i actually was asked on an interview this year why i thought that the general strength of pathology candidates had been improving over the past few years, so i think it's a trend that has not gone unnoticed.
as far as post-interview contact, i got a few generic thanks for interviewing emails from PDs, and have gotten 2 personal emails from faculty members at the same program which makes me feel like i'm on their radar. a few residents have followed up with me post-interview as well. i've told the program i'm most interested in that i'm planning on ranking them first and i got a polite but noncommittal response. bottom line, it's still a crapshoot.