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Give 'em at least a day to contact you. Last year mine contacted me the following day.
Match Day
- Thread starter RxWildcat
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Give 'em at least a day to contact you. Last year mine contacted me the following day.
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SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE!!!!! Top choice!
Both me and my buddy were doing ICU, me MICU, he's SICU. We were sitting next to each other, working up the patients and refreshing our e-mail every few minutes. We both landed out top choice. We were high 5ing each other and making a scene in the ICU. LOL
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For those who weren't as lucky, pull yourselves together. Now is not the time to sulk. Jump into the scramble and be sure to show your enthusiasm and bright personality on the phone. Don't let the bad mood hurt your chance in scramble.
Hang in there guys!
Hang in there guys!
so for the scramble, is it best to call? I feel email would be easier. How interested in the program can you say you are when you didn't apply there in the first place. this is not how i pictured st. patty's day.
I heard from other people that it's better to call. It might take the program directors some time to check/reply emails, so I think the quickest way to secure an interview spot is by calling. Good luck!
Last year my program director contacted me 2 days later, so I was just hanging there and didn't know what to do. I haven't been contacted this year yet, I think I'll just wait....
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i dont feel so bad...
the stats say 2900 submitted ranke lists and 1100 didnt match...im honestly suprised by that.
no positions in the scramble for what i want to do :/
onto the job search....congrats everyone.
the stats say 2900 submitted ranke lists and 1100 didnt match...im honestly suprised by that.
no positions in the scramble for what i want to do :/
onto the job search....congrats everyone.
I looked at the stats for last year. There were 2500 applicants for PGY1 programs, 400 less than this year. For PGY2, last year had 384 applicants (including early commitments) whereas there are 483 applicants this year. This is just crazy, can't imagine what's gonna happen next year.
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would anybody who did not match care to share gpa/extracurricular/work stats?
on second thought, would those that did match care to share too?
on second thought, would those that did match care to share too?
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Matched: GPA~3.9 from a well known public university. ~3 years interships in both hospital ED + walgreens. ASHP, APhA, Rho Chi, active member but didn't take any leadership position. Prior pharmaceutical industry work experience + publications. For fun: computers, eating, jogging & skiing.
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For those who scrambled last year, I assumed that you all applied to multiple places after the match. I wanted to know if someone offers you a position, do you have to accept right away?
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phewwwww we are not even in the same league as far as CV. Congrats...looks like all of your hard work paid off.
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see some people say grades matter some dont, some say leadership positions matter some dont, some say job experience matters and some dont....it is so confusing.
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I matched and got an email from a current resident and a call from the program director about ~3-5 hours after getting the email.
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I matched my #1!
The scramble list looked pretty sparse, especially in the region that I was looking into. Just from glancing at the stats they post it seems like positions were pretty competitive to get into. Is there a link on the match site to stats from previous years? Congrats to all that matched and to those that are scrambling don't be discouraged!
The scramble list looked pretty sparse, especially in the region that I was looking into. Just from glancing at the stats they post it seems like positions were pretty competitive to get into. Is there a link on the match site to stats from previous years? Congrats to all that matched and to those that are scrambling don't be discouraged!
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Matched. Graduated in 2008. Have worked for a retail chain since. 3.4 GPA, public, state, East coast university. Lambda Kappa Sigma, active member 6 years - 3 years of office. National sorority - active member 4 years - 1 year of office. Campus tour guide for 3 years, taught a 1 credit class to pharmacy freshmen for 1 semester, Pfizer summer internship 1 year - the rest of my summers were spent waitressing! ASHP and APhA - member status only. Worked retail on the side for 4+ years. No hospital experience outside of school and rotations. Only 1 publication - my poster from Pfizer. Awards really consisted of service/loyalty to LKS and a scholarship from the university itself.
However, I just want to say that I was not feeling at all confident going into the Match. I applied to 6 programs and only received interviews at 2. I was definitely frustrated. I ranked the 2 programs I interviewed with and ended up with my first choice. So while your CV might get you in the door, the interview is really the most important part. You can look great on paper, but if have no social skills when you meet the director in person . . you're not putting yourself in the best position. I think my lack of hospital experience and time spent in retail was what limited my interviews. But I prepared extensively for the 2 interviews I did have and really made sure they knew I wanted to be there when I was answering their questions. So my best advice would be to do the best you can when putting your CV together/writing your LOI and to really prepare for/focus on your interviews and to show some spark when you're there.
Good luck and congrats to everybody today.
I have a question:
they wrote on match website: A list of programs with positions available after the Match will be available beginning at 12:00 noon EDST on March 17, 2010
However, I could not find them on match website. Can anyone help me please?
Thanks in advance for your help.
they wrote on match website: A list of programs with positions available after the Match will be available beginning at 12:00 noon EDST on March 17, 2010
However, I could not find them on match website. Can anyone help me please?
Thanks in advance for your help.
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That is only if you registered for the match. You have to log in using your match ID#
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there were only about 100 spots in the scramble.
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WOW... I cannot believe the match was so intense this year. Congrats to those who matched. We've got a LONG year ahead of us
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Congrats!!!!
Congrats to everyone else too, but I was pulling for you Apples; I'm a softie for people who go the unconventional route
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God, I feel like I dodged a few bullets applying to pharmacy school when I did, doing a residency when I did - things are so much more competitive in such a short time.
Good luck in the scramble to those of you who didn't match.
Good luck in the scramble to those of you who didn't match.
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As of this years' circumstances, one can safely say none of those matter, except for KISSING ***** !!! It's too crazy and too ridiculous and understandably not very feasible anymore to accommodate that many people for that many number of programs. Numerous people I know who were the most active people at school in multiple organizations and were members of Rho Chi and worked at hospitals did not match!! It's quite baffling if you think about it and I am really scared for next year. Before they begged for people to come work retail with bonuses and went on knees for people to consider residency in the face of big bonuses. The tables have turned and we are the one to do the ***** kissing and getting on our knees period! If you want to do a residency right now start kissing people's ***** at least and entire year before and show them it is what you want. The only thing that would really split the applicant crowd reasonably right now is drive,motivation and ambition!
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As of this years' circumstances, one can safely say none of those matter, except for KISSING ***** !!! It's too crazy and too ridiculous and understandably not very feasible anymore to accommodate that many people for that many number of programs. Numerous people I know who were the most active people at school in multiple organizations and were members of Rho Chi and worked at hospitals did not match!! It's quite baffling if you think about it and I am really scared for next year. Before they begged for people to come work retail with bonuses and went on knees for people to consider residency in the face of big bonuses. The tables have turned and we are the one to do the ***** kissing and getting on our knees period! If you want to do a residency right now start kissing people's ***** at least and entire year before and show them it is what you want. The only thing that would really split the applicant crowd reasonably right now is drive,motivation and ambition!
I think the sentiment is a little bitter. Yes, there are those who fell through the crack. But over all those who prepared for it and cast their net wide probably got matched.
One of my friend who was just as you have described above, didn't match. He is an excellent candidate, but he only applied to 3 places when most people are advising doing 5-7. Another friend of mine was a year ahead of me. She applied to 12 last year, but those were all out-of-state (like in Cali) or really prestigious programs. She ended up scrambling and doing at a small, less established program. So you need to leave an ample margin for error. It's better to error on the side of caution.
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Having gone through the matching process now. I can offer some insight based on personal experience and those of my friends.
There are 2 distinct types of applicants that programs liked or matched -- the over achiever and the charismatic.
I was the former, with a very strong CV. Near perfect grades while doing both hospital and community internships, research experience, posters, publications, patents, scholarships and awards. P4 portfolio 2x as thick as most. 7 applicants, 7 invites. The CV and portfolio speak for itself during the interview, I just needed to not screw up.
My friend who is with me on the current rotation is just an incredibly friendly and charismatic guy. He can strike up a conversation with anybody he just met and make them feel good and at easy. He wasn't the leader of any organization, had a 3.4 GPA, is an intern for a hospital. He was built like a football player, but is surprisingly funny and laid back, the kind you want to hang out and drink some beer with. He applied to 6 places got 4 invites.
So basically, programs are going to rank first the people who have outstanding academic/work record, and people who have very memorable positive personality. It's the jack of all trades but master of none that had to compete with all the similar candidates.
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I believe that charisma is more important than grades/CV when it comes to the interview. If you have gotten the interview the program knows that you are capable of being there. From the interview on out it's all about how your personality meshes with the personality of the director/committee and how you fit in with the department. Was told this personally by 2 different directors. Charisma and passion go a long way....You have to think, how do you set yourself apart from the other applicants and whatever that is, do it.
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Charm definitely is big. Totally agree. But a very strong CV/portfolio is at least a part of how they eval you.
I went mainly for the VA system. One residency director went into great detail about how they rank their candidates to ensure a fair outcome.
They basically have a point system. Each categories of the items on CV and the top portfolio project they asked you to send are scored. Then each interviewer gets a score, they all carry the same weight whether its a chief or a resident.
Scores from the CV and the interviewers are summed and adjusted for by number of interviewers you had to ensure fairness. And they rank people exactly by the total adjusted score. I was very impressed by how fair the system sounded and is one of the reasons why I ranked them #1.
Other sites may or may not use a similar system. But even if they don't, you have to make an impression one way or the other. (1) If you can wow them by personality, they'll remember "oh that's the really cool guy that cracked me up". But if you don't have a lot of charm, you need to have a CV that make them go "oh yeah that's the guy who showed us the kick ass portfolio" when its time to pick after 30+ interviews.
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Seconded, after having been on both sides of the interviewing process, though for fellowships and jobs, not for residencies, but it's the same thing. A little personality goes a long way... and ability to think on one's feet and be calm and articulate. Knowledge can be learned easily enough, soft skills are much harder to teach...
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Hey guys, just seeking input or opinions.....does anybody think that while having extensive retail experience, is it a negative thing to describe it as such on a CV for a clinical residency? In other words just wondering how much of all that retail experience should be included and is it gonna be looked at unfavorably, or does it not matter? Thanks.
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Retail experience won't hurt you. It's infinitely better than having no experience. Any experience can demonstrate your ability to function in a real working environment. Of course, hospital experience is preferable over retail, but most places are aware hospital openings are hard to find.
It took me a year of applying to all the hospitals (about 5) in the area before I got that call, while the walgreens and CVS were openly e-mail COP begging for interns. So keep applying to all the hospitals. It will take some time.
I have 8 years of retail experience. I am beginning a PGY1 residency in a few weeks. I was asked about how my experience relates to residency and why I am not going into retail, but as long as you have good honest answers it should be fine. Many residency programs don't require hospital experience (although I'm sure it would be helpful) and they often look for diversity between their residents. While I don't have much experience with common hospital medications, making IVs, etc., I do have experience working as part of a team, communicating with patients, and communicating with other health professionals. I also have some perspective on what may happen when a patient is discharged on new medications. I would include the experience on your CV and applications, and make sure you explain how it makes you a good candidate for the position.
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Think of it this way....
no experience < retail experience ≤ hospital experience
If you talk about the benefits of your retail experience, there's no reason it can't be a positive thing. I matched to a program w/o hospital experience.
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delete
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i had to scrambled. it was a horrible time but i had 2 interviews and matched...thank god...
