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I'm pretty overweight, but I don't feel it disadvantaged me. I think being significantly overweight will count against you more if you are a woman, or you are morbidly obese.
Does being attractive offset a low GPA/MCAT during an interview?
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I'm pretty overweight, but I don't feel it disadvantaged me. I think being significantly overweight will count against you more if you are a woman, or you are morbidly obese.
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I'm pretty sure a decent, well-fitted suit will make a better impression than a great body under a poorly-fitted suit. Anything you have to fiddle with and hitch up throughout the day is a no-go. I thought this would have been obvious but I saw some pretty bad suits at my interviews. One guy didn't wear a suit at all! It's only clothes, but it's the first thing people notice. Definitely get your suit tailored if hems drag or the waist/sleeves don't fit properly.
Interviewing for med school was the first time I'd ever worn a suit but I made sure the suit I had was comfortable and fit very well. It made a huge difference in my confidence, which likely came through during the interviews, and have been accepted and/or waitlisted at every school that interviewed me!
Then again, I have some pretty weird ECs, like getting arrested during protests, so maybe that worked in my favor too? haha
Interviewing for med school was the first time I'd ever worn a suit but I made sure the suit I had was comfortable and fit very well. It made a huge difference in my confidence, which likely came through during the interviews, and have been accepted and/or waitlisted at every school that interviewed me!
Then again, I have some pretty weird ECs, like getting arrested during protests, so maybe that worked in my favor too? haha
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It can happen.
http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3trcfc/
http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3trcfc/
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I don't think that's the case (although the situation is different for obese applicants). Sad to say it's perfectly okay and justified for adcoms to reject people because they are obese.
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I guess I should have clarified... but that is probably closer to the case. One just never wants to call their friends obese.
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Adcoms will only see your friend in the interview, so she should be getting more post-interview rejections if this were the case. I'm pretty sure that adcoms are aware that obesity is usually a medical condition, but as long as your friend showed true passion of medicine, I don't see what could possibly be wrong.
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Well. It would help if she would apply to more than one school. -sigh- All in-state applicants are interviewed at the school I'm referring to... so it's post-interview rejections all around.
Anyway... I just suppose I've always wanted to be idealistic and believe weight doesn't play a factor with these sorts of things sometime. But I'm probably wrong.
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No idea, but I know its very rare to see an overweight medical student or resident...just from experience. I'm not sure if that's self-selection or overt we-dont-accept-fat-people policy of adcoms.
Most medical trainees are usually pretty fit and generally attractive. I'll just say the little cliche 'snowflake' comment and say that most of you are probably reasonably attractive anyway.
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Most likely yes, due to the Halo Effect . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_effect
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Halo effect.... so the answer is "yes, but..."
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True
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Attractive won't help low grades, because I guarantee with the volume of applicants that exist now there's a smarter person who is better looking right behind you.
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Thats the catch. Not everyone finds the same people attractive. There are some universal guidelines, sure but there is a lot of variance in what people find attractive. I think I read one study that claimed people find others who have similar features to themselves attractive.
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So you had one interview?
... which resulted in an acceptance. Pretty sweet deal.
Also, awesome new avatar.
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Pretty sweet indeed. Yeah, I'll never part ways with it for long. Bubbles forever.
I think your personality: good self expression, friendliness, sincere, passion, confidence (not arrogance) radiates more than physical beauty.
There are so many factors that contribute to a successful interview. I have been to very many interviews in my professional career (non medical) and as I've grown, I've learned to relax, smile often (but not forced), laugh when necessary, be genuine and sincere, and not take myself too seriously, in addition to the paper qualifications needed for the job. I never passed the interviews where i tried too hard & wanted it so much that i was so serious & nervous about it. I always find a common factor between myself and the interviewer - i always ask them questions as well (conversational questions) like how they like being here, etc. non-serious, non-intimidating questions etc.
As for physical appearance, I am a female and allow me to say i am considered very attractive (and know it). However, this beauty was there when i failed all those thousand interviews miserably. I started to feel like a loser after a while, looks didn't help me at all. People think otherwise, but my looks have never helped me, it's created the wrong impression if anything and always made me have to try harder to proof myself. In addition, I have an accent. I was raised in Africa till i was 18. And for years i was very conscious about my accent and that made me insecure and that lack of confidence contributed to my failed interviews. I grew up and learned interviewing skills, it's an art. It can be learned. That helped, I haven't failed a job interview since then, phone interviews and in-person interviews, instead I am the one turning them down.
How you dress also matters, wear something you feel super comfortable in. I don't wear career suits - not comfortable in them. I wear a grey/black simple dress and a grey or black blazer (in contrast to the dress) on top. Those career suits are just damn too serious making me look like a prime minister, church lady or something - so not my personality. I am a chic, not a woman - they have to know this at their first glance! 😉
And when i got my last job, i was told that 11 people (male & female) was interviewed & showed interest in my position and only I was hired. I asked the person who is now my boss why he hired me, he said - he saw that i was passionate about my work and had a sense of humor. I had a very high profile job in my previous position - my former boss said same too. In my current job, there are business professionals and presenters etc, but i am called to speak
at government agencies about what we do and what we have to offer. I was just a lowly software developer with no interpersonal skills (in addition to family influence, one of the reasons i picked technology, is so i don't have to deal with people or speak much) but i have done so much of that in the past years. These days i am the one that people meet and within 20minutes and they've told me their entire life's story.
So forget your gorgeous face and muscles, they don't help! Get the right qualifications and learn how to interview - learn how to make a great first impression, learn how to make someone like you within the first 15minutes - learn how to be a sincere, friendly person that people are drawn to and you will ace any interview or meeting. I am still learning this skill myself, there are many self help books to help, i listen to some in my car all the time.
There are so many factors that contribute to a successful interview. I have been to very many interviews in my professional career (non medical) and as I've grown, I've learned to relax, smile often (but not forced), laugh when necessary, be genuine and sincere, and not take myself too seriously, in addition to the paper qualifications needed for the job. I never passed the interviews where i tried too hard & wanted it so much that i was so serious & nervous about it. I always find a common factor between myself and the interviewer - i always ask them questions as well (conversational questions) like how they like being here, etc. non-serious, non-intimidating questions etc.
As for physical appearance, I am a female and allow me to say i am considered very attractive (and know it). However, this beauty was there when i failed all those thousand interviews miserably. I started to feel like a loser after a while, looks didn't help me at all. People think otherwise, but my looks have never helped me, it's created the wrong impression if anything and always made me have to try harder to proof myself. In addition, I have an accent. I was raised in Africa till i was 18. And for years i was very conscious about my accent and that made me insecure and that lack of confidence contributed to my failed interviews. I grew up and learned interviewing skills, it's an art. It can be learned. That helped, I haven't failed a job interview since then, phone interviews and in-person interviews, instead I am the one turning them down.
How you dress also matters, wear something you feel super comfortable in. I don't wear career suits - not comfortable in them. I wear a grey/black simple dress and a grey or black blazer (in contrast to the dress) on top. Those career suits are just damn too serious making me look like a prime minister, church lady or something - so not my personality. I am a chic, not a woman - they have to know this at their first glance! 😉
And when i got my last job, i was told that 11 people (male & female) was interviewed & showed interest in my position and only I was hired. I asked the person who is now my boss why he hired me, he said - he saw that i was passionate about my work and had a sense of humor. I had a very high profile job in my previous position - my former boss said same too. In my current job, there are business professionals and presenters etc, but i am called to speak
at government agencies about what we do and what we have to offer. I was just a lowly software developer with no interpersonal skills (in addition to family influence, one of the reasons i picked technology, is so i don't have to deal with people or speak much) but i have done so much of that in the past years. These days i am the one that people meet and within 20minutes and they've told me their entire life's story.So forget your gorgeous face and muscles, they don't help! Get the right qualifications and learn how to interview - learn how to make a great first impression, learn how to make someone like you within the first 15minutes - learn how to be a sincere, friendly person that people are drawn to and you will ace any interview or meeting. I am still learning this skill myself, there are many self help books to help, i listen to some in my car all the time.
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I was told in strict confidence by a derm insider that they definitely do not allow short bald guys into derm. How bad are you?People tell me I'm confident, well-spoken and articulate. I objectively know I'm not good-looking. Will I never get into derm?
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Being attractive means you have a higher chance of being well-spoken, confident, possess positive body language, and in general have a higher chance of acing the interview. Subconsciously, interviewers probably do have better reactions to people that are attractive (or at the least, 'professional attractive' even if not model-level hot).
Does that offset a low GPA/MCAT? I doubt it, but it depends on each school's final ranking system. The impression I've gotten from speaking to insiders at my medical school is that the interview process is designed to weed out those who interview poorly, but a positive interview won't move the needle as much if your stats are on the lower end. All else being equal between two candidates, the more attractive person may have an edge - but I doubt it would offset a weak application.
In some cases, being hot + having poor judgment can work against you. On the residency interview trail, the candidates in tiny skirts with a couple too many buttons undone tended to be extremely attractive. Or maybe those were the only ones that I noticed.
Does that offset a low GPA/MCAT? I doubt it, but it depends on each school's final ranking system. The impression I've gotten from speaking to insiders at my medical school is that the interview process is designed to weed out those who interview poorly, but a positive interview won't move the needle as much if your stats are on the lower end. All else being equal between two candidates, the more attractive person may have an edge - but I doubt it would offset a weak application.
In some cases, being hot + having poor judgment can work against you. On the residency interview trail, the candidates in tiny skirts with a couple too many buttons undone tended to be extremely attractive. Or maybe those were the only ones that I noticed.
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Here's a true story which may be partially applicable to this thread.
Nana Keum, Miss Universe Korea of 2003, was mucho smart. She went to med school in S. Korea to start off with.
For whatever reasons, she quit med school to move to the US, and then she entered Harvard for her BS.
With >3.8 GPA, (MCAT unknown), she sent her primary to 26 schools, received 5 IIs. Result: she got into none.
I don't know what red flags her application carried. Probably her being an international applicant might have held her back. Anyways, it's clear that neither her physical attractiveness at the interview nor the official beauty queen title salvaged her "weaker" application.
Or her Asian beauty failed to attract the Western interviewers. 🙄
BTW, she went to Columbia for her Masters then to Harvard DPH program afterwards.
Nana Keum, Miss Universe Korea of 2003, was mucho smart. She went to med school in S. Korea to start off with.
For whatever reasons, she quit med school to move to the US, and then she entered Harvard for her BS.
With >3.8 GPA, (MCAT unknown), she sent her primary to 26 schools, received 5 IIs. Result: she got into none.
I don't know what red flags her application carried. Probably her being an international applicant might have held her back. Anyways, it's clear that neither her physical attractiveness at the interview nor the official beauty queen title salvaged her "weaker" application.
Or her Asian beauty failed to attract the Western interviewers. 🙄
BTW, she went to Columbia for her Masters then to Harvard DPH program afterwards.
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Sometimes being attractive can actually work against you, depending on the interviewer. Best to just be fantastically smooth and personable and rely as little as possible on looks.
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Being attractive tends to make people trust you more and believe you are more intelligent and trustworthy. It's just one of those unfair things in life that either benefits you (if you won the genetic lottery) or not (if you fell down the ugly tree). This would probably lead to more acceptances.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...00903/beautiful-people-are-more-intelligent-i
http://www.forbes.com/sites/shenegotiates/2012/04/30/using-youth-and-beauty-to-get-what-you-want/
http://www.businessinsider.com/studies-show-the-advantages-of-being-beautiful-2013-6
That being said, once you're at the interview, your interviewing skills are likely going to be the primary thing getting you into or keeping you out of medical school. While good looks might give you a slight edge, they won't make up for poor performance, a lack of social skills, or an absence of hard work.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...00903/beautiful-people-are-more-intelligent-i
http://www.forbes.com/sites/shenegotiates/2012/04/30/using-youth-and-beauty-to-get-what-you-want/
http://www.businessinsider.com/studies-show-the-advantages-of-being-beautiful-2013-6
That being said, once you're at the interview, your interviewing skills are likely going to be the primary thing getting you into or keeping you out of medical school. While good looks might give you a slight edge, they won't make up for poor performance, a lack of social skills, or an absence of hard work.
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Lol. I knew you would bump this thread
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My bet is she was a poor interviewee. Probably tried the same sort of answer style she used as a beauty contestant, not realizing how fake it comes off as. If she already got 5 IIs, it wasn't her MCAT score holding her back.
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Brad Pitt got into Harvard JHU and Stanford without even applying
