Program post-interview contact

[gbwillner]

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While we are still in the Match state of mind... I thought I would bring up an old topic. One of the most frustrating things about this process was waiting to hear from programs if you were "ranked to match" or not. Some programs seemed to play this game- others did not.

I thought I would help out next year's applicants by listing which programs did what. Obviously it goes without saying that if you don't hear from a program you can still match there and if you do hear from them it doesn't necessarily mean anything. I wish I had this info in advance just to calm some nerves. It's also worth mentioning that many places contacted me only a few days before ROL was due.

Please feel free to add any programs not mentioned, and to correct any information.

Programs that do not contact

UCLA
University of Washington


Programs that did contact (what they did)

BCM (personal letter)
BWH (e-mail expressing interest- offering to answer questions)
Cornell (late e-mail - ranked highly)
MGH (snail mail letter of interest/highly ranked)
Methodist Hospital-Houston (e-mail expressing interest)
UPMC (e-mail, Call from PD, RTM)
WashU (e-mail, call from PD, RTM)
Yale (e-Mail from PD expressing interest post-interview, phone call late-gave actual rank #)

 

[malchik]

While we are still in the Match state of mind... I thought I would bring up an old topic. One of the most frustrating things about this process was waiting to hear from programs if you were "ranked to match" or not. Some programs seemed to play this game- others did not.

I thought I would help out next year's applicants by listing which programs did what. Obviously it goes without saying that if you don't hear from a program you can still match there and if you do hear from them it doesn't necessarily mean anything. I wish I had this info in advance just to calm some nerves. It's also worth mentioning that many places contacted me only a few days before ROL was due.

Please feel free to add any programs not mentioned, and to correct any information.

Programs that do not contact

UCLA
University of Washington


Programs that did contact (what they did)

BCM (personal letter)
BWH (e-mail expressing interest- offering to answer questions)
Cornell (late e-mail - ranked highly)
MGH (snail mail letter of interest/highly ranked)
Methodist Hospital-Houston (e-mail expressing interest)
UPMC (e-mail, Call from PD, RTM)
WashU (e-mail, call from PD, RTM)
Yale (e-Mail from PD expressing interest post-interview, phone call late-gave actual rank #)

UW made contact with typical "highly ranked" email.

 

[sylver]

This was my experience, some of the emails from PDs came after I initially wrote back, some of them wrote me first.

Hopkins - several emails, personal letter, phone call.
Cornell - emails.
Washington University - several emails.
UCLA - Several emails, phone call.
UCSF - email (late)
University of Washington - several emails, phone call.
Yale - email (late)

 

[gbwillner]

UW made contact with typical "highly ranked" email.

Ha! Buncha liars over there... During my interview they specifically told I would not be contacted because that would be a violation of the match rules...

funny that it applears that UCLA did this too (the other place that told me this)

 

[sylver]

In defense of UW and UCLA (both programs that I LOVED), I am somewhat of an atypical applicant so that might have been why those comunications were made. Also I made it clear that they were my top 2 and that I was still deciding...

Ha! Buncha liars over there... During my interview they specifically told I would not be contacted because that would be a violation of the match rules...

funny that it applears that UCLA did this too (the other place that told me this)

 

[clancy81]

I got few unsolicited contacts and no "ranked to match" stuff at all. UCSD and UW both sent form snail mail letters offering to answer post-interview questions.

Cedars-Sinai - email, right after interview

 

[docbiohazard]

Ha! Buncha liars over there... During my interview they specifically told I would not be contacted because that would be a violation of the match rules...

One of my interviewers from UW called me. Otherwise, my experience matches those posted here. Penn didn't contact me, I don't think, and believe they said they would not, but encouraged me to come back for a second visit at the end of my first day.

I honestly have a hard time remembering who contacted me with what, but figure this will be good info to put into the residency reviews. Encourage everyone to go to that section of SDN and fill it out...

BH

 

[Sean2tall]

Heard nothing from:

Temple
AGH
Boston U
Beth Israel Deaconess
Indiana
Ohio State
Tufts
Northwestern
Loyola


Received E-mail regarding highly ranked:
Drexel

Matched at Indiana despite receiving no contact from them. As I understand they do not typically contact people. Regarding the rest of the list, all I can say is that they did not contact me specifically.

 

[Rbrav]

I sent thank-you letters to every program I interviewed at (except Georgetown, because I didn't get a chance to). I heard nothing back from:

Vanderbilt
Maryland
Georgetown
Wake Forest
Duke
UF
Orlando (I think. They do a lot of their communication by snail mail, and I may have misplaced something)

MUSC and MCG e-mailed a generic thank-you letter in bulk to everyone. The chair at UNC e-mailed me a thank-you letter (no reference to the match). I got a phone call from someone at GW asking what my thoughts were.

 

[malchik]

Regarding the whole thank you letter thing, I found it refreshing that the PD at Yale (if memory serves) said not to bother. I took him at his word, and didn't write any other thank you letters anywhere, and I don't think it hurt me, still matched #1. So my take is, don't bother writing thank you letters unless you want to.

 

[gbwillner]

Regarding the whole thank you letter thing, I found it refreshing that the PD at Yale (if memory serves) said not to bother. I took him at his word, and didn't write any other thank you letters anywhere, and I don't think it hurt me, still matched #1. So my take is, don't bother writing thank you letters unless you want to.

I also neglected to write thank-you notes. I didn't think anyone would care, nor would they remember who they got cards from. Of course, I typically forget to get my own mother Birthday cards, so take that with a grain of salt.

 

[HRantz]

Our program coordinator keeps track of who sends thank you notes and brings it up during the rank list discussions. I know, a bit silly. Good thing I sent one.

 

[Tiki]

I recieved emails from UNC, NYU, BID and UVA (although I think UVA sends one out to everyone, just changes the wording depending where you are on their rank list).

I recieved snail mail from UNC and Jeff, and a nice phone call from the PD at Yale.

Emory and Penn responded to the questions that I asked them, but never gave me any hint of where I was on their list. And I heard nothing from Cornell, Mt. Sinai, Duke and MGH.

 

[ataktos]

MGH--multiple emails (attending, resident), snail mail, second visit
MI--multiple emails
BID--emails, phonecalls
CCF-single email
Iowa--emails, RTM
WashU--emails, RTM
U of IL--nothing (PD said they will not contact folks)
Stanford--email
UCSF--email
Indiana--snail mail
Mayo--email
Rush--email
Loyola--nothing
NWU-email
BU--email

(I think that's about it---I very strongly feared scrambling, hence the number of inteviews.)

 

[longlakeboy]

I'll play.

I got emails from the PDs at Rush, Evanston, and WashU. I heard from someone at Columbia and Albert Einstein. I heard nothing from NW, Loyola, UIC (as promised by PD), Cornell, or Mt. Sinai.

I really got very little contact overall, but it didn't seem to indicate anything...

 

[Trenchcoat]

MGH - multiple emails starting the day after my interview from PD, emails from residents and graduates, second look, letter of interest via snail mail "Ranked highly" (I really wanted to match here.)

NYU - emails from PD and chairman, second look, recruitment reception

Yale - email from PD that many people got.

Einstein - multiple emails, several phone calls, invitation to dinner

Heard nothing from anywhere else.


After match, I've been contacted by two PDs of places I interviewed at asking me where I matched.