This virtual residency interview thing is weird. I think I can get a halfway decent sense of what the program is like between chatting with residents and faculty, but it really sucks not to be able to see their dynamic in person or see the city/hospitals. I’m applying to some programs in states and cities I’ve never been to, so that’s a bit of a challenge. It’s also hard because although I really like breakout sessions for getting questions answered by residents, it kind of sucks not to see them interact as a group. I’ve appreciated programs who have given us some time with the residents where they’re all in the same room, but obviously that is not always easy or possible with COVID.
Also huge shout out to programs that give us enough break time to actually eat lunch in between interviews and explicitly say it’s ok to turn off our cameras because I had one 10:30-4pm interview day where I basically had to shove food in my mouth super fast during a 10 minute break...not ideal!
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
The Interview Process Part 1-Picking Places, Planning Travel.
I’m almost done with the interview trail, thank goodness! I finally have some advice I can confidently pass along. The interview process is very overwhelming, and even though I went in with a very excited attitude, the whole process definitely takes the life out of you after a while. Since I’m still in the midst of the travel and interview whir, I thought I’d just focus on the parts of the process that are over and that I survived: picking places and planning travel.
It should be a no brainer that you submit your ERAS application (with all components completed, including letters) in early September before the Sept 15 deadline. This means you ask for letters in May and continuously “remind” people q2weeks to submit them.
The hard part is: where the hell do I apply? There are zillions of places!! AHHH! Here was my strategy.
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.
Next time, I’ll write more about weird interview questions and tips for the actual interview day!
#Repost @moheinz (@get_repost) ・・・ “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” is one of the most common interview questions I get on the interview trail, and it still scares me when I hear myself say out loud that I want to be a leader in the new, developing field of sports neurology - through a combination of clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and/or policy. Luckily, no one has laughed in my face yet (LOL) and most have actually been super encouraging after hearing me ramble on. I never quite understood the quote “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough,” but now I do. 🤗🧠 #WeJustGettingStartedYall #MedSchool #InterviewTrail #Neurology #ProtectYoBrain
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Go blue (skies). #interviewtrail #puremichigan #itsfallyall (at Ann Arbor, Michigan) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpiljRWlbLCFXA_eFFyUh3ASesRLSlzfKa-KFw0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1phhbp6eqmfd4
Lovely, even though she’s not my queen city. #interviewtrail #tourdecincinnati #picturesofstrangers (at Cincinnati) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpSlSzjhmhaFv2paAcWaGH-DRYFVdMR-7kJ-H00/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=aoeaat1mam3w
I've been traveling since last Thursday for ophtho interviews. I've had two so far and I'm honestly exhausted. I've got two more this week before I finally get to go home.
I love having the opportunity to interview for the career that I've been wanting for ages but man, it's tiring!