Disclaimer: I think for my contribution Ill post impressions of some of the places I visited in the middle tiers because it seems like lots of these places dont get much press on SDN. Ill forgo discussing top tier programs further, and Ill skip impressions for any program I visited but did not rank.
These impressions are from my personal notes at the end of each interview day, away rotations, and conversations with applicants and mentors. Ive tried to be very honest, which includes pointing out some negatives of programs. I dont mean to offend, just presenting my impressions. Feel free to disagree as these interview experiences are super short and it is tough to get a good feel for programs in half a day or so.
In evaluating programs, job placement, perceived support of program leadership, and gut feeling were paramount for me. Also, I found that the best way to convey my impression of a program to family or friends was through comparing it to a car, so Ill do the same here. When pointing out the flaws of a car, its important that people know whether you are criticizing a Ferrari or a Kia.
With that said, lets get started
.
Utah
In terms of a facilities, imagine a four star hotel built into the side of a mountain and you have the Huntsman Cancer Institute. I liked this program. Good faculty. However, I wouldnt describe the chairman as gregarious. Smaller program with 2 residents per year. About 6 years ago or so they had the highest number of publications per resident in the country, but I doubt they are near the top now. Dont get me wrong, this is a great place to train, but with so many programs making great strides someone has to move down the list. The residents were nice. Didactics appear to be solid and I was actually surprised to hear that they have a borderline intense chart rounds session with pimping (which I think is a good thing). Utah is one of the programs that probably attracts more qualified applicants than the program would otherwise, based on location and dearth of other programs in the mountain states. I would be happy to train here.
Car equivalent: Infiniti G35beautiful exterior, solid performance.
UPMC
Great technology (other than protons) and great clinical training due to Dr. Beriwal. Got grilled by a few interviewers; however, I was forewarned by residents and faculty. You know an interviewer is trying to get under your skin when, after you respond to a question, he/she says Im going to give you another chance to answer that question
3 times. In the end I just laughed it off. The interview day was a little painful with a 2-3 hour session of sitting in a room while the second group interviewed. Come on guys. I did like the bus tour of Pittsburgh, which really did change my mind about the city.
Lots of volume, ranked #10 cancer hospital. Ultimately the program's resume was impressive, and I thought to myself that this would be a solid place to train, but I didn't leave stoked. This is probably due to the fact that I didnt click with a few of the faculty members and could envision rough rotations working with them. I think this is one of those situations where this would be a great program for some, just not for me.
Car equivalent: Chevy voltGreat car and Im sure some people love it, just not for me.
UC Davis
I actually really liked this program. I really liked Dr. Chen, the program director--very down to earth and honest. He is one of the coolest out therethe type you could hang out with. Yeah its a smaller program, but in terms of gut feeling, I came away with very positive vibes. The chairman was personable and easy to talk to and the young faculty all seemed awesome, open, and honest. Not sure how good job placement would be, but youd be happy as a resident. Sacramento would be nice place to live.
Car equivalent: Subarau BRZ/Toyota GT 86cool, inexpensive, fun little sports car. Not going to win many races, but a joy to drive.
Iowa: I thought this was a solid program. Its funny, the thing that keeps coming to my head is that last year was the first year that all residents had an abstract at Astro. I guess I thought they were further along as a program. Nice facilities. Seem to have lots of research opportunities. I think I remember a fact sheet saying that they are probably getting protons, but that seemed unlikely before we finish residency. I liked the program director and chairman. I think its hard to recruit to Iowa. In the end, you would get good training.
Car equivalent: HyundaiLots of cool features, improving, not yet the name recognition of a Toyota or Honda.
Washington:
Very impressive interview day. Wow, they sell themselves well. Awesome clinical training, PD is dedicated to resident training, liked all the faculty, Seattle is just awesome. The panel interviews were strange at times (evil genie, magic vacation, lost in a desert, etc.) but I really liked how one of the interviews scheduled was for you talk one on one with a faculty member. This faculty member was responsible for selling the program to you and answering any concerns in a confidential, personal settingno other program did this, and I thought it was an excellent idea.
They have protons and every other technology. New chairman coming (since no one else has said who it is yet, I guess I'll hold off as well)not sure what that means for the program. Beautiful facilities, very cool residents, down to earth people, fun program. Clinical research is there, but you have to go get it. Perhaps higher than average work hours per week.
The only thing is, after I got over my infatuation with the program on interview day and let things settle (and spoke with trusted mentors) I was better able to recognize some weaknessesresearch, leadership turnover, and job placement. Seattle is still Seattle and this program is probably 4th or so on the west coast (UCSF, Stanford, UCSD?).
Car equivalent: Acura TLclassy, tasteful, technologically advanced, yet not necessarily a performance car to compete with others (more clinically focused).
Ohio state
What a surprise this interview was. Very impressive. Basically this program is a bit of a gamble with the possibility of a big payout. I really liked the dinner the night before at the program directors house. He was super funny and this was a very nice touch that set a friendly tone for the rest of the trip. Interview day was so long, with interviews beginning after lunchthat needs to change for next year. The chairman (vice-chair of RTOG brain tumor committee?) is from Harvard and struck me as one of the most genuine people I met on the trail. The PD Pelloski trained at MD Anderson and is awesome and funny. I got the impression that both would be awesome resident advocates. They have hired many impressive staff from top programs and are headed in the right direction. They openly acknowledge that they are turning a program around and have goals for greatness. Dr White (chair of RTOG breast committee) was recently recruited. The new facility will be awesome; loved the hardhat tour. The research going on and planned seems to be great.
Kind of unproven but they seem to have everything that you would need to be successful, most importantly a nice stable of impressive staff members already on board and tons of resources from the parent institution (OSU). I ended up ranking this program about 3 spots higher than I anticipated prior to interviewing. This program is still a bit of a gamble, but at this point I think the possible reward outweighs the risk. I predict this will be a top 15-20ish program by the time we finish residency.
Car equivalent: Nissan GTR in pre-productionA well known brand Nissan (Ohio state) with lots of resources develops a supercar to rival other top automakers, and, like the GTR, I think OSU will develop an impressive product.
Minnesota
Not a whole lot to say about this program. It is a small program (2 residents/yr) and the department is not very committed to research. Minnesota is as cold as they say. The residents were nice and cool. Seems like the clinical training is good. Makes sense for people who have ties to the area. Sorry, cant remember too much about this one
.
Car equivalent: Chevy Aveosolid economical car that will get you to your destination.
Maryland
Dont mean to offend anyone, but I was disappointed by my experience on interview day. In talking with friends on the trail, its clear I wasnt the only one to leave underwhelmed. Or perhaps my expectations were just too high given the rave reviews of the program in the past. Yes, they are getting protons, yes their grads have landed at good places, yes I would get good training, but my gut told me I wouldnt be happy there. I didnt feel like I connected with the chairman. The program director works at a satellite, which seems to be hard on the residents. Lots of traveling between sites if I remember correctly. Overall, I just came away bummed out; I wanted to like it so much more than I did. The program and the city are just not a good fit for me. I ended up ranking this program about 3 spots lower than I expected to prior to interviews.
Car equivalent: hmmm
.Lexus of some kindnice brand, well respected, maybe not as exciting to drive as one might expect.
Mcw
Solid program. Milwaukee is a good place to live with good cost of a living. Although Dr. White left, still seems like a very stable program. Good job placement. I guess the thing I remember most is thinking that the department was just peaceful, with happy faculty and residents.
Car equivalent: Honda Civic or Toyota Camrynot necessarily flashy, but established history of reliability.
Nebraska
Program began in 2010, just getting fourth resident. Good chairman and good faculty. People are happy there, just unproven and very small. I liked the residents. Basically I got as good a vibe as possible given the small size, Omaha, no track record, few machines, etc. I appreciated that they provided all transportation and a hotel for the night before the interviewclassy. I was hesitant to make the trip, but in the end glad I went. Whoever matches here will be happy.
Car equivalent: Toyota Yarissmall but solid car.
Cleveland Clinic: Not sure why this program doesnt get more love. This is such a great program. The training is top-notch. My impression is that this is a very structured, challenging, but non-malignant program. Applicants who rotated here had excellent things to say about the program. Yeah, the morning conference was somewhat intense, but didnt seem malignant. Lots of patient volume, nice brand name institution, #6 cancer center, nice mix of awesome young faculty and older well-known names, nice facilities, great job placement, dedicated in-house statistician, windows in departmentwhats not to love? The weakness of the program is basic science research, although an MD/PhD was recently recruited. However, for most applicants, basic science is not a high priority. Instead, great clinical training and clinical research opportunities are more important, and the Cleveland Clinic delivers both.
The only thing that seemed odd about the interview day is that the program kind of failed to sell itself. Maybe they assumed everyone already knew it was a great program.There was no grand presentation a la Yale or Washington that left you buzzing. Despite all the great aspects of the program, I wonder if more than a few applicants may have left the interview day not realizing how much this program has to offer.
Car equivalent: BMW M5respected brand name BMW (Cleveland Clinic) and a beautiful car, but those who bother to look under the hood realize that this car has the performance to hang with cars of better pedigrees.
Well thats it. What a fun experience to visit so many great places and meet so many awesome people. It was fun to see how different programs did or did not sell themselves. I think the programs who dont try to sell themselves or actively recruit the applicants they like are making a mistake. Everyone wants to know they are wanted, and I think it does influence rank lists. Good luck to all my fellow applicants in the match this year! Less than three weeks away! Still cant believe how fortunate I am to have found this amazing field of medicine.
(feel free to PM me if you want to ask more questions about these programs and I'll see what I can do)