Professionalism and the match.

To the Editor: Every autumn, as residency selection gets under way, students anxiously puff up their portfolios in an effort to obtain a position in their first-choice program, and program directors strut their stuff to ensure recruitment of the “most desirable” students. These conflicting agendas lead to a frenzied courtship ritual. In the past several years, increasing numbers of students have gravitated toward “lifestyle specialties,” for which there are limited residency positions. In their anxiety, students worry that residency positions in all specialties will be difficult to obtain, and they submit multiple applications to guarantee acceptance. Faced with a larger . . .