Back in 2014, a group of male students had the creative but misguided idea of holding a prom draft to select dates for prom, a formal dance typically held at the end of high school. The very obvious problems involved having payments for high draft picks and taking the girls’ preferences out of the process.
With that in mind, we thought instead of a Prom draft, why not organize a Prom match? The matching system for medical residency has been in place since 1952, and even led to a Nobel Prize. In the residency match system, each applicant ranks his or her acceptable choices, and each school ranks its acceptable residents. Then the algorithm attempts to make the best or most optimal matches, among all parties.
So, let’s dive into how we can create a spreadsheet that optimizes students’ date preferences for prom. Continue reading “Prom Draft: NO. Prom Match: YES! (Residency Match Algorithm Spreadsheet)”