Official 2012-2013 Help Me Rank Megathread

[thecreator]

I am unsure of the middle of my rank list. I value fellowship chances & good clinical training, then location. Looking into Hem/Onc & Pulm/CC, but also want to have some chances for GI/cards.

1) Einstein Philly (excellent for Pulm & Onc, GI mainly inhouse, cards varies)
2) Drexel (no info on 2013 match, seems medium but people match in east coast)
3) Methodist Houston (has superb match for 2013: 5 cards, NIH-Hem/Onc this and last year)
4) U Louisville (many get GI & Cards, mostly in kentucky)
5) Pennsylvania Hospital Philly (has some good matches because of electives/research at UPenn)
6) St Luke Roosevelt (location, had better matches in the past compared to 2013)
7) UConn (medium, 2013 good for pulm & cards, tough for hemonc & GI??')
8) UMass (lot of researchmoney, matching mainly inhouse, very bad board pass rate)
9) UT San Antonio (good mainly inhouse matching in all fellowships)


Am I crazy to put these (semi) community places above universities, eventhough UConn & UMass don't seem to have the pull as the other places top on my rol. Thanks!

To be frank, I am a little surprised by your ROL. I have been at almost every place in your list except for Methodist Houston, Penn Hosp and Drexel. To me, Einstein Philly and UofLouisville above SLR makes no sense. Louisville is a good university but for fellowships, chances of getting a "reputed" fellowship outside Kentucky can be difficult. SLR has a very good rep in the region and in the end, research under well-known people in the field and their letters matter the most. SLR is much a better program than Einstein Philly. I am in the same boat as you, so I speak the above based on my experience rather any first-hand proofs, but I have talked to my mentors and doctors at various places to figure this out. If you have anything to add, it will be a good debate helping both of us.

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[thierryhenry]

SLR is not better than University of Louisville
at all

 

[icaruswalks]

Any help with my list, posted a bit before?

 

[gk47]

I realize that I'm splitting hairs here, but I'm having some trouble deciding on my top choice. I am leaning towards GI (or maybe pulm) with no real geographic preference. Any amount of advice would help tremendously.

In no particular order:

UTSW
Vandy
WashU
Michigan

 

[thecreator]

SLR is not better than University of Louisville
at all

Care to explain why? I would put SLR above because of reputation in Northeast (medicine thrives in this region) which is a big deal for fellowships versus Louisville (it's a great campus and prolly a good program too) which is not widely known and has no whatsoever link to better fellowship programs elsewhere in the country.

 

[Hokie06]

.

 

[thecreator]

Louisville is a much better program than SLR hands down. Don't let one guys impression make you think otherwise. University Program will always trump community with a few exceptions - and these are largely due to geographic regions. SLR is a good community program without a doubt but I would by far rank Louisville ahead. This is coming from a guy who is from my and have also interviewed at Louisville. The PD at U of L is amazing and she will always be on your side.

I never said Louisville is not a good program, but the original poster is looking for a fellowship and if you check UofL fellowships you will see that hardly anybody gets to go out of Kentucky, which does speak about its national reputation.

 

[ColonelForbin]

deleted

 

[musicinyou]

I never said Louisville is not a good program, but the original poster is looking for a fellowship and if you check UofL fellowships you will see that hardly anybody gets to go out of Kentucky, which does speak about its national reputation.

Check the website. Just about half went out of state last year. http://louisville.edu/medschool/internalmedicine/residency/imrp/after-residency.html

I have never even heard of SLR until this thread. I'm sure it's a good northeast community program but I would go university over community all day.

 

[gutonc]

I realize that I'm splitting hairs here, but I'm having some trouble deciding on my top choice. I am leaning towards GI (or maybe pulm) with no real geographic preference. Any amount of advice would help tremendously.

In no particular order:

UTSW
Vandy
WashU
Michigan

Yes you're splitting hairs. No I won't help you since you didn't put them in the order you liked them.

 

[gk47]

Yes you're splitting hairs. No I won't help you since you didn't put them in the order you liked them.

My apologies, how about:

1) WashU
2) Michigan
3) UTSW
4) Vandy

 

[gutonc]

My apologies, how about:

1) WashU
2) Michigan
3) UTSW
4) Vandy

I'd swap Vandy and UTSW. Otherwise it's good.

 

[obiwan]

My apologies, how about:

1) WashU
2) Michigan
3) UTSW
4) Vandy

Seeing how these programs are pretty much on the same level, where can you see yourself spending 3+ years? for me. it seems like people on these thread dislike college towns when ranking programs but I kinda like ann arbor despite it blizzarding on my interview day and you could never pay me to live in st. louis. you probably have the most options with dallas but again some people on this thread aren't big fans of texas i also don't care much for nashville.

 

[Student415]

AMG looking for a benign, resident friendly, with excellent clinical training, program. Planning on doing a fellowship, but do not know what yet...so I want to keep it as open as I can. I guess currently it is ID, but that could change early on. Help my ranking please:

1. MUSC
2. Carolinas Medical Center
3. UF-Gainesville
4. Emory
5. Brown
6. Tulane
7. UVA
8. Mayo-Jacksonville

 

[chemgoggles]

Mayo Clinic Rochester or Vanderbilt?

 

[gutonc]

Finished my interview season late for various reasons... but here is my rank list as it sits right now. My #1-4 switch around like every minute. I could definitely use some advice with my list. My current interests are heme/onc, maybe pulm. critical care, or even cards.? Not sure. I'd also prefer a program with some kind of +1/+2 schedule, collegial residents who get along, but with great general IM training as well.

Social-wise, I would like to live somewhere with a decent bit of diversity, both in things to do and people in the area, especially as a single dude, don't want to be in a program with only married or significantly involved residents.

1 - 4: OHSU, UNC - Chapel Hill, Brown (both GIM and categorical), UCLA - Olive View

5-6. Albert Einstein - Montefiore, University of Maryland - toss up between the two. U of Maryland seemed to have a high patient census on gen med wards of 20???? Residents seemed overworked. By a lot.
7. UIC
8. U of Wisconsin - Solid fellowship match is the only reason why I'd want to go here.
9-10. UCI/Tulane - I like being in SoCal, but Tulane has an awesome PD and the 4+1 program. Sort of a toss up between the two.
11. Utah - Didn't get a good feel on my interview day.
12. Dartmouth - I love everything about this program, except the fact that it is in the middle of nowhere NH, with no diversity. I like my ethnic foods!

- UNC would be my #1 if it wasn't in the South... not sure how I feel about moving to the South since I'm from the westcoast. Otherwise, I liked the program, the residents were great, impressive fellowship match, just got a good vibe from the program.
- OHSU, I love this program! The PD is great, they have an awesome 3+1 program, I got along great with the residents on an away rotation. Just fantastic. Probably in my top two. Worried about program being too cush, and not having enough diversity in the patient population.
- Brown, this program also impressed me, laid back but solid residents. I think they may be switching to a +1 program shortly? Not quite sure about Providence, RI but it is close to Boston.
- UCLA - Olive View, as I posted in the UCLA OV thread, I was thoroughly impressed with this program and wonder why it isn't more popular. Great PD, great chair, the chiefs impressed me, great county pathology, and decent (but not great) fellowship match. Only thing holding me back is if I wanted to do GI or Cards, how possible would it be to get a research mentor, etc. Otherwise, along with OHSU, I really meshed well with the residents. I had that "gut feeling" about the place when I interviewed... worried it's not "academic" enough.

Please help!

Any help with my list, posted a bit before?

I'm not sure I'm going to be able to help you much here. I'm going to ignore your clearly thought out reasons for the way you're ranking places and just put them how I would do it. You're welcome to do whatever you like with that information.

OHSU
Utah
Wisconsin/UNC (I would honestly flip a coin here)
Brown
Dartmouth/Maryland (Dartmouth for the program, Maryland for it not being in Lebanon, NH)
Einstein
UCI/OV/UIC/Tulane (you probably won't go this far down on your list so I wouldn't lose sleep over this part of the list)

 

[FrisbeeDocIM]

Anyone have anything to add to the malignancy discussion regarding Duke? I was really impressed on the interview day and didn't catch a whiff of malignancy, but I recognize that it may be pretty easy to hide that for one day. I'm thinking about ranking it #1, but want to be careful not to end up at a place where I'll be miserable for 3 years, when I could have gone somewhere that maybe wasn't as highly regarded but less likely to be miserable.

I loved the location, so that's not an issue. I'm thinking about ID/underserved/education, if that helps.

Any current/past residents/people who did away rotations there care to comment? Honestly, the only thing that keeps me from being 100% confident about ranking it #1 is these persistent malignancy rumors.

 

[HarryGary]

Anyone have anything to add to the malignancy discussion regarding Duke? I was really impressed on the interview day and didn't catch a whiff of malignancy, but I recognize that it may be pretty easy to hide that for one day. I'm thinking about ranking it #1, but want to be careful not to end up at a place where I'll be miserable for 3 years, when I could have gone somewhere that maybe wasn't as highly regarded but less likely to be miserable.

I loved the location, so that's not an issue. I'm thinking about ID/underserved/education, if that helps.

Any current/past residents/people who did away rotations there care to comment? Honestly, the only thing that keeps me from being 100% confident about ranking it #1 is these persistent malignancy rumors.

plenty of friends who loved their time at Duke. Just rank it first and let the match decide for you.

 

[icaruswalks]

I'm not sure I'm going to be able to help you much here. I'm going to ignore your clearly thought out reasons for the way you're ranking places and just put them how I would do it. You're welcome to do whatever you like with that information.

OHSU
Utah
Wisconsin/UNC (I would honestly flip a coin here)
Brown
Dartmouth/Maryland (Dartmouth for the program, Maryland for it not being in Lebanon, NH)
Einstein
UCI/OV/UIC/Tulane (you probably won't go this far down on your list so I wouldn't lose sleep over this part of the list)

Thanks gutonc!

 

[gutonc]

Anyone have anything to add to the malignancy discussion regarding Duke? I was really impressed on the interview day and didn't catch a whiff of malignancy, but I recognize that it may be pretty easy to hide that for one day. I'm thinking about ranking it #1, but want to be careful not to end up at a place where I'll be miserable for 3 years, when I could have gone somewhere that maybe wasn't as highly regarded but less likely to be miserable.

I loved the location, so that's not an issue. I'm thinking about ID/underserved/education, if that helps.

Any current/past residents/people who did away rotations there care to comment? Honestly, the only thing that keeps me from being 100% confident about ranking it #1 is these persistent malignancy rumors.

I don't have any idea of the actual current atmosphere at Duke. But a friend of mine who went there for med school ranked it #2 (she matched #1). These reputations are hard to lose and "malignancy" is often in the eye of the beholder. If you loved it, rank it highly.

If you're waiting to be 100% certain about anything in this process (not to mention this line of work in general) you should probably just withdraw from NRMP, put your app in at Starbuck's now and call it a day.

 

[flowerlillies]

Hello all, long time lurker, first time poster. Im coming from the west coast but want to leave (yes I know). I'm interested in cardiology or ID, but leaning towards cards at the moment. I'm having trouble with #2-7 on my list and location isnt a huge deal.

1. Columbia
2. Duke
3. Cornell
4. UChicago
5. Yale
6. Northwestern
7. Vanderbilt
8. Mt. Sinai
9. Mayo
10. UTSW
11. NYU

 

[gutonc]

Hello all, long time lurker, first time poster. Im coming from the west coast but want to leave (yes I know). I'm interested in cardiology or ID, but leaning towards cards at the moment. I'm having trouble with #2-7 on my list and location isnt a huge deal.

1. Columbia
2. Duke
3. Cornell
4. UChicago
5. Yale
6. Northwestern
7. Vanderbilt
8. Mt. Sinai
9. Mayo
10. UTSW
11. NYU

Not sure what you want us to help you with here. You've got 11 excellent programs on your list. From a "program strength" standpoint, you could draw straws/throw darts/rank alphabetically and you'd be in great shape. The only thing that really matters with programs of this caliber is how you liked them and how you'd feel if you matched at them.

 

[flowerlillies]

Not sure what you want us to help you with here. You've got 11 excellent programs on your list. From a "program strength" standpoint, you could draw straws/throw darts/rank alphabetically and you'd be in great shape. The only thing that really matters with programs of this caliber is how you liked them and how you'd feel if you matched at them.

ok thanks, didnt know if my interest in cards changes anything.

 

[crescendo]

.

 

[AnnValentine]

Thank you for your help! Interested in Hem/Onc. Overall, slight preference for SoCal/West Coast.

1. Stanford
2. UW
3. Cedars-Sinai
4. Yale
5. Scripps Mercy
6. OHSU
7. UC Denver
8. Scripps Green
9. UC Davis
10. UC Irvine
11. UCLA Olive View

 

[hopelessmd]

Hey everyone, I'd really appreciate any help in ranking the following programs. Here's how I have it right now.

1. Brown
2. Jefferson
3. NS-LIJ
4. Dartmouth
5. UMass
6. UMD-RWJ
7. Beth Israel - Albert Einstein
8. Downstate
9. UConn
10. Mt. Auburn
11. St. Elizabeth's
12. Lahey
13. Baystate

Downstate should be at the bottom of your list. That's the only productive thing I have to contribute to your post... Sorry.

 

[ohj]

hey guys,

i would really appreciate any input on the following programs.
1. CCF-OH
2. UConn
3. Indiana University
4. UTMB-Galveston
5. UT-Memphis
6. Hennepin County
7. Medstar Wash Hosp Ctr
8. Cook County

I do plan on doing a fellowship but am still deciding between cards and hem/onc

 

[docmaria83]

.

 

[disorder]

Thank you for your help! Interested in Hem/Onc. Overall, slight preference for SoCal/West Coast.

1. Stanford
2. UW
3. Cedars-Sinai
4. Yale
5. Scripps Mercy
6. OHSU
7. UC Denver
8. Scripps Green
9. UC Davis
10. UC Irvine
11. UCLA Olive View

swap cedars and OHSU. UCol and Mercy.

 

[icaruswalks]

Thank you for your help! Interested in Hem/Onc. Overall, slight preference for SoCal/West Coast.

1. Stanford
2. UW
3. Cedars-Sinai
4. Yale
5. Scripps Mercy
6. OHSU
7. UC Denver
8. Scripps Green
9. UC Davis
10. UC Irvine
11. UCLA Olive View

Scripps Green should also be higher if considering heme/onc I think...

 

[AnnValentine]

Thank you both!! Scripps Green is a great thought! I really loved OHSU - just worried about lack of opportunities for my husband (non-medical) in Portland versus LA . . .

 

[FrisbeeDocIM]

plenty of friends who loved their time at Duke. Just rank it first and let the match decide for you.

I don't have any idea of the actual current atmosphere at Duke. But a friend of mine who went there for med school ranked it #2 (she matched #1). These reputations are hard to lose and "malignancy" is often in the eye of the beholder. If you loved it, rank it highly.

If you're waiting to be 100% certain about anything in this process (not to mention this line of work in general) you should probably just withdraw from NRMP, put your app in at Starbuck's now and call it a day.

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. And I ordered the extra-snark on the side.

 

[urrugby]

I'm interested in GI and want a strong IM clinical training experience. Right now, my top three choices, in rank order, are:

1. VCU
2. BU
3. Jefferson

I have two questions:

1. I really like the culture of VCU, and would be happy to live in Richmond. That said, it doesn't seem to have the same name brand recognition as the other 2. Is the training and GI fellowship opportunities at VCU similar enough to BU and Jefferson to make this rank order reasonable?

2. Between BU and Jefferson, aside from location and block vs. not block schedules, is one vastly superior to the other? I put BU over Jefferson because there are no private docs at BU, it's block schedule, and there is a public health component.

 

[trumpetfreak]

2. Between BU and Jefferson, aside from location and block vs. not block schedules, is one vastly superior to the other? I put BU over Jefferson because there are no private docs at BU, it's block schedule, and there is a public health component.

Uh wow that's basically exactly my thinking!

 

[chemgoggles]

Mayo Clinic Rochester or Vanderbilt?

Any takers? I'm thinking pulm/crit or cards, no preference for city.

 

[HoldTheCoffee]

Any takers? I'm thinking pulm/crit or cards, no preference for city.

I think you're splitting hairs, both are pretty good. I'd probably go with Vandy for location.

 

[Melena Tarry]

Hello, I was hoping to get thoughts on ranking the following programs given my interest in academic heme/onc and no geographic preference. Thanks!

Vanderbilt, BIDMC, BWH, Yale, Duke, U. Michigan, MGH

 

[disorder]

Hello, I was hoping to get thoughts on ranking the following programs given my interest in academic heme/onc and no geographic preference. Thanks!

Vanderbilt, BIDMC, BWH, Yale, Duke, U. Michigan, MGH

tiering. rank em how you like em otherwise.

MGH, BWH
BIDMC, Yale, Duke, Vandy, Mich

 

[gutonc]

hey guys,

i would really appreciate any input on the following programs.
1. CCF-OH
2. UConn
3. Indiana University
4. UTMB-Galveston
5. UT-Memphis
6. Hennepin County
7. Medstar Wash Hosp Ctr
8. Cook County

I do plan on doing a fellowship but am still deciding between cards and hem/onc

IU should be 1 or 2. Otherwise...whatever...your list is fine.

 

[gutonc]

I'm interested in GI and want a strong IM clinical training experience. Right now, my top three choices, in rank order, are:

1. VCU
2. BU
3. Jefferson

I have two questions:

1. I really like the culture of VCU, and would be happy to live in Richmond. That said, it doesn't seem to have the same name brand recognition as the other 2. Is the training and GI fellowship opportunities at VCU similar enough to BU and Jefferson to make this rank order reasonable?

2. Between BU and Jefferson, aside from location and block vs. not block schedules, is one vastly superior to the other? I put BU over Jefferson because there are no private docs at BU, it's block schedule, and there is a public health component.

None of those places are head and shoulders about the others but you're correct that outside of the Mid-Atlantic area, BU and Jeff will have a better rep than VCU. I'd personally rather live in Philly than Boston but your assessment of the differences of the two places is spot on and it would be hard to argue with ranking them the way you have.

 

[ZenB]

So I had posted a week ago, and got no response, so but any recommendations or impressions from the SDN network would be really helpful.

When looking at a program, I am really interested in the possibility for fellowship placement nationwide (looking at Cards vs Heme/Onc), significant academic culture, patient diversity (not racial, but rather diversity of pathology in terms of acuity vs. ambulatory), and a hospital that respects resident autonomy. All things being equal, location is somewhat important (i.e. city over small town), but this is not a deal-breaker. Here is my rank list with comments for the top 4.

RANK LIST
1. Colorado: Pros - loved the 4 hospital system, 4+1 schedule, up to 3 months research if desired, strong heart failure service, residents were easily the coolest bunch on the interview trail, Denver is an amazing city. Cons - not sure how nationally recognized Colorado is in terms of fellowship placement, while clinical training seems great, research seemed to largely be case reports, abstracts, etc.

2. Mayo Clinic: Pros - amazing focus on resident education, research opportunities abound, strong clinical training directly from sub-specialists, innovative Q6 call, highest publication rate I've seen in any program, very strong fellowship match. Cons - ROCHESTER... ugh, worst place ever. As a single guy this is a tough pill to swallow.

3. UPMC: Pros - strong research institution with clear vision for where they are headed, excellent EMR, strong generalist training with excellent hospitalists, along with Colorado had the coolest and most social residents I've met on the trail, great opportunities in Cards and Heme/Onc. Cons - got an unclear vibe the wards (seemed like residents made ALL the decisions... which is great, but also a double-edged sword), Pittsburgh wasn't my favorite city

4. Michigan: Pros - amazing powerhouse of the Midwest with strong, respected IM department, amazing PD, tons of research opportunities. Cons - more of a traditional IM program in terms of call schedule, didn't like that most of the time is spent at one hospital (granted it is a tertiary level for all of Michigan), Ann Arbor is OK, but there is no good big city in Michigan, everyone seemed married with kids (even worse than Mayo!), did a Sub-I there and thought the wards experience hospital was OK, but not great.

5. Baylor
6. USC
7. Jefferson
8. Cincinnati

Any suggestions, comments, interview impressions (especially for my top 4) would be infinitely helpful.

Thanks!

 

[crescendo]

.

 

[crescendo]

.

 

[Melena Tarry]

tiering. rank em how you like em otherwise.

Can someone comment on ordering the following:

BIDMC, Yale, Duke, Vandy, U. Mich

 

[darkelven29]

tiering. rank em how you like em otherwise.

Can someone comment on ordering the following:

BIDMC, Yale, Duke, Vandy, U. Mich

They are equivalent once you take into account fellowship match, location, clinical training....
As gutonc say, "show off!" and rank them how you like them.

 

[ZenB]

tiering. rank em how you like em otherwise.

Can someone comment on ordering the following:

BIDMC, Yale, Duke, Vandy, U. Mich

These are all excellent programs. It seems like location will be the deciding factor for you, but I would group them as follows.

1-3. Duke vs. Vandy vs. Mich
4. BIDMC
5. Yale

Again, I don't know what impressions you got, and where you want to end up or if location doesn't matter. Personally, this would be my rank list

1. Mich
2. Duke
3. Vandy (it's only here because I don't know much about it relative to Duke vs. Mich)
4. BIDMC
5. Yale

But again, awesome choices.

 

[MedStuds]

How do I rank the following programs? I'm a MD/Ph.D grad with strong interest in heme/onc and research. I am open to leaving my home state of Texas

MGH, WashU, UTSW, BCM (Baylor COM), and UT Houston

 

[catch23]

Hi all,

Great forum. I'm interested in going into GI. The bottom of my list is pretty much set, here's the top few:

1) Yale
2) UVA
3) Brown
4) Jefferson
5) BU

I'm definitely sure that I want to keep Yale as my #1 choice. I keep going back and forth about if I should rank Brown or UVA as my #2. I really had a great impression from UVA on the interview day and would not mind living in Charlottesville. UVA also seemed to have a strong GI department with GI wards rotations for medicine residents. The Brown residents seemed really content overall but with fewer people going into GI (from their match lists from the past few years) and almost none staying at Brown for fellowship. Any advice? Thanks.

 

[kandisky]

I'm having trouble ranking my top choices. I currently have:

1. NYU
2. Yale
3. Mayo
4. Brown

I'm finding it particularly hard because I'm LGBT and feel like NYU is probably the best fit socially, but not necessarily the best (although I have no doubt that it's very good) for fellowships/career prospects in the future. Thoughts?

 

[disorder]

How do I rank the following programs? I'm a MD/Ph.D grad with strong interest in heme/onc and research. I am open to leaving my home state of Texas

MGH, WashU, UTSW, BCM (Baylor COM), and UT Houston

rank em as you have them listed. if you have inclination for staying in texas, i would swap UTSW and WashU