Official 2016 IM Match Results!!!

[thehundredthone]

guess I shouldn't be surprised seeing 270s on steps anymore

SDN bias. You should be used to it by now.

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[Anonymice]

New account, again, but because I owe it to this forum for all of the help it has offered over the years. Particular thanks to the attendings and others who return year after year with advice and help.

School: Ranked ~30-50
Step Scores: Step 1 and 2 both 245-255
Grades: Honors in peds, psych, medicine, surgery. HP in family and OB.
Research: middle-author bench science before medical school
AOA: No
Rank: Top 25%
Interview Invites:
- East: MGH, BIDMC, BU, Brown, (Columbia, Cornell, Mt. Sinai, NYU)
- South: Duke, Vanderbilt, UNC, UVA
- Midwest: Michigan, U Chicago, NW, (WashU)
- West: UCSF, U Washington, Colorado
(Did not attend)

Rejections: BWH, UPenn, JHH
Matched (+ # on ROL): MGH or UCSF (#1) -- sorry, for anonymity's sake
Advice:
- I applied across the country, and loved programs in the south and midwest (UChicago, Michigan, and Vandy stood out as both happy and competent). However, when it came time to choose where to live, the final rank list consisted predominantly of the regions where we had family and friend ties. Better programs outside of my regional comfort zone fell further down the list. It's worth thinking about this ahead of time if you need to save money on interview trips.
- In IM, third year grades seemed to matter a great deal -- just as much as step 1 scores.
- Anecdotally, you CAN match off the waitlist -- I saw this in several of my friends
- The interviewers do quite often read your personal statement. I'm not sure how much it impacts your score, but it was advertised as being basically irrelevant at my school and I don't think it is.
- My guess for IM is that you get a pre-interview score based off of your stats and application, and you get an interview score. A small amount of PD fiddling may occur based on other things, but i did not get the sense that there was as much analyzing of the applicant's every move as we made it out to be.
- Think hard about your #1 in medicine. A lot of people seemed to get their #1.
- Pre-interview letters begging for an interview count. Email early. If you have honest ties to a region and didn't get an interview, send a letter about why you are genuinely interested in their program to the PD via PC and send it probably within the first 3 weeks after applications are submitted.
- Post interview communication seemed irrelevant. I sent no thank you notes, and no #1 letter. I also heard total silence from all programs other than a few xmas cards.
- I did have a few friends receive deceptively warm communications in response to #1 letters at programs where they didn't match.

 

[IMreshopeful]

I don't really get the whole "anonymity" concern on this site. It's not like the program director is trolling this website looking to see who matched - they already know...

 

[tantacles]

I don't really get the whole "anonymity" concern on this site. It's not like the program director is trolling this website looking to see who matched - they already know...

Some people don't want others to know who they are on the internet. Not too surprising, really, considering the fact that you have to work with the people at your residency for three years.

If I saw an incoming resident trash my program and I had ranked it number 1, don't you think I would start hating that person pretty much immediately? If I can identify them, I have a definite object for my hate.

 

[jesok]

Some people don't want others to know who they are on the internet. Not too surprising, really, considering the fact that you have to work with the people at your residency for three years.

If I saw an incoming resident trash my program and I had ranked it number 1, don't you think I would start hating that person pretty much immediately? If I can identify them, I have a definite object for my hate.

Also, many of us will be applying for fellowship at which point the applicant pools become much smaller especially within a given program, thus one becomes much easier to identify.

 

[IMreshopeful]

Some people don't want others to know who they are on the internet. Not too surprising, really, considering the fact that you have to work with the people at your residency for three years.

If I saw an incoming resident trash my program and I had ranked it number 1, don't you think I would start hating that person pretty much immediately? If I can identify them, I have a definite object for my hate.

If you care that much what a rando on the internet thinks, even if you can identify them, then that's another issue altogether.

As far as the fellowship pool bit goes, trust me when I say that you won't care particularly much when applying as to what X person on the Internet says or does. There's a lot less obsessing and agonizing like there is for residency in the sub-forums. I went through this process myself recently so...

 

[tantacles]

If you care that much what a rando on the internet thinks, even if you can identify them, then that's another issue altogether.

As far as the fellowship pool bit goes, trust me when I say that you won't care particularly much when applying as to what X person on the Internet says or does. There's a lot less obsessing and agonizing like there is for residency in the sub-forums. I went through this process myself recently so...

Considering the number of people who have been reprimanded by their medical schools or programs for posting ****ty things on Facebook, I really don't think SDN is any different. Being anonymous can be useful.

 

[rpdnathan]

School: Ranked top 20
Step Scores: Step 1, 225; Step 2, 250
Grades: Honors in medicine; rest HPs
Research: did a summer research project and got a poster out of it; but heavy undergrad research (got four publications, including one first-author)
AOA: No
Rank: Not sure.
Interview Invites:
UPMC, Maryland, GWU, UNC, VCU, EVMS, Vanderbilt, Emory, MCG, MUSC, Mississippi, Wake, Greenville (SC), Cincinnati, Tennessee, and some lower ranked programs in the Southeast

Didn't apply west. Primarily focused on southeast since my family lives here.

Rejections: Duke, Tufts, NW, Cleveland, Chicago, Michigan, Mayo, Cleveland Clinic, Jefferson and others that didn't say anything

Matched (+ # on ROL): my #1, excellent program in the Southeast and nationally.
Advice:
1) Step 1 scores do matter for the most part. My score was below average for IM but I am fortunate enough to gather some interviews from impressive places. Then again, I had rejections from top places that I'm sure had to do with my Step 1 score, grades, and not being AOA. I had a large improvement on Step 2 CK which I honestly don't know increased my chances of getting interviews. However, I want to say that don't restrict on applying to top places just because you think your Step 1 will limit you. You might be surprised.
2) I would suggest to apply to lot of places in the regions you are interested in of all sorts of caliber range. I was focused on southeast and northeast (applied nearly 40 programs) and received several invites and cancelled several as the interview season progressed. I know some of my classmates who just applied to top programs and eventually received enough invites but it was stressful for them during November when they only had about 8 invites whereas I had about 15 at that point and could cancel a few and still be okay.
3) Studentdoctor gets members who are academically high performing with incredible stats, etc. I used this forum to see if I got an interview invite from a program that another applicant did. I would not recommend it honestly because it was depressing at times when I saw someone did get an invite and I didn't by that date. Some of the top programs that I ended up getting interviews were in January (people stopped posting if they got interviews at that point). So all I can say is that invites can still roll until late January. If you haven't gotten an invite from a program you really want, you can send an interest letter (I only did to one and got an invite two months later - so not sure if it helped or not) and hope and wait. It will work out.
4) IM is becoming more and more towards the "no thank you notes" policy which I really appreciated. Some programs, including the one I matched into, said explicitly absolutely no thank-you notes. I only sent ones to those who did not say that explicitly. I also did not send the "I'M GOING TO RANK YOU NUMBER ONE SO PLEASE RANK ME HIGH TOO SO I CAN MATCH HERE." to my number 1. And I'm ended up doing fine.

In brief, for those going into the match next year, apply broadly and it is going to be a long waiting game. Keep hope and you'll be fine.

 

[DrKabi]

Because this thread was useful to me throughout the whole process I will pay is forward by summarising my experience for fellow IMGs. School and grades : IMG so doesn't matter
Step scores: Step 1: 244 Step 2: 254 Step 3: 252 CS on first attempt
Additional factors that helped my application: PhD and M.Sc. from Top 3 UK institution and 13 peer reviewed papers with 7 being first author publications, 3 years UK clinical experience.
Interview Invites: I applied to 40 university programs . Was focused on programs with research track IM residencies because of my interest in pursuing a career in academic medicine and clinical research. Got 16 invitations including Baylor, MayoClinic Rochester, UPMC, UMD, Emory,Tulane, UTSW, JHU, Yale, UW, U Michigan , UNC, Case Western, UAB , UMinessota and Icahn Mt Sinai.
Rejections: As an IMG I got lots of rejections which was expected.
Matched : My number 1 choice into an IM/research track residency

Advice: I was very ambitious with my application for an IMG but this is because I felt I had the credentials to back that ambition plus I had the alternative to stay in the UK for my training at a great institution so didn't have too much at stake. Nonetheless I still got a lot of rejections at places I am sure I would have been more than competitive for had I been an AMG , but that is the nature of the game. For me the biggest lesson is know the strength of your application and have reasonable expectations as an IMG. Once you get an interview I think the playing field pretty much levels out and if you interview well you can get your preferred position. Step scores will open doors so make sure you ace those and preferably get them all cleared before you apply if you can. If you have advanced degrees and an extensive publication record definitely apply to research track residencies. Although competitive they have fewer applicants and you are less likely to be screened out as an IMG by the automatic filters. Most places consider UK clinical experience and equivalent to US clinical experience so having that on your CV is a bonus.
I hope this helps some future applicants next year. Good luck for the next match season.

 

[imgagine]

...

 

[EMorIM]

Great stuff. Any USIMG (Carib in particular) want to share? Also would be nice to get more representatives from the average-stats group.

 

[gutonc]

WAMC thread had 405 posts this year. Help Me Rank thread had 718. This thread has <100 with only 1/2-2/3 of them being match results.

Seems about right.

 

[tantacles]

For comparison: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/official-2015-im-match-results.1126256/

Reasonably comparable! After the second page, the number of actual match results peters out.

 

[235009]

WAMC thread had 405 posts this year. Help Me Rank thread had 718. This thread has <100 with only 1/2-2/3 of them being match results.

Seems about right.

wonder how many responses you would get if you sent out a "gentle reminder" to those who posted in those threads to post in this one or offering to post anonymously for them ....may be worth a try

 

[gutonc]

A Nonny Mouse


School: "Top 10" school
Step Scores: Step 1 250s, Step 2 CK 250s / CS passed first attempt (Step 2 scores not available until after interviews)
Grades:
Honors in IM, IM sub-I, 2 IM electives, 1 non-IM elective, psychiatry, neurology, pediatrics
High Pass in Surgery, OBGYN, EMed
Research: 6 publications (3 first author in impact factor 5-15 journals, 3 buried-in-the-middle), 5 posters, 1 presentation
AOA: No
Rank: top 25% ?
Interview Invites: UTSW, Emory, JHH, Penn, Columbia, Stanford, UWash, UCLA, BID, Mt. Sinai, NYU, UChicago + others
Rejections: UCSF (probably would have been my #1), MGH, BWH, Northwestern, Cornell

Matched (+ # on ROL): at my #1!

Advice:
1) LORs matter significantly. I opted to get a letter from my sub-I attending (rather than attendings in neuro or psych who had offered to write "glowing" letters for me) and in retrospect it wasn't the strongest letter I could have gotten (new attending + didn't write glowing comments on my cohort's evaluations). I'm absolutely thrilled with how my application cycle turned out though and would have done the same thing all other again. But from talking with friends and classmates throughout our interview season, I would say that LORs are the main reason why I didn't get interviews at UCSF, MGH and BWH.
2) Keep an open mind on the interview trial! Some programs I wasn't thinking strongly about really surprised me on interview day, and others gave off not-so-great impressions. Trust your gut when ranking!
3) Be patient! I would say that most interview invites didn't happen until a month after the MSPE was released. Don't get too worried if you don't hear from any places initially!
4) Enjoy 4th year! We all end up where we're meant to be.

 

[buonassezia]

And/or if unwilling to post here, at least consider signing this abolish CS thingy:
http://endstep2cs.com

 

[gutonc]

wonder how many responses you would get if you sent out a "gentle reminder" to those who posted in those threads to post in this one or offering to post anonymously for them ....may be worth a try

I've done it in the past. Usually results in 1 or 2 responses.

 

[235009]

I've done it in the past. Usually results in 1 or 2 responses.

Maybe try unlocking the help me rank thread and "reminding" people to post their results in this thread. You're likely to reach a large audience who posted/subscribed to that thread.

 

[gutonc]

Maybe try unlocking the help me rank thread and "reminding" people to post their results in this thread. You're likely to reach a large audience who posted/subscribed to that thread.

If they cared, they'd be here.

 

[235009]

If they cared, they'd be here.

 

[123abc456]

School: mid-tier program in the southwest
Step Scores: Step 1 and 2CK both 245-250/CS-Pass
Grades: 1/2 honors and high pass for years 1-2, Honors: Sub-I, IM, Peds, Psych, and 4th yr Crit Care. HP: Surg, OBGYN, Neuro, Family
Research: 1 poster, 1 oral presentation, 1 new project, no pubs
AOA: No
Rank: No idea
Interview Invites: UAB, UT Southwestern, Emory, BCM, UT-Houston, WashU, UCSD
Rejections: Lots (the 'big 4', lots of top 30-per-doximity schools, some silent rejections)

Matched (+ # on ROL): UT Southwestern! (1)

Advice:
1. Apply broadly and to lots of places, especially if trying to stay at academic centers. I was told my list of (pretty top-heavy) 23 schools would be plenty by many advisors, and found myself pretty nervous when interviews didn't start coming in early. I would say academic IM is certainly competitive, especially if you're lacking in big research, big LoRs, or killer step scores. Work hard during third year.
2. Be patient! I received interviews in pretty spaced out intervals, including a very late invite at the end of December when I had assumed invites were done. If they haven't rejected you officially, there is still always a chance.
3. Letters of interest matter. At least I feel they did. At least 2 interviews I received shortly after emailing a program about my (genuine and honest) interest in their programs and my willingness to move there.
4. Be kind, respectful, and have fun on interviews. IM interview days were overall pretty relaxed and easy going. I always got the vibe that programs really just wanted to meet you, determine what you're all about, and see if they'd like working with you for 3 years. You'll end up seeing familiar faces at multiple interviews, so always be professional, kind, and friendly to staff and other interviewees.
5. The pre-interview dinners/happy hours were golden for learning a lot about what residents truly thought of their program, city, and how they got along with each other. I felt I learned a ton about the type of residents at each program by seeing how and how much they interacted with each other and interviewees, and hearing them discuss work and after-work plans.

Good luck! It's a long process, so enjoy 4th year and travel as much as you can!

 

[gutonc]

More anonymous stuff. But a couple of things first:

1. Seriously...if you're going to make me post your result anonymously, at least tell us where you matched, not just where on your rank list.
2. If you're a brand new user (or you created an alt account just to PM me your result), you could hardly be more anonymous already...just post it.

Having gotten that out of the way.

School: low tier medical school
Step Scores: Step 1 240s, Step 2 CK 240s / CS passed first attempt (Step 2 scores available before interviews)
Grades:
Honors in IM sub-I, family med, psychiatry, neurology, pediatrics
High Pass in IM,OBGYN
Pass in Surgery
Research: 1 publications (second author), 5 posters
AOA: No
GHHS: Yes
Rank: Second quartile
Interview Invites: UPMC, Duke, UNC, Brown, Jefferson, Ohio State, UVA, Tulane, VCU, Carolinas, Washington MedStar, Maryland, home institution
Rejections: Vanderbilt, Penn, Wash U, UW, BIDMC, Michigan, Northwestern, UChicago, Hopkins Bayview, Georgetown, GW, Emory, UAB, MUSC, BU, Tufts

Matched (+ # on ROL): at my #5

Advice:
Honor your medicine clerkship third year!
Don't hesitate to reach out to programs that you are interested in.
Aways can help you get the interview but they don't necessarily help you with the match all the time.
My #1 and #2 were later interview offers (Dec/Jan)
Be prepared to talk about your research
Enjoy 4th year.

School: Top 50
Step Scores: Step 1 240s, Step 2 250s, Step 2 cs Pass
Grades: H in everything except IM and OB; honored subI
Research: none
AOA: no
GHHS: no
Rank: top quartile
Interview Invites: Emory, Penn, Sinai, Yale, WashU, UWash, UTSW, Case, Brown, Dartmouth, BU, NYU
Rejections: Big 4, Cornell, Columbia, Duke, Michigan, UC, Northwestern, Vandy, etc.
Post-interview communication: had a couple of unsolicited post-interview e-mails, did not respond to anything; did not send a "you're my #1 e-mail"
Matched (+ # on ROL): Penn, #1

Advice:
- This whole process is a complete crap shoot, so apply broadly and include reaches especially considering how cheap it is to apply
- Research is not the end all be all to end up at a top 10 institution if you have done other scholarly projects/ pursuits that can substitute for it
- Had an interesting hobby that was talked about at every interview so take this section seriously
- Make sure your letter writers know you well- LORs were commented on at almost every interview
- Take time to write a good personal statement- my PS was very clear in terms of what I hope to do, why I chose my intended specialty, and what I can feel like I can offer in terms of what I've already done in the past
- Attend pre-interview dinners though these get incredibly tiring after a while--was helpful to get a feel for the program; I was so surprised to really fall in love with a program that ended up being lower on my list only due to location
- Have a positive attitude throughout the interview process no matter how monotonous and tiring it gets
- If you don't honor IM as a third year, don't fret--just take your subI early in fourth year and work your butt off!
- Enjoy fourth year-- this time will never come back again!

 

[gutonc]

2 more (unnecessarily) anonymous results:

School: upper tier state school
Step Scores: Step 1 low 220s, Step 2 CK 240, step 2 cs pass (step 2 CK released during interview season)
Grades: honored 1 course M1-M2, high pass medicine, honors sub-I, honors in 75% of other rotations
Research: independent research project with many poster presentations, other research with 3 oral presentations, 1 peer review lit 4th author
AOA: not even close
Rank: unknown
Interview Invites: Georgetown, Mayo (Rochester), Arizona, UW-Madison, Minnesota, Iowa, Loyola, Rush, and many other community programs in the Midwest & Pacific Northwest,
Rejections: Vandy, UW, OHSU, Colorado
Silent rejections: GW, BU, Tufts, UIC, MUSC

Matched (+ # on ROL): Mayo, #1!

Advice: I had the best time interviewing all over the country. I made lots of fun trips visiting friends , couch surfing, and meeting everyone along the way. Please enjoy this time!

- take step 2 CK early if you don't kill step 1, wish I would have - got more interviews once I submitted step 2 CK. You will get screened out of places you might think you are competitive at just based on step 1. Be okay with this and know it up front.
- find a mentor like a former or current IM program director and have them read your app before you submit it.
- if you have a program that you want to interview at badly, ask mentors or leaders at your school to call on your behalf. This works if you have a relationship and someone can vouch for your awesome-ness
- research helps make a well rounded application. I talked about it in every interview to some extent (not saying it is needed, but was helpful!)
- be passionate. Know your app. Love what you do. It will show! Enthusiasm is contagious!
- I believe I succeeded in getting my top choice because of my involvement in outside activities related to improving the medical field, great attitude, and hard work which was shown through comments on my MSPE. Programs want residents who will thrive and be team players. Your board scores do not define you. Show in your app why you are much more than that.


School: Top 30
Step Scores: Step 1 220s, Step 2 250s, CS pass
Grades: H/P/F during MS3, P/F during MS4. Honors in surgery and family, passes on everything else.
Research: PhD, lots of pubs, lots of posters
Rank: bottom quartile
AOA: Nope
Interview Invites: Emory, UAB, Wake, MUSC, USF, U Mississippi, LSU, U Florida, U South Carolina, MCG, U Tennessee, and a bunch of university-affiliated and community programs
Rejections: lots, whatever academic IM programs in the south not mentioned above

Matched (+ # on ROL): Wake Forest (#2)

 

[tryptophan321]

School: Top 40 MD
Step Scores: Step 1 250s, Step 2 260s, CS Pass
Grades: HP Med/Surg, H everything else
Research: a few projects but only one abstract and one insitutional poster presentation
AOA: Nope
Rank: 2nd highest "code word"
Interview Invites: UChicago, Vanderbilt, Yale, Wash U, Colorado, Pitt, NYU, BU, Tufts, Brown, Wisconsin, URochester, UVM, UIC
Canceled Invites: UVA, USC, UC-Irvine, UC-Davis, Cedars-Sinai, Utah, Loyola, Rush, Thomas Jefferson
Rejections: UCSD, OHSU, UNC, Penn, BWH, MGH, BIDMC, Cornell, Northwestern, UWashington, Cal Pacific, UCSF
Silent Rejections: Emory, Duke, Michigan, Columbia, Mt. Sinai

Matched (+ # on ROL): BU, #1 (I know that this isn't particularly helpful since I didn't rank a "reach" program first, but I figured seeing interview invites / rejections could still be helpful. For what it's worth, received an email from Yale a week later stating that they would have been thrilled to have me match and asking why I ranked BU first.)

Advice:
1) HP in medicine can definitely hurt, especially if you're not AOA. Unfortunately my home institution is notorious for withholding H's in medicine, so not much I could do about that.
2) SEND PERSONALIZED INTEREST EMAILS. Seriously, don't be shy. You have nothing to lose but your dignity and that doesn't really matter if you can get the interview Send them earlier rather than later, i.e. after the first wave of invites comes out. DON'T wait until all the interview slots have been filled up (this is usually the case by the end of October). Also DON'T send a mass email. Tell each place why you'd like to go to their program specifically, and also why you're interested in that region of the country. I got several invites and several personal replies from PDs by doing this. Also, I went gutsy and contacted PDs directly rather than coordinators. Probably most effective for the programs that you're already competitive for (and your application just got lost in the chaos), but also you have little to lose by shooting a message to a reach program.
3) Most importantly, do not get caught up in the bullsh*t. The interviews will come. You will get some interviews that you don't deserve, and you won't get some interviews that you do deserve. People in your class may get into a frenzy and start a d*ck measuring contest of who has the best interviews, etc. etc. blah blah blah. Don't forget that life goes on during this interview process. I interviewed at so many great places and ultimately would have been happy anywhere in my top 8, but I wasted a lot of time fretting over not getting the best ones or the right ones or whatever. Try not to do that!

 

[JumblesMcGee]

School: Carib IMG
Step Scores: Step 1 26os, Step 2 270s, CS Pass
Grades: A's M1-M2, Honors in everything MS3 except Ob
Research: Poster presentation
AOA: Non-existent for IMGs
Rank: 5%
Interview Invites: Cleveland clinic, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Washington hospital center, Lenox hill, Beth Israel, St. Luke's-Roosevelt, Jacobi, Norwalk, Stamford hospital, Stony Brook, UArizona, UConn, UMaryland Midtown, UMass, Winthrop
Canceled Invites: Albany medical center, Arrowhead regional medical center, Bridgeport hospital, FAU, Jersey Shore University, Kern medical center, Lincoln, Maimonides, NYP Queens, Newark Beth Israel, NYU Lutheran, Orlando health, Roger Williams, Rutgers NJMS, Santa barbara cottage, SUNY downstate, SUNY upstate, UHawaii, UNevada, UOklahoma Tulsa, Wycoff, Waterbury Yale
Rejections: As an IMG too many to list (~60)

Matched (+ # on ROL): Dartmouth, #2

Advice:
1) Did not realize that interviews are given regionally, I had a NYC address at the time, but ultimately did not want to end up in the city
2) Definitely worth it to swallow your pride and email interest to programs that you haven't heard from yet
3) A lot of people will tell you the personal statement is irrelevant, but mine was brought up in 15/16 of my interviews

 

[Animalcules]

School: Carib IMG
Step Scores: Step 1 26os, Step 2 270s, CS Pass
Grades: A's M1-M2, Honors in everything MS3 except Ob
Research: Poster presentation
AOA: Non-existent for IMGs
Rank: 5%
Interview Invites: Cleveland clinic, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Washington hospital center, Lenox hill, Beth Israel, St. Luke's-Roosevelt, Jacobi, Norwalk, Stamford hospital, Stony Brook, UArizona, UConn, UMaryland Midtown, UMass, Winthrop
Canceled Invites: Albany medical center, Arrowhead regional medical center, Bridgeport hospital, FAU, Jersey Shore University, Kern medical center, Lincoln, Maimonides, NYP Queens, Newark Beth Israel, NYU Lutheran, Orlando health, Roger Williams, Rutgers NJMS, Santa barbara cottage, SUNY downstate, SUNY upstate, UHawaii, UNevada, UOklahoma Tulsa, Wycoff, Waterbury Yale
Rejections: As an IMG too many to list (~60)

Matched (+ # on ROL): Dartmouth, #2

Advice:
1) Did not realize that interviews are given regionally, I had a NYC address at the time, but ultimately did not want to end up in the city
2) Definitely worth it to swallow your pride and email interest to programs that you haven't heard from yet
3) A lot of people will tell you the personal statement is irrelevant, but mine was brought up in 15/16 of my interviews

You have amazing scores. Crazy how the big programs avoid carib-IMGs. Granted research would have really helped your app.

 

[Raphoid20]

School: Not top 50
Step Scores: 231/239/Pass
Grades: 3rd year: H: Peds; HS: Medicine, OB/GYN, Family Medicine; S: Surgery and Psych; 4th year: H in Sub-I and MICU
Research: 3 peer reviewed publications and 8 posters (1 international); global health work
AOA: not
Rank: no idea
Interview Invites: UPMC, Yale, Brown, Tufts, BU, Maryland, Jefferson, GW, Einstein-Montefiore, Wake Forest, Vermont, Temple, Drexel, Penn State, UMass, UConn, Stony Brook, North Shore-LIJ, Robert-Wood Johnson, NJMS, a few others
Rejections: BWH, MGH, JHH, Rochester, Dartmouth UNC; silent rejections: Mount Sinai, NYU, Hopkins Bayview

Matched (+ # on ROL): Stony Brook (couples matched)

Advice: The couples match process is nerve-wracking but it usually works out in the end (stay patient, drink some wine and catch up on Netflix). My fiancee and I decided on only the East Coast as it was very driveable and cut down on interview costs substantially. E-mail program directors sooner rather than later when you or your significant other receives an invite (this worked out very well for us, a lot of programs are willing to work with applicants). This sounds logical, but don't crap on your own program or on other programs during the interview day. Surprisingly, I heard this from more than a few applicants, within earshot of program directors. Good luck!

 

[vanillain]

School: Top 25 MD, Midwest
Step Scores: Step 1 260s/Step 2 CK 270s/CS Pass
Grades: All As M1-M2, H in everything but OB and Surgery
Research: 0 publications, 5 posters, 2 oral presentations
AOA: Yes
GHHS: Yes
Rank: First quartile
Interview Invites: Duke, UNC, UVA, Vanderbilt, UTSW, Baylor, Penn, Columbia, Mt. Sinai, Wash U, UW, Wisconsin, OHSU, BIDMC, Michigan, Northwestern, UChicago, UAB, UCSD, UCLA, Stanford, Colorado, Mayo, Yale
Rejections: Big 4, Cornell

Matched (+ # on ROL): UW, #1!!

Advice:
- Research matters (talkin' bout publications) for the big dogs after comparing my application with classmates who got interview invites from the Big 4... that or a smooth tasting 4.0.
- Put a career path on your personal statement, even if you are unsure at the time. If you don't, you get paired with a grab-bag of interviewers with whom you may not connect.
- Create a story for yourself and sell it.
- It's time to reach for any connections to the various departments that you can find... it really helps if someone puts in a good word for you.
- Get ready to spend some money. I went on 15 interviews (which was way too many) and spend about $7500 total. Try to save or get a family member to loan you some cash.
- USE: TSA Pre-check, pocket steamer, AirBNB, public transit

 

[novafan3000]

Hey guys.. Rising M3 here so just starting to get into this enigma and I have perhaps a stupid question... In the last charting published about the CO 2014, it says that IM US seniors basically have a 80% chance of matching just by passing boards (in addition to some other basic qualifications I'm sure).. I realize SDN is "right-shifted" with stat-posters, but when you guys say IM is getting "competitive" what does that exactly mean? Because the data (although, it says the avg IM matched had step 1 of 230), is pretty reassuring that most US seniors will match in IM if they so desire (albeit it may be in less-desirable areas) with basic qualifications and enough ranks in the specialty? Thanks! Congrats on your terrific matches.

 

[ArsèneLupin]

Hey guys.. Rising M3 here so just starting to get into this enigma and I have perhaps a stupid question... In the last charting published about the CO 2014, it says that IM US seniors basically have a 80% chance of matching just by passing boards (in addition to some other basic qualifications I'm sure).. I realize SDN is "right-shifted" with stat-posters, but when you guys say IM is getting "competitive" what does that exactly mean? Because the data (although, it says the avg IM matched had step 1 of 230), is pretty reassuring that most US seniors will match in IM if they so desire (albeit it may be in less-desirable areas) with basic qualifications and enough ranks in the specialty? Thanks! Congrats on your terrific matches.

What IM getting competitive to me meant:

It's getting harder to match at the top tier/ desirable places. Empirically there seemed to be a high high number of IM applicants esp from top tier schools (ex. Utsw had around 80 applicants for IM). My guess is many of the applicants who would have gone into a surgical subspecialty( be it beacuse of hours or w/e) went the way of IM with hope of cards or Gi or even hospitalist. What does this mean ? The "average " applicant gets crowded out from what would have been reachable reaches but still matches down hia list. I had a totally personable buddy match 8th on his rank list. The match gets more competitive every year .

 

[EMorIM]

Hey guys.. Rising M3 here so just starting to get into this enigma and I have perhaps a stupid question... In the last charting published about the CO 2014, it says that IM US seniors basically have a 80% chance of matching just by passing boards (in addition to some other basic qualifications I'm sure).. I realize SDN is "right-shifted" with stat-posters, but when you guys say IM is getting "competitive" what does that exactly mean? Because the data (although, it says the avg IM matched had step 1 of 230), is pretty reassuring that most US seniors will match in IM if they so desire (albeit it may be in less-desirable areas) with basic qualifications and enough ranks in the specialty? Thanks! Congrats on your terrific matches.

I think you have it basically right. Some IM places just want warm bodies. A US MD applicant willing to go anywhere is, barring all but the reddest of flags, essentially assured of a spot. When people say it's competitive they mean "academic IM in desirable locations" is competitive.