A strong 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 to the intent of the PD: 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 is 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 a future blog post.)

As they say, kisses aren’t contracts and presents aren’t promises. Ignore those PD notes because they don’t guarantee a thing and don’t change management.