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I've heard U Penn sends some emails post interview, and Rush sends a holiday card. Any other programs handing out unsolicited love?
I think the most important feedback you'll get is the feedback you get when you tell a program you are my #1. I will be sending that out today and see where it takes me.
Are you going to email, snail mail, or call your #1? What's the best?
I've gotten a postcard and a letter from Northwestern, letter and voicemail from UCSF, letter from Mayo, and letter from Duke.
Unsure about my top choice right now. And unsure about emailing my top choice. Am I screwing myself if I don't do this?
Hard to say what counts as "love" from which programs since thank-you responses usually have some sort of vague statement of interest.
That said, CCF also sends a love email.
I am very curious about this UCSF voicemail...
One of my UCSF interviewers called me and left a message that thanked me for coming out there and asked if I had any other questions and feel free to call them back. Kinda glad I wasn't available to answer the call because after 3 months of interviewing, I am definitely outta questions.
Some of the stuff Ive gotten looks like a form letter, and some is handwritten. Hard to say if everyone gets the same thing or not.
What day do programs submit rank list?
For what its worth....letter from Mayo, letter from Wisconsin, thank you email from Washington, thank you from UMKC. Also I thought that programs have until the 25th of February just like us, but most probably submit theirs earlier. Can't wait until March 19th!
I keep getting singing telegrams and checks made out to cash...Is that normal?
Anyone get a letter and email from Stanford along the lines of rank us and match within the past 2 weeks? Want to know if this is generic or actually special.
Anyone hear anything from UCSD or UCSF recently?
When did you interview at UCSF?
I did toward the end of December. About 2 weeks ago I got a call from my resident interviewer stating that they were ranking me highly and hoped that I would consider the program. I told her that it was a great program (it is) but too $$$ for a family. That probably caused them to move me down in the rank list but it was the absolute truth.
Anyone get a letter and email from Stanford along the lines of rank us and match within the past 2 weeks? Want to know if this is generic or actually special.
Anyone hear anything from UCSD or UCSF recently?
to be safe, i mailed out $20 bills to each of my top 3 with a free small cone coupon for Ben & Jerry's...
a week later, i got a PD at my door asking me to sign the dotted line. they told me they would have preferred Haagen Daz, but B&Js was pretty good too.
Sweet. Now I'm glad I put those Cold Stone Creamery gift certificates in with my thank you letters...
Call me old fashion but I think blackmail and personal threats always trump bribes.
"I think it would be in your wife Sally and 6 month old John's interest to rank me to match"
to be safe, i mailed out $20 bills to each of my top 3 with a free small cone coupon for Ben & Jerry's...
a week later, i got a PD at my door asking me to sign the dotted line. they told me they would have preferred Haagen Daz, but B&Js was pretty good too.
i got a letter from stanford saying my rank position would have matched "in each of the past 8 years". i can't help wondering why "8" is the magic number. if i were smoother, would my letter say "12"? (i know, everyone should have this problem)
A few weeks back I got a thank you email from UW except the salutation had someone else's name on it.
I emailed back saying, thanks, but that's not my name. Apology email reply.
I never got the same thank you email with my actual name on it.
My guess is that this is not a good thing.
I received the letter from Mayo-Rochester's PD, Letter from Loyola's PD, jump drive from Penn State, and Hand written card from UMKC. I wish programs would just tell you what number you are on their list. It would make things much easier!
But even then, that info is useless unless you know how many spots they typically go down the list before they fill all spots. Some programs only go 2-3 spots down their list for each position to fill. For example, the NRMP measures "rank to fill" data. That means if the program offers 10 spots and they go to 40 to fill all of them, they have a "4" for a rank to fill score(In a program that filled, rank number of last candidate to fill a class divided by positions offered). Some programs have even lower than that. Some have even had a 1 recently meaning they went straight down their list and filled all of their top choices.
According to NRMP, the 50th %ile for "rank to fill" is 6.2 for 2008, 5.6 for 2007, and 4.5 for 2006. If you can find out that number, if gives you a better idea than just a number on their rank list alone.
Best of luck to everyone.
A few weeks back I got a thank you email from UW except the salutation had someone else's name on it.
I emailed back saying, thanks, but that's not my name. Apology email reply.
I never got the same thank you email with my actual name on it.
My guess is that this is not a good thing.
Not to disappoint anyone with hope of a particular program but these communications from the program to you are worthless. They are merely hoping that you push them up your rank list the same way that applicants hope our notes to them advances us in their rank list. A letter, note , or call from a PD is as useless as a note from an applicant saying that they are ranking a program number 1 or highly. All that matters is what happens on match day. Programs rank their applicants based upon whom they think will work well in their program and has USMLE scores high enough that they will pass without too much trouble the written boards---afterall that is really what they care about--a low board pass rate gets them into trouble with the ACGME --the better test taker you are as a student the better you will do on the written board--and the easier the PDs life will be. That does not mean that a PD will take an applicant based on scores alone--they want you to fit in with what their place has to offer in the hopes that you will be a content and happy resident. No one wants to be around a miserable resident for three or four years Applicants of course use a combination of factors prestige, location, workhours, impression of the interview day, lifestyle, family issues, etc and formulate a list that will work for them. It all goes into the computer and thats it----so having gone through this anxiety in the past the best suggestion is rank your programs, certify the list and forget it until match day. Assuming you match--which most people do--most all of these programs will get you through the boards and make you an anesthesiologist
Don't take it negatively. It is a screw up on our part, NOT a subliminal message to bugger off.
-pod
But even then, that info is useless unless you know how many spots they typically go down the list before they fill all spots. Some programs only go 2-3 spots down their list for each position to fill. For example, the NRMP measures "rank to fill" data. That means if the program offers 10 spots and they go to 40 to fill all of them, they have a "4" for a rank to fill score(In a program that filled, rank number of last candidate to fill a class divided by positions offered). Some programs have even lower than that. Some have even had a 1 recently meaning they went straight down their list and filled all of their top choices.
According to NRMP, the 50th %ile for "rank to fill" is 6.2 for 2008, 5.6 for 2007, and 4.5 for 2006. If you can find out that number, if gives you a better idea than just a number on their rank list alone.
Best of luck to everyone.
Not to be a nitty gritty but of all the anesthesia programs that were filled during the match for 2008: it was 7.1 for PGY1 and 8.5 for PGY2. Refer to:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=598621
But you're completely right, some programs fill with a lower #, some with a higher #... This is just the average. There is no way to know for sure, seeing as programs will probably lie about it. i interviewed at a program with 20+ spots and the resident claimed they filled by 25. Complete bull.
Keep in mind, bigger named programs only interview higher qualified applicants . Meaning their rank list is composed of highly qualified applicants. These same applicants only go to 1 program so the # to fill should still be high even for big named programs.
i got a letter from stanford saying my rank position would have matched "in each of the past 8 years". i can't help wondering why "8" is the magic number. if i were smoother, would my letter say "12"? (i know, everyone should have this problem)
got a generic-sounding letter from ucsf, no call.
Hello everyone. The stress of the match is upon us. I don't know about the rest of you but I am definitely hating this uncertainty. Anyways, I was just wondering if anyone got an email from Penn State stating: "I am pleased to inform you that you will be ranked favorably on our match list and
that if you wish to match with us there is a good chance you will.". Just wondering if I should put any value to this.
so what's the general consensus on phone calls where the pd actually left you a voicemail? am i supposed to return the call? email them back? this particular program is solid but not my top choice (or even 2nd or 3rd). i hate all this bs i'll be so happy on march 19th to be done with this lame old song and dance once and for all.
I think it depends on the content of the message. If they ask you any questions, I would return the call. Otherwise, e-mail. Personally, I'd probably try to call back at a time when I was reasonably certain I could catch the PD away from his/her desk in order to leave a voicemail for them.
Personal call from Hopkins "ranked in a way where it is statistically impossible for you not to match here if you rank us high".
Did you guys get this call?
Since Hopkins didn't fill last year, -does this mean that everyone on their rank list this year will potentially match? Don't know how to interpret the phone call.