state ties on application

[sunset823]

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I was wondering, I lived in a certain state (Ohio) for 13 years, but I don't think it would show up anywhere in my application, as I wasn't born there (born abroad), didn't go to college/grad school/med school there (I don't think there's a place for where you went to high school?) and my family has lived in another state (Michigan) for 9 years now. Is there any place on the application you would write this information? just in case programs in the state would prefer somebody with ties to the state.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

You can put it in your personal statement

 

[gutonc]

You can put it in your personal statement

But it's unlikely anybody will care all that much. If you've spent all your life in NYC, LA or SF, programs may wonder why you're applying to somewhere less metropolitan (like most of the rest of the country) but if you've been living in the midwest somewhere it's not like Ohio is such a huge difference from Michigan or Wisconsin or Indiana or wherever.

But state residency and affinity for a particular location generally doesn't matter in residency apps like it does in some med school apps.

 

[sunset823]

But it's unlikely anybody will care all that much. If you've spent all your life in NYC, LA or SF, programs may wonder why you're applying to somewhere less metropolitan (like most of the rest of the country) but if you've been living in the midwest somewhere it's not like Ohio is such a huge difference from Michigan or Wisconsin or Indiana or wherever.

But state residency and affinity for a particular location generally doesn't matter in residency apps like it does in some med school apps.

I see your point but a) I feel that would be a pretty big hole in my life if I don't mention it at all since I spent half my current lifespan there, and b) There is a blood rivalry between the states of Ohio and Michigan that people outside this area probably wouldn't understand 🙂 Wouldn't want my current permanent address to negatively impact my app

And I'm assuming you'd be giving different advice if I'd said California instead of Ohio, with everything else the same.

 

[mlw03]

i can't tell if you're serious, but if you think anyone at OSU MEDICAL CENTER is going to have positive or negative bias towards a residency applicant from michigan, you're taking the football rivalry too far. you're applying to be a DOCTOR, who will be responsible for managing human beings. there are things in life more important than football.

and before you reply i don't get it because i'm in maryland, i did my residency at OSU, so i lived in columbus. and some of our faculty trained in ann arbor.

if i had to list the top 50 things that mattered to program directors and residency committee members, college football allegiances would not make the list. you will succeed or fail based on your applicantions intrinsic merits, not who you root for or against on saturday afternoons.

 

[sunset823]

i can't tell if you're serious, but if you think anyone at OSU MEDICAL CENTER is going to have positive or negative bias towards a residency applicant from michigan, you're taking the football rivalry too far. you're applying to be a DOCTOR, who will be responsible for managing human beings. there are things in life more important than football.

and before you reply i don't get it because i'm in maryland, i did my residency at OSU, so i lived in columbus. and some of our faculty trained in ann arbor.

if i had to list the top 50 things that mattered to program directors and residency committee members, college football allegiances would not make the list. you will succeed or fail based on your applicantions intrinsic merits, not who you root for or against on saturday afternoons.

only half-serious, but thanks for the slap-down - when you've been a permanent student in Big Ten country your priorities can get a little skewed. I wasn't really thinking PDs, but maybe interns or residents would have some stake in it, but yeah, it shouldn't matter.

 

[gutonc]

And I'm assuming you'd be giving different advice if I'd said California instead of Ohio, with everything else the same.

Nope. I'd still be giving the same advice. I've never lived a day of my life in CA but I got plenty of interview offers there. Again...you're applying for a job as a doctor. Nobody cares where you're from as long as you can do the job.

 

[Shoushu]

Again...you're applying for a job as a doctor. Nobody cares where you're from as long as you can do the job.

To a certain extent, right? I say nobody cares, if you're from US or Canada. They're under the LCME med schools.

But how will the location bias shift when one is an FMG/IMG, or even US-citizen-IMG. If one's the latter, does loyalty to America (with residences) help or hurt? Of course, everything else being the same.

 

[mlw03]

Imgs are a totally different discussion.

Time to separate you the professional from you the sport fan.

 

[belle54321]

Lived in NJ all my life-went to college and medical school there. Got invited to every program that I applied to across the country. Ended up matching in Philly. Really, I don't think it makes a difference if you are from an U.S. medical school and have applied to programs that match your competitiveness.

 

[gutonc]

To a certain extent, right? I say nobody cares, if you're from US or Canada. They're under the LCME med schools.

But how will the location bias shift when one is an FMG/IMG, or even US-citizen-IMG. If one's the latter, does loyalty to America (with residences) help or hurt? Of course, everything else being the same.

That's a completely different question and is irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

 

[2012mdc]

Nope. I'd still be giving the same advice. I've never lived a day of my life in CA but I got plenty of interview offers there. Again...you're applying for a job as a doctor. Nobody cares where you're from as long as you can do the job.

It can matter depending on the specialty. It definitely matters in radiology which is rampant with regional bias.

 

[Ishie1013]

Limited experience here...

When I was interviewing, a number of programs seemed to be feeling out how likely I was to rank them highly due to both where I was currently living (Brooklyn) and where I was from (California). Outside of those two regions, it honestly seemed to detract and was something I'd have to explain. "Why are you interviewing at (city the interviewer seems to view as less desirable) when you're from (city with astronomical living expenses with single impossible-to-match program) Even within New York, one hospital was dwelling on the California thing without seeming to realize that matching there would be as easy for me as renewing my lease. Inside the region of your birth, it seems to be a benefit because many both like local flavor and/or figure you'll rank them highly to stay close to home.