One interview. Remember, that is all it takes to match. Just one. You have spent the better part of the last few years working so hard to stay at the top of your class, score well on the CBSE, and surviving clinic in order to be able to land that one interview that eventually welcomes you to residency. Now, I know you are probably thinking it would be crazy to apply to just one program, and you would be right. What is meant by one interview is that you have to put yourself in position to get the one interview that ends up being at the program you match. For some people, that may only take applying to one program. For others, that may mean applying to every single program out there.
At the end of the day, it comes down to being honest with yourself. There are so many variables to applying that it would be misleading to say that you should apply to “x” number of programs and you should be fine. If someone suggests that the number is 15, and you have incredible stats, land interviews at all 15 programs, and match, then they were right (although some may feel that they wasted a lot of money applying to that many when half or less would have been sufficient). On the other hand, if you tell someone with a middling class rank and CBSE score that 15 is the ideal number, they might not land an interview at a single program. That would be disastrous for that candidate if the 16th or 17th program they applied to was the one they interviewed at and eventually matched.
Despite there not being an ideal number for everyone, there is an ideal number for you. Deciding on that number comes down to a variety of factors influenced by what you are looking for and what programs are looking for:
Programs:
- Is your CBSE score competitive?
- Are you in the top 10% of your class? Top 20%?
- Did you do any externships?
- Did you receive excellent letters of recommendation?
- Are you well-rounded (highly subjective)?
Personal Factors:
- Do you want a specific program?
- Do you want to go to a specific city?
- Are you willing to take a year off to apply again if you don’t match?
There are many, many more factors that are in play here, but they are the basic questions you want to ask yourself. Generalizing, for every question you answered yes to, it is probably wise to apply to one program (eight programs if answered yes to all). For every question you answered no to, apply to five (Forty programs if answered no to all; maybe every program if you answered no to the last one). Again this all depends on your judgment and what you think is necessary for you.
Although there are few objective measures available when deciding on how many programs to apply to, there are some important facts to know. The first, is that very few applicants match past their 6th ranked program (only 16/223 in 2014 and 21/215 in 2015; ~8% and 9% respectively). This is a very valuable stat to know because if you can get more than six or seven interviews, you have a very high probability of matching; around 90% if all of the programs you interview at rank you. With this in mind, it should be a goal to apply to enough programs to receive at least six or seven interviews.
Another important thing to consider is the consequence of not matching. Applying to residency can be very costly. The initial fee for PASS is $190 for one program and $72 for each additional program. This means if you apply to seven programs, it will cost you at minimum $622. For 25 programs, the cost is $1918. This doesn’t even account for the individual program application fees and costs of travel, which can run you several thousand more. It’s easy to think that it will only cost you a few thousand dollars to apply again if you don’t match, but you’d be wrong. Accounting for a year of opportunity cost, not matching could easily cost you a few hundred thousand dollars in lifetime salary. If you don’t care about that, and want a specific program, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that decision. However, if that bothers you, apply broadly and apply well. It will be a good investment in the long run.
In the end, your application is all about maximizing your chances of matching. This requires a certain amount of introspection and honesty. You should be able to honestly say if you are a competitive applicant and what your goals are. The questions from earlier are a good start. I know it may be difficult and hard to decide, but remember, it only takes one.
For more information about PASS and MATCH follow the links below: