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.