What do post-interview letters actually mean?

[Daredevil3181]

I just completed my fourth of ten interviews late last week. I thought some went well and others just so-so. Over the weekend and today I received letters from two of the programs and was wondering if they sound genuine or the program is just playing a mind game with me (do they send things like this to just about everyone?).

I'll post the letters below with some slight paraphrasing and all names and personal details removed. I don't know the key words I should be looking for, so any help by pros to analyze these would be great.

The first two letters are from the same program, but different people.

This is from the chair:

I really enjoyed our conversation during your interview for our residency program. I hope we satisfactorily addressed any question you had about our program. You are obviously a gifted individual and pretty much will have your choice of a training program. I would love to have you in our program and hope that after your interviews are completed, we will remain high on your list of programs.

This is from the residency program director:

It was a pleasure to meet with you during your recent interview at our university's residency program. My colleagues and I think that you would make an excellent addition to our residency program!

And yes, that exclamation point was actually in there.

This third and final one is from the residency program director of a different school than the first two:

On behalf of our residency program, we wish to thank you for taking the time to interview with us. We enjoyed meeting and talking to you, and we hope that you also enjoyed the experience.

We consider you an excellent candidate and congratualte you on your outstanding academic and personal achievements. We hope that you will consider us highly when making your decisions on the Match.

Yeah...so I'd like to believe that this is good news, but at the same time I don't want to fall for any head games. What do the rest of you think of these? Do all of you get similar letters from all your programs? I appreciate the feedback in advance, so thanks.

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[dynx]

I just completed my fourth of ten interviews late last week. I thought some went well and others just so-so. Over the weekend and today I received letters from two of the programs and was wondering if they sound genuine or the program is just playing a mind game with me (do they send things like this to just about everyone?).

I'll post the letters below with some slight paraphrasing and all names and personal details removed. I don't know the key words I should be looking for, so any help by pros to analyze these would be great.

The first two letters are from the same program, but different people.

This is from the chair:

I really enjoyed our conversation during your interview for our residency program. I hope we satisfactorily addressed any question you had about our program. You are obviously a gifted individual and pretty much will have your choice of a training program. I would love to have you in our program and hope that after your interviews are completed, we will remain high on your list of programs.

This is from the residency program director:

It was a pleasure to meet with you during your recent interview at our university's residency program. My colleagues and I think that you would make an excellent addition to our residency program!

And yes, that exclamation point was actually in there.

This third and final one is from the residency program director of a different school than the first two:

On behalf of our residency program, we wish to thank you for taking the time to interview with us. We enjoyed meeting and talking to you, and we hope that you also enjoyed the experience.

We consider you an excellent candidate and congratualte you on your outstanding academic and personal achievements. We hope that you will consider us highly when making your decisions on the Match.

Yeah...so I'd like to believe that this is good news, but at the same time I don't want to fall for any head games. What do the rest of you think of these? Do all of you get similar letters from all your programs? I appreciate the feedback in advance, so thanks.

You get letters, you get calls etc. Let it bolster your spirits, this can be a hard time and its nice to get positive feedback. DON'T LET IT CHANGE YOUR DECISIONS. That is all.

 

[Daredevil3181]

Thanks for the reply. And you're right, it is nice to hear positive feedback, especially since I was seriously considering ranking one of those programs that wrote me back as a number one even before I got those letters. If I get any more I'll take them into consideration, but I don't anticipate them changing where I rank them on my RoL, as I have a rough version of that mostly completed by the time I leave on the plane to go home (it gets updated after every interview, obviously).

 

[MDWoochie]

Oh, you'll get more. I have had letters from 6/7 programs I interviewed at, and the one I didn't specifically told me that he doesn't do that, and not to take it to mean they are not interested.

It doesn't mean anything, even if they tell you "you're at the top of the list, (which I got)," as long as they don't say you're are #1, they are not breaching the match agreement if you end up ranking them and you don't match there.

 

[Doc Oc]

I don't think it means anything. I interviewed at 6 places, and got letters like that from 4, all saying stuff like "we'd be thrilled to have you as a resident" or "I'd love to be working with you in July" or "I look forward to seeing your name on our match list". I honestly think they all say that to everyone, wanting everyone to rank them #1 and think that you will be more "appreciated" there. It does them no good to send a lukewarm letter.

One of the places,(not one of the 4), sent a strange letter. This place was a little different than the others I had been to. It was the only place that asked point blank "How do we compare to the other places that you have interviewed at?". At the end of the interview, the program director told me that they send a survey about your interview day near the end of the season, and they "expect you to be forthcoming" in your responses. They did send me this, and I was surprised to received such a letter before the match. I felt like their attitude overall was "you better tell us how you are ranking us". To me, it came off as a little overbearing, and followed the feel that I got from my interview. I do not think I will be happy there, and will not be ranking them.

In this last strange letter, the PD said, "I look forward to hearing of your continued interest in our program." I wrote back that I felt a better fit elsewhere and that although I was impressed with their program and residents (note, but not /you/), I will not be ranking them #1.

Anyway, the letters are weird and I try to ignore them. Some places send letters from everyone who interviewed you. It's a bit much.

 

[slim shanie]

I'd be interested to hear what specialty those of you who are getting these are going into. I haven't been at my home address yet since I started interviews but have some letters there waiting for me. I'm going into FP so I've heard the same things as you all. But what about the more competitive specialties? Do they do this also?

 

[MDWoochie]

I'm FM too. my husband is going into EM and, you're right he has not gotten these.

 

[Samoa]

In this last strange letter, the PD said, "I look forward to hearing of your continued interest in our program." I wrote back that I felt a better fit elsewhere and that although I was impressed with their program and residents (note, but not /you/), I will not be ranking them #1.

Dude, you gotta be kidding me! If you can't say something nice, don't reply at all.

You just basically asked them not to rank you. So what happens if you don't match at your #1?

As for me, in about a week I'm sending letters to all the programs I liked, but I'm not going to give any indication who I'm ranking #1. I do have a #1, but honestly, I'd be happy to match at any of my top 6, so it's not in my best interest to offend the other 5. The PDs in my field do talk rather extensively, from what I hear.

 

[Faebinder]

Dude, you gotta be kidding me! If you can't say something nice, don't reply at all.

You just basically asked them not to rank you. So what happens if you don't match at your #1?

As for me, in about a week I'm sending letters to all the programs I liked, but I'm not going to give any indication who I'm ranking #1. I do have a #1, but honestly, I'd be happy to match at any of my top 6, so it's not in my best interest to offend the other 5. The PDs in my field do talk rather extensively, from what I hear.

SSSHHHH!!!! Don't help him out.. let the system weed him out...

heh.

 

[Samoa]

SSSHHHH!!!! Don't help him out.. let the system weed him out...

heh.

Ah yes...the religious holidays are over.

 

[slim shanie]

Dude, you gotta be kidding me! If you can't say something nice, don't reply at all.

You just basically asked them not to rank you. So what happens if you don't match at your #1?

As for me, in about a week I'm sending letters to all the programs I liked, but I'm not going to give any indication who I'm ranking #1. I do have a #1, but honestly, I'd be happy to match at any of my top 6, so it's not in my best interest to offend the other 5. The PDs in my field do talk rather extensively, from what I hear.

I'm presuming the poster isn't going to rank the program either... at least that was the impression I got from the message and the tone.

 

[Samoa]

Even so, it's better to say nothing.

 

[Doc Oc]

Even so, it's better to say nothing.

LOL, that's not what I actually said, but it was the gist (except the part about not being impressed with the pushiness of the PD. Obviously I didn't say that).

I'm not ranking them anyway. I would rather scramble elsewhere. Of all of my interviews, that was the only one where I kept looking at the clock and couldn't wait to get out of there.

I didn't say anything "mean", though. I just said that I felt a better fit elsewhere. That happens all the time, and they expect that to happen. They may not expect you to tell them, but so it is. They asked (specifically, in a way that I'm sure is "not allowed") a million times, I answered.

I am doing them no favors if I say that they are my #1 (which they basically asked at the interview, and in two letters afterwards). If they want to fill, for example, 2 of 4 spots with DOs and save the other 2 for the MD match, and rank only two people that they think are very interested, one being someone who isn't even ranking them, I did that new program and my profession a disservice, by increasing the chances of it not filling its DO slots with DOs.

In any case, I am applying to FM, and am not worried about not getting one of the other 5.