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**TriSaratops** re: Med School

LittleSweetieLittleSweetie member
1000 Comments
in Minnesota-Minneapolis and St. Paul
So, what is this matching all about?  I'm super curious!  I'm guessing that it's about getting into a specialization - do you have an idea of what you will specialize in?  Or do they somehow choose for you?!  Might sound absurd, but I have no idea how that all works!
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Re: **TriSaratops** re: Med School

  • TriSaratops10TriSaratops10
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    So first you decide what speciality you want to do then you apply to various programs that you are interested in (it's an internet application with certain things [dean's letter, grades, licensing scores, personal statement, etc] that are required).

    Then those programs, if they like your application, invite a certain number of ppl out for an interview, so you fly/drive out to that place and interview (most do between 12-20, up to over 50 if you're that in-decided and well qualified).

    Then you sit down and rank the programs in the order you want to go to the most to least and the programs do the same with their applicants.

    Then it is all submitted by late February and a computer program runs "The Match" that is supposed to try to match you to a program that you like in accordance to how a program likes you - they say it favors the applicant's preference.

    So this Monday everyone found IF they matched (not where) - so that if you didn't match you have to "scramble" into a spot (on Tuesday you are with a dean, several close friends & 2-3 fax machines trying to get into a spot - think musical chairs)

    Then tomorrow, everyone all across the country find out at the exact same time WHERE they will "match" - so most schools have big ceremonies for it :)

    In the Army we apply and match to programs earlier - so that if you don't match in the Army you can still continue with the "regular" match.

    Probably a heck of a lot more than you wanted to know --- but for me -- I am doing Radiology! Yay!! (reading CAT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, etc) :)
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  • LittleSweetieLittleSweetie member
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    No that's exactly what I was wondering about!  Thanks for explaining all the details.

    That's so great you like your specialty!  The radiologists I've worked with have always been pretty laid back and chill :)
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  • ef7310ef7310
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Since your FI already is in residency, did you only apply to local programs? How many programs did you apply to? I don't know much about the Army programs. Are there a lot? Sorry for all the questions. It's still a long ways off for me, but I still get excited.

    And to answer yours from the other thread (I don't want to hijack it with med school talk), I do go to  the U of M. I can't wait for 2nd year to be over and to start my rotations. In a little over a month from now I'll be done. Though, then I have to start studying about Step 1. Yeah, the joys of med school. 
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  • TriSaratops10TriSaratops10
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    LittleSweetie - whew! I didn't put you to sleep - Yea, I am sooo happy, my first choices all around (speciality and program) :-)

    ef- So the Army only has 4 programs for Radiology - so I applied to all of those and even got a trip to Hawaii for a month on gov't money out of it! (did a rotation out there, there's an Army Hospital in Honolulu).  I also applied to some "civilian" programs - about 25 - just in case.  I ended up getting my first choice, same hospital as FI :) (he's ENT)

    Others who were applying for Rads applied to anywhere from 20 to 50 programs - my class had />10% applying for Rads - it is getting VERY VERY competitive - BUT it is still a male-dominated field (not b/c they want to be that way, but b/c I think women think of it as a "cold" specialty since there is little patient contact and you also have to take a physics board exam to become board-certified). So if you are a woman you have an advantage - it is a GREAT speciality for having a family and women's imaging is a FANTASTIC field :)

    Most people went on from 12-37 interviews (I think 37 was the record # of interviews) -- it is a crap shoot (excuse language) just like applying for med school in many ways.

    GL with step1 - I recommend doing primarily questions (UWorld & Kaplan are popular) and memorizing the First Aid book :)

    HTH!
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  • Steph0871Steph0871
    5000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Ohh.  Thanks for this post LS and TriSara!  I have a few friends whose facebook updates have been nothing except The Match all week.  I was too afraid to ask how it worked.  Now I know!  Congrats, by the way!
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  • wittyschaffywittyschaffy member
    Knottie Warrior 1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Congrats!  My sister is Med/Peds and Matched at the U - her first choice as well.  I bet you are having a much less stressful day today now that all is over.  :)
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