Path Soaper as well. Independent App but graduated USMD. 4IVs. Ranked all 4. Like the other 2 path soapers in this thread, I did not match and two of my programs I interviewed at have spots open. A real gut punch after I did the math and figured out I was not ranked. Also, they know that I know but I can't contact them obviously. I have not received any contact yet.
It's been tough especially after so much interview training and mock interview sessions and positive feedback during actual interviews. Whether accurate or not, my family and I feel that I interviewed well. We have kind of a small program theory as to why you may not get ranked in small specialties like ortho, neurosurgery, path, or any specialty which typically offers 1-3 positions per program per year. Basically, a program might interview 10 per position. Big programs would rank all but psycho personality disorder people. But a small program has seen themselves get bottom ranks too often when there is only 1 or 2 spots.
Therefore they might have the strategy to only rank the top half of applicants, then if no match, you can swipe up a derm hopeful who decided on dermpath in soap, or a path applicant who is an amazing candidate, but ranked only 1 due to location like possibly the app above. Or they can go to their own DNR list and see if any of those apps didn't match and decide to make an offer based on an entire day's interaction rather than a 10 min phone call. Or I truly rubbed someone the wrong way twice and they really don't want me in their program.
I am pretty sure ortho etc uses a strategy like above because programs have the advantage in soap and the above technique gives you way more choices and likely better choices with very little increase in risk of not filling. Plus some programs that want say 3 will be okay with 2.
Path had 24 spots last year. There is more than double this year. 50% are less than 50% full. This is certainly not a typical path soap and there could be something actually fishy going on like the guy above suggests with pds incorrectly submitting rol in gs.
Good luck to the other 3 path soapers in this thread! And good luck to everyone in soap!
