Ophthalmology Interview Trail 2014 - 2015

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medphysik2015

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I have created this thread by request for discussing issues/thoughts/concerns that arise along the interview trail. Good luck to us all and god bless.
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w00t! a fresh new thread for me to have an anxiety attack in ;)
 
BTW, i keep seeing mentions of an SFMatch excel file with program info in it. Anyone know where to find it, or do we no longer have it this year?
 
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elementals said:
jesus christ, i think something really IS wrong with my email. i actually called a school up just to see what was going on and they were like "what, you didn't get our email?"

5 min later i had an interview invite in the box.

SO PARANOID NOW. GONNA CALL ALL MY SCHOOLS D:
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Which program was that?
 
USC, actually. So far that's the only program my email dropped, but I only got in touch with a handful of live people... left a bunch more messages.

Edit: I'll mention that I checked my spam boxes too. It wasn't there; I just flat-out never got the email somehow.
 
I'm adjusting to the new website format. I think I miss the little red alerts at the top of the screen.
 
Only 1/3 of my programs have sent out interviews and I have 6. So, I should get about 18 - 12 interviews total. But I had this random thought last night, what if the other 66% of my schools have sent out invites already but word hasn't been posted on sdn. I wonder what the chances of this are.. I have no idea how many ophtho applicants are trolling or posting on sdn.

Of the ~700 of us, around 45-80 will apply for positions at each school depending on the programs size and number they interview. If invites are randomly given out randomly (which they may or may not be), there is around a 10% chance any given applicant will receive an invite ((45 to 80)/700 ~ 0.1). Maybe someone who is more skilled can provide a more formal analysis but my understanding is that if we have ~ 20-30 people posting then we should have all the data because 20-30 x (0.1) is well over one (20-30 given applications times 10% chance of receiving an invite per each applicant), meaning, a 100% chance that 1 person posting on sdn of any given 20-30 posting on sdn will get an invite to a certain program.

My conclusion is that unless at least 20-30 different people are posting we can't be sure we have all the data. I count over 20 different people on the interview thread so it is reasonable to conclude we have at least most of the data and that most schools haven't sent out invites.

However, factors that may cause this analysis to be invalid are the following: 1.) We have assumed invites are random, this may or may not be true. 2.) We have assumed that invites do not vary geographically, when they most likely do. 3. ) Furthermore, we have assumed that there is geographic diversity of sdn posters, this hasn't been confirmed but is a reasonable assumption.

To make sure we have all the data, we might want to check that we have many people, with various board scores and research experiences, who are from various places and who are posting or willing to post.

TLDR: don't freak if most of your programs haven't sent invites. They are coming.
 
medphysik2015 said:

TLDR: don't freak if most of your programs haven't sent invites. They are coming.
Click to expand...

I agree, sort of. As another data point, last year's SDN compilation of interviews ultimately had 104, which is a very high fraction of the total programs. So I do think these compilations ultimately become pretty complete. On any given day, there might be some lag, but I wouldn't think too much.

But the distribution of interviews is really weird. I was thrilled to initially receive several interviews. I've had nothing but silence for over a week, maybe two. I don't understand why the big change in getting interviews. My Dean's letter was fine. Maybe the less competitive programs hand out their invites before the more competitive ones? If so, the pain for me will only continue.
 
I totally agree about the nervewracking silence, Brath! But if you look in the main interview thread you'll see there's actually several of us who are experiencing the exact same thing -- an early flurry of invites that had us all feeling fantastic, and then ....... nothing or virtually nothing for what feels like weeks. And if you look at people posting up their interview invites, it's generally been a quiet 1-2 weeks across the board. I mean, interviews are obviously going out, but maybe not as many as in late September.

For what it's worth, I don't think the early/late invites have all that much to do with quality of program -- even though sometimes I worry that that's the case, and therefore I'm not "competitive" enough to have a chance at the big shots! If you look at the list so far, though, there are schools that I would have considered very competitive that invited in September.

I suspect really what's going on is that there are some programs that invite before the Dean's letter, and others that invite after. The reason we probably had a flurry in mid/late September was because the no-Dean's-letter programs probably started looking at their apps in early September, and then 2-3 weeks later sent out their invites. Meanwhile, the programs that are looking into Dean's letters probably waited until early October. If that reasoning is correct, and if timings are similar between the two groups, then I'd expect we might see more invites starting next week and going into the one after, which would be about 2 weeks after Dean's letters came out.

Obviously all this is based on wild speculation, but it sounds logical enough that I can cling to it as a flotsam of hope :D

Two more things: first, I think SDNers in general are a pretty competitive lot, and even amongst us, the poll seems to peg the "average" number of interviews (at least as of early this week) at around ~5. So I suspect nationwide, maybe most people at this point are only hanging on to 3-4 interviews in all.

And second, I think some of our panic also stems from a sort of recall bias. As of Monday, I was sure that it had been two whole weeks since I last got an invite. Then I looked in my files to check and... it had only been 6 days. It probably just feels like forever because at this point most of us are done with aways and taking lighter electives in preparation for interview season, and therefore we have all the time in the world to freak out :p

TLDR:
- There's probably a lull right now as programs look at Dean's letters
- We're probably just all freaking out for no good reason (myself absolutely included in the panicked mob)
 
Brathmore said:
I agree, sort of. As another data point, last year's SDN compilation of interviews ultimately had 104, which is a very high fraction of the total programs. So I do think these compilations ultimately become pretty complete. On any given day, there might be some lag, but I wouldn't think too much.

But the distribution of interviews is really weird. I was thrilled to initially receive several interviews. I've had nothing but silence for over a week, maybe two. I don't understand why the big change in getting interviews. My Dean's letter was fine. Maybe the less competitive programs hand out their invites before the more competitive ones? If so, the pain for me will only continue.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have heard some others echo this. I haven't had as many interviews as some people I know, or those whom have posted, but they have been steady. I don't know how y'all picked programs to apply to, but I only applied to places my wife and I would seriously live. This excluded about 50-60 programs just based on region. This being said, most of my schools (out west) haven't sent out invites yet. How many of your schools have sent out invites? most?
 
medphysik2015 said:
How many of your schools have sent out invites? most?
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Glad y'all started this thread...but I wish I didn't have the compulsion to check it so often. Geez. Anyway, I applied to 60 schools, 25 of mine have sent out invites (based on the ongoing list) and I've received 11 invites.
 
Can't wait for my first interviews and match day!
 
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Oh man, no invite from Stanford for me -- despite that when I called to check last week they said my file had been reviewed "very favorably". That stings a bit, esp considering I went there! I wonder if it's because I canceled my away rotation with them :(
 
Would anyone be willing to switch U Maryland interview dates? I have Nov. 6 and would really like to switch to Nov. 5. If anyone would be willing to do that, let me know. Thanks!
 
If anyone wants to switch dates for University of Pittsburgh, please PM me. I have Nov. 21st and would like to switch to the 22nd.
 
If anyone could switch dates for UVA, please PM me. I am scheduled for Nov. 14 and would like Nov. 17.
 
If anyone wants to switch dates for SLU, please PM me. I have Nov. 11th and would like to switch to the 7th.
 
If anyone is willing to switch UAB or Arkansas, please PM me; I'd like to change a couple dates:

UAB: Currently Nov. 15, would like Nov. 14
Arkansas: Currently Dec. 4, would like Nov. 20
 
Is anyone willing to switch Utah dates? Please PM me.

Utah: Currently November 14 and would like November 10 or 17
 
I'd like to switch Oklahoma dates if anyone is interested. I currently have 12/8 and would like to switch to either 11/24 or 12/15. Thanks!
 
Have you been contacting programs that you're particularly interested in either before interviews are distributed or afterwards? Any success/advice about this?
 
Does anyone want to switch their Beaumont date from 11/15 for my 12/6?
 
OphthoDeb said:
Have you been contacting programs that you're particularly interested in either before interviews are distributed or afterwards? Any success/advice about this?
Click to expand...

I personally have not, but I know someone who did so in recent years and got 4 additional interviews as a result.
 
What kind of timing should one use for such an email? A couple weeks after they send out their invites? Or sooner?
 
I don't remember for sure, but I think that they sent out emails of interest very shortly after invitations went out.
 
Not a major switch, but is there anyone that wants to switch from the 11/15 afternoon slot at UVA and take my morning slot?
 
Anyone interested in swapping UVA interview dates? I am currently 11/15 and need to change to 11/17.
 
Anyone interested in trading the following interview dates? Thank you!
-Penn State (have 12/5, want 12/8)
-UF Gainesville (have 12/8, want 12/1)
 
Super last minute, sorry: anybody need Yale for 11/21-22, in exchange for 10/25?
 
Anyone for date swaps?

- USC: have 12/5, want 12/4

and

- UC Davis: have 11/21, want 12/5

As you can see I'm juggling my schedule to try to cram another one in xD Edit: clarified dates; realized my language was totally vague and confusing.
 
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Anyone interested in swapping dates for University of Mississippi:

I'm currently 11/15 and would like 12/6
 
Just a thought on the relative lull the last week and a half or so. The national AAO conference is this weekend, and I know all of the faculty at my school are leaving for it or are already out of town. I spoke with one program who mentioned that they were waiting until after the conference to review applications and make decisions. It would make sense that a major national conference in the middle of the month could be a big reason for the usual lull in mid-October. Might be able to expect things to pick back up late next week and into the last week in October.
 
ohh gotcha.
gpw37 said:
Just a thought on the relative lull the last week and a half or so. The national AAO conference is this weekend, and I know all of the faculty at my school are leaving for it or are already out of town. I spoke with one program who mentioned that they were waiting until after the conference to review applications and make decisions. It would make sense that a major national conference in the middle of the month could be a big reason for the usual lull in mid-October. Might be able to expect things to pick back up late next week and into the last week in October.
Click to expand...

^^Thanks for the heads up, I had no idea.

We are going to be flying across the U.S. with the recent Ebola cases. Please tell me I am not the only one who has at least thought about this.
 
medphysik2015 said:
We are going to be flying across the U.S. with the recent Ebola cases. Please tell me I am not the only one who has at least thought about this.
Click to expand...
Thankful to have gotten UTSW and Yale....but yes, I have thought the same thing as I book tickets to these places. I hope it gets under control soon.
 
hey, wondering if anyone wants to switch for my:
University of Arizona Skype interview on 12/12? I can basically do any other day and would appreciate the help!
 
Hey everyone!
Just wondering if anyone would be willing to swap their beaumont interview date with me - I'm slotted for 12/6 but would like to go on 11/15 to coordinate with other interviews in the region. I'm not above bribery btw...I've got killer baking skills. PM me if interested/able. Thanks!
 
Can anyone help me with either of the following? Please PM me.

(1) Exchange a UT Houston date (I have Nov. 7th and would like Oct. 31)

(2) Exchange a Minnesota date (I have Nov. 21st and would like Nov. 20th).
 
Has anyone received confirmation of their JSEI/UCLA interview date after the invite yesterday?
 
Anyone looking to switch to Dec 3rd for UC Irvine? I'm looking to get Nov 11th. Thanks!
 
Looking to switch my 11/21 date at UT-Memphis (Hamilton Eye Inst.) for a 12/8 date
 
Anyone like to swap the following interview dates?

UT San Antonio - have 11/14, want 12/12
U Minnesota - have 11/21, want 11/20
Kresge - have 12/4, want 11/19
 
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