R Apps Up This Year

i've heard the same thing...and it seems that some very well qualified people from my school are getting turned down by places that would have definitely interviewed them last year. Maybe the 80 hour work week phenomenon that made surgery more competitive is starting to affect medicine too?

 

My PD also mentioned this with regard to our school. Also, he said US apps for our program are up 20% so that might give you a general idea. I agree, it does suck that this had to happen this year - I took a year out and now I sort of regret that decision.

 

are apps really up, or are individuals applying to a larger number of programs than before?

 

I suspect that apps are up only because people are applying to more programs. It is so easy to click a few buttons and have your app sent to any program. A lot of school deans have been scaring students into appying to more and more programs.

It is hard to see how IM could be up by 20% because all other fields seem like they are getting their fair share of apps.

 

bingo.

 

If SDN is any indication of the real world, a lot of people are applying to a bazillion programs.

 

applications to internal medicine at my school and the ones in the region are actually down. However, the dean as a result has told us to apply to 10 to 20 more programs than usual, just so we have more options come match time....

honestly, I think this is wrong to assume that the number of applicants are up, but rather that most applications are applying to more programs. I have a friend who scored above 230 on both step 1 and step 2, and yet he applied ot 40 programs?

I was like why?! he was like why not...

I just hope program directors realize this, and rank most of the people on their lists...otherwise, there will be a LOT of open spots, come match time this March

 

I've heard the same thing also

 

So what happens to applicants with average to above-average scores? Are we just screwed?? I have 13 interviews, and I was comfortable about the Match, but this is starting to seem crazy!

 

Bix, I'm in the same boat. I also took a year off. I'd like to think it strengthened my app enough to offset the increase in competition this year, but the number of apps seems to have just skyrocketed. Too bad; I'll never know whether I would've gotten my most desired interviews had I applied last year. I got rejected from two places I was told I could certainly match at by my adviser.

 

If the applicants that I am meeting on the interview circuit are any indication, then medicine applicants seem to be applying to 15-20 programs each. That is probably a 50% higher number of programs applied to than usual for medicine.

What this means is that programs may end up going lower down on the rank list of applicants before the program fills. This might startle some program directors so in the next application cycle there might be a resultant increase in the number of interview invites sent by the programs.

Maybe someone can start a poll thread and we could get an admittedly biased but none the less interesting idea of how many places people applied regardless of whether an interview was received or not.

 

My program director and I came up with a list of about 14 schools with a target of 8-11 interviews (i.e. 3-4 "reach schools"); in the end I got 11 interview invites, attended all of them and will rank all of them.

 

I like the idea of a thread. For you guys, I am a Carib student. So, we typically apply to more programs to cover our butts. I applied to 30, got 13 interviews. Will most likely rank all. I haven't gone to all the interviews yet. The competition turned out to be alot tougher this year...

 

If you don't like the program when you interview, think long and hard about ranking them! If you match them, you are pretty much stuck with them. While scrambling is a real PITA, you may actually end up in a spot you love rather than at a place you hate.

 

I am close to completing all my interviews (1 left) and so far I have not hated any of them to the degree that I would never want to go there. I anticipate matching with my top 5 if not 3 choices. Before I met with my PD, I had about 20 in mind and sitting down with my program director helped me narrow down the choices before I dropped the money to apply.

 

I would have loved to sit down with a PD. Never had one. We dont' get those as Caribs. No advisors for me after the 2nd year. Trying to figure out the ERAS thing and the Match on my own was no fun. Guess I did okay. Anyway, if I run into a program that I totally hate, I won't rank. I would rather scramble then. So far, just talking over email and such everyone seems nice. Really wish I had all the interviews done instead of 9 to go!

 

Look on the bright side; I am getting gouged by airlines because my late November/December interviews overlap with the holidays so everything magically gets more expensive. My Jan interview is sooo much cheaper for the flight (about 1/2).

 

Okay, I'll stop complaining. You have a valid point.....

 

I guess moral of the story is that all program directors fill up they're ranking list and rank everyone or as many people as possible..

looks like there is going to be alot of open spots this year...sucks

 

You can look at preliminary stats for this year on the ERAS website...go to program staff...then statistics...and then on the right side, there's prelimary stats for this year

see website:
http://www.aamc.org/programs/eras/programs/statistics/prelim/residency_200511.xls

it looks like the numbers for categorical IM are pretty flat, but number of apps per applicant is slowly rising...

 

For US grads, yes, but the number of IMG applicants for categorical spots jumped by 1130 spots, or almost 15%. But this shouldn't really affect the programs that don't usually take IMGs, which are many of the top programs.

 

I don't quite understand how this all applies to categorical IM. I think I'm looking at the right tabs, but just to check ...

http://www.aamc.org/programs/eras/programs/statistics/prelim/residency_200512.xls
This link is for the TOTAL residency stats including the ERAS 2006 (our year) residency stats up to date for ALL specialties (i.e., surgery, medicine, etc.) (this is the XLS file thng).

http://www.aamc.org/programs/eras/programs/statistics/residency/im-c.htm
This link is for the stats for IM-categorical. However, they don't have ANY mention of stats for this year's IM application group, only up to ERAS 2005. We're in ERAS 2006.

I just want to know where everybody's looking because I have no clue where to find this information.

 

There are tabs at the bottom of the excel spreadsheet that will give you overall stats, stats for applicants, number of apps per applicant, number of apps per program. It'll tell you for stats with regards to USG and IMG for each specialty - including categorical IM, preliminary IM, etc....

Here is the link again: http://www.aamc.org/programs/eras/p...ency_200512.xls

Here's where you can find the information if the link above doesn't work
Go to the ERAS website: http://www.aamc.org/audienceeras.htm

click on "Program Staff"

Then click on "Statistics"

Lastly, on the right side of the page. There is a box that says "preliminary year to year data for ERAS 2006" Click on "residency" under December.

I hope this clarifies things.

 

Good link, thank you! Someone please answer this:why is everyone so concerned with the number of IMG's applying if the most competitive programs really don't take the IMG's anyway???? That earlier comment usually is true......

I never did understand the arguement against IMG's....

 

arguement agaist IMG's:

1) less subsidized by gov. than US grads
2) no standardization in medical education exists overseas for the most part, which introduces a large unknown for accepting IMG's. PD's don't like gambling or unknowns.
3) US grads are typically US citizens while IMGs frequently are not, so it is in national interest to take US grads first.
4) IMG's frequently do not have good clinical training in American health care system.
5) IMG's decrease recruiting for best US grads.
6) Visa sponsorship issues.

 

Okay, well, this arguement: I hear alot against IMG's from Carib schools

Almost all are US citz, they do clinicals at teaching hospitals in the US, board scores comparable or equal to AMGs, etc.

Your arguement I get. The latter I still don't understand. Oh well....

Thanks for the explanation.....