Advice for picking an away

Agree with this. I think most places still process in the order they received them. Basically the accept date is when you can actually submit your application, then the processing date is when they start going through them and offering spots.

Silly questions here, but from a complete novice M3 to aways:

1) WHEN should one begin to apply to aways?
2) Is there a strategy when choosing aways with regard to proximity to rank list? I.e. place you wanna go to most you do right before the match/more experience? Or do it earlier to get a letter from them?

There is an instagram account that has some great advice on this, @orthomentor

Also have a few random questions:

1) Is it looked down upon by other programs if a student has done all aways in one area?

2) Very specific, but I want to be in NYC and plan to do aways at HSS and NYU. I'm torn whether to A - do an additional away at either Mt Sinai or Columbia. In this scenario, I fear that the one manhattan program at which I don't rotate wouldn't be very happy that I rotated at the other three programs and not theirs. or B - do rotations at neither Mt Sinai nor Columbia.

As an adjunct, how rotator heavy are Mt Sinai/Columbia? Is the potential advantage that I get from rotating at one of these programs worth the corresponding disadvantage I get at the other, if my goal is to be accepted to one of the two?

Just to piggyback on this thread, how many rotations should one apply to? I don't mind applying for more, but I've heard that if you apply to two clerkships in the same time frame, and pick one of them, the other will blacklist you. Is this true or should I just apply to more just to be safe?

From what i've heard, Columbia is extremely rotator heavy.