What applicants said about Northwestern McGaw/NMH/VA-IL in the 2026 cycle

Chicago, IL

Applicant sentiment — from 72 anonymous posts, 2025–2026 Derm

4.7 / 10

AI-generated summary of opinions expressed in anonymous, unverified posts. It describes what posters wrote, not verified facts about this program. · Updated Aug 2026 · Full program summary · Contest or respond to this entry · Takedown & right of reply

Fame & Shame

2025–2026 Derm

2 entries

❌1. Formal between faculty and residents and tense. Not a relaxed feeling and some residents are standoff-ish and rude (some are wonderful, but it's very hit or miss). Generally not as social as they may seem. I was sad as this was my first choice in the beginning (esp given their social media) and I was a little shocked at how much I disliked it. I ended up ranking them very low after my interview. Also, only 1 resident has matched MOHs since 2019 and that match was back in 2020. One match in 2020? Are they not interviewing their own candidates? This was a red flag for me but if this is a consideration for you, maybe talk to the current residents to sus out program support. There do seem to be residents aiming for MOHs in the next classes, so hopefully their outcomes are better. Anyways, always try to get the most exposure to your top programs if possible, because they may surprise you in a bad OR good way. More info is better.

❌2. Have heard this is not a great program for Mohs since department is not as supportive in taking their own residents.

how do northwestern fellows typically fair in the match? theres always like 20 of them so im just curious

#3510Mar 25

Seeing the biggest gunner that tried all cycle to ruin me and other research fellows/applicants match into a no name community program in an entirely different specialty while we all matched is bittersweet. On one end I would say they deserved it, but I also feel bad for them now because I know how dead set on derm they were < I know it's hard, but don't feel sorry for that person. You very much get the negativity that you put out in the world. There is no need for people going for Derm to be cutthroat to the point of sabotaging others and that person intentionally did so. In many ways it's karma coming back 10 fold.

#3509Mar 25

i believe in karma

Mar 25

never sacrifice your integrity for the game. bottom line. More people should adopt this mindset.

Mar 25

is this northwestern fellows?

Mar 25

this cycle gave me some peace of mind that justice still exists in the world, but i feel the same way. don't want to wish ill on other people, just want future applicants to value working together instead of against each other.

Mar 25

UCLA vs Northwestern for Mohs?

#3091Feb 25

do you want to live in LA or Chicago

Mar 7

EIther. NW might be a smidge stronger but either is good

Mar 7

look at previous mohs match lists to compare both schools' histories with matching too! always helpful

Mar 7

Someone mentioned northwestern derm interview also counting as IM prelim interview. is this only true for med derm or would it apply to general/peds derm interviews too?> this is something to confirm with program coordinator! would not rely on info you get here

#2985Feb 21

Only counts if you also separately applied to the advanced derm program. Then you rank both.

Feb 21

so if i interviewed for advanced derm at northwestern I can rank/be considered for northwestern IM prelim without a prelim interview? did not apply med derm

Feb 21

I believe it was only the med-derm people that automatically includes the prelim but agree would check with program coordinator!

Feb 21

so if i interviewed for advanced derm at northwestern I can rank/be considered for northwestern IM prelim without a prelim interview? did not apply med derm

Mar 7

Can we make a list in the cell to the right of places whose derm interview automatically counts as your interview for a prelim/TY year too?

#2829Feb 21

Penn State, Northwestern, Yale (kind of), Georgetown, Ohio State, Brown, Cleveland Clinic, UPMC, UTHSC (tennessee), Zucker/Northwell, Emory, Mizzou, WVU, Dartmouth

Feb 21

wait I didn't know about Northwestern, are we sure?

Feb 21

northwestern med derm counts for prelim.

Feb 21

Penn state does??

Feb 21

yes Penn state does, presented to us on interview day

Feb 21

what about northwestern regular Derm/peds derm> NW med derm counts for advanced derm NW position + med derm position. NOT prelim. You can ask to be considered for categorical IM, but that was not guaranteed by just applying.

Feb 21

Exact wording: "We are very excited to welcome you to the Northwestern University combined Medicine-Dermatology interviews, which also serves as interviews for either the categorical Medicine and/or advanced Dermatology tracks, if you have applied to either of those Northwestern programs. "

Feb 21

northwestern med derm counts for prelim.

Mar 7

Penn state does??

Mar 7

yes Penn state does, presented to us on interview day

Mar 7

One of you on the Northwestern Fame and Shame said they had tea they were going to drop before rank lists were due. Well... We're all done with interviews. So can somebody please drop the tea about Northwestern??

#2795Feb 21

i think that was from like 2 years ago (i, too, was waiting)

Feb 21

oh... damn... Do you know any tea? Anything???

Feb 21

no:( but there seems to be tea below from that paragraph ripping apart NW but i know nothing personally

Feb 21

oh... damn... Do you know any tea? Anything???

Mar 7

no:( but there seems to be tea below from that paragraph ripping apart NW but i know nothing personally

Mar 7

How are the research track/2 applicants thinking about ranking programs? I was most impressed by UCSF, then Penn/Harvard. New haven seemed bleak but good research. Going to be a tough cycle with how many apps there are this year and limited number of spots

#2778Feb 21

Also impressed by Penn, Harvard, Yale, Northwestern

Feb 21

also, I wonder how far the Harvard/Yale name can take someone.

Feb 21

also, I wonder how far the Harvard/Yale name can take someone.

Mar 7

Current residents: is there any chance of second look attendance or absence influencing rank order lists?

#2705Feb 21

Which schools ARE having second looks? Which ones are for sure NOT having second looks?

Feb 21

Vandy, Jeff, Iowa IS MedStar, Duke, Northwestern are NOT Cleveland Clinic you can message to set one up

Feb 21

Did people really get NW swag? i haven't gotten anything just checking in

#2581Feb 21

did not get northwestern swag

Feb 21

I did not receive mine

Feb 21

I did not received swag (med-derm)

Feb 21

what was it?

Feb 21

an asshole edited it to say I did when that's not what I wrote.

Feb 21

OP haha i switched it back people are irritating for no reason like their parents must be sick of them gd

Feb 21

what was it?

Mar 7

an asshole edited it to say I did when that's not what I wrote.

Mar 7

OP haha i switched it back people are irritating for no reason like their parents must be sick of them gd

Mar 7

nyu vs northwestern in terms of QoL / stress levels? -> northwestern for Qol and better stress levels

#2553Feb 21

Thoughts on Northwestern interview?

#2477Feb 21

it was west of north

Feb 21

it was honestly pretty chill with routine behavioral questions. Better culture than expected but agree that the resident/attending relationship seemed very formal

Feb 21

mine was mostly personal questions with a few standard ones, felt very relaxed

Feb 21

Why did you guys think the relationship was formal? I didn't pick up on those vibes.

Feb 21

Theres northwestern, southwestern, midwestern, there seems to be no love for programs with eastern lol

#2437Feb 21

anyone have insight on northwestern interview?

#2436Feb 21

it was west of north

Feb 21

cheeellll do not worry

Feb 21

How many people are interviewing at NW?

Feb 21

Anyone have any tea on Northwestern? Vibe?

#2361Feb 21

a bunch of snobby researchers who devote little to no time to patient care. Interviewed and rotated with them so I know what I'm talking about. Happy for the interview but I will be ranking them near the bottom. If you want to go to residency to become a researcher who has little clinical skills and must rely on chatGPT for differentials and plans a month before graduating, then this is the place for you.

Feb 21

Did RY, no IV disclaimer. Many of the faculty, especially the young ones, have large unjustified egos. I would argue this translates to resident selection from preferring nearly exclusively elite medical schools (not saying these people aren't qualified). It also translates to some faculty much worse teachers than others and having little autonomy for the typical resident. There's a large emphasis on research. However, all the residents except for 1-2 are very kind, supportive and enthusiastic. Word of advice when it comes to doing a RY here, you need to thoroughly vet your PI and talk with the previous fellows. Not all relationships are created equal and it's almost like 10 different possible experiences under the NU umbrella

Feb 21

Damn! I'm sorry to hear that. I appreciate you sharing your experience.

Feb 21

this has been a consistent sentiment but not as extreme for years

Feb 21

NorthWestsern sucks eggs

Feb 21

Hmm, i did a rotation here and had a different take. Felt like the attendings were really invested in learner growth / very strong clinically in addition to the research strength

Feb 21

also did rotation, agree about the egos and bad vibes very unappealing, tbh even the residents feel a little egotistic but i think it's the environment bc they are so personable in moments

Feb 21

now that's a roast lol

Feb 21

this has been a consistent sentiment but not as extreme for years

Mar 7

NorthWestsern sucks eggs

Mar 7

Hmm, i did a rotation here and had a different take. Felt like the attendings were really invested in learner growth / very strong clinically in addition to the research strength

Mar 7

also did rotation, agree about the egos and bad vibes very unappealing, tbh even the residents feel a little egotistic but i think it's the environment bc they are so personable in moments

Mar 7

am sure i will get flamed if this is dumb lol but do most derm programs not do second looks anymore? Have not heard anything about it from interviews, etc

#2360Feb 21

I think a lot of them aren't anymore. I know MedStar and Duke aren't doing them. UConn does not either. Northwestern is also not hosting one.

Feb 21

this is a great question, i was also wondering

Feb 21

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