Customer Reviews

The Successful Match: 200 Rules to Succeed in the Residency Match

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Successful Match: 200 Rules to Succeed in the Residency Match" - the title of the book describes it very well. This is a results-oriented, thorough, and complete guide. Remarkably, it is also engaging, step by step and easy to follow. The authors have made a great effort to organize the book with the time-pressured, busy residency applicant in mind.

One of the biggest challenges that residency applicants face is the confusing array of contradictory information from different sources. In this book, the authors do a wonderful job of addressing many myths and rumors that exist out there. They don't merely provide their opinions, but instead provide hard data -- the results of surveys and studies, as well as direct quotes from important decision makers such as residency program directors. Their painstaking research equips the applicant with the knowledge and insight to navigate this challenging process by helping them understand what programs are really looking for. The authors recognize that `one size fits all' often does not work for residency applications - e.g. something that makes sense for one specialty may be inappropriate for another.

I found the layout of The Successful Match more friendly and effective than other reference books. After reading the relevant section of "The Successful Match", I was equipped to deal with that aspect of the residency application process, since the authors provide very useful checklists, tips, and clear guidelines. The section on International Medical Graduates (IMGs) is the best guide out there, and meets a very important need. This book is a must-read, especially for all IMG applicants!

This book is a MUST HAVE for any medical student planning to
participate in the Match. Prior to reading the book, I quickly gleaned
through Iserson's Getting into Residency, which pales in comparison to
The Successful Match. The depth of information provided in this book
for each step of the application process is astounding. It is well-
researched and provides insightful perspectives into each specialty.
The tips provided on selecting an advisor to dealing with a
conversational interview will be especially helpful. I especially
liked the information provided for writing the personal statement, CV,
and ERAS. Learning how program directors view the details provided to
them in these documents challenged me to present my professional
background effectively. Being educated about the Match through this
book has reduced my anxiety and I am certain it would do the same for
anyone who avails the use of this book. Best of luck in the upcoming
Match.

I have looked into many books that intend to help applicants match successfully, however, The Successful Match alone provides everything you need to know. Not only does it give you a foundation of knowledge necessary to advance through the application process, but also an inside scoop into the minds of those decision makers that comprise the admission committee. It taught me how to see myself as a residency applicant, not from an applicant's point of view, but strategically from that of a program director's perspective. I could trust the authors' statements because they were fully supported by evidence and I retained the information presented by the authors as they kept me engaged with "Did you know's", "Tips", "Rules", and Q&A formats. In conclusion, I recommend all residency applicants look into The Successful Match. It is a must-have.

This book is helpful, however, it does go through a lot of material which impossible for the typical student and only applies in special situations. I think it is especially helpful for the personal statement and CV portion which tend to be the worst part.

"The Successful Match," by the Baylor physicians Drs. Katta and Desai, is the perfect guide for completing the residency application. It's the ideal book in its class, covering all the important topics with the optimal level of detail. It's that rare gem the med student longs for that is so clearly written, reader friendly, and well organized that it will set you apart from the competition. I don't think it's possible to be serious about the application process without reading it.

There are two books that this one competes with, "Getting into Residency" and "First Aid for the Match." However, "The Successful Match" gives you more information where you really need it. As a first example, Drs. Katta and Desai incorporate a large amount of research showing what exactly program directors are looking for from applicants by specialty--the differences among them are significant. In general, the other two books place far less emphasis on gathering the available data from the various program surveys that have been done. In its section on the resume and the personal statement, "The Successful Match" supplements its instruction with information from literature searches regarding program directors' preferences and perspectives and, again, how these differ among specialties. Its section on letters of recommendation offers a surprisingly large amount of information about a subject that most students--and the two competing books--assume is mostly in the hands of faculty. True, the faculty member is responsible for writing the letter. However, it is a subtle art, fraught with land mines that can't be avoided unless the student is vigilant about preparing the letter writer. Another major difference is that this book is set up to help students from the ground level up when constructing the resume and personal statement, giving the student questions and a prompting system that will help them amass the information and personal insight necessary to begin. The other books mostly rely on supplying examples--poor ones and strong ones--though, be assured that this book has plenty of excellent examples as well. Additionally, the book has a beautiful way of being concise and providing lists of the essential items that need to be remembered for all the application tasks, but especially for interviews. One could also mention the great deal of information about student research, an arena which can seem difficult to access.... In the end, this is just what you need for the match. It's superb.

The information is quite helpful to all whoever appearing for match. The earlier you read this book, the better.
Summary:
1)Discusses about different elements of application process and how to improve. These include - LOR, Personal Statement, Deans Letter. Also talks about Competitive programs and what takes to get selected into those programs.
2)Before/During/Post Interview - How to prepare - Really good
3)What are the points (like USMLE score is on top of the list) residence directors are looking to select candidates for the interview.
4) Ranking process - how does this differ from interview process

Useful Information for me:
1) I learned that most programs about 90% ignore IMG LORs.
2) Applied/Selected IMG numbers based on their status like EAD/H1/GC/Citizenship

Although I bought this book at the end of my third year just before working on my ERAS, I really wish I had bought it much earlier. This is because the book has a wealth of information detailing how to go about cultivating relationships during the M3 year to later get excellent letters of recommendation. Also, it has valuable info on the away elective. It also helps clear the air of the many myths/legends about various specialties and the selection criteria that they actually employ. Further, every piece of advice cites relevant studies and surveys of program directors in those respective fields. The book goes on to detail the stellar CV, Personal Statement, and the MSPE. The final several chapters provide in depth information on acing the Residency interviews and then advices on ranking programs. The final chapter targets advice to FMGs.

Following the advice in this book for my CV, personal statement, LoR requests, and ERAS has definitely helped me net several interviews from top programs. I highly recommend this book to even pre-clinical students. If you are thinking of applying to Ortho, Neurosurg, Derm, ENT, etc, you will probably need this book a few days before start of your M1 year!

This is the best book on the subject - don't even think about First Aid for the Match: this is a different league altogether.

The authors did a fantastic job in outlining the fundamental steps to attain the residency you want, with the least amount of pain. I was struggling with the sea of information and the seemingly never-ending amount of misinformation out there when I came across this book. I can't recommend it enough: every chapter is very detailed, with several studies showing exactly what program directors want, numerous myths debunked and endless how-to's. One of the greatest advantages of this book over others is that all the information is based on extensive research. You may read somewhere "the USMLE step 1 score is more important than step 2 if you want to match in Surgery" and you will think to yourself "says who?". Well, page 76 will tell you exactly who.

There are other good books on the market, such as "The Successful IMG", "The International Medical Graduate's Best Hope", but if you are a foreigner trying to navigate the application process, forget the rest: "The Successful Match" is all you need. If you are a medical student, american or foreigner, and want to ultimately match in the US, buy this book before your third year and live by it. You will be shooing away residency interviews!

This book is very useful but probably not worth the price. Also, the book is written by an internal medicine attending at Baylor who has been deeply involved in interviewing and the selection committee. The problem is that much of the information is geared towards the ideal candidate i.e. those who probably don't need to read this book. Most of us will fall short of the expectations in this book but it still gives a great deal of information on how we can improve our applications. The author often writes articles for Student Doctor Network and some useful information can also be found there.

As an IMG navigating in this world of USA residency preparation and search I found this book very useful, though I wish I would had found it earlier. It gives very practic advice on what you should do befor, douring and after the match. With the 200 rules (or tips) you get a better idea on what could better your chances and strengthen your application. The good thing is that is not jsut a check list, it's also supported buy evidence and litterature, and very helful examples. The only problem is taht is directed specifically to USA medical students, althoug the last chapter is directed to IMG's.
I defenetly recomen this book as one of the most helpfull books I have encountered in this process.