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Question 4. How does the Matching Program work?
A brief summary of the process:
- Applicants apply directly to the internship programs in which
they are interested, and applicants and programs interview each
other independently of the Matching Program.
- Upon completion of interviews, each applicant submits a Rank
Order List of his/her desired programs, in numerical order of
preference (first choice, second choice, etc.). Applicants may
rank as many programs as they wish. Each internship program
similarly submits a Rank Order List of their desired applicants,
listing as many applicants as they wish, in order of the program's
preference. These lists are submitted to National Matching Services
via the Internet by a predetermined deadline. The lists submitted
by both applicants and programs are considered strictly confidential.
- The Matching Program places applicants into positions based
entirely on the preferences stated in the Rank Order Lists.
Each applicant is placed with the most preferred program on
the applicant's Rank Order List that ranks the applicant and
does not fill its positions with more preferred applicants.
Similarly, each internship program is matched with the most
preferred applicants on its Rank Order List(s), up to the number
of positions available, who rank the program and who do not
receive positions at programs they prefer. (An example and a
more detailed description of how the matching process is carried
out is provided on the NMS
web site).
- Applicants and Programs are notified of the results on a predetermined
release date. Results are distributed via e-mail and the internet.
Since all offers, acceptances, rejections, and final placements
occur simultaneously, the Matching Program is a fair and effective
means of implementing a standardized acceptance date. It allows
programs and applicants to evaluate each other fully before determining
preferences. Furthermore, the Matching Program alleviates many
common adverse situations from the recruitment process, such as
applicants hoarding multiple offers, and applicants or programs
reneging on a prior acceptance in order to accept a more preferred
program or applicant that has subsequently become available. Also,
a program can be assured that it will not be matched with more
applicants than it has available positions.
Back to FAQ
6 March 2002
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