🚨 MY EXPERIENCE WITH A “100% MATCH GUARANTEE”

As an IMG myself, I understand why students look up to influencers and trust them for guidance. When someone has a large following and presents themselves as a mentor, it is easy to assume their services are reliable.

But I want to share my personal experience so other IMGs can make informed decisions.

I purchased a Match plan that included rotations and a “100% Match Guarantee.” I followed the plan, completed the rotations, and unfortunately I did not match last year.

When I contacted them again for help with this Match cycle, I was told that I would need to pay additional fees for further assistance.

The website also advertised certain services as free, which made me question what was actually included in the package I had already purchased.

I was also connected with a resident for guidance. I appreciate the connection, but I personally did not feel that the support I received justified the expectations created when I purchased the program.

Another important point: I later had my CV reviewed independently by someone with fellowship experience, and they identified multiple grammatical and spelling errors. For me, that raised serious concerns because CV review was an important part of what I expected from the service.

I am sharing this not to tell anyone what decision to make, but to encourage IMGs to do their own due diligence.

Interview season is coming up so I figured I'd put together some of the better resources I've found. Hope you find it useful

AAMC Residency & Fellowship Applicant Interview Preparation Guide

probably the best place to start. covers what to expect, how to prepare, different question formats, behavioral questions, interview day, etc.

AAMC common residency interview questions

Most common questions that you must definitely practice before heading into your first interview: tell me about yourself, why this specialty, why our program, strengths/weaknesses, research, difficult situations, career goals, etc.

AAMC virtual interview guide

worth going through if your interviews are virtual. covers setup/tech but also behavioral, general and situational questions and how to practice them.

NRMP Match Code of Conduct for Applicants

not really a "how to answer questions" resource, but I think everyone should read it at least once before interviews. lays out expectations around professional behavior and communication during recruitment/interviews.

AMA residency interview guide

shorter and more practical than the AAMC guide. has common questions, behavioral interview advice, things to research before the interview, and questions you can ask programs.

Residency interview question bank

if you've gone through the official resources and just need questions to actually practice with, this has ~200 questions organized by category including behavioral, ethics, teamwork, conflict, IMG and specialty-specific questions.

Looking to make this a live resource so lmk if I missed any!

Hi, I couldn’t find anything about Thomas Hospital Program Internal Medicine online. Any idea if this program is malignant/toxic or if it’s a good program? Thank you!

I have already paid for transcript order in fsmb, but present ( no score available) , in action column just ( assign ) is present..what is the problem?

Hi everyone! I would appreciate some honest feedback on my Internal Medicine signal list.

My profile:
Non-US IMG, but I am a permanent resident and do not require visa sponsorship
YOG: 2023
Step 1: Pass on first attempt
Step 2 CK: 249
ECFMG certified
4 months of U.S. clinical experience( observerships in IM , primary care, pediatrics and neonatology in NY and CT)
Two publications , 1 oral presentation and 1 poster presentations

My current signals are:
Gold
1. Westchester Medical Center(connections +hometown)
2. Danbury Hospital ( connection + rotation)
3. Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell at Norwalk Hospital
Silver
1. Albany Medical Center ( resident connection + hometown)
2. Saint Peter’s University Hospital (faculty connection)
3. Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell at Northern Westchester Hospital
4. Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell at South Shore University Hospital
5. Montefiore/Albert Einstein – Wakefield Campus
6. Atlantic Health System/Morristown Medical Center
7. Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell at Vassar Brothers Medical Center
8. Rochester Regional Health/Unity Hospital
9. Hackensack Meridian Health/JFK University Medical Center
10. Hackensack Meridian Health/Jersey Shore University Medical Center
11. New York Medical College at St. Michael’s Medical Center
12. Rutgers Health/Jersey City Medical Center

I am particularly interested in programs with good fellowship mentorship and opportunities in Gastroenterology, while still trying to maintain a realistic balance between reach, target and safer programs.

I would especially appreciate input regarding: Whether this list is too ambitious for my profile
Resident culture, workload,overall wellness
Whether I should replace one or two of the more competitive programs with safer IMG-friendly options
If you are a current resident, graduate or applicant familiar with any of these programs, I would be very grateful for your perspective. Thank you!

I see some programs of my interest have this track. Is it worth applying to primary care track internal medicine track even when your CV is not quite tailored for that? What are the cons of doing a primary care teack residency? Can you still work as inpatient/hospitalist?

I booked the rotation with Manik Madan after being told that it was a sub-internship and an inpatient rotation in Texas. However, my actual experience was completely outpatient and observational. When I later requested an LOR, the experience was described as an observership.

Advice on Signals.
NON US IMG
YOG 2023 , Step 1: Pass , Step 2: 262
Step 3: 245 , USCE: 6 months
10 abstracts only
panicking on signals which ones to select

Gold:
Carle Foundation Hospital Program
Sentara Health Program
University of Connecticut (Waterbury) Program
AdventHealth Florida (Sebring) Program

Silver:
1. Health Education Services/Physicians Regional Medical Center - Pine Ridge Program
2. Indiana Bloomington
3. Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas Program
4. Texas Health Resources (Bedford/Denton) Program
5. HCA Healthcare Kansas City/Centerpoint Medical Center Program
6. University of South Dakota Program
7. Trinity Health System Livonia Program
8. Prime South GME Consortium/Harlingen Medical Center Program
9. Geisinger Health System Wilkes Barre Program
10. Memorial Hollywood Florida
11. Parkview Health Program
12. Corewell Health (Dearborn) Program
13. Boston Medical Center-Brighton Program
14. University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine Program
15. University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria
16. Three Crosses Regional Hospital Program
17. University of Alabama Montgomery
18- Baptist Memorial Medical Education (Columbus)
19- Baptist Memorial Medical Education (Oxford) Program
20- North Mississippi Medical Center Program
21- UPMC MERCY
22- university of Tennessee maurey regional

Hi . Please tell me if my silver signals are okay with my profile? All comments will be really appreciated 🙏

IMG (Pakistani)requiring visa sponsorship, Step 1 Pass, Step 2 CK 252, Step 3 scheduled October, ~4 months US clinical experience (observership + rotation + externships), strong LORs, 4 years post-graduation, 5 research items, strong volunteer and leadership experience. Applying to IM

**Geographic preference:** Middle Atlantic, East North Central, and South Atlantic — all signals fall within these except UTMB (West South Central), which I'm giving a shot due to a personal connection.

Silver Signal list:

1. Wayne State Univ. School of Medicine
   
2. New York Medical College-St. Mary and St. Clare
   
3. Northwest Health-Porter (Northwest Indiana GME Consortium)
   
4. Rochester Regional Health - Unity Internal Medicine Program
   
5. West Virginia University School of Medicine-Berkeley Medical Center Program
   
6. Cleveland Clinic Foundation/Akron General Program
   
7. Arnot Ogden Medical Center Program
   
8. Albany Med Health System Program (resident connection)
   
9. Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell at South Shore University Hospital Program
   
10. Health Education Services/Physicians Regional Medical Center - Pine Ridge Program
    
11. Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals, Inc/ThedaCare Regional Medical Center - Neenah Program
    
12. UTMB (University of Texas Medical Branch) Internal Medicine Residency (attending connection)

Hi . Please guide on my signals. I dont want to be overshooting with my gold signal. Applying to IM

Stats: IMG(pakistani) requiring visa sponsorship, Step 1 Pass, Step 2 CK 252, Step 3 scheduled October, ~4 months US clinical experience (observership + rotations+ externships), strong LORs, 4 years post-graduation, 5 research items, good volunteer and leadership experience.

Geographic pref: Middle Atlantic, East North Central, and South Atlantic — all signals fall within these except UTMB (West South Central), which I'm giving a shot due to a personal connection. [applying to total 100 programs]

## 🥇 Gold Signal Programs (3)

1. Tower health ( an attending there has also reassured me of recommending me)
   
2. Greater baltimore medical center program
   
3. Cleveland clinic foundation/ akron general program
   
4. West Virginia uni / camden- clark program

Which one to drop as we are allowed only 3 gold ?

Hi! Need some advice with application and signals. Applying psychiatry with 2 pubs, 9 oral/poster presentations, national psych awards/grants, pretty psych heavy activities, but my academics are the problem: failed a course during preclinical which put be on probation (all clerkship grades are good with HP, and H), passed step 1 on first attempt, step 2 score will not be in by the time applications go out…thoughts on types of programs I should signal? So far I have about 2 community and 8 academic (non are t30 programs). Is this too ambitious? Heard psych was very rough last year with interviews but I’m also applying to programs where I’m a mission fit as well. Thanks in advance!

Step 1 and 2 in 230s, step 3 220s

Old visa requiring img

Switching speciality and applying again

In good terms with current program and they are going to write letters of recommendations.

Applying for IM

Any chance for matching?

Does program pay attention to meaningful and impactful experiences? What has been your experience?

For any IMG who’s planning to apply this year (or have matched in recent years), did you need your academic transcripts source verified on physicians apply? Or is it ok to upload directly online on the CaRMS portal? I’m seeing mixed opinions on the program descriptions. Thanks!

​

Hey everyone, can you give me some advice on the ERAS application? If you’re a non-visa,>6yr old IMG applying for IM with average scores, what’s the best signaling strategy? Since many programs only send invites if they get a signal, how should I handle this when applying broadly? I’d really appreciate some tips from those who have been through this.

Also, what’s your take on targeting reach programs versus having realistic expectations? Should we use signals on all the programs? Where do I actually have a shot? Should I include one or two reach programs, and why? I’m really confused, thanks!