cpsylist: Internship, faculty, interested others: Fw: MATCH NEWS: Ranking Questions & Answers

Shoshana Kerewsky kerewsky at uoregon.edu
Tue Jan 23 07:06:30 PST 2018 

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________________________________
From: APPIC Match News <match-news at lyris.appic.org> on behalf of Greg Keilin <gkeilin at mail.utexas.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2018 5:00 AM
To: APPIC Match News
Subject: MATCH NEWS: Ranking Questions & Answers

APPIC MATCH NEWS
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MATCH PARTICIPANTS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO CAREFULLY REVIEW THIS E-MAIL

This e-mail contains very important information about rankings and constructing a Rank Order List.

(NOTE TO INTERNSHIP TRAINING DIRECTORS:  This message as written is geared primarily towards applicants.  However, the points discussed are equally valid for internship programs.  Internship Training Directors should also review this message carefully, as the principles discussed regarding the preparation of rankings are the same for both applicants and programs.)

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR APPLICANTS TO REMEMBER:  Simply rank internship programs based on your TRUE preferences, without consideration for where you believe you might be ranked by these programs.  List the program that you want most as rank #1, followed by your next most-preferred program as rank #2, and so on.

In deciding the SEQUENCE of your rankings, do NOT take into consideration where you believe that you are ranked by programs.  Do NOT worry about such things as a program's popularity, the number of positions offered by a program, how other applicants might rank a program, how a program might rank you or other applicants, the length of your Rank Order List, etc.  Do NOT spend time trying to develop ranking "strategies" to supposedly increase your chances of getting your highly-ranked programs.  Taking any of these factors into consideration when determining the sequence of your choices may ultimately hurt you because it may reduce your chances of getting the best possible match.  The Matching Program has been specifically designed to allow you to ignore those extraneous factors, and will work best for you if you simply rank your programs in the order in which you prefer them.

We also strongly encourage you to rank ALL programs that are considering you and that you find acceptable, even if you believe that you will be able to match to one of your more preferred programs.  If you decide that a program is no longer acceptable to you and you do not want to be matched to that program under any circumstances, even if that means you will be left unmatched, simply leave that program off of your Rank Order List.  You cannot be matched to a program that does not appear on your Rank Order List.

Below are some commonly-asked questions and answers about rankings.  If you have any questions about ranking or anything else related to the APPIC Match, please feel free to contact me at gkeilin at mail.utexas.edu<mailto:gkeilin at mail.utexas.edu> or (512) 410-0002.

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QUESTION:  If a program doesn't appear very interested in me, how should that affect my rankings?

ANSWER:  It should not affect your rankings in any way.  Let's use an example to address this question.  Suppose that you applied to five programs, and your TRUE order of preference for these programs are as follows:

1.  Wonderland VA - Psychology Internship
2.  Atlantis Mental Health - Child Rotation
3.  Emerald City Counseling Center - Psychology Internship
4.  Atlantis Mental Health - Adult Rotation
5.  Graceland Hospital - Psychology Internship

In this example, Wonderland VA is ranked #1 because it's the program that you most want to attend.  Assume that Wonderland doesn't appear to be very interested in you.  Should you move them down your list, given your assumption that they may not rank you highly?

The answer is NO.  If the Wonderland VA is truly your top choice, you should absolutely leave them at the top of your list.  The Matching Program will attempt to match you to Wonderland without penalizing you and without reducing your chances of being matched with other programs if you are not matched to Wonderland.  Changing the sequence of your rankings based on how you perceive a program has ranked you is a serious mistake that could negatively affect your outcome.

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QUESTION:  What if a program seems to be very interested in me, yet they are not very high on my list.  Should I move them higher on my list?

ANSWER:  Using the above example:  let's assume that Graceland Hospital has expressed very strong interest in you.  In fact, they have violated the Match Policies and told you that they will be ranking you #1 on their list.  Should you move them up your Rank Order List, given their strong interest in you?

The answer again is NO.  If Graceland is truly your fifth choice, then leave them ranked fifth.  The Matching Program will attempt to match you to your higher-ranked choices.  If it is unable to do so, and if Graceland has truly ranked you as their #1 choice, then you will be matched to Graceland.  Thus, as you can see in this example, you have been able to rank Graceland according to your true preferences, without being penalized if your higher-ranked choices don't work out for you.

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QUESTION:  I'm still a bit confused.  Here is a hypothetical situation:  If I "reach for the stars" and rank six highly-competitive programs as my first six choices, and then if these programs do not rank me very high or at all, have I then wasted my top choices on programs that were long-shots?

ANSWER:  There is no such thing as having "wasted" your top choices.  If those six programs are truly your top six choices, then you should rank them as your top six.  Doing so will give you the opportunity to be matched to those programs, even if you consider your chances to be low.  By ranking those programs as your top six choices, you will not reduce your chances of matching with other less-preferred programs if your top six don't work out.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTION:  OK, let's say I take your advice, but I don't get matched to those top six programs.  If I had also ranked the Transylvania VA as #7, and John Doe ranked Transylvania as #1, wouldn't John Doe then get Transylvania over me?

ANSWER:  This will depend on whether Transylvania prefers you or John Doe, not on whether John Doe ranked Transylvania higher than you did.  If Transylvania ranks you higher than John Doe, and you don't get your top six choices, then you (not John Doe) would be matched with Transylvania (assuming Transylvania doesn't fill their positions by matching with other applicants who they prefer over BOTH you and John Doe).  On the other hand, if Transylvania ranks John Doe higher than you, then John Doe would be matched to that program.

Thus, even though Transylvania was ranked #7 on your list, you haven't reduced your chances of being matched to Transylvania by providing your true rankings.

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QUESTION:  Which programs should I include on my Rank Order List?

ANSWER:  Most people will choose to include on their Rank Order List all programs at which they are being considered.  However, if you decide that one or more of these programs are no longer acceptable to you (i.e., you would prefer to remain unmatched rather than be matched to these programs), simply leave these programs off of your Rank Order List.  You cannot be matched to any program that does not appear on your Rank Order List.  Be aware, however, that reducing the number of programs on your List potentially increases your chances of remaining unmatched.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTION:  I received a lot of interviews, and I'm pretty confident that I will be matched to one of my top-ranked sites.  Do I really need to include all programs at which I'm being considered on my Rank Order List?

ANSWER:  Yes, we strongly recommend doing so.  Better safe than sorry, since submitting additional choices will not reduce your chances of matching to a more preferred choice.  Sometimes, applicants make assumptions about where they are going to match based on a positive interview experience and/or enthusiasm expressed by a program, and those assumptions aren't always accurate (e.g., because programs often don't have enough positions to accommodate all of the applicants about whom they are genuinely enthusiastic).  Thus, ranking all programs that are acceptable to you is the best approach.  There is no limit to the number of programs you can rank.

This advice is also very important for couples who participate in the Match.  We strongly recommend that couples submit all acceptable pairings of programs, even though constructing such a long list may be time-consuming.  More information about participating as a couple may be found in the Applicant section of the Match web site (natmatch.com/psychint/applicants/couples.html<http://natmatch.com/psychint/applicants/couples.html>).

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QUESTION:  I'm worried about not matching to any program on my Rank Order List.  Does the order in which I rank programs affect whether or not I will be matched at all?

ANSWER:  No.  The order of your rankings only affects WHERE you will be matched, not WHETHER OR NOT you will be matched.

Example #1:  Suppose you rank eight programs and don't match to any of them.  That means that each of the eight programs either did not rank you or filled all their available positions with applicants that they preferred to you.  Each program's preference for other applicants over you is not affected by the order in which you ranked the eight programs.  As a result, you would have been unmatched regardless of the order in which you ranked those eight programs.

Example #2:  Suppose you rank eight programs and are matched to your #1 choice, the "Ben & Jerry's Psychology Internship."  Now suppose you had instead ranked the same eight programs but in a different order, say with Ben & Jerry's as the last choice.  You would still be as desirable to Ben & Jerry's, and therefore at worst would match to that program.  However, in this case you may match to one of the other programs that you prefer to Ben & Jerry's.  Regardless of the order in which you rank the eight programs, you will still match, either to Ben & Jerry's or to a program you list as preferred to Ben & Jerry's.

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QUESTION:  One program at which I interviewed told me that I am no longer under consideration (i.e., that I won't be ranked).  However, I haven't heard from the other programs that interviewed me regarding my status as an applicant.  How do I know whether or not a program is ranking me?

ANSWER:  While some programs provide post-interview feedback as to whether or not you remain under consideration, many don't.  Thus, if you interviewed at a program, you should assume that you remain under consideration (and will be ranked) unless that program specifically informs you otherwise.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTION:  If I'm not sure whether or not I will be ranked by a particular program, should I still rank it?

ANSWER:  Probably so.  As explained previously, there is no "risk" or "penalty" to ranking a program, even if you believe that program may not have you ranked highly (or may not have ranked you at all).  So, unless you've been informed by a program that you are no longer under consideration, it's probably best to go ahead and rank that program if it is acceptable to you.

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QUESTION:  What if I didn't receive an interview at a particular program, and they haven't explicitly told me that they aren't ranking me?  Should I still rank this program?

ANSWER:  The answer to this question depends on whether or not the program in question conducts interviews as part of the evaluation process.  While many programs conduct personal interviews with applicants, some programs do not interview applicants but instead rely on the written applications as the primary source of information in making their selections.  This issue will be addressed separately for programs that conduct interviews and those that do not.

FOR PROGRAMS THAT CONDUCT INTERVIEWS:  Being matched to a program that usually interviews applicants but didn't interview you is, in general, unlikely.  But, it can happen.  In our experience, most programs do not rank applicants whom they haven't interviewed.  However, a small number of programs do.  So, if you still want to attempt to be matched to a program that didn't interview you (even though you may know very little about the program), you are welcome to include it on your Rank Order List.  We recommend, however, that you very carefully consider whether you really want to be matched to a program that you may know very little about.  Remember that if you do rank that program and are matched there, you are obligated to accept the position at that program.

FOR PROGRAMS THAT DO NOT CONDUCT INTERVIEWS:  Some programs do not conduct personal interviews or only conduct Open Houses to provide information to applicants.  Thus, by definition, all of the applicants that these programs rank have not been interviewed.  For these programs, you should assume that you are still under consideration (and thus rank the program if you find it acceptable to you) unless you have explicitly been notified otherwise.

Remember that, in either case, if you do rank the program and are matched there, you are obligated to accept the position at that program.

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QUESTION:  What if I have submitted and certified my Rank Order List, but then receive a rejection letter from one of the programs that I ranked?  Do I need to login again to the NMS Match System in order to remove this program from my Rank Order List?

ANSWER:  Not really, though you are welcome to do so if you wish.  If you include a program on your Rank Order List that ultimately does not rank you, the matching process will simply skip over that program on your list, without reducing your chances of being matched to any other programs.  You can go ahead and remove this program from your List before the Rank Order List deadline, if you wish, but doing so will not change your Match result (if you do decide to change your list, remember that you will have to re-certify the list in the online system by the Rank Order List deadline in order for it to be used in the Match).

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QUESTION:  Does the Matching Program favor applicants' or programs' rankings?

ANSWER:  Neither.  Applicants' and programs' rankings are given equal weight in the process.  More information on this question may be found here:

appic.org/Match/FAQs/Applicants/Matching-Process-and-Results#q1<http://appic.org/Match/FAQs/Applicants/Matching-Process-and-Results#q1>

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QUESTION:  I heard a rumor that the Match algorithm attempts to place the greatest number of applicants into positions, even if it means placing some applicants at less-preferred programs, and thus I should rank only a few programs.  Is this true?

ANSWER:  This is absolutely FALSE.  The Match algorithm is designed to give each individual applicant and program the best possible outcome based on the rankings they submit.  It does NOT in any way attempt to maximize the number of applicants placed.  It will NOT place an applicant into a less-preferred position in order to permit other applicants to be matched.  Similarly, it will NOT place a less preferred applicant into a program in order to permit more positions to be filled in other programs.  As noted above, we strongly encourage you to rank ALL programs that are considering you and that you find acceptable.  Doing otherwise will not get you a better position, but may reduce your chances of matching.

More information about the algorithm used by the APPIC Match can be found on the Match web site (natmatch.com/psychint/algorithm.html<http://natmatch.com/psychint/algorithm.html>).

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QUESTION:  I've heard that I should tell my "first choice" program that they are ranked as my #1 choice.  Is this true?

ANSWER:  Absolutely not, as this is prohibited by the APPIC Match Policies.  Applicants may not communicate any ranking information to sites, nor may sites communicate any ranking information to applicants (see APPIC Match Policy #5).

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QUESTION:  Is it OK to share information about my rankings and preferences with my friends on a social networking site, such as Facebook?

ANSWER:  You should refrain from posting your rankings or program preferences on Facebook, other social networking sites, e-mail lists, or discussion boards/forums.  In recent years, we have heard feedback from Training Directors who inadvertently learned about individuals' rankings from one of these forums.

The Match Policies state, "Participants in the APPIC Match, including applicants and internship programs, may not communicate, solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information pertaining to either Phase of the Match prior to the release of the results for Phase II of the Match."

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QUESTION:  What if I still have questions about the ranking process or other aspects of the Match?

ANSWER:  For questions about your Match registration or difficulties using the online system on the Match web site, please refer to the links to the Match web site listed below or contact National Matching Services at (800) 461-6322.  Other questions may be directed to the APPIC Match Coordinator, Dr. Greg Keilin, at gkeilin at mail.utexas.edu<mailto:gkeilin at mail.utexas.edu> or (512) 410-0002.

Additional information about constructing and submitting a Rank Order List may be found at:

1.  appic.org/Match/FAQs/Applicants/Rank-Order-Lists<http://appic.org/Match/FAQs/Applicants/Rank-Order-Lists>

2.  For Applicants: natmatch.com/psychint/applicants/rankings.html<http://natmatch.com/psychint/applicants/rankings.html>

3.  For Programs: natmatch.com/psychint/programs/rankings.html<http://natmatch.com/psychint/programs/rankings.html>




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APPIC: Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers
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