<p>What factors affect your residency? Can you please say about how much they are each weighted overall?</p>
<p>The biggest matter is personal choice, the Match is “two sided”, meaning that both programs and applicants submit rank order lists. In particular, the match favors the applicants, with the algorithm working to obtain the applicant’s highest rank position.</p>
<p>Further, because of the way the process happens, the applicants have an even greater control. Applicants choose where they submit applications, choose where they accept interviews and choose what programs end up on their rank lists. </p>
<p>For example, I applied to 22 programs, received invitations to interview at 17 programs, accepted/scheduled interviews at 12, finished interviews with 11, and ranked only 7 programs on my rank list. </p>
<p>In terms of what puts an applicant ahead of another one on a program’s rankings, it’s highly variable. There are so many more programs, and they are so much more close knit and smaller, that individual program directors can really make their mark. If one program wants a heavily research based program, they can mold the program that way. Statistically, looking at the results of the program director’s survey the two most disproportionate time periods for matching are the 8 hours spent taking Step 1 and the one day spent interviewing at the program. Neither of those are merely sufficient though, and it’s a combination those things clinical evaluations, letters of recommendations and information gleaned through the Dean’s Letters. </p>
<p>Nationally, for US graduating 4th year students, ~87% across all specialties will match in to one of their top 3 choices, so the process works out well for the overwhelming majority of US Students. Within each specialty those numbers may be a little bit higher or lower than that, but the process works.</p>
<p>BRM, does it cost money to rank?</p>
<p>The interview is probably the most important criteria for getting into a residency program but in order to get a interview your application has to be “good enough”. In general I would say that the most important factors are your grades in your third year required rotations, grades in the rotation in your proposed residency, and LOR from profs in your intended specialty. USLME scores part 1 are important and may be used for screening sometimes but are generally not as important as rumored for most programs. Being published can be important when applying to competitive academic programs. Which medical school you come from probably comes next and than there are a lot of other factors which come into play.</p>
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<p>Does the Pope wear a big pointy hat?</p>
<p>They suck you dry. I don’t remember the exact costs - Shades may be able to help more here, but you have to pay to use ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service), then for each application sent out. Then the NRMP charges a participation fee which I think gets you like 10 spots on your rank list. After a certain point they start charging you extra for each spot on your list. Those who are going through the couples match get more spots before they get charged extra.</p>