Can you tell that I'm on-call in the hospital today?
Remember that my statements apply only to the Johns Hopkins program.
At Hopkins, creation of the rank list takes place throughout the interview season based on day-of-interview scores assigned to applicants by faculty interviewers. Because John Ulatowski (chair) and I are the only interviewers who meet most or all applicants, our scores are more heavily weighted.
Yesterday, I assembled a draft rank list based on interview scores. John and I will meet on Thursday to make MINOR adjustments, but these adjustments have nothing to do with feedback we receive from applicants. Two reasons explain the lack of consideration of applicant feedback.
First (and I hate to be cynical), applicant expressions of interest seem only weakly correlated with actual interest. Every year one or more applicant will claim Hopkins as his/her #1 choice only to then match elsewhere despite being ranked in a matchable position.
Second, the match algorithm is based on the principle that programs rank applicants in order of predicted performance/quality and applicants rank programs in order of perceived desirability/quality. It would be against a program's or an applicant's self-interest to assemble a list in any other order.
I'll be happy to answer emails with questions about the program through Feb. 22 (and a statement about our position on your list won't work against you). If you receive an email from me about your position on our list it isn't intended to sway your decision-making, but only to relieve some of the anxiety that is now so evident from reading postings on these forums.
Scott Mittman
Program Director
Johns Hopkins