2015 Match Rank List Help Thread

[Steege305]

It may not actually be that time, but I'm so sick of perseverating on this. I just keep thinking that there might be an angle that I haven't thought of yet, so any help is appreciated.

How would you rank: UNC, St. Luke's Roosevelt, Columbia, Mt. Sinai, Yale, Cedars-Sinai, UW?

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[deleted171991]

How would YOU and why? Then people might tell you what they think you're wrong about in your assumptions.

 

[partydoc]

Figure out where you want to live, all those programs will give you good training.

 

[nap$ter]

It may not actually be that time, but I'm so sick of perseverating on this. I just keep thinking that there might be an angle that I haven't thought of yet, so any help is appreciated.

How would you rank: UNC, St. Luke's Roosevelt, Columbia, Mt. Sinai, Yale, Cedars-Sinai, UW?

I would rank UW first and not rank the others.

 

[deleted171991]

Your advice is to rank just one program for the match?

 

[nap$ter]

Your advice is to rank just one program for the match?

out of the options presented, yes.

the OP asked how I would rank those programs.

no one can tell the OP how HE/SHE should rank those programs without more information (as you suggested).

 

[deleted171991]

out of the options presented, yes.

the OP asked how I would rank those programs.

no one can tell the OP how HE/SHE should rank those programs without more information (as you suggested).

I don't know most of those programs well enough, but why wouldn't you rank the rest, and why would you rank UW first?

 

[secants]

1) UW/Columbia - Which coast do you want to live and practice?
2) Sinai
3) UNC
4) Yale
5) Cedars
6) St. Luke's

 

[gasblaster]

It may not actually be that time, but I'm so sick of perseverating on this. I just keep thinking that there might be an angle that I haven't thought of yet, so any help is appreciated.

How would you rank: UNC, St. Luke's Roosevelt, Columbia, Mt. Sinai, Yale, Cedars-Sinai, UW?

How would YOU and why? Then people might tell you what they think you're wrong about in your assumptions.

Agree. It all depends on what you're interested in. These programs all vary in one way or another. Interested in academics? Then Columbia, UW, and Yale (no particular order) would stand out. Want to live in a big city? Then I'd put UNC and Yale lower on the ROL. Moonlighting and laid back environment important? Then put Sinai higher. Etc.

 

[nap$ter]

I don't know most of those programs well enough, but why wouldn't you rank the rest, and why would you rank UW first?

i would rank the UW first and none of the others because:

a - the UW's program is excellent and was a great fit for what i desired in training: incredibly high acuity with a great variety of hospitals/experiences (UWMC, Seattle Childrens, Harborview, the VA, Virginia Mason, Evergreen, etc...), hard work, (for the most part) world class attendings, and a prestigious name for the CV. folks tout VM as a better regional school, but the numbers at the UW are more than sufficient.

b - Seattle is da bomb (this could be a whole other thread)

c - finishing residency at the UWMC puts one in a pretty sweet spot for a lot of nice jobs in the Pacific Northwest

d - I personally don't want to live on the East Coast for 3 years, and was sufficiently certain that i would match at my top choice that i only ranked two anesthesia programs (both UW)

i wouldn't recommend the OP only rank the UW, but the choices are weird. 5 of the 6 are east coast; the UW doesn't really belong in that grouping. i didn't apply to any east coast programs - geography preference.

 

[deleted171991]

1) UW/Columbia - Which coast do you want to live and practice?
2) Sinai
3) UNC
4) Yale
5) Cedars
6) St. Luke's

Interesting ranking (beyond no. 1). I haven't even heard about anesthesia at UNC until today.

 

[Steege305]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I had most of it worked out except for my top 3, but now I'm all set - this took me from 90% to about 99% on my top choice. I'll post my final ranking once the ROLs are finalized.

 

[hikikomori]

.

 

[jthedestroyr]

It's funny how your perception of NYC versus Seattle is completely different than mine. Everybody has their on preferences right?

I interviewed at a few NYC programs, since I'm on the east coast now, but I'm originally from the west coast. I absolutely loved UW, but the NYC programs didn't click for me. Maybe since I'm not single, living in NYC just doesn't appeal to me.

I do agree UW does have it's negatives: no free parking or free lunches, no moonlighting opportunities (although we were told internal moonlighting and a few things on the horizon). Although I wouldn't think those should be deal breakers. I also liked the fact they work hard since I want to come out of residency not just being competent, but a bad ass.

 

[norwood]

Seattle's beaches have no friggin' waves, good luck surfing there... paddling maybe.

As opposed to NYC?

 

[nap$ter]

It's funny how your perception of NYC versus Seattle is completely different than mine. Everybody has their on preferences right?

I interviewed at a few NYC programs, since I'm on the east coast now, but I'm originally from the west coast. I absolutely loved UW, but the NYC programs didn't click for me. Maybe since I'm not single, living in NYC just doesn't appeal to me.

I do agree UW does have it's negatives: no free parking or free lunches, no moonlighting opportunities (although we were told internal moonlighting and a few things on the horizon). Although I wouldn't think those should be deal breakers. I also liked the fact they work hard since I want to come out of residency not just being competent, but a bad ass.

UW will probably never have internal moonlighting - they have been talking about it for the last 15 years.

relative to the big picture ie a 30 year career whether you can make $50/hr moonlighting here and there during residency or not matters not one whit.

paying for parking sucks during residency - i recommend stealing cheese from the cafeteria to tip the scales towards justice.

 

[nap$ter]

I used to be like you. Want to have "good" training, top name, big city, bla bla bla. You see, your day as an anesthesia resident is dependent on which attending you work with. One attending will crush your soul no matter what you do. Or there is an attending whom you know you will have a good day even if you screw up. Not to mention, you sometimes get yelled at by the surgeons because they think they are god and you are just their "gas passer." Do you really want to be in a high-strung environment, working until 6pm when you are NOT on call to relieve CRNAs, having no free parking or free lunches, no moonlighting opportunities, then go ahead go to those places. People have their own measures of happiness.

As for Columbia,.. the institution, not the country.. NYP is a FINE institution, a 2400+ bed hospital with high acuity. Excellent ICU training, for one. They even have a 1 on 1 training for ICU ARNPs, which is almost unheard of in other institutions. UW's Harborview level 1 trauma center only has 400+ beds. It has a lot of trauma because Seatte-"ites" can't drive ****. I really do not think it is comparable there. But, both will give you excellent trauma training given their variety of cases. Sinai has moonlighting. I forgot which other ones have moonlighting. If you get paid $50/hr for staying late in the OR, you will be a happier resident... I'm just saying...

As for location, I cannot really say about the southern states because I have never lived there, but sorry dude, NYC beats Seattle... big time!! You can go anywhere from NYC by train, by car, heck by plane. You can go to Abu Dhabi on a direct flight from JFK if you like. You can easily drive to Connecticut, Boston, Providence, NJ, PA, MD etc from NY.
From Seattle, the next "big cities" are Vancouver, Canada and Portland.... mehhh, they are just like any other american cities (yes, including Vancouver), rather nondescript, I'd say. California, however, is a nice and easy access from PNW. If Mt. Reiner is your thing, mehh we have Adirondack in NY, plus we have other ski resorts easily accessible in our neighboring states. Seattle's beaches have no friggin' waves, good luck surfing there... paddling maybe.

Anywho, good luck in the match.

seattle's beaches are on the sound - the surfing on the real wa coast is actually pretty good.

 

[anesapp2014]

So ranking 6-7 programs is a safe bet? I'm at the point deciding whether or not to cancel interviews. Going through charting outcomes it seems that way but I don't want to be that lone outlier. When it means contiguous ranks, does each program count as 1 regardless of adv/cat? Or if you rank "A" cat, then "A" adv it counts as 2?

There are also some programs that I got interviews at only after expressing interest, so I'm not sure whether or not these are programs that are seriously considering ranking me and that's what makes me more worried.

Is Cedars-Sinai really that bad with terms of autonomy? The program directors there really sold it as an advantage but then again, they may be biased. Will my training really be that hindered?

 

[ProEra]

So ranking 6-7 programs is a safe bet? I'm at the point deciding whether or not to cancel interviews. Going through charting outcomes it seems that way but I don't want to be that lone outlier. When it means contiguous ranks, does each program count as 1 regardless of adv/cat? Or if you rank "A" cat, then "A" adv it counts as 2?

There are also some programs that I got interviews at only after expressing interest, so I'm not sure whether or not these are programs that are seriously considering ranking me and that's what makes me more worried.

Is Cedars-Sinai really that bad with terms of autonomy? The program directors there really sold it as an advantage but then again, they may be biased. Will my training really be that hindered?

I believe contiguous ranks means separate programs, where categorical and advanced positions count as 1 rank. If you're a 4th year MD student, you have a ~95% chance of matching with 7 ranks. In my mind, interviewing at 6-7 programs is too risky for me. Plus, I wanted the opportunity to interview at a few places outside of my current geographical region. But, if you really have a geographical bias, 7 programs should be fine.

 

[Steege305]

So ranking 6-7 programs is a safe bet? I'm at the point deciding whether or not to cancel interviews. Going through charting outcomes it seems that way but I don't want to be that lone outlier. When it means contiguous ranks, does each program count as 1 regardless of adv/cat? Or if you rank "A" cat, then "A" adv it counts as 2?

There are also some programs that I got interviews at only after expressing interest, so I'm not sure whether or not these are programs that are seriously considering ranking me and that's what makes me more worried.

Is Cedars-Sinai really that bad with terms of autonomy? The program directors there really sold it as an advantage but then again, they may be biased. Will my training really be that hindered?

Just to be clear, I'm ranking 9 or 10 programs. I'm not feeling ballsy enough to just rank 6.

 

[gasblaster]

So ranking 6-7 programs is a safe bet? I'm at the point deciding whether or not to cancel interviews. Going through charting outcomes it seems that way but I don't want to be that lone outlier. When it means contiguous ranks, does each program count as 1 regardless of adv/cat? Or if you rank "A" cat, then "A" adv it counts as 2?

There are also some programs that I got interviews at only after expressing interest, so I'm not sure whether or not these are programs that are seriously considering ranking me and that's what makes me more worried.

It depends on what kind of applicant you are and what kind of programs you're ranking. If those 6 are all competitive programs, then probably not the best move. I wouldn't count on programs that offered you an interview only after expressing interest. You could definitely still match there but I'd play it safe.

Just to be clear, I'm ranking 9 or 10 programs. I'm not feeling ballsy enough to just rank 6.

 

[anesapp2014]

Well, I'm ranking 12-14 programs, 3 or so I interviewed at after expressing interest (but these are pretty high up on my rank list). Question is if I feel like going on more. I'm interested in west coast and can't really see myself training at NYC so I'm not sure if I should keep those.

 

[Cumberland_Doc]

Someone help me rank amongst: VCU, UAB, UNC, MUSC, UTenn, UMiss, MCW. Criteria: Geography (like the south), fellowship opportunities, not malignant, moonlighting

 

[secants]

^I'd put UAB at the top especially if you want to stay in the south.

 

[gasblaster]

Someone help me rank amongst: VCU, UAB, UNC, MUSC, UTenn, UMiss, MCW. Criteria: Geography (like the south), fellowship opportunities, not malignant, moonlighting

^I'd put UAB at the top especially if you want to stay in the south.

Agree. UAB and MCW probably fit your criteria the best but obviously UAB for your geographical preference.

 

[gratefulgas]

Does anyone think it's crazy to rank UConn above programs like Columbia, NYU, Northwestern and possibly UPMC? I had a good gut feeling there, and they seem to do everything these bigger names do in terms of clinical experience. Residents appeared happy, reported a relatively good work-life balance, and were able to moonlight. West Hartford seemed like an affordable and comfortable place to live for a few years. Besides living in NYC or Chicago, what might I be giving up by choosing to go to Connecticut? I think my future is in private practice not academics, but it's too soon to be 100% sure. Thanks for your opinions.

 

[DrMaximus]

If you're a 4th year MD student, you have a ~95% chance of matching with 7 ranks.

For the sake of discussion, what if you're a 4th year DO with a step I (>240), a few pubs, good letter, etc. I'm just curious what number would equal the same likely hood of matching.

 

[furosesonerolaquinox]

Looking at the 2014 Match results, I was very surprised to see that both Cornell and the Brigham had one unfilled spot each.

What could this mean? Obviously, it could be a red flag when a program doesn't fill in the match, but these do not seem like very troubled programs...

 

[furosesonerolaquinox]

Does anyone think it's crazy to rank UConn above programs like Columbia, NYU, Northwestern and possibly UPMC? I had a good gut feeling there, and they seem to do everything these bigger names do in terms of clinical experience. Residents appeared happy, reported a relatively good work-life balance, and were able to moonlight. West Hartford seemed like an affordable and comfortable place to live for a few years. Besides living in NYC or Chicago, what might I be giving up by choosing to go to Connecticut? I think my future is in private practice not academics, but it's too soon to be 100% sure. Thanks for your opinions.

Where is your future in terms of location? Do you know where you ultimately want to live as an attending?

If you want to live in NYC in the future or Chicagoland in the future, going to UConn may not be optimal compared to the other places you named.

 

[lynchmd]

I agree with furosesonerolaquinox. Find out where you want to live long term and go there...easiest transition. If you like NYC I would also add NYU to list. I went there for Anesthesia so I am biased, but I visited recently and was really impressed with the growth over the last 5 years.

 

[anbuitachi]

How does VM compare to uw?

 

[DrZzZz]

So ranking 6-7 programs is a safe bet? I'm at the point deciding whether or not to cancel interviews. Going through charting outcomes it seems that way but I don't want to be that lone outlier. When it means contiguous ranks, does each program count as 1 regardless of adv/cat? Or if you rank "A" cat, then "A" adv it counts as 2?

There are also some programs that I got interviews at only after expressing interest, so I'm not sure whether or not these are programs that are seriously considering ranking me and that's what makes me more worried.

Is Cedars-Sinai really that bad with terms of autonomy? The program directors there really sold it as an advantage but then again, they may be biased. Will my training really be that hindered?

I had several interviews last year only after expressing interest in the program. 2 of them, I really felt like they had nearly zero interest in me during the interviews, many of the interviewers hadn't even glanced at my application, etc. However, I didn't feel "out of place" at the others, and ended up matching at one of those which I interviewed at after expressing interest. So, it varies program to program. All you can really do is be on your A game and impress once you get there. 6-7 programs should be pretty safe based on the numbers, BUT...if you have other offers already that you have some level of interest in and can afford the time/money to visit them, I wouldn't cancel. You never know how much you'll like a place til you visit, and also, I wouldn't want to be an outlier that ranked "enough" programs but still didn't match.

 

[Jlaws67]

How does VM compare to uw?

Interested in hearing if anyone else has opinions on this? Interviewed at both and really wanted to like UW, but their interview day was a little less than impressive. VM seemed really strong but I'm worried that outside the PNW VM might be a little less recognizable name-wise, and that given they're a community hospital residents might not see some of the more obscure stuff you'd see at the University.

Also interested in any input on UColorado. Residents seemed really happy and the facilities/denver seemed awesome.

 

[gasdocDO]

Would love everyone's input. How would you rank Vanderbilt, UAB, and Wake Forest? I'm looking to stay in academics and have an interest in peds and pain. Also, we have a little one so I'm looking at the family-friendliness of the city. I had great visits at all three and feel that any of these would be a good fit for me. Thanks!

 

[AGenericUserName]

Interested in hearing if anyone else has opinions on this? Interviewed at both and really wanted to like UW, but their interview day was a little less than impressive. VM seemed really strong but I'm worried that outside the PNW VM might be a little less recognizable name-wise, and that given they're a community hospital residents might not see some of the more obscure stuff you'd see at the University.

Also interested in any input on UColorado. Residents seemed really happy and the facilities/denver seemed awesome.

UW - I felt the same exact was as did several others in my interview group. Was not impressed with the organization of the interview day. Parking cost is horrendous - $175 /month this year, might go up. The faculty at the interview were laughing about how far the residents had to walk from parking ("It must be over a mile from the parking to the surgery wing"). Most residents I spoke to biked or took the bus - but the bus is not reliable and it rains alot if you bike... They just approved a resident Union so hopefully with the new union contract residents see better benefits.

VM - The new hospital is very nice but the main hospital is old. This is a private practice hospital. FAST paced, everything is designed in the new hospital for effiency so you work fast. One of the CA3s told me lunches were unreliable, often did not get breaks. Lots of regional obviously. No transplants or traumas at VM but you can rotate outside for that exposure.

 

[ENFPanesthetist]

OHSU vs Vandy vs CCF vs MUSC?

Left each program feeling that was where I needed to be.
Happy residents at all 4.
No location restrictions or future "dream" locations.
Worried about importance of prestige in the "future" anesthesia market.

Thanks in advance for those telling me to follow my gut.

 

[Steege305]

OHSU vs Vandy vs CCF vs MUSC?

Left each program feeling that was where I needed to be.
Happy residents at all 4.
No location restrictions or future "dream" locations.
Worried about importance of prestige in the "future" anesthesia market.

Thanks in advance for those telling me to follow my gut.

The program director at my school had nothing but good things to say about Vandy, and listed it as one of the top programs. I didn't apply because I wasn't too keen on Nashville, but I have friends that are applying there in other specialties and they seemed to really dig it.

 

[Steege305]

Bump

 

[deleted171991]

Bump

Be careful, not to get hurt.

 

[floridaboy18]

Would love everyone's input. How would you rank Vanderbilt, UAB, and Wake Forest? I'm looking to stay in academics and have an interest in peds and pain. Also, we have a little one so I'm looking at the family-friendliness of the city. I had great visits at all three and feel that any of these would be a good fit for me. Thanks!

I am a Wake resident, but can speak of my experience here and the reputation of Vandy and UAB.

At wake, we are very family friendly. It is the most affordable city with a top 10-15 program in it. My wife and I have a three bedroom, two bath house, garage, yard for the dogs...pay $650 a month and we own the house. Our program leadership is very understanding of life and that "life happens." When things come up our program realizes that you have other priorities. This happens every year where at least one or two residents have a catastrophic life event outside the hospital and we adapt very easily given our life/family focus.

Our pain fellowship (since you asked) is top 5. Dr. Rauck is literally internationally known for what he does. Our clinical training is superb. Our most recent peds fellowship matches have all gone where they wanted (Denver Childrens, Boston, CHOP, etc). We do not have a fellowship in PEDS here, which I think is the only subspecialty where that is a strength. If there is a TE Fistula...you will get it as the resident. Yes, you will be one on one with an attending...but you get the case instead of having it stolen by a fellow. And should you decide to switch your mind regarding specialties we are strong in everything else. Our one "weakness" being critical care as this isnt really the focus of our program. Not a bad experience, but certainly weaker than our other strengths which are all very strong. You will be second to none in your airway and regional skills coming from Wake as well.

UAB is more similar to Wake than Vandy (Vandy is more critical care and research focused than Wake and UAB). The focus at Wake and UAB is clinical practice and education. Vandy is more akin to Duke in terms of focus.

I will say that UAB's pediatric experience (unless it has changed in the last two years) is weak. You are literally in the room with a CRNA during your peds rotations because it is a private practice pediatric surgeon group and they are concerned with efficiency and making money. I will say that in peds you need to somewhat be thrown into the water on your own because it is anxiety producing and having someone in there that does peds everyday might hinder your education.

Vandy as I mentioned is simply a different animal. More research and critical care based than Wake and UAB.

You can always PM me for more details reagarding Wake if you have specific questions, but if you are looking for a family friendly residency in an affordable city with some of the best clinical training you can receive...Wake is pretty hard to beat (I don't know is another program that fits all three of those combined needs better).

 

[Blueberry8]

Stuck btwn UNC, BIDMC, U of M, NW and U. Chicago. Regardless of location, how would you rank these programs in terms of clinical training and reputation?!

 

[whiteorgo123]

how likely is it that a decent applicant would match at their #1 program? (considering that you dont screw up the interview). I know it probably depends on many factors but any general overview on this?

 

[furosesonerolaquinox]

Would anyone mind sharing their takeaway bullet points/pros and cons for Hopkins? I am having trouble figuring out where to place it. I hate to ask so generically, but there was really little that stood out (positive or negative) to differentiate it from other big name places, perhaps due to interview fatigue and burn out, and I'd be interested in seeing what stood out to others.

One observation I did notice is that the residents I interacted with talked a lot about the big cases they did, but the case logs posted online were less impressive, with below-national-average numbers in many categories.

 

[anesapp2014]

How are you finding case logs for different institutions? I know that during interviews residents and program directors all say they're online, but either I have to be a resident to view them or I'm not looking at the right place. This is the link I'm using https://www.acgme.org/connect and it says after I login I can compare institutions, but I don't have a username and I don't think I can create one.

 

[anes]

1) UW/Columbia - Which coast do you want to live and practice?
2) Sinai
3) UNC
4) Yale
5) Cedars
6) St. Luke's

Wrong on number 5(cedars). It's an extremely weak program. I won't go into details, but if possible don't rank them, or rank them dead last (as your last backup). In LA this is the rank order ucla>usc>Loma Linda>harbor> the usc crna school> practicing anesthesia untrained > cedars sinai.

All I can say is trust me on this.

 

[anes]

So ranking 6-7 programs is a safe bet? I'm at the point deciding whether or not to cancel interviews. Going through charting outcomes it seems that way but I don't want to be that lone outlier. When it means contiguous ranks, does each program count as 1 regardless of adv/cat? Or if you rank "A" cat, then "A" adv it counts as 2?

There are also some programs that I got interviews at only after expressing interest, so I'm not sure whether or not these are programs that are seriously considering ranking me and that's what makes me more worried.

Is Cedars-Sinai really that bad with terms of autonomy? The program directors there really sold it as an advantage but then again, they may be biased. Will my training really be that hindered?

Yes it will be significantly hindered.

 

[LaMarcusAldridge]

Wrong on number 5(cedars). It's an extremely weak program. I won't go into details, but if possible don't rank them, or rank them dead last (as your last backup). In LA this is the rank order ucla>usc>Loma Linda>harbor> the usc crna school> practicing anesthesia untrained > cedars sinai.

All I can say is trust me on this.

Care to go into details? This is a pretty aggressive post about Cedars. What specifically about the program makes it so incredibly weak? If we are to "trust you on this," can you provide details about how you know the program is so bad and who you are (resident, program director, 4th year med student who is secretly ranking Cedars #1, pre-med, etc.). Thanks.

 

[anes]

Care to go into details? This is a pretty aggressive post about Cedars. What specifically about the program makes it so incredibly weak? If we are to "trust you on this," can you provide details about how you know the program is so bad and who you are (resident, program director, 4th year med student who is secretly ranking Cedars #1, pre-med, etc.). Thanks.

Like I said, I won't go into specific details. But, if you must know, I worked as an attending there. It doesn't affect me if a resident doesn't heed my advice, but I will say this... I would never trust a graduate from cedars to take care of anybody in my family.

Strong words? Yes. But I stand by them 100%.

I've worked with residents from usc, ucla, harbor, the Riverside DO program, and cedars. All other residents were well trained and humble. The residents are poorly trained and completely the opposite of humble (ie they don't know how poorly prepared they are for performing a safe anesthetic).

I don't blame the residents for this attitude, its what's taught to them by their pd. I just want medical students to become good safe anesthesiologists. That is not something they will learn at cedars.

 

[IkeBoy18]

For geographic and other reasons.. UT Houston is pretty much at the top of my list. Ive talked to a couple attendings/residents on this site, (also read all the old threads) I wanted to get some other perspectives. Anyone have experience with UTH they would like to share? re: the program or how you felt on interview day.. etc.. I know things have been changing with the new PD but is UT H still considered a level below the rest of the TX programs?

 

[courtnes]

For geographic and other reasons.. UT Houston is pretty much at the top of my list. Ive talked to a couple attendings/residents on this site, (also read all the old threads) I wanted to get some other perspectives. Anyone have experience with UTH they would like to share? re: the program or how you felt on interview day.. etc.. I know things have been changing with the new PD but is UT H still considered a level below the rest of the TX programs?

I really liked the program based on interview day. It seemed like the residents get solid training in pretty much every specialty, good fellowship placement, and the morale was good. All the faculty who helped out with the activities that day were excellent teachers and personable, and I got the impression that they were out to actively improve the program in every aspect. I also appreciated the focus on advocacy for our specialty, which is important to me, and I hope to all of us matching this year and in coming years.

If most of us applying had this impression - and I have heard this from other applicants - I would hope it is genuine.