What information will programs get about my partner when I indicate I am couples matching? Do they see an ERAS application, just get a name, or something in between? Also, does indicating we are couples matching help us when we are applying to different institutions in the same city? Is there any drawback to making this indication in ERAS?
What information is shared about my partner if I indicated I'm couples matching on ERAS?
- Thread starter azjfrankl
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Nothing is shared.
The only advantage in ERAS is if you also make the information known to the programs you both interview with.
Based on the tone of your post, I suspect that you are in a same-sex relationship. If you are concerned that programs/locations will be less than welcoming of you for this reason, you have 2 options.
1. Tell nobody and do what's "best" for you both professionally
2. Go loud and proud and tell places that have a problem with it to go F*** themselves and do what's best for you both personally.
There's no "right" answer to this question.
But FWIW, all a program knows if you click that button is that you're planning to couples match. They can't ask much about that and stay on the right side of equal protection laws (at least for now). I suspect they can ask what specialty your partner is matching in but pretty much anything else is (again...currently) legally privileged.
The only advantage in ERAS is if you also make the information known to the programs you both interview with.
Based on the tone of your post, I suspect that you are in a same-sex relationship. If you are concerned that programs/locations will be less than welcoming of you for this reason, you have 2 options.
1. Tell nobody and do what's "best" for you both professionally
2. Go loud and proud and tell places that have a problem with it to go F*** themselves and do what's best for you both personally.
There's no "right" answer to this question.
But FWIW, all a program knows if you click that button is that you're planning to couples match. They can't ask much about that and stay on the right side of equal protection laws (at least for now). I suspect they can ask what specialty your partner is matching in but pretty much anything else is (again...currently) legally privileged.
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I have no clue what programs can see from their end on ERAS.
That said:
You can couples match via the NRMP without ever indicating you are doing so on ERAS. It is functionally the same, and the programs are never informed about anything. You won't get any of the application disadvantages of the couples match (i.e. people paranoid the other person will bring them down) but you also won't get additional possible application advantages (people getting their partner an interview they might not have otherwise gotten).
The actual matching process will be unchanged, and there's plenty of posts on this forum about how to best rank when you get to that point.
That said:
You can couples match via the NRMP without ever indicating you are doing so on ERAS. It is functionally the same, and the programs are never informed about anything. You won't get any of the application disadvantages of the couples match (i.e. people paranoid the other person will bring them down) but you also won't get additional possible application advantages (people getting their partner an interview they might not have otherwise gotten).
The actual matching process will be unchanged, and there's plenty of posts on this forum about how to best rank when you get to that point.
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In ERAS, all we see is what you tell us. Are you couple's matching Yes/No? If yes, then what is the name of your partner and what field(s) are they applying to. That's it.
It sounds like there is not that much information shared. So with my second question, does indicating we are couples matching help us when we are applying, for the most part, to different institutions in the same city? Could it hurt us get interviews, e.g., someone from my program contacts the program at their institution in the specialty my partner is applying and finds they are not applying to their institution?
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Like many questions, the general answer is "it depends".
If you're applying to programs in big cities, it's unlikely to matter. You'll match into one program, and your partner into another. Perhaps you'll match at the same program. But regardless, you'll both have lots of options and lots of combinations. The PD might contact the other program just to see how competitive your partner is, but even if they didn't apply, they'll know there are many other programs in the city that they could have applied to.
If you're applying to "stand alone" programs -- ones that have only a single institution in the area -- then it might matter. The University of Iowa in Iowa City, or University of Vermont, for example. If you couples match into programs like this, then there's only two options -- you both get spots, or neither. In that case, the two programs might review couples before offering interviews to avoid the situation where one person gets invited and the other doesn't. Or, they will all act independently and just let you sort it out.
Bottom line: it's unlikely to make any difference.
If you're applying to programs in big cities, it's unlikely to matter. You'll match into one program, and your partner into another. Perhaps you'll match at the same program. But regardless, you'll both have lots of options and lots of combinations. The PD might contact the other program just to see how competitive your partner is, but even if they didn't apply, they'll know there are many other programs in the city that they could have applied to.
If you're applying to "stand alone" programs -- ones that have only a single institution in the area -- then it might matter. The University of Iowa in Iowa City, or University of Vermont, for example. If you couples match into programs like this, then there's only two options -- you both get spots, or neither. In that case, the two programs might review couples before offering interviews to avoid the situation where one person gets invited and the other doesn't. Or, they will all act independently and just let you sort it out.
Bottom line: it's unlikely to make any difference.
