Colorectal Residency Letters Rate Nearly Everyone Highly

Standardized letters rate most colorectal applicants in the top two categories, and program directors score more conservatively than other evaluators.

• Across 342 applications and 1,287 letters, ratings clustered in the top two performance categories in nearly every domain.
• Program directors scored more conservatively, most clearly for technical ability, though differences varied by domain.
• Applicants from academic programs received higher ratings than those from community programs in some domains, with substantial overlap between groups.

Because ratings are compressed near the top, letters discriminate poorly between applicants, so selection committees should weigh evaluator role and training environment when reading them.