* The Official 2017 Couples Match Thread *

[SunKissedG8tr]

Please feel free to post questions, advice, etc in regards to couples match 🙂

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[Mountaineer12]

I'm also couples matching! I'm doing peds and he's doing EM. We're mostly targeting the east coast with a few outliers. Here's our stats:

Me: step 1 239, step 2 248
Him: step 1 220s, step 2 250s

Good luck everyone!


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[FMApplicant]

Couples Matching in FM (me) and Psychiatry (him). We applied pretty broadly; he applied to 26 and me to 39 in ERAS (but really comes out to 42 as some of the programs have multiple tracks that you can rank).
Me: Step 1: 221 Step 2: 252
Him: Step1 230's Step 2: 230's

 

[mybubbles627]

Are you guys going to contact programs when one of you gets an invite? Who will contact? The invitee or the other? How long will you wait before contacting? Thanks!

 

[FMApplicant]

I spoke with my Family Med advisor about this last night. FM processes applications earlier than a lot of other programs so I have gotten a lot of invites already and my husband has only gotten a couple. She advised waiting until the end of this week and then sending out emails starting with the programs that we consider highest priority, and the ones who I interview at the soonest (my first interview is Oct 24). Today I spoke with a FM doc who couples matched 11 years ago and she said her and her husband sent out a letter signed by the two of them (via fax, since it was you know, 11 years ago lol) introducing themselves and saying they are couples matching etc. They sent the letter whenever one of them got an interview. I think as long as you are polite and professional it won't hurt to send it any time. I'm going to start drafting a letter this week and start sending it out at the end of the week. 🙂

 

[SunKissedG8tr]

My boyfriend and I have already contacted programs after one of us scheduled an interview. In two cases the other one was offered an interview only days later. On other occasions, no response. I think its up to you and your partner but from what we understand, it's still early.

 

[GonnaBeADoc2222]

The wife (Peds) and I (EM) couples matched 4 years ago. Both had 250+ on Steps 1&2 and top quartile. Each went on ~20 interviews. Retrospectively, I thought this was huge overkill for both of us, however EM seems pretty competitive presently. My $0.02:

1) Be smart about how many interviews you go on. Try your best to coordinate your travel. Stay with friends as much as possible. Interviews are expensive.
2) Advocate for each other. Have your SO email their program director if you have not gotten an invite to a place they did and are interested in going to. At the interview, make sure the PD knows you are couples matching. They are interested in this and will make note of it.
3) Try not to fight too much when you make your rank list. Every program has its nuances, but seriously, they are all regulated by the RRC and mostly the same. Love each other.
4) Family is important. Residency is hard. Stay close to your family.
5) Be careful of the combinations you select. Do you really want to be in NYC while your SO is in Denver? We decided that certain combinations were so unpalatable that we would rather scramble together than match apart
6) Rank EVERY program you interview at. Do you want a job or do you want to be unemployed?

 

[Mountaineer12]

The wife (Peds) and I (EM) couples matched 4 years ago. Both had 250+ on Steps 1&2 and top quartile. Each went on ~20 interviews. Retrospectively, I thought this was huge overkill for both of us, however EM seems pretty competitive presently. My $0.02:

1) Be smart about how many interviews you go on. Try your best to coordinate your travel. Stay with friends as much as possible. Interviews are expensive.
2) Advocate for each other. Have your SO email their program director if you have not gotten an invite to a place they did and are interested in going to. At the interview, make sure the PD knows you are couples matching. They are interested in this and will make note of it.
3) Try not to fight too much when you make your rank list. Every program has its nuances, but seriously, they are all regulated by the RRC and mostly the same. Love each other.
4) Family is important. Residency is hard. Stay close to your family.
5) Be careful of the combinations you select. Do you really want to be in NYC while your SO is in Denver? We decided that certain combinations were so unpalatable that we would rather scramble together than match apart
6) Rank EVERY program you interview at. Do you want a job or do you want to be unemployed?

My boyfriend and I are also doing peds (me) and EM (him)! What did you guys do about emailing schools that weren't affiliated with each other? For example, we both have interviews at UPMC, but we would like to reach out to Allegheny EM somehow to help maximize his chances in Pittsburgh. Or I interviewed at Akron Children's the other day, but Akron General isn't affiliated with the children's hospital so I didn't know if I should still send my email asking the peds PC to get in contact with the EM PC at General? Does this made any sense? Thanks!


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[GonnaBeADoc2222]

My boyfriend and I are also doing peds (me) and EM (him)! What did you guys do about emailing schools that weren't affiliated with each other? For example, we both have interviews at UPMC, but we would like to reach out to Allegheny EM somehow to help maximize his chances in Pittsburgh. Or I interviewed at Akron Children's the other day, but Akron General isn't affiliated with the children's hospital so I didn't know if I should still send my email asking the peds PC to get in contact with the EM PC at General? Does this made any sense? Thanks!

I think in that situation the one without an interview can email the relevant PD and say something like "hey I'm going to be in the area at X time for another interview, if I am going to be granted an interview at your shop, can we try to fit it in during that time. Oh btw I like your program because of X, Y, Z..."

I forgot another cardinal rule of this process. Don't make more than 1 trip to each city unless you are desperate for interviews. I made 3 trips to one city and it was the stupidest thing I did.

 

[Mountaineer12]

I think in that situation the one without an interview can email the relevant PD and say something like "hey I'm going to be in the area at X time for another interview, if I am going to be granted an interview at your shop, can we try to fit it in during that time. Oh btw I like your program because of X, Y, Z..."

I forgot another cardinal rule of this process. Don't make more than 1 trip to each city unless you are desperate for interviews. I made 3 trips to one city and it was the stupidest thing I did.

Okay, sounds good. Thanks!

Good advice about not traveling multiple times to one city. I sent out a few "please interview me/give me a decision so I don't have to go cross country again!!!" emails yesterday.


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[Sunshine1324]

Hello! My fiance and I are couples matching into PM&R (him) and psychiatry (me). We have both gotten quite a few interview offers, but very few of them overlap so far. Any suggestions on how long we need to wait to see if an interview will be offered, vs. just reaching out to programs off the bat when one of us gets an interview? We are having trouble deciding how to go about deciding which interviews to cancel. I worry about waiting too long because I know they prefer 2 weeks' notice to cancel an interview. Also, has anyone had luck with getting interviews scheduled on days they didn't originally offer so that you could go interview with your SO (I.e., the program is offering interviews only on Fridays, but they let you come on a Wednesday so you could travel together)? Not sure if this is ever an option, but it would sure make things cheaper! We are so excited about matching together but coordinating the schedules is a nightmare!!
Thanks, and good luck to everyone!

 

[SunKissedG8tr]

Hello! My fiance and I are couples matching into PM&R (him) and psychiatry (me). We have both gotten quite a few interview offers, but very few of them overlap so far. Any suggestions on how long we need to wait to see if an interview will be offered, vs. just reaching out to programs off the bat when one of us gets an interview? We are having trouble deciding how to go about deciding which interviews to cancel. I worry about waiting too long because I know they prefer 2 weeks' notice to cancel an interview. Also, has anyone had luck with getting interviews scheduled on days they didn't originally offer so that you could go interview with your SO (I.e., the program is offering interviews only on Fridays, but they let you come on a Wednesday so you could travel together)? Not sure if this is ever an option, but it would sure make things cheaper! We are so excited about matching together but coordinating the schedules is a nightmare!!
Thanks, and good luck to everyone!

My fiance and I are matching into different specialties: me (OBGYN) and him (IM) so our interviews are not overlapping either. It seems to me that IM interviews go out early and continue throughout the whole season, whereas OBGYN has been more inconsistent and unpredictable in that regard (I got a few right away, then silence, then a couple). Because OBGYN is more competitive I have been emailing programs after my fiance receives an interview just informing them that we are couples matching and that I'd essentially like to interview there as well. I have not asked for special dates - we have just been able to work them out so far, so I'm not sure if that is something acceptable or not.

 

[Sunshine1324]

My fiance and I are matching into different specialties: me (OBGYN) and him (IM) so our interviews are not overlapping either. It seems to me that IM interviews go out early and continue throughout the whole season, whereas OBGYN has been more inconsistent and unpredictable in that regard (I got a few right away, then silence, then a couple). Because OBGYN is more competitive I have been emailing programs after my fiance receives an interview just informing them that we are couples matching and that I'd essentially like to interview there as well. I have not asked for special dates - we have just been able to work them out so far, so I'm not sure if that is something acceptable or not.

Thanks! I think we'll start just e-mailing programs right away when one of us gets an interview. I feel a little awkward asking for an interview like that but I suppose the worst that can happen is that they say no...good luck to you and your fiance!

 

[Mountaineer12]

Thanks! I think we'll start just e-mailing programs right away when one of us gets an interview. I feel a little awkward asking for an interview like that but I suppose the worst that can happen is that they say no...good luck to you and your fiance!

I started doing this last week for my boyfriend (he's doing EM and they're a little slow on the interview invites). He got one offered to him the very next day, there are two schools that sound very promising, but haven't started giving out interviews, and the rest either ignored me or said they couldn't help. I probably emailed like 7-8 programs so that's not bad.


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[Mountaineer12]

So my boyfriend is starting to get some interviews for EM, which I'm excited about since peds has been giving interviews for awhile and we were starting to get nervous. However, multiple of his interviews are not in cities I've been offered interviews and vice versa. We've reached out to program coordinators when possible, but for some that's not possible and we're not sure what to do. For example, he got an interview in Philly today, if haven't heard anything from St. Chris or CHOP. Is it appropriate to email or call these schools and say I'm interested and that he has an interview in the area? If so, should I email now or keep holding out for a few more weeks? Peds interviews are quickly starting to fill so I'm just a little worried about waiting too long, but I also don't want to sound desperate. Thanks!!


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[Sunshine1324]

So my boyfriend is starting to get some interviews for EM, which I'm excited about since peds has been giving interviews for awhile and we were starting to get nervous. However, multiple of his interviews are not in cities I've been offered interviews and vice versa. We've reached out to program coordinators when possible, but for some that's not possible and we're not sure what to do. For example, he got an interview in Philly today, if haven't heard anything from St. Chris or CHOP. Is it appropriate to email or call these schools and say I'm interested and that he has an interview in the area? If so, should I email now or keep holding out for a few more weeks? Peds interviews are quickly starting to fill so I'm just a little worried about waiting too long, but I also don't want to sound desperate. Thanks!!


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My fiance and I have been emailing the schools whenever that happens (we had a TON of cities where only one of us got an interview). We were trying to give people enough time to offer interviews without having to ask for them, but then we realized we didn't want to start buying plane tickets if we weren't sure the other person was also going to get one in the same city! We just sent out e-mails on Wednesday to places where only one of us had an interview, and between the 2 of us we have so far gotten 5 more interviews from doing that! I would definitely recommend sending out emails. The worst thing that could happen is they'll say "no" and then you know you can cancel the ones that are not going to help you match together! Good luck!

 

[SingingPediatrician]

My fiance and I have been emailing the schools whenever that happens (we had a TON of cities where only one of us got an interview). We were trying to give people enough time to offer interviews without having to ask for them, but then we realized we didn't want to start buying plane tickets if we weren't sure the other person was also going to get one in the same city! We just sent out e-mails on Wednesday to places where only one of us had an interview, and between the 2 of us we have so far gotten 5 more interviews from doing that! I would definitely recommend sending out emails. The worst thing that could happen is they'll say "no" and then you know you can cancel the ones that are not going to help you match together! Good luck!

Thanks so much for that advice! My boyfriend (IM) and I (Peds) have been wondering the same thing. I'm curious if anyone has been given advice on ideal # of programs you should each interview at or # of combinations you should have? I know for a single match it's around 12 programs that gives you like a 96% chance of matching, but curious if there is any data for couples. My med school's office of student affairs hasn't been very helpful in the realm of couples matching.

 

[Mountaineer12]

My fiance and I have been emailing the schools whenever that happens (we had a TON of cities where only one of us got an interview). We were trying to give people enough time to offer interviews without having to ask for them, but then we realized we didn't want to start buying plane tickets if we weren't sure the other person was also going to get one in the same city! We just sent out e-mails on Wednesday to places where only one of us had an interview, and between the 2 of us we have so far gotten 5 more interviews from doing that! I would definitely recommend sending out emails. The worst thing that could happen is they'll say "no" and then you know you can cancel the ones that are not going to help you match together! Good luck!

Awesome, thanks! I think we'll start sending these out on Monday then!


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[Daynnight]

In cases where one person receives an interview at a given school and the significant other does not (despite sending letters), is it reasonable for the person with the interview to email their PD asking for help in facilitating the significant other's interview at that school in a different department? Anyone have any luck or insights about doing that? Thanks

 

[gutonc]

In cases where one person receives an interview at a given school and the significant other does not (despite sending letters), is it reasonable for the person with the interview to email their PD asking for help in facilitating the significant other's interview at that school in a different department? Anyone have any luck or insights about doing that? Thanks

Yes. That's exactly how you should approach it.

You may wind up with the same lack of satisfaction, but that's your next step.

 

[Mountaineer12]

So I'm starting to do the dreaded interviews where my SO doesn't have interviews. We've already emailed people on my side and his side and have been ignored. Is there anything else we can do?


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[anguisette]

Unfortunately we're in that spot too. I plan on bringing it up during interviews if given the opportunity and maybe send a follow up email to the PD afterwards.


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[Mountaineer12]

Unfortunately we're in that spot too. I plan on bringing it up during interviews if given the opportunity and maybe send a follow up email to the PD afterwards.


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Okay, that sounds like a good idea. I didn't know if maybe he should try calling some of the programs. I don't want to seem like beggars, but he's definitely more than qualified for some of these programs so I'm not sure what's going on. EM is the worst! Haha


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[mybubbles627]

How many programs are people trying to interview at and rank to feel comfortable you will match together?

 

[Mountaineer12]

So I (peds) have an interview next week at a program and my boyfriend (EM) hasn't gotten an interview yet. He had tried calling the PC at least 10 times, no answer or reply to his messages. Should we cancel? Should I still go? This is so frustrating this late in the game.


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[anguisette]

So I (peds) have an interview next week at a program and my boyfriend (EM) hasn't gotten an interview yet. He had tried calling the PC at least 10 times, no answer or reply to his messages. Should we cancel? Should I still go? This is so frustrating this late in the game.


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There are just so many factors... how interested you guys are in the program, how much it'll cost you to interview, whether you feel like you have enough overlapping programs yet, etc. I did one interview (EM) where my partner didn't have an interview yet, and after my follow up email post-interview he got an invite. But he's done the same thing where he went to a program to interview, sent a follow up email, and I still haven't heard on the EM end and feel like at this point I won't. We've been trying to delay the interviews at programs we're really interested in but are still waiting to hear back for one person, but we've also started canceling other ones where one of us haven't heard back yet because we feel that the likelihood of getting the interview is low at this point. Sorry no straight answers for you.


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[Mountaineer12]

There are just so many factors... how interested you guys are in the program, how much it'll cost you to interview, whether you feel like you have enough overlapping programs yet, etc. I did one interview (EM) where my partner didn't have an interview yet, and after my follow up email post-interview he got an invite. But he's done the same thing where he went to a program to interview, sent a follow up email, and I still haven't heard on the EM end and feel like at this point I won't. We've been trying to delay the interviews at programs we're really interested in but are still waiting to hear back for one person, but we've also started canceling other ones where one of us haven't heard back yet because we feel that the likelihood of getting the interview is low at this point. Sorry no straight answers for you.


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No you're fine, I figured it would be complicated! Ironically my SO is probably more interested in the area than I am. I also think he's a pretty strong candidate for their program. We've had one instance like you mentioned where I went on an interview and he got an interview about 1.5 weeks after, maybe not because of it, but at least with help from my interview. But that was almost a month ago. He just got another invite today for a waitlist so I think I may go since there still seems to be some EM hope. We have 16 combos right now, 18 if I get off one of my waitlist and he gets off his one, so we're not in horrible shape. It's a driving interview though so I guess I should just go. Thanks for helping me hash it out!


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