2015-2016 Johns Hopkins University Application Thread

[p0gono]

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Rejected submitted 12/1

Same and same.

 

[Officer Farva]

I was rejected on Friday. Hard blow as it was my top choice and legacy. Did anyone interview on 11/5? Looks like I'll have to reapply in a few cycles and just want to know what they are looking for, and I met some great candidates on my interview day!

Why would you wait a few cycles? You are smart enough to get an II here, you are definitely smart enough to get in this cycle or the next!

 

[Rachel&Ross5evr]

Why would you wait a few cycles? You are smart enough to get an II here, you are definitely smart enough to get in this cycle or the next!

You're too sweet Farva! This cycle isn't going nearly as well as I had hoped, so I'm taking the opportunity to grow and become a better applicant and hopefully doctor!

 

[shoopshoop]

You're too sweet Farva! This cycle isn't going nearly as well as I had hoped, so I'm taking the opportunity to grow and become a better applicant and hopefully doctor!

can i ask what you think the reason is? a hopkins II seems to be a good indicator of a successful cycle aka at least one acceptance.

 

[hellanutella]

Also accepted!!!! Still in shock -- congrats to everyone else!

From my brief impression during my interview day, I felt like the students were more stressed/seemed to study more than other med schools I visited -- can anyone comment on whether or not this is normal or if I just stayed with some particularly stressed hosts?

I talked to a student who said one of the reasons why he chose Hopkins was the ability to "focus a lot on med school" so I think they study a bit. It IS Hopkins though so you have to bust your butt haha

n = 1 but I think this varies a lot with timing, individuals, and – to a lesser extent – class cohorts. The class runs the whole gamut from those who love to invest a lot of their time in studying (not me) to those who invest a lot of time in not studying (aka: me). I will concede that pre-exam weeks are not the most thrilling, but thankfully SLW is going to be held post-exam so we ought to be in fighting form.

Can only speak for myself, but I get ~8 hours of sleep a night (unless I get ensnared in a new TV show), workout regularly, regularly explore the Bmore food scene, loaf about with friends, and practice my hobbies. I also am heavily involved in a few student orgs, do research remotely, and squander a lot of time online. That said, I only go to required classes which gives me a lot more flexibility.

Med school is tough wherever you go, but MS1 ain't so bad.

Congrats to all those accepted and best wishes to those rejected. Waitlisters hang in there!

 

[nsa13]

Random Friday night near-midnight II?? I'll take it!!!! Scheduled for 2/12! Can anyone comment on the interview day experience / what hotels are good to stay at?

 

[rogernadal]

Random Friday night near-midnight II?? I'll take it!!!! Scheduled for 2/12! Can anyone comment on the interview day experience / what hotels are good to stay at?

Congrats nsa13! I highly recommend staying with a student host if you can. In my opinion, the interview day is more fluid than at other schools. Some of my fellow interviewees had to wait around for a long time because some interviews were very short while others went much longer than they should have... So be prepared for some disorganization not commonly seen during the typical medical school interview day. In addition, there were barely any presentations on anything apart from financial aid. They just try to show you around the school and provide as much time as possible for you to interact with students and faculty. This means that you don't get any organized presentations on their curriculum. For me, I got a LOT of information by chatting with my student host and his friends.

As for the interviews themselves, you have one student and one faculty interview. How these go depends largely on the personality of your interviewer I think. My student interviewer had a notecard of questions he asked and went down the list. The conversation I had with my faculty interviewer was much more natural and free-flowing. We mostly talked about the research I had done and the exciting stuff he does at Johns Hopkins.

While you are waiting for your interview, you are in a room with fellow interviewees and 4th year students. I'm pretty sure I heard from somewhere that your interaction with other people in the room at this time is also factored into your admissions decision, so you should not just relax and not talk to anyone. I felt like I still needed to "compete" with fellow interviewees to ask questions to and carry on a conversation with the 4th year students.

To sum it up, I wasn't a big fan of the structure of their interview day. However, the facilities are world class. And I think what really sets Hopkins apart from other schools is the students. It doesn't take too many conversations with students for you to realize that these people are the creme of the crop. Everyone I talked to during my time there was smart, confident but not cocky, helpful, sociable, and likeable! I attended a non-interview related event later that night with my student host and I still got this impression, so it wasn't just the students that the school chooses to represent their program on interview day.

Anyways... I babble too much! Hope this helps 🙂

 

[nsa13]

Thanks rogernadal! I really appreciate the input. I have to arrive early so I'll probably stay in a hotel and just use Uber. Interesting that they count the down-time as part of the decision... anyways thanks again!

 

[happyhippo1958]

Random Friday night near-midnight II?? I'll take it!!!! Scheduled for 2/12! Can anyone comment on the interview day experience / what hotels are good to stay at?

I second all the above. I would highly recommend staying with a studnet host. It got me in the "conversational" mood and I was very relaxed through the entire interview.

 

[MCPH]

I have scarcely been more astonished in my LIFE to be writing that, according to an email I received on 8:57pm last night, Hopkins has decided to take a wildly long shot on me, and invite me to interview this Thursday! I think I cried a little.

I can't wait to meet any of you I'll have the honor of seeing in just a few short days!

 

[CellPowerhouse]

I have scarcely been more astonished in my LIFE to be writing that, according to an email I received on 8:57pm last night, Hopkins has decided to take a wildly long shot on me, and invite me to interview this Thursday! I think I cried a little.

I can't wait to meet any of you I'll have the honor of seeing in just a few short days!

Congratulations!!! Good to hear they're still sending out invites - I'm local and can come on short notice, Hopkins!

 

[a_borgia]

.

 

[shoopshoop]

Congratulations!!! Good to hear they're still sending out invites - I'm local and can come on short notice, Hopkins!

i'm on the west coast currently and will jump on the next flight available hopkins!!!

 

[avgn]

So apparently I'm dumb and have not been subscribed to this thread, hence no knowledge of when decisions were coming out...on top of that, Outlook sucks and never delivered the email, so I had to go into the portal to see the decision

But I guess I can't complain because I got accepted so yay!

 

[Real_McCoy]

So apparently I'm dumb and have not been subscribed to this thread, hence no knowledge of when decisions were coming out...on top of that, Outlook sucks and never delivered the email, so I had to go into the portal to see the decision

But I guess I can't complain because I got accepted so yay!

Between the fact that back in December you posted in your mdapps that you'd been rejected during that first wave and that "it makes sense because your ECs don't fit with Hopkins" and the fact that now you're saying you missed an acceptance email (and then I suppose the facebook group invite?) even though you shouldn't hear about admissions decisions in February if you interviewed in late January, this just reeks of BS. And it's not like you wouldn't know what the date was for admissions decisions -- they mentioned it many times on the interview day.

I suppose it could also be some elaborate ruse to maintain anonymity, but then you wouldn't have the amount of detail you do in your mdapps. I dunno, mate, it just seems like you're making things up.

I hope I'm wrong because this would just be weird.

Sorry for derailing.

EDIT: after my calling out his supposed notification in Feb after a January interview, he changed his interview attended date from 1/29 to 12/17 on his mdapps. Haha.

 

[ImmunoLove]

Between the fact that back in December you posted in your mdapps that you'd been rejected during that first wave and that "it makes sense because your ECs don't fit with Hopkins" and the fact that now you're saying you missed an acceptance email (and then I suppose the facebook group invite?) even though you shouldn't hear about admissions decisions in February if you interviewed in late January, this just reeks of BS. And it's not like you wouldn't know what the date was for admissions decisions -- they mentioned it many times on the interview day.

I suppose it could also be some elaborate ruse to maintain anonymity, but then you wouldn't have the amount of detail you do in your mdapps. I dunno, mate, it just seems like you're making things up.

I hope I'm wrong because this would just be weird.

Sorry for derailing.

EDIT: after my calling out his supposed notification in Feb after a January interview, he changed his interview attended date from 1/29 to 12/17 on his mdapps. Haha.

I noticed that too...It happens. Oh SDN. I guess it's the pressure. In either case, s/he did well enough this cycle. We shall wish them best of luck in their future endeavors.

 

[breezy16]

Huh, interesting development. Can't factor out desired anonymity, hence why I kept out my IA dates for JHU (too little people per interview section, small class overall, too)

 

[Real_McCoy]

Huh, interesting development. Can't factor out desired anonymity, hence why I kept out my IA dates for JHU (too little people per interview section, small class overall, too)

It'd be one thing if it were just fudged dates. The fact that he updated his portal to reflect rejection on the day most rejections went out, only to change it to an II, COMBINED with the bizarre claim that his acceptance email got lost and somehow didn't remember the date of decisions (we're talking about someone who is on SDN a lot, here, and surely would have noticed all the flurry of activity the other day when acceptances came out) is what really sells it as implausible.

Maybe after realizing there's no way he's anonymous on here, he just wants to tell people at whatever med school he goes to that he turned down Hopkins. Who knows.

 

[esabs15]

....

 

[avgn]

Between the fact that back in December you posted in your mdapps that you'd been rejected during that first wave and that "it makes sense because your ECs don't fit with Hopkins" and the fact that now you're saying you missed an acceptance email (and then I suppose the facebook group invite?) even though you shouldn't hear about admissions decisions in February if you interviewed in late January, this just reeks of BS. And it's not like you wouldn't know what the date was for admissions decisions -- they mentioned it many times on the interview day.

I suppose it could also be some elaborate ruse to maintain anonymity, but then you wouldn't have the amount of detail you do in your mdapps. I dunno, mate, it just seems like you're making things up.

I hope I'm wrong because this would just be weird.

Sorry for derailing.

EDIT: after my calling out his supposed notification in Feb after a January interview, he changed his interview attended date from 1/29 to 12/17 on his mdapps. Haha.

😉 I guess we will never know, huh. (Also I changed MDApps before I made my post but you have good memory, bravo). I do have concerns about anonymity precisely because of the detail I want to offer to the MDApps site to be helpful

Hope to see some of you at second look!

 

[kbird]

😉

 

[rogernadal]

.

 

[rogernadal]

I entirely agree with your review here @rogernadal, and I think future interviewees are best advised to take heed . In fact, as I was reflecting on some of the reasons that might have "done me in," I wondered whether I might have been perceived as "too quiet" in that holding tank. Just like you, I also felt like I had to "compete" with the other kids not only then, but even during the tour! Some of them were even recycling questions! lol. This all felt sort of disingenuous and smacked of "gunnerishness" (is that even a word?)...then again may be it was just the lot that was interviewing that day, but at any rate the vast majority didn't strike me as folks i'd have wanted for classmates.

Well... to be honest, I am just not a big fan of the entire med school interview process, so I can't say that I was particularly dissatisfied with Hopkins. I also felt like I met a couple fellow interviewees that I would not want as classmates (especially the girl that dominated every conversation and the older guy that cracked jokes every chance he got) but I've had the same experience at any other school I've been to. However, Hopkins must do a great job of weeding those people out because among the current students I talked to, none of them were the kind of person that I would not want to go to school with. And hey, maybe Hopkins feels that the current interview day format is the best method for them to figure out who is too introverted or too outgoing for their school. You never know 😉 Personally, I would be happy to go to Hopkins. Seems like a great school filled with even more awesome people. For me, it just comes down to whether or not I could afford to go there if I was lucky enough to be accepted.

 

[rogernadal]

I entirely agree with your review here @rogernadal, and I think future interviewees are best advised to take heed . In fact, as I was reflecting on some of the reasons that might have "done me in," I wondered whether I might have been perceived as "too quiet" in that holding tank. Just like you, I also felt like I had to "compete" with the other kids not only then, but even during the tour! Some of them were even recycling questions! lol. This all felt sort of disingenuous and smacked of "gunnerishness" (is that even a word?)...then again may be it was just the lot that was interviewing that day, but at any rate the vast majority didn't strike me as folks i'd have wanted for classmates.

Just a quick question: is anonymity really that great of a deal here? From my scores, grades, and interview dates on MDapps, schools could easily figure out my identity, but I didn't really think it was going to be a problem... I don't think schools would have the time to scour studentdoctor.net with the goal of figuring out our identities and what other schools we've interviewed at or been accepted to. That just seems silly to me haha. But anyone know something I don't know?

 

[Buttered Toast]

Interviewing here soon. What makes Hopkins stand out amongst its peer institutions? Caring for the underserved? Future leaders in academic medicine? Great clinical training?

Thanks!

 

[avgn]

Just a quick question: is anonymity really that great of a deal here? From my scores, grades, and interview dates on MDapps, schools could easily figure out my identity, but I didn't really think it was going to be a problem... I don't think schools would have the time to scour studentdoctor.net with the goal of figuring out our identities and what other schools we've interviewed at or been accepted to. That just seems silly to me haha. But anyone know something I don't know?

For me, it's not about the schools. No way they have the time. But people IRL, other premeds/friends who I know for sure are on this site? Those of us who want to be helpful by giving a complete portrait of our apps so others can have them as a reference don't want people we might know snooping around our SDN persona. Is it overblown? Yeah, duh. But what else about this process isn't?

 

[breezy16]

Interviewing here soon. What makes Hopkins stand out amongst its peer institutions? Caring for the underserved? Future leaders in academic medicine? Great clinical training?

Thanks!

Dude, seriously? Their website (look beyond the MD application site stuff and into their medicine and web articles) is a freaking gold mine. As a tip, they very heavily market patient focused care (not disease central) and serving all regardless of their upbringing. (Think of Hopkins in general; very poor neighborhood with heavy drug presence VS. those who fly in for top notch treatment.)

For me, it's not about the schools. No way they have the time. But people IRL, other premeds/friends who I know for sure are on this site? Those of us who want to be helpful by giving a complete portrait of our apps so others can have them as a reference don't want people we might know snooping around our SDN persona. Is it overblown? Yeah, duh. But what else about this process isn't?

Agreed; it's about future peers and current peers. I'm sure my best friends could look @ my MDApps and be like, yo that's breezy, but anyone else? No.

I made an MDApps to show my journey as someone without a 35+ mcat, but w/ great grades and unique exps. VS. the 4.0 40's you'll commonly see on MDapps. It's to aid those after me and to encourage.

Perhaps I'll see @avgn at SLW and let ya'll know, if you're that concerned 😉

 

[avgn]

Agreed; it's about future peers and current peers. I'm sure my best friends could look @ my MDApps and be like, yo that's breezy, but anyone else? No.

I made an MDApps to show my journey as someone without a 35+ mcat, but w/ great grades and unique exps. VS. the 4.0 40's you'll commonly see on MDapps. It's to aid those after me and to encourage.

Perhaps I'll see @avgn at SLW and let ya'll know, if you're that concerned 😉

I wasn't sure whether to be offended yesterday because the veracity of my posts on an anonymous Internet premedical forum was being challenged (ohh-h-h-h the horror!!) or flattered that I have such devoted fangirls who follow my MDApps with such consistency and dedication

 

[questionsquestions]

And so it was reading tit for tats on SDN like this one that initially destroyed my perception that all doctors are intelligent, quality people. 👎

 

[Rachel&Ross5evr]

Well this thread escalated quickly.

 

[justadream]

I entirely agree with your review here @rogernadal, and I think future interviewees are best advised to take heed . In fact, as I was reflecting on some of the reasons that might have "done me in," I wondered whether I might have been perceived as "too quiet" in that holding tank. Just like you, I also felt like I had to "compete" with the other kids not only then, but even during the tour! Some of them were even recycling questions! lol. This all felt sort of disingenuous and smacked of "gunnerishness" (is that even a word?)...then again may be it was just the lot that was interviewing that day, but at any rate the vast majority didn't strike me as folks i'd have wanted for classmates.

***Warning: rant starts below***

I agree completely. Hopkins' fishbowl activity (for all intents and purposes, a poorly executed group interview) is a complete joke.

You can't even ask the students real questions (isn't that the entire point of talking to students?) because you are being evaluated by them (which let's be honest, is completely subjective*).

Actually to think about it, you don't even know what to talk/ask about.

If you ask too many questions related to medical school ==> gunner and/or completely unprepared
If you ask a single probing question ==> has concerns about Hopkins
If you talk too little in this completely artificial environment ==> asocial, terrible social skills
If you talk too much in this completely artificial environment ==> terrible listener, arrogant, conceited

They should just get over themselves and call it a third interview. Pretending that this fishbowl is anything other than that is deceiving.


*What makes it even worse is that the fishbowl can deviate between two non-ideal states:

State 1: Group State - everyone in the room talks in one large conversation.
Pros: Everyone can easily see who is talking but you better hope the conversation topic is to your liking
Cons: One person (or a few people) can dominate the conversation. Even if you want to say something, it might be hard to butt in. If the topic is something you cannot contribute to, you better hope the topic changes quickly (or you need to artfully change it gradually) or else you will be considered asocial.

State 2: Dissociated State - people gather around in pods of 2-3 (1 medical student, 1-2 applicants).
Pros: Can talk more and can somewhat steer conversation
Cons: You don't talk to all the other medical students so unless the person you talk to goes to bat for you, you will make no impression on anyone else (and be labeled asocial).

In both states: You are incentivized to ask only softball questions (aren't the research opps limitless?, isn't baltimore the greatest city in the world but just get's a bad rep?, isn't the food in baltimore the best in the world?) and hear the same tired cliches over and over (omg yes great research opps, omg yes baltimore is the best city ever and people just don't realize it, omg yes best food scene in the entire world). At this point, you feign great surprise at hearing about how surprisingly excellent Hopkins is and you put on a face of one who wonders: how can a school just be so perfect?


tl;dr: Fishbowl is a group interview that does not evaluate social skills (or anything) particularly well.

/end rant

 

[hellanutella]

***Warning: rant starts below***

I agree completely. Hopkins' fishbowl activity (for all intents and purposes, a poorly executed group interview) is a complete joke.

You can't even ask the students real questions (isn't that the entire point of talking to students?) because you are being evaluated by them (which let's be honest, is completely subjective*).

Actually to think about it, you don't even know what to talk/ask about.

If you ask too many questions related to medical school ==> gunner and/or completely unprepared
If you ask a single probing question ==> has concerns about Hopkins
If you talk too little in this completely artificial environment ==> asocial, terrible social skills
If you talk too much in this completely artificial environment ==> terrible listener, arrogant, conceited

They should just get over themselves and call it a third interview. Pretending that this fishbowl is anything other than that is deceiving.


*What makes it even worse is that the fishbowl can deviate between two non-ideal states:

State 1: Group State - everyone in the room talks in one large conversation.
Pros: Everyone can easily see who is talking but you better hope the conversation topic is to your liking
Cons: One person (or a few people) can dominate the conversation. Even if you want to say something, it might be hard to butt in. If the topic is something you cannot contribute to, you better hope the topic changes quickly (or you need to artfully change it gradually) or else you will be considered asocial.

State 2: Dissociated State - people gather around in pods of 2-3 (1 medical student, 1-2 applicants).
Pros: Can talk more and can somewhat steer conversation
Cons: You don't talk to all the other medical students so unless the person you talk to goes to bat for you, you will make no impression on anyone else (and be labeled asocial).

In both states: You are incentivized to ask only softball questions (aren't the research opps limitless?, isn't baltimore the greatest city in the world but just get's a bad rep?, isn't the food in baltimore the best in the world?) and hear the same tired cliches over and over (omg yes great research opps, omg yes baltimore is the best city ever and people just don't realize it, omg yes best food scene in the entire world). At this point, you feign great surprise at hearing about how surprisingly excellent Hopkins is and you put on a face of one who wonders: how can a school just be so perfect?


tl;dr: Fishbowl is a group interview that does not evaluate social skills (or anything) particularly well.

/end rant

I can't claim to have any intimate knowledge of the fishbowl process, but if anyone is going into the fishbowl interview my one piece of advice would be to relax. (I know that's easier said than done).

I was sick, anxious, and exhausted during my interview day so when I got to the fishbowl I just wanted to melt into the couch and stuff my face with the little Pepperidge farm cookies they supply – and that's just what I did. Honestly, I didn't ask any questions during that time. I literally ate eight or nine Chessman cookies and politely listened to my fellow interviewees questioning the MS4s. The one other person at my interview who got in along with me also took a more passive stance. This is strictly anecdotal, but I think the fishbowl may be a negative selection process, filtering out those who are either too aggressive or cold.

At this point in the game, there's not much else to it. You can't really prepare for these kinds of things – just be friendly, be polite, and enjoy the day. You're going to meet tons of cool folks, be they interviewees, current students, staff, or faculty. Maybe you'll make some new friends! (I did!) And do not feel compelled to ask questions just for the sake of asking questions!

Any if anyone has any "probing" questions they don't feel comfortable asking in an interview just ping me or post it to the thread. I do not speak for the university or my class as a whole, but when I interviewed my MS4 interviewer was a phenomenal resource and encouraged me to ask them anything and everything – especially the tough questions.

 

[TickTockxx]

I don't know why everyone is making such a big deal with the fishbowl! Ask the questions you are really interested in politely, and don't say unnecessary things just to make noise. I was very forthright with the fourth years and asked them things like whether or not the undergrads reputation (cutthroat and very competitive) is representative of the medical school's culture. I expressed my concerns about the school very openly because this is your time to scope out the school. ask the hard questions!!!! Fourth years are THE most useful people to you at this point. I got accepted and I didn't talk the whole time (in fact I was chilling and eating cookies for a lot of the time)

It's really not that big of a deal, just ask them about the school and their experience and try to think of it as a conversation with any other student. Plus half the time they didn't know anybody's name (interviewees are coming and going constantly for interviews so it's hard to keep track). If you're not a huge arrogant buzzer then the fishbowl is a nonfactor

( n = 1 )

 

[esabs15]

....

 

[avgn]

**Warning, candid rant below:

Perhaps in my case, as I mentioned, it might have been the lot that I was interviewing with. But just to illustrate, these were folks whose, for the most part, standard greeting was “hey, did we meet at the Columbia interview?” or alternatively “I can’t remember whether we met at Chicago or Yale.” Another girl was regaling us with tales of her boyfriend’s current experiences at Harvard Med, and another couldn’t wait to get to the Harvard-Yale game that weekend. What I found even more bizarre is that this kind of talk is implicitly encouraged by the school itself: in my sendoff, my faculty interviewer encouraged me to “hang around and listen to other students’ experiences to get a sense of other places as well.” In hindsight, perhaps that was a subtle hint that my goose was already cooked and I was headed for the rejection pile, lol. She barely cracked a smile during the entire interview, kept staring at her watch, and was uncongenial from the get go! (that’s another story, lol).

At any rate, I digress. This elitist air seemed to permeate throughout. In fact, when I spoke to current students who had attended state schools, they ALL introduced their schools as “I went to a school which you’ve probably never heard of…..” think U. of. Minnesota, U. of. Maryland, U. of Georgia, etc. They relayed their alma maters with a subtle tone that betrayed a subliminal embarrassment. To me that was quite telling of the place, and not in a positive way.

Anyway, back to the fish bowl. Topics of this nature dominated at times (folks telling animated stories of nearly missing their cabs at the Harvard med interview); outright dissing the Baylor interview as “unstructured and disorganized.” At any rate, these were topics I didn’t feel the need to contribute to and generally, in my disposition, I never try to compete or talk over others. So, I chose to stay true to my authentic self and listen/watch in amusement. It was all quite telling, really.

If you think the perceived prevailing elitist air or sense of privilege is different at any other private top school on the east coast, you're gonna be in for a bad time. People like to talk about themselves and those they know. They're not stuffing their pedigree in your face. They're just talking about the world they know, and once you're used to being around people like that you will find yourself mentioning these things on a more frequent basis as well.

 

[breezy16]

**Warning, candid rant below:

Perhaps in my case, as I mentioned, it might have been the lot that I was interviewing with. But just to illustrate, these were folks whose, for the most part, standard greeting was “hey, did we meet at the Columbia interview?” or alternatively “I can’t remember whether we met at Chicago or Yale.” Another girl was regaling us with tales of her boyfriend’s current experiences at Harvard Med, and another couldn’t wait to get to the Harvard-Yale game that weekend. What I found even more bizarre is that this kind of talk is implicitly encouraged by the school itself: in my sendoff, my faculty interviewer encouraged me to “hang around and listen to other students’ experiences to get a sense of other places as well.” In hindsight, perhaps that was a subtle hint that my goose was already cooked and I was headed for the rejection pile, lol. She barely cracked a smile during the entire interview, kept staring at her watch, and was uncongenial from the get go! (that’s another story, lol).

At any rate, I digress. This elitist air seemed to permeate throughout. In fact, when I spoke to current students who had attended state schools, they ALL introduced their schools as “I went to a school which you’ve probably never heard of…..” think U. of. Minnesota, U. of. Maryland, U. of Georgia, etc. They relayed their alma maters with a subtle tone that betrayed a subliminal embarrassment. To me that was quite telling of the place, and not in a positive way.

Anyway, back to the fish bowl. Topics of this nature dominated at times (folks telling animated stories of nearly missing their cabs at the Harvard med interview); outright dissing the Baylor interview as “unstructured and disorganized.” At any rate, these were topics I didn’t feel the need to contribute to and generally, in my disposition, I never try to compete or talk over others. So, I chose to stay true to my authentic self and listen/watch in amusement. It was all quite telling, really.

My interview class was pretty diverse; a few state school kids (upper tiered / higher ranked state schools), ivies, and a bunch from JHU. I did not get any elitist attitudes. I felt under-pedigreed at some points when they were talking about their accomplishments/research, but can be seen anywhere. Then I look back and those who were super gunner the entire time and talked themselves up and are not in our FB page at this current time. People cling to whats comfortable, I can't fault them in that and while those convos may have seemed "elitist," it doesn't mean they have a greater chance of getting in than you.

There's a reason why we all got into those interviews, not everything is about how prestigious of a pedigree you have (while it helps), but what you have to offer beyond that, as well.

 

[esabs15]

.......

 

[avgn]

In this particular case it was quite extreme, and not like the other top schools i've interviewed at. And like I mentioned, even the current students who had attended state schools (about n =~6) relayed that info with a subliminal embarrassment; one would think that by this point they ought to have been fully assimilated and integrated, but alas! Like seriously, why would someone seem embarrassed to have attended the University of Maryland? To me it smoked of a systemic issue.

I interviewed at Stanford as well, and did not get that vibe at all. You would never have known where anyone had gone unless they told you themselves. In fact, during the presentations, one of their associate deans told us how he attended some no-name undergrad in Scranton, PA before coming to Stanford. There was just a general modesty and most of the topics of discussion were around broader issues like politics, health care, etc.

How was JHU any different then? Anywhere you go, you'd obviously not have known where anyone had gone unless they told you themselves. My point is that you just so happened to land with people who are more outspoken about themselves; that doesn't make them elitist. That you met a couple of people who weren't sure if people had heard of state schools doesn't mean the school rallies against them like some old boys' club. I have met people who really just have not heard of UMN-Twin Cities because...duh, they don't know anyone who goes there. It does not occur to them that people attend state flagship schools in the Midwest, much less to have heard of many local non-flagship campus names. Just like how someone at UN-Omaha may not know what Brown is. If you mess around at top schools such as JHU, you will find hoards of people like this. They are nice people. They are outspoken and social people. They will talk about things that are foreign to you, much as you will inevitably talk about things that are foreign to them. That's just how it is, no offense or ostracizing meant by either side.

People at top schools commit many unseemly things that can and should be branded elitist. (Speaking as a fortunate product of that elite system.) This is just not one of those instances.

 

[ImmunoLove]

How's this any different? Anywhere you go, you'd obviously not have known where anyone had gone unless they told you themselves. My point is you just so happened to land with people who are more outspoken about themselves; that doesn't make them elitist. That you met a couple of people who weren't sure if people had heard of state schools doesn't mean the school rallies against them like some old boys' club. I have met people who really just have not heard of UMN-Twin Cities because...duh, they don't know anyone who goes there. It does not occur to them that people attend state flagship schools in the Midwest, much less to have heard of many local non-flagship campus names. Just like how someone at UN-Omaha may not know what Brown is. If you mess around at top schools such as JHU, you will find hoards of people like this. They are nice people. They are outspoken and social people. They will talk about things that are foreign to you, much as you will inevitably talk about things that are foreign to them. That's just how it is, no offense or ostracizing meant by either side.

Name tags, group introduction where you're asked to state your alma mater, or speaking so loudly with an interlocutor by which one announces to the entire group one's pedigree....to name a few (other ways in which this information is transmitted indirectly).

And, as a person who interviewed exclusively at top 20s, and who works in two top 5s, there seems to be a greater divide (as in, more extreme relative to other institutions) among people who attend/interview at these institutions; those who are confident (and don't intend to insult, aren't aware, or are acutely aware and humble), and those who are self-conscious (and think you'll be impressed by their pedigree. These guys are just cute, now run along and let the big boys talk).

tl;dr: Douches are everywhere, and some places attract them more than others.

 

[esabs15]

...

 

[panda16]

At any rate, I digress. This elitist air seemed to permeate throughout. In fact, when I spoke to current students who had attended state schools, they ALL introduced their schools as “I went to a school which you’ve probably never heard of…..” think U. of. Minnesota, U. of. Maryland, U. of Georgia, etc. They relayed their alma maters with a subtle tone that betrayed a subliminal embarrassment. To me that was quite telling of the place, and not in a positive way.

For what it's worth, my interview day had the most diverse set of undergrad institutions of any place I interviewed this cycle. A good number of people from state schools, a great number from SLAC's in like MN and other states.

 

[TickTockxx]

Again, as I mentioned these are just the random musings from my own experiences and there's the caveat of n = 1. At any rate, I should mention that someone PM'ed to share that he/she made the same observations. I've encouraged her to share her experiences here as I think it just benefits folks to hear all sides.

I should stress that there's nothing wrong with folks sharing their experiences, but I think the particular issue here is when it comes to the fishbowl on which applicants are also judged. I suspect in some settings genuine applicants might be labeled as "shy" or too "quiet" or "not a fit" simply because they do not contribute to such topics in the fishbowl.

Additionally, to the last point about people not knowing about UMN, for example, that's ok as well. But there are modest and respectful ways to convey that ignorance. I should mention that this whole issue, in my mind, reminds me of Marie Antoinette's other-worldliness in the French revolution ("If they're hungry, then why can't they eat cake?")

Present. I will say that I had multiple people in my group that insisted on continually speaking about themselves (one even going so far as to sing for the entire group on several occasions-- what the actual #@(#U*$??!). The fishbowl was mostly dominated by these people, but, with that said, I avoided them and was able to have quality conversations with some of the fourth years who also seemed to be avoiding those applicants. JH was not the only school at which I felt arrogant, self-indulgent interviewees made me question my fit at the institution itself, but I have come to realize that the top 20s can attract personalities with inflated egos and no matter where I end up, I will probably be interacting with a few. The fishbowl has the potential to turn into a huge circle jerk, but I am happy it exists because (hopefully) the over the top candidates can get weeded out.

edit: oh yeah, just remembered one applicant came back after his interview and told a couple of us that the faculty member had told him that he's already pretty much accepted, as long as his student interview goes okay. some people just have no sense 👎

 

[esabs15]

.

 

[panda16]

Present. I will say that I had multiple people in my group that insisted on continually speaking about themselves (one even going so far as to sing for the entire group on several occasions-- what the actual #@(#U*$??!). The fishbowl was mostly dominated by these people, but, with that said, I avoided them and was able to have quality conversations with some of the fourth years who also seemed to be avoiding those applicants. JH was not the only school at which I felt arrogant, self-indulgent interviewees made me question my fit at the institution itself, but I have come to realize that the top 20s can attract personalities with inflated egos and no matter where I end up, I will probably be interacting with a few. The fishbowl has the potential to turn into a huge circle jerk, but I am happy it exists because (hopefully) the over the top candidates can get weeded out.

edit: oh yeah, just remembered one applicant came back after his interview and told a couple of us that the faculty member had told him that he's already pretty much accepted, as long as his student interview goes okay. some people just have no sense 👎

It is instances like this that make me thankful for the fishbowl, then, because it seems to be a protective mechanism that prevents those people from being accepted. The current students I interfaced with seemed to be very down to earth and nice (and I know they're screened by admissions, too, so it can't mean THAT much) but some of the people from my interview day who got accepted were people who I would LOVE to go to med school at Hopkins with, i.e. the more down to Earth people who aren't as attention-seeking or ego-stoking.

 

[avgn]

edit: oh yeah, just remembered one applicant came back after his interview and told a couple of us that the faculty member had told him that he's already pretty much accepted, as long as his student interview goes okay. some people just have no sense 👎

This stuff happens behind the scenes, more often than we'd like to believe

 

[TickTockxx]

This stuff happens behind the scenes, more often than we'd like to believe

I have no doubt, recruiting happens all the time, and I have firsthand experienced it at some of my interviews. But there is absolutely no reason to come back after an interview, look a fellow applicant in the eye, and share that news right before they are about to go to their interviews. very tactless

 

[esabs15]

...

 

[avgn]

I have no doubt, recruiting happens all the time, and I have firsthand experienced it at some of my interviews. But there is absolutely no reason to come back after an interview, look a fellow applicant in the eye, and share that news right before they are about to go to their interviews. very tactless

I really want to, one day, say to the girlfriends of some of my friends, "Honey, you don't have to bother trying so hard rubbing his junk. Just rub his ego every day and he'll get off all the same, if not better."

 

[Officer Farva]

**Warning, candid rant below:

Perhaps in my case, as I mentioned, it might have been the lot that I was interviewing with. But just to illustrate, these were folks whose, for the most part, standard greeting was “hey, did we meet at the Columbia interview?” or alternatively “I can’t remember whether we met at Chicago or Yale.” Another girl was regaling us with tales of her boyfriend’s current experiences at Harvard Med, and another couldn’t wait to get to the Harvard-Yale game that weekend. What I found even more bizarre is that this kind of talk is implicitly encouraged by the school itself: in my sendoff, my faculty interviewer encouraged me to “hang around and listen to other students’ experiences to get a sense of other places as well.” In hindsight, perhaps that was a subtle hint that my goose was already cooked and I was headed for the rejection pile, lol. She barely cracked a smile during the entire interview, kept staring at her watch, and was uncongenial from the get go! (that’s another story, lol).

At any rate, I digress. This elitist air seemed to permeate throughout. In fact, when I spoke to current students who had attended state schools, they ALL introduced their schools as “I went to a school which you’ve probably never heard of…..” think U. of. Minnesota, U. of. Maryland, U. of Georgia, etc. They relayed their alma maters with a subtle tone that betrayed a subliminal embarrassment. To me that was quite telling of the place, and not in a positive way.

Anyway, back to the fish bowl. Topics of this nature dominated at times (folks telling animated stories of nearly missing their cabs at the Harvard med interview); outright dissing the Baylor interview as “unstructured and disorganized.” At any rate, these were topics I didn’t feel the need to contribute to and generally, in my disposition, I never try to compete or talk over others. So, I chose to stay true to my authentic self and listen/watch in amusement. It was all quite telling, really.

I have interviewed at a few top schools (not JHU), and more or less that has been my experience with each group. For example, some random coming up to me asking where he knew me from, and sounding off names of top tier places where he interviewed like Harvard, Yale, etc. At each group, there are always that group of people who will initiate their conversation to you about their unique special snowflake EC. Like, hi I was in the Backstreet Boys back in the 90s. Or my research is at the intersection of musical composition and neuroscience.

Also, what is the fish bowl?? Does JHU make their interviewees swim in a suit and tie as a test of endurance?

 

[esabs15]

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