Congrats to all of you! Any tips for a rising 4th year?
I would research programs - it takes more time than you think it would.
www.apgo.org is a good resource - it's got a residency directory that most programs have a page where they fill out info such as rotations, sites, surgical numbers, even sometimes avg step scores, etc. It's password protected - if your school is a member, the program coordinator for your dept or the library should have the name/password for you. I also used scutwork.com for other opinions. I checked the ACGME website to make sure they weren't on probation.
Apply widely. My school didn't seem to catch on that ob was getting more competitive, and it hurt some of my classmates - we were lead to believe it was a given that you would get a spot as a US Senior - obviously not so this year.
Rank enough programs - while most students will get one of their top 3 choices (84%), there are plenty of people who get their last choice. I didn't feel comfortable ranking less than 10 programs - those who ranked more than 8 where statistically more likely to match (by the 2005 match data) than those who ranked less than 8. I know of a few students who didn't match because they only ranked 2 or 3 programs.
Take your step 2 early - you'll forget stuff every day during 4th year!
Think about why you want to do ob/gyn... think long enough that you have another answer to the question than "delivering babies is so cool".
You may be able to find suits on sale this time of year... not sure. Dress fairly conservatively - don't show cleavage - but it definately doesn't have to be black.
Talk to your advisor at school about what programs they think you should apply to - add to their list. Be sure if you are applying to your home program that you have an advisor who isn't the program director - that makes it kinda awkward to go over your list prior to submitting it. I've got a couple of friends who felt this caused them to not match at their home program because they didn't have the home program as their #1 and the director knew it. Just play it safe and have someone else to talk to.
Good luck!