How Much Stock To Put Into Interview Feedback?

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vengaaqui

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So many have heard "You'd be great", "We'd love to have you", "You're a great fit" or some variation on the theme. Do these utterances during interviews and afterwards carry any weight? I'm not going to change my rank list because of them, but can I be more hopeful with getting say my first three with so much feedback in this direction or is it all a bunch of steam?

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So many have heard "You'd be great", "We'd love to have you", "You're a great fit" or some variation on the theme. Do these utterances during interviews and afterwards carry any weight? I'm not going to change my rank list because of them, but can I be more hopeful with getting say my first three with so much feedback in this direction or is it all a bunch of steam?

The answer to every question you asked is an unqualified no.

Rank programs the way you like them and call it a day.
 
There are only a dozen or so threads on this exact topic. Come on everyone seriously.
 
So many have heard "You'd be great", "We'd love to have you", "You're a great fit" or some variation on the theme. Do these utterances during interviews and afterwards carry any weight? I'm not going to change my rank list because of them, but can I be more hopeful with getting say my first three with so much feedback in this direction or is it all a bunch of steam?

I would say that, in general, these statements carry little weight and you should not put much stock in them. That said, as with your communications with the program, the more specific the feedback, the more weight it likely carries.

If a PD writes me a highly personalized e-mail with details of my app and our interview together, I can safely assume that (1) I will be ranked by the program, (2) I will probably not be ranked in the bottom third, and (3) that the PD has taken time of out his busy schedule to contact me. Of course, none of this means I am ranked to match or even ranked very highly, even if the PD says I am.

Likewise, if the PD tells an applicant "We'd love to have you here," it's highly unlikely the applicant had a poor interview performance. The applicant can also probably safely assume #1 and 2 above. Since this is the most one can safely assume even if told point blank they are ranked to match, then it does hold some objective significance. This is especially true given that some programs told me they only rank half or at most 3/4 of interviewees.
 
I would say that, in general, these statements carry little weight and you should not put much stock in them. That said, as with your communications with the program, the more specific the feedback, the more weight it likely carries.

If a PD writes me a highly personalized e-mail with details of my app and our interview together, I can safely assume that (1) I will be ranked by the program, (2) I will probably not be ranked in the bottom third, and (3) that the PD has taken time of out his busy schedule to contact me. Of course, none of this means I am ranked to match or even ranked very highly, even if the PD says I am.

Likewise, if the PD tells an applicant "We'd love to have you here," it's highly unlikely the applicant had a poor interview performance. The applicant can also probably safely assume #1 and 2 above. Since this is the most one can safely assume even if told point blank they are ranked to match, then it does hold some objective significance. This is especially true given that some programs told me they only rank half or at most 3/4 of interviewees.

My experience exactly. I had started a thread about that, one among the dozens out there. Conclusion of my story: I received 4 prematch offers out of my 6 interviews. With hindsight, the personalized, encouraging replies to my Thank You emails were genuine, I believe.
 
\Do these utterances during interviews and afterwards carry any weight? I'm not going to change my rank list because of them, but can I be more hopeful with getting say my first three with so much feedback in this direction or is it all a bunch of steam?

Just rank them according to how much you liked them. Don't think or worry about anything else.
 
Ironically, this is more about reassurance than anything since I have already ranked. If I receive highly personalized emails from the PDs of my top 3 choices, that is very reassuring and reduces the anxiety that is bound to build up until match day. And it definitely means something when a busy physician takes the time to do it...as I have struggled to write thank you notes to every program while just a 4th year med student haha.

Maybe I'm more cynical...but I don't trust any of these letters. There's a huge game that's being played when Match Day nears, and I never like to get my hopes up. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, I always say.
 
Maybe I'm more cynical...but I don't trust any of these letters. There's a huge game that's being played when Match Day nears, and I never like to get my hopes up. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, I always say.

Never trust any of this. Just rank as you would if you never heard any of it. 9 times out of 10, the PD tells applicants he would love to have them there. Most of the time he does this before he has even heard the feedback from other interviewers, residents, etc. His goal at that point is to have every applicant rank the program highly, so that when he puts together his rank list he gets the pick of the litter, and the program doesn't have to go too deeply down the list. It doesn't cost him anything to blow smoke up your butt, but may make a few paranoid people rank the program a bit higher than they otherwise might.
 
I'm not changing my rankings based on any of this feedback, but I can easily see how people would... Everyone wants to take the uncertainty out of this process, and some of the programs really make it seem like it's just a matter of whether you want to come... And that can go to a girl's head:)

In the end, though, I keep the Ecclesiastes mantra front and center when receiving any post-interview feedback, "This too is meaningless."
 
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