Advice for picking an away

I have heard that you should plan on doing an away at the institution you would like to be at and I am trying to decide now where I would like to apply for externships. My trouble is that I fear I may waste time rotating at a program that is out of my league. Do y'all think that would be a huge mistake? Should I do aways only at programs that I know are in my range?

As it stands, I was thinking about applying to NYU for an away, but I think I would be lucky to get in there.

You need to provide some stats for anyone to give you relevant/personalized advice.

Good point. Here's my breakdown:

MS3 at a top 20 MD school, taking a year off for basic science research.

Preclinical: All passes (school only does P/F). AOA released until after match so no impact.

Step 1: 255

Clinical: HP in Surgery and Medicine, Honors in everything else. All cores taken.

Research:
- 2 first author basic science papers (one ortho, one non-ortho)
- 6 poster presentations (2 ortho-related, all basic science)
- 1 oral presentation (non-ortho basic science)
- Currently working on an ortho clinical project that may be ready for submission by interview time.

I am hoping to match somewhere in the Northeast, NYC preferably. What would be good away options for me? Right now I have NYU, Tufts, Thomas Jefferson, U Penn, Hopkins, NY Presbyterian as my tops. HSS and Harvard would be great but I hear it is hard to stand out at those programs on an away.

You have a good pedigree, step 1, and research background. Clincal grades are good, but not great. Sounds like you want a place with strong basic science research.

In the northeast, I think you should consider Penn, NYU, and Brown. All 3 have strong clinical experiences as well as abundant basic science research resources. You may want to consider the 6-year research tracks at NYU and Penn. Jeff is mostly clinical outcomes research. Tufts is not very research oriented. Columbia is probably somewhere in the middle, but I think the operative experience here is not as good as some of the other places I mentioned already. If you are willing to go outside of the northeast, think about Hopkins, Pittsburgh, and WashU. Again, good clinical and basic science research experiences.

I have similar stats to AspiringOrthoSurg and am wondering if the HP in Surgery (I have Honors in Medicine) essentially mandates a year of research if I want to match at a mid-tier program?

absolutely not. i know students who have matched with HP in surgery. just be sure to rotate smartly and apply broadly. it might get you screened out as a non-rotator at upper-tier programs, but it is by no means a dealbreaker.