Boss Contacting AdCom About Interviews

[tyrionbannister]

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Last week I was put on hold at the medical school at which I'm currently employed. My boss, who is a professor at this school, said if I had any issues obtaining an interview here that I should let him know so he could personally lobby for me. I appreciate the gesture, but I've been debating if it is a good idea to have him try and reach out to adcom members about my app, or do you think that'll just aggravate the adcom/does this represent a conflict of interest?

@LizzyM @Goro @gonnif

 

[Goro]

This will just piss off the Admission dean and his/her staff, and at best, might lead to a polite courtesy interview, which will be followed by a polite spot ont he wait list, followed by an even more polite rejection at the end of the cycle.

If you're a superstar, it might move you up in the queue.

 

[21Rush12]

I mean if you're on hold already, do you have anything to lose?


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[Spectar]

If you're a superstar, it might move you up in the queue.

Just wondering since I've seen many people refer to superstars, how exactly do you define one? Is it merely a 526 mcat or an extremely compelling life story?

 

[Goro]

Just wondering since I've seen many people refer to superstars, how exactly do you define one? Is it merely a 526 mcat or an extremely compelling life story?

Yes.

 

[21Rush12]

But if OP was equivocal to many other applicants and just got put in the hold pile, would a good word really hurt? I find it hard to believe that someone would go out of their way to NOT interview the OP if a connection mentioned it. At worst it seems like it would have no effect. This connection could easily speak up as if OP doesn't know about it.


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[BombsAway]

Life is 69% who you know.

 

[de Ribas]

Life is 69% who you know.

If you round to the nearest tenth.

 

[Goro]

But if OP was equivocal to many other applicants and just got put in the hold pile, would a good word really hurt? I find it hard to believe that someone would go out of their way to NOT interview the OP if a connection mentioned it. At worst it seems like it would have no effect. This connection could easily speak up as if OP doesn't know about it.


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You obviously have no idea how often Admissions deans get this kind of crap. ...even from Governors and Senators. And don't even get them started on parents and relatives.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Last week I was put on hold at the medical school at which I'm currently employed. My boss, who is a professor at this school, said if I had any issues obtaining an interview here that I should let him know so he could personally lobby for me. I appreciate the gesture, but I've been debating if it is a good idea to have him try and reach out to adcom members about my app, or do you think that'll just aggravate the adcom/does this represent a conflict of interest?

@LizzyM @Goro @gonnif

I'll be devils advocate here...

I would Imagine if your boss has social skills it could be beneficial. Lots of schools dont have the time and resources to review every app in detail and yours may have been lost in the shuffle. At least where I go to school adcoms regularly consider calls/emails on behalf of med students, providing they're from someone who's actually in a position of relevance.

If your boss storms in and demands the adcom grant you an II then yes that would be very not good. Also would probably look kind of silly depending on who your boss is. Is on faculty at the medical school? Does he know the adcoms? Has he gone to bat for applicants before? If hes a physician associated with the med school thats great, if he's an assistant professor of chemistry/art history/basketweaving in the PhD Program then less great.

Personally I had people do this sort of thing for me at a couple schools and it worked out well. Just remember that tact is key. The people who call in favors on your behalf need to have people on the other end who actually owe them favors.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Follow up I have also seen this go the complete other way. I know one kid who should've been a shoe in and was rejected outright after his boss threw a fit to the dean about the kid not getting an interview within the first month of apps.

 

[21Rush12]

@Goro a fair point, I definitely don’t know how often this comes up in practice. I got that advice from a former (just retired) admissions dean, but he was referring to one specific place and situation.


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[Coltuna]

I'll echo what was said above. There's a difference between your boss being a "I would be happy to put in a good word" type of person and a "I'll take care of it" type of person.

 

[euronsilence]

You might be getting some bad advice here. I think it can only help you.
Its not what you know, its who you know. This is how the real world works. For better or for worse.

 

[tyrionbannister]

This will just piss off the Admission dean and his/her staff, and at best, might lead to a polite courtesy interview, which will be followed by a polite spot ont he wait list, followed by an even more polite rejection at the end of the cycle.

If you're a superstar, it might move you up in the queue.

But if OP was equivocal to many other applicants and just got put in the hold pile, would a good word really hurt? I find it hard to believe that someone would go out of their way to NOT interview the OP if a connection mentioned it. At worst it seems like it would have no effect. This connection could easily speak up as if OP doesn't know about it.


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I'll be devils advocate here...

I would Imagine if your boss has social skills it could be beneficial. Lots of schools dont have the time and resources to review every app in detail and yours may have been lost in the shuffle. At least where I go to school adcoms regularly consider calls/emails on behalf of med students, providing they're from someone who's actually in a position of relevance.

If your boss storms in and demands the adcom grant you an II then yes that would be very not good. Also would probably look kind of silly depending on who your boss is. Is on faculty at the medical school? Does he know the adcoms? Has he gone to bat for applicants before? If hes a physician associated with the med school thats great, if he's an assistant professor of chemistry/art history/basketweaving in the PhD Program then less great.

Personally I had people do this sort of thing for me at a couple schools and it worked out well. Just remember that tact is key. The people who call in favors on your behalf need to have people on the other end who actually owe them favors.

Wow! This got a lot more responses than I thought it would...to everyone's points:

I don't know if I would consider myself a superstar, but I am well above the average accepted gpa/mcat at this school, and have very significant ties beyond me just working at the school.

My boss is med school faculty, and he 10000% knows adcoms.

Perhaps the tact is to mention this to my boss but ask him to be courteous when they get in touch with whomever? Not that he isn't incredibly nice/friendly to begin with but I guess just to make sure.

 

[21Rush12]

If it were me, I would drop a hint and allow your boss to offer or take it upon himself. That isn’t to say, as others have said, that it could be seen as an annoyance or something like what Goro mentioned. I think you have to use your best judgment objectively to see what the situation is and act accordingly. I can’t see any harm in asking personally, but clearly this isn’t the only opinion out there. Tact is important of course.


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