Ranking List

As I described early on in my blog, the next part of this process after interviews is to "rank" the sites in order of preference. The internship I would most like gets ranked #1, and then my second favorite and so on. The internship sites also rank the students that they interviewed in terms of who they think is the best fit for their site. If anyone is interested in a more detailed explanation I will paste it at the end of this post.

I had originally thought there was some systematic way of figuring out how to rank the sites, but it is difficult because they are all so different. My rankings are due on Feb 3rd and I have been putting it off. However, last night I just decided to go with gut feelings and ended up ranking them. I feel pretty happy with the lineup.  There is a chance I may re-order a few of them but for now it's set. So, in order of preference, my internship site rankings are:

Rank	Code	Training Site Program
1	153811	CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA PHILADELPHIA, PA PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP
2	134421	KENNEDY KRIEGER/JOHNS HOPKINS U BALTIMORE, MD PEDS CONSULT/NEUROPSYCH
3	119711	DUPONT HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN WILMINGTON, DE PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP
4	121313	MAILMAN CTR CHILD DEV/U MIAMI MIAMI, FL CHILD PROTECTION TEAM
5	121317	MAILMAN CTR CHILD DEV/U MIAMI MIAMI, FL HEMATOLOGY/ONCOLOGY
6	151917	UNIV OF OKLAHOMA HEALTH SCI CTR OKLAHOMA CITY, OK CHILD CLINICAL/PEDIATRIC PSYCH
7	136211	CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF MICHIGAN DETROIT, MI PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP
8	121319	MAILMAN CTR CHILD DEV/U MIAMI MIAMI, FL PRESCHOOL INTERVENTIONS
9	153012	GEISINGER MEDICAL CENTER DANVILLE, PA CHILD CLINICAL AND PEDIATRIC
10	137911	CHILDRENS HOSP/CLIN OF MINNESOTA MINNEAPOLIS, MN PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP
11	143011	UNIV MED DENT NJ/UNIV BEHAV HC NEWARK, NJ CHILD TRACK

Description of the Matching Process

The matching process uses the preferences stated on the Rank Order Lists submitted by applicants and internship programs to place individuals into positions.
The process starts with an attempt to place an applicant into the program that is most preferred on the applicant's list. If the applicant cannot be matched to this first choice program, an attempt is then made to place the applicant into the second choice program, and so on, until the applicant obtains a tentative match, or all the applicant's choices have been exhausted.
An applicant can be tentatively matched to a program in this process if the program also ranks the applicant on its Rank Order List, and either:

• the program has an unfilled position available for the applicant. In this case there is room in the program to make a tentative match between the applicant and program.
  
• the program does not have an unfilled position, but the applicant is more preferred by the program to another applicant who is currently tentatively matched to the program. In this case the applicant who is the least preferred current match in the program is removed from the program to make room for a tentative match with the more preferred applicant.

Matches are referred to as tentative because an applicant who is matched to a program at one point in this process may later be removed from the program, to make room for an applicant more preferred by the program, as described in the second case above. When an applicant is removed from a previous tentative match, an attempt is then made to re-match this applicant, starting from the top of this applicant's list.
This process is carried out for all applicants, until each applicant has either been tentatively matched to the most preferred choice possible, or all choices submitted by the applicant have been exhausted. When all applicants have been considered, the matching process is complete and tentative matches become final.
In summary, each applicant's Rank Order List is traversed "downwards", from most preferred program to least preferred, until the first program is reached at which the applicant can be tentatively matched, or until the applicant's list of choices is exhausted. Each program accepts applicants "upwards" on its Rank Order List, continually removing less preferred matches in favor of more preferred applicants, until the program is matched to the most preferred applicants who wish to be matched to the program.
An example of how the matching algorithm works and a discussion of common misunderstandings about the matching process are provided in other sections of this web site.

Example

An example of the matching process involving three applicants and three programs is shown below. The Rank Order Lists submitted by programs and applicants in this example are as follows:

Programs' Rank Order Lists

Program A	Program B	Program C
(2 Positions)	(1 Position)	(1 Position)
1. Charles	1. Baker	1. Baker
2. Baker	2. Charles
3. Able	3. Able

Applicants' Rank Order Lists

Able	Baker	Charles
1. Program B	1. Program A	1. Program B
2. Program A	2. Program B	2. Program A
	3. Program C

Match Process

The actual matching is done on a computer. However, the matching process itself could be completed as effectively by hand; the computer serves only to expedite the process. The computer is set up to process the lists in the following manner.
It first attempts to place Able into his first choice, Program B. Since Program B has an available position, Able is tentatively matched to Program B. Next an attempt is made to place Baker into Program A. Since Program A has an available position, Baker is tentatively matched to Program A.
The computer then attempts to place Charles into Program B. Program B's position is currently filled, but Program B prefers Charles to its current match with Able. Able is therefore removed from Program B, and Charles is tentatively matched into Program B.
Since Able has just been removed from a tentative match with Program B, an attempt is made to re-match Able. The computer first tries to place Able into Program B; however, this is unsuccessful because Program B's position is now filled with Charles, who is preferred by Program B. Next an attempt is made to place Able into his second choice, Program A. Since Program A still has an available position, Able is tentatively matched to Program A.
The matching process is now complete as each applicant's list has been processed, and each applicant is tentatively matched to the most preferred choice possible. Tentative matches now become final.
Note that in the matching process, no applicant or program can be forced into a final match until all applicant Rank Order Lists have been considered for the best possible tentative matches.