Rank list anxiety

[scarface]

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First time poster, thanks to all who have contributed to this site. So here is my dilemna: from California-yay, and seriously considering moving to Chicago, but neither my wife nor I have lived outside of southern CA. The Chicago programs on my rank list so far include U of Chicago, UIC, Res and Cook. Although I like some programs more than others, I am concerned about the possible challenge of returning to CA after training at one of the less-known programs, namely Res. I have some southern CA programs to rank, but am unsure where they fall with respect to Res. I know that the practical thing to do is to rank the CA programs higher if I plan on working in the area post-training, but this is something I'm not yet committed to and am curious to live in a different location with the option to return later. Anyone have first hand experience with this similar issue or suggestions? Am I way off for thinking about the possible effects of a programs reputation?

 

[joaquin13]

I am in a similar situation and worry about this a lot. I am considering out of southern cali locations, namely Chicago, AZ, but would like to return to southern Cal to work. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[waterski232002]

Some questions you might want to consider.... Are there many SoCal attendings who trained in Chicago? How do the Cali programs view graduates from these midwest programs? Do they take preference to home trained applicants?

Also... why would you want to leave So Cal anyway????

 

[scarface]

Why would I want to move out of Southern CA? Well fortunately for me, I've lived here my entire life and have had the chance to do everything here. Unlike most people who moved out of their hometowns for college or med school, I haven't had that experience. Although I enjoy the city life in southern cal, I'm interested in trying a new place like Chicago. I have visited the city a couple times and the longest stay was only one week. Some reasons why I am considering leaving southern cal include the opportunity to buy a small house, for personal growth and the chance for new exciting experiences. I'm interested in one day being a certain age when I could look back and say that I have lived in different places, similar to my interest for travel (my goal is to live in all the places that rappers put on the map ). I could stay in Cali and be comfortable since I know where everything is, how traffic flows, places to stay away from, etc, but that would be boring in my view. However, I know that southern cal is a tough market to break into, and I worry about making it worse for myself if I later choose to return. I'm okay with the idea that I may have to work a little harder to come back, like doing an away elective, but I don't know if there is something else that I'm not paying attention to.
Appreciate any comments.

 

[roja]

I'm in a little bit of a different boat, however, I tend to think that its a good idea to get away from where you train and get a diffent look on things. I also wanted to get out of my home state for a while, even though I intend to go back.

The market isn't generally that tight, however, the institution I want to work at is. I have offset the fact that I am in a different state by keeping in close contact with people there.

I think that not being 'home grown' is often an asset. I know that our residency rarely hires its own grads to avoid the 'incestousness' factor. A department becomes stagnant if everyone is trained the same.

Its good to be wary but you should rank based on where you think you will fit the best. Then just be aware, network network network.