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"When students begin their third year and start their clinical clerkships, they should keep in mind that they will need recommendations for their residency applications. As they encounter attendings along the way (either as floor attendings or as preceptors for small groups) they should make an effort to ask for recommendations from the attendings who know them well (and like them!) at the end of the clerkship. If they wait until the actual residency application process starts, they may find that they would love to get a recommendation from an attending who knew them well 8 months ago but may no longer be able to cite specific examples of why the student was memorable. Believe me, the application is a big enough hassle as it is without the additional stress of running around like a chicken with your head cut off trying to find people who know you well enough to write a good letter for you."
"Talk to residents who applied in your future specialty and really get a good idea of the whole range of times when interviewing takes place. Plan to take off time to interview. Really think about which electives you are scheduling for this time period. It sounds like common sense but it requires more research than you expect- it's very easy to underestimate the amount of time needed when travel, recruitment dinners/socials, and "second days" get factored in."
"Try to prepare for scheduling you potential interviews- be aware of what days each program interviews (some have only 4-5 days total)- this will take active inquiry on your part. If you get an interview at a location that requires significant travel, you want to be able to pick a day that won't interfere with other interviews in that area. And don't be afraid to call the other programs to schedule and find out your stauts and request certain interview days."
"2- Scheduling your sub-I also requires a lot of thought. Will you be doing one sub-I or two? Are you planning on spending a month or more on a hard core service (ie, any ICU rotations etc.)? Did you postpone any third year clerkships? You want to be careful to avoid scheduling any of these rotations around interviewing time, as it will drastically increase your stress level. You also want to avoid scheduling these too close to the end of the year,as you will be tired and not want to deal with long hours/calls or studying for an exam."
"I would have interviewed at fewer programs. I interviewed at 13 and if I could do it over again I would have used the webpages to eliminate 3 or 4 of those. I went in thinking that the best way to be sure about a program is to visit it. When it comes to ranking the top few that's probably true, but the webpages can be as informative as the interview day in a lot of ways. I was couples matching and thought that meant we should really cover our bases, but we went beyond what's necessary. Unless you're going in to a very competitive field, I would recommend doing some good research beforehand and then only going to interviews at places you REALLY think would be a good match for you."
"You may want to consider taking the time to get good "passport" sized photos taken, as many places request them. Also, get a nice folder (and possibly bag) for interviews- it really helps solidify the put-together professional look."
"When interviewing, take lots of notes. It's easy to think that you will remember things, but you won't. Ask questions about everything- call schedule, facilities available to residents, meals, book/travel allowance, housing in the area, the usual start and end to every day, percentage of patients that are privately managed vs resident managed, didactics offered (and when- is Staurday morning a good thing?)and attendance, what kind of supervision/back up is available at night, etc. etc. All of these things will matter in the end, and there is no way to remember all this info."
"Always know why it is that you applied to that program- they will always ask. If the location of the program is far away from your home/ medical school area, always try to slip into conversation how attached you are to the area and how many people you know there. Try to have questions that are specific to that program. But also have your fall-back questions about the program in general. Remember that some people won't be able to answer your questions (don't know about didactics, electives, etc.), so have general questions too like "what made you decide to come to X hospital? what made you stay?"
"When it comes to the Match, always have a back-up in plan. In fact, always have more than one back-up plan. Nothing is guarenteed until you sign a contract."
Compiled by Henry Wei '02
Special thanks to: Heather E. Wh