Matched at the bottom of my list

[dent_wannabe]

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Long story short, I matched at the bottom on my list. I took seriously the advice of ranking only the programs which I would be willing to train at, and ranking based on my true preferences without regard to how I think the programs would rank me. Although I am willing to train at the program I matched to and I have reasons to be excited about going there, analyzing this year's match statistics is only making me question if something went wrong in my application/interview process, and if my low rank match was a reflection of my merit as an applicant. One of the programs I interviewed at emphasized that about 95% of GPR applicants match to one of their top 3 choices, I believe to reassure those who may be tempted to take a non-match offer only because they are afraid they might not get another opportunity otherwise. Since hearing that, I had high hopes that matching somewhere within at least my top 3 was doable. I'm not sure what I did that could have put me among the bottom 5% of GPR applicants nationwide who matched lower than rank 3.

For reference, I applied to only GPR programs, and ranked more than 3 but fewer than 10 programs. For anonymity reasons, I will not disclose exactly how many programs I ranked, nor which program I matched to. I waited all day for the post-match list to be published here. Seeing that the program I matched to is not on there gives me some reassurance that where I matched was not somewhere that people did not want to be at. Seeing that none of the programs I ranked are on there at least means I cannot conclude a program I ranked refused to rank me altogether. But I really hope it is not my fate that I am always merely the candidate that people resort to when they can't get better options...because I will have to be a compete once again when job hunting.

Has anybody matched low on their list, and in the end felt that it was meant to be?

 

[chiangmai2015]

I think you should be proud and happy that you matched. It is meant to be that way. For me, I ranked a program and the program didn't rank me, and they had post-match positions available. I was very disappointed with the program director because I felt confident about matching at that program. And I ended up post-matching somewhere else. And I know that I got more out of this program than the one that I'd initially wanted to attend. It all worked out for me. At the end of the day, everyone got happy. You will be happy, too.

Congratulations on your match!

 

[Vicviper]

You're taking this way too hard, don't worry - you matched at a program you liked. That statement about 95% is way off I think - how many people interview at VA programs, compared to how many slots they have? That's just one example. You clearly are NOT in the bottom 5% as you did match.

One of my top choice programs didn't even rank me, and then had post match spots available too - this was a kick in the pants at the time. And then I later found out that the director didn't know what they were doing and forgot to submit a ranking list, so I laughed about it later, and realized that the path my life took me on was one that, although maybe not quite what I expected, was one that I wouldn't necessarily want to do another way.

 

[Saddleshoes]

Remember the match thing is NOT personal. It is simply a way to sort out assignments.

A GPR is simply a first job in dentistry to broaden your experience. You will get that anywhere you match.

Get excited about your next step on the big adventure that is dentistry no matter which direction that step takes you.

 

[dent_wannabe]

Yeah maybe I might just be overanalyzing things. I was reading quite a bit into the fact that I was one of the only 31 out of 542 people who matched into GPR this year to match lower than my top 3. But maybe it's not so black and white. The programs I ranked were at least decently sought after, whereas I guess some people could rank less sought after programs higher on their list on the basis that for example they are restricted to a certain geographic location due to family.