How frigging long does it take damn match program to run?

[eejakyule8]

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So rank day is Feb 22 or thereabouts. But the match isn't until mid march. What the hell takes so long. Tell me the computer isn't grinding it's gears for a month trying to chew it's way through the algorithm. Why on earth does it take this long?

 

[Solideliquid]

So rank day is Feb 22 or thereabouts. But the match isn't until mid march. What the hell takes so long. Tell me the computer isn't grinding it's gears for a month trying to chew it's way through the algorithm. Why on earth does it take this long?

I also want to know...tell me noooooooooow! Tell me......

(Invader Zim)

 

[EctopicFetus]

Come on.. You know it is a computer, it prob takes at most 15 mins. It is a pretty simple algorithm for a computer. I think it is cause they double check.. of course they f'ed up last yr..

 

[Poety]

What do you mean f'ed up last year? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

 

[EctopicFetus]

The early match (i believe) had its results released, (a lot of very competitive fields in the early match), people celebrated.. Then they announced that they screwed something up, so people who thought they matched didnt and people got shifted to other programs.. perhaps an intern can elaborate. I heard about this from the c/o 2005... Rumor was people were suing etc.

 

[CameronFrye]

It was the urology match. They switched the matching program they used. Evidently, the program was accidentally set up to be a program-proposed match instead of an applicant-proposed match. In other words, if a program had you ranked number 1 and you had them on your rank list, you went to that program. (I think that was the problem, but I may have forgotten the exact details). There was a really big stink over on the urology match website/message board when it happened (as you can imagine).

 

[Apollyon]

Come on.. You know it is a computer, it prob takes at most 15 mins. It is a pretty simple algorithm for a computer. I think it is cause they double check.. of course they f'ed up last yr..

The Iserson book said that the whole match program runs in about 6 minutes.

 

[eejakyule8]

It was the urology match. They switched the matching program they used. Evidently, the program was accidentally set up to be a program-proposed match instead of an applicant-proposed match. In other words, if a program had you ranked number 1 and you had them on your rank list, you went to that program. (I think that was the problem, but I may have forgotten the exact details). There was a really big stink over on the urology match website/message board when it happened (as you can imagine).

😱 What, is program-proposed/applicant-proposed just an option on a scroll-down menu that some fool clicks with his mouse before he hits ENTER.

Not very reassuring. 🙁

 

[Poety]

Leave it to SDN to add fuel to the anxiety fire of matching

Just gotta love it here 😛

I'm sure we will all match. However, on the psych threads, there WAS someone who got upset because they matched at their 5th program, and the program they ranked 4 contacted them and said "why didn't you rank us higher" and apparently, had matched others that were ranked below him!!!! He followed up with phone calls and what not, but the program kept reporting that he was definitely ranked above the other candidates that matched there, apparently the NRMP said "no he wasn't" but couldn't they just have said that to CTA?

So, you never really know now do ya? We are putting a lot of blind faith into this system - especially since there seems to be stories like I just wrote where applicants end up getting the short end of the stick!

 

[enigma1800]

Hey Poety, now you're really freakin me out 😱

Do you think that really happened? Cause a program told me during their interview that if we didn't rank them #1 that we risk being bypassed and other lower ranked candidates getting matched, as in your example.. But some of us thought she was just bs'ing in order to scare us a little..

Cause as nrmp says, lower ranked candidates may get "tentatively" matched at a particular program but also higher ranked, "more preferred candidates would take their place if they still hadn't matched...

Isn't that how it's supposed to be?

 

[Poety]

Hey enigma, apparently, you should "bump" that lower ranked candidate out of their slot if you don't match at a spot higher than the program in question - however, this apparently did happen - I'll search for the old thread.

I'll be back 😱


Heres the thread:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=110581&highlight=match

 

[EctopicFetus]

Now I am as big of a nerd about these things as anyone else.. I will say this.. Do yourself a favor and dont worry about it. Here is why... It wont make any difference. Submit your ROL and then pray (FYI praying for ROL success is not EBM) 🙂 but knowing the alogrithm etc wont help you worth a crap.

 

[CameronFrye]

Now I am as big of a nerd about these things as anyone else.. I will say this.. Do yourself a favor and dont worry about it. Here is why... It wont make any difference. Submit your ROL and then pray (FYI praying for ROL success is not EBM) 🙂 but knowing the alogrithm etc wont help you worth a crap.

Yep, rank the places in the order you like them and just wait for match day. Even with the urology screw-up last year, they did eventually get everything straightened out (unfortunately for some, that meant they didn't end up matching, after they had been told they had).

 

[GoofyDoc]

Yep, rank the places in the order you like them and just wait for match day. Even with the urology screw-up last year, they did eventually get everything straightened out (unfortunately for some, that meant they didn't end up matching, after they had been told they had).

Which brings us back to the original question - why does it take so friggin long to get the results??? I'm not even done interviewing and I'm already in anticipation mode. 🙁

 

[orientedtoself]

Why does it take three weeks from rank order list deadline to Match Day?

During that time, NRMP takes a number of major steps to assure the accuracy of both the Match and the subsequent release of Match information. Those steps include:

Checking the integrity and completeness of the data.

Transferring the data to the algorithm module, checking it again, and running the Match.

Verifying the results of the Match and transferring the data into the NRMP databases.

Creating more than 60,000 individual reports for applicants, programs, and schools, and assuring confidentiality of the information. The reports are then posted to the web in accordance with the Match Results schedule.

In addition, time is allotted for unmatched applicants and unfilled programs to make decisions before Match Day.

From the NRMP website
http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/faq//us_seniors_faq.html#13

Sounds like they are doing alot of checking. I would rather have them check alot then match to the wrong place.