What do many dermatology applicants do after finalizing their rank list? Although often officially discouraged by programs, many applicants decide to communicate anyway with them about their decision. Here are some communications the UTMB DIG has uncovered (with our thoughts inside parenthesis):
"I ranked you number one on my match list." (No real ambiguity here.)
"You are my top choice." (Again, little ambiguity.)
"I ranked you at the top of my rank list." (Not really saying very much. If the applicant ranks 10 programs, number 4 is still at the "top").
"You are one of my top three programs." (Signals that this program is not number 1 on your list. Is that what you really wanted to communicate?)
"I really liked your program and would be very happy to match with you." (Harder to interpret. However, not mentioning that the program is your first choice will not be missed.)
"Let's be friends." (Says it all!)
Bottom line: Does what you write to programs really matter? There is still much debate on this issue. Can it help you match? Maybe. Can it hurt? Also a possibility. How the communication is interpreted is very important. Of course the writer has the most control over this.
The University of Texas Medical Branch Dermatology Interest Group (UTMB DIG) is a resource for medical students interested in Dermatology as well as for dermatologists and residents.
Editors
Current Editors: Jane Onyemachi and Madelyn Schmidt
(Please email editors if there is blog-worthy news that you would like to see shared)
Past Editors: Fareen Momin, Andrea Francis, Renat Ahatov, Michael Phan, Elise Weisert, Michael Ryan, Keith Wagner, Tim Allen, Kristyna Gleghorn, Dung Mac, Alex Acosta, William Tausend, Sheila Jalalat, Rebecca Philips, Chelsea Altinger, Lindsey Hunter, Alison Wiesenthal, Leslie Scroggins, Mara Dacso, Ashley Group, Fadi Constantine, Emily Fridlington, Joslyn Witherspoon, Tasneem Poonawalla.