Hey, ya'll...
I applied to 40-something programs, offered 21, went on 13. I am obviously biased regionally so that will be reflected in my preferences.
1. John Peter Smith--great program, great location, operate early and often, what it lacks in name, it makes up for in these areas.
2. UT-Southwestern--great program, great location, a little trauma heavy
3. UT-HSC San Antonio--liked the area and the residents a lot, Carlisle is awesome; appear to operate quite a bit
4. UT-Houston--location is okay, but I prefer D/FW and S.A. more. Program seems really strong.
5. Baylor-- Same as UT-Houston. Probably gonna' be a "top" program after this probation thing settles.
6. U of Arizona--Nice hospital and early operative experience.
7. Yale--very acedemic feeling. Beautiful hospital, nice residents. I'm not looking for an academic career, though and I feel that to put this No. 1, that's what you're taking advantage of.
8. UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson--Great program with really laid back residents. Early operative experience. Not the biggest fan of location, otherwise would have ranked it much higher.
9. Georgetown--very nice program; no wonder so many students from the med school go into it. High cost of living.
10. UK-Lexington-- seems like nice group of guys. Good arthroscopic experience as per their PD.
11. UC-Irvine--(offered several Cali schools, but only went on this one) Very high cost of living, no family nearby. To be honest, the program seemed quite strong, but one of the interviewing rooms was so malignant that I left with a bad taste.
12. NYU-HJD--Great group of guys, like most of these. Take 10 a year (12 if you count 6yr). Zuckerman appears to get awesome fellowships for anyone wanting them in just about any subspecialty. Again, location just played a factor here and I'm not sure NYC is where/or the way I want to live for the next 5 yrs.
13. St. Joseph's--Very small program (2/year). No family nearby. Decent operative exposure as per residents, but hospital is in ghetto. Again, all this comes down to personal preference.
Ultimately, I'll echo what everybody has heard on this forum: this is all about personal choice. There will be individuals here who create their ROL soley based upon name rather than on what lifestyle/location/operative experience they will get. Names are great--an added plus if it is associated with the residency in particular that you're interested in. However, if you feel you won't learn as much operatively, or are less happy (I feel you are more successful when you enjoy what you do) at a program with a "gorgeous" name--you're sacrificing 5 years of your life that could be fantastic while still becoming that great orthopod that you want to eventually become. My 2 cents.
Having difficulty figuring out which cigar to smoke on the 16th....