When is a good time (post interview) to have someone who knows people well @ a program make a phone call for you, letting them know it is your top choice? Is it best to wait till near the end of interview season or right after their last interview date? Do these calls really make a difference in your rank?
Well, I'm not an attending, but I will throw in that the timing should probably be as early as possible (vs. late in th interview season). Calls/connections are good to develop early, and you'd hardly be surprised that these wind up as notes in the applicant's file.
And, *some* institutions have their rank-order finalization meeting soon after they finish interviewing (ours has already occurred), so second-looks or calls late in the interview season don't do much good if you're already buried deep down the final list.
I suppose the solution could be to call/ask the programs when they have their ROL meeting, but the best bet would be to be aggressive early.
