Letter from the Program Director: How should I respond?

[seelee]

Last week I got back from doing an away rotation at a very prestigious program. Yesterday I got a letter from the program director of this program. He basically said that everyone really liked me and that they think that this program would be the right place for me.

I am planning on ranking this program at the top of my list. My question is how much should I make of this letter. Some people have told me that it means very little, that it is just part of the recruiting process. Would writing back and informing them of my intention to rank them help or hurt?

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[Precedex]

Last week I got back from doing an away rotation at a very prestigious program. Yesterday I got a letter from the program director of this program. He basically said that everyone really liked me and that they think that this program would be the right place for me.

I am planning on ranking this program at the top of my list. My question is how much should I make of this letter. Some people have told me that it means very little, that it is just part of the recruiting process. Would writing back and informing them of my intention to rank them help or hurt?

That is good. Be happy. It is not a guarantee. I would write them back. It probably won't help. It definitely won't hurt as long as your tone is reasonable.

 

[Reciprocity79]

Two things.

You are likely already aware of this first point, but it's crazy how often candidates have misconceptions about how the system works. Your rank list should be based ONLY on your preference. If you haven't read how the algorithm works, I suggest looking it up on NRMP's site and familiarizing yourself with it. You should not rank based on where you think you will be ranked highly. You don't need to game the system to find a compromise between where you want to end up and where you think you have a shot of ending up. Rank programs in the order you want to go there and nothing else. The algorithm will take care of the rest.

If you truly feel that you are going to rank that program highly, I would certainly send a letter. I would not say that you are ranking them number one unless you are sure that is true, but dropping a letter saying that you "Would be very happy to match there" or "I plan on ranking your program very highly" (say if you feel very strongly the program will be in your top 3) is appropriate and shows that your interest in the program is genuine.

Congrats and good luck!

 

[Yo GabbaPentin]

Last week I got back from doing an away rotation at a very prestigious program. Yesterday I got a letter from the program director of this program. He basically said that everyone really liked me and that they think that this program would be the right place for me.

I am planning on ranking this program at the top of my list. My question is how much should I make of this letter. Some people have told me that it means very little, that it is just part of the recruiting process. Would writing back and informing them of my intention to rank them help or hurt?

Your goal is to rank the place you want to go first. It is also your goal to get EVERYWHERE to rank YOU first. Having been part of the process in the past, I can tell you that you should have NO loyalty to any one place. They are looking after their best interests and you need to look after yours. If I were doing it all over, I'd tell everyone they were my number one. I can't tell you how many "highly" ranked candidates who fell past our program.

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

Don't tell every program that you are ranking them number one. If you're a good candidate and they rank you to match and you don't, you've just outed yourself as a bald-faced liar. **** like that gets around, which may or may not matter to you, but say you might want to do fellowship or get a job there. Don't burn your bridges if you don't have to.

Tell your No.1 that they're No.1, and tell everyone else that you'd love to end up there, because if you're like most applicants, you'd love to end up ANYWHERE. Sounds good, and it's not a lie that might come back to haunt you.

 

[Yo GabbaPentin]

Don't tell every program that you are ranking them number one. If you're a good candidate and they rank you to match and you don't, you've just outed yourself as a bald-faced liar. **** like that gets around, which may or may not matter to you, but say you might want to do fellowship or get a job there. Don't burn your bridges if you don't have to.

Tell your No.1 that they're No.1, and tell everyone else that you'd love to end up there, because if you're like most applicants, you'd love to end up ANYWHERE. Sounds good, and it's not a lie that might come back to haunt you.

Because a program is really going to remember that one med student who misled them on a rank list? Won't happen. We remembered the name for about a day then forgot. Why do the candidates own it to the programs to be 100% honest yet the programs screw candidates over big time on a regular basis?

Use language implying that they are your dream program without saying the words number one. A lying program affects a candidate a whole lot more than the less than honest candidate affects a program.

 

[seelee]

Thanks for the advice! I would like to point out that this program would be my #1 even if I hadn't gotten a letter.

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

Use language implying that they are your dream program without saying the words number one. A lying program affects a candidate a whole lot more than the less than honest candidate affects a program.

This is what I'm saying, also. Let's be honest, everyone is blowing smoke up everyone else's butt throughout the process. Which is part of why I wasn't a huge fan.

Just go into it with a healthy dose of skepticisim and you'll be fine.

 

[michigangirl]

Can't hang on your hat on their letter, as others have said. But I would definitely write a letter back to them, since you ARE ranking them #1, that it is your first choice and you would be thrilled to match there. They know that you have a special interest in them since you did the away, but a little reinforcement can't hurt. Especially when they've reached out to you in some way, regardless of what it means.

Good luck!