Introverts vs. Extroverts?

[chillinillinkillin007]

Quick poll...just curious do medical schools like extrovert applicants and are introverts looked down upon? most of the people of my classes are introverts but there are also extroverts. it seems as if there is a diversity

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[625233]

Wut.
Medical schools like smart people who show attributes that would lead them to believe they will likely be good doctors (non-med. Volunteering)

 

[WedgeDawg]

You can be an introvert and still be able to talk to and relate to people... I am an INTJ with 70% I over E and I have not had this affect me in the med school admissions process. I don't think one is necessarily preferred over the other. Also the poll would probably be biased toward introverts just because I would guess introverts overall are more likely to post on Internet forums (including SDN) than extroverts.

 

[G_Marker]

.

 

[GomersGoToGround]

I don't think most people fit perfectly into one or the other, and there are probably people out there who alter their own life experiences and interactions due to labels like these. It might be useful to psychologists or therapists or people having serious identity issues, but otherwise I think labels generally limit us more than help us.

EDIT: I feel like this has little to do with getting into medical school, though. I think when it comes to personalities and traits, maybe the middle-ground tends to be preferable... I have no idea how medical schools could possibly determine introversion/extroversion or why they'd want to...

Agreed with the bolded.

Of course, labels are useful to help describe certain behaviors on the extreme, but of course most people are probably around ambiversion.

Additionally, it's very hard for people to gauge what they truly are, due to misunderstanding of the definitions (ex mistaking introversion with shyness), misinterpreting insecurities or other life process that cause them to act a certain way as a measure of their intra/extraverted-ness, when the person does NOT want to act like that, and a bunch of other variables.

Do med schools care? It's all about how you express yourself. Not every introvert acts the same way, and not every extravert acts the same way. Medicine is FULL of different personality types.

 

[Aubrey Graham]

They do indeed make you take a personality assessment and automatically reject you for being too introverted or extroverted.

















/s


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GomersGoToGround]

They do indeed make you take a personality assessment and automatically reject you for being too introverted or extroverted.

Yes, but OP, don't worry; nowadays it's all done trans-rectally, to remove unfair bias.

 

[Goro]

We take all kinds. I have students who would make great politicians, and others you have to crowbar their jaws open to get them to say > ten words.

Quick poll...just curious do medical schools like extrovert applicants and are introverts looked down upon? most of the people of my classes are introverts but there are also extroverts. it seems as if there is a diversity

 

[JPA178]

ENTJ here. I think you get all types in our profession.

 

[psychgirl95]

I'm an introvert (INTJ as well) and I'm also autistic, but overall, I don't expect either of those to significantly affect my ability to interact with patients or anything. Introversion has more to do with energy than your overall ability to interact with people anyway. And honestly, there are some introverts who are better "people people" than extraverts. I don't see why something so trivial would affect anything.

 

[altblue]

I enjoy making small talk with coworkers and getting to know people in my classes, but I'm not super popular and can be quiet at times. I like partying to blow off steam, but I'm not the person striking up random conversations with everyone. I guess I'm... shy but average? I feel like I'd enjoy seeing patients in all but psychiatry, and it's not like most specialties are like politics, business management or "courtroom" law in the degree of social skills they require, lol.

I dunno OP, as long as you like people to an extent and comfortable around them I feel like you'd be okay.

 

[allantois]

INTJ here as well

 

[Ace Khalifa]

I always see a lot of INTJ's chime in on threads like these but never any ISFJ's. Any other ISFJ's out there or is it just me lol?

 

[Zelda840]

INTJ here too. Very strongly I and N.

 

[differentiating]

I always see a lot of INTJ's chime in on threads like these but never any ISFJ's. Any other ISFJ's out there or is it just me lol?

You're not alone; ISFJ here as well.

 

[spyke570]

INTP here, but usually score very close between E and I. Haven't met many of either but a few of my very good friends are INTP/ENTP

But back to the question, I think most people on internet forums as stated earlier are introverted, but I bet medical schools are filled with a relatively even amount of both

 

[Aerus]

As an ENFP, I have met way more outgoing and enthusiastic introverts than I. I don't see how this makes a difference at all.

 

[xo7]

You're not alone; ISFJ here as well.

ISFJ here too!

 

[hellanutella]

Shoutout to all the ambiverts! Don't set too much stock by the MBTI, but I reliably come up with with a 50/50 for E and I... and then I'm strongly NTJ.

My ambiversion was highlighted to an extreme degree during interviews. At my interviews I would flip to full extroversion and relished talking to new people, befriending strangers, etc. Once the interview was over, like a light switch, I just wanted to hermit myself away and have minimal human interaction.

Either way, I think it takes a mix of all personalities to flesh out a good medical school cohort. A class entirely composed of strong extroverts would be a nightmare.

 

[llamasarefuzzy]

Shoutout to all the ambiverts! Don't set too much stock by the MBTI, but I reliably come up with with a 50/50 for E and I... and then I'm strongly NTJ.

My ambiversion was highlighted to an extreme degree during interviews. At my interviews I would flip to full extroversion and relished talking to new people, befriending strangers, etc. Once the interview was over, like a light switch, I just wanted to hermit myself away and have minimal human interaction.

Either way, I think it takes a mix of all personalities to flesh out a good medical school cohort. A class entirely composed of strong extroverts would be a nightmare.

Agree on the all extroverts nightmare! ESTJ here, and even as an extravert I wouldn't want a class made up of only people like me! That would be boring (and also probably painfully loud!)

 

[deleted436726]

I remember reading a study that found that interviewees who identified as extroverts received higher scores in MMIs.

 

[kthxbai]

I'm so INTJ that I've begun to define the category. Still made it in - even with an MMI.

 

[Blue Blood]

ISTJ. 50/50 S to N. Fiancee is a big time extrovert. She talks my ear off and I listen. Works out well!

It's probably good to have a mixed bag class.

 

[breakintheroof]

I remember reading a study that found that interviewees who identified as extroverts received higher scores in MMIs.

My earlier sarcasm aside, you're right! A study that UC-Davis conducted on their 2010-2011 MMI interviewees found this to be the case. They used the Five Factor personality test, not Myers-Briggs, and found extraversion to be the most (in some cases, only) significant personality factor.

Among the 444 respondents, those with extraversion scores in the top (versus bottom) quartile had significantly higher MMI scores (adjusted parameter estimate = 5.93 higher, 95% CI: 4.27-7.59; P < .01). In a model excluding MMI score, top (versus bottom) quartile agreeableness (AOR = 3.22; 95% CI 1.57-6.58; P < .01) and extraversion (AOR = 3.61; 95% CI 1.91-6.82; P < .01) were associated with acceptance offers. After adding MMI score to the model, high agreeableness (AOR = 4.77; 95% CI 1.95-11.65; P < .01) and MMI score (AOR 1.33; 95% CI 1.26-1.42; P < .01) were associated with acceptance offers.

In the full paper, they also include some other interesting things that were associated with a higher MMI score: Being older; being female; a higher verbal MCAT score.

Non-trad extraverted women with high verbal scores, you're good at MMIs.