Match Stats for the entering class of 2011

[Gfunk6]

Each year we request users anonymously post their match statistics (whether or not they successfully matched) in the format below. Since the impressions account is gone feel free to PM your match stats anonymously or email to gfunk6266(at)yahoo(dot)com

Cheers,

G

--Board Scores:
--AOA and class rank: if known
--GPA:
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc)
--Research: (none, some radonc with no publications, radonc publications, other pubs)
--Honors in clerkships: (especially surgery, medicine and radonc)
--# and where you did away rotations:
--# of programs you applied to:
--Where invited for interviews:
--Where matched:
--Matched at what number on rank list:
--Anything that helped your app: (ie: a phone call to a program, big-wig letter of recs, MD/PhD, other degree, SDN Forum, etc)
--Plans if not matched:
--Prelim year:
--Matched at what number of prelim yr on list:
--Other:

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[thesauce]

Board Scores: Step 1: 236/99, Step 2: 238/99 (before rank-lists)
AOA and class rank: Nope, 2nd quintile (was AOA/first quintile in my original class, but got shafted when I took a year off after 3rd year)
Reputation of medical school: Non-existent, rank is ~60
Research: About 12 research experiences total. Highlights include one 6th author translational radonc submitted, one first author translational non-radonc accepted, 2 first author reviews submitted, 3 conference presentations (2 first author, 2 posters, 1 oral) which were non-radonc.
Honors in clerkships: Honors in outpatient medicine only, all others HP
# and where you did away rotations: 2 upper middle-tier programs
Where matched:: Interviewed at 1 place I rotated at, not the other. Didn't match where I rotated
# of programs you applied to: All of them
Where invited for interviews: 25 offered: Kentucky, Rochester, Cinci, UVA, VCU, Moffitt, RWJ, UAB, Henry Ford, Kansas, Iowa, COH, Wisc, Jefferson, Maryland, UTSW, UWash, Case, and NIH. Cancelled Rush, CPMC, Suny Downstate, Baylor, Loyola, and Utah.
Matched at what number on rank list: My favorite
Anything that helped your app: I was in the Howard Hughes program for a year. That's the only reasonable explanation for why I got so many interviews. My numbers and grades do not stand-out on their own, but they kept me in the game.
Plans if not matched: Internship and reapply
Prelim year: TY at my #1 choice

 

[Gfunk6]

Here's a user's stats I was asked to post anonymously:

--Board Scores: 240/241 Step1/2
--AOA and class rank: No AOA, rank unknown
--GPA: N/A, no grades.
--Reputation of medical school: Regionally respected state school with a very small Rad Onc department and no residency program.
--Research:
*** -Dosimetry project presented as poster at ASTRO
*** -PhD in cancer related field with 1st author pubs submitted, but not accepted
*** -Some middle author pubs and reviews
*** -Some conference presentations and posters
--Honors in clerkships:
*** -3rd year Honors in Medicine and Ob/Gyn
*** -4th year Honors in ICU and Medicine Sub-I.
--# and where you did away rotations: 3 away rotations (Penn, MSKCC, and Yale)
--# of programs you applied to: 34
--Where invited for interviews: UVA, Moffitt, Vanderbilt, NYU, Jefferson, MSKCC, Yale, Cornell, Maryland.
--Matched at what number on rank list: 2nd (program tied for top choice)
--Anything that helped your app:
*** -PhD and related research
*** -Letters from chair and/or PD from away rotations
*** -Maybe ASTRO poster
--Prelim year: Top choice medicine prelim
--Matched at what number of prelim yr on list: 2nd
--Other:
1) If you are a good student who plays well with others and you demonstrate interest in the field through a research project (even a very small one) you will do fine.
2) If your school doesn't have a program you really need to do away rotations and get letters from places that have programs.
3) Do not look at the SDN boards too much (sorry guys), they will stress you out. Most people who match in Rad Onc are good students with good board scores, but you don't need to have 250+ boards with 1st author research and AOA. These people are in the minority.
-Things that did not help:
*** -Having a PhD without published 1st author papers
*** -Coming from a school without a residency program.

 

[mosati]

--Board Scores: 240 Step 1; 232 Step 2
--AOA and class rank: no AOA, unknown rank
--GPA: roughly 2/3 Honors
--Reputation of medical school: (top 10, top 25, etc) Top 50
--Research: benchwork from undergrad, benchwork from MS2, radiation oncology reseach MS3-MS4.
--Honors in clerkships: honored medicine, not surgery
--# and where you did away rotations: 1 away
--# of programs you applied to: all programs initially, withdrew from 15 or so after getting enough interviews
--Where invited for interviews: had 20 programs send invites
--Matched at what number on rank list: 12
--Anything that helped your app: big wig letter of recommendation, radonc research
--Matched at what number of prelim yr on list: 1

 

[Freight Train]

--Board Scores: Step 1: 251, Step 2: 240
--AOA and class rank: Class rank #3/140. No AOA!
--Reputation of medical school: Nada... OSTEOPATHIC!!!
--Research: As many projects as I could get my hands on after deciding on Rad Onc late (early 3rd yr)!!!
- Prostate Brachy poster at ASTRO
- Rectal IMRT poster at ASCO GI
- 1st author on 3 rad onc retrospective reviews submitted (all from well known institutions).
- Several other Rad Onc and non-onc research/presentations/experiences
--Honors in clerkships: All Honors except FM, Psych
--# and where you did away rotations: 4 aways! MDACC during 3rd year. 1 research month. Other 2 clinical at middle tier.
--# of programs you applied to: 60
--Where invited for interviews: Moffitt, Mayo, Mayo Jax, UTSW, UTSA, Baylor, OSU, Case, Drexel, Wisconsin, Kansas, MUSC, Wake.
--Matched at what number on rank list: Middle of rank list- NOT where I rotated! -- shouldn't be too tough to figure out where...
--Anything that helped your app: Had 1 elective 3rd year, and was able to go to MDACC (thanks to a contact). Made some great connections there, got fantastic letters from well-known faculty, and was able to get a great research project started that resulted in an abstract for ASTRO (even though I wasn't "allowed" to do research on a Clinical month). I feel that this rotation is why I matched! Was fortunate to get exactly what I wanted in a month's time: research, ASTRO poster, LOR's, and great lifelong friends in RadOnc.
Otherwise, my other aways were great even though I didn't end up matching there. Made more contacts, more research projects, learned a lot, etc.
Lastly, got most of my interviews because I had attendings I knew from several institutions call/email PD's on my behalf! Without those extra contacts, probably only would've got 4-5 interviews.
--Plans if not matched: Do intern yr and hope a spot opened up. If not, reapply.
--Prelim year: local Prelim Med.
--Matched at what number of prelim yr on list: #1
--Other: Wanted to post this so that applicants from schools without home progs, especially DO's, realize that you can match if you work for it. I am the exception in RadOnc, as I didn't take a yr off for research, so I feel very fortunate to have matched 1st time. But, it is possible if you work hard, make the right contacts, and get a little lucky. As a DO, you definitely have to work harder, and have to know that some progs won't consider your application at all regardless of stats/experience! (In reality, the same may be true for MDs at lower-tier schools). If you're a DO, and are serious about applying, PM me and I'll give you my take on which progs to focus on. Good luck!
FT

 

[Gfunk6]

Thanks to an anonymous contributor!

--Board Scores: Step 1 - low 230s, Step 2 - not submitted
--AOA and class rank: not AOA and un-noteworthy class rank
--GPA: didn't know
--Reputation of medical school: public, low-tier, no home rad-onc residency program
--Research: rad onc research in similar field (no true rad onc research - clinical or basic) throughout undergrad and med school but no substantial publications to follow, just abstracts and such.
--Honors in clerkships: RadOnc, that's about it.
--# and where you did away rotations: 2 aways
--# of programs you applied to: All
--Where invited for interviews: 8 programs (mix of decent programs and not-so decent programs, no top 5, 10 or 20)
--Where matched: Declined (but I am happy there)
--Matched at what number on rank list: top 8
--Anything that helped your app: Having an undergrad degree in physics-related field and research that was not rad onc specific, but had an impact on the field was very critical and helped make good case for my application (atleast that's what I think). Rotating at institutions with strong faculty that weren't crowded with too many students was nice as well too. Good big wig letters are a plus.
--Plans if not matched: Do prelim and reapply.
--Prelim year: Declined
--Matched at what number of prelim yr on list: Declined
--Other: The reason I posted this was not to boast about my CV, but just offer some encouragement to the non-All-stars out there. I think if you have the right attitude, act normal, smile, and work hard you can find your way into this field. I was not an academic all-star myself and was reluctant to apply at first, but talked to enough different people and told them my story and took a shot. I consider myself really lucky. Atleast from what I understand, this field is not about numbers (step 1 > 260s, AOA), but about ppl who are compassionate, normal and have a genuine interest in practicing in the field or moving it forward with research or both obviously. My advice is to go for it so you never wonder what could have been. That's really why I finally made the push and it really worked out well! Anyways, good luck to the next group!

 

[Gfunk6]

Thanks to an anonymous contributor:

--Board Scores: 242/260+ (step 2 not submitted by match)
--AOA and class rank: Not AOA; top 25% of class
--GPA:?
--Reputation of medical school: regionally known, middling state school
--Research: first author for ASTRO poster presentation; clinical research prior to school (study coordinator), worked in hospice; no manuscript pubs.
--Honors in clerkships: honored every rotation except surgery; did much better in 3rd and 4th yrs
--# and where you did away rotations: 1 away; + my home school has program
--# of programs you applied to: 12-13
--Where invited for interviews: 6, interviewed at 5, most middling programs, one top 5
--Where matched: great mid-tier program where I did away
--Matched at what number on rank list: #1
--Anything that helped your app: My away place really liked me. It honestly has a lot to do with personality -- not being an ass, getting along with people, being reliable, etc. I didn't have much research, but had worked in hospice and had obvious long-standing interest in oncology and palliative care. I also decided late (mid 3rd year) and am not top student, but jumped in and met with docs and told them my story. Work connections, however tenuous, and be honest. Ppl respond well when they sense you will make a good doc.
--Plans if not matched: internal
--Prelim year: medicine in solid, but rel. chill program
--Matched at what number of prelim yr on list: #1
-- Personality matters (or should) a lot. Do something different to allow your app to stand out.

 

[Gfunk6]

We really appreciate these stats, thanks!

--Board Scores: 248/235 (Step 2 not submitted)
--AOA and class rank: not AOA, top 1/3 class
--Reputation of medical school: not ranked expensive private school
--Research: 1 radiology case report, 3rd author on RadOnc paper accepted to red journal (something to talk about during interviews), MD/MPH joint program
--Honors in clerkships: few honors, mostly HP
--# and where you did away rotations: 2 mid-tier programs (I had free housing)
--# of programs you applied to: most of em (50+)
--Where invited for interviews: 10 (Baylor, Buffalo, UCV, Minn, Vandy, Emory, Allegheny, Wayne State, Univ of Florida, Univ of AZ)
--Matched at what number on rank list: top half of my list (not where I rotated)
--Anything that helped your app: atleast attempting research last minute. I decided on RadOnc in April of my 3rd year and scheduled two away rotations. During an away, I was lucky to work on a project that got accepted to the Red journal. Getting letters from well recognized ppl in the field was discussed during my interviews.
I felt like I was a well balanced applicant, enjoyed interviewing, imagined myself at each program, read Iserson's Getting into Residency Book -- interviewing section. My home program lacked a RadOnc dept, thus aways were crucial to network into field and meet other students applying. If I had known earlier about my interest in the field, I would have done more research, which was likely the most important aspect about applying to this specialty. During several interviews, I was asked about RadOnc radiobiology/physics, which was basically a test of my memory/interest in the field. Also asked during interview: "how will your MPH help you in RadOnc", "how was it working with so-and-so (letter writers)".

 

[radanon]

--Board Scores: 254/252
--AOA and class rank: Yes, top 15 in the class
--GPA: 3.8ish
--Reputation of medical school: State school with no rad onc program
--Research: a couple of non rad onc cancer related projects, one of which is being submitted (6th author) with resulting poster presentations. 1 rad onc paper in the works during interview season (1st author) and one rad onc project completed on one of my aways.
--Honors in clerkships: Honors in everything but medicine and OB/Gyn. Rad Onc was pass/fail (I passed)
--# of away rotations: 3 aways
--# of programs you applied to: 50 or so
--Where invited for interviews: 10 (Thomas Jefferson, Allegheny, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Beaumont, Emory, UTSW, UT San Antonio)
--Where matched: My #1 choice! (I rotated there)
--Anything that helped your app: I had a great connection at my school that got me in the door for away rotations. Doing well on aways and getting letters of recommendation from well known faculty is THE most important reason I matched this year (in my opinion).
--Plans if not matched: Prelim and reapply
--Prelim year: Internal Medicine at same school I matched for rad onc
--Other: Even if you aren't published extensively (like me), it is important to at least have something going on the research front and be able to talk about it intelligently during the interviews. Also, don't fret if your interviews don't start coming in until later than your friends who are applying for other specialties. 80% of my interviews weren't even offered until after Thanksgiving (which had me nearly panicked). Coming from a state school, it can be intimidating to interview and rotate with applicants from places like Harvard, but if you work hard on your away rotations, are friendly during the interviews and have a good attitude, you will do fine.

 

[radanon]

--Degree: MD/MS
--Board Scores: Step 1 & 2: 240's
--AOA and class rank: No AOA. Probably top 1/3 of class?
--Reputation of medical school: middle-tier Midwest school
--Research: Several posters at ASTRO and AAPM, a case report (1st author), a couple clinical research papers (1st author on one of them), RSNA student research grant
--Honors in clerkships: OBGYN (random, I know!), Near honors in psych and peds. I found out later that my school gives very, very few honors during 3rd year compared to other schools.
--# and where you did away rotations: 4 away rotations. 1 reach, 3 reasonables
--# of programs you applied to: 72
--Where invited for interviews: Rochester, South Carolina, VCU, Moffitt, Loma Linda, Kaiser LA, UT-San Antonio, UT-Southwestern, Baylor, Thomas Jefferson, Arizona, Oregon, Louisville, Henry Ford, Beaumont, Maryland (I attended 14 of the 16 invites)
--Matched at what number on rank list: #2 (right near my hometown )
--Anything that helped your app: I have an M.S. in medical physics which I believe bolstered my application a bit. This came up quite a bit during interviews. I was able to talk about my "unique" perspective having come from a medical physics background. Aside from this, I'd encourage applicants to try to get some funding for one of their projects. The RSNA medical student grant is one example. Typically, they're more lenient with these med student grants because they don't expect much from us. The grant amounts are smaller as well. I've had longstanding interest in this field so I'd definitely encourage applicants to get involved early.
--Plans if not matched: Ritual suicide. No, I'd probably do my intern year and reapply. I don't feel my application was hugely lacking in any one area, so I wasn't sure if a research year would help me. It's difficult to get a big project done in the few months that remain before the next application cycle began.
--Prelim year: Prelim year at institution I matched at.
--Other: It's a tough field to match into, but definitely not "too" hard. The match rate is typically in the ~80's%. During the interviews all they ever wanted to talk about was research. So, be sure to know your projects very well. A lot of places I visited tried to impress applicants with the amount of funding, big name faculty, and technology in the department. For me, personally, the most important factors were finding a place where everyone was happy and a location I could see myself living for the next 4-5 years. It's all about finding a good fit. SDN seems to encourage this arms race of superfluous rankings and hardcore superstar academic nuts. I will take environment, lifestyle, and location over that stuff ANY day.

 

[yeasterbunny]

...I will take environment, lifestyle, and location over that stuff ANY day.

Heresy!

 

[radanon]

-Board Scores: 257/253
--AOA and class rank: junior AOA, in top 3 of class
--GPA: don't know, honors in every subject ms1, 2, 3
--Reputation of medical school: state school
--Research: 1 non-rad onc abstract/poster presentation and 1 clinical rad onc mnscrpt in submission at time of interviews/match/etc
--Honors in clerkships: everything honors
--# and where you did away rotations: 1 home, 1 away. would have liked to do more but had a bad scheduling thing at my school and didn't have the time.
--# of programs you applied to: ~40ish
--Where invited for interviews: 7
--Where matched: 3 on my list
--Anything that helped your app: good looks
--Plans if not matched: scramble
--Other: it's a recurring theme. man will not match on grades alone. get some research in there to at least talk about during interviews. and be nice. to everyone. all the time.

 

[honger]

Just wanted to drop a line and say thanks. You guys have really encouraged me as a prospective applicant to the field.