Pediatrics Rank List 2017

[medstud1989]

Hi All, I was looking and didn't see a Rank List for this year. Other specialties do this and it's a tremendous resource for future applicants just to be able to see your thinking as you select programs.

There are a number of ways in which you may participate:

1. By using your SDN account and directly replying to this thread
2. By using your SDN account to private message (PM) me . Your ROL will be posted anonymously
3. By using the anonymous Google Form created for this thread. No SDN or email account required.

Format:

• Please try and keep things as civil as possible, I really want this to be a resource for future applicants and for current applicants.
• Include a description of your thinking process/priorities you considered to create your rank order list (i.e., fellowship matches, community vs. academic, location, reputation, residents/faculty, work hours, etc.). This is tremendously important for future applicants as they are trying to determine which programs they are applying to
• List the programs you are ranking in their respective numerical order, providing a brief summary of cons/pros you considered for each

Other: I'll upload my list as soon as I'm finished finalizing it! Looking forward to a good, productive discussion on programs.

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[medstud1989]

Submitted Anonymously through Google Form:

Approximate Step Scores:
240s, 260s

Pediatrics Rotation Grades:
Honors

AOA Status:
AOA

Other parts of your application that made you competitive/not competitive?
My good looks, charisma, charm, and strong extracurriculars

Region of Country
Midwest

Main Considerations for Rank List
Best Training

1. Boston - BCRP
Pros: Great opportunities for the kind of research I want to do, great clinical training, great fellowship matches, Boston is a nice place to live
Cons: Very few, really only can pick on Boston, other cities would be more fun

2. Seattle
Pros: again, great opportunities for research, great fellowship matches, love the opportunity for some rotation opportunities in super underserved communities
Cons: Difficult to come up with, Seattle is an awesome place, but really just lacked the 'WOW' factor of Boston

3. Baylor
Pros: great clinical training, Houston is a diverse and fun city (as long as you live in the right area), lots of really cool research projects going on
Cons: Loved the program leadership but felt iffy on the residents

4. CHOP
Pros: definitely has the 'name brand' factor going on, lots of autonomy on the wards, also great research opportunities for me (I know I sound like a broken record)
Cons: facilities were a little smaller and less impressive than I was suspecting, didn't click with the residents or faculty

5. Cincinnati
Pros: Awesome new leadership, great to stay in the midwest, Cincinnati is really an up and coming as a city, great program reputation
Cons: don't feel like I click with the residents, sometimes it's good to get away from where you're at

6. Johns Hopkins
Pros: Really surprised by how much I like this one, awesome Peds EM training, really clicked with the faculty and residents
Cons: Baltimore has good and bad areas, but it's definitely not NYC

7. Children's National
Pros: great PD, loved my time with the residents, seems like you get the chance to care for some real Zebras
Cons: not a great fit for my S.O., not quite the research opportunities I'm looking for

8. Columbia
Pros: it's in NYC, great location, solid faculty, and seems like you get to see lots of interesting cases and pathology
Cons: Not the same research opportunities for me as other places, really wanted to like this program more than I did

9. Nationwide
Pros: seems like really good clinical training, loved the PD and the residents, some of the nicest facilities I've seen this far
Cons: Columbus, Ohio. Blech.

10. UT Southwestern
Pros: low cost of living and high quality of life in Dallas (as long as you're into going out and dining out), really liked everyone here, liked the facilities
Cons: lacks the academic pedigree of other places

11. UVA
Pros: living in Virginia would be really nice, good case mix, lots of autonomy
Cons: again, nothing wrong with this program but I feel like it lacks the pedigree of some of my higher ranks

Edited to add Cincinnati as 5 (my mistake when typing it in)

 

[medstud1989]

Submitted Anonymously through Google Form: (NOTE: whoever submitted this if you want to message me/submit this again through the Google form with some pros/cons of a couple of your programs I'm happy to post it anonymously, if not, no worries, thanks!)

Approximate Step Scores
260s, 270s

Pediatrics Rotation Grades
honors

AOA Status
Not AOA

Other parts of your application that made you competitive/not competitive?
1 publication, community service

Main Considerations for Rank List
Stratified by reputation into broad categories, further ordered by how happy I will be at each program

1. BCRP

2. Texas Childrens

3. Seattle

4. Stanford

5. Cinci

6. JHU

7. UCSF

8. Northwestern

9. Columbia

10. Vanderbilt

11. WashU

12. UTSW

13. Michigan

 

[medstud1989]

Submitted Anonymously through Google Form:

Approximate Step Scores
230s, 240s

Pediatrics Rotation Grades
Honors

AOA Status
Not AOA

Other parts of your application that made you competitive/not competitive?
Leadership positions, 1 abstract/1 publication

Region of Country
Northeast

Main Considerations for Rank List
Stratified "fit" vs training quality/prestige. I will describe my top 3, everything after that was purely by fit

1. Children's National - loved the PD and the program leadership in general, clicked well with the residents, DC seems like an awesome place to live; no real cons

2. MUSC - Charleston, SC, enough said. But really, the PD seemed to have a great direction and they have good placement for fellowship; not as much of an academic powerhouse

3. Baylor - by far the most prestigious place I was offered an interview; Houston seems like a dump, residents seemed cliquey even by peds standards

4. UMass

5. Vermont

6. UConn

7. Cornell

8. Montefiore

9. U Maryland

10. UNC

 

[medstud1989]

Submitted Anonymously through Google Form:

Approximate Step Scores
250s, 260s

Pediatrics Rotation Grades
Honors

AOA Status
AOA

Other parts of your application that made you competitive/not competitive?
Research, MPH, Volunteering

Region of Country
California

Main Considerations for Rank List
Want to be at a large academic center with a large research base (prestige) and get along with my fellow co-residents (fit is incredibly important to me)

1. CHOP: seemed to me to be the most forward thinking and progressive in terms of curriculum and setting people up for a great career, awesome residents and resident happy hour, loved the PD; Philadelphia could grow on me

2. UCLA: I was surprised by how much I LOVED UCLA. LA seems like a great place to live and they are top notch in my main field of interest; LA is also very expensive and in some ways UCLA seems to be little brother to CHLA

3. Stanford: again, great program, great research, great location

4. UCSF: great at everything, nice community feel; San Fran seems like a bit of a hassle and the residents seem spread out

5. Texas Children's: very surprised at how much I a) liked the city of Houston and b) how big the Texas medical center is. Incredible research; Houston is hotter and more humid than California

6. Seattle: very good program, laid back feel, residents seemed close-knit; not as strong in my area of interest, I think I need more sun

7. LA Childrens: great training in LA; UCLA seems like a more "academic" place

8. Columbia: very good in one of my areas of interest as well (per doximity FWIW); NYC $$$$$$$

9. Northwestern: great vibes from the program and residents; Chicago's pediatric care seems too segmented

Edited to improve formatting

 

[medstud1989]

Approximate Step Scores
250s, 270s

Pediatrics Rotation Grades
Honors

AOA Status
AOA

Other parts of your application that made you competitive/not competitive?
Research, community service

Region of Country
South

Main Considerations for Rank List
Location, gut feeling, general "vibe", children's hospital, opportunities for research, strength of and emphasis on general peds, commitment to community/catchment area

1. Pitt Pros: loved the people, big research institution with a few unique opportunities, affordable and manageable city Cons: It's cold there and I'm scared about driving in ice, it's basically in the Midwest

2/3. This is program 2/3 Seattle Pros: WWAMI sounds awesome, residents seemed smart and capable, Seattle seemed like a neat place Cons: Weird weather, it's really far away

2/3. Baylor Pros: Huge children's hospital, well-funded international electives, diverse population, "resident response team" on call to help with wellness issues Cons: Don't know how I feel about Houston, seems fellow-heavy, no longer at Ben Taub but working to get a more "community" site, wasn't super impressed on rounds

4. Colorado Pros: split time between Children's and Denver health, neat 3 month block during 3rd year that can be very individualized, good EBM conference and project Cons: The places I would probably want to live are a minimum 20 minute drive from the hospital, I am not an outdoorsy person

5/6. This is program 5/6 CHOP Pros: See everything, I actually really like Philadelphia, fellows & attendings & the non-stressed residents seem great Cons: Residents seem more like information gatherers for the fellows than managers, seem stressed, I don't want to walk 20 minutes to work

5/6. UTSW Pros: PD is intimidating but seems passionate about helping residents do what they want to do, really big hospital, residents were really fun Cons: Not sure about dallas, seems like less name recognition compared to others on this list

7. Cincinnati Pros: huge hospital, also the "community hospital" for Cinci, do have a community site you can do electives at. Supportive and friendly program leadership, friendly residents Cons: city of Cincinnati, not super diverse, everyone I met seemed to be in a different stage of life than me (I do not want to buy a house), fellow-heavy

8. Home program Pros: Such a nice group of people, PD is awesome, love the commitment to the state/public vibe, community sites with great experiences Cons: Small home "children's hospital", area is a little boring, not the most diverse group of people

9/10. This is program 9/10 Montefiore or Northwestern

11. Hopkins

12. BCRP - Not a fan. Boston is expensive. Their pre-interview communication was weird and borderline unprofessional. Felt like they were trying too hard to prove they were fun. Other things I will refrain from posting that were very inconsiderate but would identify me.

13. St. Louis Children's- The only reason this is ranked lower than Boston is I don't want to live in St. Louis.

14. MGH

15. Yale - It's just way too hard to get home

 

[medstud1989]

Approximate Step Scores
220s; 240s

Pediatrics Rotation Grades
High Pass 3rd Year, Honors - Sub I

AOA Status
Not AOA

Other parts of your application that made you competitive/not competitive?
Global health, leadership, 1 abstract

Region of Country
Mid South

Main Considerations for Rank List
couples matching (IM) caveat - 1) fit 2) fellowship opportunities

Program 1
Vanderbilt - Probably the best program I got an interview at, good vibes from the residents; attitude of faculty? but really no cons in my mind

Program 2
UAB - Busiest and best exposure I came across, Birmingham was surprisingly awesome, great residents; residents seem to work especially long hours (not really a con, but lifestyle is important)

Program 3
UVA - great residents and program leadership, unique interview day; size of the program could go either way

Program 4
MUSC - doesn't get much better than Charleston, SC, fun residents, good fellowships; only con was partner didn't enjoy MUSC as much as other programs

Program 5
Wake Forest - pretty part of Carolina, good diversity; lack of exposure in some ways

Program 6
Memphis - seemed very busy and the residents seem to run the show

Program 7
EVMS - seemed to be a balanced program run by the residents

Program 8
UNC - nice to be the children's hospital in town (didn't interview at Duke)

Program 9
Louisville - good resident autonomy

Program 10
Tulane - New Orleans is a fun city, good global health

Program 11
Emory - unfortunately partner didn't get an interview in Atlanta, was otherwise incredibly impressed with Emory and the program leadership

Program 12
Miami - had a mixed impression of Miami I really liked it and residents seem to learn a lot by doing, not a great focus on academics and partner did not like UM

Program 13
Arkansas - I also really enjoyed the program, PD was awesome and so were the residents; another not great location for my partner

 

[medstud1989]

Approximate Step Scores
240s, 250s

Pediatrics Rotation Grades
Honors

AOA Status
Not AOA

Other parts of your application that made you competitive/not competitive?
Community service, Publications

Region of Country
South

Main Considerations for Rank List
Big competitive program with opportunities for subspec exposure

Program 1
Colorado- Did an away and loved the residents and the hospital, great training with sub spec and general peds, I'm outdoorsy, I have family out there

Program 2
Cincinnati-LOVED the program director and they are very involved in their community. The residents were great as well. Not the most thrilled about the city

Program 3
Johns Hopkins-I was surprised how much I loved them. They are very involved in research and education. Would help me get a great fellowship. Don't love Baltimore

Program 4
Baylor-Huge Hospital with a ton of opportunities. Loved the Peds Director and enjoyed the residents. I do agree that they were a little clique-y. Not thrilled about Houston

Program 5
Seattle-Great city, great hospital. I was hoping this would be my number one but they were very underwhelming. The residents were constantly working through their didactics and seemed a little overworked. WWAMI was cool though!

Program 6
Stanford-Liked the residents and the area but super expensive.

Program 7
Children's National-Not thrilled about this program, but I think I would get good training and DC would be great to live in. Because they are unionized they have a lot of great benefits. You could tell the residents were a little overworked.

Program 8
UAB-I was pleasantly surprised by UAB. Loved the residents and the leadership. Huge hospital in a great city. A little too close to home and I think I would have a better chance of matching into fellowship if I went elsewhere

Program 9
UNC-LOVED the residents. (See UAB)

Program 10
Duke-Not a free standing childrens hospital

Program 11
MUSC-LOVE Charleston. I wasn't thrilled about the residents or the facilities

Program 12
Emory-Did not like it. But I'd rather go there than not match. Rude interviewer

 

[medstud1989]

Approximate Step Scores
High 230s, high 240s

Pediatrics Rotation Grades
Pass in clerkship

AOA Status
Not AOA

Other parts of your application that made you competitive/not competitive?
Not sure if any of this made me competitive, but I have some research (with a few minor pubs, one peds related), a lot of volunteering, some teaching experience. Came up a lot in interviews.

Region of Country
East Coast

Main Considerations for Rank List
I'm couple's matching so his opinion mattered a lot. Also, ended up liking mid-sized programs a lot more than big academic centers as I think I'll thrive a lot better without a lot of fellows.

Program 1

Orlando Health Pros: Disney World! Seriously though, my family goes to Disney a lot and I love it there so that was a big plus. Florida weather would be so nice. Boyfriend also loved their program. The PD seemed great. Perfect size. Residents were really nice and said program was "chill". Minimal fellows. Very fun AM report! Cons: Paper charts in the ED. Unknown EMRs. Huge, busy nursery. Was told NICU wasn't really run by residents.

Program 2

St. Louis University Pros: LOVED this program! Definitely my #1, but a little lower on my SOs list. I love the way their curriculum is set up. Their ED, PICU, and NICU are the perfect size. They use EPIC. They are my perfect size program with minimal fellows. The PD and APDs were very nice and seemed super enthusiastic. St. Louis seems like a very cool city. Cons: No family in St. Louis. I didn't get to attend the dinner the night before and there were only a few residents at lunch so I didn't get to meet too many.

Program 3

Emory University Pros: Amazing reputation with great facilities. Good exposure to community peds as well as academic. PD and Chair left a lasting impression. Residents were great. Atlanta has a lot to do with great weather. Cons: Would have been a bit lower on my personal list, big very high on my SOs list. Big academic center with lots of fellows. Lots of traveling to different areas of Atlanta (traffic!).

Program 4

VCU Pros: Richmond is a very cool city with low COL. Nice sized program. Residents were really cool. Very nice, new outpatient building. Had really good interviewers here. Cons: Would have also been a little lower on my list, but very high on SOs list. PD wasn't my favorite here. Not a stand alone children's hospital. Peds ED is pretty small.

Program 5

Akron Children's Pros: Bigger program, but without many fellows. Close to some family and friends for me. Got a really good, supportive vibe from the residents and chiefs here. Beautiful new pavilion with ED and NICU. Very fun AM report. Cons: Didn't get to spend much time with the PD. Lots of DOs, not a bad thing, just question the reputation and why MDs are passing on this awesome program.

Program 6

WashU Pros: Loved the PD here! The residents were equally as awesome too! Building a big, new tower to an already huge facility. St. Louis seems very cool. Cons: Big academic center with lots of fellows. No family/friends in St. Louis. From what I can remember, they work pretty late on wards (like 8 or 9) and that's a bit of a turn off.

Program 7

Greenville Pros: Greenville is the cutest town! Great weather. Residents seem very supported here. Cons: Not a standalone children's hospital. No family/friends nearby. More of a community feel than academic.

Program 8

UPMC Pros: Without a doubt the best children's hospital I've seen. I know a lot of people around Pittsburgh. Great reputation. Cons: Big academic center with lots of fellows. Felt like interviewers were trying to trip me up purposely. Didn't really feel like my personality completely gelled with the residents and PDs/APDs there. Have to travel for continuity clinic. Work pretty late on wards and do 7 months.

Program 9

Rainbow Babies: Pros: Great facilities and reputation. One of my favorite resident dinners. Near to some friends/family. Cons: SO didn't get interview in Cleveland so we'd have love between Cleveland and Akron (ie: suburbia). Big academic center with many fellows. Shockingly small peds ED for how big a center they are. Have to travel to new outpatient building. No community hospital experience. Cleveland.

Program 10

Stony Brook Pros: Also one of my favorite resident dinners, very nice people. Brand new building with some peds floors being built. Close to NYC! Cons: Not a stand alone children's hospital. More of a community feel than academic to me. Was a bit difficult to get to (plane to NYC, then train, then wait for over 30 minutes for an Uber). No family/friends here.

Program 11

Wright State Pros: Would have been higher on my list, but a bit lower on my SOs list. Great program size. Air Force Base is interesting and unique. Building brand new tower. Great interactions with PD/APDs and interviewers here. Cons: Fewer spots for civilian matches. Dayton is kind of lame. Didn't completely hit it off with the residents at dinner.

Program 12

Geisinger Pros: Nice PD and residents. Good global health program, which is completely paid for. Very low COL in the area. Cons: Absolute middle of nowhere. It's technically a stand alone tower, but very small. Many residents seemed to have families (not a bad thing, just not where I'm at in my life haha). No peds ED.

Program 13

WVU Pros: Very nice residents and faculty. Building a brand new tower with a peds floor. Good sized PICU. Cons: Very small program (only 6 residents). Don't have all subspecialties represented. Not a stand alone children's hospital. Not much going on in Morgantown. No peds ED.

Program 14

St. Christopher's Pros: This would have been WAY higher on my list, but fell a lot because SOs program. Big program, but with few fellows. Facilities are a little old, but brand new intensive care building and outpatient center. Lots of advocacy opportunities. Great residents. Very fun AM report. Cons: In a dangerous area of Philly. Have to commute from Center City or nearby. High COL.

Program 15

Cornell University Pros: Good reputation with good size program. Community opportunity in Queens. NYC. Cons: Pretty small and not stand alone. Didn't gel with the residents well. Very high COL.

 

[medstud1989]

Approximate Step Scores
High 220s, low 260s

Pediatrics Rotation Grades
Pass

AOA Status
Not AOA

Other parts of your application that made you competitive/not competitive?
Global health work, a little bit of research, some volunteer work

Region of Country
Southeast

Main Considerations for Rank List
Fellowship opportunities, cultural diversity of the city

Program 1
Baylor--Amazing chair, great global health projects, lots of opportunities in research and teaching; the residents were hit or miss

Program 2
UCLA--residents seem chill, culture is laid back, residents on first name basis with faculty; high cost of living, not excited to drive in LA traffic to 4 different hospitals

Program 3
UTSW--great fellowship and research opportunities; I had not the best interview day but lots of residents and staff at my medical school spoke highly of this program and told me my experience was pretty atypical

Program 4
UT Houston--residents were very laid back and happy

Program 5
CHOC--residents were great, loved the PD and both hospital facilities, high volume of patients makes it great for general peds training; the main reason this is not higher on my list is that I like #2-5 exactly the same and according to an advisor, it may not make me as competitive for fellowship as the above programs

Program 6
MUSC--love the residents and faculty; love the city of Charleston and seafood; major drawback was the lack of diversity in Charleston

Program 7
UT Austin--PD was hilarious and laid back

Program 8
Wake Forest--residents and faculty are very easygoing

Program 9
UF Gainesville--Residents and faculty were great; board pass rate was 72%, which is why it dropped from #7 to #9

Program 10
VCU--the PD here was the only one I didn't absolutely love; I wasn't particularly impressed by Richmond

Program 11
East Carolina/Vidant--Residents, faculty, and PD were really nice and I liked the program a lot; very low cost of living; unfortunately, Greenville is not an exciting city

 

[medstud1989]

Approximate Step Scores
High 230s, High 250s

Pediatrics Rotation Grades
P

AOA Status
Not AOA

Region of Country
Mid-atlantic

Main Considerations for Rank List
Location

Program 1
INOVA Fairfax - Had a great day here. Beautiful hospital and facilities. It's where I want to live and practice (Close to family). Mid-size program. Access to big city but able to to live in the burbs. Downside: High COL, not standalone facility

Program 2
UMD - Another good day. Robust academic program. Not too far from family and still in the same region. Baltimore's cheaper than other cities, but has plenty of culture. Downside: Not the nicest neighborhood in general. Facilities aren't particular new.

Program 3
VCU - Academic program. Richmond has changed quite a lot from when I visited as a kid. Seems like a nice town and relatively cheap to live. Also has two week rotation schedule that may cut down on the burnout. Downside: facilities were not particular nice.

Program 4
Hershey Penn State - Great program. Really got good vibes. Beautiful facility (not standalone). Low COL, but Hershey ain't exactly the big city. Downside: small town. Farther from family. Kinda sick of pennsylvania.

Program 5
EVMS - I'm pretty familiar with the area, so I wouldn't mind going back there. It's a larger, standalone facility. Had a good day there, everyone was real friendly (it's part of the area, folks are just nice there). Downsides: far from family. I will kinda miss having a real winter, plus far from the mountains for snowboarding.

Program 6
Dupont - Beautiful hospital. New facilities. Seems like a nice friendly program. Downsides: don't want to live in wilmington or philly

Program 7
St. Chris - Same comments as in previous posts. Great program, just don't want to live in Philly

Program 8
Sinai Baltimore - Small program, but it's in the region I want to end up. Had a good day there. Everyone was very nice.

Program 9
ECU - Decent program. Farther from family. Had a not great interview day.

Program 10
VT Carillon - Tiny program. Roanoke looks like a decent town, but the program still is not where it should be. Everyone was very friendly, though.

 

[pedssped]

Anyone from the 2018 cycle willing to chime in here? Or perhaps make a new thread?

- Future 2019 applicant