I think it is alive and well. Perhaps the reason for the "shotgun approach" is because people apply to programs that aren't either realistic for them or are in regions that they have no "ties" to. I'm sure that is something that comes up when the committees sit down and discuss applicants. I know a few applicants from Texas who were told that they had no business being in a certain region because in the program's experience, no one from Texas ends up in that area.
