I know that it is recommended to do 2-3 aways. However, how many should I apply to? Is it bad form to apply to more than 3 and then drop out if you get accepted to do more than 3? How does this work? Thanks!
Question about aways
- Thread starter metview
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Apply to as many as you think you will need to get one that you want to do. Don't be surprised if schools have no room or reject you. I probably applied to 3 different schools for each rotation that I did. If there is a school you really want to do a rotation at, apply for multiple different months and pick the one you want the most or settle for the one you get. There were a few schools I applied for 3-4 different time slots and was rejected for all of them. Get your insurance stuff, immunizations and application things together ASAP and hit submit as soon as VSAS lets you. Some schools are more competitive than others.
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Finer points about scheduling aways:
- Check VSAS for which schools are offering positions through this central system. This is the most convenient way to apply, but not every program goes through VSAS. Get started early (nowish?) on having your stuff together for places that don't use VSAS. Other places have a rolling admissions-type system. Go ahead and get in touch with them if that's where you're interested in going.
- I would 2nd Metallica's point on getting your immunization and various paperwork in order early, even VSAS schools have different requirements.
- The downside to applying to 3 schools/ rotation is that some schools will accept you for a position weeks before others let you know one way or the other. On VSAS, there is usually a section that says when a school starts accepting apps and when they let people know. I ended up applying probably close to that 2-3/ rotation, but just ended up going with ones that got back to me first. They offer you a spot and usually say you have something like 7 days to accept/decline. That 7 days may be before another school even starts looking at apps.
- What looks bad: accepting an away rotation and then backing out of it. Especially closer to the start date.
- What doesn't look bad: applying to several, getting offers, and then declining an acceptance. Again, the heterogeneous timing of when schools look at applications makes this a challenge sometimes. However, I interviewed this cycle at a place to which I applied for an away and had to decline the away offer. They never mentioned it at the interview, so at least in that n=1 case, my name didn't go onto a blacklist or anything.
- Otherwise the standard advice applies.
Do:
- Aways after you do your home month (if applicable).
- A place you really want to go to/impress later in the sequence. Week 12 of your RadOnc aways is significantly more impressive than week 1.
- Branch out geographically if you can.
- Consider places you can crash at a friend's for a month instead of paying ungodly rent.
Don't
- Get bent out of shape if you are one of the 95 rotators at MDACC and don't get an interview.
- Underestimate that this is a month long interview. You pretty much have to be "on" for a month, which can be great for some applicants and not so great for others. It also goes both ways, so keep your eyes open for that month because you will get insight into the program that you will never get from 1 interview day.
- Check VSAS for which schools are offering positions through this central system. This is the most convenient way to apply, but not every program goes through VSAS. Get started early (nowish?) on having your stuff together for places that don't use VSAS. Other places have a rolling admissions-type system. Go ahead and get in touch with them if that's where you're interested in going.
- I would 2nd Metallica's point on getting your immunization and various paperwork in order early, even VSAS schools have different requirements.
- The downside to applying to 3 schools/ rotation is that some schools will accept you for a position weeks before others let you know one way or the other. On VSAS, there is usually a section that says when a school starts accepting apps and when they let people know. I ended up applying probably close to that 2-3/ rotation, but just ended up going with ones that got back to me first. They offer you a spot and usually say you have something like 7 days to accept/decline. That 7 days may be before another school even starts looking at apps.
- What looks bad: accepting an away rotation and then backing out of it. Especially closer to the start date.
- What doesn't look bad: applying to several, getting offers, and then declining an acceptance. Again, the heterogeneous timing of when schools look at applications makes this a challenge sometimes. However, I interviewed this cycle at a place to which I applied for an away and had to decline the away offer. They never mentioned it at the interview, so at least in that n=1 case, my name didn't go onto a blacklist or anything.
- Otherwise the standard advice applies.
Do:
- Aways after you do your home month (if applicable).
- A place you really want to go to/impress later in the sequence. Week 12 of your RadOnc aways is significantly more impressive than week 1.
- Branch out geographically if you can.
- Consider places you can crash at a friend's for a month instead of paying ungodly rent.
Don't
- Get bent out of shape if you are one of the 95 rotators at MDACC and don't get an interview.
- Underestimate that this is a month long interview. You pretty much have to be "on" for a month, which can be great for some applicants and not so great for others. It also goes both ways, so keep your eyes open for that month because you will get insight into the program that you will never get from 1 interview day.
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Excellent advice above. Applying to multiple aways is fine. Accepting an away invite and then backing out without significant (like 1 - 2 months) notice is likely mean.
However, most of the time, the residency PD doesn't have routine interactions with the medical students, and may not even know that you screwed them over on an away when he's reviewing your application.
However, most of the time, the residency PD doesn't have routine interactions with the medical students, and may not even know that you screwed them over on an away when he's reviewing your application.
