Sexist Interviewer, and other concerns

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Sure it does, until it happens to you. How annoying do you think it'd be if you were black and people constantly asked to touch your hair? That's a micro-aggression because it's not blatant racism. Also if you note, I said this wasn't a micro-aggression and that saying something like "you'll end up in pediatrics because you're a woman" is micro-aggression.

hatred and racism are real, "microaggressions" are a stupid concept used to roll a large number of events into the realm of oppression when they are simply innocent/ignorant and ultimately harmless...............the boy is crying wolf for no reason, which isn't helpful as there actually are wolves out there somewhere

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Waitlisted? I was accepted at one, still have yet to hear back from the second.

And yes, who I'm involved with romantically is not the concern of the interviewer.
You do not think having a spouse or significant other is going to impact your performance whatsoever?
 
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You do not think having a spouse or significant other is going to impact your performance whatsoever?
No. I don't think "has a girlfriend/boyfriend" is a criterion for most ADCOMS.
 
No. I don't think "has a girlfriend/boyfriend" is a criterion for most ADCOMS.
Whether or not you have a spouse has a substantial impact. Some even go as far as to couple's match. It certainly has an impact.
 
Whether or not you have a spouse has a substantial impact. Some even go as far as to couple's match. It certainly has an impact.

It will have an impact because medical schools will know that the only way they can have one is if they take the other. I have a hard time believing that medical schools will give a s*** in any other case.
 
hatred and racism are real, "microaggressions" are a stupid concept used to roll a large number of events into the realm of oppression when they are simply innocent/ignorant and ultimately harmless...............the boy is crying wolf for no reason, which isn't helpful as there actually are wolves out there somewhere
They're really femto-aggressions, at best.
 
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The social justice warriors in my class are insufferable enough.

Every time the professor mentions "black africans" a number of students visibly tremble with anger, tears in their eyes.

You've got a little growing up to do.
 
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No. I don't think "has a girlfriend/boyfriend" is a criterion for most ADCOMS.

hmm, I don't know what you mean my criterion, perhaps "factor" is a better word. And yes, your personal life does play a role in medical school admissions. Med school is a highly stressful time and ADCOMs are well within their right to inquire about the social support you will have or will be potentially leaving (if you move away from your SO) if you attend their school. It's relevant and fair game.
 
hmm, I don't know what you mean my criterion, perhaps "factor" is a better word. And yes, your personal life does play a role in medical school admissions. Med school is a highly stressful time and ADCOMs are well within their right to inquire about the social support you will have or will be potentially leaving (if you move away from your SO) if you attend their school. It's relevant and fair game.

Umm, no. College relationships last like what, 3 weeks on average? I highly doubt the person I'm dating at the time of my interview will be a "support network" for 4 years of medical school.

As for emotional support, are friends and family not sufficient? The way you worded your statement, I would be at a disadvantage if I were single. There are plenty of people who never marry and live fully successful lives. It would be kind of ignorant to assume the only way I can survive medical school is by having a significant other.
 
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Umm, no. College relationships last like what, 3 weeks on average? I highly doubt the person I'm dating at the time of my interview will be a "support network" for 4 years of medical school.

As for emotional support, are friends and family not sufficient? The way you worded your statement, I would be at a disadvantage if I were single. There are plenty of people who never marry and live fully successful lives. It would be kind of ignorant to assume the only way I can survive medical school is by having a significant other.

I don't know how long your college relationships last. I know I am the exception, but I got married in college, so I guess mine has lasted a bit above average. I'm not sure why you are being so hostile. I never indicated that you would be disadvantaged as a single medical student, I only used the example of SO to explain a situation in which an applicant would lose a strong part of his social support by moving to another city. This would apply to family and friends as well.

Let me rephrase so I don't sound too ignorant: Med school is a highly stressful time and ADCOMs are well within their right to inquire about the social support you will have, which may include but is not limited to boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, parents, friends, pets, and pro-sports teams. It's relevant and fair game.
 
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Umm, no. College relationships last like what, 3 weeks on average? I highly doubt the person I'm dating at the time of my interview will be a "support network" for 4 years of medical school.

As for emotional support, are friends and family not sufficient? The way you worded your statement, I would be at a disadvantage if I were single. There are plenty of people who never marry and live fully successful lives. It would be kind of ignorant to assume the only way I can survive medical school is by having a significant other.

I know of 5 people from my class and the classes above and below me who either dropped out of medical school or took significant (2+ years) of time off. Every single one of them lacked a strong support structure. I'm not saying that you can't get through medical school without a support structure, plenty do. By the same token, I'm not saying that a strong support system means that you will get through unscathed.

Friends and family are great. But, a significant other is different. Necessary? Absolutely not. But, beneficial? Absolutely. I'm not going to wax lyrical about how a significant other is beneficial and yes, friends and family can function in the same way. But, it is just different!
 
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Umm, no. College relationships last like what, 3 weeks on average? I highly doubt the person I'm dating at the time of my interview will be a "support network" for 4 years of medical school.

As for emotional support, are friends and family not sufficient? The way you worded your statement, I would be at a disadvantage if I were single. There are plenty of people who never marry and live fully successful lives. It would be kind of ignorant to assume the only way I can survive medical school is by having a significant other.
Lol someone's feisty.
 
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The phrase "micro-aggressions" makes me roll my eyes
Lol.

My human rights lawyer friend asked me to refrain from referring to illegal immigrants as "illegals" because it dehumanizes them.

Now I call them border hoppers. I hope she likes it better.
 
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What if the interviewer makes a comment about your physical appearance? Is that reportable?
 
What if the interviewer makes a comment about your physical appearance? Is that reportable?
"You look nice" or "you look sharp" or "beautiful suit!". No, no, and no

"Lookin hot!" ... Yes
 
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To me it may cross a line, so yes, I would urge one to alert the Dean of Admissions.

Saying something like "You're quite petite, how do you think you can handle a large psychotic patient?" might be OK, but "Being overweight, do you think your obese patient will listen to you better than a thin doctor"? would be uncalled for.



What if the interviewer makes a comment about your physical appearance? Is that reportable?
 
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To me it may cross a line, so yes, I would urge one to alert the Dean of Admissions.

Saying something like "You're quite petite, how do you think you can handle a large psychotic patient?" might be OK, but "Being overweight, do you think your obese patient will listen to you better than a thin doctor"? would be uncalled for.
I agree but it wasn't really either of those situations. I don't want to be too specific, but the interviewer said that I was an attractive white female. It wasn't out of the blue; in the context of the conversation it was relevant and outside of a professional setting I would not have been alarmed, but I didn't feel it was an appropriate thing to say in an interview. It made me a little uncomfortable. For the record, I was accepted.
 
hmm, I don't know what you mean my criterion, perhaps "factor" is a better word. And yes, your personal life does play a role in medical school admissions. Med school is a highly stressful time and ADCOMs are well within their right to inquire about the social support you will have or will be potentially leaving (if you move away from your SO) if you attend their school. It's relevant and fair game.
It may be relevant, but it is actually NOT fair game. If you open the door, that's fine, but otherwise, nobody should be sniffing around to see if you're in a relationship, married, with kids, planning to have kids, gay, straight, etc.
 
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I agree but it wasn't really either of those situations. I don't want to be too specific, but the interviewer said that I was an attractive white female. It wasn't out of the blue; in the context of the conversation it was relevant and outside of a professional setting I would not have been alarmed, but I didn't feel it was an appropriate thing to say in an interview. It made me a little uncomfortable. For the record, I was accepted.
lol yes if that was out of context it would be both strange and inappropriate. Thats hard though, I can see how it could come up in certain context. I would say that yes it may have been inappropriate for an interview setting, BUT, just as we say things we wish we could have back in interviews, I would wager that interviewers say things occasionally that they think back on and say, "probably shouldn't have gone there". Sounds like an innocent remark and therefore does not warrant any formal action.

Then again, you were there, not me. Do you think it was innocent?
 
What if the interviewer makes a comment about your physical appearance? Is that reportable?
Meh, older folks tend to patronize a little with off the cuff remarks like "oh, you're so pretty," but they probably think they're being polite; back in their day it was all the rage for a girl to be valued by her looks. I'd squint my eyes in contempt if a young person were to do that, though. Otherwise, it's just an artifact of by-gone times; they'd sooner die than change.
 
It may be relevant, but it is actually NOT fair game. If you open the door, that's fine, but otherwise, nobody should be sniffing around to see if you're in a relationship, married, with kids, planning to have kids, gay, straight, etc.

Ugh, back to this??

Who's "sniffing", you act like interviewers are sniffing around for gossip, poor word choice on your part. Can you offer up an actual argument for why inquiring about an applicants social support is not a relevant topic for medical school admission?
 
It may be relevant, but it is actually NOT fair game. If you open the door, that's fine, but otherwise, nobody should be sniffing around to see if you're in a relationship, married, with kids, planning to have kids, gay, straight, etc.
I disagree with this sentiment. A large part of the interview is to get a sense of what an applicant is like beyond the numbers. That includes getting to know the interviewee, their passions, what makes them tick, and what's going on in their life. Goals, ambitions, desires are all relevant. It's ridiculous to assume that interviews are designed just for questions like "why medicine" which I feel is one of the worst questions they could ask because there are certain answers that everyone can give and don't (generally) reveal anything psychologically important about the interviewee. I agree things like sexual orientation are off the table, but things like where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years, what are you wanting to achieve in your life outside medicine, etc. are very relevant and revealing questions.
 
Ugh, back to this??

Who's "sniffing", you act like interviewers are sniffing around for gossip, poor word choice on your part. Can you offer up an actual argument for why inquiring about an applicants social support is not a relevant topic for medical school admission?

Because people are uptight...
 
Meh, older folks tend to patronize a little with off the cuff remarks like "oh, you're so pretty," but they probably think they're being polite; back in their day it was all the rage for a girl to be valued by her looks. I'd squint my eyes in contempt if a young person were to do that, though. Otherwise, it's just an artifact of by-gone times; they'd sooner die than change.
I would agree with you, but he wasn't that old haha. He just seemed a little skeevy but I don't want to get too specific.
 
lol yes if that was out of context it would be both strange and inappropriate. Thats hard though, I can see how it could come up in certain context. I would say that yes it may have been inappropriate for an interview setting, BUT, just as we say things we wish we could have back in interviews, I would wager that interviewers say things occasionally that they think back on and say, "probably shouldn't have gone there". Sounds like an innocent remark and therefore does not warrant any formal action.

Then again, you were there, not me. Do you think it was innocent?

It's hard to say because I think it was innocent in the sense that he wasn't hitting on me or anything, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth and I felt it was unprofessional. It gave me a negative impression of the school because I don't want to go to a school where professors freely make remarks about my appearance.
 
Ugh, back to this??

Who's "sniffing", you act like interviewers are sniffing around for gossip, poor word choice on your part. Can you offer up an actual argument for why inquiring about an applicants social support is not a relevant topic for medical school admission?
Asking about such things is illegal in job interviews for a reason. Sure, the actual laws for medical school interviews probably differ, but the same motivations for keeping those things private apply: there have been numerous studies showing that marital status and the presence/intent to have children is a huge source of hiring discrimination. Med school interviews, as much as they are an application for an education, are just as much job/career applications.

And the use of the word 'sniffing' was intentional...have you never participated in hiring someone before (maybe your department at college got its major students involved?) There are lists of questions that you cannot ask - which are often accompanied by lists of questions which are legal to ask but which often prompt spontaneous revelation of the details which you are not allowed to inquire after. The use of 'sniffing' was to indicate looking for information which they may not want to/be allowed to ask for outright.
 
The incident in the topic creator's post was absolutely over the line and should be reported to the school's office of diversity affairs and/or progressive media outlets. There's no room for debate here. If you feel otherwise in 2014, you're a hopelessly obsolete bigot.

If I got waitlisted after a remark like that I'd absolutely sue
 
It's hard to say because I think it was innocent in the sense that he wasn't hitting on me or anything, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth and I felt it was unprofessional. It gave me a negative impression of the school because I don't want to go to a school where professors freely make remarks about my appearance.

In that case, admins would absolutely like to hear about a situation that was so impactful as to deter you from attending their school. Then again, if you have little interest in attending this school (even in the absence of this particular situation) then maybe just let it go.
 
You are making the erroneous assumption that the 2nd interviewer was the one who dinged her. You don't know that and neither does OP.


The incident in the topic creator's post was absolutely over the line and should be reported to the school's office of diversity affairs and/or progressive media outlets. There's no room for debate here. If you feel otherwise in 2014, you're a hopelessly obsolete bigot.

If I got waitlisted after a remark like that I'd absolutely sue
 
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I dunno, I'm a dude and a de-facto feminist (whatever that means), but I feel like that remark is tame and mildly sexist at worst.

a bio professor at my school was lecturing the class and noted that many of us "probably wanted to be neurosurgeons" and looked directly at a girl in the front row and noted "or pediatric neurosurgeons". that's probably more sexist.
 
Asking about such things is illegal in job interviews for a reason. Sure, the actual laws for medical school interviews probably differ, but the same motivations for keeping those things private apply: there have been numerous studies showing that marital status and the presence/intent to have children is a huge source of hiring discrimination. Med school interviews, as much as they are an application for an education, are just as much job/career applications.

And the use of the word 'sniffing' was intentional...have you never participated in hiring someone before (maybe your department at college got its major students involved?) There are lists of questions that you cannot ask - which are often accompanied by lists of questions which are legal to ask but which often prompt spontaneous revelation of the details which you are not allowed to inquire after. The use of 'sniffing' was to indicate looking for information which they may not want to/be allowed to ask for outright.

See the bolded. Medical school interviews are not job interviews. They are a completely different animal and are subject to different rules than job interviews. In all of my 4 interviews so far (two schools), they have inquired about my personal life in one way or another. It never felt like sniffing, I got the impression that they were trying to get to know me better and were genuinely interested in my personal life, goals, interests, beliefs, etc.

Obviously there are ways that an interviewer can cross the line! No one is arguing that it would be OK for an interviewer to say, "You know you will probably get divorced during medical school, right?". However, here is a question that I got that is absolutely valid, "what does your wife think about your dream to become a physician?".
 
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See the bolded. Medical school interviews are not job interviews. They are a completely different animal and are subject to different rules than job interviews. In all of my 4 interviews so far (two schools), they have inquired about my personal life in one way or another. It never felt like sniffing, I got the impression that they were trying to get to know me better and were genuinely interested in my personal life, goals, interests, beliefs, etc.

Obviously there are ways that an interviewer can cross the line! No one is arguing that it would be OK for an interviewer to say, "You know you will probably get divorced during medical school, right?". However, here is a question that I got that is absolutely valid, "what does your wife think about your dream to become a physician?".
I already stated that the legal definitions are different. However, that does not mean that med applicants would/should not have similar concerns as job applicants. I was referencing the job interview laws to show that many people have had concerns about such questions and have decided that those concerns are legitimate in at least one similar forum.

We have already had one applicant in this thread express concern about sharing details of their personal life out due to possible discrimination. This fear is not limited to gender or sexual orientation. If someone wants to keep those things private, it should be legitimate for them to do so without it raising eyebrows - something which is difficult if people ask outright questions about the subjects.

If your application mentions your wife or your kids or your sexual orientation, you have indicated that you are comfortable discussing those subjects and they are of course fair game. If you haven't, the interviewer runs the risk that they are making you uncomfortable when they ask questions on the subject. Not illegal, sure - but that doesn't mean that it is unjustifiable for people to feel uncomfortable being asked about such things.

Personally, I am comfortable sharing anything about myself except my music tastes, but I'm not going to sit here and judge other people for wanting to keep their personal lives personal, especially since fears of discrimination (overt or unintended) on the basis of such details are not unfounded.
 
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lol people today have no room to say anything anymore. I'm a guy and I've had interviewers both male and female ask about my girlfriend or mention that I may be looking to meet girls in my classes, it doesn't just go one way and in no way did I feel this constituted sexism. What an idiotic comment "I'd absolutely sue". As @Goro mentioned, you cannot know this comment got her waitlisted. Hopeless.
The incident in the topic creator's post was absolutely over the line and should be reported to the school's office of diversity affairs and/or progressive media outlets. There's no room for debate here. If you feel otherwise in 2014, you're a hopelessly obsolete bigot.

If I got waitlisted after a remark like that I'd absolutely sue
 
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I already stated that the legal definitions are different. However, that does not mean that med applicants would/should not have similar concerns as job applicants. I was referencing the job interview laws to show that many people have had concerns about such questions and have decided that those concerns are legitimate in at least one similar forum.

We have already had one applicant in this thread express concern about sharing details of their personal life out due to possible discrimination. This fear is not limited to gender or sexual orientation. If someone wants to keep those things private, it should be legitimate for them to do so without it raising eyebrows - something which is difficult if people ask outright questions about the subjects.

If your application mentions your wife or your kids or your sexual orientation, you have indicated that you are comfortable discussing those subjects and they are of course fair game. If you haven't, the interviewer runs the risk that they are making you uncomfortable when they ask questions on the subject. Not illegal, sure - but that doesn't mean that it is unjustifiable for people to feel uncomfortable being asked about such things.

Personally, I am comfortable sharing anything about myself except my music tastes, but I'm not going to sit here and judge other people for wanting to keep their personal lives personal, especially since fears of discrimination (overt or unintended) on the basis of such details are not unfounded.

Finally an actual argument. Good points, especially the first paragraph, though ultimately I still disagree on the grounds that medical school interviews are not only highly competitive, but also are the gatekeepers to a profession that is incredibly demanding and thus warrant a more intrusive interview process (is your personal life fair game in CIA interviews?).
 
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Finally an actual argument. Good points, especially the first paragraph, though ultimately I still disagree on the grounds that medical school interviews are not only highly competitive, but also are the gatekeepers to a profession that is incredibly demanding and thus warrant a more intrusive interview process (is your personal life fair game in CIA interviews?).
Haha, yes, I am far better at expressing myself once I move from the phone to the keyboard, sorry! I appreciate the discussion, though - it's sad that polite discourse on a subject is rare enough to require gratitude, but there's the internet for you!

I do see your take on it, though I feel that once interviewers take it upon themselves to evaluate whether you have the social support you need to make it through med school, you run the risk of med schools selecting for people who fall within a fairly narrow spectrum of the 'ideal' social/familial setup. People are diverse and different and some of these differences are hard to explain without getting waaay too personal for a professional interview. Families are similarly varied. I'm personally all for letting people figure out their own support system without trying to grade them on it - make sure that they seem to understand what they are getting into, see if they seem mature and responsible (aka likely to prepare for what they are getting into), and leave it at that.

Mostly, though, I'm fine with leaving it as-is. It's not illegal to ask, but it's awkward. Direct questioning is left to the discretion of the interviewer, and disclosure is left up to the discretion of the interviewee. Trust everyone involved to behave like an adult and have a modicum of respect and decorum in their interactions with others - if that system breaks down, one or the other party is falling short anyway and it's likely not a good match.
 
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The incident in the topic creator's post was absolutely over the line and should be reported to the school's office of diversity affairs and/or progressive media outlets. There's no room for debate here. If you feel otherwise in 2014, you're a hopelessly obsolete bigot.

If I got waitlisted after a remark like that I'd absolutely sue
you sound like an easy person to get along with (/sarcasm)....take a deep breath and relax
 
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I don't know how long your college relationships last. I know I am the exception, but I got married in college, so I guess mine has lasted a bit above average. I'm not sure why you are being so hostile. I never indicated that you would be disadvantaged as a single medical student, I only used the example of SO to explain a situation in which an applicant would lose a strong part of his social support by moving to another city. This would apply to family and friends as well.

Let me rephrase so I don't sound too ignorant: Med school is a highly stressful time and ADCOMs are well within their right to inquire about the social support you will have, which may include but is not limited to boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, parents, friends, pets, and pro-sports teams. It's relevant and fair game.

Well, why couldn't I have just been asked who/what do I have as a social support network? In both of my interviews, I felt it was pretty clear that the interviewers were just simply complementing my attractiveness. The female interviewer made the comment that I must "have a vast selection", playfully. I don't think either were intending to analyze (using a poor metric, might I add), my abilities to cope with medical school stress.

Maybe I am a little cynical (or realistic), but I think it would be completely ridiculous for an ADCOM to judge an applicant based off of who he or she has a social support network, regardless. Having all of these emotional attachments could be equally argued to have a negative toll on your performance in medical school. What if you boyfriend/girlfriend of 4-years decides to break up with you in the middle of the semester? What if a loved one gets involved in a serious motor vehicle accident or is diagnosed with terminal cancer? What if the Cowboys get dominated by the Texans the night before a major exam? It has its pros and cons.
 
Well, why couldn't I have just been asked who/what do I have as a social support network? In both of my interviews, I felt it was pretty clear that the interviewers were just simply complementing my attractiveness. The female interviewer made the comment that I must "have a vast selection", playfully. I don't think either were intending to analyze (using a poor metric, might I add), my abilities to cope with medical school stress.

Maybe I am a little cynical (or realistic), but I think it would be completely ridiculous for an ADCOM to judge an applicant based off of who he or she has a social support network, regardless. Having all of these emotional attachments could be equally argued to have a negative toll on your performance in medical school. What if you boyfriend/girlfriend of 4-years decides to break up with you in the middle of the semester? What if a loved one gets involved in a serious motor vehicle accident or is diagnosed with terminal cancer? What if the Cowboys get dominated by the Texans the night before a major exam? It has its pros and cons.

Yeah, fair enough. The topic of social support should be a peripheral concern, nowhere near the importance of aptitude, passion, professionalism, and the like. I think you and I will just disagree on where the line is between relevant and inappropriate. For example, if someone made a comment about my attractiveness I would just leave the interview thinking, "sweet she has a crush on me, i'm in for sure".
 
I'm not making any assumptions at all. It would be up to the courts to determine if the bigoted interviewer was the reason why. It would be impossible for the applicant to know because she doesn't have full access to the information behind the school's decision. An investigation would have to be conducted.

you sound like an easy person to get along with (/sarcasm)....take a deep breath and relax

You realize Ron Swanson isn't a role model, right? He's a parody of real-world prejudiced white conservative men. It's fitting that you would idolize someone like that, however.
 
Yeah, fair enough. The topic of social support should be a peripheral concern, nowhere near the importance of aptitude, passion, professionalism, and the like. I think you and I will just disagree on where the line is between relevant and inappropriate. For example, if someone made a comment about my attractiveness I would just leave the interview thinking, "sweet she has a crush on me, i'm in for sure".
And when someone comments on mine I generally stop speaking to them. Clearly I wouldn't do that in an interview, but someone having a crush on me is not something I consider to be a good thing, especially if it's someone in a position of power over me.
 
And when someone comments on mine I generally stop speaking to them. Clearly I wouldn't do that in an interview, but someone having a crush on me is not something I consider to be a good thing, especially if it's someone in a position of power over me.

Just when you started being reasonable...:(

My comment was meant come off a little more light hearted. Although I would say that your comment and mine represents a common difference in the way men and women respond to comments related to their physical appearance. And no I'm not being sexist by saying men and women respond differently to certain situation. I hope I didn't just open an even bigger can of worms.
 
Just when you started being reasonable...:(

My comment was meant come off a little more light hearted. Although I would say that your comment and mine represents a common difference in the way men and women respond to comments related to their physical appearance. And no I'm not being sexist by saying men and women respond differently to certain situation. I hope I didn't just open an even bigger can of worms.
No, I know it was meant to be lighthearted. And I wholeheartedly agree that the average female response to comments on attractiveness is different than the average male response.

I'm a bit of an outlier, in that I do not particularly appreciate any favorable comments on my appearance, particularly in a professional context. Most people are more flexible.
It's not that the comments are necessarily inaccurate, or that I disagree with them, but that their choice to comment on that particular aspect typically indicates to me that any other conversation they had with me has a large probability of being BS, or that they weren't listening, or (if there is a clear power imbalance) that they do not recognize the inappropriateness/sketchiness.
 
And when someone comments on mine I generally stop speaking to them. Clearly I wouldn't do that in an interview, but someone having a crush on me is not something I consider to be a good thing, especially if it's someone in a position of power over me.

Yeah, it made me a little uncomfortable. Not so much for myself, but for the other interviewees that weren't attractive. A study was done several years ago that showed attractive individuals fared better than unattractive individuals at job interviews given the same qualifications and performance. I assume the same applies to medical school. Again, it shows that interviews are definitely a subjective process.
 
Yeah, it made me a little uncomfortable. Not so much for myself, but for the other interviewees that weren't attractive. A study was done several years ago that showed attractive individuals fared better than unattractive individuals at job interviews given the same qualifications and performance. I assume the same applies to medical school. Again, it shows that interviews are definitely a subjective process.
...though I will admit that confidence is typically seen as attractive AND a good interview trait.;)
 
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Yeah, it made me a little uncomfortable. Not so much for myself, but for the other interviewees that weren't attractive. A study was done several years ago that showed attractive individuals fared better than unattractive individuals at job interviews given the same qualifications and performance. I assume the same applies to medical school. Again, it shows that interviews are definitely a subjective process.

...though I will admit that confidence is typically seen as attractive AND a good interview trait.;)

Yeah thats a valid point, mehc012. For that study you are referencing PreMed015, it's difficult to separate the difference between the fact that people who are attractive simply having more confidence and thus being perceived as better candidates, or whether their attractiveness is subliminally influencing interviewers. I actually suspect it is a combination of both.
 
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You realize Ron Swanson isn't a role model, right? He's a parody of real-world prejudiced white conservative men. It's fitting that you would idolize someone like that, however.

You cut too deep ;)

In response I shall eat a steak and drink a quality beverage instead of whining like a baby to my lawyer that my tiny feelings are wounded
 
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Yeah thats a valid point, mehc012. For that study you are referencing PreMed015, it's difficult to separate the difference between the fact that people who are attractive simply having more confidence and thus being perceived as better candidates, or whether their attractiveness is subliminally influencing interviewers. I actually suspect it is a combination of both.
Exactly. The common thread in both evaluations (attractiveness and applicant suitability) is respect.
Then again, if it's done via pictures for attractiveness ratings, that may be more reliable.
 
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Goro, out of curiosity what % of interviewees screw up the "what to do if a pt asks you to date them?". Like I can't even think of any answer I could imagine someone saying other than "politely decline" in various forms. What are the failing responses you get to this? Do people really say "call him a sexist pig and refuse to see him anymore" or "tell them OK, but don't tell anyone", "go for a quicky in the breakroom?" I really can't think of anything else a student could conceivably think is a good answer here.
 
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