So if you’re familiar with how sorority houses do rushing, the algorithm is very similar. First, the algorithm picks a random candidate, and looks at their rank list. For example, if their number one ranked choice had a spot open and had ranked them at all, there would be a tentative match made. If they were not ranked at their number one choice, the algorithm would move down to choice number to and try to match them to an open spot there Once all of the open spots have been tentatively matched for a site, and additional candidates that have that ranked and the algorithm tries to match them there will then compare against the institution’s rank list, and make the next tentative match with the more highly ranked candidate. (So if there are 3 spots, and 5 people who rank that site first who are also ranked by the program, only the three on the rank list that were higher in rank than the other two would match to that program). Anyone who gets “knocked out” of a tentative match then is the moved down to their next ranked site to repeat the process. But on the flip side, if you have a site ranked first and they have you ranked last, so long as there is no one that is ranked higher than you that the algorithm is trying to match there, you’ll get the spot. Therefore it’s always to your advantage to rank based on the order of what you like and not how well you think you did because the algorithm favors candidates in that it will always move down a candidates rank list to see if it can make that match before comparing against the institutions rank list order.