Mass General Brigham-MA

Yeah I feel like we would see the same people at a lot of the top programs. It feels so strange to be invited to Harvard but not Penn - does anyone else feel the same?<invites from Harvard, UCSF, NYU...but not penn. I do not understand

Minus UCSF, same. So weird! I wonder why, especially in your case with 3 of the other top 5!<<im not sure tbh. I expected Penn more than UCSF considering i have no ties to the west coast. My only rationale is that my step isnt the absolute highest for these top places, and idk if penn considers step score more than some of the other top programs.

You know what, I too have a sneaking suspiscion Penn values high step scores more than any of the other top 5. I'm around a 255 so maybe they really want that 260+? I really wanted this one :(<<yea im in the low 250 range as well. oh well cant win em all.

True. And sounds like it's Penn's loss in your case :)<<best of luck to you in your interviews kind stranger, and congrats on your well deserved merits!

haha thank you!! :') you too!!

I was fortuante to top 5 IVs with step >260 soI think they just have a really good applicant pool and we missed out because they look for different things?

Congrats on the impressive score and interviews!! Yeah, could be! I think the person who commented in 14D explains well some one the inherent and unavoidable randomness in the process. <- do you guys remember what your responses to the penn supplmemt was at the beginning of the cycle? my step scores weren't as high as yours and i got penn but my response was interest in epidemiology

Congrats!! And that's strange about the tracks, do you think that mattered? And I just selected the 3 year track and combined clinical and research training. Maybe Dr. Gefland was the person who reviewed your app lol <- step 1 was mid 240s

i doubt a 250ish step 1 score would be the disqualifying factor in an otherwise outstanding candidate?

No it's not that it's disqualifying, it's that there's SO MANY qualified applicants with a 250ish step score, you just can't interview them all. <i guess my point is i feel like they would look at some other aspect to try to differentiate applicants rather than just a few points on a standardized test (at least that's the hope lol)

Yes one'd hope lol

On the bright side, I appreciated that the subject started with, “unable to offer interview” x6

There is no bright side. Nothing is bright anymore.

lol, I didn't get an invitation or a rejection so i don't know if I have sheer joy or more disappointment headed my way. ::shrug::

what's midtier though? top 40? --- Yeah probably anything 40 or higher is midtier IMO. God tier 1-20, good tier 21-40, midtier 41- all

so midtier is 41 and below? sorry I'm an idiot and don't get this ranking thing<<yea i would say 40-60 range << guys, the medical school is not one of the most important factors

it for sure is, and this is something that has already been discussed ad naseum here << telling you from experience, it is not. just because people talk about it on reddit/anonymous spreadsheet does not make it true <x1 med school tier absolutely is a very important factor<<agreed. having honored all rotations at harvard or hopkins is way more of an impact factor than having honored all rotations at a mid or low tier school. ---- WRONG, many top school give almost everyone honors, my crappy state school gives 10-15% x2 <not true, top tier applicant here and not many people honor everything. I think its safe to say we cant assume about schools unless we actually go there. <most MSPE letters also have grade distributions so programs see which schools do this. << at some top 20 programs, like 30-40% of the class gets AOA, so yes, the grading is easier<<idk what schools these are but my school def does not and I go to a top tier. Lets not make generalizations. << ummmm, I said "at some"<<great, have a cookie. << wait how can 30-40% of the class get AOA? Isn't one of the prerequisites for nomination to AOA being in top 25% of the class?

It is. That person is making crap up and blowing hot air out their asses because they don't go to a top school.

< what's amazing? (anyone sitting at 10+ interviews)

are you a stellar applicant? It could be that you're a good applicant from the region you're in and getting lots of interviews there are and at mid tier derm programs, but not quiteee good enough for a top 10? --- OP here, not regional at all, very diverse group of interviews, just none at big names

realize the big wig programs are SO random in who they interview, and the fact is most of them are going to end up matching internals anyways. You should be proud of how many interviews you have, it's super impressive! ---Thank you kind person! I do feel really good about how things are going, and definitely didn't mean to sound ungrateful. Just curious to see if there were any similar trends going on >> op of next cell, thank you for not being a dick about your >2 interviews

i am at a low-tier state school that did an away at a top 10 w/LOR from faculty at said institution, no invites from ANY place at all. --- I'm sorry man, that really sucks :( x2 << sounds like my life

Top 10 programs are mostly filled from within and from applicats from top 20 medical schools. >>> #truth hurts

This

might want to look up the definition of sassy

<< That sounds terrible. Anybody with experience at Harvard or UCSF? Even Upenn but that would hard for my SO << I have had several friends at Harvard who swear by their expeirences there << wherever you go, def pick clinical research over basic science research (more pubs). also don't just go for the fancy names, look into places that would actually match you after spending a research year there (not to say that you're not good enough for harvard/ucsf/penn, but also top programs historically don't give a crap if you spent time with them)

I don't know if I agree about a place that takes their fellows. It's not a bad strategy but also a mentor who fights for you can go really far!

Are there any specific people or groups that are worth reaching out to? How did you guys find where to go? << I have heard of people having success with Kroshinsky at Harvard, Koo at UCSF, Rosenbach at Penn, and Mostaghimi at Brigham

I did research with Mostaghimi. He wasn't around most of the time and I didn't find the experience that fulfilling tbh << Not sure why comment was deleted. Seems like someone has an agenda. I worked with Mostaghimi and thought he was really dedicated to me and his other students. If you are thinking about working with him he will put you in touch with people who have actually worked with him and you can get a sense of what their experience was like. Don't believe everything you read on these boards.

I found my research year by talking to just about every upperclassman who had done one in the 1-3 years before me. Really variable year to year and I agree that big name places can be a let down. There's just no way Harvard cares when they have so many research fellows. heck, they a least a few of their own med students didn't match last year so don't expect an interview.

<< Can't speak for insitution at large but both at Harvard and other institutions the specific individual that you work with is the most important part. Look at the people who have worked with these attendings in the past, they've genreally done well. Do your homework, find a person and talk to peple who have worked with them before

I'm also curious -- TONS << Many top-tier programs (ie harvard), Miami, Colorado... There's definitely more

A lot of other schools have strong telederm programs << like who? <emory< a lot of programs have integrated it at one of their sites. VA commonly has telederm at a few programs across the country.

Iowa, BU, Michigan, mizzou, etc

ok but which one is best? how is Pitt?

not sure which is best, but some google searching may tell you. I hear Mizzou's is strong

Upenn!! The oldest program in the nation, huge department under one umbrella (unlike Harvard), Philly is on the affordable side of NE cities and theres a reason its #1 on doximity, because residents love it there!

< Penn resident spotted< nah but I did an away :)

lol an "away" << ?? i know someone that did an away at UPenn.

LOL sure. "away" haha << do you really think that residens have the time or the interest to post here? Lol you are way over your heads

NYU would be a dream. Cant beat NYC, diverse population and exposure to private derm in the most competitive market << I hope you don't match with that kind of thought << OP- What kind of thought? Thankfully you dont decide my future lol

< that's why Columbia's my dream. :)

<Really excited about the Columbia interview! Any info about this program in terms of resident happiness, perception of the program, etc.?

Harvard. More prestige, more opportunities x2

Wondering if this is true. Isn't Stanford seen as more prestigious on the West Coast vs Harvard?

in the original book, elle woods actually goes to stanford law school!! fun fact!! (but also i vote harvard over stanford here)

I would pick Stanford over Harvard because the residents seem happier and get to know their attendings very well (and the location only helps!) <I'm not in love with the location for Stanford. I prefer SF, Boston, Philly (aka more directly in the city) though I'll probably rank east coast over west so biased

Stanford

Harvard!! great exposure with huge faculty with things going on in all areas of derm. Lets you find where you want to focus and really flourish in that area. Stanford also seems great, but my pre-interview thoughts have Harvard and a couple programs above Stanford

You honestly can't go wrong at all either way but I will say, having rotated at one of these places, thereis a reason that the residents at Stanford are stereotyped to be the happiest in the country. The faculty know and care about them a LOT, especially in comparison to some conversations I've had with residents from both places. But again, can't go wrong.

NYU is the top creme de la creme program.

i would cream myself to match any of the top 5 x2 <My mentors have mentioned slightly different lists to me that they consider the top programs (though 3-4 of those always make the list), so it is all subjective. <<< Thanks for the input, good to know that they may not be as static as they seem

< would love to hear your mentors lists

Tufts, Harvard, BU, UCLA, UCSF

LOL <why are 3/5 in Boston? That just doesn't sound right to me.

thanks

so stupid to be separated, PLEASE PUT ALL THE DERM PROGRAMS UNDER THE SAME TAB!!!

well, separated helps us DOs a bit cuz tbh we have very little chance at MD programs, so no point in really using the main invite tab <preach X100

What's a soft invite ^

regional and because my PD knows their PD

< I may be outing myself, but do you go to harvard and are you talking about BU? << I know who you are now ;)

< yeah if i went to Harvard i wouldnt panic. no, not from there at all lol

< LOL ok sorry!

That sounds like a bad idea for multiple reasons. You're there to impress them, not make them feel sorry/pity/worried for you. (also, they may start to wonder, "wait, we gave him/her an interview, but why did ranks 5-15 pass him/her over?). Also, you're likely to be a student from Stanford/NYU/Harvard, and at 3 interviews, I'd get nervous and reach out to your medical school mentor and start making calls. I'm from one of those schools, and I definitely know a number of people who matched at their #3 and below.

it’s not pity it’s clear communication. Who ever is saying not to communicate that is wrong.

i have a feeling that you're trying to sabotage this person's chances.

yeah you should never mention that you have a low # of interviews to programs, wtf at whoever said that

Seriously, what could they possibly say? "Hey, Stanford, I only have interviews from two other top schools (I won't say which ones because that would be rude and I want to keep the discussion to US), so I'm in danger of not matching. Would you please rank me to match so I don't have to repeat this process?" Yeah, right.

You obviously wouldn’t say it like that. But I would work in a way to say that your application has a lot of research publication and I only interested in training at an academic center and there are few programs which would satisfy my ultimate career goals and truly align with my passion for x,y,z including (insert Stanford/NYU/whatever) if youre bold you could even say something like “I only have 3 interviews, granted they are at top academic programs and I’m aware that statistically speaking this decreases my chances of matching. That being said dermatology is my passion and if i didnt match i would continue to pursue my research interests and reapply”. God, be creative people. <-- the second part sounds transparently terrible to be honest. the first part is generic (all 2 applicants say something like that when asked "why program X") and doesn't even let on that you only have 3 interviews

OP is probably a student at Harvard, NYU or Stanford so he/she will match somewhere x2

as a student in one of these schools I think you'd be surprised at how many people don't match. I think its partially due to hubris

Gotta get someone reliable and known to make calls ASAP to realistic match spots (mid and lower teir, geographically compatible with application)

The process is crazy. I have top 10 interviews and only 10 total, but other people from my school have more and I know my scores are higher. I know there are multiple favors going in to selecting for interviews but I kind of check off a lot of the other boxes also. I almost think some programs see 270 and think I won’t go there or that I’m maybe not normal.

in terms of what? clinical vs research vs ... they are very different programs

In terms of whatever matters to you.

Clinically: UCSF, Penn>Harvard>Stanford>NYU

< really? I feel like clinically NYU would be the strongest by far because you're spending 2/3 of your entire residency at the VA+county/public hospital = lots of autonomy. << LOL that person has no idea what they're talking about. Clinically, it's UCSF > NYU > Harvard > Stanford > Penn. Overall reputation is Harvard > Stanford > Penn > UCSF > NYU << lol at these absurd rankings, true delusion

I've heard it's UCSF > Harvard > Stanford > NYU > Penn

Its almost as if the top 5 is interchangable and it really comes down to personal preferences and biases

haha so true x3

Look at last year’s rank sheet. Penn was most popular #1 rank then Stanford out of the top 5.

because everyone definitely writes their ranking and is definitely honest about it too

lol'ed at that gullible person

< there is literally no benefit to faking what you are ranking 1 because that only would dissuade people from also listing that one, which ends up in them possibly ranking where you actually want to go as 1. Also, it's anonymous. It's not each person's specific rank, but a tally of how many people are rankin each program a certain number on their list so there is very little benefit to lying. There is usually a 1/5 yield, so it's actually a good amount of people of the interviewees.

< https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16WyBDd4BhLhqR5F5BWMLRAKtq_Na3d9DHyokLtUg0rA/edit#gid=596104293

can someone weigh in what this program is like

Since this is a Beth Israel Deaconess affiliate, is this considered a Harvard TY? Are you gonna get that Harvard seal on your diploma?

"Who is going to do Derm, then Peds to make significantly less money?" Someone who isn't in this for money maybe >> then the field needs to stop matching so many ppl who are in it for the money. the i want to do academic derm but promptly join private practice cosmetics right after finishing. to each their own, but it's silly to complain about residents' career choices when you're the gatekeeper to the field and picked them >> also peds EM you can do after both EM and peds so there's precedent that some subspecialties can have multiple pathways << Don't be dumb, Ped and Peds ER actually overlap, Peds and Peds derm are worlds apart. << the person who said some programs are now training peds in derm...what programs are those? i'm just curious bc i have not heard that and just wondering if i'm behind on some changes.

There are 2 on the east coast I am aware of and they are doing it out of desperation. Billing is the same regardless if boarded in Peds Derm or not.

<great advice! also I want to add that if your home program is not advocating for you by making calls to your number one, they should be! Ask your mentors to advocate for you because everyone else is! Shame on mentors who don't!!!

<- TBH none of my mentors offered to and didnt make calls when i asked them to either. Its not as common as you would think unfortunately. x3 <Its a sad situation. Mentors should want to advocate and step up for their mentees

Wish this was the case... my mentors were lazy af, had me write my own LoR, didn't really give any tips or advice, i didn't even feel comfortable talkin to them regarding my progress during the application and interviews, they seems more preoccupied with their lives acting like they are gods gift to this world... x2

In re: to peds derm advice.. I was told to be cautious in advertising this heavily because some faculty are immediately turned off by this. The reality is that most people who say they want to do peds derm never actually do. x2

if you decide to state your interest in peds derm, then you better have really strong evidence of a genuine interest in peds derm on your CV (Camp Discovery, multiple research projects, LORs from peds derms)

Peds residents are not prepared to be peds dermatologists with a 1-year peds derm fellowship... unless you want to make peds derm fellowship 3 years like other peds fellowships. I would also say...dont try and "fake" interest in pediatric dermatology. You'd be serving yourself better by applying with your true career goals in mind. Furthermore, may programs do not have peds derm fellowship or robust peds derm attendings, so knowing you have an "interest" in this subject may indicate that you'd prefer training at other programs with more robust peds derm training.

Peds actually get a decent amount of derm training. Obviously nothing close to derm-trained, but that means that they already start off with basic information. They know some about/have heard of medical aspect of some genodermatoses. Also, if they are now only doing peds derm, fellowship could only be 2 years since they would still be more focused than general derm, though I suppose you can see mostly anything in kids.

I also want to reiterate this as someone who is interested in peds derm. heard that there's enough ppl who lie about their interest that now programs are skeptical. i was told this by my home program. i was like wtf. you can't win. you have a genuine interest and now you're gonna get grilled to see if it's genuine bc other bad apples ruined it.x2 it's just like the research requirement for derm. you gotta have research but if you have too much now you're branded a research person and more clinical programs or the non harvard /UCSF /penn places think you're not gonna want to go there. you cannot win so just be real and do the best you can x2

see comment two boxes left. you're right - it sucks that you're damned if you, damned if you don't in derm. but there are other ways to prove genuine interest on your CV << Oh yeah, I did Camp Discovery, had 2 peds derm LoR, and did rotations at places with peds derm....but I was just saying it's pretty absurd to have to worry that in addition to everything else