San Diego... what is up?

[heights1976]

So I've been starting to make the West Side / California circuit and have met a fairly large number of people over the course of several interviews (at places like JHU, MGH, Stanford, UCLA) who have yet to hear from UCSD. I was wondering whether they're limiting their pool to Californians?

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[StealYourFace]

I didn't have any sort of California connection listed on ERAS and got a UCSD invite. But I would gladly give it up for a MGH invite (rejected). I'm sure there are a few folks who get invites literally EVERY place they apply. But even for most "top" candidates, I'm sure there are always a few random places that don't pan out, even if you're more than qualified to get the invite.

That said, maybe there's something strange with UCSD in particular? I can't really imagine it being tougher than some of the others you mentioned though (MGH, Hopkins, etc.) .....

 

[gogiants]

Major reason is it is a small program compared to all the others mentioned (only 12 spots). Plus a really awesome program in my opinion, probably second to only ucsf in california, though everyone loves stanford of course.

 

[OB1🤙]

Weirdness- I got an MGH but never heard anything from UCSD. Funny how this silly process works.

 

[StealYourFace]

hey gogiants -- or anyone else for that matter -- what do you like so much about the program (above stanford?!?!)? i don't know that much about it, and was debatng if it was worth the trip from the east coast ..

 

[heights1976]

Yes, I agree, it is a weird thing. I'm not particularly offended; as I said I got interviews at several good programs and like at least a couple of them. I did hear good things about UCSD, though, and was looking forward to checking it out. There was a dude from my school who matched to their anesthesia last year... so I was just wondering.

 

[gogiants]

we all know rankings are basicaly bull and have nothing to do with actual resident training but strictly in terms of "big names" and NIH research funding per head UCSD is "higher" than Stanford (of course Stanford has the bigger name and is absolutely fabulous). I like that UCSD is a small program and the residents as a whole are very happy and close. The faculty is outstanding, both in name and personality...very approachable and easy to work with. They really make resident happiness a huge goal (and work hours are they say on average 65 hrs/week...of course the 1st years would have us believe different). Pain management at UCSD is also a huge plus if you are interested with some of the top researchers.
Of courseStanford also is known for their concern with resident happiness and certainly have amazing faculty and research opportunities too so you really can't go wrong with either, but i thought ucsd deserves some props as it often gets dwarfed by the bigger name of Stanford.

One other big difference as far as i know, UCSD is known for its large amount of resident autonomy which is a plus or minus depending on your learning style. You'll be doing most things independently (with faculty always in reach) and i know this is daunting at first but most residents seem to love it later on. From my understanding Stanford is known to not be quite so autonomous.

 

[flashgordon]

Haven't heard squat from SD. Has anyone even been rejected? They don't answer their phones or reply to emails....

 

[Gern Blansten]

I think the variation in who gets invited is partly due to regional influences. A program only has so much money to spend and they want to use it wisely and interview people who have a higher likelihood of actually coming to their program(ie ranking them highly). People tend to train in a similar region to where they are from(certainly not always true). So, if I am on the east coast, a higher percentage of people that I would invite would be from my own region. In order to get some diversity and see some of the top quality people from around the country, I would also invite some of them. But if I am smart, I would not invite a majority of out of staters just because the likelihood of matching with them is probably less due to geographic reasons. The more competitive the program and the higher the profile of the program, the less of a concern this would be. Many programs put a lot of effort into recruiting their own students because they have a higher likelihood of staying put where they are. If you spend all of your recruiting money chasing low yield people from across the country, you could end up with a scramble for your program in March.

So basically, if I were doing the inviting and were on the east coast. With 2 equally qualified candidates, one from my own area and one from the west coast, and only one interview spot left to give. I would invite the one from my own region of the country. It is just a higher yield invite.

It is probably wise for most programs to interview at least half of their candidates from their own geographical area. Just shooting from the hip. I am not sure if others share my feelings.

This is my long winded explanation for why it seems strange that you might get an invite from one high powered program but be snubbed by a lesser known program. Another reason is that most programs interview roughly 10 people per position. If the program only has 6 spots, they may only send out 60 invites. If the program has 12 spots, there may be 120 interviewees and so on. So, your chances of getting an interview may be better at the bigger programs.

I hope this helps. If you have a particular geographic reason for wanting to be at a particular program, it never hurts to call and let them know(especially if that is not apparent on your application). It could be the factor that tips them towards inviting you for an interview.