Interview question

It is appropriate to mention that you plan to rank a program highly but I wouldn't expect much of a response from them or would, at the very least, be wary of taking any response to heart. Programs are under a lot of restrictions about what they can tell applicants - that doesn't mean that some don't try and get around these.

Rather than asking the PD what your chances are (as I suspect any answer you get might not really give you much information, will be pretty vague), you might ask current residents how programs show their interest (ie, do ALL interviewees get follow-up letters), etc. Make sure whomever you share this information with knows WHY you want to rank their program highly.

 

My earlier comment was meant to convey the message that you should not always believe what you hear. PDs WILL tell applicants that they are going to be ranked highly, number 1, etc. but when these same applicants rank that program first they somehow end up matching elsewhere.

Is the PD/interview committee member lying? Probably not, but rather things change, better or more ideal applicants interview later and move up higher in the rankings, committee members don't agree with the PD or other member to rank you highly, etc.

It would be nice if every program would tell you where you stand but I would be highly suspect of any program that did (at least in a positive manner; you can likely believe a program that tells you they won't rank you) because there are NO guarantees.