Monday, March 15 starts Match Week 2021. For a comprehensive review of events, see the calendar here. Of note, SOAP starts at 11am EST and ends on March 18 at 3pm EST. On Friday, March 19 at noon EST, applicant Match results are available.
SOAP is somewhat complicated, so if you have questions about the process, make sure you read about it.
I’m wishing everyone good luck in the Match. If you are a current residency client, please email me with your results!
I’ve recently received some email asking about how Match rank order lists should be affected by positive feedback applicants receive from interviewers and/or program directors. The answer is not at all. Because of the way the Match algorithm works, what programs think of you should have zero bearing on how you make your rank order list. See this recent blog that covers mistakes to avoid when making your list.
It’s really impossible to know about the program’s interest in you anyway. Even if a program tells you straight up that you will be ranked to Match, that isn’t a promise. I’ve known applicants who were “promised” a ranking to Match that never happened.
Bottom line: It doesn’t matter what the programs think of you; it’s all about what you want. Here’s a good video about the Match algorithm if you’d like to understand the process more granularly.
Creating your Match rank list can be absolutely agonizing because it feels like so much is at stake. Sometimes it helps to step back and look at the big picture. Below, I briefly note a few important considerations when making your list:
1. Make sure you understand how the NRMP algorithm works. See my previous blog post regarding errors to avoid at all costs. The key is to rank in the order you want – first goes first, second goes second, etc.
2. Consider your happiness and life balance. Blasphemy perhaps, but I would argue that they are more important than the strength of the training program.
3. Reflect on the culture, geography, size, and even maturity/age of the program. Think about whether you will fit in.
4. Consider whether you could spend your whole life at the institution or in that program’s location. It’s a lot to grapple with, but many residents graduate and stay for the rest of their careers.
5. Decide whether you liked the program director, chairperson, and faculty generally. They could make or break your happiness and success.
6. Realize that most programs will train you well if you work hard. Their prestige and quality may be more similar than you think. For that reason, note that your personal preferences and intuitions are paramount.
For those of you who are starting to think about your Match rank order list, please make sure you follow this simple strategy: Rank your first choice first, your second second, your third third, etc.
In other words, your most successful approach is to create your list in order of your real preferences. Although the Match algorithm is mathematically quite complicated, because the process always begins with an attempt to match an applicant to the program most preferred on the applicant’s list, you do not want to try to “game” the system. For example, I’ve had applicants tell me that they plan to rank a less preferred institution higher because that program has more residency slots. That’s a no-no. The applicant will actually be harming him/herself with that strategy.
Here’s a video the NRMP created last year to better explain the Match algorithm. Here’s also a less-than-one-minute Guru on the Go© video “NRMP Ranking to Avoid a Spanking” to emphasize your optimal strategy
A strong residency candidate asked me to review an email a program director (PD) had sent him after interview day. The candidate wanted to know if I had any insights to the intent of the PD: Was the PD sending a generic note or was he really interested in the applicant?
I told the applicant honestly, who knows and who cares?
I wasn’t trying to be dismissive. The point is that it is impossible to know what a PD is thinking. Unfortunately, I’ve seen applicants heartbroken by false hope they read into a PD’s comments. More importantly, what a PD says should not affect your rank list anyway. The algorithm requires you to put your first choice first and your second second, etc. (More on that in a future blog post.)
As they say, kisses aren’t contracts and presents aren’t promises. Ignore those PD notes because they don’t guarantee a thing and don’t change management.
Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more
