A residency candidate asked me to review an email a program director (PD) had sent him after interview day. The candidate wanted to know if I had any insights into the PD's intent: Was the PD sending a generic note or was he really interested in the applicant?
I told the applicant honestly: Who knows and who cares?I wasn't trying to be dismissive. The point is that it's impossible to know what a PD is thinking. Unfortunately, I've seen applicants heartbroken by false hope they read into a PD's comments. More importantly, what a PD says should not affect your rank list anyway. The algorithm requires you to put your first choice first and your second second, etc. (More on that in an upcoming January blog post.)
As they say, kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't promises. Don't put deep thought into those PD notes because they don't guarantee a thing and, as we say in clinical medicine, they don't change management.
