#interviewtrail

Go onto Doximity Residency Navigator and sort your programs by reputation. They display results in chunks of 50 schools. I included all programs in the country just so I had a solid point of reference of how competitive programs were. Note: take this with a grain of salt. Doximity does have an explanation of how they rank based on “reputation,” and although I haven’t read it, it’s obvious that research output is part of the ranking. Remember that all ACGME accredited programs will (for the most part) have you graduate as a competent general surgeon. This “reputation” ranking really helped me gauge competitiveness, but not necessarily quality.

I would read through the top 50 programs and on a piece of paper divided into 3 sections (Top 50, 50-100, >100), I would jot down places that I heard where good, cities I might want to live in, etc. Think of this as a free write exercise, don’t read into it too much. Do the same with the next 50 and list the ones that strike your fancy in their respective column. For all programs over #100, I put them in their own column. I ended up with 50-ish places.

Now, you need to have a serious heart-to-heart with yourself and/or significant other. What one thing matters most? Some common answers are geography, affiliation with a med school, urban/rural, affordable real estate, near a major airport, etc. Just pick one thing to be your next sorting attribute. I picked geography/places that my significant other and I both like.

Then, under the original three columns, we drew a thick black line and labeled “Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3.” Now sort the previous columns based on your sorting attribute with Tier 1 being most favorable (example picture below).

Once you’ve reorganized schools into your personal tiers system, go across Tier 1 and apply to all of them. Then move onto Tier 2. In my picture example at the bottom, I would apply for sure to UVA and MedStar (and all other Tier 1s) before adding the Tier 2s to my application list. This way ensured that I had a well rounded application list that included competitive schools with “mid range” schools. I stopped once I reached 50 schools, a number I felt comfortable with. I didn’t apply to my “Tier 3 >100″ schools since I filled my numbers with Tier 1 and Tier 2 places.

Submit applications and wait. While you wait: make a new email address just for ERAS! This was the best advice I got. I made a gmail account with my last name and school initials. I updated my information on AAMC with that email. Then I silenced ALL ALERTS on my phone except that gmail account. I had my phone next to me at all times in Sept and Oct and each time I heard a gmail alert, I knew it was from ERAS. I was on SICU and told them I was waiting for invites. As soon as I heard the noise, I ran to a computer or used my iPad to reply within minutes (my phone struggled with loading some of the interview calendar apps). I got a spot for all my invites. I highly recommend this step!

Also while you wait: apply for a travel rewards credit card. Very important: do not ignore your balance. I need to pay mine off each month still, but I earned over $1000 from points I accumulated. The interest rates are insane, but so are the benefits, so approach this step with caution. I got a Chase Sapphire Rewards Preferred card after reading a few articles about good starter travel cards. 

Don’t rush to book hotels. Programs send discount codes sometimes a week before the date. I never had trouble getting a reasonable hotel price. Flights are another story. Southwest is the best since you can cancel, reschedule, etc with out losing any money and not being charged fees. A couple of my friends use skyscanner to look for deals too.

Make sure you have one interview outfit and one outfit for the business casual social events (more on outfits later). Put your shampoo and hair products into travel sized bottles. Make sure everything you need (including your shoes, lint rollers, etc) fits into a small carry on bag. You can then basically leave everything in the bag and just refill your toiletries as needed. I even got travel lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, and threw everything in the bag and didn’t have to fully unpack at all this season.