How many away sub-Is do people typically do? Does it put you at a disadvantage to only do one away sub-I plus your home sub-I?
Is it necessary to get an LOR from every away you do? I already have 3 from my home institution. Should I drop one of those in favor of an away letter, or just submit one away letter?
Statistically, you have a higher chance to match at programs where you did an Away Sub-I. Hence, you should do at least 2 or preferably 3 Aways. One at a reach program that you really want, and two at programs within your stats. Use at least 2 LORs from Sub-Is where you know you killed it.
Posts: 23
Threads: 3
Joined: Jan 2017
Reputation:
1
Should you do a Sub-I but not submit a letter from it? For example, if you do 3 Sub-I's and only submit letters from 2, doesn't that raise eyebrows?
What is the best resource to use to gauge how competitive you are for a program stat-wise (step 1 etc)
Posts: 15
Threads: 0
Joined: Dec 2016
Reputation:
0
(01-27-2017, 06:02 PM)Neurofibroma Wrote: Should you do a Sub-I but not submit a letter from it? For example, if you do 3 Sub-I's and only submit letters from 2, doesn't that raise eyebrows?
Depends - If that subI was done in say Sept or October, and you had already used up all your letter slots with letters from other rotations, its perfectly understandable. Or if you rotated at NYU...
Posts: 42
Threads: 2
Joined: Dec 2016
Reputation:
2
(01-27-2017, 09:11 PM)Guest Wrote: What is the best resource to use to gauge how competitive you are for a program stat-wise (step 1 etc)
Just want to second this question and hope someone can answer. For me, it's clear from reading this and other forums who heavy-hitter academic programs are that are likely out of reach based on my lack of basic science research and good-not-great Step 1, and there are also low-tier schools that have either recently been on probation or are like the 3rd and 4th programs in a big city, but in between there are a LOT of programs and sussing out how competitive you for these when the whole of neurosurgery is competitive is proving difficult. Additionally, I always see operative vs. research focused discussed, but I haven no idea how to determine this outside of people telling me "this program is operative heavy."
Posts: 23
Threads: 3
Joined: Jan 2017
Reputation:
1
Yes, this would be a great resource. USNews, Doximity etc are not helpful at all in this regard.
(01-28-2017, 08:23 AM)dispo Wrote: (01-27-2017, 09:11 PM)Guest Wrote: What is the best resource to use to gauge how competitive you are for a program stat-wise (step 1 etc)
Just want to second this question and hope someone can answer. For me, it's clear from reading this and other forums who heavy-hitter academic programs are that are likely out of reach based on my lack of basic science research and good-not-great Step 1, and there are also low-tier schools that have either recently been on probation or are like the 3rd and 4th programs in a big city, but in between there are a LOT of programs and sussing out how competitive you for these when the whole of neurosurgery is competitive is proving difficult. Additionally, I always see operative vs. research focused discussed, but I haven no idea how to determine this outside of people telling me "this program is operative heavy."
If there is one, hookup with your home program early on. Do research with them. Your home residents and attending are your best source for info on navigating the process and also will be your best advocates. NS is a small universe and you need to educate yourself before the match process. Although not necessarily accurate, Doximity and US New rankings are a good start for gauging a program’s place in the food chain. Lots of articles, forums, and blogs discuss experiences of others who have gone through the process. Study the NRMP match analysis reports. Read the program websites, their resident bios, their attending bios, etc. Aways bring you in contact with residents and attending who can be great sources of information and advise; not to mention support and LORs. It is impossible to overestimate the value of personal contacts and advocacy on your behalf by other NSGs. Soon you will find out that you have a feel for the process and things start coming into focus.
Your list of programs should be wide and far. It will be a huge mistake to limit your applications to programs that you believe are within you level or higher. Remember that your prime goal is to match. Pursue Low, Mid and High tier programs to start. You have the luxury of narrowing your focus as the invites come in and again, when you put your ROL together. Having at least two or more research projects/publications under your belt is a definite plus. “Operative Heavy” is a thing but “Research Focused” is not. When residents refer to a program as operative heavy, they mean that they get to scrub in and participate in the OR early and often (this is the ultimate goal of residency training). Research focused means that the program wants the residents to participate in more research and some even require publications every so often. But this is not in lieu of the prime goal of becoming a surgeon. So there is no “either/or” and “vs.” More volume, more Hands-ON, and actual Teaching are the key.
Programs go in and out of probation for many reasons. Unless your general research points to malignancy at a program or questionable patterns of behavior, don’t put too much thought into this. If you have selected NS as your specialty that means you are willing to put up with a lot for 7 years. So where ever you match, you will still become a neurosurgeon. Again, prime directive is to MATCH. So don’t get bogged down in details that may be beyond your control.
(01-27-2017, 09:39 PM)Ventricles Wrote: (01-27-2017, 06:02 PM)Neurofibroma Wrote: Should you do a Sub-I but not submit a letter from it? For example, if you do 3 Sub-I's and only submit letters from 2, doesn't that raise eyebrows?
Depends - If that subI was done in say Sept or October, and you had already used up all your letter slots with letters from other rotations, its perfectly understandable. Or if you rotated at NYU...
What if the rotation was done early (eg. July/August), but you already have enough letters from either your home institution or another away?
Posts: 86
Threads: 13
Joined: Dec 2016
Reputation:
7
(01-28-2017, 06:38 PM)Guest Wrote: (01-27-2017, 09:39 PM)Ventricles Wrote: (01-27-2017, 06:02 PM)Neurofibroma Wrote: Should you do a Sub-I but not submit a letter from it? For example, if you do 3 Sub-I's and only submit letters from 2, doesn't that raise eyebrows?
Depends - If that subI was done in say Sept or October, and you had already used up all your letter slots with letters from other rotations, its perfectly understandable. Or if you rotated at NYU...
What if the rotation was done early (eg. July/August), but you already have enough letters from either your home institution or another away?
You will need, at a minimum, a letter from every away. If not through ERAS, have it sent to the coordinator, or bring it with you to the interview. Without a letter it looks suspicious that your rotation may not have gone well.
|
