Match possibilities

[durisimo]

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So I go to a lower tier state school in the bible belt and I was looking at our match stats and it looks like 60 percent of this years class stayed in state for their residency. I plan on pursuing an IM residency which I understand is not competitive, but realistically what are my chances of getting out of the rural south and matching at an out of state residency, should I not get my hopes up? I should add that i'm in the lower half as far as class rankings go.

 

[MedStud!]

Doing away rotations at institutions you would like to train at can be helpful... as long as you shine and don't bomb it. Do them outside the south so they can see you want to get out.... and bust your ass.

 

[Smurfette]

It's not unusual for a substantial amount of a class to stay in state for residency, especially if the school has a large number of in-state students (as is likely the case in a rural south state school). Don't assume that people can't match outside of their state---many people likely wanted to stay in-state or in the south. If you want to leave, just make sure to apply to programs outside of the south that you can realistically match into. You'll need to talk to the PD or other seasoned individuals in your field of interest and have them give you feedback on the programs you are interested in. You also will need to be convincing about wanting to leave the South (and be in whatever region instead) when you interview.