Any advice for interviewing at reach schools?

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I got an II at a school that is a reach both stat and EC wise for me. On top of it, the school has a low post-II acceptance rate. I can't help shake the feeling that I really have no chance at this school unless I perform an outstanding interview and it's making me even more nervous.
 
kintaro said:
I got an II at a school that is a reach both stat and EC wise for me. On top of it, the school has a low post-II acceptance rate. I can't help shake the feeling that I really have no chance at this school unless I perform an outstanding interview and it's making me even more nervous.
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All med schools have low II post-accept rates, except for state schools o mission driven ones.

Just be yourself. It's a date, period, not one with Salma Hayek or Brad Pitt.

And read this:
 
Something in your application piqued enough interest to get you this II. You would not have been offered an II if you had no shot at an acceptance. Stats and ECs are important, but they aren't the only things that matter in an application (something that high-stats applicants sometimes forget). Good luck
 
The truth is (atleast IMO) that as long as you are not weird and are somewhat socially adept, your decision will come down to how good your app is. Some examples I have seen thus far at interviews which I would consider not socially adept/no common sense

1) wearing a tie that is way way too long
2) wearing a red tie
3) wearing a silver gun metal tie on a dark blue shirt
4) Taking an overnight cross country flight the day of the interview
5) Being a jokester to every person you meet
6) not knowing when it is and when it is not appropriate to take out your phone (Hint: on the tour, taking out your phone to check the time is fine not so much in the interview room).
 
spuding102 said:
The truth is (atleast IMO) that as long as you are not weird and are somewhat socially adept, your decision will come down to how good your app is. Some examples I have seen thus far at interviews which I would consider not socially adept/no common sense

1) wearing a tie that is way way too long
2) wearing a red tie
3) wearing a silver gun metal tie on a dark blue shirt
4) Taking an overnight cross country flight the day of the interview
5) Being a jokester to every person you meet
6) not knowing when it is and when it is not appropriate to take out your phone (Hint: on the tour, taking out your phone to check the time is fine not so much in the interview room).
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What's wrong with a red tie? And is a maroon one fine?
 
spuding102 said:
The truth is (atleast IMO) that as long as you are not weird and are somewhat socially adept, your decision will come down to how good your app is. Some examples I have seen thus far at interviews which I would consider not socially adept/no common sense

1) wearing a tie that is way way too long
2) wearing a red tie
3) wearing a silver gun metal tie on a dark blue shirt
4) Taking an overnight cross country flight the day of the interview
5) Being a jokester to every person you meet
6) not knowing when it is and when it is not appropriate to take out your phone (Hint: on the tour, taking out your phone to check the time is fine not so much in the interview room).
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Lol, agree with 5 and 6. Not sure the rest of them will make a difference though.
 
kintaro said:
What's wrong with a red tie? And is a maroon one fine?
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Do not wear a red tie. You are not the president. Wearing a red tie is a "power move". The interview is not the place for it. Maroon might be OK but er on the side of caution. You can never go wrong with a blue tie.

Other things I have noticed

1) Tie knots that look horrendous (as in not done correctly and/or not flush with the top of the shirt). Don't let your interview day be the first time you put on a tie. IMO this is very important. You can usually tell the adults from the children in the room just by looking at their tie.

2) For women, do not wear a deep V cut shirt. The clothes should not be revealing.

Conservative, professional dress with a normal tie knot and color, normal well fitting suit, and overall put together appearance will make you stand out over half of the other interviewees.
 
kintaro said:
What's wrong with a red tie? And is a maroon one fine?
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From my understanding, a red tie is like a "power" tie. Like, subtly expressing your dominance in the business world. Honestly don't think this matters AT ALL for med school, but maroon is fine. Just not bright, vibrant red
 
kintaro said:
I got an II at a school that is a reach both stat and EC wise for me. On top of it, the school has a low post-II acceptance rate. I can't help shake the feeling that I really have no chance at this school unless I perform an outstanding interview and it's making me even more nervous.
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I'm going to echo what @Goro said---

BE YOURSELF (I.E., THE PERSON YOU DESCRIBED ON YOUR APPLICATION).

During my IIs at Columbia & UCSF, I kept on trying to turn myself during my interviews into someone I wasn't (i.e., interested in research). I got rejected from both, and UCSF has an absurdly high post-II acceptance rate. So don’t do what I did 🙂!

If a school gives you a II, they already think you could be a student there. I think the students that do best are the ones who match up to who they are on paper.

Also... don't get discouraged that everyone at your interview day went to Harvard, Yale, blah blah. They're just as insecure as you are about getting a II at an outstanding med school.
 
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It is just another interview. I have treated those tippy top schools just like I treated my state school. As others have said, they liked you enough to invite you which means you are qualified and on equal footing with other applicants. Congratulations on the interview! Don’t let your own doubt get int the way of your success.
 
You should be much more concerned with being a likable person that what color your tie is.

1. Focus on being an interesting and likable person they can see as a medical student/future physician.

2. Don't look disheveled, make sure everything fits as well as it can and isn't wrinkled/messed up. Pretty easy, takes 25 min MAX.

3. Profit.

I wore the same reddish (calling it red might be a stretch, but definitely had red in it) tie to all of my interviews and has 0 issues at all. If my memory serves me correctly, the great LizzyM, who is an adcom at T10/T20, has said: "You can never go wrong with a maroon tie.".

So maybe the advice should be to definitely wear a red tie. However, it seems much more likely to me that at the end of the day it really doesn't matter that much.
 
spuding102 said:
The truth is (atleast IMO) that as long as you are not weird and are somewhat socially adept, your decision will come down to how good your app is. Some examples I have seen thus far at interviews which I would consider not socially adept/no common sense

1) wearing a tie that is way way too long
2) wearing a red tie
3) wearing a silver gun metal tie on a dark blue shirt
4) Taking an overnight cross country flight the day of the interview
5) Being a jokester to every person you meet
6) not knowing when it is and when it is not appropriate to take out your phone (Hint: on the tour, taking out your phone to check the time is fine not so much in the interview room).
Click to expand...

You can wear a red tie 🙄. That is borderline superstitious. I wore a red tie to my interview where I was accepted. The key is to not draw attention to your outfit. The rest are good tips (except I have an apple watch so I don't ever need to take out my phone)
 
Cornfed101 said:
You can wear a red tie 🙄. That is borderline superstitious. I wore a red tie to my interview where I was accepted. The key is to not draw attention to your outfit. The rest are good tips (except I have an apple watch so I don't ever need to take out my phone)
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Also, there are very few hard rules when it comes to dressing formally. A lot of the premed groups I've run into would suggest otherwise but that's due to someone reading a rule (could even be for a completely different field) then telling their friends confidently. This then spreads and is never offset because in general premeds do not have much formal experience outside of a college campus. College formal is vastly different than "real world" formal. As long as you can avoid being that guy and look presentable you're fine if you hit the baseline checkboxes.

Aka don't do anything that is a hard no like a purple suit and wear something you have experience with or feel comfortable in.
 
spuding102 said:
The truth is (atleast IMO) that as long as you are not weird and are somewhat socially adept, your decision will come down to how good your app is. Some examples I have seen thus far at interviews which I would consider not socially adept/no common sense

1) wearing a tie that is way way too long
2) wearing a red tie
3) wearing a silver gun metal tie on a dark blue shirt
4) Taking an overnight cross country flight the day of the interview
5) Being a jokester to every person you meet
6) not knowing when it is and when it is not appropriate to take out your phone (Hint: on the tour, taking out your phone to check the time is fine not so much in the interview room).
Click to expand...

I rate this guide to interviews as 2/10
 
Hard and fast rules to interviews:

1) Common sense professional wear. If it all matches and doesn’t look too casual, you are good to go.

2) try not to use your phone, interrupt, or talk too much (or not enough). Just be you.

3) Don’t be a dick.

That...is about it.

Edit: Only one rule, actually - Just be you, don’t be a dick.
 
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Mr. Dr. Prof. Patrick said:
Hard and fast rules to interviews:

1) Common sense professional wear. If it all matches and doesn’t look too casual, you are good to go.

2) try not to use your phone, interrupt, or talk too much (or not enough). Just be you.

3) Don’t be a dick.

That...is about it.
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Also, be able to give decent answers to standard interview questions. Be friendly, be humble, and be interested in the school.
 
A red tie won’t kill your interview but I don’t think it’s appropriate for an interview. I’m sure if I think that way, so do some interviewers. Also, I’m not saying that your attire determines where you get in, just that the way you look/present yourself definitely makes a difference. You can definitely tell on interview day who looks like they have their stuff together and who dosent. On one interview, someone sat down with the bottom button of their suit buttoned. For anyone who knows, that looks ridiculous. Trust me, Interviewer’s will notice things like that. The interview is meant to see if you are socially adjusted. Looking the part is 50 percent of it
 
spuding102 said:
You can definitely tell on interview day who looks like they have their stuff together and who dosent. On one interview, someone sat down with the bottom button of their suit buttoned. For anyone who knows, that looks ridiculous. Trust me, Interviewer’s will notice things like that.
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Lord forgive
 
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spuding102 said:
A red tie won’t kill your interview but I don’t think it’s appropriate for an interview. I’m sure if I think that way, so do some interviewers. Also, I’m not saying that your attire determines where you get in, just that the way you look/present yourself definitely makes a difference. You can definitely tell on interview day who looks like they have their stuff together and who dosent. On one interview, someone sat down with the bottom button of their suit buttoned. For anyone who knows, that looks ridiculous. Trust me, Interviewer’s will notice things like that. The interview is meant to see if you are socially adjusted. Looking the part is 50 percent of it
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Or...they don’t care and you are just noticing things you have been told are bad through the premed or business word of mouth chain.
 
Kardio said:
He is correct about the button thing but it can easily be ascribed to someone with low SES who just isn’t sure how this whole thing works
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And that is exactly why I don’t think interviewers scrutinize applicant outfits as much as SDN lets on. I personally had no clue about any button rules until I read it here and I’m not even low SES. MOST ADCOM members and interviewers will recognize that all this stuff is completely arbitrary and not universally understood. So, in general, just looking fine is GTG. You could get the 60 year old hoidy-toidy that judges you, but they are far and few between. These interviews are a lot more conversational and casual than anything I would have expected.
 
Mr. Dr. Prof. Patrick said:
And that is exactly why I don’t think interviewers scrutinize applicant outfits as much as SDN lets on. I personally had no clue about any button rules until I read it here and I’m not even low SES. MOST ADCOM members and interviewers will recognize that all this stuff is completely arbitrary and not universally understood. So, in general, just looking fine is GTG. You could get the 60 year old hoidy-toidy that judges you, but they are far and few between. These interviews are a lot more conversational and casual than anything I would have expected.
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I hope that they are legitimately few and far between.

Most of these aesthetic remarks are correct (bright red ties aren’t ideal, top button only, etc.). However, commentary like “tell adults from children,” “weird,” and “not socially adept” reeks of elitism.
 
Kardio said:
I hope that they are legitimately few and far between.

Most of these aesthetic remarks are correct (bright red ties aren’t ideal, top button only, etc.). However, commentary like “tell adults from children,” “weird,” and “not socially adept” reeks of elitism.
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I am low SES. I grew up in poverty. I have used food stamps, Medicaid you name it. It does not reek of elitism. It reeks of common sense. You can disagree with me all you want and can label it “stupid” and “not important” but that’s how it is. They are testing your common sense more than anything. I promise you if you sit down with a dark silver tie on a dark blue shirt, the interviewer will question your maturity and/or common sense.
 
spuding102 said:
I am low SES. I grew up in poverty. I have used food stamps, Medicaid you name it. It does not reek of elitism. It reeks of common sense. You can disagree with me all you want and can label it “stupid” and “not important” but that’s how it is. They are testing your common sense more than anything. I promise you if you sit down with a dark silver tie on a dark blue shirt, the interviewer will question your maturity and/or common sense.
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Pretty sure nobody said stupid or not important, but I hope I am being judged by my personality and my answers moreso than my fashion sense and business know-how. It’s not really common sense.
 
spuding102 said:
I am low SES. I grew up in poverty. I have used food stamps, Medicaid you name it. It does not reek of elitism. It reeks of common sense. You can disagree with me all you want and can label it “stupid” and “not important” but that’s how it is. They are testing your common sense more than anything. I promise you if you sit down with a dark silver tie on a dark blue shirt, the interviewer will question your maturity and/or common sense.
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“You’re adding” quotes to things “I did not say.”

I’m EO1 too bro. At some point on our paths, we had the good fortune to get guidance. Not everyone will get that. It’s not “common sense” that it’s only the top button.
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
Pretty sure nobody said stupid or not important, but I hope I am being judged by my personality and my answers moreso than my fashion sense and business know-how. It’s not really common sense.
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You are being judged by both. And if you don’t look the part, you have already lost half the battle. That’s just the truth.
 
spuding102 said:
You are being judged by both. And if you don’t look the part, you have already lost half the battle. That’s just the truth.
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I also believe it’s important to look professional. It just seemed like you thought that was more important than anything else.
 
Kardio said:
“You’re adding” quotes to things “I did not say.”

I’m EO1 too bro. At some point on our paths, we had the good fortune to get guidance. Not everyone will get that. It’s not “common sense” that it’s only the top button.
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Sorry I am on my phone. It definitely is common sense. I was just speaking to someone who has never worn a suit and they knew this. Bottom line, you are interviewing for a professional school and looking the part, regardless of your background, is important. I learned many of these things on YouTube. Seriously.
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
I also believe it’s important to look professional. It just seemed like you thought that was more important than anything else.
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I would put the way someone presents themselves as somewhere between 50-60 percent of their interview. In job interviews, they say they know if they will hire the person within a few seconds of meeting them. I think that holds true here as well.
 
Kardio said:
I’m EO1 too bro.
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E01 is not specific. I have no comment on the matter, slightly agree with Spuding on this whole thing - just looking the part etc. However, I am E01 which is a very different E01 that Spuding has faced and is not a unifying categorization between us all.
 
spuding102 said:
Sorry I am on my phone. It definitely is common sense. I was just speaking to someone who has never worn a suit and they knew this. Bottom line, you are interviewing for a professional school and looking the part, regardless of your background, is important. I learned many of these things on YouTube. Seriously.
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1. If you think it’s common sense to only button the top button, we have different definitions of common sense

2. Please point out where I said looking professional is not important. I’m criticizing your elitist comments about people who did not look the part to you.
 
Mr. Dr. Prof. Patrick said:
Because if it is not, I can guarantee you that interviewers are explicitly told not to judge outfits outside of overt stupidity. Particularly with the increase in equitable admissions.
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Biases can play a role as a whole no matter what and appearance can def play a part, however as long as you dont look completely whack or deviant from mainstream, youre fine.
 
imbesrs said:
E01 is not specific. I have no comment on the matter, slightly agree with Spuding on this whole thing - just looking the part etc. However, I am E01 which is a very different E01 that Spuding has faced and is not a unifying categorization between us all.
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I am EO1 and FAP recipient. I‘m not going to rewrite my adversity essay.
 
Kardio said:
I am EO1 and FAP recipient. I‘m not going to rewrite my adversity essay.
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Haha def not warranted, I just didnt think stating E01 puts two people on the same playing field. It may for AMCAS, not real life. No shade against you lol
 
Kardio said:
1. If you think it’s common sense to only button the top button, we have different definitions of common sense

2. Please point out where I said looking professional is not important. I’m criticizing your elitist comments about people who did not look the part to you.
Click to expand...

1. Yes, I believe it is common sense to button the top button.

2. Perhaps I misread your comments about professionalism. My comments are not elitist. This is the game. If you don’t agree with it, then that’s fine. But know you are being judged on your presentation regardless of what any admissions office tells you. You are meeting with people. It’s only natural for them to notice these sort of things. Obviously some things are worse than others. A red tie wouldn’t get someone rejected. Buttoning the bottom button and sitting down like that, in my humble opinion, would. The latter is a child, not a professional interviewing to work with patients.
 
imbesrs said:
Biases can play a role as a whole no matter what and appearance can def play a part, however as long as you dont look completely whack or deviant from mainstream, youre fine.
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I can 100% agree with that. But whether you are attractive, fit, tall, have glasses, your skin color, and your gender are going to trigger an implicit bias MUCH more than the color of your tie or if you have facial hair (again, unless it is something overt that will be noticed like UFOs on the tie or unkept neckbeard)
 
Mr. Dr. Prof. Patrick said:
So are we flip flopping here? Is it common sense or is it not?

Because if it is not, I can guarantee you that interviewers are explicitly told not to judge outfits outside of overt stupidity. Particularly with the increase in equitable admissions.
Click to expand...


Interviewers can be told whatever. It doesn’t matter. You are being judged on your attire whether consciously or unconsciously. Also on your mannerisms and your overall “presentation”. So yes, I do think it’s common sense.
 
spuding102 said:
Buttoning the bottom button and sitting down like that, in my humble opinion, would. The latter is a child, not a professional interviewing to work with patients.
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Agreed w you mostly til this. Thats a reach
 
spuding102 said:
Tell me, if you were going to see a doctor, and you noticed they did this, what would you be thinking?
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Good thing were applying to develop our professional skillset in all aspects- no matter where one lacks... even in dressing the part. If my doc wore a tanktop and shorts, but knew his/her **** and was top in the field id still see em
 
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