Tips on getting into top neuro residencies?

[Alexxxxx]

Hey all - I am wrapping up my 1st year at a mid-tier USMD, and so far have 1 basic science publication (not first author) from my gap year. I am also doing basic research in a neuroscience lab at my medical school and am about to start doing some clinical research and case reports with a child neurologist to get my publication numbers up, and I was wanting to know if there is anything else I could do improve my odds of getting into a top ~20 academic neurology residency program other than the usual advice like high step 2, honors on rotations, etc? Maybe things like networking and how exactly to network with PDs/other leadership at neuro programs, and just any other advice I can use to maximize my odds down the line. Thanks 🙂

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[Aldertonghen]

Hey all - I am wrapping up my 1st year at a mid-tier USMD, and so far have 1 basic science publication (not first author) from my gap year. I am also doing basic research in a neuroscience lab at my medical school and am about to start doing some clinical research and case reports with a child neurologist to get my publication numbers up, and I was wanting to know if there is anything else I could do improve my odds of getting into a top ~20 academic neurology residency program other than the usual advice like high step 2, honors on rotations, etc? Maybe things like networking and how exactly to network with PDs/other leadership at neuro programs, and just any other advice I can use to maximize my odds down the line. Thanks 🙂

With that research profile, and good LORs, all you really need after that are high scores- per resident explorer back in 2022 a score of 255 on step 1 and 260 on step 2 was considered mean for Harvard (MGH, not BIDMC). Even if your scores are lower, you still have a good chance with connections and networking.

A bigger question is what do you even consider when talking about top academic residencies. If you’re strictly talking about NIH funding- then right now you’d be surprised that it’s WashU at St Louis at the top. Getting into their residency is likely easier than getting into Columbia or UCSF (imo both are in my top 5-10 places) because of St Louis vs NY/Cali. Meanwhile places like UPenn and Mayo are lower than expected based on this alone. Another metric would be to see the faculty for subspecialties you’re interested in- if you’re interested in say autoimmune neurology, then for you Mayo and UPenn are now at the top of your list.

For now I’d focus on getting good scores and LORs, in addition to research which you’re already doing. An away rotation down the line would help too. Ive seen that presenting at AAN, and networking with PDs there also helps too- it’s how one of my med students matched into MGH last month. That said this is all second hand evidence- I never had such a profile myself, so others can chime in.

 

[Alexxxxx]

With that research profile, and good LORs, all you really need after that are high scores- per resident explorer back in 2022 a score of 255 on step 1 and 260 on step 2 was considered mean for Harvard (MGH, not BIDMC). Even if your scores are lower, you still have a good chance with connections and networking.

A bigger question is what do you even consider when talking about top academic residencies. If you’re strictly talking about NIH funding- then right now you’d be surprised that it’s WashU at St Louis at the top. Getting into their residency is likely easier than getting into Columbia or UCSF (imo both are in my top 5-10 places) because of St Louis vs NY/Cali. Meanwhile places like UPenn and Mayo are lower than expected based on this alone. Another metric would be to see the faculty for subspecialties you’re interested in- if you’re interested in say autoimmune neurology, then for you Mayo and UPenn are now at the top of your list.

For now I’d focus on getting good scores and LORs, in addition to research which you’re already doing. An away rotation down the line would help too. Ive seen that presenting at AAN, and networking with PDs there also helps too- it’s how one of my med students matched into MGH last month. That said this is all second hand evidence- I never had such a profile myself, so others can chime in.

Thank you! For me, I guess the ranking would not only be NIH funding but also resources for residents to get involved in research, research tracks, having a lot of fellowships available at the same institution, etc. because my end goal may (or may not be - I am not sure yet) to become a physician-scientist. This will obviously be an uphill battle without a PhD, which is why I am shooting for schools that can help me get there.

Thanks for your advice, I will try to present something at the AAN or a similar conference at some point during med school if I am able to. Maybe I can try the networking stuff while I am at a conference as well.