where to interview?

[polkadotcap]

For medical school as well as for selecting the programs you apply to for residency, I know that it is prudent to have some "reach" and well as "safety" schools in the mix. However, once you get your interviews, do you need to tailor your list of places you go accordingly- a few that you might see as "reaches" and a few "safeties"- or does that matter at this stage of the game anymore? In other words, if you're good enough to get a solid number of solid programs, should you still interview at some middle/low tier places just to be sure you'll match?

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[earboy]

i'd say yes. furthermore, if you are a strong applicant, rank only those programs you would truly be happy with. when i did it, i went on about 15 interviews which consisted of some top programs and some "safety" programs. when it was time to rank, i ranked about 11 of the 15 only because i didn't want to be at those other 4 programs. i was confident enough in my strength as an applicant that I felt OK about leaving them off my list..... caveat here is that you better be a strong applicant to do that because most people will rank every single program they interview at (because they want ENT that bad or they're not personally confident in their overall quality as an applicant or they need every chance they can get). to me, it wasn't worth it to end up at those other programs. bottom line is that there are no guarantees. having a safety is always prudent. you may also be lulled into thinking that some programs love you and want you and so on. don't believe any of it because it's b#$34sh#t pretty much every time. So rank based on what you want and not on what programs that seem to love you tell you.

 

[ent]

1st question: Why is it that programs say they love you and they want you at their program when they really don't mean it?

2nd question: Do you think that programs feel obligated to interview all applicants who did a sub-I at their program, even if they don't like the applicant? How about when programs think that the applicant just isn't a good fit? Do you think programs will find a way out of extending an interview to such applicants?

 

[forbin]

Re. question #1- I don't necessarily think it's always a lie if programs give you hints that they really like you. However, they may "love" you and rank you #3 or 4 on their list, but if they end up matching their top 2 picks, you are s*** out of luck. That being said, though, always take anything a program tells you with a grain of salt.

For question #2, you should generally expect to get an interview at a program at which you have done an away rotation. There are exceptions, though. I personally did not get interviewed by the program where I did an away sub-I. This program was a bad fit for me, and as a result I was a pretty crappy sub-I, so not getting an interview wasn't a big shock. If you work hard and show enthusiasm on your away rotation, you will almost certainly be interviewed. If you do a lousy job, you may not get interviewed.

 

[TheThroat]

When it comes to interviews at oto programs, there are no such things as "reaches" and "safeties". No matter if you are a Nobel prize winner who plays violin for the New York Symphony, you still are not guaranteed a spot in every program you interview at. Almost every program in the US has applicants wanting to be there. I would apply widely and interview widely.

I applied to 30 programs, got offered interviews at 15, had conflicting dates and had to turn down 2 interviews. So, I interviewed at 13 places.

Re: not ranking a place that you interview at, you have to ask yourself: would I rather NOT match than go to this place? I couldn't answer yes to that question for even my 13th ranked program, so I ranked them all.

 

[earboy]

Just from personal experience, I was told by a very prominent east coast program that I would be ranked to match. I ranked them #1 and didn't match. Just look out for yourself and don't believe what they tell you, whether it's "rank to match", "rank you high", whatever. They will probably see another batch of applicants the next week and see someone else they like more and that little arrangement with you goes out the door.

As for sub-I's, we have not invited all sub-I's (wheter local or visiting students) if it is felt that they wouldn't be a good fit.

 

[mritch]

whoa earboy, that kinda sucks. good to know the warning. rank to match is a pretty strong phrase. those three little words...

i think that programs have the same mindset as applicants. they have the same fear that they won't match all their spots and will have to scramble. so they speak more highly of the applicants just like we speak highly of the programs.

 

[kwmd]

just a quick question about interviewing - how much otolaryngology talk is involved in the interviews? it's been 3-4 months since my sub-i and my knowledge is rusty at best...i'm concerned about getting pimped...are the questions mostly to find out about your personality?

 

[resxn]

just a quick question about interviewing - how much otolaryngology talk is involved in the interviews? it's been 3-4 months since my sub-i and my knowledge is rusty at best...i'm concerned about getting pimped...are the questions mostly to find out about your personality?

It varies. Usually, you're not going to get pimped unless you bring it up. For example, at Yale, one doc asked if I had given any presentations in ENT. I told him that I hadn't done any research presentations, but that I had gone back to my undergraduate school to teach an advanced anatomy course on head and neck and just finished one on the surface anatomy of the middle ear. He asked me to teach him about the topography of the medial wall. Fortunately, he was a general ENT and I was able to impress him, but if it was an otologist, I'm sure I would have been crushed.

I don't think I was ever asked, nor have I ever asked an interviewee, a pimp question right out of the blue to know their ENT knowledge. That's why your coming to residency, because you don't know jack. The interviwers know that.

 

[TheThroat]

pimped...are the questions mostly to find out about your personality?

If you have done research, know about it. I was asked about the mechanism of the outer hair cells, because I had done research on it. Otherwise, don't try to memorize Secrets or KJ Lee as it won't help you.

That said, the questions are not all about your personality. Be able to talk about your likes/dislikes/strengths/weaknesses/interests/etc. All that junk that makes up interviews. Be able to tell a story of when you learned something/led something/were defeated/rebounded from defeat/etc. Be able to talk about your research in depth, with color printouts of slides that you made, with excitement about the project. Remind yourself to look the interviewer in the eye, smile, have a firm handshake. Know some questions to ask the chairman: what's the future of the program? what research is the program most excited about? what does she/he think about the politicization of health care in the US and is she/he in favor of universal healthcare? think about these questions and be prepared to ask intelligent questions when asked to do so. Nothing is worse than asking a interviewer if they have any questions and then they say, "nah".