Having calls made on an applicant's behalf

[needle-driver]

---

Members do not see this ad.

As I look through the match results postings, I notice quite a few applicants had calls placed to their top program(s) (with mixed results). I was under the impression that this was more the norm for fellowship applications. Is this a new trend that is a consequence of the increased competitiveness of ophtho, or has this always occurred at a low level?

If this is indeed a trend of late, the future implications would be an even greater reliance on the "who you know" aspect of one's medical school experience.

Any thoughts?

 

[Light]

My impression about phone calls was that they are of most importance when applying for fellowships, in fact, most likey the norm for fellowship applications.

For residency, i do not know if it makes much of a difference or not, i just had it offered to me and figured it couldn't hurt, but i did not go out of my way to seek a call on my behalf.

It'd be interesting to see what others think on this topic, as it would definitely help out future applicants.

 

[JR]

I agree with above; in addition, the person who makes the call, no matter how big they are, may not be liked by a particular department and/or selection committee person. That may send your name to the botton of the rank list.

 

[jackflash]

Who did your faculty member call? The program director? What if that PD has no clue who your faculty member is?

 

[rice]

Calls didn't help me. If you are already strong, you probably don't need to have calls placed for you. Although I don't disagree with the notion of having a call placed for your #1 program. Keep in mind though that a lot of programs will already have you ranked, if you are done with interviews. So it may not matter anyway. Kind of like how I think those thank-you letters don't really matter.