^
Match formula absolutely favors students rank list. Match will try to match applicant to applicantâs first choice, but it does take into account programs preferred list.
As I understood it, let say program X has 2 spots. Students A, B and C rank X number 1. X ranks students in order B, C, A. Formula starts running and sees student Aâs number 1 and tentatively matches with X. But as formula keeps running it now sees B and now matches B to Xâs list. Then formula keeps running and sees C and now matches C to X list. A gets bumped. I then think applicantâs second choice now becomes applicantâs first choice. Match now repeats process trying to place applicantâs now ânewâ first choice (originally second choice) into applicantâs second preferred program. This process goes on and on until formula combs through every single one of every applicantâs choices. Then itâs final. Student as I recall then hopes to receive an email I think at noon Monday of match week telling them only that theyâve matched somewhere. They find out where on Friday, Match Day.
Yes to the email, Jugulator, they get the email a few days before the match announcement, those who did not match used to scramble, now they SOAP, itâs all a process to get programs with open spots and applicants who did not match to connect.
DD matched #1 spot, it is important to think very carefully about #1, 2,3, all the way down to the very last place on the list, you never know where you will end up. DD really struggled with #1, 2, 3 for assorted reasons, much of it geographical, I will freely admit that it is quite nice to have her only a couple of hours from us 
somemom: S ended up close to us at his #1 as well. We were all ecstatic. I agree 200% that you have to give a lot of thought to all programs that you are willing to go to as you just never know. S had little problem with his top 2-3 and his bottom 2-3. For him the real battle was in the middle. The biggest surprise for us was that we were sure a program here in CA would be highly placed, but after interview, it ended up dead last. He liked the program, location, etc., he just couldnât stand PD. It only ended up on his list as the thought of participating in SOAP was out of question. Although close to wife and I, work and new girlfriend (another resident) have pushed mom and dad to number 3. I guess itâs the circle of life.
Funny, DD thought a certain program would be highly ranked, a place she had been interested in for undergrad, but after the interview, nope, it was last. She was shocked, she had been so excited for the interview.
Adding my good wishes to all! I hope you (and your âchildrenâ) all match at the perfect spot. D and her friends will say, even those not matching at their #1, that they matched at the place they were meant to be.
D hosted a dinner for the interviewees at her program recently. One candidate showed up a day early. Oops!
D is in her final year of residency. She interviewed at fourteen programs and ranked all of them. She also kept a list with pros and cons for each program. As somemom said, the top and bottom of the list were very easy, but the middle was hard. D had two âfirst choicesâ and really struggled at the end, changing her mind at the last minute. She feels very blessed to have matched where she did (at her new #1) and her training has been excellent. MiamiDAP - D also said she would not be happy to match at her last choice, but that it would be better than not matching at all.
The email on the Monday before Match Day had the subject line âDid I Match?â Line 1 said, âCongratulations! You have matched.â (Yes, I still have the forwarded email.) It was a very happy day.
I have questions, what do you feel or know about how the differences in the perks at the interviewed schools impacts the studentâs chosen rankings? When there is wide spread discrepancies between programâs history of fellowships rewarded, future faculty academic opportunities, research options abroad, call hours, benefits of (book, laptop/tech, food $ allowances), pay, matching 403b, how do you feel these should impact or rank in the choices? Do you think location ends up trumping/overruling any of these?
differences in the perks
wide spread discrepancies
Itâs such a personalized thing itâs hard to answer. I think some job related issues (e.g., pay, benefits, call hours, matching 403b, etc) are somewhat minor as opposed to location, family, couples matching (or is significant other say a first year med student/phd candidate with a ways to go), which specialty, studentâs long term ambitions (clinical, research, academic, etc), fit with program (does someone want to spend 3-5 years working with jerks just to be at some X residency - maybe/maybe not) etc.
If you want to find out about minutiae of residency programs try:
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/education-careers/graduate-medical-education/freida-online.page
you have to create an acct, but itâs not a big deal.
Besides FRIEDA, you might also try looking at Doximity. It actually tries to rank residency programs within specialties. (Though itâs methodology is pretty suspectâcaveat emptor.) You will need to register to have full access, but the rankings and basic program info are available to everyone.
My kid sent me the same match algorithm article. Sheâs just gonna play it straight. She has top 5 set. Bottom 2 set. Needs to do the other 4.
^ Congrats to your D for reaching another milestone.
DS knew a couple of students who seem to have completed all invited interviews in this cycle. Many of them seem to be not gunning for the very competitive specialties (just a straight program in a specialty, and not an IM program with the goal of getting into a competitive specialty 3 (?) years later either.) It seems he once mentioned that the top few IM programs are likely more competitive to get in than the top programs in many other specialties, but I really do not know.
From a link called run a match in Plumâs link above.
I think there are some applicants who really focus on those discrepancies, just like on CC some people are about prestige and some are about fit. In the end you are working 100 hours a week +/-, this program will absorb your life for 3-9 years, so it better be the place that fits you, the place that âgetsâ you, for your sanity. That said, I am sure some people will rank based on prestige, and some just donât care about that âstuff.â
I told me Dd to go with her gut, after each interview she would place the schools in the rank list she kept & include notes. Some decisions were tough, you might get one dinner and one day at a place to decide about the next several years. Personally, I think the fit of your personality and the personality of the program is paramount.
I get to see DD every few weeks, I usually go to her town and do coffee, sometimes with DH, sometimes she comes home to visit, every month I can see her mastery grow as she tells her the (100% HIPAA compliant) stories of her days on the wards.
I know that about 2 years ago, several us had DDâs considering surgery, DD did not end up choosing surgery, but has been on a couple of surgical months. She absolutely loves her time in the OR, but watching the attending and resident and fellow lifestyles make her feel like she made the right choice for her.
Well, I was thinking about a very possibe example. Say program has 2 spots and interviewed 15 people (this one is real). say, 10 of them ranked this program #1 (this one is hypothetical as I have no idea, except for Dâs remark that program is awesome and has everything that she was looking for, not her #1 for sevral personal reasons)
Can somebody explain then how is student ranking will play precedence if there are 10 of them who ranked the program with 2 spots as their #1. (this scenario is very possible with most of Dâs programs. She did not care only about 2 ot the interview places, while still would be happy to match to ANY. Many of the people that she talked to in her âinterview groupâ have the same opinion. Funny that she mentioned that she knew at least half of the people at her last interview, not even close to our state.).
It looks to me that only top 2 out of 10 will get their first choice in this scenario. Student ranking will not take precendence for the other 8
Although Match always favors the applicant, itâs not all about the applicant, the programâs rank list is very important as well. I mean shouldnât a program have some say in who they get.
As I understand it, in your example, if there are 2 spots at program X and 10 people rank X number 1, the Match then looks at Xâs list and the top 2 on Xâs list will end up being matched as Match process continues to run.The other 8 are out of luck, temporarily. The second ranked programs on the other 8 applicantâs rank list are now treated by Match as their ânewâ (my quotes) number 1. So the Match now begins again to try to match an applicantâs ânewâ number 1 to program lists. So as the process continues the Match is always seeking to match an applicant to an applicantâs number 1 or ânewâ number 1 to programs where there is a spot available.
If my understanding is correct, feel free to correct me.
There was a link in this thread, I found informative, it had a ârun a matchâ pdf on the sidebar where 4 students put in one place as their #1 and they show how everyone gets placed, because the schools canât put everyone #1 like jugulator showed in the posted example.
Thanks all, for your help with my questions and the links. I guess from all my reading, so far, the discrepancies are wide because the schools on the completed interviews list went from coast to coast and some white collar and some blue and some way more $ to throw around.
Sounded like option ranking defines the studentâs personal preference/gut reactions/future ambitions etc. I understand we donât want to work with Cruella de Vil couldnât you still end up alongside one since you have no idea who will be in your resident class/ who you will be sharing calls? You almost are judging the judgers for that one too. Which I guess gets thrown back into the fit gut feel stuff circle. Anticipation the new March madness.
âcouldnât you still end up alongside one since you have no idea who will be in your resident class/ who you will be sharing calls?â
Yes, but this is same problem when premeds or others are told to pick a college where they think theyâll fit in. IMO itâs often a gut instinct thing based on limited facts. Fortunately things usually seem to work out in college/residenciesâŠ
^Well, considerations are normally for the scope of the program / location / and, yes, people. However, âpeopleâ consideration is somewhat fluid, people come and people go. So, the program itself and location will be much higher considerations on Dâs list. The excpetion is a general characteristics of most people that applicant meet at the dinner / interview. If applicant feels that she does not belong there, then it is the most important factor. 1-2 people will not make a difference, but feeling that the âcrowdâ is not where you want to belong wil not be neglected. However, ANY place is still better than nothing.
Mine texted they thought they would come home over this weekend. First, I thought hey they know we are having the annual super-bowl gathering and want to roast some mores, now Iâm thinking probably more so one can pick up our extra vehicle for the clinic calls out of town? 
Hopefully I will get a heads up on where the preferences have changed.
D. still have one specialty interview tomorrow. But almost sure about top 3 and bottom 2. Middle is muddy. She ended up with more prelims becuase couple of specialty programs added her to their prelims (one without interview and one with phone interview which is Monday). It looks like she will be ready to send preferences over this weekend. She is also in very interesting elective rotation and trying to accumulate hours in other available ways. She escaped the NE storms by some miracle, she has been interviewed in all those places (unexpectedly, did not expect traveling as much as she did, expected many more lregionals that ended up rejecting or ignoring her application).