I think it's so that everyone can "celebrate" together, so it's not obvious that someone had to SOAP if they don't tell their peers where they have matched.
Programs don’t rank everyone they interview. But it’s by choice, and those reasons are program-specific, typically because they straight up just didn’t like someone. Not by a limit to the size of their rank list.
My bad, didn't know this was a violation and was just curious.
1. Easy to say this now that the data's out.
I mean, regardless if they've always been invited, the fact that the barriers of travel/money/etc are removed and they are now able to go on more interviews than they would have been able to on a regular year is the "hoarding" that people are referring to. They have more time and less restraints --> more interviews to go on. I think hoarding is the wrong way to describe it tbh but nonetheless
Yeah. I personally cancelled two interviews this cycle after realizing that I didn't want to train there. But probably wouldn' thave been able to attend the # of interviews I did attend this year if travel and money was a factor. I do agree that there's a good chance this virtual thing sticks. The programs save too much money and I don't know they lose out on much by not having us applicants there in person. But as @Jillofalltrades mentioned, they as in smart people will have to tweak this up. App or interview caps or something like that. I don't think this current application cycle is sustainable
I doubt it. It doesn't really cost much at all for the programs to put on interviews except for marginal expenses like "meals," (which in my experience, some programs took some very creative liberties with) and goodie bags that are a drop in the bucket overall. At the end of the day they want to avoid accidentally matching someone who's going to alienate people or be difficult to work with and in my opinion it's much, much easier to detect that kind of thing when somebody is at an all day in-person interview as opposed to several discrete video interviews.
I attended same day AM and PM rads interviews (and prelims) and know many people who did this multiple times. I think there was very, very little waitlist movement and based on the radiology discord it was mostly the same people posting that they received trickle interview invites. The SOAP spots are way less this year for rads apparently. I don't think it will make people not match but I do think that most people received less quality interviews than they probably would have during a normal year.
The only early matches are Urology and Ophtho that I’m aware of
Let's hope that corrects such that those same people get higher slots on their rank list.
It used to be an early match but has used NRMP for a while now.
NRMP --> options --> view reports --> regional match stats
Ohhhhhhh it’s within our account. Thank you!
The actual answer is tradition. The convenient answer is for SOAP prep.
I agree with you. I don't know the costs to run in person interviews but anecdotally for me, there were multiple IM PDs who mentioned to me on the interviews that they believe there's a chance this stays virtual. Hope it's not the case though. Not seeing programs in person sucked so much IMO
I was directly comparing the round 1 soap options to bsolomon data for prior years and it looked like night and day. I'm guessing because of COVID a lot of people added a backup specialty or a ton of extra programs to their list.
I keep seeing people describe it as rough because if there not being open spots. Is this not a good thing? It literally means more people matched.
Yeah, probably. Really curious how this all looks when the dust settles
True. I guess rough for classmates who are soaping. Also if theres more applicants this year and not a similar increase in spots, wouldn't it look like on paper more people matched wooo but also more people didn't, from a % stand point, and then less available soap positions = rough. Just my thoughts
Purely anecdotal, but of the other people applying surgical subs at my school, nearly 50% also applied a backup. In previous years that was probably closer to 10%.
This, my hunch says the increased apps account for this. Absolute numbers are likely similar or worse.
my home PD told me to apply to 20-25 rad programs! Insane. My class counselors were ill prepared for this as well. I do think getting any clinical job experience is better than nothing. Also this is a common tactic for our school counselors because it increases their "match" rate and ultimately forces students into a general surgery pathway.
With all due respect. This is non-sense. If i am applying to your program, interviewing, and then ranking your program. That is not a tourist application.
What if... hear me out here... you interviewed and ranked based on preference, instead of based on who loves you back?
Sure it is. There were many more applications to our program this year than in years prior. But it’s not like there was some dramatic increase in graduating students. It was the “I don’t really want to go there, but since I don’t have to travel or pay for a hotel... whatever” applicant.
This was my suspicion as well, they wanted to pass off the hot potato
Interesting, the overall numbers of apps per capita and total applicants was similar to years prior. Must be that some particular programs felt the COVID differences more than others.
would you rather you fill from soap or fill from an applicant that way if you had to drop down your list? I would be more empathetic to the programs perspective if programs didnt over interview for positions too. or failed to fill despite interviewing these applicants.
Preference for some programs includes how interested the applicant is in coming to the program. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion.
I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking. Nearly every applicant who interviews gets ranked... unless they get put on the DNR list.
A lot of programs will take a weaker applicant that has expressed more interest in them, like sending a letter of interest to get an interview or a letter of intent to get a higher ranklist position. It's the opposite of how the process is supposed to work. Unless your program is truly inundated with HMS grads and would fail to fill if you interviewed all your superstar applicants, that'd be an exception.
"I wanted to stop higher on my ranklist" is a pretty weak basis for "preference" but I guess it's up to each PD to do whatever they want at the end of the day. Sending emails to people you actually aren't gonna match? Why not, they prefer it that way, it makes the recipients of the email more interested 🙄
I don't know how many spots are filled by scrambled applicants. But that's not really the point. I'm talking about applicants who are generally good applicants applying broadly and taking interview spots at places they don't have any real interest in going to but applying and taking the interview because it is of no burden to them. They end up taking away from other applicants who maybe have a slightly less impressive application on paper, but who actually want to match to that program.
