Interview Etiquette

[pipettequeen]

As we all start interviewing, I wanted to clear up a few things about etiquette and expectations.

Do we write thank you notes to all faculty who interview us? Should we also give thank you notes to the program coordinators or directors even if we only met them briefly?

Do we bring gifts for student hosts?

Can we expect that all dinners will be paid for by the program, even if it is hosted by students?

Should female interviewees offer their hands for handshakes if the interviewer does not initially?

Do we have to keep jackets on during campus tours even if it is 98 degrees outside?

Thank you for reading. Feel free to offer more questions or concerns if I missed anything.

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[OCDOCDOCD]

As we all start interviewing, I wanted to clear up a few things about etiquette and expectations.

Do we write thank you notes to all faculty who interview us? Should we also give thank you notes to the program coordinators or directors even if we only met them briefly?

Do we bring gifts for student hosts?

Can we expect that all dinners will be paid for by the program, even if it is hosted by students?

Should female interviewees offer their hands for handshakes if the interviewer does not initially?

Do we have to keep jackets on during campus tours even if it is 98 degrees outside?

Thank you for reading. Feel free to offer more questions or concerns if I missed anything.

I've heard thank you notes aren't really expected in med school admissions. I'm tempted to think this would be even more true for MD/PhD admissions where you often interview with the whole MSTP adcom, several faculty researchers, and a student, on top of all the interviews the MD applicants do too.

Gifts seem to be a common courtesy for hosts. Just do something small. Like a gift card, or beer, or pay for dinner. I'd say no more than $10-20.

Meals hosted by the program will be free. Meals you eat outside of the day's scheduled events won't be.

I would always shake hands and warmly greet every interviewer, but then I'm a guy. I'm not aware of any exception for women, but then again I'm hardly an expert in etiquette.

Like a suit jacket? Yes. That way you still look good even if you're being rolled into the ER for heat stroke. The good news though is that at this point virtually all interviews are going to be conducted in autumn or winter weather, so if anything you should be more concerned about whether you can wear something over your interview attire, especially if you plan on interviewing in some arctic hellhole like at UIowa or Mayo. I don't know the answer for that though, so there's a question for someone else.

 

[Caristra]

Here are my answers based on when I interviewed ,many years ago, and what I have seen go on at our program during interview day.

As we all start interviewing, I wanted to clear up a few things about etiquette and expectations.

Do we write thank you notes to all faculty who interview us? Should we also give thank you notes to the program coordinators or directors even if we only met them briefly?

It is not necessary, but it is always appreciated. I did not write notes and had plenty of acceptances. Sometimes someone writes a really sweet note that is posted in the admin office for everyone to see. It has no effect on admissions.

Do we bring gifts for student hosts?

You know, I went on a lot of interviews and never had a student host. Most MD-PhD programs put us up in a hotel for interview day and saved the student hosts for revisit. Having been a student host for both the MD program interviewees here and some MSTP revisiters I can say that gifts are not expected but they do make it seem just a little more worthwhile to host students. I never got a gift. I still hosted the next year and it had no effect on my view of the student and nobody else will ever know.

Can we expect that all dinners will be paid for by the program, even if it is hosted by students?

Yes. If the students are taking you out as part of interview day/it is on your schedule, the program is paying for it. They try and let you have a chance to ask students questions in private and to have a little fun without anyone from admissions around. SO they sponsor these dinners away from the admissions office/campus.

Should female interviewees offer their hands for handshakes if the interviewer does not initially?

I always did. Why not?

Do we have to keep jackets on during campus tours even if it is 98 degrees outside?

Campus tours are typically lead by students who specifically tell you that nothing you say/do goes back to adcom office (unless you do something insane like strip down to your undies and run though the hospital). If it is really hot outside, and I remember a Baylor interview being a real scorcher, you can take your jacket off provided you are wearing a decent shirt underneath. If you are walking through a patient care area, I'd put it back on - but then, you'd be inside with an air conditioner anyway.

Thank you for reading. Feel free to offer more questions or concerns if I missed anything.

Good Luck.

 

[brooklynblunder]

As we all start interviewing, I wanted to clear up a few things about etiquette and expectations.

Do we write thank you notes to all faculty who interview us? Should we also give thank you notes to the program coordinators or directors even if we only met them briefly?

Do we bring gifts for student hosts?

Can we expect that all dinners will be paid for by the program, even if it is hosted by students?

Should female interviewees offer their hands for handshakes if the interviewer does not initially?

Do we have to keep jackets on during campus tours even if it is 98 degrees outside?

Thank you for reading. Feel free to offer more questions or concerns if I missed anything.

1. Thank you notes are not necessary. If you do write them, make it short, perfect and to the director or committee members or a research interviewer that you connected with.
2. We don't host (we keep the herd in a hotel), so not sure. Seems unnecessary.
3. Yes (assuming its not a casual dinner with you and just the host student)
4. What? Yes.
5. No, as someone who's given tours and been on the MSTP adcom, this would never be brought up at 1. student committee admission meeting and the 2. subsequent whole committee meeting. I think big issues or impressions for your desire to be in the program or aptitude towards or interest in being a physician scientist are def fair game.