AdComs of SDN, has there been any occurrence where an applicant was picked over another because of a "better" profile pic?

[ayjaystudent]

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If, so what made it better? And Let's exclude the low hanging fruits, like clubbing photos or photos that clearly shoot themselves in the foot.

 

[Katniss Everdeen]

I was at Starbucks working on a secondary that required a photo. I only had my iPad with me, and didn't haven any professional photos of me on there, so.....I took a selfie and submitted it. I wasn't wearing anything unprofessional, but it was definitely obvious the photo was taken at a Starbucks. I did get an interview, but was waitlisted and eventually withdrew. Interestingly, I didn't get any interviews from schools where I submitted a professional photo.

 

[dr_kateb]

They’ll never admit it but everyone likes people with pretty faces.

 

[Goro]

If, so what made it better? And Let's exclude the low hanging fruits, like clubbing photos or photos that clearly shoot themselves in the foot.

Really, get off of SDN now.

 

[Bonne Nuit]

If, so what made it better? And Let's exclude the low hanging fruits, like clubbing photos or photos that clearly shoot themselves in the foot.

In my former line of work, I was on the "other side" of an application process where people often included headshots or CVs with pictures of themselves.

The "best" photo is a blandly professional photo. You need to look clean, well-kept, and wear a collared shirt. If your teeth are stained, broken, or missing you may consider smiling with a closed mouth. That's it.

Once you review a thousand headshots, people start to just look like people. Very few of us are extremely beautiful or extremely unattractive, although a lot of people like to pretend they're in one of these two categories. Most of us are just average, run-of-the-mill, normal looking people.

In my time in this job, I saw exactly one very beautiful person (he looked like an actual movie star, I could barely believe he was real) and one very unfortunate-looking person (bad teeth and a bad facial scar). Didn't matter, both made it past my round of the application process.

 

[PA_dud3]

Really, get off of SDN now.

Goro auto-admits people with cats in the background, he just doesn't want to admit it 😀

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

People won't admit it usually but looks def matter

 

[LizzyM]

There have been a few cases of applicants who the interviewers reported to be dour and humorless. In a few cases, we'd pull up the photo submitted by the applicant and if they looked dour and humorless, they'd end up deep on the waitlist.

 

[Tenk]

Contrary to popular belief, adcoms actually offer interviews or rejections based solely on profiles pictures by swiping right or left like Tinder.

 

[Alexander Brosef]

Contrary to popular belief

I always thought this was the only thing that mattered and the rest was just a weed-out process for the weak.

 

[pewpew95]

During orientation for M1, the dean at my school specifically stated they didn't accept anyone who applied with unprofessional photos (i.e. shirtless or holding alcohol).

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

During orientation for M1, the dean at my school specifically stated they didn't accept anyone who applied with unprofessional photos (i.e. shirtless or holding alcohol).

You would have to be an idiot to even submit a shirtless photo or holding a PBR

 

[pewpew95]

You would have to be an idiot to even submit a shirtless photo or holding a PBR

Well, there was at least two or three applicants who did that for our school...

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Well, there was at least two or three applicants who did that for our school...

It's strange, I would occasionally see people submit photos where they were dressed very nicely but holding alcohol (e.g., at a wedding, carrying a glass of champagne). I could never figure out that particular lapse in judgment. No, the type of alcohol you're drinking doesn't make it better.

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

Well, there was at least two or three applicants who did that for our school...

Outrageous but since it makes one less person to compete against I'm not really that outraged...

 

[and 99 others]

Why outrageous? People are applying for a highly professional position and are expected to submit photos in professional attire. In this day and age when everyone has a device that can take great pictures, you cant spend 5 minutes to put on a shirt and tie and ask a friend, your parent, almost any stranger on the street, to take a pic and send it to you? Is this an indication of just how serious you taking this process? I would reject

I think he meant it is outrageous that someone would do something so unprofessional and poorly thought-out as to post a picture of themselves poorly dressed or holding a drink!

 

[JoaoMoutinho]

Why outrageous? People are applying for a highly professional position and are expected to submit photos in professional attire. In this day and age when everyone has a device that can take great pictures, you cant spend 5 minutes to put on a shirt and tie and ask a friend, your parent, almost any stranger on the street, to take a pic and send it to you? Is this an indication of just how serious you taking this process? I would reject

Notice that he said just a shirt and tie, not even pants. I may or may not have done that before.... (Just not for my medical school pic)

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

Why outrageous? People are applying for a highly professional position and are expected to submit photos in professional attire. In this day and age when everyone has a device that can take great pictures, you cant spend 5 minutes to put on a shirt and tie and ask a friend, your parent, almost any stranger on the street, to take a pic and send it to you? Is this an indication of just how serious you taking this process? I would reject

I think he meant it is outrageous that someone would do something so unprofessional and poorly thought-out as to post a picture of themselves poorly dressed or holding a drink!

Exactly ^

Notice that he said just a shirt and tie, not even pants. I may or may not have done that before.... (Just not for my medical school pic)

This reminds me of a scene in Pursuit of Happyness

 

[LongLiveThanos]

When I see a secondary picture of a shirtless student as buff as Arnold Schwarzenegger, my mind says reject. But when I see his 4.0/528, my heart says accept.

 

[theKingLT]

This reminds me of a scene in Pursuit of Happyness

Well if I were an Adcom, I would accept Will Smith no matter what he was wearing (or not wearing)

 

[peregrino]

But having a beautiful appearance may help in getting a residency.
From Duke Health, June 4, 2019:
“Obese, Unattractive Students ... Less Likely to Land Med School Residencies”

“ ... The results showed that the physical appearances of applicants in their photographs was more important in admission decisions than were traditional medical school performance measures such as the candidates’ grades, class rank, and honor society memberships.”


https://corporate.dukehealth.org/n...s-are-less-likely-land-med-school-residencies

Last year I saw a posting on a job website, in which an eye clinic was soliciting a premed student for an internship. The requirements and qualifications for the job included a headshot photo because, as the ad stated, “ candidates must be youthful and photogenic.”

 

[Lucca]

Any bias like this is going to be implicit. Not something that people are going to be consciously doing unless there’s something glaringly unprofessional about the photo u submit

 

[gyngyn]

My new favorite is the one with the word "SAMPLE" plastered diagonally across a graduation photo. Classy.

 

[Lucca]

My new favorite is the one with the word "SAMPLE" plastered diagonally across a graduation photo. Classy.

If you want the real deal gotta give them the interview

 

[Goro]

My new favorite is the one with the word "SAMPLE" plastered diagonally across a graduation photo. Classy.