St. Louis vs. NYC for matching path- which is easier?

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heyloTop

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Hello, I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this question. I'm an incoming M1, so I have next to no knowledge on residency matching, but my SO will be trying to match path in a year or two, so I need some help. Basically I have to decide between WashU St. Louis and Columbia for medical school and I'm trying to figure out which of the two cities would give us the best chances of staying together. I know NYC has more residency positions, but does that mean it's easier for her to match there? My SO is an FMG and has yet to take STEP 1, so I don't know how competitive she will be. I already had the opportunity to speak with someone involved in path resident selection at WashU and they said they match FMG's regularly, and that having me there as a med student would definitely help with the match, but I don't know if that is better than having the sheer numbers that NYC provides. Columbia also has a path residency, but I haven't talked with them about my SO, and I don't know if they even take FMG's. Any advice/insight is appreciated!
 
There are more Path programs in NYC. There are variables which can affect her chances matching in Path which we know nothing about. How will she do on Step 1, 2 and 3? What experience in Path does she have? Her chances of matching at Wash U depends on her application and her scores. Her chances of matching in Wash U is good if she has a good application package but others will too. We can't really say until she takes her exams.

There's also the St. Louis University Pathology program if she can't match Wash U. There are only two programs in St Louis I know of. New York? There are many and she should be able to land a spot somewhere.

No one can tell you if she will match in St. Louis or NY but based on the fact there are more programs in NYC then her odds are better in NYC. Damn expensive to live there though.
 
There are more Path programs in NYC. There are variables which can affect her chances matching in Path which we know nothing about. How will she do on Step 1, 2 and 3? What experience in Path does she have? Her chances of matching at Wash U depends on her application and her scores. Her chances of matching in Wash U is good if she has a good application package but others will too. We can't really say until she takes her exams.
Ya I figured this would be the case.

There's also the St. Louis University Pathology program if she can't match Wash U. There are only two programs in St Louis I know of. New York? There are many and she should be able to land a spot somewhere.

No one can tell you if she will match in St. Louis or NY but based on the fact there are more programs in NYC then her odds are better in NYC. Damn expensive to live there though.
Thank you! This is what I was looking for. Would it help to do an observership at a hospital in NYC where she may would be trying to match (like an audition), or does she just need to do a path observership somewhere in the U.S.?
 
Best bet to live in same city is NYC, all though expensive. All the programs take IMGs, even the "top" ones. Wouldn't be a bad idea to do an audition rotation, if you think the SO can make a good impression. If they have awesome scores and CV, probably not necessary.
 
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