What if I don't play the game..?

[napoleondynamite]

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So is it really necessary to contact every program you're interested in to convey interest yet again? It just doesn't seem like you could really, honestly, convey total enthusiasm about each program. And the whole, "you're right up there on my rank list" comment just doesn't seem to me like it would benefit you that much. For those who've been through this, does it really make any difference at all to contact programs in these final weeks before the match? Do programs really alter their rank lists based on what students are telling them..or is this all just a dog and pony show?

 

[deleted4401]

I don't think it makes a difference, at all. Maybe pick one and show interest if you feel the need to be proactive. I still don't think it will help.
-S

 

[RLMD]

What about thank you notes. I will have been on 15 interviews by the end of this. Should I send thank you notes to all of them? Who should I send them to? Not everyone I interviewed with, that would be insane. Just the program directors?

 

[Gfunk6]

Agree w/ Simul -- you don't need to contact every program at the end and tell them you're interested. However, if you feel so inclined you may contact your top 1 (or 2) and let them know. This is totally up to you.

I wrote thank you notes to every single person that I interviewed with. Generally, I wrote them while I was sitting in the airport to fly back home. Insane? Probably. Influenced the Match? Probably not.

 

[XRTmonster]

Think I'll play it close to the vest. Haven't quite figured out a #1 yet. In any case, I'm not interested in playing the game either. Unfortunately there are many applicants that have the opposite view. One guy at my last interview was going all out to tell the program coordinator that they are his number one choice. Don't think he realized a couple of us were within earshot...haha.

 

[ideas]

Think I'll play it close to the vest. Haven't quite figured out a #1 yet. In any case, I'm not interested in playing the game either. Unfortunately there are many applicants that have the opposite view. One guy at my last interview was going all out to tell the program coordinator that they are his number one choice. Don't think he realized a couple of us were within earshot...haha.

How many programs did you all apply to? Just trying to get an idea as I'll be completing ERAS in Sept (scary )

 

[Gfunk6]

How many programs did you all apply to? Just trying to get an idea as I'll be completing ERAS in Sept (scary )

All of them . . . seriously. 😳

 

[napoleondynamite]

Yeah, sounds nuts..but just about everyone I know (even really competetive applicants) applied to almost every single program. I applied everywhere except for a couple of programs I was pretty dang sure will only take MudPhuds (like Vanderbilt for instance).

 

[Dave Evans]

What about thank you notes. I will have been on 15 interviews by the end of this. Should I send thank you notes to all of them? Who should I send them to? Not everyone I interviewed with, that would be insane. Just the program directors?

I'm not playing the game either - it's totally crazy. . . I've interviewed at 15 also and wrote a couple of carefully placed emails to people I connected with and now that it's over, i am going to send a few notes to my top 5. I didn't write any thank you notes. I'll let you know if it had any effect in two months. =)

 

[ideas]

All of them . . . seriously. 😳

Wow. Not to be to nosey, but how many interviews did you receive from applying to all of them. Also, about how much did that run you in terms of your ERAS application?

Thanks 🙂

 

[Gfunk6]

I applied to ~60 or so programs. Heard back from 50 of them. 36 rejections, 14 interview offers, 12 actual interview trips. Ranked all 12. Matched. Total cost ~$1000 for ERAS app. A few thousand more for general travel expenses.

 

[ideas]

I applied to ~60 or so programs. Heard back from 50 of them. 36 rejections, 14 interview offers, 12 actual interview trips. Ranked all 12. Matched. Total cost ~$1000 for ERAS app. A few thousand more for general travel expenses.

. . . Matching. . . PRICELESS!

Thanks for sharing the cost info. I am sure I'll probably be applying to every rad-onc program under the sun 🙂

 

[XRTmonster]

How many programs did you all apply to? Just trying to get an idea as I'll be completing ERAS in Sept (scary )

Applied to about 50. Got 17 interview offers, accepted 15. I'll probably rank them all.

In terms of applying, ~50 is good for a plain old MD. MD/PhD folks can probably get away with fewer apps but don't see any reason to do so given how high the stakes are.

You'll probably get a little more info after the rank lists are locked in...you'd be surprised who reads this message board.