Life hack needed for residency app season [oto/uro/ortho/derm brahs GTFIH]

[KinasePro]

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Is there a way to set up custom auto-replies in gmail or exchange when residency programs send out interview invites? I'm looking for a way to set up auto-replies that only go to people emailing you with an addy containing something like "@princeton.urology.edu" or w/e?

I've heard multiple accounts of interview seats being filled in <1 minute of the invite email's timestamp. How did you guys handle this issue?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Is there a way to set up custom auto-replies in gmail or exchange when residency programs send out interview invites? I'm looking for a way to set up auto-replies that only go to people emailing you with an addy containing something like "@princeton.penis.edu" or w/e?

I've heard multiple accounts of interview seats being filled in <1 minute of the invite email's timestamp. How did you guys handle this issue?

Why not create an email account specifically for applications?

Then you can set a vacation response/auto reply to all emails that come into that account which is some sort of boiler plate acceptance of the supposed interview invite.

I do see some flaws in this plan but it would solve your problem.

 

[Tygacil]

Something that worked well for me - made a new gmail account only to be used with ERAS and NRMP. Set up gmail to forward/copy any incoming emails to text my phone when they come in (you can google to figure out what your phone number's email address is, for instance verizon would be [email protected]). This worked well as I knew immediately when an email was received which was generally an interview invite (or rejection) and I didn't have to wait for email push.

Auto reply won't work because you have to reply with a specific date..

 

[Winged Scapula]

Something that worked well for me - made a new gmail account only to be used with ERAS and NRMP. Set up gmail to forward/copy any incoming emails to text my phone when they come in (you can google to figure out what your phone number's email address is, for instance verizon would be [email protected]). This worked well as I knew immediately when an email was received which was generally an interview invite (or rejection) and I didn't have to wait for email push.

However that won't work if you are in the OR (it sounds as if the OP is interested in a surgical speciality), on rounds etc (essentially any place you can't be checking your phone).

Auto reply won't work because you have to reply with a specific date..

Hmm... How about, "Thank you Id be pleased to accept the first date offered". 😛

 

[masaraksh]

Damn. Things are this competitive?

Guess I'm going family med.

 

[DermViser]

Why not create an email account specifically for applications?

Then you can set a vacation response/auto reply to all emails that come into that account which is some sort of boiler plate acceptance of the supposed interview invite.

I do see some flaws in this plan but it would solve your problem.

Except usually you're given several dates and have to choose one. I see no other way, but to carry your smartphone with you and type in the date. Funny how a smartphone has now become an unofficial requirement for the NRMP match. Ridiculous.

 

[JJMrK]

Hmm... How about, "Thank you Id be pleased to accept the first date offered". 😛

Nope, unfortunately. Certain dates are more preferable, and they aren't necessarily the first. You don't want to accept an invite for the busiest interview day of the year when you've only heard back from one place.

 

[DermViser]

Damn. Things are this competitive?

Guess I'm going family med.

Spoiler alert: All specialties are getting more competitive.

 

[KinasePro]

Why not create an email account specifically for applications?

Then you can set a vacation response/auto reply to all emails that come into that account which is some sort of boiler plate acceptance of the supposed interview invite.

I do see some flaws in this plan but it would solve your problem.

Yes, this was my original plan, but I was getting hung up on what exactly my auto reply should say. Like some have said, it may be end up getting you in trouble if you auto-commit to a very busy interview weekend. Also, it seems like all the basic auto-reply mechanisms in gmail and outlook exchange plaster an obnoxious "AUTOMATIC REPLY:" tag to the subject line of the email, and I was worried that might raise some eyebrows.

Something that worked well for me - made a new gmail account only to be used with ERAS and NRMP. Set up gmail to forward/copy any incoming emails to text my phone when they come in (you can google to figure out what your phone number's email address is, for instance verizon would be [email protected]). This worked well as I knew immediately when an email was received which was generally an interview invite (or rejection) and I didn't have to wait for email push.

Auto reply won't work because you have to reply with a specific date..

This is very interdasting... Did you ever have issues with the forwarding mechanism lagging? No matter what settings I choose on my phone, it still only checks gmail ~q15 min, but this sounds like a solid solution to this problem.

Did you use an email template app to respond to invites? If so, which one?

 

[KinasePro]

Damn. Things are this competitive?

Well, there's only a small group of programs in my field which are known for sending out more invites than there are interview spots available. The problem is that most of these programs are pretty desirable, so if you get a shot at any of these places you'll want to pounce on it.

Most programs are pretty classy and only invite the exact number they can interview. But you still need to have a quick draw for these places, because if you're planning on doing ~18 interviews then you'll inevitably have some date conflicts to mitigate.

 

[alpinism]

Something that worked well for me - made a new gmail account only to be used with ERAS and NRMP. Set up gmail to forward/copy any incoming emails to text my phone when they come in (you can google to figure out what your phone number's email address is, for instance verizon would be [email protected]). This worked well as I knew immediately when an email was received which was generally an interview invite (or rejection) and I didn't have to wait for email push.

Auto reply won't work because you have to reply with a specific date..

This is what I'm planning on doing.

I'd experiment with different email accounts to see which one works the fastest.

Yeah that also sucks about auto reply. Won't work for multiple reasons already addressed plus some invites request specific information or require a personalized response (re: pre-interview dinners, transportation, flight scheduling etc...).

 

[Winged Scapula]

Yes, this was my original plan, but I was getting hung up on what exactly my auto reply should say. Like some have said, it may be end up getting you in trouble if you auto-commit to a very busy interview weekend. Also, it seems like all the basic auto-reply mechanisms in gmail and outlook exchange plaster an obnoxious "AUTOMATIC REPLY:" tag to the subject line of the email,

Yes there are obviously lots of factors which make it difficult.

In regards to responding about flight plans, preinterview dinners etc. I was thinking that you could respond to that with a personalized email later.

I thought the purpose of this thread was for a quick response to those programs that require an immediate answer or you would lose the spot when you're not in a position to answer your emails right away. I figured all the other stuff could be done later once you secured the spot.

 

[KinasePro]

In regards to responding about flight plans, preinterview dinners etc. I was thinking that you could respond to that with a personalized email later.

I thought the purpose of this thread was for a quick response to those programs that require an immediate answer or you would lose the spot when you're not in a position to answer your emails right away. I figured all the other stuff could be done later once you secured the spot.

Yeah, I'd be willing to go with this strategy I think. I'd rather have a date locked in and need to send a follow-up email than totally miss the boat.

Just amazes me that a program can fill up 60-80 interview spots in less than 1 minute with an email sent at a random time during the day. Seems like people are using a strategy beyond just watching their inboxes like hawks.

 

[maxxor]

Well, this would only work for programs that use a secretary to assign interview dates.

It would utterly fail for programs that contract out to a service like interviewbroker where you schedule your own interview date.

It's the interviewbroker programs that fill up within 10-15 minutes.

To address the original poster's question:

What field are you applying into and what are you doing in the months of September, October, and November?

I just matched in radiology, and the majority of my interview invites came in September and October, with a few stragglers in November. I did the separate email account for eras and then shared access with my fiancée to check it while i was unable to (at other interviews)

 

[KinasePro]

What field are you applying into and what are you doing in the months of September, October, and November

Ortho, majority of invites are sent in late Oct/Nov/Dec. I won't be in the OR then, and will have phone/computer access most of the time. I have another set of eyes on my inbox, but I'm trying to optimize the situation for those programs that fill up uber fast.

 

[NickNaylor]

Except usually you're given several dates and have to choose one. I see no other way, but to carry your smartphone with you and type in the date. Funny how a smartphone has now become an unofficial requirement for the NRMP match. Ridiculous.

Why is this the case? Is there actually a legitimate concern that interview dates might fill up if you reply by, say, the end of the day? And any idea if this is largely limited to the fields in the thread title?

I'm not overly concerned as I'll be off during the busy interviewing months, but it'd be nice to be aware of the fact that I should be zealous about sending replies quickly once I get to that point.

 

[Tygacil]

This is very interdasting... Did you ever have issues with the forwarding mechanism lagging? No matter what settings I choose on my phone, it still only checks gmail ~q15 min, but this sounds like a solid solution to this problem.

Did you use an email template app to respond to invites? If so, which one?

I tested it pretty extensively before things got rolling, never appeared to lag, nor did I have any problems. The only caveat was that if you got an email with a large attachment (PDF's with maps, lodging info, etc) it may cause an error and not text you. However, every first email from a residency coordinator was always a congratulations blah blah pick one of these dates.

Using this I received my first pick of dates every time. In my phone I also had the new gmail account loaded and as a 'sig' I made my generic "thanks for the interview invite, I would prefer x date, with y being second choice. Yours truly, Tygacil." that way I could quickly reply just by changing that premade text to whatever date.

Also, your chances of changing dates later after an auto reply stating you want the first available date are pretty much gone within an hour or two.

For those beginning to worry about this process, it's generally just a PITA for super competitive specialties like ortho, most programs only offer two dates, often conflicting with multiple other programs. The program I matched at only offered one interview day, unlike IM or anesthesia which would have 10-15 days to choose from heh.

 

[DermViser]

Why is this the case? Is there actually a legitimate concern that interview dates might fill up if you reply by, say, the end of the day? And any idea if this is largely limited to the fields in the thread title?

I'm not overly concerned as I'll be off during the busy interviewing months, but it'd be nice to be aware of the fact that I should be zealous about sending replies quickly once I get to that point.

Well, usually the program coordinator will give you several interview dates in that one email. Depending on how fast you respond, the dates you want can get filled up quickly, and people now have smartphones and can right away send back an email saying they want a particular date to confirm. So by the time you check your email at the end of the day, it's already dated with respect to the dates available to you. You esp. don't want interview dates that conflict directly or are so close together that you have a chance of missing one or being late due to plane flights. Google Calendar was a lifesaver to see the spacing between dates on your iPhone. The more creative ones have online scheduler websites where they send you the link and you can just click the interview date to confirm it yourself, but all programs don't have them.

It sucks even more for those that have to schedule prelims and advanced positions separately.

 

[PL198]

Yeah, I'd be willing to go with this strategy I think. I'd rather have a date locked in and need to send a follow-up email than totally miss the boat.

Just amazes me that a program can fill up 60-80 interview spots in less than 1 minute with an email sent at a random time during the day. Seems like people are using a strategy beyond just watching their inboxes like hawks.

You gotta find a pre-med that's willing to stare at your gmail and respond like a hawk to any email that comes in, that also types at 150 WPM(or can use copy and paste). Then tell them if they do this for you, you will become their life mentor and teach them how you match into [insert competitive speciality here] at [insert competitive facility here]. Profit. And squats. Those things and you're well on your way to complete pimp status.

Edit: Just saw you're applying to Ortho, boy you better squat 500 before those interviews

 

[maxxor]

It sucks even more for those that have to schedule prelims and advanced positions separately.

Yep. I did 27 interviews, of which 15 were prelim/TY. Those were actually more competitive, both for getting an interview slot on a certain day AND for ultimately matching in...

 

[DermViser]

Yep. I did 27 interviews, of which 15 were prelim/TY. Those were actually more competitive, both for getting an interview slot on a certain day AND for ultimately matching in...

Yes, it's amazing how much more competitive prelim spots have gotten - even for prelim IM no less. I can't imagine how it is for Prelim Surgery.

 

[maxxor]

Yes, it's amazing how much more competitive prelim spots have gotten - even for prelim IM no less. I can't imagine how it is for Prelim Surgery.

Gotta remember who all are applying for prelims: derm, rad, radonc, ophtho, pmr, and anesthesia.

 

[DermViser]

Gotta remember who all are applying for prelims: derm, rad, radonc, ophtho, pmr, and anesthesia.

Yes, but many of them are going for transitionals as well. Unlike in the past, in general, people are holding onto more interviews and not dropping them as was previously done.

 

[alpinism]

Why is this the case? Is there actually a legitimate concern that interview dates might fill up if you reply by, say, the end of the day? And any idea if this is largely limited to the fields in the thread title?

I'm not overly concerned as I'll be off during the busy interviewing months, but it'd be nice to be aware of the fact that I should be zealous about sending replies quickly once I get to that point.

According to multiple interns I've talked to some of the more competitive programs/locations would have interview dates fill up within 1-2hrs after sending out the email. By the time you'd check your email at the end of the day only half of the interview dates would be left. It's a huge PITA when date x or y works best for your schedule but they're not available anymore.

One of the interns was in psych so you never know...

 

[NickNaylor]

According to multiple interns I've talked to some of the more competitive programs/locations would have interview dates fill up within 1-2hrs after sending out the email. By the time you'd check your email at the end of the day only half of the interview dates would be left. It's a huge PITA when date x or y works best for your schedule but they're not available anymore.

I suppose it's less of a concern in my case since I'm not going into a competitive field, but still something to be aware of I suppose.

 

[DermViser]

I suppose it's less of a concern in my case since I'm not going into a competitive field, but still something to be aware of I suppose.

With all due respect, no. Even in your field, there are certain highly sought after and quite popular programs that are competitive programs by themselves or in competitive locations, which will be snapped up very quickly.

 

[tco]

With all due respect, no. Even in your field, there are certain highly sought after and quite popular programs that are competitive programs by themselves or in competitive locations, which will be snapped up very quickly.

Even Path is competitive if you look at the top programs.

 

[DermViser]

Even Path is competitive if you look at the top programs.

Exactly. That's why I laugh when someone who may not be going for a "competitive" specialty as defined by the NRMP match stats, thinks that somehow the red carpet will be thrown out for them in terms of interviews and dates won't get snatched up (I'm not talking about @NickNaylor here). There are some really good, top notch Pathology programs (with access to nearly all fellowship programs) where you get very good training and are thus competitive.

Programs are usually competitive bc of a) the name, b) the structure of the training program or the faculty on staff, or c) location.