Best way to tell your top 3

[midnightblue]

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#1 program, can we tell the program I will rank you #1 ? is this an illegal approach and will I get in trouble by saying that ?

#2 program, can we say your program is one of my top two choices?

#3 program, if I say I will rank your program very highly or your program is on top of my rank list, do you think the program will get the idea of what I mean?

Regarding the contents and the length of the letter. I want to make it short and sweet, but I ended up with 400 words or more. Do we really need to emphasis again the strengths of the program I particularly appreciate?

 

[manwhoisthursdy]

Any suggestions regarding this content?
#1 program, can we tell the program I will rank you #1 ? is this an illegal approach and will I get in trouble by saying that ?

#2 program, can we say your program is one of my top two choices?

#3 program, if I say I will rank your program very highly or your program is on top of my rank list, do you think the program will get the idea of what I mean?

Regarding the contents and the length of the letter. I want to make it short and sweet, but I ended up with 400 words or more. Do we really need to emphasis again the strengths of the program I particularly appreciate?

I'm no expert on how to write the letters, but I'm fairly sure that you can tell programs as much as you want to about where you are ranking them. It violates the match when one party *conditionally* tells another what their rank will be, i.e., "we'll rank you #1 if you rank us #1". That's illegal because it coerces the other party.

 

[Chimed]

As stated above, you can tell them anything you like. This is just my opinion...While it is fine to tell a program, "I'm ranking you #1 and love you beyond human belief and want to live and die at your institution", I'd be weary of telling your #2 program that where you're ranking them. I think it is safer to say something like "You're one of my top choices" and leave it to their imagination.

In the end, though, it matters little what you tell a program. They should rank you as they see fit and you should do the same. With the possible exception of telling a program you're going to rank them #1, it probably won't make any difference. Just my 2 cents...😳

 

[cleareyedguy]

It probably should matter little what you think of the program, but:

1. if you have a clear #1, I'd tell them. Everybody likes to be loved, and programs not only like enthusiastic trainees, they like to get their top picks. in other words, if you tell them, your rank will not drop and might float upwards a bit.

2. if you do not answer phone calls, emails, etc., and don't write a thank you note (aside from the PD, your interviewers are generally not paid to be part of the selection process, so thanks is reasonable), the program will likely think you are uninterested/rude and may well float you downwards.

3. you don't have to say anything about your rankings. if you say, 'i really enjoyed meeting you and was particularly impressed by your (fill in the blank)',' you'll have done what you should.

4. programs have the same quandary--should they call? if so, how much? should they tell people they're in the top cluster? if so, how many should they tell? how far down the list should they recruit and will applicants be irritated if they get a call and then don't match? is that worse than not calling people in the iffy region and then having those people feel unloved and rank other places higher?

 

[josehernandez94]

It probably should matter little what you think of the program, but:

1. if you have a clear #1, I'd tell them. Everybody likes to be loved, and programs not only like enthusiastic trainees, they like to get their top picks. in other words, if you tell them, your rank will not drop and might float upwards a bit.

2. if you do not answer phone calls, emails, etc., and don't write a thank you note (aside from the PD, your interviewers are generally not paid to be part of the selection process, so thanks is reasonable), the program will likely think you are uninterested/rude and may well float you downwards.

3. you don't have to say anything about your rankings. if you say, 'i really enjoyed meeting you and was particularly impressed by your (fill in the blank)',' you'll have done what you should.

4. programs have the same quandary--should they call? if so, how much? should they tell people they're in the top cluster? if so, how many should they tell? how far down the list should they recruit and will applicants be irritated if they get a call and then don't match? is that worse than not calling people in the iffy region and then having those people feel unloved and rank other places higher?

so i have a question: when you say that if we don't answer emails, it looks bad in the program's eyes (in reference to point number 2 above). PS i wrote my number 1 place an email a couple weeks ago and i got sort of a curt response, but then that was followed up a couple days later by a very nice email that summarized my interview evaluations and had some other flattering comments in it. it indicated that i'd be on their rank list and that they'd be in touch with me in the future with other detials. is this the type of thing that i'm expected to respond to? i don't really know what to say, other than "thanks, it would be sweet if i wound up going there," which i already said. should i respond in some manner? thanks for any adivce.PS-sorry for the terrible typos and horrible grammar, i just tried cranking this thing out as fast as possible on a horrible wifi connection at barnes and noble. normally i don't sound this dumb!

 

[cleareyedguy]

How much you say is a personal preference, but their email indicates that they like you. if I were you I'd say something like, "thanks for getting back to me with such specific feedback. as i said earlier, i had a great time at your program and would be thrilled if i matched with you." simple, honest, and not indicating that you are ranking them in your top 10 (though I guess if they are outside your top cluster, you wouldn't be all that thrilled, so you might tone it down a bit). a response is optional, of course, but silence tends to be interpreted as a lack of interest, and programs can be as sensitive as the people who comprise them. otoh, your placement on the actual list may not be at all affected.

 

[psychattending]

As a PD, I would suggest the following:

1) Feel free to tell your #1 program they are #1. It won't hurt and it might help. As others have said it is not forbidden. It just can't be conditional on what I do.

2) For programs #2 and #3, it does not much matter, tell them nothing or tell them they are highly ranked. We won't take it badly. We do this every year and fully understand that we will not be #1 on everybody's list.