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Should I be worried? Anyone else only have one so far?
Only have one interview so far
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I hope not, since I don't have any.
It's hard to gauge now with the early ASTRO and MSPE. Residents tell me not to worry for another 2-3 weeks but the unpredictability of this year's timeframe has me slightly uneasy.
Good luck and let's hope for the best.
It's hard to gauge now with the early ASTRO and MSPE. Residents tell me not to worry for another 2-3 weeks but the unpredictability of this year's timeframe has me slightly uneasy.
Good luck and let's hope for the best.
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Same here...although I am worried because a) I'm a neurotic med student and b) I consider myself a sub-par applicant. Let's hope it works out well for everyone
Make that 3 of us still waiting for someone to throw a bone our way.
Based on posts from previous years, it seems like this is the time of the cycle where uneasiness begins to creep into the psyche of applicants. However, I take solace in the fact that it is still early in the cycle for Rad Onc. I think the cycle really warms up in the next couple of weeks before hitting its peak in the first couple weeks of November.
It's just really tough to maintain perspective when a good number of my classmates have around 10 interviews, albeit in relatively less competitive specialties.
Based on posts from previous years, it seems like this is the time of the cycle where uneasiness begins to creep into the psyche of applicants. However, I take solace in the fact that it is still early in the cycle for Rad Onc. I think the cycle really warms up in the next couple of weeks before hitting its peak in the first couple weeks of November.
It's just really tough to maintain perspective when a good number of my classmates have around 10 interviews, albeit in relatively less competitive specialties.
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looks like you have one now. congrats!
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I too have only one interview. I know not to freak out yet, but that does little to quell the part of me that is quietly freaking out.
These next 2 weeks will be good for us all - I'm sure of it.
These next 2 weeks will be good for us all - I'm sure of it.
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Everyone relax. Not many invites have gone out yet. Its easy for a resident to say it but seriously this is a really fun time for you guys. Do not let your personal anxiety rob you of a really great time. If you have on interview in December-January then you can start to worry. Nothing to do now.
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Just as a point of reference for you guys, at this point last year I had 2-3 interview offers for rad onc.
I haven't checked but I'm sure my post history shows I was freaking out too. I went on to get more invites than I could possibly attend, and I wasn't a super star. So, just wanted to offer some numbers. I had 2-3 offers on this date last year, and by early November I had over 10. Hold on tight the next few weeks will be busy!
I haven't checked but I'm sure my post history shows I was freaking out too. I went on to get more invites than I could possibly attend, and I wasn't a super star. So, just wanted to offer some numbers. I had 2-3 offers on this date last year, and by early November I had over 10. Hold on tight the next few weeks will be busy!
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Maybe apply to some more?
I've been getting more transitional than prelim, prelims are kind of hit or miss with their interview offers - a lot of them have preference and spots reserved for their home students
I've been getting more transitional than prelim, prelims are kind of hit or miss with their interview offers - a lot of them have preference and spots reserved for their home students
This really means a lot.
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most apply to 40+
I think they're talking about TY/ Prelims.
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I felt better about having one when I started this thread than about having three now.
I have 2 if that makes you feel better. For, a slightly flawed mathematical way to keep yourself sane, you might want to consider that there are ~80 programs, and you should "aim" for 8 interviews. So for every 10 schools that send interviews you should hopefully get one. If you have 3 and ~20 went out, you are 10 ahead. Obviously, you may be able to look at it differently depending on your application and on the type of schools you are aiming to match at.
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It's still too early to tell. Hang in there. My understanding is that, standing on the other side of this thing next March, we'll look back and note that there was no way to predict the responses. I'm only at 3 right now as well (out of 9 emails according to SDN), with what should have been a plenty competitive app for those 6 no responses. I agree that seeing program names drop off your list is incredibly disheartening. Hearing about others (whether they be more or less competitive than you, but particularly those less) getting interviews is even worse. That said, I'm watching an insanely competitive roommate go through the IM application process now, getting ignored by plenty of places. Sometimes there's just no way to logically explain it, so try not to think about it too much.
Moral of the story: try to distract yourself with a hobby while you keep your phone email notifications on. This is me counseling myself by writing to you haha.
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It should change. I remember a day around this time. I think I started the day with 3-4 interviews. I opened my email and had one of those lovely donotreply@ERAS emails and was very happy. The interview invite date was there and in the time it took me to confirm the date was open I got another interview invite. In the time it took me to check that one I got another one. I literally doubled my number of interviews in the span of about 15 minutes. Im not the only one.
Only a small fraction of the programs have sent out interviews. Just relax.
Only a small fraction of the programs have sent out interviews. Just relax.
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Same here. The Friday after ASTRO last year I went from 4 to 8 in the space of a couple hours.
That was a good day.
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This is likely a bit neurotic, but one of the programs I rotated at sent out interviews per the Invites thread recently. I know a rotation doesn't guarantee an interview, and it's a fairly competitive/desirable one. I'm hoping they are inviting in waves, but it's pretty disheartening. I got positive feedback from all attendings I worked with and they all said things akin to "We'll see you in a couple months." The PD even wrote me a letter. I hope an invite is forthcoming, but if not that is one that would hurt.
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At the more competitive places a rotation doesn't equal an interview. I didn't get an interview at one of the places I rotated. That said, I didn't get that kind of feedback there and certainly no one told me they'd see me in a couple months.
I'd hold out hope for now, it seemed that many of the places I got interviews from came in waves, and generally I was not in the first wave. More often than I could count I'd see an invite on that thread, and then days/weeks later I'd get my invite.
Its not over for that program yet!
best thing I've read here all day!
It may not mean pan out, but it's nice to know.
I didn't know that interviews sometimes came out in waves for some programs
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Thanks for the reassurance. Attendings told me this based on working with me, but not necessarily having seen my app fwiw. Rad onc is tough since every applicant looks like a superstar, so I could understand how I may not get an interview. Fingers remain crossed.
This happened to me for one of my invites. Got my invite a week after someone post it up here. Hang in there brethren.
Questions for previous appliers:
When programs sent out another wave of interviews, were they for the same dates as before or did they add new dates?
How many people typically showed up for an interview day? Or did it vary a lot between programs?
When programs sent out another wave of interviews, were they for the same dates as before or did they add new dates?
How many people typically showed up for an interview day? Or did it vary a lot between programs?
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Interveiw days could vary a lot. Most places interviewed between 8-12 people per spot with some give or take. A few went higher (20-30 per spot). The average number per interview date varied based on how many spots they had and how many dates there were. One place interviewed all 30 on one day a couple years ago. The norm is probably about 10-15 per day.
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Ramses answered your second question very well, so I won't expand on that other than to say I concur!
For the interviews, it really depends. For the most part, I think they are for the same dates except for what is already full based on the responses they've already received. There were a couple programs (I think U Penn? UAB?) that last year would send out a wave of invites for a specific day. Then each successive wave was a new day.
All that to say, if the interview invite thread lists 3+ dates, then those are likely all the dates that program will be interviewing. If it lists 1-2 then its on the fence, they may only have 1-2 days, or they will be adding days with each wave of invites.
Hope that helps!
In case anyone is curious and wants to visualize how offers went out last year, this may help. It seems like the month of October is a trickle, with about one program offering everyday, then in November it really takes off. If you applied to most of the programs, from this data, you can take the number of interviews you have on November 6th and double it, and that's how many you should approximately end up with. If, by the end of the second week of November you still only have 1 or 2, then it's probably appropriate at that time to meet with your advisor and deal with it. Our school is already advising us that we should have a minimum of 5 interviews, but for rad-onc, this clearly isn't reasonable at this point. Last year there was a glut of offers on Monday, November 12th. That correlates to Monday, November 11th this year. So that's our day. Good luck guys.
In case anyone is curious and wants to visualize how offers went out last year, this may help. It seems like the month of October is a trickle, with about one program offering everyday, then in November it really takes off. If you applied to most of the programs, from this data, you can take the number of interviews you have on November 6th and double it, and that's how many you should approximately end up with. If, by the end of the second week of November you still only have 1 or 2, then it's probably appropriate at that time to meet with your advisor and deal with it. Our school is already advising us that we should have a minimum of 5 interviews, but for rad-onc, this clearly isn't reasonable at this point. Last year there was a glut of offers on Monday, November 12th. That correlates to Monday, November 11th this year. So that's our day. Good luck guys.
You should get an invite for this graph.
Hey, if someone wants to give me an invite, I'll even add in the data from the previous year
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In case anyone is curious and wants to visualize how offers went out last year, this may help. It seems like the month of October is a trickle, with about one program offering everyday, then in November it really takes off. If you applied to most of the programs, from this data, you can take the number of interviews you have on November 6th and double it, and that's how many you should approximately end up with. If, by the end of the second week of November you still only have 1 or 2, then it's probably appropriate at that time to meet with your advisor and deal with it. Our school is already advising us that we should have a minimum of 5 interviews, but for rad-onc, this clearly isn't reasonable at this point. Last year there was a glut of offers on Monday, November 12th. That correlates to Monday, November 11th this year. So that's our day. Good luck guys.
Very good graph, and I think in general the trends are likely correct. Just wanted to add that last year there were more than a few times I'd get an invite, see that it wasn't posted online but be too busy to do it. Then sometime the next week either I, or someone else, would finally add it. Things get crazy in November, so invites weren't always added the same day they went out. (Also doesn't take into account people who get invites after the first person does)
Either way, very cool graph, thanks for putting in the effort!
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Very helpful. Also thanks to Ramses. Hopefully I can pay it forward in the future.
Also, it seems like number of programs was the same as last year around this time. I counted 25 programs in the invite thread. Seems like earlier deans and ASTRO made no difference. It makes what sheldor and ramsesthenice have been saying very applicable to this year as well.
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Yeah you 'alumni' are awesome
I really hope I will be in the position to offer advice here next cycle!
I really hope I will be in the position to offer advice here next cycle!
Dude must be smoking something...
In case anyone is curious and wants to visualize how offers went out last year, this may help. It seems like the month of October is a trickle, with about one program offering everyday, then in November it really takes off. If you applied to most of the programs, from this data, you can take the number of interviews you have on November 6th and double it, and that's how many you should approximately end up with. If, by the end of the second week of November you still only have 1 or 2, then it's probably appropriate at that time to meet with your advisor and deal with it. Our school is already advising us that we should have a minimum of 5 interviews, but for rad-onc, this clearly isn't reasonable at this point. Last year there was a glut of offers on Monday, November 12th. That correlates to Monday, November 11th this year. So that's our day. Good luck guys.
This guy (or gal). I'm going to look for you on the trail, and I'm going to make you go to the same program as me. Thanks, bud.
Probably the same as not hearing anything from programs that have sent out interviews? As in, we'll wait and See who cancels?
Who sent out wait lists?
Apparently Cleveland Clinic. Got my waitlist on Friday.
Ah. Well, I can confirm they also sent out rejections. So it's better than that!
I had an interview off the waitlist at cleveland clinic last year so it happens
O, nice. Thought it was just a kind rejection.
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I'm still sitting at one interview. Time to panic? Because I sure am.
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Honestly? Maybe not time to panic, but time to start making sure that you have a solid back up plan in place. You will definitely get more, but its highly unlikely that you'll end up with >10 at this point I'd think. I know people personally who matched into Rad Onc with only a few interviews, so it definitely isn't over till its over. Also, theres a chance that perhaps the programs that will interview you just haven't sent out invites yet.
Whats your back up?
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