Relationship Between Postinterview Correspondence From Residency Program Applicants and Subsequent Applicant Match Outcomes

Abstract

Background Studies show postinterview communication from applicants may affect their placement on the program's National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) rank order list. Objective To determine whether postinterview correspondence from applicants to a residency program is associated with the applicant's subsequent position on the program's rank list. Methods During 2 recruitment seasons, we collected postinterview correspondence from applicants to 1 residency program. Applicant characteristics and the content and timing of correspondence were compared with the applicant's position on the program's rank list. Data were analyzed using the Pearson χ2 test. Results Of 470 applicants interviewed, 290 (61.7%) sent unsolicited correspondence to the program after interviewing. Ten percent (29 of 290) stated they planned to rank the program first, 11.7% (34 of 290) that they planned to rank it highly, and 78.3% (227 of 290) gave no indication of ranking intentions. Applicants who corresponded were no more likely to be ranked in the top 2 quartiles on the rank list than those who did not (P = .32) nor were applicants who communicated plans to rank the program “first” or “highly” ranked higher than other corresponding applicants (P = .34). Of the 16 applicants who planned to rank the program “first” and who were ranked in the program's match range, 5 did not match with the program, suggesting they may have misled the program. Conclusions Postinterview correspondence by applicants was not associated with position on the rank order list. Correspondence does not benefit the applicant and can lead to misleading statements, which may violate the NRMP participation agreement.

The Residency Match: Interview Experiences, Postinterview Communication, and Associated Distress

“…In terms of postinterview communication, previous studies also reveal findings similar to ours, with approximately 60% to 70% of applicants engaging in postinterview communication despite evidence that engaging in this behavior bears no association with Match success. 14,15 This may not be surprising, as prior studies have revealed that at least half of applicants exaggerate their interest in programs in order to improve their chances of matching favorably, with less than 10% of PDs actually believing students' proclaimed interest. 7,16 Our findings suggest that many students continue to express interest or proclaim high rank to programs because of their perception that it may improve their match success; however, the fact that 51% of our survey respondents would prefer programs to prohibit candidates from notifying them of their high rank (in contrast to the 27% who clearly stated they would not prefer this) suggests that this form of postinterview communication may not only be disingenuous at times, but may also be distressing.…”

Peri‐Interview Communication in the Otolaryngology Residency Match: The Applicant Perspective

“…[2][3][4] For this reason, the frequency and nature of peri-interview communication between applicants and residency programs has been studied across various specialties. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Otolaryngology is a highly competitive specialty with a limited number of available residency positions compared to the number of applicants. Therefore, an evaluation of peri-interview communication in the otolaryngology Match is warranted.…”

Residency Postinterview Communications: More Harm Than Good?

“…5,6 Applicants feel pressure to contact programs because they believe it will improve their ranking, but there is little evidence to support this assumption. [7][8][9] In our survey, only 5.2% (14 of 268) of program directors reported that they always or usually move applicants up their rank order lists after the applicant promises to rank their program No. 1.…”