Please remember that on February 25 your rank list must be certified by 9pm EST, and changes cannot be made after that time. The NRMP will not enter a list; add, delete or move programs; or modify a rank order list.
Every year I see applicants making changes to their lists at the last minute. Please take some time to consider your decisions, and submit your rank list well before the deadline.
I recently received an email from an applicant who was offered a slot outside the Match. Although there are situations in which this type of overture is legitimate, please make sure you understand the NRMP’s All-In Policy to ensure that any offers you receive are valid.
Last admissions season I rolled out a series of under-one-minute, stop-motion-animation videos for applicants. I’ve had several thousand views, and I even got a shout-out from the NRMP® itself. (They tweeted, saying they agreed with the advice in the clip, “NRMP® Ranking to Avoid a Spanking.”)
For those of you who’d like to take a look at the videos, check out (and subscribe to) my Youtube channel or look at my website here. Timely ones are “Dine Don’t Whine,” “Stars are Made Not Born,” and “No Ring, No Thing.”
Every two years the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP) publishes a current program director (PD) survey which focuses on two main questions: 1) What factors do PDs use in deciding whom to interview? 2) What factors do PDs use in deciding whom to rank? Results of the 2014 Program Director Survey is available here.
So, as you approach interviews, if you’re wondering what PDs want, here are your answers.