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FAQ for Internship Programs Back to FAQ
Question 4. What considerations are important in developing my Rank Order List(s)?
IMPORTANT: There is only one correct "strategy" for developing your Rank Order List(s): simply rank applicants based on your true preferences, without consideration for where you believe you might be ranked by them. List the applicant that you want most as your #1 choice, followed by your next most-preferred applicant, and so on.
Our previous Uniform Notification Day-based selection process actually encouraged and rewarded strategizing and deal-making, resulting in tremendous stress for internship applicants. The Matching Program eliminates many of the incentives for this kind of behavior, and actually rewards participants for listing their true preferences by guaranteeing them the best possible match.
If you rank an applicant highly even if you believe that you have little chance of being ranked highly by him/her, you do NOT reduce your chances of being matched with other applicants. Similarly, if you believe that one of your lower-ranked applicants is very interested in you and plans to rank you highly, you may safely rank other more preferred applicants higher without jeopardizing your chances of obtaining this lower-ranked applicant.
Do NOT take into consideration where you believe you are ranked by applicants. Do NOT waste your time trying to develop "strategies" to supposedly increase your chances of getting your highly-ranked applicants. Do NOT engage in "making deals" with applicants, or other behaviors that violate Match policies. Due to the design of the Matching Program, any of these behaviors will ultimately hurt you because they will reduce your chances of getting your best possible match.
EXAMPLE 1: Let's assume that you have five internship applicants for one position that you are offering, and your true rankings are as follows:
- Juan
- Sandra
- Paul
- Nancy
- Mary
In this example, Juan is your top choice. Assume that Juan doesn't appear to be very interested in you. Should you move him down your list, given your assumption that he may not rank you highly?
The answer is NO. If Juan is truly your top choice, the best (and only) strategy is to leave him at the top of your list. The computer will attempt to match you with Juan without penalizing you and without reducing your chances of being matched with other applicants. Changing your rankings based solely on how you perceive an applicant has ranked you is a poor strategy which could negatively affect your outcome.
EXAMPLE 2: Let's again assume that you have five applicants for one position, and that the sample Rank Order List above reflects your true rankings. Furthermore, let's assume that your fifth choice, Mary, has expressed a very strong interest in you; in fact, she has told you that your program is her top choice. Is there any reason for you to move her up your Rank Order List, given her strong interest in you?
The answer again is NO. If Mary is truly your fifth choice, then leave her ranked fifth. The computer will attempt to match you to your higher-ranked applicants. The computer will not match Mary with any other site until all of your positions are filled. This allows you to try for your more-preferred candidates without risking the loss of Mary. Thus, you have been able to rank Mary according to your true preferences, without being penalized if your higher-ranked applicants don't work out for you.
Under our previous Uniform Notification Day system, receiving ranking information from an applicant sometimes provided you with a strategic advantage in making offers (particularly if you wanted to avoid being "held"). However, under the Matching Program, while it may feel good for you to receive "first choice" information from an applicant, this information is no longer important in developing your Rank Order List(s).
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6 March 2002
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