Asking your fellow residents to set you up on dates

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DocDanny

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Obviously dating fellow residents is risky. But they are likely to have plenty of single friends, some of whom might be a match.

Still, you have to work with these residents all day every day. What if it does go wrong? Or what if they really have nobody good to suggest?

So if I wanted to ask fellow residents if they knew any cute singles, how do I do it?
Have you ever hooked up a fellow doctor with a date? How did it go?
 
Still, you have to work with these residents all day every day. What if it does go wrong? Or what if they really have nobody good to suggest?
I think these are valid concerns. The people in my residency class are pretty good friends, but there wasn't any matchmaking within our group. The singles just used online dating.
If you're close friends with your co-residents you could ask them casually if they know anyone, but if you're just colleagues it might come across badly if you asked them to hook you up with their single friends.

Seriously though, I think Match or OKCupid is a much better way to meet people as a resident. It's more efficient than hanging out in bars (since most of us don't have time for anything like that), and it's a lot safer than possibly having some kind of drama happen with people you'll be forced to work with for several years to come.
Plus, for guys, I think being able to say that you're a doctor gets a lot of attention on these sites.
 
I've sent out over 100 messages to women on Match.

I'm 5'0. Online dating doesn't work for people like me.
 
This goes outside the scope of these forums but the messages you send on those sites matter a lot. I've written more than I care to count. I think okcupid's a lot better than match and free. Short girls are cute, and there are plenty out there. Look outside of online dating too, whenever you may be outside of the hospital going about your life. Don't give up hope. It can be a numbers game for some, and attitude matters a lot. I know that's probably frustrating to hear. You'll always be able to come up with an excuse for why something doesn't work for you but there are plenty of short guys with attractive women.
 
I think these are valid concerns. The people in my residency class are pretty good friends, but there wasn't any matchmaking within our group. The singles just used online dating.
If you're close friends with your co-residents you could ask them casually if they know anyone, but if you're just colleagues it might come across badly if you asked them to hook you up with their single friends.

Seriously though, I think Match or OKCupid is a much better way to meet people as a resident. It's more efficient than hanging out in bars (since most of us don't have time for anything like that), and it's a lot safer than possibly having some kind of drama happen with people you'll be forced to work with for several years to come.
Plus, for guys, I think being able to say that you're a doctor gets a lot of attention on these sites.

Bad idea. I wouldn't ever reveal that I was a doctor on one of these sites. You're bound to end up with some gold-digger who wants a meal ticket.
 
No. I really don't set my sights to high. A lot of guys just don't get responses. Besides, it's more based on looks than even real life.

And as for saying I'm a doctor, I do. I'd imagine you can screen out the gold diggers if you wanted to. And it sounds impressive to women to say you're a doctor.
 
No. I really don't set my sights to high. A lot of guys just don't get responses. Besides, it's more based on looks than even real life.

And as for saying I'm a doctor, I do. I'd imagine you can screen out the gold diggers if you wanted to. And it sounds impressive to women to say you're a doctor.

You don't say?...

The problem becomes: if you have to drop that you're a physician to get a girl - that girl wants you BECAUSE you're a physician, especially with respect to these online dating sites.

Better to leave it out until it comes up naturally in conversation (during a date, etc).
 
You don't say?...

The problem becomes: if you have to drop that you're a physician to get a girl - that girl wants you BECAUSE you're a physician, especially with respect to these online dating sites.

Better to leave it out until it comes up naturally in conversation (during a date, etc).

The dude is saying that even dropping the "doctor" title, he's not getting any responses. Sounds like he's got no game and/or is shooting out of his league.
 
I can see the point about not wanting to draw in gold diggers with the "doctor" thing. I guess it depends on your goals in the situation. Some of the male residents I know are more into looking for a serious thing than others, of course. It's not like it's very easy to hide the doctor thing in real life dating situations either, since "What do you do?" is such a common small talk thing.

One of my good friends is a 5'3" guy so I can understand how that makes things harder. But even though height preferences are common, they're not universal, and I know there are women who don't make a big deal about height. You could also argue that it is another form of screening out shallow people (like trying to screen out gold diggers).
Attitude does make a difference in those kinds of things. I've seen from the female perspective how an overweight woman who knows how to present herself attractively can sometimes attract men better than a thin woman who doesn't have the right attitude, so even if these cultural stigmas/preferences are strong they're not insurmountable.
 
The height is terrible for me. Terrible. And I have a limp as well. Two strikes before I can even open my mouth.

I do have no game. I don't know how to get it, or really what it even means.

Online dating has been a disaster. That's why I was thinking of hinting to my new social group that I'm interested if they might know anyone.
 
Obviously dating fellow residents is risky. But they are likely to have plenty of single friends, some of whom might be a match.

Still, you have to work with these residents all day every day. What if it does go wrong? Or what if they really have nobody good to suggest?

So if I wanted to ask fellow residents if they knew any cute singles, how do I do it?
Have you ever hooked up a fellow doctor with a date? How did it go?

You have to approach this carefully but I wouldn't say it's absolutely contraindicated. The best way is to go out with your fellow residents socially and see what their friends are like. You don't have to approach it from a romantic standpoint right away. If you see someone you're attracted to and there seems to be chemistry, then you can decide if it's worth the risk. If the person is the best friend of your co-resident, and you're in a small program, it may be risky. But if it's a friend of a friend, or your program is large, the risk is lower. It can be hard meeting people in residency, so using your friends to network may be helpful.
 
Hey TheSauce: if you're a doc, and they like you because you're a doc, what's the problem? You ARE a doctor, it's sorta like having brown hair. No?
 
Hey TheSauce: if you're a doc, and they like you because you're a doc, what's the problem? You ARE a doctor, it's sorta like having brown hair. No?

No. That's very different. No one that I know equates brown hair with money and prestige. Trolling with the doctor card is going to bring the wolves in sheep's clothing - especially in this economy. Better to wait until there's an attraction based on a common interest and let it come out naturally. It's a nice bonus but not something to base a relationship on.
 
I think he's saying it isn't just hold diggers who are impressed by a guy who is a doctor. The job does generally feature people with positive traits other than wealth.

Intelligence, maturity and dedication, and a good heart.
 
The height is terrible for me. Terrible. And I have a limp as well. Two strikes before I can even open my mouth.

I do have no game. I don't know how to get it, or really what it even means.

Online dating has been a disaster. That's why I was thinking of hinting to my new social group that I'm interested if they might know anyone.

I played the online dating game for years and I can say online dating sucks for everyone. The pay sites (match, eharmony, etc...) are the worst, see:

http://static02.mediaite.com/geekos...ld-Never-Pay-For-Online-Dating-«-OkTrends.png

This article is cached because OKCupid pulled the article off their blog when they were bought by match.com.

It's just a numbers game pure and simple. And on online dating, looks are more important than even in person. In person, assuming you're not playing a frat party/bar scene, you get to hang around women and they get to know your personality if you're at all funny and outgoing. Online, most women simply look at your photo, decide if you're cute enough to read your message, and then move on to the next one. The reality is that girls on those sites can get dozens of messages a day. They have to filter quickly. You have to catch their eye quickly in messages and on your profile, with a good photo and a short, funny intro. I mean still 80%+ won't respond, but it is what it is.

A large chunk of the messages are from creepers (guys, often married, just looking to hook up), which scares many women away immediately. That assumes they were ever serious at all about meeting someone online, which still carries tremendous negative stigma. A large chunk of these profiles from women are posted "just to look". Still, if you do want a basic guide on how to present yourself online, see the okcupid blog here: http://blog.okcupid.com/

Just don't shoot out of your league. If you're 5'0", only message girls 5'0" or less would be my advice. That's going to take a lot out of the picture for you, but it is what it is. I would for sure mention that you're a doctor. It shouldn't be the focus of your messages/profiles/conversations. If you don't have looks, you gotta have something going for you. The nice thing is that when you get to the hospital, just being an MD will get you attention from women around the hospital. Is it gold digging? I don't know. I'm an MD/PhD, and me saying I'm a PhD physicist gets me A LOT LESS interest than me saying I'm a physician. I've tried both roles for fun. Even among the nerdy set of girls I'm most interested in, being an MD gets you attention.

I mean at some point you have to compromise. Maybe she is interested in doctors. Is that such a bad thing? I mean I only want to date MD or other professional women. I'm hardly a gold digger. We all have our reasons.

When you get to residency everyone will know you're single. I mean, that's all anyone seems to talk about, their bf/gf/spouse/kids. You might get lucky and get introduced that way. Drop that you're interested in meeting people casually and someone might take a nibble. It comes in all kinds of forms. But it is a numbers game. Keep trying, keep playing the game, eventually you'll find *someone* interested in you whether or not they meet whatever criteria you have set out for yourself now.
 
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It is my experience that very few people have natural game. Like all games, dating requires practice. When you have a number of factors stacked against you, it may require more practice than the norm. Therefore you may need to respond to dozens if not hundreds of profiles and go on as many dates as you can. Think of them as developing your game for when the right partner comes along.

I've never done online dating but have many friends and family members who have done so successfully. I expect that I will suck and that it may take quite a bit of time to find someone who will overlook what you see as flaws. She may even embrace them. And there is nothing wrong with letting your colleagues know that you are open to matchmaking, just don't make it the first topic of conversation. Let them get to know you and see beyond your height and physical limitations.
 
The height is terrible for me. Terrible. And I have a limp as well. Two strikes before I can even open my mouth....

nobody can see a limp in an online profile. If it comes up, it means you are leading with that. You need to present your high points, not emphasize your shortfalls. There's always time for them to decide on their own where you come up short (pun intended). You need to come across as confident, and comfortable with the product you are selling.

Pretend you are selling a car that is ugly as sin, but gets very good mileage. Which of those descriptors do you put in your ad?
 
I wasn't talking about online profiles then. I was talking about why talking to women in person is so rarely successful.
 
I played the online dating game for years and I can say online dating sucks for everyone. The pay sites (match, eharmony, etc...) are the worst, see:

I find it interesting that you had worse experiences with the pay sites. I thought that the free sites were so much worse and listening to the experiences my friends had meeting people on the free sites, it was bad. Yes you have a lot more dead pages on the pay sites, but once you got to the responding and setting up a time to meet, the people on the pay sites were so much less sketchy. The needing to put forward money seemed to weed out the ones that were there for hookups or the ones that lived in (and were never leaving) mom's basement or ones that had no desire to get pursue a career, etc. that I found on the free sites. Maybe it was different for me as a girl looking for guys than it is for guys looking for girls. I met my boyfriend on Match and consider it to be the greatest $50 I've ever spent.

As for putting that you are a doctor, I definitely would put it there. I know that's one of the big attractions for my bf, and it's definitely not for a gold-digging, want me to support him reason. He's a PhD who does clinical research and is the only one of his friends with this advanced degree as well as a science/medicine career. He had also listed his PhD in his profile, which was a huge selling point for me because I wanted to date a similarly educated and career driven person. Also, if you put in that you are a doctor, who should hopefully meet people that understand that you will be busy at work and hopefully won't find someone that gets upset that you aren't spending all your time with her.
 
I wasn't talking about online profiles then. I was talking about why talking to women in person is so rarely successful.

Again you are setting your sites too high then. I find it hard to believe that someone without much going for them (in terms of looks, fitness, success) is going to hold height or a limp against you. Someone who realistically thinks they can do better though will pass on you, whether in real life or online. You just have to focus on the realistic.
 
Dude. I'm 5'0 and limp because I have a disability. See my other recent thread.

The best advice I've ever gotten was that, at my age, I REALLY need to build a dating resume. So I try all kinds of women to talk to.
 
Dude. I'm 5'0 and limp because I have a disability. See my other recent thread. .

I'm aware of that. You don't think there's a female version of yourself out there who has similar issues but doesn't even have the doctor thing going for her, who might actually be impressed by you? There are several billion women in the world. Statistically, handful would have to consider you a trade up. Lose the pity party and you'll automatically have a better rap.
 
You guys are being a bit harsh.
As a woman, I would disagree with the person who says the free sites are better and agree with the woman who said she met her boyfriend on there. I also met a boyfriend on Match. I think Match and eharmony are probably the best ones...or any of the sites that make you pay a little to get on. The sites where you don't have to pay have a lot sleazier guys on there, and more people who don't have much going for them, career-wise.
It will be/is hard as a 5' guy with some disability. However, being smart and having a personality and a good job is also important. And there are quite a few petite women out there. I think it kind of sucks for guys who are not very tall. Personally I'm above average height and I have dated guys shorter than me and it wasn't important to find someone taller, although I admit that 5' would have been a stretch...but not if I was 5' 2" or 5'3". What's a couple of inches among friends 🙂

I think one thing you have to realize is that on these online sites, a lot of people are just not going to respond and that is for a number of reasons. Sure, some just didn't like the looks of you, etc. However, there are a lot of people, especially women, who are just very cautious and maybe haven't made up their minds to go for it and are just looking around. Sometimes they already met someone and just didn't take their page down (some of us are not good w/computers or just didn't bother, or didn't know how to delete our profile and then our Match membership ran out...). Also, many, if not most, of the people you go out with may not want a 2nd date. I generally do OK, at least so/so, with dating in the "real world" but I had plenty of guys reject me. So you have to approach it with the attitude that maybe you won't find someone at all, and that you might find a friend or two (women like guys who like to be friends also and are not just out to get some tail...), or at least have a few interesting conversations or go somewhere fun on your dates. If you get lucky you might find someone you like enough to date for longer - I met a boyfriend on Match but coincidentally we found out we belonged to one of the same local volunteer organizations in the "real world" so maybe at some point I would have met him anyway.

I think it is OK to let your friends in med school or residency know that you are open to meeting new people, but you don't want to twist peoples' arms or seem desperate, because nobody likes that.

I think it's find to mention you are a physician in your online profile if you do online dating, but just realize it might attract a few gold diggers. I didn't - I just put "health profession" but it will probably come up on a 1st date anyway so I don't think it's a huge big deal.
 
Also, I know it sounds trite but it's always important do develop other aspects of yourself besides being a doctor, and then when you do different activities you can meet people. You can join book clubs a service organization, or a Meetup of some kind. My experience is these groups tend to have more women than men (at least unless it is Extreme Adventure Snowboarding Meetup). I think that we women just go in for group social activities more...
 
You need to stop selling yourself short. Women love men with a healthy dose of self-confidence. You need to fake it till you make it 🙂
 
Hi Danny.

Firstly, I agree completely with the notion that you absolutely should not solicit your close peers for a hook up.

Secondly, people can argue til the cows come home about on-line dating and if it would work. But you tried it. It isn't working. Move on.

Thirdly, I think building your "dating resume" is going to be very important to having success in future relationships. But your problem is getting the date, not maintaining a relationship (yet).

My absolute recommendation is to solicit people for dates. But solicit your acquaintances. People who will not be working with you closely, but who do have some connection to you. They have done similar analysis with people getting jobs because of personal recommendations. They found that most of these people were actually referred by people they knew, but not people they knew well. You need to go outside of your social circle to find new leads.

Lastly, I'll leave you with the notion that you need to remain casual in this pursuit. The more you put yourself out there the more you are pressuring someone to do the same, and you are giving them greater opportunity to find things they don't like. In the beginning of relationships, it's much better to leave things unknown and search for a casual spark instead of a deep connection. Break those barriers down slowly. That was the hardest lesson for me to learn when I began dating. I was a big geek, so I didn't really date much until after undergrad (I had an engineering career and got married before medical school). Being behind the curve in terms of experience is really hard. I flubbed up with some great girls in the past. But, you can't let it get to you. And you have to guard against falling too hard for someone.
 
Also if you are 5 feet even, you can probably still just say you are 5'2" and get away with it. Doubtful they will bring a tape measure, and you can always say that with your disability you have bad posture and look a few inches shorter, if they call you on it. Problem solved.
 
No, I'm not going to lie about it. It is what it is.
 
As a woman, I would disagree with the person who says the free sites are better and agree with the woman who said she met her boyfriend on there.

This relates to what I had posted. As I admitted before, free sites have a higher proportion of creepers (just like the real world!), and this does tend to scare away some women. But the free sites have many more active men in general. My experience with contacting women on match and eharmony was a dismal response rate, a dismal rate of getting an actual date, and no lasting relationship. On match, I sent out a lot of messages the first month, got very little in return, and then realized I had burned through all the profiles for actual real women, and the turnover seemed very slow. On eharmony, you purposely get slowed down, but again a huge chunk of the profiles were incomplete and obviously were just women who signed up and created a profile to look, never paid, and never came back. That was even in a busy metro area! For me this was just a bunch of money down the drain.

When you're a woman, you can just sit back and let the messages roll in on any dating site and pick who you want to go out with. It's much less time invested. A guy will almost never get unsolicited contacts from women on these sites. Maybe it's easier for you to filter these messages if you're not getting as much volume. But from the male side, when 90% of the female profiles are dead profiles, it's just a gigantic waste of time.

That was a good suggestion from the person who says to find online meetup groups. I've found meetup.com to be a good one in general. It's funny, because I actually went out with the "Outdoor Thrillseekers" group the other night for a twilight hike :laugh:. We had a few single women there...

Also if you are 5 feet even, you can probably still just say you are 5'2" and get away with it. Doubtful they will bring a tape measure, and you can always say that with your disability you have bad posture and look a few inches shorter, if they call you on it. Problem solved.

This reminds me of http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/the-biggest-lies-in-online-dating/
"The Big Lies People Tell in Online Dating"
There's a whole section on skewed height versus the average population on OkCupid, and they conclude that on average men lie about their height to an average of 2".
 
Short men have it tough. Right now I'm sure you feel terrible all the time, and have no confidence. Well, I have some advice for you:

Suck it up.

So you are trying to date girls and they have no interest in limping short man. Well no shit; its all in how you see yourself: not as "doctor", not as whatever else you do well, but as "limping short man". If you see it that way, so will everyone else.

Before you can start dating, you need to change how you see yourself. If that means concentrating on pwning at something, then pwn it, and have the results speak for themselves.

Or you can always just date within your religion and settle for someone who is being rushed to get married by their community or parents. That's a last resort.
But right now you seem whiny, and that's just not sexy. Sack up.

BTW free sites are always better. End of story.
 
Any thoughts on okcupid.com?

I'm moving to a big city and have been browsing through profiles which seem quite promising.

I saw someone post that mentioning you're a doctor might help. How about mentioning the surgical subspecialty you're entering and the hospital if it's affiliated with a prestigious medical school?

This is for someone who's slightly taller than average and decent looks. Also, are people concerned that co-workers or attendings may find them on the site? Thanks.
 
I saw someone post that mentioning you're a doctor might help. How about mentioning the surgical subspecialty you're entering and the hospital if it's affiliated with a prestigious medical school?

Uh no. That's just too much personal info to put in public and isn't going to add anything significant.

Also, are people concerned that co-workes or attendings may find them on the site? Thanks.

Eh, it happens. So what? I've always been very open about it IRL. Yeah, I'm looking for a serious relationship with the right person and it's not easy to find someone. Got a problem with it?
 
Would you consider learning another language to date foreigners?

The advantage to this would be the surplus of beautiful women (e.g. South America). They'll probably be attracted to you for your status and opportunity for a better life, but they might eventually end up loving you, especially if you have kids and care for them. It's something to look into.

You could also try getting a dating coach. From what I've seen, they're pretty helpful.
 
^^^^^ joke?

Also, don't post your sub-specialty and affiliation, but you better believe if I had a dating profile and I was a surgeon it would say surgeon. There is something called status and class. Being a surgeons puts you in a particular category, and to lead a professional life, you'll want someone from the same category or someone capable of being in that category.

You think Laura Bush and Betty Ford just happened? Of course not.

Flame me all you want. I'm sticking to my guns on this one.
 
Would you consider learning another language to date foreigners?

Heck no. That much effort in order to date someone! Is there a shortage of English speaking women?
 
Heck no. That much effort in order to date someone! Is there a shortage of English speaking women?

With a third of adult Americans obese and half overweight, looking abroad for your child-bearer may not be too farfetched if physical attractiveness is important. Don't think of them as third world either, economies like Brazil are booming.
 
The height is terrible for me. Terrible. And I have a limp as well. Two strikes before I can even open my mouth.

I do have no game. I don't know how to get it, or really what it even means.

Online dating has been a disaster. That's why I was thinking of hinting to my new social group that I'm interested if they might know anyone.

Look buddy, some people are just meant to be single. Your genes and attitude are working against you. Just like how some people can't cut it in med school. Deal with it and move on.

Sent from my GT-N7000
 
With a third of adult Americans obese and half overweight, looking abroad for your child-bearer may not be too farfetched if physical attractiveness is important. Don't think of them as third world either, economies like Brazil are booming.

You can always go for the 1/3 that's neither obese nor overweight! I rotated with a cardiologist who's marrying a hot blonde 10 yrs younger. She's fresh out of college and he just finished his fellowship. To top it off, he's bald and short. Think George from Seinfeld.
 
Obviously dating fellow residents is risky. But they are likely to have plenty of single friends, some of whom might be a match.

Still, you have to work with these residents all day every day. What if it does go wrong? Or what if they really have nobody good to suggest?

So if I wanted to ask fellow residents if they knew any cute singles, how do I do it?
Have you ever hooked up a fellow doctor with a date? How did it go?

Definitely risky at a community program. I recommend a large, academic center with tons of residents to help decrease your risk.

:laugh:
 
Ok, I'll bite... a woman's perspective/tips on online dating


1.) fill out the darn about me section, please. that's how you distinguish yourself from everyone else out there. having a filled out "about me" section with actual sentences amounting to an entire paragraph will put you in the top 10% of guys. most guys don't fill it out. I've seen some really creative ways to do this that spark an interest in someone I might not have given a second thought about.


2.) the sheer number of guys posting things like the following are astounding, "well, just got out of a long term relationship that sucked my soul out. looking to try again with someone who's not a selfish
@#$@. if you're interested message me, please." or "hi, i've never dated anyone. i'm not too good at this. i don't expect to find anyone on here. dating just sucks in general. if you're interested say hi."

do people really expect that to work?

3.) Dropping the doctor title..... you know you're really a doctor, we don't. the number of 21-23 year old guys claiming to be plastic surgeons, who have more trouble writing a coherent sentence than a drunk with dyslexia is also surprising.

You select for certain types of women as mentioned. If you lead with that, or come off as being cocky about it, it's a turn off. If you come across like a sweet and caring doc it's good.

Here's a cool listing of it as a profession that I saw once "I fix problems, on people, using sharp objects. I get to wear the equivalent of pajamas to work every day."

That works, shows humor and some personality.

4.) don't have any of the following in your title (69, playa, ladies man, etc) and then talk about how you want to settle down and find "the one"

5.) Don't put a weight requirement for women. Seriously, say you'd like someone who takes health and fitness seriously. There are apparently a lot of guys who want a girl who's 5'10 and 110 lbs. Not joking. There was also actually a Christian dating site I came across that required you to put in your weight, not body type.


Honestly, if you can act a little positive, show some personality, not act like a total creeper, you have more going for you than most guys online. If you don't get hits with that, it's probably more that a lot of women don't know what they really want or aren't all that serious about looking. I still think it's better to meet people in real life sharing a common interest or something.
 
Agree about filling out the info form on the online dating site...the "about me" part. Could not get over how many dudes on match seemed unable or just too lazy to write a coherent paragraph mentioning something about their hobbies and/or personality. If you can't even do that, it makes you look inarticulate and/or lazy or like you're just a caveman looking to get laid.

Totally agree if you are a guy please don't give yourself a goofy online profile name like I'MAPLAYA...HOTGUY4U...DONJUAN100%, GREATCATCH4U, etc. I'll be the one to decide if you are hot, a great catch, etc. Thank you very much!!!
 
I've sent out over 100 messages to women on Match.

I'm 5'0. Online dating doesn't work for people like me.

I'm (obviously) not sure why, but the girls that I do meet seem to think:

1. Since Grey's Anatomy is real, I must have hooked up with a ton of nurses and now they all know that you're an ******* and that is why your online dating.

2. I'm the epitome of Mr Big from Sex and the City... 30 something, rich, and toxic male.

3. They expect me to be George Clooney... I'm more of a Mark Greene / Anthony Edwards looking guy. I could crush Clooney in he weight room, or the pool. Still, no love...
 
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