Being criticized the whole time during an interview for wearing expensive accessory ($2600 watch)?

[LizzyM]

There is only one time I noticed an applicant's watch (and cuff links!) and that was because the metal band was very loose on the guy's wrist. I later suspected that both the watch and the cuff links belonged to his recently deceased father and he was wearing them as talismans. And yes, he did get in, eventually.

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[OrthoTraumaMD]

And that's where the general public and the dominant culture clashes with your culture. Some people do not trust physicians because they are rich and making money by recommending and providing expensive treatments that are needed to preserve health or even save one's life. A physician who is showing wealth through expensive clothing and jewelry may have a hard time obtaining the trust of patients.

I don't disagree, but physicians aren't that rich. Also, you can wear nice things without them being flashy. I'm not covered in diamonds, but I'm never wearing a crappy suit or shoes just because somebody might get offended. I earned what I have.


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[OrthoTraumaMD]

Agreed... one ought to remember that “pride” is a vice in many cultures (especially those from Christendom-esque backgrounds). Thus, the very fact that it is a point of pride for you to display luxurious wealth likely means it is a dangerous decision for an interview.

I come from a Christian culture. Pride for working your butt off and going from poverty to wealth is not a vice.


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[DJ Khaled's Pet Tiger]

I come from a Christian culture. Pride for working your butt off and going from poverty to wealth is not a vice.


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Definitely would be considered a vice where I am from. Might be a southern thing.

 

[Tom&Jerry]

Alright so now I'm scared to wear my $100 Movado..

 

[de Ribas]

If you are cool enough to wear $2600 watch and "golden pencil" to an interview, be cool enough to send 6-7 figure donation check to that school.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

I come from a Christian culture. Pride for working your butt off and going from poverty to wealth is not a vice.


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Being prideful is very different from the natural and not-sinful "pride" one has for one's children, country, and honest accomplishments.

 

[863168]

When you're wearing an accessory that is of higher monetary value than the patient you are treating will ever save in their bank. How does it play out when you want them to accept a procedure that they can't afford? Having wealth shouldn't be treated like a crime, but in a profession that is a service industry it makes no sense to put additional barriers between you and your clientele. Especially when you know that your clientele can be anyone that steps through the ER doors and gets categorized accordingly to your specialty and not according to your personality type.

In a society that is already becoming more polarized among socioeconomic, gender, and racial lines it couldn't hurt to just be a blank canvas as people are more than willing to allow their own predispositions run wild with what they assume you to be the moment you enter the room.

 

[Toutie]

I strongly suspect this is fake. I might be biased because I wouldn't recognize or know the value of a Tag Heuer watch or Mont Blanc pen if they showed up at my front door with price tags on, but regardless. The chances of somebody A) noticing something like that, B) knowing the value, C) caring at all, and D) being unprofessional enough to act on those feelings at a medical school interview are slim to none.

On another note, I used to wear an expensive watch because my dad bought a watch in the early 80s that happened to be discontinued shortly thereafter and increase a lot in value. He wore it for decades and then gave it to me, and I would have given it to my future son. My dad decided that it made the most financial sense for our family to sell it, but I would have kept it forever because I couldn't care less about how much it was worth. It was an important family heirloom and there's no way I would go to a medical school interview or do anything else without wearing that watch. I have no doubt that I was probably made fun of at various points in my life for wearing a ~$1500 watch, but I don't care because they didn't know the story, and neither does the interviewer in this very real anecdote. But I digress. At least my Timex has indiglo.

Thank you! I also suspect this is fake. Can't believe so many are buying it.

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Thank you! I also suspect this is fake. Can't believe so many are buying it.

I dunno, I would recognize a $400 Mont Blanc, and I am sure if the physician knew anything about watches (I don't) he would recognize an expensive watch as well.

 

[Mad Jack]

Also Montblanc is such a prissy choice for a pen. Paying 400 for something that a 150 dollar Lamy/Pilot could oupreform. Totally not worth it.

Paying $150 for a pen that performs negligibly better than a $12 pen seems totally not worth it to me. I've got wrist issues, so I get the difference between a 10 cent BIC Xtra Life and a Pilot Metropolitan, but I've got a hundred dollar pen sitting in a box that I never touch because it's just not any better than a Pilot Metro, Fisher Space Pen, or any number of Uni-Balls (I'm quite fond of everything from the Jetstream to the Signo DX, all for different uses).

 

[ciestar]

I have started leaving my engagement ring at home and just wearing my wedding band to interviews for this reason.

The ring is in no way indicative of my husband's spending power because it was free, but I did have it appraised for insurance purposes for around five figures, so I'm thinking people might make some assumptions about it. However, even if myself or my husband DID pay for it, there's no reason to assume that just because my ring is expensive that I'm going into medicine for the money. It really sucks that people have these kinds of biases.

I wasn't married when I interviewed, but I didn't wear my engagement ring to my interviews either.

 

[calivianya]

Thank you! I also suspect this is fake. Can't believe so many are buying it.

I would have been more skeptical if the topic of wearing valuable accessories in an interview hadn't come up already in the women's interview attire thread. I hadn't thought people would be shallow enough to judge interviewees on their clothing/jewelry before then, but these jerks are clearly out there, so this isn't out of the realm of possibility.

 

[catmullclark]

I suspect this might be a little exaggerated...

 

[BombsAway]

I come from a Christian culture. Pride for working your butt off and going from poverty to wealth is not a vice.

What's that verse about rich people entering heaven and camels fitting through small holes? (/sarcasm).

 

[DSM_302.0]

Poor patients probably don't know that a given watch or pen is expensive, especially this modest-appearing but v expensive watch. These are wealth signals for the upper class.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

What's that verse about rich people entering heaven and camels fitting through small holes? (/sarcasm).

I always took that to mean that those who have more need to help others. I don't think it means that those who've been successful are shut out of heaven.

 

[SpoiledMilk]

What's that verse about rich people entering heaven and camels fitting through small holes? (/sarcasm).

I always took that to mean that those who have more need to help others. I don't think it means that those who've been successful are shut out of heaven.

Being SDN, something about Trump then eventual mod lock down in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

 

[863168]

I would have been more skeptical if the topic of wearing valuable accessories in an interview hadn't come up already in the women's interview attire thread. I hadn't thought people would be shallow enough to judge interviewees on their clothing/jewelry before then, but these jerks are clearly out there, so this isn't out of the realm of possibility.

This mentality exemplifies why the United States is known as a low context culture.

 

[Giraffe_Funk]

FWIW My good friend wore an AP (Audemars Piguet) which costs about 20k to 7 interviews and got accepted to all of them. He said it didn't come up in one interview.

 

[Nave]

FWIW My good friend wore an AP (Audemars Piguet) which costs about 20k to 7 interviews and got accepted to all of them. He said it didn't come up in one interview.

This doesn't actually surprise me. One of the appeals of collecting watches is the subtlety (i.e. the layperson can't distinguish between what's cheap and what's expensive). The same goes for suits as well. I sincerely doubt that 99% of people on this website would be able to distinguish whether I was wearing a men's warehouse suit or Tom Ford. Which is why I am skeptical of this post.

 

[DJ Khaled's Pet Tiger]

I always took that to mean that those who have more need to help others. I don't think it means that those who've been successful are shut out of heaven.

I don’t think either of those interpretations are what the author was intending... it means that people who place value in success/wealth won’t enter heaven. You can be like Solomon and have all the riches in the world, but if you are just as righteous in wealth as you would be in poverty, then you won’t place value on that wealth. Source: big background in philosophy and theology

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

What's that verse about rich people entering heaven and camels fitting through small holes? (/sarcasm).

As long as you don't think you're better than others because you're wealthy, it's all good. A physician, of all people, being offended by someone's non-gaudy watch speaks to their insecurity and jealousy. It's okay to be rich. It's ok to spend money. It's ok to donate money. It's ok to stuff money under your mattress. You earned it, do whatever you want with it. Successful people don't need to apologize for their success.


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[Endoxifen]

This seems weird to me. I’m going to preface this by acknowledging that I have very limited experience. Most of my formative experiences in medicine (if you can call them that) happened during my summers at the Mayo Clinic. There, doctors are instructed to wear “Mayo wear” which constitutes expensive suits, watches, etc. You’re required to dress the way the doctor reprimanded the applicant for. Admittedly, Mayo is definitely not representative of most hospitals or even most academic medical centers, but even so, it seems odd that the doctor would be so angry at a student for something that is policy at a place like Mayo. Clearly they believe it shows professionalism, so it’s not foreign to academic medicine.

 

[Endoxifen]

Whoops, double post!

 

[TheWolfOfMainStreet]

Successful people don't need to apologize for their success.

PREACH BROTHA

 

[Planes2Doc]

I don't understand how it's anyone's business. The interviewer was completely out of line, and should be reported.

While I wasn't at an interview, I was doing a photo shoot once with my Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM II. It is a rather flashy (albeit useful) lens. I had one of those annoying people trying to get me to sign up for one of those $15/mo things. I told him I didn't have money, and then he pointed out my lens. I told him it's none of his damn business and walked away.

 

[SpoiledMilk]

PREACH BROTHA

ahem...she's a sista.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I come from a Christian culture. Pride for working your butt off and going from poverty to wealth is not a vice.


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Pride in making that success yourself is. We need to remember that we are nothing without God, and our success is because of Him. It’s not bad to be happy about it, but we shouldn’t act like we did it ourselves.

/Christianderail

 

[BombsAway]

I don't understand how it's anyone's business. The interviewer was completely out of line, and should be reported.

While I wasn't at an interview, I was doing a photo shoot once with my Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM II. It is a rather flashy (albeit useful) lens. I had one of those annoying people trying to get me to sign up for one of those $15/mo things. I told him I didn't have money, and then he pointed out my lens. I told him it's none of his damn business and walked away.

Have that lens. She's my favorite. I should really get her 24-70 counterpart, but since I stopped making money off photography I haven't been able to justify the expense.

 

[TheWolfOfMainStreet]

ahem...she's a sista.

My apologies.

PREACH SISTA

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

Pride in making that success yourself is. We need to remember that we are nothing without God, and our success is because of Him. It’s not bad to be happy about it, but we shouldn’t act like we did it ourselves.

/Christianderail

I agree. I consider myself lucky to be given an opportunity to succeed.


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[OrthoTraumaMD]

My apologies.

PREACH SISTA

Hehe, I just came out of a case and your post made me laugh. It's ok, brotha or sista, we're all orthopods and that's what matters most


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[Planes2Doc]

Have that lens. She's my favorite. I should really get her 24-70 counterpart, but since I stopped making money off photography I haven't been able to justify the expense.

I love it too! I use it plenty. If you have an APS-C body, I think the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM would be the way to go. Otherwise, I am still using the 24-105mm I got with my original 5D kit and love it.

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

People are skipping the detail where his application talked about being poor.

 

[BombsAway]

I love it too! I use it plenty. If you have an APS-C body, I think the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM would be the way to go. Otherwise, I am still using the 24-105mm I got with my original 5D kit and love it.

for sure, the 24-105 is my second favorite and my go-to for hiking or anytime weight is a factor. However, it is f4, and it's plastic, and i'm snobby, and i like to dream...

 

[LizzyM]

While I wasn't at an interview, I was doing a photo shoot once with my Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM II.

You whip that out at an interview and you'd get some blowback.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I agree. I consider myself lucky to be given an opportunity to succeed.


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Same. It blows my mind every day that I’ve been given this opportunity.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

I stumbled upon this thread on Reddit where a student was criticized for flaunting his wealth during his interview. Some people are arguing that he should have been more conservative, while others are arguing the interviewer was out of line. What's everyone's opinions on the issue?

Thread in question:

I think it's unprofessional for an interviewer to be so nosy and judgmental and not the business of an interviewer to make assumptions about an applicant's financial status to correlation to his personality.

People here are saying the story is false. Even if it is, how does that matter anyways? Whether someone was wearing Timex or Rolex, why would it be a concern? Unless someone shows up looking like lil' Jon wearing grillz with their fingers covered in ice, things like this seem to be super high stress for an applicant and not all that relevant to the application or interview in the first place. The interviewer clearly forgot what his responsibilities were and is a bad model for the school by assuming that the applicant is essentially a show-off.

Honestly, if you were sitting on multiple interviews and maybe an acceptance, I would ask the interviewer if he always comments on people's appearances and if this is quality of his is representative of the school or just him. lolol

 

[PreMedMissteps]

People are skipping the detail where his application talked about being poor.

Where does it say that in the OP?
I just see that it mentions that his family is "nowhere near wealthy." That doesn't translate to "poor," although i suspect that his essays did try to imply a low income background.

While (very thankfully) I've never been poor, i do know several poor people/families and the truly poor cannot save for $2500 worth of graduation gifts. They just don't have the money leftover each month to do so. Any very modest savings that they're able to set aside is needed for real and desperate needs. Think about it, a family who is truly poor trying to set aside even $50 a month for such a gift (which would be difficult for a poor family) cannot go multiple months without needing to dip into that savings for real emergencies. That's why i suspect that this was the child of immigrants who have some sort of business and are not truly low income at all.

While the interview was strange, i suspect that the interviewer was trying to flush out the truth.

 

[DBC03]

I don't understand how it's anyone's business. The interviewer was completely out of line, and should be reported.

While I wasn't at an interview, I was doing a photo shoot once with my Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM II. It is a rather flashy (albeit useful) lens. I had one of those annoying people trying to get me to sign up for one of those $15/mo things. I told him I didn't have money, and then he pointed out my lens. I told him it's none of his damn business and walked away.

People also forget where or how you buy something. I own a photography business and get all of my gear used (and significantly cheaper). And I don’t cross sources of income, so just because I own something for my business doesn’t mean I have personal cash on hand for other things.

Also, nothing beats the 35L.




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[JJBinks69]

I think we're getting carried away here. OP brought a ridiculously expensive and pretentious pen to an interview (there is no reason to bring ANY pen to an interview) and got roasted for it. Not the most professional thing for an interviewer to do, but come on. OP should have considered the optics.

 

[rabbott1971]

Paying $150 for a pen that performs negligibly better than a $12 pen seems totally not worth it to me. I've got wrist issues, so I get the difference between a 10 cent BIC Xtra Life and a Pilot Metropolitan, but I've got a hundred dollar pen sitting in a box that I never touch because it's just not any better than a Pilot Metro, Fisher Space Pen, or any number of Uni-Balls (I'm quite fond of everything from the Jetstream to the Signo DX, all for different uses).

I feel the same way about cars. Why spend $80,000 (or more) on a Mercedes or BMW when you can have a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry for less than half that, and the expensive German cars only "perform negligibly better." But, not everyone drives a Honda Accord.

I like fancy pens, and of course I have a Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 ("Diplomat") fountain pen, pictured below. The first one I got was a law school graduation gift from my dad. It is just a gorgeous piece of gear, and sometimes I wear it in my breast pocket even if I don't care to write with it. Fact is, I have no business with fountain pens, being left-handed, but I like them anyway. I just like them.

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Where does it say that in the OP?
I just see that it mentions that his family is "nowhere near wealthy." That doesn't translate to "poor," although i suspect that his essays did try to imply a low income background.

While (very thankfully) I've never been poor, i do know several poor people/families and the truly poor cannot save for $2500 worth of graduation gifts. They just don't have the money leftover each month to do so. Any very modest savings that they're able to set aside is needed for real and desperate needs. Think about it, a family who is truly poor trying to set aside even $50 a month for such a gift (which would be difficult for a poor family) cannot go multiple months without needing to dip into that savings for real emergencies. That's why i suspect that this was the child of immigrants who have some sort of business and are not truly low income at all.

While the interview was strange, i suspect that the interviewer was trying to flush out the truth.

He said that his family is not wealthy in the original post.

 

[7331poas]

I always took that to mean that those who have more need to help others. I don't think it means that those who've been successful are shut out of heaven.

How could you possibly conclude that from this

New International Version
"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

 

[DokterMom]

Another possibility is that the accessories were fake/counterfeit, which brings up ethical issues.

The real bottom line though is that it's not wise to wear/carry articles that are so memorable that they might overshadow the rest of your application.

Strive for 'appropriate' in your appearance, not 'impressive'.

 

[Planes2Doc]

People also forget where or how you buy something. I own a photography business and get all of my gear used (and significantly cheaper). And I don’t cross sources of income, so just because I own something for my business doesn’t mean I have personal cash on hand for other things.

Also, nothing beats the 35L.

That's very true. For me it was more of a very expensive hobby where I made some money on the side. It wasn't made to be an investment. Also, are you talking about the Mark I or II? I used to have the original 35L on my old Rebel, and it was nice. I sold it when I went full-frame. I actually have the Sigma 35mm ART on a Sony a99 (I use two different systems for different purposes) and it's pretty amazing! The new 35L Mk II is a bit on the high end of price.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Paying $150 for a pen that performs negligibly better than a $12 pen seems totally not worth it to me. I've got wrist issues, so I get the difference between a 10 cent BIC Xtra Life and a Pilot Metropolitan, but I've got a hundred dollar pen sitting in a box that I never touch because it's just not any better than a Pilot Metro, Fisher Space Pen, or any number of Uni-Balls (I'm quite fond of everything from the Jetstream to the Signo DX, all for different uses).

I am quite fond of my uniballs.

 

[jazzmetal]

I feel the same way about cars. Why spend $80,000 (or more) on a Mercedes or BMW when you can have a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry for less than half that, and the expensive German cars only "perform negligibly better." But, not everyone drives a Honda Accord.

I like fancy pens, and of course I have a Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 ("Diplomat") fountain pen, pictured below. The first one I got was a law school graduation gift from my dad. It is just a gorgeous piece of gear, and sometimes I wear it in my breast pocket even if I don't care to write with it. Fact is, I have no business with fountain pens, being left-handed, but I like them anyway. I just like them.
View attachment 225540

Wait, does this mean I shouldn't drive my Porsche to the interview?
Just kidding. I don't have any interviews.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

People are skipping the detail where his application talked about being poor.

And I asked where does he say that he's poor.

He said that his family is not wealthy in the original post.

What? Since when does saying that one's family is not wealthy translate into his family being "poor"?

I didn't come from a wealthy family. I came from a middle class family. But I guess you'd say I came from a poor family if I said that my family isn't wealthy??? What?