Table 4.
Comparison of Applicant and Program Director Perspectives on the Most Important Factors for Receiving/Offering a Residency Interview During the COVID-19 Pandemic Application Cycle
| Overall medical school grades | 3.55 ± 1.04 | 3.62 ± 0.94 | 0.982 |
| Performance on medical school clinical rotations | 4.10 ± 0.95 | 4.21 ± 0.74 | 0.753 |
| Research experience | 3.82 ± 1.02 | 3.69 ± 1.04 | 0.577 |
| Board examination scores | 4.17 ± 0.89 | 4.14 ± 0.92 | 0.969 |
| Performance on away rotation | 3.71 ± 1.31 | 4.31 ± 1.20 | 0.022a |
| Letters of recommendation | 4.56 ± 0.71 | 4.03 ± 1.02 | 0.015a |
| Inclusion into AOA | 3.12 ± 1.24 | 2.86 ± 1.22 | 0.657 |
| Personal statement | 3.05 ± 1.15 | 3.43 ± 1.10 | 0.256 |
| Leadership experience | 3.16 ± 1.05 | 3.35 ± 0.87 | 0.413 |
| Volunteer/community service experience | 2.74 ± 1.14 | 3.06 ± 1.13 | 0.385 |
| Networking | 4.20 ± 0.92 | 3.00 ± 1.00 | <0.001a |
| Program is in the same state as applicant hometown | 3.22 ± 1.35 | 2.45 ± 1.21 | 0.006a |
| Family/personal connection with a faculty member at the program | 3.51 ± 1.46 | 2.38 ± 1.27 | 0.001a |
| Being a student at the residency's institution | 4.09 ± 1.19 | 2.76 ± 1.33 | <0.001a |
| Being an undergraduate at the residency's institution | 2.45 ± 1.21 | 1.83 ± 0.97 | 0.165 |
| Being a collegiate athlete | 2.61 ± 1.16 | 2.24 ± 1.21 | 0.487 |
| Being a high school varsity athlete | 1.81 ± 1.02 | 1.97 ± 0.94 | 0.621 |
| Applicant medical school's reputation | 3.51 ± 1.01 | 2.66 ± 1.23 | 0.001a |
| Applicant undergraduate program's reputation | 2.23 ± 1.00 | 2.17 ± 1.07 | 0.804 |
Respondents reported the data for this section categorically (from not at all important = 1 to extremely important = 5). These responses were converted to numerical scores and presented as weighted averages.
a
A P value of <0.05 signified a significant difference.