Applicant sentiment — from 150 anonymous posts, 2016–2027
6.2 / 10
What anonymous posters said
Anonymous posters frequently group this program among a small set of highly regarded dermatology residencies. Several described residents as happy and well supported with favorable quality of life and compensation, while some noted comparatively weaker derm surgery or Mohs training. Many posts also debated whether post-interview check-in or 'RTM' calls occurred, reflecting persistent rumor and uncertainty around recruitment communications.
Match termsstanfordstanford dermstanford healthstanford health care
Fame & Shame
2025–2026 Derm
4 entries
✅1. All of the hospitals are beautiful
❌1. I heard that their Peds Derm spot is guaranteed to whoever their current research fellow is, the nepotism runs deep. Good luck.
❌2. Most stressful interview day. No breaks between rooms. Rapid fire of very challenging questions and follow-ups. Felt very judged with every answer I gave. PD responded with rudeness after I asked a basic question.
💬1. well the shame is clearly not true as this year's peds match was not the research fellow +1. very organized interview day and responsive coordinator. > hated this interview day seemed like they were trying to see how you do under stress
why is it better to do a prelim over a TY if you don't match? < it isnt. It's better to do a TY. Unless you want to do IM back up; then the only benefit of a prelim of your first year of IM is done. Otherwise TY is easier, more chill, and usually allows you more time to do aways and research
Looked up the cook county PGY3 that got dismissed. Very sad that this can happen. How are people getting dismissed from derm programs? Have heard of many residents now getting dismissed, for example at Mount Sinai recently too
Mar 7
0
>UH, Stanford too
Mar 7
0
How do you find this information?
Mar 7
0
word of mouth. although not sure about each person's specific circumstances.
Mar 7
0
this post needs to be pinned. there are residents getting fired from programs and its too risky to be around unstable faculty who can ruin your career
resident suicide(s) in the past? idk, i cant find much info on it.
Feb 21
0
Resident has also been terminated in the program before.
Feb 21
0
what do you have to do to get terminated damn < idk, but there was also an nyu resident who terminated before. it was a whole thing on this spreadsheet a few years ago.
Feb 21
0
i heard the same with mt sinai and stanford a couple years back
Feb 21
0
i heard the same with mt sinai and stanford a couple years back
clinical training is stronger at UCSF but Stanford has better QOL and still good training > this spreadsheet loves to frame ucsf as a workhorse and it possibly true based on interview. Stanford is consistently said to be more chill and overall enjoyable
Feb 21
1
this question has been asked 1 million times how many people are actually getting interviews from both
Feb 21
0
mbn
Feb 21
0
mbn
Mar 7
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Is stanford derm a highly competitive environment? Thank you.< I haven't heard this - I've heard it's pretty chill through the grapevine (if you mean whether other residents are gunners/not collaborative?)
we just cool with making fun of peoples names now? awesome.
Feb 21
0
not OP. damn its not that deep
Feb 21
3
It's because it sounds like Gunner, so it's funny
Feb 21
0
yeah, I bet this "we just kill" guy's name is Buzz because he's fucking buzz kill >
Feb 21
0
not OP. damn its not that deep
Mar 7
0
It's because it sounds like Gunner, so it's funny
Mar 7
0
yeah, I bet this "we just kill" guy's name is Buzz because he's fucking buzz kill >
Mar 7
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i was scrolling and noticed that there are a number of posts that mention how stanford is "not prestigious" and "not really a t5" with no comments to back that up and the postiive post about stanford vs ucsf got deleted. im not saying these patterns are shady, but im not not saying it. and yes, i can read doximity, but the point stands.
Stanford has an unmatched brand name and is, non-negotiably, a top program. Anyone who tries to convince you not to go there likely has ill intentions
Feb 21
0
agreed. same with UCSF, Penn, NYU, Harvard, etc.
Feb 21
0
the person was asking Stanford vs ucsf and others commented they'll be ranking Stanford over ucsf. Felt like several people said that
Feb 21
0
I think patterns are very shady, OP. haha.
Feb 21
0
lmao
Feb 21
0
imagine being in the position to get to choose ucsf or stanford COULDNT BE ME must be nice
Feb 21
0
A lot of mental masturbation and obsession over what the top programs are and comparing them. As a derm resident, I will say to be grateful if you match anywhere and be extra grateful if you match at one of your top choices/place you really liked + 10002
Feb 21
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Someone deleted :( but what were vibes like at the UCSF interview clinical track?
is it still considered a 'workhorse' after interview?
Feb 21
0
residents seemed really stressed about consult months
Feb 21
0
how about their clinical work? Are they stressing there?
Feb 21
0
wondering this too does anyone have insight>
Feb 21
0
how was the interview? Is it behavioral or conversational ?
Feb 21
0
mix of both but each room has a standard question/theme
Feb 21
0
agree they all seemed afraid of inpt time lmao
Feb 21
0
did u feel like they read app / asked questions about it or more generic?
Feb 21
0
yes but i also feel that all my interviews read my app
Feb 21
0
was very obvious they read my app asked about specifics and commented on my letters
Feb 21
0
im still sad ucsf didnt send me an interview :(
Feb 21
0
inpatient month at the university hospital is very intense with high patient load and only 1 res +/- sub-I. but you learn a lot and have lots of support from attendings
Feb 21
0
Someone keeps lurking and deleting any comments that might cause someone to rank stanford
Feb 21
0
ucsf, i'd take any advice on spreadsheet with a very large grain of salt since they're clearly trying to manipulate information
Feb 21
0
true true, thank you for the headsup
Feb 21
0
yea i agree ^^ < aaaand someone just deleted that. Please have some integrity. protecting this cell.
Feb 21
0
rank whatever you want, your career outcome will prob be similar at either place if you match there
Feb 21
3
ucsf, i'd take any advice on spreadsheet with a very large grain of salt since they're clearly trying to manipulate information
Mar 7
0
true true, thank you for the headsup
Mar 7
0
yea i agree ^^ < aaaand someone just deleted that. Please have some integrity. protecting this cell.
research questions felt aggressive (not a 2) but overall ok otherwise, didn't go up or down on my list
Feb 21
2
agree the research questions in the chief room were aggro
Feb 21
0
where were they in your ranking?
Feb 21
0
my top 5. despite people throwing shade on here in terms of "prestige" i think most people consider the program to be a great balance of reputation and work/life balance. but they are notably weaker in cosmetics and possibly surgery compared to other "t5s"
Feb 21
0
thoughts on Stanford vs UCSF?
Feb 21
1
that's really interesting bc I didn't get much research questions, also not 2
Feb 21
2
looks like the stanford v ucsf cell was deleted
Feb 21
0
so sad it seemed like a good post
Feb 21
1
so sad it seemed like a good post
Mar 7
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0
so many people keep saying Harvard is suboptimal training because more inpatient time and more call... do we have facts/stats on this? what are the inpatient consult time and call responsibilities, objectively speaking?
Yes the Harvard program probably has more inpatient time compared to other programs, but it amounts to 16 weeks (4 months) of inpatient consult time and call across MGH, Brigham, BI. People are just exaggerating the inpatient time, likely to dissuade others from ranking highly/#1
Feb 21
0
they have up to 6 months more inpatient time than similarly ranked programs
Feb 21
0
they do not scribe or cover attending inbox! program really tries to minimize admin (also no prior auths). inpatient and call can be tough, but residents seem happy with the balance because many blocks have great hours and alternate with inpatient. I believe it is 12 weeks of call?
Feb 21
0
according to Harvard's recruitment handbook, there is 6 to 8 months of inpatient and 12 weeks of call (not including 2 months at boston children's which is both inpt/outpt)
Feb 21
0
how does this compare with Penn (since everyone is always putting these two up against each other for #1 rank)?
Feb 21
0
lol anyone else w/ Harvard interview who literally isn't even a top applicant (no Penn/Stanford/Hopkins/UCSF) it feels so weird
Feb 21
0
By comparison, UCSF has 2 months of inpatient (one in PGY2, one in PGY3)
Feb 21
0
they have up to 6 months more inpatient time than similarly ranked programs
Mar 7
0
according to Harvard's recruitment handbook, there is 6 to 8 months of inpatient and 12 weeks of call (not including 2 months at boston children's which is both inpt/outpt)
Mar 7
0
how does this compare with Penn (since everyone is always putting these two up against each other for #1 rank)?
Mar 7
0
lol anyone else w/ Harvard interview who literally isn't even a top applicant (no Penn/Stanford/Hopkins/UCSF) it feels so weird
Mar 7
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my mind is blown that one of the sinai derm residents is/was the god daughter of Jeffrey Epstein, who apparently wanted to marry her at one point. And now she's married to a Feldman??
how else would you have liked me to phrase it damn
Feb 21
0
not surprised given that its such an israeli department
Feb 21
0
who are the Feldmans?
Feb 21
1
this is so insane, i can't believe it.. just saw a video about her and her family's links to epstein
Feb 21
0
i'm just gonna say this - there are very powerful ppl in the background that influence things. not unique to derm
Feb 21
0
I mean she still had to do an RY at Sinai
Feb 21
0
and she's the daughter of a billionaire omg?
Feb 21
0
THIS is the tea im here for
Feb 21
0
drop her name
Feb 21
0
she's pretty easy to find, there's another mt sinai derm resident who is also the daughter of a multimillionaire (like 100s) which is wild
Feb 21
0
Celina Dubin. Just say the god damn name. Stop trying to be mysterious.
Feb 21
0
imagine applying to mount sinai that year as an innocent little applicant hoping to get in off of just your credentials, and then here you have the daughter of a billionare hedge fund manager who's connected to epstein applying with you.
Feb 21
0
a lot of people, especially at Sinai, are children/grandchildren of very wealthy people. There are multimillionaires in every class and around 60% of folks don't take out loans. If they aren't super wealthy, they have a parent who is an attending/faculty at Sinai. But also, Guttman don't care unless you do an RY at Sinai.
Feb 21
0
Honestly, we were all dealt different cards in life, and the only way to get the dream is to punch upward and try your best when you aren't given a full house.
Feb 21
0
I love being a random regular person that matched at a better program than Sinai
Feb 21
0
That's what I'm talking about. I know it's been at least a year since you matched, but from one random regular person to another, congrats!
Feb 21
0
yeah dude i get it, i didn't take out loans and my parents are millionaires sure but in the order of 10-15 million not 100+ million or billionaires enough to influence me going to certain undergrad, med school, residency or meeting people that will put me in the right rooms to get into freaking Sinai Derm
Feb 21
0
umm, so most people in college don't fit your demographic. I guess the grass is always greener looking at people at higher socioeconomic statuses, but when your parents are millionaires, and not 100mill/billionaires, you still were afforded opportunities that most others didn't have. But also, the best shot at matching at Sinai is being a Sinai student and doing an RY with Guttman, answering her 6am on a weekend phone calls telling you to come in during your RY, hoping she doesn't hate you and she loves you enough that you aren't 1 out of the 3 fellows that don't match and will never match. There are many programs, specifically in NYC, that will not rank you high enough if you are a Guttman/Sinai RY fellow. It's literally why almost no sinai student matches outside of Sinai (except Stanford every couple of years, Einstein sometimes).
Feb 21
0
Deleted: "Guttman scares me legit and I only saw her at a conference like once
Feb 21
0
why is it that all the hardcore zionist faculty are the meanest ones> tbh if ur a proponent of colonization and genocide maybe u need to be ousted from professional environments idk just a thought
Feb 21
0
a lot of leadership at derm programs in places like NY are hardcore Zionist, so what do we do about that "
Feb 21
0
Looked up the Feldman btw. Some big name derm at Wake
Feb 21
0
Steve Feldman is an absolute angel and does not belong in this discourse. I highly doubt he even knows this girl or her family> Feldman is a mfin G and he's anti Israel. Never speak bad on my homie ever again
Feb 21
0
i'm just gonna say this - there are very powerful ppl in the background that influence things. not unique to derm
Mar 7
0
I mean she still had to do an RY at Sinai
Mar 7
0
THIS is the tea im here for
Mar 7
0
drop her name
Mar 7
0
she's pretty easy to find, there's another mt sinai derm resident who is also the daughter of a multimillionaire (like 100s) which is wild
Mar 7
0
Celina Dubin. Just say the god damn name. Stop trying to be mysterious.
Mar 7
0
imagine applying to mount sinai that year as an innocent little applicant hoping to get in off of just your credentials, and then here you have the daughter of a billionare hedge fund manager who's connected to epstein applying with you.
Mar 7
0
a lot of people, especially at Sinai, are children/grandchildren of very wealthy people. There are multimillionaires in every class and around 60% of folks don't take out loans. If they aren't super wealthy, they have a parent who is an attending/faculty at Sinai. But also, Guttman don't care unless you do an RY at Sinai.
Mar 7
0
Honestly, we were all dealt different cards in life, and the only way to get the dream is to punch upward and try your best when you aren't given a full house.
Mar 7
0
I love being a random regular person that matched at a better program than Sinai
Mar 7
0
That's what I'm talking about. I know it's been at least a year since you matched, but from one random regular person to another, congrats!
Mar 7
0
yeah dude i get it, i didn't take out loans and my parents are millionaires sure but in the order of 10-15 million not 100+ million or billionaires enough to influence me going to certain undergrad, med school, residency or meeting people that will put me in the right rooms to get into freaking Sinai Derm
Mar 7
0
umm, so most people in college don't fit your demographic. I guess the grass is always greener looking at people at higher socioeconomic statuses, but when your parents are millionaires, and not 100mill/billionaires, you still were afforded opportunities that most others didn't have. But also, the best shot at matching at Sinai is being a Sinai student and doing an RY with Guttman, answering her 6am on a weekend phone calls telling you to come in during your RY, hoping she doesn't hate you and she loves you enough that you aren't 1 out of the 3 fellows that don't match and will never match. There are many programs, specifically in NYC, that will not rank you high enough if you are a Guttman/Sinai RY fellow. It's literally why almost no sinai student matches outside of Sinai (except Stanford every couple of years, Einstein sometimes).
Mar 7
0
why is it that all the hardcore zionist faculty are the meanest ones> tbh if ur a proponent of colonization and genocide maybe u need to be ousted from professional environments idk just a thought
Mar 7
0
a lot of leadership at derm programs in places like NY are hardcore Zionist, so what do we do about that "
Mar 7
0
Steve Feldman is an absolute angel and does not belong in this discourse. I highly doubt he even knows this girl or her family> Feldman is a mfin G and he's anti Israel. Never speak bad on my homie ever again
Mar 7
0
0
why is UCSF so great? i think cost of living in the city alone should be a huge negative here
Looked up the cook county PGY3 that got dismissed. Very sad that this can happen. How are people getting dismissed from derm programs? Have heard of many residents now getting dismissed, for example at Mount Sinai recently too