Program Director, Please Advise me

[Salma123]

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I am U.S graduate and my scores are 201/203 step1/step2, what would be a safe number of interviews for Internal Medicine Interviews?

 

[ShyRem]

Need more information. If you failed multiple classes and rotations and needed retakes, lots. If you have bad evaluations, LOTS and lots. If you're average otherwise, less than lots.

If you are a decent candidate applying to programs within your reach then going on 10-15 interviews is a solid bet. Unless you are a terrible interviewee. Then you might need more.

 

[Salma123]

I have no fails.. and some high pasees, couple of honors. I only got 6 ivs .. 10-15 is a lot not sure if i can get them

 

[Law2Doc]

I am U.S graduate and my scores are 201/203 step1/step2, what would be a safe number of interviews for Internal Medicine Interviews?

A reliance on statistics here is kind of silly. A great interviewee with a solid record may only need one interview to get himself ranked highly. A lousy interviewee or with lots of red flags could still not be safe with 150. There is no magic number, because this isn't a random process. It's not like rolling dice. There is skill involved in securing a position, and thus there isn't a "safe number" you can peg your success to. Now, you could ask at how many places folks typically interview, and that may be a more legitimate question because then you can say "well, that gives me a sense of what the average person thinks is enough" and so you can go above or below that number based on your own security/insecurities regarding your own interview skills. But even then you shouldn't confuse typical with safe.

 

[JustPlainBill]

A reliance on statistics here is kind of silly. A great interviewee with a solid record may only need one interview to get himself ranked highly. A lousy interviewee or with lots of red flags could still not be safe with 150. There is no magic number, because this isn't a random process. It's not like rolling dice. There is skill involved in securing a position, and thus there isn't a "safe number" you can peg your success to. Now, you could ask at how many places folks typically interview, and that may be a more legitimate question because then you can say "well, that gives me a sense of what the average person thinks is enough" and so you can go above or below that number based on your own security/insecurities regarding your own interview skills. But even then you shouldn't confuse typical with safe.

Or you could just say,"Screw it" and get the negatives on the program director of your residency of choice in a compromising position.

 

[Buzz Me]

I have no fails.. and some high pasees, couple of honors. I only got 6 ivs .. 10-15 is a lot not sure if i can get them

Are you planning on applying to more programs? Seems kind of late for that.

So if you only have 6 interviews, you're just going to have to make the most of them. If we told you that you needed at least 10 interviews to have a good chance at matching, would that change anything?

 

[OveractiveBrain]

People people people. What this guy is asking for is a little reassurance.

The magic number is eight interviews to almost gaurentee a match in IM.

The assumption is, of course, that with miserable board scores you applied to, and earned interviews from, comparably miserable programs. If your dad knows someone at Johns Hopkins, and your mom dated the Program Director at Wash U, and those are two of your interviews, thats not good. If you are not an excellent applicant, and you chose your programs accordingly, and you have 6 interviews, you are in a good spot. Last year, people who ranked 8 or more had almost a 100% match (its something like 3% didn't, probably because of the nepitism failures I alluded to above).

You aren't shooting for the stars, and you will probably succeed. Don't freak out. If you must freak out, go talk to your dean or your IM residency director for advice.

 

[Ludicolo]

To clarify, I believe the OP is inquiring about prelim IM interviews; considering he/she is also applying to PM&R, and considering he/she asked the same question earlier in the ERAS forum:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=10238867

In any case, I agree w/ Buzz Me. Make the most of what you got. But hang in there. Interviews may still be forthcoming.

 

[Buzz Me]

People people people. What this guy is asking for is a little reassurance.

We know.