BigPiece - I think that you go to your chair or program director and be totally honest. Tell him (her) that the other program offered the same date and that you need to check that program out for your own piece of mind. Maybe your home program can give you another date without looking down on you for changing. But, if your home program only has one date, then find a new dream and make sure you have the failsafe match...cause you don't want to end up researchin' or prelimin' for an entire year.

I have to agree. There's more than one dream program out there for anyone, but only one home program that definitely gives an advantage to its own. I'm sure you can find a comparable "reach" program that has a different date. Bottom line is that you get great training no matter where you match and end up as an orthopaedic surgeon. Good luck man.

I think this one depends on whether you have some other "safety" programs where you are pretty sure you will match and think you would be happy. If so, go for the dream program, or you will be saying "what if" for the next five years. If not, I would probably do as everyone else says and take the home program.