Match patterns?

[phoenixsupra]

I was looking at my schools match list the other day and I couldn't help be struck by something odd. It was almost the same as the list from last year and the year before that. Really, almost everyone went to about seven or eight places around the country and pretty much the same number of folks go to each of these places each year. I know that a for a couple of prestigious programs we have course directors and chairmen who come from those programs and that they get to essentially get to give a golden handshake pass to one or two students each year. Do the big name programs and schools essentially have informal reciprocal arrangements when it comes to residency candidate selections?

Has anyone else noticed an uncanny similarity between their school's match list's from year to year?

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[MD'05]

I was looking at my schools match list the other day and I couldn't help be struck by something odd. It was almost the same as the list from last year and the year before that. Really, almost everyone went to about seven or eight places around the country and pretty much the same number of folks go to each of these places each year. I know that a for a couple of prestigious programs we have course directors and chairmen who come from those programs and that they get to essentially get to give a golden handshake pass to one or two students each year. Do the big name programs and schools essentially have informal reciprocal arrangements when it comes to residency candidate selections?

Has anyone else noticed an uncanny similarity between their school's match list's from year to year?

Yes, actually I have. I get the distinct feeling that a program only supplies a certain percentage of candidates in a certain specialty per year. It is almost as if this enormous collusion occurs between medical schools and residency programs. The match is so much bullsh*t if you ask me. It only benefits the residency programs and not the students.