Recieved interview after S.O. spoke to program, but do I have a real shot there?

[cava]

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So the story is that my S.O. and I have been in a long-distance relationship for a few years. I am applying to a field that is more competitive than average, but is by no means as competitive as plastics, ent, orth, etc. Overall, I would guess that I am an average applicant, especially by SDN standards. My S.O. is applying into fellowship and is a highly competitive applicant. The PD at his top choice has been sympathetic to our situation and has spoken to PD of my department about my residency application. He was able to secure me an offer to interview as well (I do not believe I would have had this opportunity otherwise). I will, of course, try to impress as much as possible on interview day, but worry that this interview represents a much smaller chance at matching there than if I had received the interview on my own merit. Any opinions on the validity of this line of thought? It is of concern because I have no other interviews in the geographical area, so it is possible if my S.O. matches there and I do not, then we would remain long distance for several years.

Thanks in advance!

 

[mcl]

So the story is that my S.O. and I have been in a long-distance relationship for a few years. I am applying to a field that is more competitive than average, but is by no means as competitive as plastics, ent, orth, etc. Overall, I would guess that I am an average applicant, especially by SDN standards. My S.O. is applying into fellowship and is a highly competitive applicant. The PD at his top choice has been sympathetic to our situation and has spoken to PD of my department about my residency application. He was able to secure me an offer to interview as well (I do not believe I would have had this opportunity otherwise). I will, of course, try to impress as much as possible on interview day, but worry that this interview represents a much smaller chance at matching there than if I had received the interview on my own merit. Any opinions on the validity of this line of thought? It is of concern because I have no other interviews in the geographical area, so it is possible if my S.O. matches there and I do not, then we would remain long distance for several years.

Thanks in advance!

I don't believe there is a definitive answer for this line of questioning. You don't know the importance the program places on interdepartmental cooperation--certainly enough to secure the interview, but no way to know if it's enough to affect ranking. You don't know the size or strength of the applicant pool. You don't know whether the program ultimately stresses personality and fit, or past academic performance, or future academic potential when it comes down to determining rank. No one knows how many of their applicants the program will rank or how far they will need to go on their rank list in order to fill their available positions.

My advice is always to stop worrying about how good the chances are of matching at a particular place. You've secured the interview, which is an incredibly important step. You have a positive attitude about impressing the program during your interview. If all goes well, you'll rank them first--but you'll also rank the other programs you've visited. In March, you'll find out where you are going to go for residency. Hope for the best, make a plan for how you will deal with continued separation if you don't end up geographically close to your SO. All of the rest is wasted worry.

 

[Law2Doc]

So the story is that my S.O. and I have been in a long-distance relationship for a few years. I am applying to a field that is more competitive than average, but is by no means as competitive as plastics, ent, orth, etc. Overall, I would guess that I am an average applicant, especially by SDN standards. My S.O. is applying into fellowship and is a highly competitive applicant. The PD at his top choice has been sympathetic to our situation and has spoken to PD of my department about my residency application. He was able to secure me an offer to interview as well (I do not believe I would have had this opportunity otherwise). I will, of course, try to impress as much as possible on interview day, but worry that this interview represents a much smaller chance at matching there than if I had received the interview on my own merit. Any opinions on the validity of this line of thought? It is of concern because I have no other interviews in the geographical area, so it is possible if my S.O. matches there and I do not, then we would remain long distance for several years.

Thanks in advance!

Agree with the above. Treat every interview as if it's one in which you have a real shot. No point worrying if it's a courtesy interview or whatever. Your job is to leave them thinking "we liked this guy/gal". It's their job to decide what that means. I've seen tons of people get spots despite going in as long shots numbers-wise.