From the instructions on the VIRMP site:
Go with whoever will write you the strongest letter, imo. I think your letters of rec from people in the specialty you’re pursuing are probably the most important part of a residency app packet. A bad or lukewarm letter is not something you want.
A hilariously high % of applications are submitted/finalized within 72 hours of the deadline so most programs don't bother reviewing them until afterwards, with most interviews in Jan/Feb. Don't stress it. You can apply whenever you want, the program will get sent what you have already finished and then as the remainder of stuff (references etc) trickles in we get sent updated applicant packages.
Most of my SA rotating interviews took place around the end of December through the middle of January. I also submitted my applications earlier on in the cycle as I as juggling a Spring NAVLE window and didn't want to overlap the stress of both too much. One of my good friends submitted his applications closer to the January deadline and still had plenty of interview offers from all over the place. Either way your application will get reviewed so don't stress the little things! Enjoy the ride, and good luck!
Scrambling isn’t the end of the world.
I have a list of about 10ish places I'm most interested in, but they're mostly academic institutions so I'm worried they might be more competitive spots.
There is probably a higher chance of scrambling if your list is primarily academic programs unless you know you're a competitive applicant, just because they are usually smaller and more competitive like you said. Scrambling is for sure not the end of the world. It's a really stressful morning if you do have to scramble, but sometimes that's just the way the cookie crumbles. It isn't always a reflection on you as an applicant, it can definitely be simply due to how the algorithm worked out. There are popular private practice programs scrambling just the same every year, I think some academic institutions have had to scramble in recent years too?
There's no published data on how many applications each programs get each year, word of mouth/research is probably the best and only way to decide that. It's a little subjective, too.
How does this differ with residency, especially if you have a certain program as your for-sure #1?
Overall match rate for internships is usually about 55%, but that would include people who maybe only applied to a few programs or were very selective. There are also a good number of programs that go unmatched and get filled via the scramble. Chances are high, especially if you’re open on location and other factors.
I'm only applying to 7 places because I want to do a non-academic internship with a high companion exotics caseload. Does that mean I'm less likely to get in?
Also my GPA is 3.64 and I'm from Davis
@supershorty might merge your other thread here, but yes and no. It's entirely depending on the algorithm and how the cookie crumbles and can be hard to predict. I was a fairly uncompetitive applicant and matched to my #1, but I did not pick anything super competitive. Others in my class went for strictly academic/competitive private practice internships and had to scramble, even if they were fairly competitive (in my opinion).
I am having trouble figuring this out as well. What are others writing here? Just bullet point listing research positions/publications/posters (i.e. seems like just copy/pasting CV), or writing a short blurb alongside each point? For rotating internships, would this be a good place to include speciality externships?
I'm not applying to academic internships but since I want to do my internship at a place with a high companion exotics caseload, the private practice internships I'm applying to are probably competitive. I'm applying to AMC Schwarzzman, DoveLewis, Red Bank, Ocean State Vet Specialists, BluePearl Clearwater, and Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital (Ohio). What are your thoughts?
I mean, you’re applying to places that other people with similar interests are also likely going to be interested in too, in addition to the pool of applicants who don’t care as much about the exotics. We can guess yes or no in regards to your chances all day, but in the end it’s just a guess. The only thing you can control in the match is where you apply and how you rank them, and spending hours agonizing over your chances isn’t very productive. Apply then wait and see, and then adjust the plan and find a plan B in the scramble if you need to.
Yes you need to have actually applied to those programs by the application deadline.
I'm a Bluepearl Tampa Bay alumni actually (before Tampa/Brandon and Clearwater split into two separate programs). CLW is a smaller program still, not sure what kind of apps they are seeing these days. They are a tight knit group so your interview will have to be good.
No one here is going to be able to tell you definitively yes or no. Your application seems reasonably competitive, from what you've said, but a lot depends on your LOI, your LORs, and how you interview.
so at what point should we remind our recommenders to finish their references? is there some kind of hard deadline that they should be completed by, or does it vary by program?
Anyone have any idea what to put? I can’t imagine we’d copy things from the CV? I don’t have research or publications.
