How to use Residency Compass

You pick between pairs of things you care about — salary vs. family, prestige vs. workload — and say how strongly. There are no right answers, and you never rate anything on a scale of 1 to 10.

Tip: Answer fast and instinctively. Overthinking makes your weights blander, not truer.

Type the program name and pick it from the suggestions, or browse the directory. Then fill the scorecard: salary, location, workload, reputation. Autofill with AI does a web search and fills what it can find.

Tip: Add every program you interviewed at, including the ones you think you won't match. You can't rank what you never entered.

After each interview, record what actually happened: who you met, whether the PD spoke to you in person, how many spots the program has, how competitive it is, and any prior ties to the place.

Tip: Fill it in the same day. A week later you'll remember the vibe, not the facts.

Every program gets a Compass score (how well it fits what you value) and a tier (how realistic it is). The order combines both, so a dream program you'll never match doesn't sit at the top by itself.

Tip: If the order surprises you, that's the point — but check the inputs before you trust it.

Generate a read-only link and send it to your advisor — or to classmates building their own lists. They don't need an account, and they see your reasoning, not just the order.

Tip: An advisor who can see why you ranked something 4th gives far better feedback than one who only sees the list.