One thing to remember here is that there will likely not be much of a scramble for GS this year. Last year, there were only two unmatched categorical spots in the whole country that people could attempt to scramble into, and by all accounts applications have gone up substantially this year.
You should rank EVERY program at which you interview unless you would rather scramble (and potentially sit out a year) rather than attend a given program. There is absolutely no reason to do otherwise. Every year, some bonehead dumb@$$ will rank four programs and then not match. Don't let it be you!
Both are correct. With regards to students, fewer people are matching (more are scrambling). Regarding positions, _more_ are matching (fewer are scrambling.) So it's a competitive double whammy - a student is more likely to scramble and will be faced with a very small number of scramble slots.
Both are correct. With regards to students, fewer people are matching (more are scrambling). Regarding positions, _more_ are matching (fewer are scrambling.) So it's a competitive double whammy - a student is more likely to scramble and will be faced with a very small number of scramble slots.