Sledge2005 said:
Actually, you may have this backward. I know a lot of people who were invited to numerous top ten interviews in ophtho, but ended up matching at on of the "safety" programs. This is b/c the top programs still interview a good number of people and all the while are more likely to get higher applicants on their rank list, so it's easy to fall through the cracks. Whereas, your odds of getting accepted are much higher at mid and low tier programs.
yes, yes, it's all a rich tapestry
🙂 hehe
Don't get me wrong (and mind you, this is coming from a mere 4th year, with a good imagination and no proof
🙂), I'm simply saying if you assume all 400-500-some of us can be ranked objectively on a list based purely on our CAS applications in early September (meaning, in an imaginary world where there is no subjectivity and randomness and "gut-feeling" involved in the application process from the programs' perspective). It would make sense to try to assess where you are on this imaginary, pre-interview rank list by looking at your interview offers.
If, say, you get 100% interview offers at all the top programs you applied to, I don't think it's a stretch to say you're near the top of that list of 500, and can be more selective about the interviews you take. If you feel you're near the middle of the pack (which is where I believe I stand) it makes sense to interview at some dream programs (where you may start off 'low-in-ranking' amongst the invited interviewees, but can hope to climb up with a stellar interview), some middle-tier programs (where you will be higher up on this imaginary pre-interview 'objective rank list' among invited interviewees) as well as low-tier programs (where you would start off much higher on this imaginary pre-interview rank list). And last, if you sincerely and objectively perceive yourself as being near the bottom of the list of 500, it makes sense to follow the business world's approach towards interviewing, where you focus more on personal connections (say, at your home program, or through away rotations with program directors/resident selection committee members, preferably with their own set of connections).
But, in reality, there's prolly a lot of randomness and subjectivity involved, especially with regard to which programs recognize and value the opinions of your ophthalmology recommenders (and if the particular person at the program, who happens to be responsible for reading your application recognizes your recommenders)... And, as applicants, we all have our own strong selling points that some programs may appreciate, and other programs... not
🙂
yup... a rich tapestry
...millions... 
