Symposium Impressions

[smithers]

(06-07-2020, 11:28 AM)Guest Wrote: I was surprised by WashU. They seemed like they had a great culture between residents, very good operative autonomy, in the setting of strong research programs.

+1. I think if a PD can take 30 min out of their day to talk to potential trainees speaks to how they will treat you as a resident when you ultimately match there. Lots of residents in attendance willing to share their perspectives, Ireland experience to build autonomy, plentiful academic opportunities. 18-month research requirement is stringent but if you're ranking WashU highly you probably don't care.

[Guest]

(06-07-2020, 12:59 PM)smithers Wrote:

(06-07-2020, 11:28 AM)Guest Wrote: I was surprised by WashU. They seemed like they had a great culture between residents, very good operative autonomy, in the setting of strong research programs.

+1. I think if a PD can take 30 min out of their day to talk to potential trainees speaks to how they will treat you as a resident when you ultimately match there. Lots of residents in attendance willing to share their perspectives, Ireland experience to build autonomy, plentiful academic opportunities. 18-month research requirement is stringent but if you're ranking WashU highly you probably don't 

Think about what it means when the best part about a program is the time you spend away from it...

[Guest]

Hot take: Zipfel & Dunn are the best chair/PD combo right now.

[Guest]

Any other program impressions?

[Guest]

(06-07-2020, 12:10 PM)Guest Wrote:

(06-07-2020, 11:28 AM)Guest Wrote: I was surprised by WashU. They seemed like they had a great culture between residents, very good operative autonomy, in the setting of strong research programs.

Thanks WashU resident

Seriously. How the hell can you determine if a program has "very good operative autonomy" from a Zoom presentation?

[Guest]

Something is better than nothing, but it is so hard for personalities to come through (on both ends) over a Zoom call. I'm thinking of this as a trial of what potential virtual interviews are going to be like...and it ain't gonna be easy for anybody.

[Guest]

I disagree, i feel like I got a decent impression of how the residents interacted in their day to day based on how well they were able to lead the discussion(s) between themselves. It was very clear who actually meets up for beers/hikes after a shift or on weekends vs those who didn't know co-residents outside of the floors/ORs. CNS led Zoom calls also offered insight into who else is out there in terms of co-applicants. Clearly some really impressive and eloquent people already emerging and also the opposite end of the spectrum was seen as well.

Am I the only one who thinks wearing suits to these Zoom sessions months away from interview season is really weird? Or am I not taking this seriously enough

[Guest]

(06-07-2020, 08:08 PM)Guest Wrote: I disagree, i feel like I got a decent impression of how the residents interacted in their day to day based on how well they were able to lead the discussion(s) between themselves. It was very clear who actually meets up for beers/hikes after a shift or on weekends vs those who didn't know co-residents outside of the floors/ORs. CNS led Zoom calls also offered insight into who else is out there in terms of co-applicants. Clearly some really impressive and eloquent people already emerging and also the opposite end of the spectrum was seen as well.

Am I the only one who thinks wearing suits to these Zoom sessions months away from interview season is really weird? Or am I not taking this seriously enough

Yeah, definitely saw a difference where residents actually seemed cohesive versus those that didn’t. Way too early to tell about “emerging” applicants in my opinion. Just because some are outspoken and Tweet constantly doesn’t mean much. 

I think full suit is a bit much but don’t remember seeing anyone in a suit. Dressing up a bit is reasonable in my opinion considering some calls had PDs and even senior residents who may participate in rank meetings.

[Guest]

(06-07-2020, 08:08 PM)Guest Wrote: I disagree, i feel like I got a decent impression of how the residents interacted in their day to day based on how well they were able to lead the discussion(s) between themselves. It was very clear who actually meets up for beers/hikes after a shift or on weekends vs those who didn't know co-residents outside of the floors/ORs. CNS led Zoom calls also offered insight into who else is out there in terms of co-applicants. Clearly some really impressive and eloquent people already emerging and also the opposite end of the spectrum was seen as well.

Am I the only one who thinks wearing suits to these Zoom sessions months away from interview season is really weird? Or am I not taking this seriously enough

Agreed, don't get the need to berate constantly. Zoom sessions with programs sure beat the hell out of not having anything to go off at all. You could definitely get a vibe about which residents liked each other and seemed to be enjoying themselves. As for operative autonomy, you're going off what the residents tell you obviously, but when 5 of them chime in that they're pretty happy with their operative experience, it's not an unreasonable possibility that the operative autonomy at that program is actually pretty decent. Everyone is a critic lol

[Uncle Harvey]

If anyone got any good impressions if you could help populate reviews here for everyone else.

http://www.uncleharvey.com/programs/