Official 2018 IM Match Results

[SilverCat]

It’s not too early is it?

School: Top 150
Step Scores: 200-280ish, 200-280ish, Step 2 CS Pass
Grades: P/HP/H All rotations and SubI
Research: Maybe
AOA: Maybe, maybe not
Rank: Don’t know
Interview Invites: Some top programs, some mid -tier, some low tier, and some community, went on 12 IV total
Rejections: Top tier and mid tiers—why should I tell you?
Matched (+ # on ROL): #2–it’s a top 300 program in the US. Just trying to maintain some anonymity here, folks.

Advice: Interview well. Don’t interview badly.

Bad jokes aside—
Just want to say thanks to all of the people here who fielded my neurosis and questions throughout med school and interview season.

Applicants, please post results here on Friday. Previous years’ threads like this were some of the most helpful in determining which programs I could apply to this year.

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[wiloghby]

It is by definition too early....


..but I guess we'll allow it

 

[LuciusVorenus]

School: Top 10
Step Scores: Step 1 253, Step 2 CK 256, Step 2 CS Pass
Grades: H in Med I/II, Amb Care, Neuro, Sub I; HP in Psych, Peds, ObGyn, Surgery, Crit Care
Research: 2 publications (working on 3rd), 4 posters, 1 presentation
AOA: No
Rank: Unclear
Interview Invites: NYU, Columbia, Mt Sinai, Yale, Boston U, Brown, GWU, Tufts, U Rochester, U Maryland, U Mass, Hofstra
Rejections: A whole bunch
Matched (+ # on ROL): #1!

Advice:
1. Don't be afraid to email programs asking for interviews. Two of my interviews were from emailing PDs and they both directly replied to my email and I had an interview within a week or two. One of them was to a top 20 program as late as December so you never know.

2. Post-interview communication isn't allowed but you ARE allowed to email your first choice and tell them sometime in February. I would recommend it.

3. Take Step 2 CK before you start interviewing. I think it's getting more and more important (Northwestern won't even interview without it I hear). If you did bad on Step 1 it can make up for that. If you did well on Step 1 you WILL do well on Step 2 and it'll prove you're not a one-trick pony. There's no reason to wait. I waited and had to do UW on the bus/plane to interviews and couldn't focus and I was MISERABLE.

4. If you're not AOA apply to a lot of not top 10 programs. A lot of them basically filter by AOA.

 

[member1502]

School: Top 15
Step Scores: Step 1 and 2 260s+, Step 2 CS Pass
Grades: Half H, half HP (H in medicine)
Research: Multiple pubs/abstracts
AOA: Nope
Rank: Top quartile
Interview Invites: Stanford, BIDMC, MGH, JHH, Columbia, Cornell, Yale, UCLA, Mt. Sinai, NYU, UW, Pitt, NW, Michigan
Rejections: UCSF, Penn, BWH, Duke, WashU
Matched (+ # on ROL): #2

Advice: 1. The top programs in internal medicine are super competitive, don't let anyone tell you it's not.

2. There is lots of randomness to this process. There are major biases based on geography and where you go to school.

3. Agree with @LuciusVorenus about AOA. AOA is a major deal breaker for getting interviews at the top programs. Nearly everyone I met at interviews were AOA (even from top schools). The AOA students from my school with similar stats to me got interviews at all of places I got rejections from.

4. Send emails to programs you're interested in interviewing at or ask a faculty member to reach out. Some of my classmates were able to get interviews from Stanford, Duke, Michigan, and WashU this way.

5. Top programs are interested in creating future leaders in medicine. If you're passionate about something (not just in terms of research, but also in terms of med ed, public health, etc), make that clear in your PS, activities, etc.

6. Enjoy the interview process! While super exhausting, it was so fun to bump into a lot of the same faces over and over, and I've kept in touch with a lot of the people I've met while interviewing.

7. Making your rank list will be super hard. Many of us toiled over ours for weeks Only my number one was clear to me after interviewing, but I honestly could see myself at any program.

8. A lot of programs are moving away from post-interview communication. However, some programs still reached out despite telling us on interview day that they would not...

 

[Tayne]

School: US MD school, a hop, skip, and jump across a bridge from Staten Island
Step Scores: 1 241, 2CK 248, CS 1st attempt
Grades: MS3: 5 H (including IM), 2 HP, Medicine Sub-I: HP
Research: 2nd author basic science pub (as pre-med), 3rd author pub (med school), 1 poster presentation at national conference
AOA: Yes
Rank: Top 25%
Interview Invites: UCSD, Cornell, WashU/Barnes Jewish, Emory, Cedars-Sinai, USC, Harbor-UCLA, UCI, Scripps-Green, UC Davis, SCVMC, OHSU, Montefiore, Tufts, Hitchcock-Dartmouth, Bayview-Hopkins, Wisconsin, Case-UH, Cincinnati
Rejections:
Rejections: UCLA, UCSF, Stanford, Washington, Mt. Sinai, BIDMC, BWH, MGH, BU, UPenn
Waitlist, rejected: Yale-New Haven
Silent reject: Olive View-UCLA, Johns Hopkins, UPMC, Duke, UTSW, Northwestern, Mayo, NYU, Columbia
Matched (+ # on ROL): #1 (one of the first few in my interview section)

Advice/Miscellaneous:
- Factor in both your personal life/needs as well as academics into your ranking.
- I did not send any "I love you!" or "I'm ranking you #1!" e-mails.
- I did not change my Facebook name.
- Try to schedule time off or easy rotations during Nov-Dec, maybe January, to give you scheduling flexibility
- I didn’t get H in my sub-I and I had a minor freak out. I wound up doing OK. Ultimately I don’t think getting an H would have helped all that much. I think squeezing out 10 more points in step 1 might have given me a bigger boost (I can’t read the minds of PDs though, so I might just be talking out of my butt.)

Addendum:
Some programs have sent out post-match surveys saying something along the lines of, "You would have matched here if you ranked us #1, but you didn't do that. So now we want to know why you ranked another program #1." Based on that:

Matched in real life or Would have matched: UCSD, Emory, WUSTL/Barnes-Jewish
Would not have matched: Cornell

 

[SilverCat]

School: Unranked
Step Scores: Step 1 241, Step 2CK 254, Step 2CS pass (all done before app submitted in September)
Grades: H IM, Peds, Ob/gyn, elective, HP neuro, psych, P FM
Research: Research year fellowship without pubs, 1 2nd author pub, 1 abstract, 1 poster presentation
ECs: Absolutely zilch--I feel like this was a major weakness in my app.
AOA: No
Rank: Top 1/4
Interview Invites:
Attended (in ROL order): UVA, Yale, Baylor, UAB, Mayo, Boston U, UCSD, Case UH, Ohio State, Utah, U Iowa, U Minn, U Florida, MUSC, UIC home program, CCF, VCU, Virginia Tech
Did not attend: UCD, UCI, UM/JFK, Indiana, Dartmouth, Case Metrohealth, Rush, U Cincy, Wright State, Vermont, Inova Fairfax, Penn State
Rejections:
Completely Expected: MGH, BIDMC, Duke, Northwestern, Columbia, U Chicago, U Penn, Vanderbilt, WashU
Somewhat Expected: NYU, Temple, Tufts, U Mich, UNC, UTSW, UPMC, Emory
Surprised: Carolinas Med Center, Drexel, EVMS, FSU Tallahassee, Jackson Memorial, UCF, Wake Forest
Matched (+ # on ROL): #3 Baylor!

Advice:

APPLICATION:
Get CK and CS done before submitting apps. Pick LORs from attendings who have given you glowing evals, as opposed to more well-known attendings who gave you faint praise. I also only had one eval from an IM attending, and two from attendings in other specialties, so they don't all have to be from IM attendings.

GET AOA, especially if you're coming from a low- tier med school. I feel like I was shut out of upper tier programs that my med school often sends people to--UPMC, U Mich--in large part because of a lack of AOA. Make sure you not only do well academically, but get enough EC, volunteer, leadership, etc. exposure to maximize your chances for AOA.

Call programs that haven't sent an invite around end of October/early Nov. You can email, but I was most often ignored when I sent emails. I think I managed to get my Baylor, UVA, and Boston U IVs this way.

Apply broadly and to many programs (I admit I probably over-applied). Attend at least 12-15 IV--that way, come match week, you won't be as paranoid about slipping into the SOAP.

INVITES AND INTERVIEWING:
The waitlist--My UVA, Yale, and Boston U invites all came from the waitlist: I didn't match at UVA or Yale. So, in my experience at least, coming from the waitlist means your chances are much lower. However, I think pre-dinner performance and interview skills are also key--I know I completely botched my UVA pre-interview dinner--I was far too quiet and nervous, and probably came off as disinterested and too shy.

Late invites (Dec/Jan)- My Baylor invite came mid-January.

If you have time/money, explore the area around the program before interviewing, especially if you haven't been there before. I was often asked at the dinner and interview if I had been to the area before or if I had a chance to see the area--I think it makes you look more interested if you can talk about visiting local restaurants/important sites nearby. Plus, it's a lot more fun that Uber-ing directly from airport to hotel to interview back to airport.

Have a list of questions to ask at each interview.

Do not ask an interviewer or a resident directly--"what do you feel the weaknesses of the program are?". I did this at my first interview with disastrous results. Instead, ask the residents during the dinner--"What changes would you like to see in the program?"--it's a lot less confrontational.

POST-INTERVIEW CORRESPONDENCE
Do not put undue importance on every email/letter that comes from a program, no matter how much you want to and how much they talk about how they "would love to see you here." It means nothing; most of that stuff goes to every applicant.

Don't bother sending an LOI to your number 1--it doesn't do anything.

 

[gutonc]

2. Post-interview communication isn't allowed but you ARE allowed to email you first choice and tell them sometime in February. I would recommend it.

Congratulations on your Match. But the above is patently false. The only communication between programs and applicants that is forbidden is quid pro quo communication from the program to the applicant. Virtually everything else is fair game. Most of it (especially from applicants to programs) is complete bulls*** and is best ignored. But it's allowed.

 

[gutonc]

POST-INTERVIEW CORRESPONDENCE
Do not put undue importance on every email/letter that comes from a program, no matter how much you want to and how much they talk about how they "would love to see you here." It means nothing; most of that stuff goes to every applicant.

Don't bother sending an LOI to your number 1--it doesn't do anything.

1. Thanks for actually telling us where you matched.
2. Absolutely agree with your advice about post-interview correspondence. Basically, the only thing that it means is that your email address in ERAS is correct and programs can include you in their spam. Likewise, programs will (not unreasonably) assume that everything that applicants tell them is, at best, naked flattery, and more likely, an outright lie.

 

[obiwan]

1. Thanks for actually telling us where you matched.

Exactly...... screw anonymity

 

[gutonc]

Exactly...... screw anonymity

Nobody really cares who you are.

 

[IMreshopeful]

I think it would be helpful for people who are not 250/AOA/top 10/20 publications type of people to also post about their success in the match. All this does is make people feel inadequate otherwise. Congrats in any case!

 

[LuciusVorenus]

Congratulations on your Match. But the above is patently false. The only communication between programs and applicants that is forbidden is quid pro quo communication from the program to the applicant. Virtually everything else is fair game. Most of it (especially from applicants to programs) is complete bulls*** and is best ignored. But it's allowed.

Right, I should have been more clear - I meant post-interview communication as in "where did you rank me/where did you rank us?" is not allowed, and I don't think I had any schools violate that this year. In regards to emailing your first/only your first choice, I think I'm just biased because I matched where I emailed. It might not do anything, it might do something. I doubt it'll hurt you though.

 

[Broponinelevation]

School: UVA
Step Scores: Step 1 250s, Step 2 CK 270s, Step 2 CS Pass
Grades: A's in all except ob/gyn , honors subI
Research: 1 publication, working on another, 2 posters, 1 presentation
AOA: yes, also GHHS
Rank: assuming top quartile
Interview Invites: BWH+PC tracks, BIDMC+PC track, Penn+PC track, Duke, UVA +PC track, UNC, UTSW, UC-Denver+PC track, Wake Forest, VCU, Case, UPMC
Rejections: MGH, JHH
Matched (+ # on ROL): Duke- #1

Advice:
-get good letters of rec. I had several comments on mine and i believe it does make a difference. A careful blend of those who have a lot of influence but also know you well and are willing to put their necks out for you.
- make sure you are judging programs for yourself. Several of the more "prestigious" programs on my list definitely dropped because i didn't feel like they were a good fit for my personality.
-I think if anything held me back it was lack of significant research/other involvement. My research was pretty weak. but that's ok because i don't want to do research, i want to have a career in primary care and medical education
-you get super burned out after a bunch of interviews. Plan accordingly
-If you are interested in primary care- I felt like the Brigham and Penn had 2 of the best in the country as far as training goes (didn't apply west coast so idk about those). Duke had the ACLT which is more of a health policy and primary care but also a great program. I also was very impressed by UC-Denvers primary care track.
also- now people know who i am!!! oh no!!! the terror!!!
-there are TONS of great IM programs overall- i would have been extremely happy with most of the programs i interviewed at. Don't worry about the perceived status of each program- there are so many places to get good training and still enjoy life.

 

[SuckySurgeon7]

School: KCOM
Step Scores: 500 comlex I, 494 comlex II
Grades: 82 average GPA
Research: 1 poster presentation from undergrad and one month of research betw. M1 and M2 with no presentation or pubs
AOA: Nope
Rank: bottom quartile
Interview Invites
I underlined the historically MD programs; the rest are formerly osteopathic programs
Saint Louis University; University of South Carolina Palmetto Health; Baylor Scott & White (Texas A&M U); Freeman Health System in Joplin; Dunn, NC; Oklahoma State University, Tulsa; UT Health Northeast, Longview, TX; Golden Triangle in Columbus, MS; Brookwood Baptist in Birmingham, AL; Lumberton, NC; Bay Area in Corpus Christi, TX; Searcy, AK; Bowling Green, KY; Hattiesburg, MS; Saint Luke's Hospital in St. Louis; Weatherford, TX

Rejections:
All over the place. I applied to about 120 programs and while I got several invitations from historically DO sites, I didn't get as many from the MD residencies as I was hoping. Admittedly, I made a mistake when I applied to the MD match and my personal statement and letters of rec weren't available to most programs for around a month :-(. Still got accepted to my top program, though.

Matched: #1 - I matched at one of the universities listed above

Advice:
As a DO applying internal medicine, go for some reach programs but apply broadly.
Apply to places even if you didn't get a student rotation there. Two of my interviews came from places that didn't give me a rotation; one of them out right said it was due to my board scores. The place I matched into ended up being that place, interestingly enough.
If I could give everyone one piece of advice when you're trying to do all of these away rotations, I would tell you to sign up early and definitely do some rotations at the university programs even if you don't think you have a shot.
For interviews, plan on going to at least 15. I went on 11, but 4 of the programs just weren't feasible for my family due to cost of living, size/diversity of the city, inadequate medical training, etc. Everyone wants at least 10 programs on their rank order list, and you may not want to rank all of the programs you interview at, so go to several more interviews than you'll need, even if they all look good on paper.
As far as should you do an away rotation or not, they are definitely a good idea for someone like me who has middle-of-the-road board scores, especially since I didn't take the USMLE.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to PM me.

 

[wiloghby]

School: Top 100 (i.e. 'standard, non-descript med school') -- NOT west coast.
Step Scores: Step 1: ~250, Step 2 CS: Pass (October 2017); Step 2 CK: ~250 (January 2018)
Grades: H in everything including 4th year medicine AI -- except HP in OB/GYN.
Research: 3 posters, 2 abstracts, 1 peer-reviewed journal article (3rd author), undergraduate thesis, industry experience in R&D after undergrad and before med school
AOA: Junior AOA
Rank: Top Quintile (20%)
Interviews (Attended & Ranked): Stanford, UCSF, MGH, Northwestern, Cornell, U of Chicago, Yale, OHSU, Mt. Sinai, UNC, Duke, UTSW, Boston U, Columbia, Tufts, Brown, WashU, Mayo Rochester, Ohio State (the ROL gets wacky with a non-medical SO in the picture)
Interview Invitations (Not Attended): Pitt, Jefferson, UMiami-Jackson Memorial, UColorado, UCSD
Rejections: U of Washington, Johns Hopkins, BWH... the three that got away. The only one that might have made a difference to my ROL was BWH though.
Matched (+ # on ROL): Stanford (#1)

Advice:

• Apply to all your dream programs. I initially did not apply to the program I matched to because "no one gets an interview there". I went back and added it on 9/22.
• Craft a personal statement that truly highlights how you are unique, but at the same time a good fit for medicine.
• The "interests" section of the application, while only a tiny text box, is VERY important. Nearly all my interviewers knew and remembered me based on the few lines in that box.
• Interview broadly, as long as you think there is a chance you'd live in the town the program is in. You learn a LOT on interview days, and a place you might have discounted could become your favorite program. If you are an at a US MD school though, I would probably keep it to 15 interviews (which was my plan but I got more strong interviews later on in the season).
• Post-interview communication: Aside from automated emails about webchats or second look, I only received post-interview communication from 1 program. I sent a #1 e-mail and it made me feel like I did something to help my chances, even though it is probably a placebo.
• Contrary to what others have said, you absolutely do NOT need to be at a Top 40 medical school to match at a "Top 25" IM program. Wherever you go to medical school, just excel and you will get something at or near the top. If you have some deficiencies, then yes, school prestige will set you apart and help for the interview. And in any case, if you're lucky enough to be an AMG you will land a solid residency spot no matter what!

Most important advice:

• Prestige rankings aren't a thing, outside of large groups of programs with similar reputations. It was very, very hard for me to be honest enough with myself to rank the programs based on fit and not based on what my advisers said were "the best programs". Go where you will fit in and be as happy as possible, because the training will be solid and comparable within each very broad tier of program. In particular, there was pressure from my medicine department advisers to rank the most prestigious programs at the top. They have their own motivations and stake in the game, and it's important to be honest with yourself.

Hoping to hear from everyone else who participated in the interview invite and rank threads over the past 6 months!

 

[Redpancreas]

School: US MD school, ranked 50-100 midwest
Step Scores: 1 252, 2CK 245(after ROL), CS 1st attempt
Grades: MS1/2: Pass, MS3: 5 HP (including IM), no honors, no subI available at application time.
Research: 2 posters/abstracts and 1 won an award. Also a national conference oral presentation.
AOA: Hell no
Rank: Bottom 50%
Interview Invites: Henry Ford, UCLA-Harbor, Loyola, Rutgers-RWJ, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UIC, DMC, Cincinnati, Cleveland Clinic, Rush, Indiana, Wisconsin, Beaumont, MCW, Iowa, UC-Northshore, Maryland
Rejections: Most of Dox Top 30 with 1-2 exceptions
Matched (+ # on ROL): #2
Advice/Miscellaneous:
- Apply very broadly to programs until they place a cap on number you can apply to. They really need to do that but until then, look out for yourself.
-Send LOIs to programs. I went 1 out of 3 on mine and my friend had a top 10 he applied to, didn’t hear from initially; and is now matched at because of an LOI. Get your PD to restate your commitment to the field. That got brought that up at many of my IVs as it was apparently in a letter of mine.
-STEP 1 is extremely important in determining your tier but if everything else is average, you’re not top 30 candidate. One of the hardest things for me in life is learning to deal with success and staying grounded. For any M1ers, once Step 1 is done, you’re literally 1/4th done.
-Class rank matters. Work for every point you get if you want a top IM program. You’re basically in RoDS mode (Rad-Onc, Derm, Surgical subspecialty) if you want IM at a top 20 place with the only difference being that IM needs CK but away rotations are unnecessary.
-Never hesitate to ask for big favors. You’ll be surprised with what mentors will do for you.
-Take CK before applications. Everyone who took it the year they matched dropped and some places won’t invite you if you don’t have it.
Overall, I’m currently very happy with where I ended up on my rank list. There's 2 times to be disappointed in this process. The first is mid-September to mid-October and the other is the 3rd Friday of March. I was a bit disappointed during the former, but deserved what I got.

 

[Ophthoseidon]

School: OUWB
Step Scores: 241/254/P
Grades: H in Surgery, ophthalmology, IM sub-i, and 2 away IM electives/ HP in IM, Psych, OB/GYN, Neuro/ P in Peds, FM
Research: 1 second author publication, Multiple 1st and 2nd author national oral and poster presentations
AOA: No
Rank: Top Quartile
Interview Invites: Beaumont, CCF, Case/UH, Ohio State, Iowa, Wisco, Nebraska, Utah, Jefferson, Indiana, Wake Forest, Minnesota, Tulane
Rejections: Every "top 25" program, along with some random ones I didn't expect (Cinci, Temple, Drexel, Colorado and a few more)
Matched (+ # on ROL): #1, University of Wisconsin

Advice:
1. I think my lack of Honors 3rd year really hurt (esp IM) for not only getting top 25 interviews but also getting AOA at my school. Don't get lazy and study for the shelf exams. I universally had great evals but we needed 80th percentile and I usually was 65th-79th just because I couldn't force myself to do 100 UWorld questions.

2. Take CK before applications. It's easy to forget a lot of stuff later and if you at least come close to matching your score (which is easy) it's not frowned upon and could actually help you if you get a boost.

3. Do aways for the experience, not with the intent of getting an interview. I did two (Colorado and UW) and the faculty and fellows loved me and called/sent emails but it didn't make a difference. Ended up getting rejected from UW actually while I was there (sigh) and was put on the Colorado waitlist eventually. If you do go, make sure to set yourself up with the program director and meet them in person. Not that it made any difference but if you don't do it your chances are less.

4. Send love letters if you want, but for me they didn't do anything in getting some of the interviews I would have liked to have (Looking at you Duke, even though you went unfilled)

5. Go with your gut. Some of the places I really liked ended up being programs I wasn't initially excited about. Don't buy into the doximity and USNWR hype. Obviously some places will give you better training than others but the difference between 20/35 and 60/90 are negligible. You'll be most productive where you're happiest and you'll set yourself up for life where you're the most productive.

6. Have fun. Do ECs you enjoy. Celebrate with your classmates. Times can be tough in medical school and you gotta rely on each other to get through it.

 

[lverbmb]

School: Top 100 (i.e. 'standard, non-descript med school') -- NOT west coast.
Step Scores: Step 1: ~250, Step 2 CS: Pass (October 2017); Step 2 CK: ~250 (January 2018)
Grades: H in everything including 4th year medicine AI -- except HP in OB/GYN.
Research: 3 posters, 2 abstracts, 1 peer-reviewed journal article (3rd author), undergraduate thesis, industry experience in R&D after undergrad and before med school
AOA: Junior AOA
Rank: Top Quintile (20%)
Interview Invites / ROL: Stanford, UCSF, MGH, Northwestern, Cornell, U of Chicago, Yale, OHSU, Mt. Sinai, UNC, Duke, UTSW, Boston U, Columbia, Tufts, Brown, WashU, Mayo Rochester, Ohio State (the ROL gets wacky with a non-medical SO in the picture)
Rejections: U of Washington, Johns Hopkins, BWH... the three that got away. The only one that might have made a difference to my ROL was BWH though.
Matched (+ # on ROL): Stanford (#1)

Advice:

• Apply to all your dream programs. I initially did not apply to the program I matched to because "no one gets an interview there". I went back and added it on 9/22.
• Craft a personal statement that truly highlights how you are unique, but at the same time a good fit for medicine.
• The "interests" section of the application, while only a tiny text box, is VERY important. Nearly all my interviewers knew and remembered me based on the few lines in that box.
• Interview broadly, as long as you think there is a chance you'd live in the town the program is in. You learn a LOT on interview days, and a place you might have discounted could become your favorite program. If you are an at a US MD school though, I would probably keep it to 15 interviews (which was my plan but I got more strong interviews later on in the season).
• Post-interview communication: Aside from automated emails about webchats or second look, I only received post-interview communication from 1 program. I sent a #1 e-mail and it made me feel like I did something to help my chances, even though it is probably a placebo.
• Contrary to what others have said, you absolutely do NOT need to be at a Top 40 medical school to match at a "Top 25" IM program. Wherever you go to medical school, just excel and you will get something at or near the top. If you have solid but not great grades or scores, then yes, school prestige will set you apart for the interview. But if you have average board scores and/or average grades, isn't it a little entitled to expect the very best programs to be falling over you? If you have a well-rounded above average application, though, there is a spot for you somewhere at a great program no matter where you come from. I do not agree with these screening criteria, but they exist so let's be realistic about it. And in any case, if you're lucky enough to be an AMG you will land a solid residency spot no matter what!

Most important advice:

• Do NOT let arbitrary prestige rankings within the same tier influence your ranking.. Go look at Yale's or or Stanford's fellowship placement. Now look at UCSF's. There are people who would have you believe the training or opportunities at UCSF are on a different level than those at Yale or Stanford. They aren't. Yet, a lot of people at my humble medical school seem to think that "if you interview at Hopkins, BWH, UCSF, or MGH" you just HAVE to rank them #1. It was very, very hard for me to be honest enough with myself to rank the programs based on fit and not based on what my advisers said were "the best programs". Go where you will fit in and be as happy as possible, because the training will be solid and comparable within each very broad tier of program. Ultimately I bucked the conventional wisdom over and over again, as evidenced by my ROL. I placed Stanford above UCSF, MGH below both of them, Northwestern above UChicago, UNC above Duke, Cornell/Mt. Sinai/Yale above Columbia, etc. It's OK to do that! And it's also OK to rank the most prestigious programs at the top if you truly feel you fit at those places best!

Hoping to hear from everyone else who participated in the interview invite and rank threads over the past 6 months!

Congrats and welcome!! We are all excited to welcome you and your co interns to the Stanford family in a couple of months

 

[Barbecue]

School: Top 20
Step Scores: Step 1 & Step 2 >250
Grades: H in most (including Medicine & SubI), HP in 2
Research: 7 publications, 3 posters, 2 presentations
AOA: No
Rank: Top 15%
Interview Invites: JHH, Duke, Vandy, Mich, Mayo, WashU, Cornell, BIDMC, U Chicago, UPMC, Emory, 9 others
Rejections: MGH, BWH, Cleveland Clinic
Matched (+ # on ROL): #3

Advice:
- Apply to more programs than your advisors tell you, and withdraw interviews once you've reached your target number (12-15 is a good target for most people)

- Perhaps it's obvious, but don't expect that just because you're a "great applicant" according to your PD/advisors/friends that you're going to automatically land your #1. Academic IM at the top programs is very competitive, and there's a lot of randomness & regional biases in this process.

- Take everything you read online - from Doximity & USNWR to Reddit/SDN/spreadsheets - with a grain of salt. Assume that anyone might have an ulterior motive and want to influence your decision, because it will very often be true.

 

[Doctor&Geek]

Matched (+ # on ROL)

: Stanford (#1)

Welcome!

 

[Salaam]

School: Top 30
Step Scores: 260, 265, pass
Grades: H in medicine, HP in sub-i (pediatrics), otherwise split 50/50 between H's and P's
Research: 3 pubs (1 first author, 2 second author) in non-medicine fields
AOA: Nope
Rank: I think 25-50%'ile
Interview Invites: West Coast: UW cat + PC, UCLA PC, UCSD cat, Univ of Colorado PC + cat. Midwest: UMich cat, Pitt cat + GH. South: UTSW cat, BCM cat, Vanderbilt cat, Emory cat + PC. East Coast: Columbia cat, Cornell PC + cat, Mount Sinai PC + cat, NYU PC + cat, Einstein PC + cat, Yale PC, BUMC PC + cat, Georgetown cat, GWU PC + cat, Jefferson PC + cat, Brown PC + cat, Jackson-Memorial PC + cat
Rejections: BWH, MGH, JHH, UCSF, Penn, Mayo, Stanford, BIDMC, Northwestern, UChicago, OHSU, UNC, Yale cat
Matched (+ # on ROL): #1 University of Washington PC!

Advice:
- I read a lot of these threads to figure out where to apply, so I wanted to post for future applicants (particularly those interested in PC since there are fewer of us).
- Don't really have advice that's particularly novel or different from what's already been stated on this thread or others throughout the forum. As many on SDN have said, AOA and/or significant research experience seems to be important to receive many invites from top 10 institutions, regardless of whether you're interested in PC or categorical tracks. But still, shoot for the stars but keep your expectations grounded. You'll likely be surprised by some of the invites you did and did not receive.
- For my fellow GIM/PC people, you may find that some of the advice on SDN about ranking programs isn't as relevant for you (such as fellowship match criteria, etc.). My rank list ended up to be a mix of PC and categorical tracks. I was really attracted to PC tracks for obvious reasons: the camaraderie in many of these close-knit groups are pretty inspiring & your training is often more customized to fit the type of career within PC that you're looking for. However, there were also some institutions without specific PC tracks that offer excellent training in PC. Don't limit yourself- look at categorical & PC programs to see what best fits you. Some things I considered when ranking programs are: 1) Am I interested in urban or rural PC? Underserved care? HIV care? Women's health? -Does the institution provide adequate exposure to these populations?, 2) Does the institution as a whole (including the categorical track leadership) seem to value PC as a field? Do they feel they provide strong training in PC? (I actually had an interviewer at one program who told me right off the bat that they are admittedly weak in PC and are more fellowship-oriented. I appreciated the honesty with that.), 3) Where do the PC grads work after residency? Where do I want to work? (Most PC tracks publish that. Some seem to send more grads into academic medicine positions than others, if this is something that interests you), 4) Research, advocacy, mentorship opportunities? (Most will have these activities to varying degrees but some programs seemed pretty outstanding in the number of residents that participated. If you're into public policy & health services research, there are some institutions that are more well-known for this than others), 5) As everyone will tell you: do I FIT with the residents/faculty? (Many PC programs are smaller, so this may be even more important for us. I loved the vibes at UW and everyone I met, so it quickly rose to the top of my list), 6) Is the institution good at fields other than primary care? (This is when the fellowship match, etc. can be a proxy. For PC, this could be the last formal training we receive before practicing, so it's great to be at a place where subspecialty training is also solid).
- At the end of the day, try not to sweat the rank list process or match day. There are fortunately so many wonderful IM programs with fantastic physicians and residents that you'll be in good shape no matter where you go.

 

[IMreshopeful]

School: US MD school, ranked 50-100 midwest
Step Scores: 1 252, 2CK 245(after ROL), CS 1st attempt
Grades: MS1/2: Pass, MS3: 5 HP (including IM), no honors, no subI available at application time.
Research: 2 posters/abstracts and 1 won an award. Also a national conference oral presentation.
AOA: Hell no
Rank: Bottom 50%
Interview Invites: Henry Ford, UCLA-Harbor, Loyola, Rutgers-RWJ, UPMC, UIC, Detroit Medical Center, Cincinnati, Cleveland Clinic, Rush, Indiana, Wisconsin, Beaumont, MCW, Iowa, UC-Northshore, Maryland
Rejections: Most of Dox Top 30 with exceptions
Matched (+ # on ROL): #2
Advice/Miscellaneous:
- Apply very broadly to programs until they place a cap on number you can apply to. They really need to do that but until then, look out for yourself.
-Send LOIs to programs. I went 1 out of 3 on mine and my friend had a top 10 he applied to, didn’t hear from initially; and is now matched at because of an LOI. Get your PD to restate your commitment to the field. That got brought that up at many of my IVs as it was apparently in a letter of mine.
-STEP 1 is extremely important in determining your tier but if everything else is average, you’re not a upper tier candidate. One of the hardest things for me in life is learning to deal with success and staying grounded. For any M1ers, once Step 1 is done, you’re literally 1/4th done.
-Class rank matters. Work for every point you get if you want a top IM program. You’re basically in RoDS mode (Rad-Onc, Derm, Surgical subspecialty) if you want IM at a top 20 place with the only difference being that IM needs CK but away rotations are unnecessary.
-Never hesitate to ask for big favors. You’ll be surprised with what mentors will do for you.
-Take CK before applications. Everyone who took it the year they matched dropped and some places won’t invite you if you don’t have it.
Overall, I’m thrilled with where I ended up. I’m one of those people who was a bit disappointed in Sep-Nov as opposed to the third Friday of March.

1. Well done
2. I will reiterate....vast majority of posts on here have people with near perfect apps and everyone is listing the same JHH/BWH/UCSF level programs, to the point where a poster even differentiated a Stanford match as somehow qualitatively inferior (that makes me chuckle). This is not nearly as useful as the quoted post with someone who maybe has lower grades, good scores, and more middle of the road interviews. I would prefer to see more of this variety as it would be more helpful for applicants next year - someone with mediocre board scores and grades but good research for instance, or any variation thereof. Otherwise all we get is the SDN publication bias of ubercompetitive “top” applicants.

 

[IMreshopeful]

School: KCOM
Step Scores: 500 comlex I, 494 comlex II
Grades: 82 average GPA
Research: 1 poster presentation from undergrad and one month of research betw. M1 and M2 with no presentation or pubs
AOA: Nope
Rank: bottom quartile
Interview Invites
I underlined the historically MD programs; the rest are formerly osteopathic programs
Saint Louis University; University of South Carolina Palmetto Health; Baylor Scott & White (Texas A&M U); Freeman Health System in Joplin; Dunn, NC; Oklahoma State University, Tulsa; UT Health Northeast, Longview, TX; Golden Triangle in Columbus, MS; Brookwood Baptist in Birmingham, AL; Lumberton, NC; Bay Area in Corpus Christi, TX; Searcy, AK; Bowling Green, KY; Hattiesburg, MS; Saint Luke's Hospital in St. Louis; Weatherford, TX

Rejections:
All over the place. I applied to about 120 programs and while I got several invitations from historically DO sites, I didn't get as many from the MD residencies as I was hoping. Admittedly, I made a mistake when I applied to the MD match and my personal statement and letters of rec weren't available to most programs for around a month :-(. Still got accepted to my top program, though.

Matched: #1 - I matched at one of the universities listed above

Advice:
As a DO applying internal medicine, go for some reach programs but apply broadly.
Apply to places even if you didn't get a student rotation there. Two of my interviews came from places that didn't give me a rotation; one of them out right said it was due to my board scores. The place I matched into ended up being that place, interestingly enough.
If I could give everyone one piece of advice when you're trying to do all of these away rotations, I would tell you to sign up early and definitely do some rotations at the university programs even if you don't think you have a shot.
For interviews, plan on going to at least 15. I went on 11, but 4 of the programs just weren't feasible for my family due to cost of living, size/diversity of the city, inadequate medical training, etc. Everyone wants at least 10 programs on their rank order list, and you may not want to rank all of the programs you interview at, so go to several more interviews than you'll need, even if they all look good on paper.
As far as should you do an away rotation or not, they are definitely a good idea for someone like me who has middle-of-the-road board scores, especially since I didn't take the USMLE.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to PM me.

Also very well done. Congrats!

 

[rddn_jk]

People are gonna post what they got. I too would like more posts with average or even poor grades so I can better compare my stats however if the poster scored high they scored high. Someone will value that info. As people start recovering from their post-match/post-St. Patrick’s day hangovers I’m sure you’ll see more non-top 10 match posts.

 

[Adjet]

School: Mid-Tier East Coast
Step Scores: Step 1 - 250s, Step 2 - 250s
Grades: HP Medicine (Mix of H/HP for rest) H on first couple 4th yr rotations
Extracurriculars: Minor leadership positions, standard volunteering stuff
Research: 2 pubs, few abstracts, few manuscript submissions, and some ongoing projects at the time of application (all started during med school)
AOA: Nope
Rank: Top 1/3
Interview Invites: UPMC, UCSD, UVA, UAB, Baylor, Wisconsin, tOSU, Utah, UMD, Jeff, Einstein/Monte, Brown, community programs
Rejections: Pretty much every other top program (Emory, OHSU, NYU, Mt. Sinai, UNC, BID, Yale, WashU, + every top 10-15 school I applied to)
Matched (+ # on ROL): #1

Advice:
Goes without saying but try to honor your medicine rotation if you're aiming for the top programs (especially if you don't come from a top tier medical school). Was a bit of a bummer initially knowing that it would hold me back but there are plenty of really solid programs out there and everything will be OK in the end. I'm thrilled to end up where I did.

Granted I didn't interview at top 10 places, I didn't get the sense based on other people in my class that research is required to have a strong application for categorical programs as long as there is significant involvement in other extracurricular activities. Step scores, clinical grades and AOA status will be the meat of your application regardless

Regional bias and connections are real. Even though I don't go to a top med school, there are certain top programs that consistently interview the strong students regardless of AOA status and some 'weaker' programs that won't unless they are AOA

Average # of apps/IM applicant is ~30 and has been going up steadily over the past several years. Unless there is a strong regional preference it's not a bad idea to spend the extra money and apply broadly if you're aiming for the best program because it's becoming so competitive. I think PDs are thinking about how to prevent 'over-applying' but the incentives aren't there yet to stop it.

Pay attention to when programs send their batch of invites and reach out to the ones you're interested in if you don't receive one (usually by 3rd-4th week in Oct or so). For the ones I sent, I described a family tie to the region if any and wrote a few sentences on what interested me about the program (willing to share if PM'd). I got one invite this way, a couple of responses from PDs (who hadn't gotten to my application but felt I was qualified), and some ghosting. You have nothing to lose and, it's good make sure your app wasn't lost in the pile.

I would say it's advisable to go to pre-interview dinners for programs you're seriously interested in provided you are able to make it. Some places seem to keep track of who does/doesn't show up and while I'm not sure if it's factored into the ranking process, I wouldn't take the risk possibly appearing disinterested if it's a program you think you will rank highly. It's also informative - there were a couple dinners I missed for logistical reasons and I felt like I had a hard time getting a good sense of those programs on the interview day itself.

IM Interviews aren't big deal at all. Just have an idea of what you would say for some of the common questions and go from there. Most of them are just trying to have a conversation and help you learn about the program. I had the same 2-3 questions prepared for when they asked 'what questions do you have for me?' so I didn't have to think about it too hard. It's admittedly hard to differentiate the training at the academic programs since they seem similar overall which is why location and perceived reputation/fellowship match are convenient tools to rank.

 

[Shark7500]

Med school rank: #35-45 MD program
USMLE Step 1: 40
USMLE Step 2: Low 50s
USMLE CS: pass
Class rank: 2nd quartile
AOA/GHHS: No
Grades:
-Honors: IM, Peds, Neuro, OB/Gyn, Psych
-Pass: Family, Surgery
Research:
- 4 basic science papers (2 1st author, 2 middle author)
- 2 Oral presentations
- Couple of ongoing research projects
LOR: Chair letter, IM PD letter, IM letter from clerkship
ECs/Leadership: 2 solid state/national leadership positions. No volunteering.
Race: not an under-represented minority
-Applied to 29 programs-

Rejections (3): UNC, Duke, Vanderbilt
Ghost (5): Mayo, NW'ern, Yale, MUSC, Michigan
Invitations (21); Attended 14: Wake Forest, UVA, Emory, UAB, Miami Jackson, LSU Shreveport, USF, Baylor, UTSW, Tulane, SLU, tOSU, Case, Brown, Georgetown, George Washington, UT-Houston, VCU, UF, UMaryland, WashU​

Results: #1, Baylor. Phenomenal program with strong clinical training and endless opportunities for research.
Advice:
- It's really important to consider your fit and your ability to succeed in a program. Rankings are important, but they are not everything. Consider the recent trajectory of a program. I think USF is a good example of a program that has a great upward trajectory but is currently not that well-respected. OTOH, look at a traditional powerhouse like UAB that has historically been a very strong program but has recently been on the decline consistently for the past ~10 years.
- Don't send "ranking you highly" letters. Just communicate with your #1 in a timely manner!
- Don't trust communication from PDs
- Really take some time to paint a picture with your entire application. Who you are on interview day should reflect who you appear to be on paper!
- Happy to help out in any way I can. SDN has been an invaluable resource, starting from like...sophomore year. Thank you all so much! I wanted to prioritize typing up my experience so that I could pay it forward.

 

[coffeeclothesaddict]

School: DO School
Step Scores: COMLEX 1 & 2 (~700) PE pass first attempt / USMLE 1&2 (235 to 240)
Grades: Honors all rotations 3rd and 4th year
Research: 2 research projects, but no publications
AOA: Not offered at my school (received community service award though)
Rank: Top 10% (reported as in the Top quartile on MSPE)
Interview Invites: SUNY HSC Brooklyn, Mt sinai/St Lukes, NYMC-Westchester, Lenox Hill, Brooklyn Methodist, Maine Medical Center, University of Connecticut, Drexel/Hahnemann, Albert Einstein Philly, Christiana Hosp (Delaware), Northwell/Staten Island, NYP Queens, Hackensack UMC, Nassau, Mt Auburn, Yale Waterbury, Greenwich Hosp, Stoney Brook, Sinai Baltimore, Lincoln Medical Center, St Vincents, Baystate Medical Center, Advocate Lutheran (chicago)
** received many more interviews than these listed, and did not attend most of these interviews, and got very picky as the interview season went on and more came in

Rejections: So so many rejections, lots silent and a few by email mostly places that were huge reaches (to name a few.. NJMS, robert wood johnson, yale, tufts, jacobi, dartmouth, columbia, cornell, NYU, Montefiore)

Matched (+ # on ROL): #1– one of the New York Programs (close to friends, family, easiest for my significant other who already had a great job in NYC)

Advice: Apply broadly, if you're from DO school or have mediocre board scores or some other issue. I way over applied, but am happy I did because I cancelled tons of interviews, but would much prefer to cancel interviews than not have enough and its hard to figure out what programs you will hear back from. Especially as a DO! I have no regrets with applying to over 100 programs. I also did not attend even half the interviews I received. Also, to people saying GPA and grades don't matter, I did really well in all of my classes and my school had A,B,C,F reported on transcripts. My top GPA and Honors in all rotations were brought up in every single interview and I think it helped me to match so well. It might not have helped get me any interviews as that is probably mostly Board Scores due to filters, but I definitely do not agree with the sentiment that grades don't matter in medical school or that C's get degrees. Also Clinical grades of course matter way more, but having all honors in clinical rotations definitely helps after you get the interview.
Hopefully this helps some other DO's or people with not so amazing board scores

EDIT:
Adding to my post since not many other DO's are posting their results and I found these posts to be useful in the past. Below is obviously my experience only so it doesn't mean its the best but worked out for me.
1) I did not send any LOVE letters. I sent a few thank you letters to programs if they specifically mentioned where to send them. If a program requested no post interview communication, I did not send a thank you letter.
2) I did not send a #1 email to my first choice program because they were one who requested no post interview communication unless its a specific question, and I wanted to honor the request. ( I still matched there, so I would say not to send one if thats a request of the program!)
3) I did 2 away rotations
- one sub-i in a subspecialty of my interest at a program that I interviewed at, but was in a location I otherwise had no connections, worked very very hard, got a great letter (so maybe it helped get the interview, but I'm not sure)
- The other away was a local program with a great reputation and in a random subspecialty IM elective, didn't get a letter from it but it was a good experience
- I am a strong believer that aways don't matter for IM. IF you're from a DO program you might want to pick a reach program or a program you are really interested in and do an away, work extremely hard, get a letter. It can help maybe, but I know of people who did tons of aways that didn't amount to any interviews, so don't expect aways to = interviews for IM. If you aren't confident clinically DONT do an away b/c it can hurt you. Don't do more many 2 aways as sub-i's (unless you're doing aways as electives just for fun), you will burn out.
4) apply to programs in undesirable locations, or programs you think are safeties (lots of them) and go on the interviews to as many programs as you have the time to attend, as a DO your rank list should be longer than others
5) I matched at my #1 program, so I could have saved a lot of money interviewing and traveling and applying, but I know the other side through close friends who didn't apply broadly, didn't go on enough interviews, didn't match or didn't match at places they like, and the problem is you have a hard time of knowing how competitive you are before applying and theres really no going back since once the apps are out and you start getting interviews its too late to apply to more safety programs. You will thank yourself if you over apply because it will make you more confident.
6) ask real questions on interviews. IF you don't have real valid questions, don't waste your interviewers time by asking b/s questions to appear interested. If you have no questions left, say it. My interviewers seemed to appreciate this. (That still means prepare for the interview with real thoughtful questions, but if they are all answered by presentations then don't repeat)
7) 100% you should be taking the USMLE (both step 1 and step 2 CK) as a DO, if you want to apply to ACGME programs, and since theres less AOA programs now you really have to

 

[TheBDP]

School: CCOM
Step Scores: COMLEX 1/2 720+; Step 1/2 260s/250s
Grades: 4.0ish
Research: 1 project, abstract, pending publication
AOA: No
Rank: Top 5%
Interview Invites: Drexel, Montefiore, Rush, Cook County, MUSC, Cleveland Clinic, Medical College Wisconsin, George Washington, Georgetown, Advocate Lutheran General
Rejections: OHSU, Dartmouth, Jacobi, UW, UMinn, NW, UChicago

Matched (+ # on ROL): #2, GWU! I’m excited to be going back to my undergrad roots.

Congrats to everyone and thanks for all of your help throughout this process!

 

[Newyawk]

I cant believe top programs screen by AOA. Whats the reasoning behind this

 

[CatFactorial]

I cant believe top programs screen by AOA. Whats the reasoning behind this

xkcd: Honor Societies

 

[Tots]

Figured I would contribute since I am another one of those GIM/PC applicants and found this forums immensely helpful over the past year. And have never been very anonymous here.

-If you are interested in primary care- I felt like the Brigham and Penn had 2 of the best in the country as far as training goes (didn't apply west coast so idk about those). Duke had the ACLT which is more of a health policy and primary care but also a great program. I also was very impressed by UC-Denvers primary care track.

Also applied primary care IM and agree with this. Penn and Denver were probably my favorite primary care programs and Duke ACLT impressed me more than I expected. Also really liked the Cornell-PC & UW in general as primary care is clearly valued there.

- I read a lot of these threads to figure out where to apply, so I wanted to post for future applicants (particularly those interested in PC since there are fewer of us).
- For my fellow GIM/PC people, you may find that some of the advice on SDN about ranking programs isn't as relevant for you (such as fellowship match criteria, etc.). My rank list ended up to be a mix of PC and categorical tracks. I was really attracted to PC tracks for obvious reasons: the camaraderie in many of these close-knit groups are pretty inspiring & your training is often more customized to fit the type of career within PC that you're looking for. However, there were also some institutions without specific PC tracks that offer excellent training in PC. Don't limit yourself- look at categorical & PC programs to see what best fits you. Some things I considered when ranking programs are: 1) Am I interested in urban or rural PC? Underserved care? HIV care? Women's health? -Does the institution provide adequate exposure to these populations?, 2) Does the institution as a whole (including the categorical track leadership) seem to value PC as a field? Do they feel they provide strong training in PC? (I actually had an interviewer at one program who told me right off the bat that they are admittedly weak in PC and are more fellowship-oriented. I appreciated the honesty with that.), 3) Where do the PC grads work after residency? Where do I want to work? (Most PC tracks publish that. Some seem to send more grads into academic medicine positions than others, if this is something that interests you), 4) Research, advocacy, mentorship opportunities? (Most will have these activities to varying degrees but some programs seemed pretty outstanding in the number of residents that participated. If you're into public policy & health services research, there are some institutions that are more well-known for this than others), 5) As everyone will tell you: do I FIT with the residents/faculty? (Many PC programs are smaller, so this may be even more important for us. I loved the vibes at UW and everyone I met, so it quickly rose to the top of my list), 6) Is the institution good at fields other than primary care? (This is when the fellowship match, etc. can be a proxy. For PC, this could be the last formal training we receive before practicing, so it's great to be at a place where subspecialty training is also solid).

Agree. My rank list was also a mix of primary care and categorical programs. Obvious advice but: Categorical programs train primary care doctors also. For some places I ranked the two tracks together (PC then Categorical) but for other places the primary care program was much higher than the categorical program or vice versa.

School: UChicago
Step Scores: Step 1 250s, Step 2 CK 250s, Step 2 CS Pass
Grades: H in Medicine/OBGYN/Neuro/FM/Psych, HP in Surgery/Pediatrics
Research: 1 paper, 1 abstract, 2 posters, masters with masters thesis during med school
AOA: No
Rank: 2nd Quartile
Interview Invites: UChicago, Mount Sinai+PC, Columbia, Emory+PC, Stanford, UW+PC (off waitlist), Colorado+PC, Penn+PC, UCLA+PC, BIDMC+PC, Cornell+PC, Duke
Rejections: BWH, MGH, JHH, UCSF, OHSU, UCSD (silent), USC (silent)
Matched (+ # on ROL): #2 Penn PC

Advice:
- I was not 100% set on Primary Care but more 60%/40% with a certain subspecialty (and still am). I was super upfront about this and most primary care programs didn't seem to care and the one that did fell pretty far on my rank list. I applied to both the categorical and primary care tracks at most places. Had classmates that only applied to primary care programs. Either way seems to be effective, you do you.

- Expected to dislike a few programs here and there but overall kind of loved everywhere. Lots of amazing places for IM out there.

 

[Redpancreas]

School: Mid-Tier East Coast
Step Scores: Step 1 - 250s, Step 2 - 250s
Grades: HP Medicine (Mix of H/HP for rest) H on first couple 4th yr rotations
Extracurriculars: Minor leadership positions, standard volunteering stuff
Research: 2 pubs, few abstracts, few manuscript submissions, and some ongoing projects at the time of application (all started during med school)
AOA: Nope
Rank: Top 1/3
Interview Invites: UPMC, UCSD, UVA, UAB, Baylor, Wisconsin, tOSU, Utah, UMD, Jeff, Einstein/Monte, Brown, community programs
Rejections: Pretty much every other top program (Emory, OHSU, NYU, Mt. Sinai, UNC, BID, Yale, WashU, + every top 10-15 school I applied to)
Matched (+ # on ROL): #1

Advice:
Goes without saying but try to honor your medicine rotation if you're aiming for the top programs (especially if you don't come from a top tier medical school). Was a bit of a bummer initially knowing that it would hold me back but there are plenty of really solid programs out there and everything will be OK in the end. I'm thrilled to end up where I did.

Granted I didn't interview at top 10 places, I didn't get the sense based on other people in my class that research is required to have a strong application for categorical programs as long as there is significant involvement in other extracurricular activities. Step scores, clinical grades and AOA status will be the meat of your application regardless

Regional bias and connections are real. Even though I don't go to a top med school, there are certain top programs that consistently interview the strong students regardless of AOA status and some 'weaker' programs that won't unless they are AOA

Average # of apps/IM applicant is ~30 and has been going up steadily over the past several years. Unless there is a strong regional preference it's not a bad idea to spend the extra money and apply broadly if you're aiming for the best program because it's becoming so competitive. I think PDs are thinking about how to prevent 'over-applying' but the incentives aren't there yet to stop it.

Pay attention to when programs send their batch of invites and reach out to the ones you're interested in if you don't receive one (usually by 3rd-4th week in Oct or so). For the ones I sent, I described a family tie to the region if any and wrote a few sentences on what interested me about the program (willing to share if PM'd). I got one invite this way, a couple of responses from PDs (who hadn't gotten to my application but felt I was qualified), and some ghosting. You have nothing to lose and, it's good make sure your app wasn't lost in the pile.

I would say it's advisable to go to pre-interview dinners for programs you're seriously interested in provided you are able to make it. Some places seem to keep track of who does/doesn't show up and while I'm not sure if it's factored into the ranking process, I wouldn't take the risk possibly appearing disinterested if it's a program you think you will rank highly. It's also informative - there were a couple dinners I missed for logistical reasons and I felt like I had a hard time getting a good sense of those programs on the interview day itself.

IM Interviews aren't big deal at all. Just have an idea of what you would say for some of the common questions and go from there. Most of them are just trying to have a conversation and help you learn about the program. I had the same 2-3 questions prepared for when they asked 'what questions do you have for me?' so I didn't have to think about it too hard. It's admittedly hard to differentiate the training at the academic programs since they seem similar overall which is why location and perceived reputation/fellowship match are convenient tools to rank.

Uncanny but I feel like everything in this post is stuff I would say and naturally feel like it’s great advice.

 

[medsel32]

I cant believe top programs screen by AOA. Whats the reasoning behind this

Just to clarify for people that may later read this and worry, this is not really accurate. AOA certainly helps, but many in the match went to top programs (Big four) without AOA. Granted you need other things in your application, but this is always the case.

 

[wiloghby]

I cant believe top programs screen by AOA. Whats the reasoning behind this

To be clear, some places care more than others. And if you're at a Top 10 or 20 medical school, it doesn't seem to matter much. Where AOA helps, I think, is if you go to a relatively less well-known MD program. Some MD schools have rampant inflation of clinical grades and some do not. If applicant A has 100% Honors during 3rd year and wasn't eligible for AOA, that says you can make perfect grades and still be outside the top 25% of the class. Furthermore, only 16% of the class can be inducted into AOA so it is a proxy for class rank and scholarship at schools where PD's may not know the school's individual grading system. It is not even close to a perfect way to sort applicants from less prestigious schools, but it is FAST and EASY which is way more important when you have 4000 applications to filter.

 

[Cdm279]

School: Unranked US Medical School
Step Scores: Step 1 - 243, Step 2 - 241
Grades: Honored all 3rd and 4th year rotations
Extracurriculars: Volunteered in the free clinic and student government
Research: Absolutely none
AOA: Senior AOA
Rank: Top 10%
Interview Invites: BWH, UPENN, NYU, NYP-Columbia, Brown, Albert Einstein-Montefiore,RWJ, Rutgers, GW, Temple, Drexel, Cooper
Rejections:Mass Gen, Cornell, Yale(after being on the waitlist), Mount Sinai, Lenox Hill
Matched (+ # on ROL): #3 NYU

Enjoy 4th year! Apply smart and you will do great! I did not send post-interview correspondence and it worked out just fine.

 

[ChordaEpiphany]

School: Top 30
Step Scores: 260, 265, pass
Grades: H in medicine, HP in sub-i (pediatrics), otherwise split 50/50 between H's and P's
Research: 3 pubs (1 first author, 2 second author) in non-medicine fields
AOA: Nope
Rank: I think 25-50%'ile
Interview Invites: West Coast: UW cat + PC, UCLA PC, UCSD cat, Univ of Colorado PC + cat. Midwest: UMich cat, Pitt cat + GH. South: UTSW cat, BCM cat, Vanderbilt cat, Emory cat + PC. East Coast: Columbia cat, Cornell PC + cat, Mount Sinai PC + cat, NYU PC + cat, Einstein PC + cat, Yale PC, BUMC PC + cat, Georgetown cat, GWU PC + cat, Jefferson PC + cat, Brown PC + cat, Jackson-Memorial PC + cat
Rejections: BWH, MGH, JHH, UCSF, Penn, Mayo, Stanford, BIDMC, Northwestern, UChicago, OHSU, UNC, Yale cat
Matched (+ # on ROL): #1 University of Washington PC!

Advice:
- I read a lot of these threads to figure out where to apply, so I wanted to post for future applicants (particularly those interested in PC since there are fewer of us).
- Don't really have advice that's particularly novel or different from what's already been stated on this thread or others throughout the forum. As many on SDN have said, AOA and/or significant research experience seems to be important to receive many invites from top 10 institutions, regardless of whether you're interested in PC or categorical tracks. But still, shoot for the stars but keep your expectations grounded. You'll likely be surprised by some of the invites you did and did not receive.
- For my fellow GIM/PC people, you may find that some of the advice on SDN about ranking programs isn't as relevant for you (such as fellowship match criteria, etc.). My rank list ended up to be a mix of PC and categorical tracks. I was really attracted to PC tracks for obvious reasons: the camaraderie in many of these close-knit groups are pretty inspiring & your training is often more customized to fit the type of career within PC that you're looking for. However, there were also some institutions without specific PC tracks that offer excellent training in PC. Don't limit yourself- look at categorical & PC programs to see what best fits you. Some things I considered when ranking programs are: 1) Am I interested in urban or rural PC? Underserved care? HIV care? Women's health? -Does the institution provide adequate exposure to these populations?, 2) Does the institution as a whole (including the categorical track leadership) seem to value PC as a field? Do they feel they provide strong training in PC? (I actually had an interviewer at one program who told me right off the bat that they are admittedly weak in PC and are more fellowship-oriented. I appreciated the honesty with that.), 3) Where do the PC grads work after residency? Where do I want to work? (Most PC tracks publish that. Some seem to send more grads into academic medicine positions than others, if this is something that interests you), 4) Research, advocacy, mentorship opportunities? (Most will have these activities to varying degrees but some programs seemed pretty outstanding in the number of residents that participated. If you're into public policy & health services research, there are some institutions that are more well-known for this than others), 5) As everyone will tell you: do I FIT with the residents/faculty? (Many PC programs are smaller, so this may be even more important for us. I loved the vibes at UW and everyone I met, so it quickly rose to the top of my list), 6) Is the institution good at fields other than primary care? (This is when the fellowship match, etc. can be a proxy. For PC, this could be the last formal training we receive before practicing, so it's great to be at a place where subspecialty training is also solid).
- At the end of the day, try not to sweat the rank list process or match day. There are fortunately so many wonderful IM programs with fantastic physicians and residents that you'll be in good shape no matter where you go.

This is a great post. Congrats on the match! Obviously your interview invite list is fantastic, but is there anything you think you could have done outside of just being "better" that would have helped you land those top 10 interviews? On paper, it seems like you've left no stone unturned (260/H in medicine/top 30 school/publications). Hard to imagine there are really that many other people walking around with your stats/accomplishments, so do you think it's the strong focus on primary care vs. the fellowship-oriented nature of most of those places, or were there softer aspects of the application (e.g. letters, personal statement) that would have made a difference in getting those interviews?

 

[Salaam]

This is a great post. Congrats on the match! Obviously your interview invite list is fantastic, but is there anything you think you could have done outside of just being "better" that would have helped you land those top 10 interviews? On paper, it seems like you've left no stone unturned (260/H in medicine/top 30 school/publications). Hard to imagine there are really that many other people walking around with your stats/accomplishments, so do you think it's the strong focus on primary care vs. the fellowship-oriented nature of most of those places, or were there softer aspects of the application (e.g. letters, personal statement) that would have made a difference in getting those interviews?

I think it probably boiled down to grades (half H, half P) and lack of AOA. I don't think career plans had anything to do with it, as there are some institutions I didn't receive interviews at in the top 10 that are well-known for PC (UCSF, Penn for instance). My med school dean & home program PD actually very accurately (almost perfectly) predicted where I would get interviews when I showed them my list. At least in their experience, applicants from our institution usually don't get big 4 invites without AOA. Of course there are exceptions, so they didn't discourage me from applying but they told me it was unlikely.

 

[Newyawk]

School: Unranked US Medical School
Step Scores: Step 1 - 243, Step 2 - 241
Grades: Honored all 3rd and 4th year rotations
Extracurriculars: Volunteered in the free clinic and student government
Research: Absolutely none
AOA: Senior AOA
Rank: Top 10%
Interview Invites: BWH, UPENN, NYU, NYP-Columbia, Brown, Albert Einstein-Montefiore,RWJ, Rutgers, GW, Temple, Drexel, Cooper
Rejections:Mass Gen, Cornell, Yale(after being on the waitlist), Mount Sinai, Lenox Hill
Matched (+ # on ROL): #3 NYU

Enjoy 4th year! Apply smart and you will do great! I did not send post-interview correspondence and it worked out just fine.

Not to be rude, and congrats on matching to nyu, but your stats basically prove that AOA is huge when comparing your results to previous posters. Notwithstanding your great clinic grades and good step 1, of course.

Sad world we live in where an honor society membership is worth more than multiple publications...

 

[IMreshopeful]

Not to be rude, and congrats on matching to nyu, but your stats basically prove that AOA is huge when comparing your results to previous posters. Notwithstanding your great clinic grades and good step 1, of course.

Sad world we live in where an honor society membership is worth more than multiple publications...

One could argue that having multiple publications is just as useless a metric at predicting who’s a superior physician. Unfortunately there is no good metric out there.

From the perspective of someone who graduated in 2013, this has gotten way more competitive.

 

[rddn_jk]

What would you guys recommend for rotations and having to go on interviews? I'm a spectacularly average candidate (DO, Step 1: low 230's, some research) and not really sure when to expect interviews to be happening. I don't really want to be on an away and have to fly repeatedly for interviews.

 

[Matteo]

AOA is just one piece. It is often a surrogate for all/near-all honors - which plays a much larger contribution into the decision to interview or not. It’s less likely that a candidate would not be interviewed on the sole basis of AOA status.

 

[Cdm279]

Not to be rude, and congrats on matching to nyu, but your stats basically prove that AOA is huge when comparing your results to previous posters. Notwithstanding your great clinic grades and good step 1, of course.

Sad world we live in where an honor society membership is worth more than multiple publications...

I think AOA is needed when applying to top 20 and it definitely helped my application. The reason for my lack of research is I am a non-traditional student with a Finance background. Maybe that’s why no one really cared about my lack of research. I hope if you matched this season you got somewhere you love!

 

[Barbecue]

I think AOA is needed when applying to top 20 and it definitely helped my application. The reason for my lack of research is I am a non-traditional student with a Finance background. Maybe that’s why no one really cared about my lack of research. I hope if you matched this season you got somewhere you love!

Not sure why your background would have anything to do with how schools view research. Programs don't really care about research prior to medical school. The only thing that matters is what you've done while a medical student.

 

[Cdm279]

Not sure why your background would have anything to do with how schools view research. Programs don't really care about research prior to medical school. The only thing that matters is what you've done while a medical student.

I guess medical school research did not play a huge factor in interview selection at the programs I applied to. No one ever asked me why I didn’t do any research on my interviews.

 

[275471]

School: Unranked US Medical School
Step Scores: Step 1 - 243, Step 2 - 241
Grades: Honored all 3rd and 4th year rotations
Extracurriculars: Volunteered in the free clinic and student government
Research: Absolutely none
AOA: Senior AOA
Rank: Top 10%
Interview Invites: BWH, UPENN, NYU, NYP-Columbia, Brown, Albert Einstein-Montefiore,RWJ, Rutgers, GW, Temple, Drexel, Cooper
Rejections:Mass Gen, Cornell, Yale(after being on the waitlist), Mount Sinai, Lenox Hill
Matched (+ # on ROL): #3 NYU

Enjoy 4th year! Apply smart and you will do great! I did not send post-interview correspondence and it worked out just fine.

Congratulations on the impressive interviews and an exceptional match. I'm curious if you can think of anything besides AOA and great clinical grades that really helped you get great interviews? Or do you think it is that straightforward?

 

[Cdm279]

Congratulations on the impressive interviews and an exceptional match. I'm curious if you can think of anything besides AOA and great clinical grades that really helped you get great interviews? Or do you think it is that straightforward?

Thank you so much. On several of my interviews they told me I had amazing letters of recommendation. I think that helped. I believe though the majority of why I got interviews was AOA and my clinical grades.

 

[Anicetus]

Not to be rude, and congrats on matching to nyu, but your stats basically prove that AOA is huge when comparing your results to previous posters. Notwithstanding your great clinic grades and good step 1, of course.

Sad world we live in where an honor society membership is worth more than multiple publications...

So you’d rather have a world where students who shake the right hands, get lucky with whoever PI/resident/fellow they get set up with get the spot over the people who actually got the best grades IN medical school?

# Pubs is ridiculous sometimes. I knew students including myself who slaved away at reviewing hundreds upon hundreds of charts to not get a pub out of it. And then there are students who simply had lunch with a PI and get their names thrown on a paper.

 

[Barbecue]

So you’d rather have a world where students who shake the right hands, get lucky with whoever PI/resident/fellow they get set up with get the spot over the people who actually got the best grades IN medical school?

# Pubs is ridiculous sometimes. I knew students including myself who slaved away at reviewing hundreds upon hundreds of charts to not get a pub out of it. And then there are students who simply had lunch with a PI and get their names thrown on a paper.

Lol @ subjective grades being more objective markers of work than publications

 

[Aurum]

So you’d rather have a world where students who shake the right hands, get lucky with whoever PI/resident/fellow they get set up with get the spot over the people who actually got the best grades IN medical school?

# Pubs is ridiculous sometimes. I knew students including myself who slaved away at reviewing hundreds upon hundreds of charts to not get a pub out of it. And then there are students who simply had lunch with a PI and get their names thrown on a paper.

AOA nominations are anything but objective at certain schools. My school's grade cutoff for AOA is laughably low, so the nominations and elections devolve into a popularity contest. The number one student in our class did not get junior AOA because he was on the quiet side.

 

[Anicetus]

AOA nominations are anything but objective at certain schools. My school's grade cutoff for AOA is laughably low, so the nominations and elections devolve into a popularity contest. The number one student in our class did not get junior AOA because he was on the quiet side.

Our AOA was mostly MS1-MS2 and included MS3 as well, so the majority was exams. Why other med schools make it a popularity contest is beyond me. But this is why I believe a more objective AOA should hold more weight than # of pubs. I don’t know why SDN touts # of pubs so much when it’s solely an extracurricular experience outside of core medical curriculum and it’s treated like its more important than anything outside of Step 1. This is coming from someone who had pubs and did NOT get AOA and I’m not even bitter about it. I just agree with PDs using AOA as the checkbox.