Away Electives - should I do it?

[Icewoman]

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[Andrew_Doan]

Ice Woman,

I think doing a Wills rotation is a great idea. You may walk away with a strong letter of recommendation, and it'll be a great experience for you. Additionally, you may do so well that you may end up being very competitive for a Wills residency. In the application game, who you know is often very important.


Your current plan sounds good. I wish you luck in the next application round!

Andrew

 

[Primate]

Hi,

I agree with OMP, but want to add something that my PD said only last week. He indicated that audition electives are good only in limited circumstances (need to be in a particular location, for example), but that he recommended against them generally. His take was that you don't get a chance to really see the place or even learn your way around well enough to get a top letter, and so on.

I'm not sure that I agree with him, but thought I'd pass along his thoughts.

P

 

[Andrew_Doan]

Originally posted by Primate
Hi,

I agree with OMP, but want to add something that my PD said only last week. He indicated that audition electives are good only in limited circumstances (need to be in a particular location, for example), but that he recommended against them generally. His take was that you don't get a chance to really see the place or even learn your way around well enough to get a top letter, and so on.

I'm not sure that I agree with him, but thought I'd pass along his thoughts.

P

I disagree with the last part. If you do a one month elective in a particular department, then that is plenty of time to work with one faculty and learn about the department. I recommend planting yourself in a speciality clinic, such as neuro-ophthalmology, and working with one or two attendings. If you're a good candidate and you do well at the away rotation, then this will only help your application to that program.

I spent one month in an ophthalmology elective with a visiting student during medical school. The student ended up matching at Wilmer, and the faculty there really liked him during his elective.

If your school has good ophthalmology electives, then spend some time there. If you can afford to spend another month else where, then this can be a great opportunity.

 

[Andrew_Doan]

Originally posted by Icewoman
Thanks Andrew for the quick response!

So you think that doing an elective at Will's is good for the experience itself? Even if I don't have a reasonable shot of being ranked there?

Another question I had was whether programs look at you differently from the away electives that you pursue. For example, would University of South Florida look at you negatively if you decided to do an away elective at Bascom instead of with them?

Thanks so much for the advice! Best wishes!

Icewoman,

Yes, I think that doing an elective at Wills is a unique and great opportunity. If you have it set up, then go for it.

I'm not sure how programs would "look" at you if you decide not to visit their program. I think they don't mind too much though. The programs must understand that students want to pursue the best opportunities, and working at Bascom would be a good learning experience. I bet that working at Bascom will open more doors than close. I've learned that it's who you know in this world that matters most.

However, make sure you develop a sound relationship with your own ophthalmology department before experiencing outside programs. You don't want to burn any bridges during your education. Good luck!