CaRMS 2024 -- Discussions

[shikimate]

I know CaRMS feels like an all-in roulette type of gamble but the bottom line is, if you match to something, you'll be fine in the long run. If you don't match in the 1st round, there's a very good chance you can still find something in the 2nd round.

For a small subset of people matching to one specialty is the purpose of their existence but for everyone else, in 10-20 years you probably wouldn't really think about it again. I can tell you that 2-3 years after you start practice, you get into a comfortable rhythm and you'll have bigger fish to fry than thinking about why you didn't match to your top choice. After 10 years, most of you will just feel that it's a job you do. You would've forgot that so and so in your class matched to their first choice and you were very upset and jealous on match day because of that. 

Also be aware guys, there's a good chance you'll get a few more rejections in the next few years, some which of may be more crushing. Using myself as an example, not getting into your home school's fellowship (glad I didn't, saved me $300K in lost earnings as staff), not getting a job offer at a place that you did elective and they gave you glowing feedback, being offered a job at the aforementioned place 2 months after you start a job elsewhere, etc (again, glad I declined because the place I stayed with makes >$100K a year more).

So you see, when you make the best of the situation, you get pleasantly surprised often.

 

[Bambi]

57 minutes ago, applicant99 said:

How do you all take a rejection well?  I have been fortunate to get 4 interviews (to a relatively competitive specialty)  but got rejected to my first choice, and honestly, it's been ruining my holidays. I don't really care anymore about the other 4 and am not interested in the other ones I'm waiting on. I just can't get over this R. Hitting me harder than the med school Rs I got, since its like, was this all worth it? Also don't have a big support system to help me through this one.  My med school friends and I are mostly applying to different specialties. I have told a few friends but they are all like but you got 4 other interviews. And my family don't really understand carms. I know i need to get over this and soon with interviews coming up but not sure how to. 

 

Your focus must be on your 4 Interviews - the rejections are totally irrelevant and unnecessary noise at this point in your mind. Your future is what is important and this is where you need to focus. Consider yourself lucky. Good Luck!

[applicant99]

22 minutes ago, shikimate said:

I know CaRMS feels like an all-in roulette type of gamble but the bottom line is, if you match to something, you'll be fine in the long run. If you don't match in the 1st round, there's a very good chance you can still find something in the 2nd round.

For a small subset of people matching to one specialty is the purpose of their existence but for everyone else, in 10-20 years you probably wouldn't really think about it again. I can tell you that 2-3 years after you start practice, you get into a comfortable rhythm and you'll have bigger fish to fry than thinking about why you didn't match to your top choice. After 10 years, most of you will just feel that it's a job you do. You would've forgot that so and so in your class matched to their first choice and you were very upset and jealous on match day because of that. 

Also be aware guys, there's a good chance you'll get a few more rejections in the next few years, some which of may be more crushing. Using myself as an example, not getting into your home school's fellowship (glad I didn't, saved me $300K in lost earnings as staff), not getting a job offer at a place that you did elective and they gave you glowing feedback, being offered a job at the aforementioned place 2 months after you start a job elsewhere, etc (again, glad I declined because the place I stayed with makes >$100K a year more).

So you see, when you make the best of the situation, you get pleasantly surprised often.

 

Thank you for this perspective. Im finding it hard since my top choice was also because of family and friends that lived in the city, and I feel most of my med school friends will match to that city to.  

But as you are saying, new opportunities are around the corner, and perhaps I will find a better choice in the long run. 

It's hard times right now as my med friends are either super happy hearing back from interviews or super sad. I don't feel like there is a space for me to express my sadness, but it's good to know that I won't remember these days in 5-10 years. Perspective is everything I guess

[attempt2]

On 12/26/2023 at 7:00 PM, applicant99 said:

How do you all take a rejection well?  I have been fortunate to get 4 interviews (to a relatively competitive specialty)  but got rejected to my first choice, and honestly, it's been ruining my holidays. I don't really care anymore about the other 4 and am not interested in the other ones I'm waiting on. I just can't get over this R. Hitting me harder than the med school Rs I got, since its like, was this all worth it? Also don't have a big support system to help me through this one.  My med school friends and I are mostly applying to different specialties. I have told a few friends but they are all like but you got 4 other interviews. And my family don't really understand carms. I know i need to get over this and soon with interviews coming up but not sure how to. 

 

I too applied to a highly competitive specialty and got rejected from my top choice in terms of location and family. The whole process was draining and unlike you, I only got 1 interview. People always told me it takes just one to match and I didn't believe it at the time. However, it happened. In retrospect, I am very very happy with my program.

 

 

[anonymouspls]

3 hours ago, applicant99 said:

How do you all take a rejection well?  I have been fortunate to get 4 interviews (to a relatively competitive specialty)  but got rejected to my first choice, and honestly, it's been ruining my holidays. I don't really care anymore about the other 4 and am not interested in the other ones I'm waiting on. I just can't get over this R. Hitting me harder than the med school Rs I got, since its like, was this all worth it? Also don't have a big support system to help me through this one.  My med school friends and I are mostly applying to different specialties. I have told a few friends but they are all like but you got 4 other interviews. And my family don't really understand carms. I know i need to get over this and soon with interviews coming up but not sure how to. 

 

Take solace in knowing that your application was distilled down to a numerical score in likely under one hour by 5 different people, and the reason you didn't get an interview is because your score was lower than other people's. In no way was there a deep dive into your strengths and weaknesses, or any consideration of whether you would be a good fit for the specialty.

As medical students we have a tendency to think of these programs as all powerful entities that can truly determine who deserves to be interviewed and accepted, but as someone on the other side now I know that a lot of the process is a total crapshoot and absolutely random, and a lot of times based on things like "gut feeling" or "fit" which are other words for "random."  So don't take anything into heart unless it becomes a trend (i.e. you receive no interviews, then clearly something was wrong). 

[robclem21]

9 hours ago, applicant99 said:

Thank you for this perspective. Im finding it hard since my top choice was also because of family and friends that lived in the city, and I feel most of my med school friends will match to that city to.  

But as you are saying, new opportunities are around the corner, and perhaps I will find a better choice in the long run. 

It's hard times right now as my med friends are either super happy hearing back from interviews or super sad. I don't feel like there is a space for me to express my sadness, but it's good to know that I won't remember these days in 5-10 years. Perspective is everything I guess

Things have a weird way of working out for the best.

A few of my best friends in medical school matched to my same city in a different program and I hardly ever saw them. Residency is a very busy time in the hospital and in general a very transitional time outside the hospital (marriage, kids, house etc.). You will meet a ton of new people, make new friends, and while you can maintain your old friendships, don't count on seeing people every day and getting lunch together like you would in med school on your rotations.

As others have said, focus on the 4 interviews you have and practice making those 4 programs seem like they are all your number 1 choice.

[wannabdoctor]

Has anyone had their Calgary EM on the portal updated (back on Dec 21) but never received an email from them yet? Getting slightly paranoid that they gave me the check mark on accident  Should I be waiting or reaching out?

[FaithPG]

QQ- the interview tracker indicated McMaster Anes CMG (Dec 21) has released the interview invitations before Christmas. But i dont see any update on my CARMs portal (no status update).  Does this mean it's a rejection for me? 

• Anesthesiology: UBC CMG (Dec 15), MUN CMG (Dec 19), NOSM CMG (Dec 20), McMaster CMG (Dec 21), Dalhousie CMG (Dec 22), McGill Regular Stream (Dec 22)

[abcd1288]

15 minutes ago, FaithPG said:

QQ- the interview tracker indicated McMaster Anes CMG (Dec 21) has released the interview invitations before Christmas. But i dont see any update on my CARMs portal (no status update).  Does this mean it's a rejection for me? 

• Anesthesiology: UBC CMG (Dec 15), MUN CMG (Dec 19), NOSM CMG (Dec 20), McMaster CMG (Dec 21), Dalhousie CMG (Dec 22), McGill Regular Stream (Dec 22)

 

I think that's likely the case, unless there're people decline offers, so they're probably keeping a list of possible waitlisters. If no one declines, which is highly likely in competitive specialties like Anes, then it's most likely a rejection. I didn't receive any invites for McGill and then 2 days later, I received a rejection email.

[nicedoctor]

Wondering of anyone received invites from FM prog as an I MG  Manitoba or Dalhousie ? 

[anony202]

Did anyone that got an interview to Western Radiology receive an email about interview scheduling yet? 

[dooogs]

does anyone know how much does the interview matter for ranking? 

Is it usually a small % or after getting an interview you have an equal chance of being ranked at the top?

[Mitochondrie2]

1 hour ago, dooogs said:

does anyone know how much does the interview matter for ranking? 

Is it usually a small % or after getting an interview you have an equal chance of being ranked at the top?

Most programs indicate the weight of interviews in percentages in heir program description ! 

 

edit : they usually still take in consideration the other parts of your application. for example some programs indicate that the letters/MSPR/cv will count for 70% while the interview will cover 30% for final ranking. It's probably different for every program. 

hope that helps !

Edited December 31, 2023 by Mitochondrie2
additional info !

[TopChef]

Is there a link between the time of the interview and the strength of the candidates, or is it random?
Also, is there a connection between the strength of the candidates and the day of the interview? For example, a candidate who interviews on the first day at 10 am versus a candidate who interviews on the third day at 2 pm? 

I heard rumors that its always best to interview in the morning

Am I overthinking?

 

[SillyPanda]

4 hours ago, TopChef said:

Is there a link between the time of the interview and the strength of the candidates, or is it random?
Also, is there a connection between the strength of the candidates and the day of the interview? For example, a candidate who interviews on the first day at 10 am versus a candidate who interviews on the third day at 2 pm? 

I heard rumors that its always best to interview in the morning

Am I overthinking?

 

I can say that my program does not interview in this manner.

You are likely overthinking.

[bearded frog]

On 12/31/2023 at 1:10 PM, TopChef said:

Is there a link between the time of the interview and the strength of the candidates, or is it random?
Also, is there a connection between the strength of the candidates and the day of the interview? For example, a candidate who interviews on the first day at 10 am versus a candidate who interviews on the third day at 2 pm? 

I heard rumors that its always best to interview in the morning

Am I overthinking?

 

Everyone might be strongest at different times of day. I guess the thought behind what you heard is that people may be sleepy or off their game after lunch as opposed to first thing in the morning.

[Anon1]

.

[nicedoctor]

 

Wondering ,if anyone  heard about response from FM prog as an I MG  Manitoba or Dalhousie ? 
thanks

 

•  

[Hope1108]

Hi all - I am extremely stressed about not getting any interviews at this point … I applied 2 programs almost everywhere across Canada. 5 rejections and 0 invites is a lot to take in. Could I ended up with nothing in round 1?
 

I know I should still keep my heads up and hope for the best, but it’s been really hard to stay positive and not to question myself. 

[AnonymousTree]

29 minutes ago, Hope1108 said:

Hi all - I am extremely stressed about not getting any interviews at this point … I applied 2 programs almost everywhere across Canada. 5 rejections and 0 invites is a lot to take in. Could I ended up with nothing in round 1?
 

I know I should still keep my heads up and hope for the best, but it’s been really hard to stay positive and not to question myself.

Sorry the hear that you haven't been getting the news you wanted. I know 5 rejections feels like a lot, but if you applied to 2 specialties at most schools, you should still have 10+ opportunities for interviews. Carms data shows >99% of CMGs get at least one interview, which is all you need for a match. 

If you haven't heard from your home school programs yet, there is also a higher chance of getting interviews there.

[Anon1]

.

[CARsandCoffee]

@Hope1108

I’m sorry to hear that news, try to keep your hopes high over the next couple days. 

You only need 1 interview for a match and hopefully over these next couple days some good news will arrive. You have put your best foot forward in applications and would likely make an excellent candidate.

[FaithPG]

is Anes ultra competitive this year?  I am not getting any interviews. Feeling extremely lost and confused. 

[Trunkate]

18 hours ago, FaithPG said:

is Anes ultra competitive this year?  I am not getting any interviews. Feeling extremely lost and confused. 

I think so. UBCs rejection letter said they had 185 apps for 20 spots. Only 114 CMG spots in total. I've heard back from 7 schools so far, rejected from 4. Just got the rejection from UofT which was gonna be my top choice for family reasons. Its tough not to feel disheartened but I'm trying to keep my head up. Good luck with the rest of interviews!

[FaithPG]

18 minutes ago, Trunkate said:

I think so. UBCs rejection letter said they had 185 apps for 20 spots. Only 114 CMG spots in total. I've heard back from 7 schools so far, rejected from 4. Just got the rejection from UofT which was gonna be my top choice for family reasons. Its tough not to feel disheartened but I'm trying to keep my head up. Good luck with the rest of interviews!

Damn... At this point, I am just desperate.