Psychiatry becoming more competitive?

As someone involved in the admissions at a top tier program (MGH/Cornell/Columbia/UCLA-level), I want to make some clarifications and dispel some myths posted in this thread from my experience (which is only one point of view from a specific setting):

1) A very large percentage of those interviewed by us have board scores in the 230's and way on up, but this does not mean that some with lower scores will not be ranked highly. The whole package matters in psychiatry. A chunk of applicants could have matched into the most competitive specialties (assuming they had done the necessary research for those fields). The desirable candidates in the applicant pool with lower scores have other important factors (great performances on visiting rotations, important clinical or research experience that is exceptional, applying from a top 10 medical school, solid to great grades in clinical clerkships, personal recommendations from trusted people known to the admissions committee, genuinely likable personality). There is some magic in the process, where someone who doesn't have the strongest numbers still charms everyone with their persona and story and ends up higher on our list. A step failure or barely passing, severe academic issues (failing, having to take time off for academic problems) are at least yellow and usually red flags. With these problems you might make the cut for an interview, but you'll have a more difficult time in the ranking unless you have an exceptional story that can explain these issues in a compelling way.

2) There may be some who are using psychiatry as a backup, but they are easy to detect in an interview. You can tell when someone is truly passionate about the field, is able to talk intelligently about their clinical experiences, and seems somewhat interested in your program. There are many people with amazing records, from top medical schools, who want to go into psychiatry. They will be sought after by many programs, but they are distinct from someone who is a gunner using psychiatry as a backup specialty.

3) I can't comment on whether the specialty is getting more competitive or not, but I can say that we are enormously impressed by the vast majority of candidates we interview. By and large, they are energetic, charismatic people who seem to have a more humanistic streak than average medical students. The old stereotype of the creepy, socially awkward psychiatrist is by far the exception, not the rule. Makes me feel excited about the future of our field.

4) It will not be a cakewalk for someone going into this field for purely lifestyle reasons to get into a top program. They have a high chance of getting an interview, but they will be smoked out and ranked lower than someone with true passion for the field who has solid but less stellar scores. I'm not saying it would be impossible for them to match at one of the most competitive programs, but unless they are an exceptionally smooth sociopath who can lie about themselves convincingly, they are not going to be at the top of the list.

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Psychiatry becoming more competitive?