How much is a program director allowed to tell you about how you will be ranked?

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DaveB

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Just wondering -

How much are they allowed to tell you? Can they specificially say "you will be ranked XX on our rank list come March?

Or maybe a better question is what are they not allowed to tell you?

Thanks in advance.

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They can tell you whatever they want. The thing is you're not allowed to ask them how they'll rank you and vice versa. Take everything they say with a grain of salt - remember, they're trying to get everyone to rank them highly.
 
DaveB said:
Just wondering -

How much are they allowed to tell you? Can they specificially say "you will be ranked XX on our rank list come March?

Or maybe a better question is what are they not allowed to tell you?

Thanks in advance.


It's not a "match violation" for them to tell you where they are ranking you. Nor is it a "match violation" for them to lie.
 
If they tell you straight up what they're ranking you at, it's probably a lie
I really got a kick when they said things like "See you next year!"
haha
 
Like most things in life you have to weigh all the available evidence. PDs may tell you things like "can't wait to work with you next year", or they may say nothing at all. These statements in and of themselves are fairly meaningless. Just like some people are effusive with their proclamations of love on the 2nd date and others can go years without verbalizing this (but let you know in other ways).

If a program is interested, you will likely get a letter expressing that interest after your interview and they will usually warmly welcome you for a 2nd visit/look, should you choose to do one.

In the end, rank the programs in the order in which YOU would like them, not based on whom you think will rank you higher.
 
I was put in a weird position when a PD asked me "I just want to guage the level of your interest in my program without violating any ACGME rules". What am I supposed to say to that?
 
Kimberli Cox said:
If a program is interested, you will likely get a letter expressing that interest after your interview and they will usually warmly welcome you for a 2nd visit/look, should you choose to do one.

Keep in mind that many programs do not contact their applicants at all after the interview, so if you don't hear anything from a program, it does not necessarily mean they don't like you. As an example, I got no such letters from my 1st-choice programs for either my residency or fellowship match, but I still matched at both those programs. I found out later that those programs have a policy where they do not contact any applicants after the interview.

While it's nice to hear something from a PD, I agree that you should rank places based on where you want to go, not based on who you get feedback from. If I would have ranked my programs based more on my perception of a program's level of interest or how I thought I would be ranked on their list, I would have done myself a huge disservice.

Besides, even if you get nice feedback, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. Verbal comments in the match process are non-binding, and you should take them with a grain of salt. A PD can easily change their mind after they've told you that they'll rank you highly.
 
AJM said:
Keep in mind that many programs do not contact their applicants at all after the interview, so if you don't hear anything from a program, it does not necessarily mean they don't like you. As an example, I got no such letters from my 1st-choice programs for either my residency or fellowship match, but I still matched at both those programs. I found out later that those programs have a policy where they do not contact any applicants after the interview.

While it's nice to hear something from a PD, I agree that you should rank places based on where you want to go, not based on who you get feedback from. If I would have ranked my programs based more on my perception of a program's level of interest or how I thought I would be ranked on their list, I would have done myself a huge disservice.

Besides, even if you get nice feedback, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. Verbal comments in the match process are non-binding, and you should take them with a grain of salt. A PD can easily change their mind after they've told you that they'll rank you highly.

That is true; thank you for clarifying it. My experience may not be that of others and I should have stated that.
 
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