Peds Residency Application Season 2013-2014

[mvenus929]

Somewhere around 10, maybe a few more if I get a lot of invites from my top 10 programs. No more than 13.

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[bowlofmushypeas]

I guess I should clarify that my question is more along the lines of whether most of your interviews will likely come before or post-MSPE release. I feel like I haven't gotten too many yet so am just curious!

 

[Luun]

I guess I should clarify that my question is more along the lines of whether most of your interviews will likely come before or post-MSPE release. I feel like I haven't gotten too many yet so am just curious!

From what I gather post-MSPE is when the bulk of programs give out most of their interviews. But I feel that the answer to this question is very program specific.

 

[Vita]

I guess I should clarify that my question is more along the lines of whether most of your interviews will likely come before or post-MSPE release. I feel like I haven't gotten too many yet so am just curious!

Peds PGY1 here.

I think my interview invites were split last year between being before and after my MSPE. I think many programs will send invites without it but just need it for when you interview/ when they rank.

My latest invite came sometime in Nov/Dec.

As far as the way invites are given out: I know that the PDs and faculty can filter ERAS all sorts of ways. They can sort by score, sort by school, etc. I think most places just do a screening process to get to the people that fit their criteria and then look at only those apps.

 

[bowlofmushypeas]

It seems like most peds applicants tend to receive invites to the vast majority of their programs (e.g. 16 invites to 18 applied). I've only received about a third (of around 45 programs) so far so I'm thinking that I'm falling behind most others. I wouldn't normally be this anxious, but I'm couples matching with a spouse in a competitive specialty and was initially advised to hold off applying to all potential overlapping sites since I'd be competitive enough to submit late (end of oct ish) and still receive invites. Now I'm getting worried that my PDs may have overestimated my competitiveness and that I should just send in all the applications ASAP.

 

[mvenus929]

It seems like most peds applicants tend to receive invites to the vast majority of their programs (e.g. 16 invites to 18 applied). I've only received about a third (of around 45 programs) so far so I'm thinking that I'm falling behind most others.

I've only received invites to 1/4, and one of my classmates applied to 30 programs and has heard from 2 (one being our home program, who invited everyone at our school). I haven't spoken to anyone else from my school recently, but I imagine it's much of the same. I think you're fine.

 

[tinkerdoc]

So, how many interviews do most people plan to attend? I was thinking around the ten mark. . .does that seem like enough?

i'm hoping to do somewhere between 15 and 20 interviews, which is what was suggested by the head of gme at my home program...i'm also fairly location specific and highly scramblephobic, so there's that to consider as well

 

[CardioPlus]

I hear ya guys...it's like my current preceptor (ortho surg, no less) said the other day, in response to the "what about the parents" thing...if nothing else, kids deserve our (doctor's) very best. I couldn't agree with him more.





How do, and others that are applying to both types of programs, plan to handle your rank lists? I guess since I'm doing DO only, I hadn't thought much about it. Do you basically just see if you get enough allo interviews and then only rank allo? Or do you go ahead and rank both with the hope of just matching anywhere? I'm sure it depends on personal circumstances. I suppose I just think about how most people end up in allo peds, but of course, most would be more than capable of matching DO as well, so maybe they just end up forgoing the DO match...

Yeah, if I get enough allo interviews in which I'll feel safe to withdraw osteo then I'll do that. It does become tricky though if I don't get that many allo interviews in which case I'll most likely leave my top osteo choices. And it also comes down to what programs I like after interviews. Def will be taking a lot into consideration when planning what to rank, etc.

 

[doopdidoop]

It seems like most peds applicants tend to receive invites to the vast majority of their programs (e.g. 16 invites to 18 applied). I've only received about a third (of around 45 programs) so far so I'm thinking that I'm falling behind most others. I wouldn't normally be this anxious, but I'm couples matching with a spouse in a competitive specialty and was initially advised to hold off applying to all potential overlapping sites since I'd be competitive enough to submit late (end of oct ish) and still receive invites. Now I'm getting worried that my PDs may have overestimated my competitiveness and that I should just send in all the applications ASAP.

why are you worried if you've already got 15 interview invites? that's pretty solid!

 

[bowlofmushypeas]

why are you worried if you've already got 15 interview invites? that's pretty solid!

I worry because I'm couples matching and I also applied to 45 programs so I view "15 invites" as more like "1/3" than in absolute terms if that makes sense. I would have a totally different attitude if I only had to consider myself in the process--15 invites would be awesome by now. Granted the programs I applied to are definitely skewed towards more competitive places, but my initial concern was whether 30% of offers at this point was a red flag that I'm not as competitive as other applicants and we'll have difficulty matching down the road, not that this matters at this point. I feel good about scores and ECs, but LORs have the potential to be a wild card for anyone.


On a totally separate note - does anyone have thoughts on Children's National Intensive Research Track (it wasn't a separate track that you apply to via ERAS). I was invited to learn more, but the website says it's 11 months of dedicated research without added residency training beyond 3 years--adding on nearly an extra year of research seems like a lot without extending residency.

 

[doopdidoop]

I worry because I'm couples matching and I also applied to 45 programs so I view "15 invites" as more like "1/3" than in absolute terms if that makes sense. I would have a totally different attitude if I only had to consider myself in the process--15 invites would be awesome by now. Granted the programs I applied to are definitely skewed towards more competitive places, but my initial concern was whether 30% of offers at this point was a red flag that I'm not as competitive as other applicants and we'll have difficulty matching down the road, not that this matters at this point. I feel good about scores and ECs, but LORs have the potential to be a wild card for anyone.


On a totally separate note - does anyone have thoughts on Children's National Intensive Research Track (it wasn't a separate track that you apply to via ERAS). I was invited to learn more, but the website says it's 11 months of dedicated research without added residency training beyond 3 years--adding on nearly an extra year of research seems like a lot without extending residency.

oh i see. to me, that sounds pretty solid regardless. it's october 1st today, i wouldn't start panicking or anything! and about the CNMC research track...i actually didn't do any reading into, but i tried to schedule my interview on a day to learn more about it. i didn't realize it was 11 months of dedicated research time! that does seem like a lot!

 

[LoveBabies]

Hi all!

I'm a US med student at a top tier school. I have good numbers (Step 1 in 250s, Step 2 in 260s), tons of research and publications, and good third year grades with Honors in peds. I applied to 25 programs, with a good number of mid-tier and "safety" programs.... I haven't gotten a single interview invite as of yet, and I'm not really sure as to what to make of this. I don't want to sound paranoid, but I have a feeling that something might not be right with my application, although I'm not sure what that might be. Any thoughts?

 

[bowlofmushypeas]

Hi all!

I'm a US med student at a top tier school. I have good numbers (Step 1 in 250s, Step 2 in 260s), tons of research and publications, and good third year grades with Honors in peds. I applied to 25 programs, with a good number of mid-tier and "safety" programs.... I haven't gotten a single interview invite as of yet, and I'm not really sure as to what to make of this. I don't want to sound paranoid, but I have a feeling that something might not be right with my application, although I'm not sure what that might be. Any thoughts?

I understand your concern. When did you apply? Also, this might seem obvious..but did you check ADTS to make sure all your documents are in?

 

[LoveBabies]

I understand your concern. When did you apply? Also, this might seem obvious..but did you check ADTS to make sure all your documents are in?

Thanks for your reply! I'm short one letter, but several of my friends have gotten 10+ interviews with just 1 or 2 letters in at the same schools I applied to. I submitted my app on 9/17.

 

[bowlofmushypeas]

Thanks for your reply! I'm short one letter, but several of my friends have gotten 10+ interviews with just 1 or 2 letters in at the same schools I applied to. I submitted my app on 9/17.

Did you apply to your home program? In your case, I would recommend shooting a quick email to your PD for more insight. It's likely a fluke, but I'd check in to be sure. Let us know how it goes!

 

[bowlofmushypeas]

There was a general thread on this in another forum with no replies. I thought it'd be good to raise the same question here -- at what point (if ever) would it be appropriate to email programs that you haven't heard from if you're either very interested or will be in the area for another interview? It seems like the majority of interviews go out by mid-Oct for peds, so I'm not sure how many slots will be available after that.

On a related note - what's the "latest" someone can apply at a place and reasonably have a shot at that program?

 

[Gifted Hands]

I have a similar question. I recently was offered an interview in chicago. I applied to one other program in chicago and I would love to schedule them both in the same week. I don't think I can fly out twice. Is it too early to email them? How is it usually worded? thanks!

 

[doopdidoop]

There was a general thread on this in another forum with no replies. I thought it'd be good to raise the same question here -- at what point (if ever) would it be appropriate to email programs that you haven't heard from if you're either very interested or will be in the area for another interview? It seems like the majority of interviews go out by mid-Oct for peds, so I'm not sure how many slots will be available after that.

On a related note - what's the "latest" someone can apply at a place and reasonably have a shot at that program?

would love thoughts on this....i heard that we're supposed to wait 2 weeks after the MSPE goes out to let them know...but this is hearsay from other students.

 

[natusss]

would love thoughts on this....i heard that we're supposed to wait 2 weeks after the MSPE goes out to let them know...but this is hearsay from other students.

Our dean of student affairs says October 15th (2 weeks post MSPE), so I guess we are hearing the same thing.

I was wondering from what percentage of places people have heard back. I am sitting at 50% (10 interviews) and I think I am ok, but I tend to stress

Best of luck everyone!

 

[doopdidoop]

Our dean of student affairs says October 15th (2 weeks post MSPE), so I guess we are hearing the same thing.

I was wondering from what percentage of places people have heard back. I am sitting at 50% (10 interviews) and I think I am ok, but I tend to stress

Best of luck everyone!

Lol. 27% with 10. I think you're fine.

 

[natusss]

Lol. 27% with 10. I think you're fine.

hehe... thanks! Interview session is totally unleashing the anxiety monster!

 

[mvenus929]

There was a general thread on this in another forum with no replies. I thought it'd be good to raise the same question here -- at what point (if ever) would it be appropriate to email programs that you haven't heard from if you're either very interested or will be in the area for another interview? It seems like the majority of interviews go out by mid-Oct for peds, so I'm not sure how many slots will be available after that.

I just contacted my adviser over the weekend because I haven't heard from a number of programs I'm really interested in--only 2 in my top 10 (I applied to 19). She said she'd give it another week before I start contacting programs. Of course, she also said that in the past, people weren't getting most of their interviews til the end of October/early November, so the MSPE going out so early this year + later application open date (Sep 15 vs Sep 1) makes it hard to say what the general invite trend is going to be this year.

My friend's adviser is the associate PD for our IM program, and he said they've gotten 10% more applications than they had at this time last year, so it's taking them a little while longer to get through things. The associate PD for our peds program told us today that in general, more of us applying meant that we were applying to more programs in general, so programs may just be bogged down with more applications than they've had in years past.

 

[doopdidoop]

I just contacted my adviser over the weekend because I haven't heard from a number of programs I'm really interested in--only 2 in my top 10 (I applied to 19). She said she'd give it another week before I start contacting programs. Of course, she also said that in the past, people weren't getting most of their interviews til the end of October/early November, so the MSPE going out so early this year + later application open date (Sep 15 vs Sep 1) makes it hard to say what the general invite trend is going to be this year.

My friend's adviser is the associate PD for our IM program, and he said they've gotten 10% more applications than they had at this time last year, so it's taking them a little while longer to get through things. The associate PD for our peds program told us today that in general, more of us applying meant that we were applying to more programs in general, so programs may just be bogged down with more applications than they've had in years past.

thanks! that's pretty helpful. my PD said to wait until mid-October as well when i asked her today. some of my friends said that the more competitive places tend to offer the bulk of their interviews later in the season...but again, hearsay.

i do wonder though, what's the best way to contact these programs? do you email the program coordinator or the program director? do you ask "what's the status of my application?" or do you say something like "aspects x, y, and z of your program really fall in line of my career interests of a, b, and c and i really see myself thriving in your program" - this all seems a bit nebulous to me. what do you guys think?

 

[call me x]

Does anyone know how much time is an acceptable amount of notice to give programs for cancelling interviews? I'm assuming in order to re-schedule people into those spots they would likely need at least 2 weeks? Thoughts?

 

[mvenus929]

thanks! that's pretty helpful. my PD said to wait until mid-October as well when i asked her today. some of my friends said that the more competitive places tend to offer the bulk of their interviews later in the season...but again, hearsay.

i do wonder though, what's the best way to contact these programs? do you email the program coordinator or the program director? do you ask "what's the status of my application?" or do you say something like "aspects x, y, and z of your program really fall in line of my career interests of a, b, and c and i really see myself thriving in your program" - this all seems a bit nebulous to me. what do you guys think?

Yeah, I'm not sure. I think if I don't hear from my top program, I'll probably do something similar to a letter of interest--emphasizing that I don't want to go there just because of the location like everyone else from out of state (and several of my classmates)--I want to go because I have family in the area and strong ties to the state in general, considering it my home.

For the others? I have no clue. I feel like e-mailing the coordinator gets your e-mail printed out and stuck in your file, which may not actually do anything, but e-mailing the PD might not get you anything else, and it might seem too stock-formish.

 

[bowlofmushypeas]

I just contacted my adviser over the weekend because I haven't heard from a number of programs I'm really interested in--only 2 in my top 10 (I applied to 19). She said she'd give it another week before I start contacting programs. Of course, she also said that in the past, people weren't getting most of their interviews til the end of October/early November, so the MSPE going out so early this year + later application open date (Sep 15 vs Sep 1) makes it hard to say what the general invite trend is going to be this year.

My friend's adviser is the associate PD for our IM program, and he said they've gotten 10% more applications than they had at this time last year, so it's taking them a little while longer to get through things. The associate PD for our peds program told us today that in general, more of us applying meant that we were applying to more programs in general, so programs may just be bogged down with more applications than they've had in years past.

I think mid-Oct sounds reasonable for sending updates to quiet programs that are at the top of your list or would be geographically convenient.

To update a question I had about when the "latest" to send applications in would be for those of us couples matching, my PD said late October to early November. That being said, it seems like Derm isn't going to even start handing out interview offers until then, so I may just bite the bullet and apply more broadly now. How do people do this?? Seriously, it's such a logistical nightmare!

 

[doopdidoop]

I think mid-Oct sounds reasonable for sending updates to quiet programs that are at the top of your list or would be geographically convenient.

To update a question I had about when the "latest" to send applications in would be for those of us couples matching, my PD said late October to early November. That being said, it seems like Derm isn't going to even start handing out interview offers until then, so I may just bite the bullet and apply more broadly now. How do people do this?? Seriously, it's such a logistical nightmare!

i guess i have a couple days to figure out what the heck to say...yikes. i feel like things have slowed down a bit....the interview invite thread was on fire at one point and now it's just a couple updates per day. i hope i'm not the only one freaking the freak out right now.

i would do it!! it's better to put in a little extra cash now and have a lot of options rather than having to bang your head against the wall later with regret. whats a couple hundred more when we've already got hundreds of thousands in debt, amirite??

 

[natusss]

i hope i'm not the only one freaking the freak out right now.

Nop... you are not the only one. I am right there with you . Residents keep telling me it is still early, so I guess we just need to be patient .

 

[Pipers]

i guess i have a couple days to figure out what the heck to say...yikes. i feel like things have slowed down a bit....the interview invite thread was on fire at one point and now it's just a couple updates per day. i hope i'm not the only one freaking the freak out right now.

i would do it!! it's better to put in a little extra cash now and have a lot of options rather than having to bang your head against the wall later with regret. whats a couple hundred more when we've already got hundreds of thousands in debt, amirite??

I was thinking that it slowed down too. The lull is driving me crazy!

 

[doopdidoop]

I was thinking that it slowed down too. The lull is driving me crazy!

glad to know i'm not the only one who feels that way!!

 

[bowlofmushypeas]

Haha, knowing that we're all freaking out is very comforting!

 

[DocTex]

just wanted to also agree that the well is dry for me too over the past 1.5 weeks

 

[danaling12]

I felt like things were slowing down too which worries me as well seeing as I haven't heard from a number of programs I'm really hoping for. I also had similar questions about contacting programs. Hopefully there is a second wave or something soon!

 

[whiteprincess]

OK whew. I was really starting to freak out. Setting my email to sync every 30 seconds is draining my phone battery. 1 minute it is.

So is it safe to assume that the majority of interviews have gone out? The list on the invite thread seems pretty extensive now!

 

[doopdidoop]

So is it safe to assume that the majority of interviews have gone out? The list on the invite thread seems pretty extensive now!

i certainly hope not

 

[Rutgers06]

There should still be more interview invites going out. What's likely happening right now is that the first set of invites have gone out and programs are waiting to hear back from people/reviewing the MSPE before sending the next round. I got a small cluster of interview invites at the end of October and my last interview invite was in the beginning of November. I matched at one of the places that I got a late invite to, so I wouldn't read too much into it. The main disadvantage to a late interview invite is that there are less dates to choose from.

If you haven't gotten an outright rejection, then you're still in the running. Not that many places will send rejection e-mails though, so if you're really interested in a program, it might be a good idea to shoot them an e-mail at the end of October. I sent 2 e-mails out and ended up getting interviews at those places. It's unclear whether I would have gotten those interviews anyways, but it didn't seem to hurt.

Good luck with the interview/match process. It's a bit nerve-wracking at first, but once you start going on interviews, it gets better.

 

[mvenus929]

i guess i have a couple days to figure out what the heck to say...yikes. i feel like things have slowed down a bit....the interview invite thread was on fire at one point and now it's just a couple updates per day. i hope i'm not the only one freaking the freak out right now.

I was feeling okay until today. I figured everyone had radio silence, and then I got two updates from ERAS today: one program put me on hold, and the other rejected me.

So now I'm starting to freak out.

 

[doopdidoop]

I was feeling okay until today. I figured everyone had radio silence, and then I got two updates from ERAS today: one program put me on hold, and the other rejected me.

So now I'm starting to freak out.

it's ok...i'm sitting on 2 rejections myself. sometimes we can't really explain why a program does what it does...keep your head up!

 

[doopdidoop]

There should still be more interview invites going out. What's likely happening right now is that the first set of invites have gone out and programs are waiting to hear back from people/reviewing the MSPE before sending the next round. I got a small cluster of interview invites at the end of October and my last interview invite was in the beginning of November. I matched at one of the places that I got a late invite to, so I wouldn't read too much into it. The main disadvantage to a late interview invite is that there are less dates to choose from.

If you haven't gotten an outright rejection, then you're still in the running. Not that many places will send rejection e-mails though, so if you're really interested in a program, it might be a good idea to shoot them an e-mail at the end of October. I sent 2 e-mails out and ended up getting interviews at those places. It's unclear whether I would have gotten those interviews anyways, but it didn't seem to hurt.

Good luck with the interview/match process. It's a bit nerve-wracking at first, but once you start going on interviews, it gets better.

thanks so much for your post, i think it's going to put a lot of us at ease....the only question i have for you is how you went about contacting programs? did you email the PC or PD? and did you express interest or did you just ask for an update on the status of your application? thanks!!

 

[Rutgers06]

thanks so much for your post, i think it's going to put a lot of us at ease....the only question i have for you is how you went about contacting programs? did you email the PC or PD? and did you express interest or did you just ask for an update on the status of your application? thanks!!

I just e-mailed the PD expressing my interest and asking whether they were still issuing interview invites.

 

[Superman DO]

I think I jumped the gun and emailed a top program for me a couple of days ago because I felt like invites were slowing down. I kinda feel dumb about it now. I emailed the PC because from their website, it seemed as if they wanted all emails sent to the PC, and I didn't want to piss off the PD. I haven't heard anything back yet, so I hope I didn't shoot myself in the foot.

 

[DocHnyBrwn]

Now that we are in the thick of it, how apparent is the regional trend for everyone based on where they went to med school? I know coast schools tend to take longer overall but was just trying to get a sense of things out there.

 

[Mspeds]

Feel better after reading these posts, have not receive any updates for about a week now. I started freaking out. Hopefully there is a next batch coming soon. Good luck everyone!!!!

 

[mvenus929]

Now that we are in the thick of it, how apparent is the regional trend for everyone based on where they went to med school? I know coast schools tend to take longer overall but was just trying to get a sense of things out there.

I think everyone in my class got interviews to our state programs pretty early on, but other than that, it's hard to say if there's any particular regional bias. We've heard from a number of the east coast and mid-west programs, but there are some people who have heard from west coast programs, and some just appear completely silent to us, but they're pretty quiet on the interview thread in general, so it's hard to tell who they're sending out invites to.

 

[bowlofmushypeas]

Not sure either, but I do know some of the CA schools are on waitlists already - found this out the hard way by not accepting an invite soon enough. My bad, anyways, I have no clue what the significance of this so I hope to not freak anyone out.