Futility of Strategic Ranking

[carabelliscusp]

So I always hear that you should rank your choices based on your true preference not anything else. I've watched the video on the algorithm but it doesn’t make sense to me.

Let’s say you have two programs A and B. Program A is a long shot. You have no connection to it and they usually take their intern. Program B is one your far more sure of. You would prefer A but not by much. You much prefer your 2nd choice to your 3rd.

You rank A 1 and B 2. Program A ranks you 2nd but B ranks you 1st. Another candidate ranks A 1st and they match there. Normally you would match at B but someone else ranks them 1. If you had ranked B 1st you would be good but now your looking at your 3rd choice or so on. Why doesn’t it make sense to rank strategically here? If it’s based off everyone’s preference then at a certain point it hurts you to not consider this since someone else’s true preference is opposite yours.

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[DMD12345]

If B ranks you 1, you rank them 2, you don’t match 1, you match B. Doesn’t matter if 7 other people ranked B 1 and they were B’s 2,3,4,5,6,7,8

 

[Allsmiles!]

If B ranks you 1, you rank them 2, you don’t match 1, you match B. Doesn’t matter if 7 other people ranked B 1 and they were B’s 2,3,4,5,6,7,8

@carabelliscusp what DMD12345 wrote is correct. You should look at the video again…there are some videos that provide a good simple explanation of the process...the bottom line, you should rank programs based on where you want to go...not where you think you might have a better chance to match at. So, recap, don’t over think this, 100% you should rank programs 1, 2, 3, etc. solely on your preference nothing else should matter!

 

[Lemillion]

Yes, the discrepancy here is where the program ranks you. You could have school B dead last on your list but if they ranked you their #1 candidate, then your spot is basically reserved. If you slide and don't rank anywhere else, then you will match at B regardless of other peoples ranking.

Another way to look at it is to see how many seats a program has. For example, if they have 5 seats and you are ranked #1-5 then you are protected to match there if you are still available.

 

[stealyoface]

This trips people up every year. There is no game and no strategic ranking. It’s literally just a rank list based on your preferences of where you want to go. If you rank a program 3,000 and 250 people rank it #1, you will still match there if you don’t match at your other 2,999 programs as long as they ranked you higher than the other applicants that want to go there

 

[LegendaryPanda]

There is a saying that the algorithm favors the applicants preferences. That is a myth. It actually works both ways. In your scenario, you match at B because they ranked you #1 and you ranked them #2. The algorithm doesn't care if you ranked a program #1, if they ranked you #384, then you're not matching there. It also doesn't favor anyone else that ranked them #1. If the program ranked you #1 then you got dibs, and that's how it works, and vice versa.

Even if you have 20 interviews and did not match the first 19, and the 20th one ranks you #1, you matched. As long as a program ranks you 1st, you're guaranteed a spot as long as you didn't match to any programs before that, so the point is to try to get programs to rank you #1 at all of your top choices.

 

[DMD12345]

There is a saying that the algorithm favors the applicants preferences. That is a myth. It actually works both ways. In your scenario, you match at B because they ranked you #1 and you ranked them #2. The algorithm doesn't care if you ranked a program #1, if they ranked you #384, then you're not matching there. It also doesn't favor anyone else that ranked them #1. If the program ranked you #1 then you got dibs, and that's how it works, and vice versa.

Even if you have 20 interviews and did not match the first 19, and the 20th one ranks you #1, you matched. As long as a program ranks you 1st, you're guaranteed a spot as long as you didn't match to any programs before that, so the point is to try to get programs to rank you #1 at all of your top choices.

Imo it favors applicants over programs, and it favors great applicants over mediocre applicants

 

[Ivy.ch]

So I always hear that you should rank your choices based on your true preference not anything else. I've watched the video on the algorithm but it doesn’t make sense to me.

Let’s say you have two programs A and B. Program A is a long shot. You have no connection to it and they usually take their intern. Program B is one your far more sure of. You would prefer A but not by much. You much prefer your 2nd choice to your 3rd.

You rank A 1 and B 2. Program A ranks you 2nd but B ranks you 1st. Another candidate ranks A 1st and they match there. Normally you would match at B but someone else ranks them 1. If you had ranked B 1st you would be good but now you’re looking at your 3rd choice or so on. Why doesn’t it make sense to rank strategically here? If it’s based off everyone’s preference then at a certain point it hurts you to not consider this since someone else’s true preference is opposite yours.

In this example, you would bump the person out of program B since you couldn’t get the seat at program A

 

[Bupivacaine Bear]

Imo it favors applicants over programs, and it favors great applicants over mediocre applicants

the term is “applicant proposing” so it takes into account your preferences first and tries to put you at your top program and check to see if there is a match.

 

[IndifferentOsteoblast]

Is there a maximum number of ranks you can submit? For instance, if someone gets 15 interviews, can they rank all 15 programs?

 

[Ivy.ch]

Is there a maximum number of ranks you can submit? For instance, if someone gets 15 interviews, can they rank all 15 programs?

There are no maximums! You can rank everywhere you interviewed.