"Magic" interview number??

[StarDOc14]

Has anyone had an advisor or their school advise them on how many interviews to attend? I have heard anecdotal stories saying you should go for around 10 (more if your scores are less competitive or applying for something you are less than competitive for).

I am a DO applying to only ACGME match for FM programs (some dual accredited but over the ACGME side). I have gotten more interviews than I could possibly go on at this point, which is partially because I over applied out of paranoia and party because my scores are pretty high for FM. I'm trying to narrow down to my top choices, but I am so hesitant on canceling too many programs and "getting cocky" and end up not matching. I think right now I am set on 14 of the ones I have scheduled... too many?

Thank you! And good luck!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Ronin786]

According to the charting outcomes 2011 results, these were the number of contiguous ranks for matched and unmatched applicants:

So as you can see, when you reach the 10+ ranges the chances of not matching go down significantly. So of independent applicants with 14 interviews, only 3 of them didnt match which is just 5%. Seems pretty good odds.

Keep in mind though, these are contiguous ranks within the same specialty. So if someone were to rank an IM program somewhere and then put some more FM programs it would not show up as far as my understanding goes. However, it does give a general picture of the point of diminishing returns.

 

[MadHopsMD]

under independent applicants. 16 or more rank and you still less that 50% match. really?

 

[scarletgirl777]

under independent applicants. 16 or more rank and you still less that 50% match. really?

Probably because the kind of person who needs to go on that many FM interviews is well below average. No one I know who applied in FM even applied to that many.

 

[MadHopsMD]

be below average and get 16 interviews??

 

[gutonc]

Probably because the kind of person who needs to go on that many FM interviews is well below average. No one I know who applied in FM even applied to that many.

be below average and get 16 interviews??

Actually, those people are probably sociopaths who look good on paper but as soon as you get them into the interview you realize that you'd be better off with Charles Manson, Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein and Pol Pot in your program.

 

[dingyibvs]

Actually, those people are probably sociopaths who look good on paper but as soon as you get them into the interview you realize that you'd be better off with Charles Manson, Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein and Pol Pot in your program.

Nah, I think it's more likely that their English is unacceptable despite excellent credentials otherwise. That would explain the difference in the 16+ interviews category between U.S. seniors and independents.

 

[Ronin786]

One other thing to keep in mind is this only takes into account contiguous ranks. So if someone put 1 IM program and 16FM programs then matched at that one IM program, I think they would count as not matching into FM.

I could be mistaken though.

 

[MadHopsMD]

One other thing to keep in mind is this only takes into account contiguous ranks. So if someone put 1 IM program and 16FM programs then matched at that one IM program, I think they would count as not matching into FM.

I could be mistaken though.

That makes more sense to me.

 

[Doctor Bob]

Has anyone had an advisor or their school advise them on how many interviews to attend?

Douglas Adams gives a very concise answer to this question...

42.

 

[Law2Doc]

Has anyone had an advisor or their school advise them on how many interviews to attend? I have heard anecdotal stories saying you should go for around 10 (more if your scores are less competitive or applying for something you are less than competitive for).

I am a DO applying to only ACGME match for FM programs (some dual accredited but over the ACGME side). I have gotten more interviews than I could possibly go on at this point, which is partially because I over applied out of paranoia and party because my scores are pretty high for FM. I'm trying to narrow down to my top choices, but I am so hesitant on canceling too many programs and "getting cocky" and end up not matching. I think right now I am set on 14 of the ones I have scheduled... too many?

Thank you! And good luck!!

The concept of a "magic number" assumes that a person is some fictional "average" person. In fact what we see are people who need a ton of interviews before they pull one off well, people who are such superstars that they will be accepted every place that meets them, and variations on both themes in the middle. so if you are this fictional perfectly average person then maybe a magic number makes sense. But in real life you won't be, and should err on the side of doing too many interviews. Worst case scenario is you spend a bit of money you didn't need to. While most people will match in their first handful of choices, there were a decent number of people in SOAP kicking themselves for not interviewing more broadly.

 

[Iamnotme]

The concept of a "magic number" assumes that a person is some fictional "average" person. In fact what we see are people who need a ton of interviews before they pull one off well, people who are such superstars that they will be accepted every place that meets them, and variations on both themes in the middle. so if you are this fictional perfectly average person then maybe a magic number makes sense. But in real life you won't be, and should err on the side of doing too many interviews. Worst case scenario is you spend a bit of money you didn't need to. While most people will match in their first handful of choices, there were a decent number of people in SOAP kicking themselves for not interviewing more broadly.

To some extent this is true. But then again I think going overboard is not good. At some point it becomes futile to continue going on interviews. I for example matched by going to only a handful of interviews. I could have gone to a lot more, but ultimately it would not have made any difference at all. To go on more than 15 interviews in my opinion is overkill, particularly for specialties that are not that competitive. If we are talking things like derm, rad onc, ortho, that's a different story. But for the vast majority of specialties, going to 10-15 interviews, especially as an american grad, whether MD or DO should be more than enough.
I think the capacity to perform well after so many interviews also goes down, and it becomes futile to "perform". Unless some really spectacular program that someone really wants ends up offering you an interview late in the game, I would say it does not make a ton of sense to continue going on interviews past 15 or so.

 

[Law2Doc]

To some extent this is true. But then again I think going overboard is not good. At some point it becomes futile to continue going on interviews. I for example matched by going to only a handful of interviews. I could have gone to a lot more, but ultimately it would not have made any difference at all. To go on more than 15 interviews in my opinion is overkill, particularly for specialties that are not that competitive. If we are talking things like derm, rad onc, ortho, that's a different story. But for the vast majority of specialties, going to 10-15 interviews, especially as an american grad, whether MD or DO should be more than enough.
I think the capacity to perform well after so many interviews also goes down, and it becomes futile to "perform". Unless some really spectacular program that someone really wants ends up offering you an interview late in the game, I would say it does not make a ton of sense to continue going on interviews past 15 or so.

There certainly was a point at which it was futile for you, but you aren't the guy who ends up in SOAP. For the person who does Im sure they stay up nights thinking is "if only I applied and interviewed a bit more broadly". There absolutely will be people who come up one or two ranks short of a spot that could have interviewed at a few more places if they didn't decide arbitrarily that X was enough interviews. There were absolutely people that could have quit after one and been done. It depends on the applicant, and their qualifications and how tuned they are to where they rank. To suggest there's a single "magic number" for all comers that ignores this is inaccurate. There is no magic number. Or rather every applicant has their own magic number which can be anywhere on the board. Statistics can't work here because nobody is average, and it assumes a lot of things like insight and interview ability and "good fit" and hitting it off with the residents at the ore-interview dinners are constants, but really aren't. So to protect yourself you interview at and rank too many places. The superstars may rank 10 even though they only needed two, weaker applicants may need to interview until the money runs out. It's less about magic numbers and more about hedging your bets.