Univ Colorado? Univ Maryland?

[tarheel2000]

Hello,
Anyone know much about Univ Colorado (reputation, how competetive, etc.)? I'm an east coaster thinking of heading west - worth the interview?

How about Univ of Maryland?

I'm trying to cut a couple of programs from my interview list and have heard mixed reviews of these programs.

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[avendesora]

I've heard mostly good things about Colorado -- in fact I'm interviewing there in Jan, and at this point it's among my top prospects due to mix of reputation/location. The IM chair at my school trained there and has mostly good things to say. A guy in my class did a Sub-I there last month and loved it.

I have an interview scheduled at Maryland next Tuesday, and I'm going back and forth whether or not I should go. I'd welcome any info on that program as well.

Tarheel -- are you at UNC? I'm interviewing there next Friday as part of my East Coast swing. I really don't know much about the program other than reputation. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[tarheel2000]

Thanks for the post. I'll keep my Colorado interview and am glad to hear about the program. I've heard it is tough to match there because there are so many locals that want to stay. However, I could definitely see myself in Denver, so I'm going for it. My interview is in Dec; i'll let you know what I think.

I'm at UNC and I absolutely love the school, the IM residents, the residency program director, and the location. Excellent training and research opportunities with supportive and bright attendings/housestaff. I would recommend this program to anyone. Residents work hard but seem generally happy. Small college town but with raleigh/durham down the road, makes for a larger feel... great music/arts community, plus you can't beat tarheel basketball.

any comments on other schools? i'm scheduled for the following, and need to cancel some of these interviews.
duke
unc
bu
tufts
beth israel
georgetown
j hopkins
upenn
maryland
uw
oregon hs
stanford

thanks

 

[ckent]

I've also heard mostly good things about Colorado. Good place to go if you like to ski too. I am a med student at Maryland so I can probably answer whatever Maryland questions you guys have. We have a nice IM program, our PD and chairperson are nice people, and our hospital/facilities is probably one of our selling points. We just got a new ER last year, and they have been doing a lot of construction around campus, so we should have a new 28 bed MICU in 1-2 years. The main hospital is far larger then the other hospitals that I have visited, we have ~750 beds and 13 floors in our main hospital building, 9 floors in an attached building, 5 floors in a new surgical building, plus the 5 floor VA building attached as well. We also have a lot of buildings attached dedicated primarily to research. I think that the Maryland program is climbing in terms of prestige, most of the people that I met on the interview trail seemed to have only nice things to say about it, and we do alright when it comes to fellowship training. We recently started a team call system, but have had a night float system for a few years now, so we haven't had too much trouble adapting to the new RRC guidelines. Most of the attendings that I have met have seemed supportive, and the residents seem pretty competetent as well. The main downside I would say would probably be the area, we had an ER resident that was sent to shock trauma because he was beat up by random people a few blocks from my hospital, and a significant number of my classmates who live in the area have either been mugged at gunpoint or burglarized by some method during their 4 years. I actually saw a new pharmacy professor who was beaten over the head with a stick by people trying to mug him one block from campus pretty recently too. So it's not a great area, we have a lot of IVDA (Baltimore is the heroin/syphillis capital of the world), but all and all, I'd say that it's a good program. I'm thinking about ranking Maryland number one, but a lot of my classmates are planning on doing the same, so I think that says how much people like it here.

 

[avendesora]

Originally posted by ckent
...and a significant number of my classmates who live in the area have either been mugged at gunpoint or burglarized by some method during their 4 years. I actually saw a new pharmacy professor who was beaten over the head with a stick by people trying to mug him one block from campus pretty recently too.

I might keep that on the down-low if I were you!!

Actually, depending on what your personality is, that might be a draw -- lots of trauma & inner city pathology to learn from. I've always been a small-town kid, so that is one of the concerns I have. I think I will probably keep the interview, though, since you seem to be so positive

Thanks!
Dan

 

[Renovar]

Originally posted by tarheel2000
Thanks for the post. I'll keep my Colorado interview and am glad to hear about the program. I've heard it is tough to match there because there are so many locals that want to stay. However, I could definitely see myself in Denver, so I'm going for it. My interview is in Dec; i'll let you know what I think.

I'm at UNC and I absolutely love the school, the IM residents, the residency program director, and the location. Excellent training and research opportunities with supportive and bright attendings/housestaff. I would recommend this program to anyone. Residents work hard but seem generally happy. Small college town but with raleigh/durham down the road, makes for a larger feel... great music/arts community, plus you can't beat tarheel basketball.

any comments on other schools? i'm scheduled for the following, and need to cancel some of these interviews.
duke
unc
bu
tufts
beth israel
georgetown
j hopkins
upenn
maryland
uw
oregon hs
stanford

thanks

Duke AND UNC? Which side are you on???

But seriously man, with that list you have, you should ditch G-town like a plague, same with BID, but if you are doing it as part of your Boston trip and really want Boston, I guess it's ok...

 

[tarheel2000]

yeah, i am a huge UNC fan, but Duke is local and of course has a strong program with a very different feel than unc... so i decided to visit and check it out. we UNC folks aren't totally close-minded

i was keeping georgetown because i love the dc area, but realize it is a program in recovery. might end up dropping it, but i'll be in the dc area that week anyway for my other interviews.

Why drop BID? How does it compare with BU and Tufts? I would like to drop one of the boston interviews, but thought that BID was a strong program because of its link to harvard - not so?

What do you guys think of hopkins since the accred. snafu?

also, i heard upenn didn't fill last year. what is up with that?

 

[Renovar]

Originally posted by tarheel2000
yeah, i am a huge UNC fan, but Duke is local and of course has a strong program with a very different feel than unc... so i decided to visit and check it out. we UNC folks aren't totally close-minded

i was keeping georgetown because i love the dc area, but realize it is a program in recovery. might end up dropping it, but i'll be in the dc area that week anyway for my other interviews.

Why drop BID? How does it compare with BU and Tufts? I would like to drop one of the boston interviews, but thought that BID was a strong program because of its link to harvard - not so?

What do you guys think of hopkins since the accred. snafu?

also, i heard upenn didn't fill last year. what is up with that?

If you want Harvard, it's MGH or BW. In fact, most Harvard students never consider BID, which speaks volumes about that program. From the grapevine of my school's grads who interviewed there, many thought BI is a nasty aftertaste after they visited BW and MGH. I understand how some people would choose BID over say BU or NEMC because of the name Harvard, but from the word on the street, you get better, more intense training at those places. To be fair, I would say in Boston, there is MGH and BW, and then there is everyone else.

JH is a name that's hard for anyone to look past, but if you have lots of choices (and looks like you have), you really have to think twice. What if they get screwed again? Training at an unaccredited place will mean that your year of training doesn't count towards ABIM exam - is it worth the risk and the JH name?

Penn filled last year. If you look at scutwork's match data, it does say that hospital of university of pennsylvania is unfilled (6/8 or something) but it probably is one of the tracks, rather than its categorical program, which I am sure has many more spot than 8.

 

[Eidolon6]

If you wanna go west, consider University of Utah. Its kind of a dark horse...here between U of Colorado and U of Washington. Skiing/snowboarding is 20-30 minutes away...so you can leave post call and get a 3-4 hours in. Weather is about perfect too...short hot summers, very mild autumns and springs...Cold but not bone-chilling winters....with plenty of white stuff on the mountains. Reasonable cost of living, very little commuting...


Oh...as for the program....based at 3 hospitals...University, VA and private. Strong pulmonary/CCM program, Nephrology, GI. Teaching is good...but this place is best suited for self motivated folks. Generally only a modicum of hard-core pimping. No one I know of has struggled to find a fellowship spot. Most of the folks here tend to have shunned the typical hard core top ten residencies...finding they could satisfy their egos in other ways (hiking, climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, skiing, etc.) Cardiology seems to be the fellowship of choice for many...followed by GI.

Downsides...well politics...its a republican stronghold here with the LDS church buying and controlling most public offices, television stations. Diversity...needless to say...not a large number of minorities...except quite a few immigrants, especially Russian and Tongan. VA catchment area is 5 states big including Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, eastern Idaho and Western Colorado....

Despite what you might think about the Mormon Mecca, there is adequate social disease here....We got your cirrhotics, lungers, junkies, Hi Fivers, etc...

hope that broadens y'all horizons some....