Interview Stats 2011, How many apps? How many invites? etc

Nor would I, and that's the point I'm trying to make - very few (if any) of us are going to take that leap of faith. So, we're going to keep accepting and attending interviews that, when all is said and done, we may look back and recognize as unnecessary. Which is a shame, because I have friends/acquaintances to whom I would happily "give" some of those interviews, if possible... I'm sure we all feel that way.

Well, hopefully, we'll all get so many interviews that we'll be able to answer this question, in time.
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Personally, I'm not going to cancel any interviews unless I have date conflicts (other interviews or school curriculum obligations) or I'm broke!

In terms of being embarassed... I don't think I'll feel "embarassed" about cancelling an interview unless I give less than 2 weeks notice, I have already asked them to move the interview multiple times, or I had extensive contact with the program coordinator.

this discussion has been awesome. I think there's also something to be said about doing an "audition" interview. Especially if it's a place that you expect to have lower on your rank list. I'm debating one of the same things right now...driving 4-5 hours each night to make 3 interviews in 3 days missing some of the social stuff or just doing 2 interviews, making both socials...

And the contiguous ranks, is that ranking 13 programs? I know I've had multiples with interviews offered with the same days and I can't be in 2 places at once (as far as I know)...

I also agree that the number of interviews reflects the strength of the applicant.

plane tickets get exponentially more expensive when buying it closer than 2 weeks out, so I would use that as my limit to when I would cancel. but in the end, it is hard for me to shake the "more is better" attitude so I probably wouldn't cancel anything unless I really had to due to a schedule conflict.

but man, that data on how far someone falls down their list would be awesome. Even on orthogate (which is a pretty small population of psuedu-gunners), it doesn't seem like folks drop farther than # 5. Out of all the folks that have matched at my program, none of them said that they dropped lower than 5-6 either.

I agree with the 2 week mark and feeling somewhat embarassed.

I'm on a military scholarship and find out if I can defer in the middle of december, but I don't know when, so assuming I'm going to do a civilian residency I'm scheduling interviews. If I find out I can't do a civilian residency, i'm gonna dump all my interviews because it would be a total waste and prevent others from having the interviews. That said, if I find out on Dec 15 (which I supposidly will), do I cancel the interviews for the 18th? I don't want to be disrespectful to the program, but I don't want to take up a spot for a program I am definitely not goin to go to...

what do you guys think?

I think they would understand about cacelling because of the military. It would be a waste of their time too. These interviews suck for all parties involved.

Yeah, cancelling for the military is a reason out of your hands so they really ought to understand. There has to be someone out there who's willing to buy a plane ticket two to three days in advance, I know there are programs out there I'd leave at the drop of a hat for.

Anybody else out there with any other thoughts/observations regarding this wonderfully fun process that they'd like to share?

Especially some of the programs interviewing that weekend - Iowa, Uva, CMC, etc... yeah, I'd gladly drop the cash necessary to have a shot at one of those places.

Seriously, Therecanbeonlyone, I don't think any program would hold it against you. If you cancel as soon as you find out, then you are doing the best you can under the given circumstances. Hopefully, you'll be able to defer, and the point will be moot... but I wish you the best of luck, man... because if I had to worry about all of that on top of everything else, it'd probably push me over the edge... of course, remembering that I was debt free would probably bring me back.

Yeah, one other thing that I would like to see is all of the programs come to an agreement that all interview invites be sent out during one hour each day, so I'm not compulsively checking my phone like a freaking idiot all day... OK, so that's probably more of a "me problem", but I'd still like to see them make the change...

My wife would certainly like it if I'd stop checking my email all the time while at home. However, I don't see that happening anytime soon (that is, programs chaning their ways or me not checking my email as frequently).

Or ERAS can implement a system where a txt message is sent to our phone whenever there's a new message. That would stop me from neurotically checking my email every 5 mins, even on rounds (medicine rounds, painful).

Your email doesn't come to your phone? What century are you living in?

I have a palm if that answers your question It doesn't automatically download the message, I have to go into my mailbox and manually press "send/receive" to update my inbox.

Talk about inconvenient! Move up to the crackberry or iphone.

update from earlier

Total Apps: 72
Rejections: 22
Interviews: 9 (not including unofficial invite from an away)
Places that have sent out invites & I haven't heard from: 19
Places that haven't sent out invites yet: 22[/b]

Updating mine since I'm down to the end of the offers I'm yet to receive.

Total Apps: 60
Programs applied who have offered interviews: 56
(Still waiting for Colorado, BGSMC, Harbor-UCLA, UCI)
Rejections: 11
Interviews: 35 (1 from away at Iowa)
Waitlisted: 01

Good Luck to you all. Cya out there.

B4B

total Apps]

Update:

Total Apps: 60 mostly SE and MW
Programs applied who have offered interviews:~58.
Rejections: I guess every one that didn't interview me.
Interviews: 13 (1 home, 2 rotations)
Waitlisted: who knows, Indiana I think.
USMLE: Step I Mid 230's, Step II taken in Nov, we'll see.
Grades: Basic science- all H's, Clinical-3H/5HP
AOA: no, so close
Class rank: top 15%
Publications: 1 podium at ORS, several other posters at local conferences
Letters: 4 ortho, 2 from away (one supposed HUGE wig that really liked me, lets see if it helps) 1 research.

Total Apps]

Update

Total apps: 42
Programs who have offered interviews: 37
Interviews: 30
Rejections: 3 (Haven't heard from 4?)

Being a current resident with a very successful match, I think this forum is no benefit to any applicants at all. If you want to be helpful, post where you got your interviews, the strategies of how you approached the process, and how you would do it differently. Statistics like this are for sports, and I bet most of you posting here never had the opportunity to see their name in the homerun, or touchdown categories and feel the need to have some way to justify those years of not getting laid and being thrown into lockers.. so stop trying to be the tom brady of the ortho blogging world, it doesnt matter, and its not helpful for others who are in the process.

Dayum!

Well, you're probably right in that this forum is of no benefit to us, but its all we have!

On another note, what are people setting as their "Ok I feel I will successfully match" number? I've been looking at the charting outcomes data, and I'm not feeling as good as I'd like. I just want to hear other people's interpretation of the graph.

OUTSTANDING POST!
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Anonymous internet scolding is as sad as anonymous internet bragging (which you also couldn't help doing). Everyone needs to lighten up.