Matched at: Top 5 program (arguably?)
Degree: MD
matched at # on rank list: #2 (couples matched)
Med school: Mid-sized NYC program
USMLE scores: step 1/step 2: 258/251 (got step II scores after the match)
Number of interviews: 15
Programs interviewed at: Michigan, Wash U, Fox Chase, UMDNJ, Jefferson, Cornell, Columbia, Einstein/Montefiore, Pitt, UNC, Case Western, Miami, Indiana, UVA
Programs declined: Rush
AOA:No
Grades: Honors in surgery, OB/Gyn, peds, HP in others, HP in one rad onc rotation (NYU, apparently the PD's an unrealistically tough grader, fair warning), never received grades from my other 2 rad onc rotations
Publications: 1st author clinical in JNMA (breast cancer), 5th author basic in Virology, ~8 abstracts (1st or 2nd authorships at ASTRO, ASTRO Translational, and ASCO)
Away rotation? At place matched? 3 aways, not at place matched
Other things that helped with match:
1. Year Off in Home Program: I took a year off to do radiation biology and clinical rad onc research at my home institution. This was exceedingly helpful for a number of reasons but by far the most being the chance to develop a strong relationship with several of the attendings at my home program. Of course for my place on their rank list it was helpful, but additionally in that several attendings were able to go to bat for me in both LORs and via phone calls. Like everyone has noted, Rad Onc is an incredibly small (and incestuous) field, and word of mouth goes a lot further than any grade or board score. Therefore, having attendings with connections in your corner is invaluable. Without taking a year off, not only would I not have had most of the abstracts and the publication I was able to put on my application, but certainly would not have had the personal relationships that ended up being so beneficial.
2. Diverse cancer related research background: For me this was another very large factor. Not only did this give me a story to tell about my interest in rad onc, but also made it easy to relate to most of my interviewers about their own research. It was the most frequently asked about aspect of my application, and being able to talk in depth about a range of research related topics was critical in impressing interviewers. I also believe that having broad experience, across basic and clinical oncology topics, was strong evidence in support of my interest in translational research, which everyone likes to throw around as a buzz word but isn't necessarily something a lot of applicants can describe tangibly.
3. Away rotations: For the reasons cited above (i.e. getting to know a program, showing your interest), but most importantly for the LORs. Having all your LORs from a single program doesn't necessarily look great, and diversifying that aspect of your application will help appeal to a broader range of program directors.
4. Things that suck and you can't chance about the rad onc application process: For me, by far the largest frustration was that school brand name is paramount (much more so than having an MD/PhD, IMHO). While this is the case in any specialty, the size of Rad Onc programs and the few numbers of interviews granted at each makes swimming upstream from small pond that much more challenging. While you can make up for this in some ways, there are certain places that you just won't have a chance without a Ivy League-caliber med school pedigree (i.e. MSKCC). Sad, but true (as in most walks of life).
5. Finally, DON'T LET SDN SPOOK YOU. Yes, rad onc is a very hard match. Applicants are very qualified, with lots of in-field experience, so it is certainly self selected. However, if you put in your time, get some relevant research on your CV, and make some connections, you will match. Maybe not at your #1, but you'll match. SDN posts tend to be skewed toward the crazy gunner types, and of course these people will have more intimidating resumes than those interviewing at places other than the top 12 programs in the country. Just try to stay sane and you'll be fine.
