billybones
OSRR Newbie
Posts: 1
(3/28/02 7:48:56 pm)
141.158.244.85
Reply | Edit | Del All Duke vs Vandy vs Emory
Congrats to everybody who matched!
I'm trying to decide where to do away rotations but can only choose two. Any insight about these programs or others in the southeast? Any comments would help.
By the way, my Bench to Step 1 ratio is 1.25 but should improve over the next year.
Thanks.
ndortho
OSRR Newbie
Posts: 5
(3/29/02 7:54:10 am)
160.129.207.93
Reply | Edit | Del Duke vs Vandy vs Emory
I'm a graduating Vandy MS IV, and I can say that Vandy has an Excellent program, top to bottom. All subspecialties are covered thoroughly, great faculty-resident cameraderie, great town, excellent facilites. One negative is that their intern year is still a whole general surgery year, as opposed to the more common 6 mo of GS and 6 of ortho/PMR/radiology/anes/etc... Also, they are very open with the fact that doing a rotation at Vandy does NOT guarantee an interview. I met quite a few disgruntled applicants on the trail who were pretty upset about not being offered an interview at VU after rotating there. In the end, though, if you really want something, it's certainly worth going for...and Vandy is a great place to choose.
Ortho2002
OSRR Fellow
Posts: 215
(3/29/02 9:04:53 am)
128.248.238.82
Reply | Edit | Del Vandy
Don't bother doing an away rotation at Vandy unless you are AOA. Vandy will not interview you unless you are AOA. Seems like someone should tell you!! Although, it made for some good disgruntled tales on the trail!!!
orthohopeful
OSRR Senior
Posts: 73
(3/29/02 10:09:25 am)
64.123.42.147
Reply | Edit | Del more on vandy
I loved this program in just about every way, ranked it very high but did not get in. From the stuff I've heard from people at vandy and that rotated I came to believe two warnings about it:
1. they only interview AOA people (mentioned above), so a rotation there if you aren't AOA might be wasted except for the possibility of generating a good letter from one of their stellar faculty.
2. even if you get the interview (being AOA), it is extremely difficult if not impossible to be ranked to match unless you rotated there and made a good impression.
So it would seem that to actually get in you have to be AOA and rotate there.
Please remember that this is not direct info from Vandy faculty or anything, just the observations of applicants and residents around the country. The stats may not bear this out (e.g. someone may know someone that interviewed without AOA or one that matched without rotating, but I haven't been able to find anyone with either situation).
If you think you will make AOA and are interested in Vandy then go for it, I think you would be hard pressed to find many places better. The big catch is that many schools including my own, don't notify about AOA until after rotations are typically done, so you could potentially screw yourself if you don't make it but already did the rotation.
Ahh, the many twists and turns that the ortho match has. Isn't it just delightful?
Good luck from someone glad to have finished the process.
billybones
OSRR Newbie
Posts: 2
(3/29/02 12:06:40 pm)
141.158.244.85
Reply | Edit | Del Vandy and others
I guess I envy you guys(or gals) more now than ever. Thanks for the input. Fortunately, I have made junior AOA, which I'm sure would help. The dilemma is how to play the game. Does anybody no someone who matched at Vandy? How about the other SE programs like Emory or Duke?
