PM&R Interview Etiquette?

[bug88]

I'm asking particularly for the field of PM&R - I know expectations differ for different fields. I was wondering if handwritten thank you notes are expected/welcomed? Or emails? Also, do you send one to the residency coordinator, or each person that interviewed you?

I don't want to clutter up mailboxes, but figured I'd do this at least for the programs that I really enjoyed interviewing at. Thoughts?

Thanks so much in advance!

 

[Iamnotme]

I'm asking particularly for the field of PM&R - I know expectations differ for different fields. I was wondering if handwritten thank you notes are expected/welcomed? Or emails? Also, do you send one to the residency coordinator, or each person that interviewed you?

I don't want to clutter up mailboxes, but figured I'd do this at least for the programs that I really enjoyed interviewing at. Thoughts?

Thanks so much in advance!

I honestly don't think that after interview notes do much of anything. This question is asked just about every year! 🙂

But if you are going to do it, I would say send emails to the PD and faculty you bonded with. I think hand written notes are a waste imo, since they can be lost, never received, never read, ignored, etc. Emails are a sure thing and may get responded to.

And not to hijack your thread here, but how many interviews do people plan on going?

Is 20 too many? I am getting a bit frustrated because I have yet to hear from a TON! of programs that have not made decisions on my application. There are some programs that I really wanted to get an invite from, but have not. I don't know if to keep hope for those programs. The largest # of apps I have heard about is one of the Tx programs with like 480 applications, other than that it's in the 200 something to 400's. But aren't there about 400+ spots in PMR?

That seems that the # of people interviewing is close to the # of spots.

Anyways - how many interviews should be good to have a high likelihood of matching?

 

[Eilat87]

I think I'm going for 10 interviews, maybe 12.

You only need to rank like 10-15 to get matched somewhere, as per that NRMP chart.

 

[Punkn]

I sent hand written thank you's to all my interviewers and the PC for my top 3 (email thanks to the rest, if they provided an email address). Not sure it made it difference in ranking, but I think it's a nice gesture to thank those who put time and effort into your interview days. Being on the other side of the fence now, it is a TON of work for each day.

 

[RangerBob]

I agree--send thank you notes to all your interviewers, and especially the PC--they really put in a ton of work. I usually sent an e-mail thank-you to any residents that really put in a lot of effort for the day and that I connected with (and that offered their e-mail addresses). I don't think that made any difference, in fact most people will say thank you notes to your interviewers don't make any difference either, but it's definitely professional courtesy.

I started with mostly hand-written notes--they're definitely much more personal. The downside to them is that the person receiving them can't respond and say something encouraging like "we think you'd be a great fit here," but they probably respond that way to most people anyway... I did get a number that sent me back positive and personalized responses, but that was usually at a program I rotated at or where I think I interviewed particularly well.

Still, many (maybe most?) won't even e-mail you back. Eventually when interview season really picked up (and for every prelim interview) I started sending mostly e-mail thank you notes--I think one big advantage of the e-mail thank you is you can write it when you get back to your hotel and the interviewer will get it and likely still remember you. If you wait a day or two to write you notes, it could then take a week or so to get to them. (So if you go the handwritten route, it's best to write them and mail them before you leave the city--mail is usually delivered next-day within the same city)

 

[RangerBob]

I think I'm going for 10 interviews, maybe 12.

You only need to rank like 10-15 to get matched somewhere, as per that NRMP chart.

From the 2011 statistics, the average person who matched ranked 11 programs, but once you rank 8 you're already at about 95% change of matching. Almost 100% when you rank 15.

Personally, my goal was to interview at 10 programs and rank at least 8. I ended up going on 13, which I think was overkill. Particularly for me because I had a home program that I liked and I think ended up ranking around #5-7, which meant all the programs I ranked after that pretty much didn't matter (since my program liked me). I also matched well, so hindsight is 20/20 I suppose. Could've saved a lot of travel money...

But you never know for sure how you're going to match. And I think if you have an interest in a program, and you have the time/money, it's worth checking out more programs just to see what else is out there--you never know when a program will really surprise you.

Either way, if you're nervous about matching (like I was), I'd aim for a higher number of programs. I personally think 15 interviews is a very high number, but maybe it's just me. I do know some people that interviewed at more than 15. If you're a really competitive applicant and confident, then you should be able to get away with less.

 

[Iamnotme]

From the 2011 statistics, the average person who matched ranked 11 programs, but once you rank 8 you're already at about 95% change of matching. Almost 100% when you rank 15.

Personally, my goal was to interview at 10 programs and rank at least 8. I ended up going on 13, which I think was overkill. Particularly for me because I had a home program that I liked and I think ended up ranking around #5-7, which meant all the programs I ranked after that pretty much didn't matter (since my program liked me). I also matched well, so hindsight is 20/20 I suppose. Could've saved a lot of travel money...

But you never know for sure how you're going to match. And I think if you have an interest in a program, and you have the time/money, it's worth checking out more programs just to see what else is out there--you never know when a program will really surprise you.

Either way, if you're nervous about matching (like I was), I'd aim for a higher number of programs. I personally think 15 interviews is a very high number, but maybe it's just me. I do know some people that interviewed at more than 15. If you're a really competitive applicant and confident, then you should be able to get away with less.

Well I think/thought I was a competitive applicant and have about 12 interviews now, but I have gotten a couple of rejections that I found surprising. I"m not saying that all programs should invite me, but I got a rejection from Marianjoy, and Hofstra, which seems odd to me. Neither are ranked particularly high so not sure what their deal is. When I get rejections like that, I wonder - what's the deal? What exactly is the problem with my app?

So now I"m kind of worried and thinking that I should go on more if they come.

 

[RangerBob]

Well I think/thought I was a competitive applicant and have about 12 interviews now, but I have gotten a couple of rejections that I found surprising. I"m not saying that all programs should invite me, but I got a rejection from Marianjoy, and Hofstra, which seems odd to me. Neither are ranked particularly high so not sure what their deal is. When I get rejections like that, I wonder - what's the deal? What exactly is the problem with my app?

So now I"m kind of worried and thinking that I should go on more if they come.

I actually thought Marianjoy had a good program--it wasn't for me, but I think the program is more solid than people make it out to be. Among other programs I interviewed at, I felt the same about U Wisconsin and UMN--programs that people sometimes say are lower-tier, but I felt were all mid-tier relative to the other programs I interviewed at, which were primarily at mid-tier programs and one or two upper tier.

Still, one thing to keep in mind is programs are unlikely to interview applicants they think are unlikely to rank them/rank them reasonably well. If you're RIC/May/Kessler material, lower-tier programs may be less likely to interview you--because the odds are you'll rank them low on your rank list (if you rank them at all) and match somewhere else, so it'd be a waste of their time and effort. Most programs need to rank about 10 applicants per position to fill (smaller ratio with more competitive programs), so you can see how they wouldn't want to waste effort on someone they think is either not interested in them or only applying to them as a backup.

 

[bug88]

This forum has been such an awesome resource. Thanks so much for your answers, you guys! I'll be sure to send my thank yous 🙂

Good luck this season, and maybe I'll see some of y'all on the trail!

 

[Eilat87]

Well I think/thought I was a competitive applicant and have about 12 interviews now, but I have gotten a couple of rejections that I found surprising. I"m not saying that all programs should invite me, but I got a rejection from Marianjoy, and Hofstra, which seems odd to me. Neither are ranked particularly high so not sure what their deal is. When I get rejections like that, I wonder - what's the deal? What exactly is the problem with my app?

So now I"m kind of worried and thinking that I should go on more if they come.

And you're worried? Really dude?

 

[Prof Moriarty]

I have gotten a couple of rejections that I found surprising. I"m not saying that all programs should invite me,

But they probably should!

but I got a rejection from Marianjoy, and Hofstra, which seems odd to me.

Because I'm the best!!

Neither are ranked particularly high so not sure what their deal is. When I get rejections like that, I wonder - what's the deal?

They definitely have a problem! It couldn't be anything about me!

==

I don't know why I'm going to bother telling you this, but here goes anyway. To be blunt, your attitude of entitlement sucks. You've been on here before with your (now banned) other screen name bashing programs that don't have big names when you obviously have no idea about them, and of course only after they have turned you down. You scoff at their name and act incredulous that they're not rolling out the red carpet for you. Maybe you just act this way on anonymous forums, but it's possible that your attitude/personality shows in your application. Hopefully you are competitive in other ways because it's not a winning quality.

I don't know that much about either Hofstra or Marianjoy but what I have heard has been mostly positive. I know one resident from Marianjoy just scored a fellowship at Cleveland Clinic.

You can be a smart, competitive candidate with good scores and still develop a rewarding personality. This is something that all med students/residents should fight to achieve/maintain.

Put yourself in the position of the admissions team. You've got 2 good candidates in front of you. One has great scores and is transferring from a competitive specialty but appears to have an attitude of entitlement and a big ego (in a bad way); the other has reasonably good scores, has been showing interest in PM&R for a while, and is a team player who is easy to be around. Which one will they choose?

If you actually know something bad about any of these places, by all means share it. But it sounds more like your bruised ego is lashing out. Again.

 

[axm397]

I did hand written notes which i found out later - they did file in my applicant file and when it came time to review, they were able to see that I did that.

i even got a few notes back from some of the interviewers expressing interest in me. it can't hurt. it's probably not going to make or break your case but may make that little bit of difference (move up a slot or two on the rank list) to show interest and put in the time and effort to do so.

 

[dmcchung827]

IMPORTANT TIPS FROM PM&R PROGRAM DIRECTORS:
PRE-INTERVIEW:
1.If you haven’t heard from a program of interest during the early interview season, it is likely your file is still under consideration or yet to be reviewed. Avoid lengthy emails and large attachments to program directors to explain weaknesses that you think may be hindering invitation to interview. Weaknesses can be addressed by letter writers (along with ways you tried to improve), personal statements, and at interviews. Don’t short-change yourself beforehand. If after an initial grace period you want to check on your application status with sincere interest, a brief and polite email inquiry to the Program Coordinator can be considered.
2.Check each program’s requirements prior to applying. Some programs may require certain letters of recommendations (ie.Chair or Dean’s Letter)prior to interview invitation
3.
It is okay to contact program coordinators to ensure that your file is complete.
Make the inquiries yourself. Do not ask your parents, significant others to call on your behalf.
4.
Realize that some programs do have numeric cut-offs to grant interviews. Some also perform cursory screens for red flags such as Match Violations or unaccounted failures of courses or board exams.
5.
Realize that the field of PM&R is a team-centered field and program directors continually look for well-rounded applicants with exemplary inter-personal and leadership skills. Showcase these valuable assets through your personal statement, letters of recommendations, and extracurricular activities.
POST-INTERVIEW TIPS:
1.
Send a nice thank you card or brief email to interviewers highlighting your overall experience
and positive impressions of the program.
2.
Avoid excessive emails and phone calls inquiring about post-interview status. Also keep an objective mind when you
receive post-interview emails or letters from programs. Some are meant as courtesy correspondences while others may be genuine interests on behalf of program directors. Go with your gut instinct from your overall interview
experience. Do not misinterpret a positive comment in a letter or email to mean guaranteed top ranking.
3.
List pros/cons of each program.
Prioritize elements that you can and cannot
live without. Remember you will be with the program
for at least 3 of your 4 years in training.
4.
If time permits, and you are highly interested in a
program, suggest scheduling a second look visit to
Finalize your decision. However, many programs do
not accommodate or offer this option.