When to request a phone call?

[laxman310]

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If I am close to a letter writer, when is the optimal time to have them call to improve my situation? Pre-interview to make sure I get an interview? Or wait until rank lists?

On another note, I am close to a private practice dermatologist who trained at my #1 about 10 years ago. Will a call from her to the program be valuable, or will it be seen as annoying/ in a negative light.

 

[Cheebs09]

Regarding phone calls, I did not ask anyone to make a call on my behalf. However, I was surprised at the number of programs that called one or several of my letter writers prior to the interview. This was information that they disclosed at the interview ("I called your reference and learned that...").

From what I could tell, a phone call was helpful in the case where your caller has a connection to the program they're calling (alum, past colleague, etc.) OR if the caller is known by the program.