Huge Number of Applicants Next Year

[uhoh]

I'm getting a sense that there will be a very large number of applicants this next cycle.  There are 6 applicants at my school this year, normally there is one.  My friend goes to a mid tier school in the DMV area and there are 9 applicants from her school.  My other friend goes to a T-10 school and there are 7 applicants so far.  Every sub I, I applied (5) told me they received record number of applications and are completely full.  Duke was full for the months of June and July really early this year, and is likely full for August and September at this point.  

TLDR: I think there is going to be a TON of applicants this year, anyone else agree?

[Guest]

its a busy year. but so be it. focus on yourself and you will excel

[Guest]

Number of applicants goes up (and down some years) by only a few. However, the number of positions seems to keep increasing too, so technically the percentages remain close. This prediction comes up at the beginning of every cycle.

[Guest]

Agree to the above. Also, you notice more often when people are going into your field which disproportionately skews your perspective (you start to think everyone is going into neurosurgery). The truth is that there is a shift in culture and people are valuing lifestyle more than ever before and there are specialties far more lifestyle friendly that appeal to most people.

[socrates]

(04-28-2017, 12:26 AM)Guest Wrote: Agree to the above. Also, you notice more often when people are going into your field which disproportionately skews your perspective (you start to think everyone is going into neurosurgery). The truth is that there is a shift in culture and people are valuing lifestyle more than ever before and there are specialties far more lifestyle friendly that appeal to most people.

To the latter point, there are a lot of younger residents who have a rude awakening when they realized that 80 hours isn't exactly the lifestyle field that they thought they could make it.

[Guest]

Agreed, you think the number in neurosurgery is big, you should see how many ppl are going into EM.

[Ventricles]

Does it really matter to you? Its a tough gig to begin with, and if it seems daunting just because there are a bunch more people applying this year - a truly cyclical and unpredictable thing - then this may not be the best field for you. That said, I wouldnt dwell on this much. No matter what you go into, what you've done in undergrad and med school is done, and you can only put your best foot forward from this point on. If you feel neurosurg is the career for you, plan your subIs out accordingly to where you'd likely fit, where you're interested in potentially going, and could offer you an interesting experience. And go for it. Its a great field!

[Guest]

(04-28-2017, 09:44 PM)Ventricles Wrote: GxjDoes it really matter to you? Its a tough gig to begin with, and if it seems daunting just because there are a bunch more people applying this year - a truly cyclical and unpredictable thing - then this may not be the best field for you. That said, I wouldnt dwell on this much. No matter what you go into, what you've done in undergrad and med school is done, and you can only put your best foot forward from this point on. If you feel neurosurg is the career for you, plan your subIs out accordingly to where you'd likely fit, where you're interested in potentially going, and could offer you an interesting experience. And go for it. Its a great field!

Lol...of course it matters considering more applicants for the same number of spots = more competition. OP didn't say they were considering another specialty because nsg is too competitive; they are likely just worried that they may not get to pursue their passion if they don't match....this is how most people feel going through the match.

[dispo]

(04-28-2017, 09:44 PM)Guest Wrote: Lol...of course it matters considering more applicants for the same number of spots = more competition. OP didn't say they were considering another specialty because nsg is too competitive; they are likely just worried that they may not get to pursue their passion if they don't match....this is how most people feel going through the match.

Well said. The fear of not matching in a competitive specialty, regardless of the quality of your app, is justifiable considering great, deserving candidates slip through the cracks every year; it's an imperfect process. But I think the best things we can do as applicants is to at least *consider* what our plan will be if we don't match into NSG so we're not completely blindsided if worse comes to worst. Regardless, I don't think it's fair to always respond to everyone's concerns with "if you're worried about that, you might not be cut out for it."

[Guest]

(04-29-2017, 11:45 AM)HUdispo Wrote:

(04-28-2017, 09:44 PM)Guest Wrote: Lol...of course it matters considering more applicants for the same number of spots = more competition. OP didn't say they were considering another specialty because nsg is too competitive; they are likely just worried that they may not get to pursue their passion if they don't match....this is how most people feel going through the match.

Well said. The fear of not matching in a competitive specialty, regardless of the quality of your app, is justifiable considering great, deserving candidates slip through the cracks every year; it's an imperfect process. But I think the best things we can do as applicants is to at least *consider* what our plan will be if we don't match into NSG so we're not completely blindsided if worse comes to worst.  Regardless, I don't think it's fair to always respond to everyone's concerns with "if you're worried about that, you might not be cut out for it."

Really agree with your last sentence. People in this field (and other competitive ones) LOVE to say "if you do "x", you're not cut out for this field". It's garbage, you dont need to be god to go into neurosurgery or any other competitive field. But that doesn't stop people from saying:

1) if you care about family, you're not cut out for nsg
2) if you even think about a day off, you're not cut out for nsg
3) if you don't dream about your research, you're not cut out for nsg
4) if you contemplate your interest in nsg for one millisecond, you're not cut out for nsg
5) if you have any doubts about your app, you're not cut out for nsg
6) if you get emotionally attached to a patient as a young and inexperienced med student, you're not cut out for nsg
7) if you're not willing to marry your hospital instead of your SO, you're not cut out for nsg
8) if you go through a rough patch as a med student and maybe experience burnout for a few weeks, you're not cut out for nsg 
9) if you dislike the idea of working 150 hours a week as an attending, you're not cut out for nsg
10) if you don't think/dream/do neurosurgery 24/7, you're not out for nsg


It's all garbage. We're all human.