just want to work in a private group or maybe in community mental health or maybe for a state hospital eventually......so I really dont see how the reputation matters that much.

 

[Rena]

I hope you are not from OU (OKC). Dr. Gartner would be very upset after reading your post.

 

[masterofmonkeys]

I hope you are not from OU (OKC). Dr. Gartner would be very upset after reading your post.

doubtful. The OP is interviewing at places that are near their home institution. SC, NC, and South Alabama are not exactly in the area.

 

[Rena]

I guess not. But do you think PD would love if somebody says that she will take him anyway because he/she doesn't have a choice.
From another forum about OU:

"... I interviewed with AMG only. It must be a really tough year, especially when PD tells you that for the first time ever 12 of their own graduates applied to Psychiatry for 4 spots! You must have seen sparks in her eyes!"

 

[masterofmonkeys]

I guess not. But do you think PD would love if somebody says that she will take him anyway because he/she doesn't have a choice.
From another forum about OU:

"... I interviewed with AMG only. It must be a really tough year, especially when PD tells you that for the first time ever 12 of their own graduates applied to Psychiatry for 4 spots! You must have seen sparks in her eyes!"

I'm from OU. Anesthesiarocks has no chance of matching there (no offense). This is a ridiculous year for OU psych and the scores and grades of the cohort headed for psych are outstanding. Most are looking to stay close to home as well.

 

[peppy]

The impression I get is that psych in general is getting more competitive. I think people are starting to be attracted by the "lifestyle" issue. Personally, I wouldn't take anything for granted.

 

[RaistlinMajere]

The impression I get is that psych in general is getting more competitive. I think people are starting to be attracted by the "lifestyle" issue. Personally, I wouldn't take anything for granted.

At the last interview I went on, I was told "it was a very competitive year" and that overall applications to psychiatric residency programs were up 2 percentage points year over year.

 

[2tall]

Sounds like you've already made up your mind. I'm assuming you've established a good relationship with your home institution. Seems like you'd be content there. I don't see anything wrong with saving a few extra dollars on gas/hotel expenses particularly if you know what you want (being close to your family) and have a good understanding of your career goals.

I think psych would be more forgiving of a mis-Step than other specialties. Given your nick, I hope your application conveys that psych was not a backup plan, but a true passion.

Not sure if I'm convinced psych is competitive even with a 2% increase in applications.
2008 Match Data

I applied to a small number of programs and have/will cancel a couple of interviews 'cause I feel it'd be a complete and utter waste of time. Who wants to feign enthusiasm?

I would however consider other factors besides no call or a laid-back atmosphere in deciding where I'd interview.

still laughin' at mom's offense-free comment. not rude in the least bit.

 

[wolfvgang22]

Apply to only your home program. I'm down with that.

 

[anesthesiarocks]

I'm from OU. Anesthesiarocks has no chance of matching there (no offense). This is a ridiculous year for OU psych and the scores and grades of the cohort headed for psych are outstanding. Most are looking to stay close to home as well.

no offense to your school/program, but I wouldn't go there anyways......

 

[2tall]

no offense to your school/program, but I wouldn't go there anyways......

Merry Christmas to you, too!

 

[DebDynamite]

South Carolina has call. This has been discussed in other threads. If you're just applying b/c you think it's call free, I'd cancel if you still can.

 

[whopper]

Do you want to go into psychiatry? Your handle is "anesthesiarocks", and you don't want to check out too many programs. What do you want out of the field? Why not check out more programs?

 

[freaker]

You're not trying very hard. I got a night at the 3* Holiday Inn Business Center in Decatur right next to Emory for $60 per night.

And the cost of living in Nashville, while more than Birmingham, Columbia, or Johnson City, isn't that high. Lots of residents live in far, far more expensive places than Nashville. I'm looking at a gated townhouse with 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, granite countertopcs, whirlpool tub, crown moulding, a garage, and hardwood floors near Vanderbilt for $169,000. That's a montly payment of $755 per month. You can very easily afford that on a resident's salary.

In fact, residents in other locations would die for those kinds of prices. Their choice to live there, granted.

No worries wanting to stay with your home program, but your reasons not to see others are not coming across as all that strong. But sometimes, if you know what you want, it's okay to distract yourself with minor issues.

 

[FURY 161]

No worries wanting to stay with your home program, but your reasons not to see others are not coming across as all that strong. But sometimes, if you know what you want, it's okay to distract yourself with minor issues.

I think that this guy is just making fun of psychiatry in a very cool way.

 

[whopper]

Some people have some very personal & relevant reasons to not want to venture forth & check out other places.

I asked because IMHO, if someone is truly passionate about psychiatry, and is not bound for other reasons, they ought to check out at least a few places. It helps to gauge programs against each other, & might open your eyes to something you didn't know you wanted. However some people are bound-e.g. family commitments, responsibilities etc.