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FAQ for Internship Programs Back to FAQ
Question 9. I have a question with regard to a possible game that could be played by a site by creating and submitting multiple lists. Could a site with three positions, for example, improve their chances of getting their three top candidates by submitting three lists? Would this provide an advantage by allowing them to have three #1 choices, rather than ranking them as #1, #2, and #3 on a single list?
In the matching process, the ranking number itself is not important in determining who matches where, but rather the relative position on the list that matters. An applicant ranked #1 gets preference over an applicant ranked #2, etc., but the actual rank number of 1, 2 or 3 is not relevant. If a site has three positions, the applicants ranked #1, #2 and #3 are all treated like first choices, because positions are available for all of them.
A site submitting three lists has no greater advantage or disadvantage over a site submitting a single list. Even though a site that submits three lists (for three positions) can be described as having three "#1" choices (one on each list), it really provides no advantage over having one list with those same candidates ranked #1, #2, and #3.
The multiple list feature simply provides an opportunity to have the computer fill each slot from a different list of candidates; it doesn't give the site a strategic advantage or priority, however. Unless there is a specific reason for a site to use multiple lists (such as having different training tracks), it is usually easier to "keep it simple" and use just one list.
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6 March 2002
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