Judging from my admittedly limited exposure to this forum, you all need to chill! You guys worry way tooooo much about stuff that doesn't matter at this point in your careers. These are the only things that should be on your minds with respect to getting into a rads program: good grades, good board scores, good letters, and a little extra sumthin' (like research or a visiting rotation).
Don't worry about what other people are saying or doing. Dont' worry about which programs are top tier, too competitive, not competitive enough, etc.
Other than the obvious stuff above, this is how you maximize your changes of getting into a program: apply to as many programs as you can afford to in geographical areas in which you are willing to live. If you are limited to a certain region in the country and are not totally da bomb as a candidate, do some away rotations in those programs.
When you interview, be smart, personable, and have a sense of humor. Avoid blandness, but don't get on anybody's nerves by going overboard. If there is a particular program which you would like to get into above all else, send a letter of intent to rank them as your #1 choice -- and make sure your letter is sincere and specific. Send thank you letters to all programs in which you got a good vibe, but take the latter with a grain of salt (ie, do not let it influence your ranking). In the end, rank ALL the programs you are eligble to.
If you don't get in, study really hard and rock on Step IIs, do a prelim year, get great letters from attendings (including the radiologists at your pgy1 program), and then try again.
Don't worry about what other people are saying or doing. Dont' worry about which programs are top tier, too competitive, not competitive enough, etc.
Other than the obvious stuff above, this is how you maximize your changes of getting into a program: apply to as many programs as you can afford to in geographical areas in which you are willing to live. If you are limited to a certain region in the country and are not totally da bomb as a candidate, do some away rotations in those programs.
When you interview, be smart, personable, and have a sense of humor. Avoid blandness, but don't get on anybody's nerves by going overboard. If there is a particular program which you would like to get into above all else, send a letter of intent to rank them as your #1 choice -- and make sure your letter is sincere and specific. Send thank you letters to all programs in which you got a good vibe, but take the latter with a grain of salt (ie, do not let it influence your ranking). In the end, rank ALL the programs you are eligble to.
If you don't get in, study really hard and rock on Step IIs, do a prelim year, get great letters from attendings (including the radiologists at your pgy1 program), and then try again.
