Does being good looking help in the Residency Match?

[Lui Kang]

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It's a simple question. I have heard that grades and board scores only get you in the door for program interviews. After that the way a program ranks you depends on letters, the interview, and the "gut feeling" many PD's have. So I would guess being good looking and charming would help a lot?

 

[RadOncDoc21]

I'm sure it doesn't hurt. It can play a minor factor such as race, religion and sex but its not the deal breaker, unless your PD is a sex-crazed maniac.

 

[username456789]

It's a simple question. I have heard that grades and board scores only get you in the door for program interviews. After that the way a program ranks you depends on letters, the interview, and the "gut feeling" many PD's have. So I would guess being good looking and charming would help a lot?

Being good looking helps in just about any avenue in life. It's probably not the difference between matching at your number one and going unmatched; however, it'd be silly to say that there is zero effect. Hopefully the effect is mitigated by solid attempts at unbiased decision-making by the committees, but once someone has seen you, a judgement has been made, regardless of how fair that is.

 

[Deferoxamine]

It's a simple question. I have heard that grades and board scores only get you in the door for program interviews. After that the way a program ranks you depends on letters, the interview, and the "gut feeling" many PD's have. So I would guess being good looking and charming would help a lot?

Your guess is correct.

Don't throw together an application with some $hitty faceshot photo you took with your friend's phone where you're frowning.

Be presentable and well-dressed at your interview.

It's a superficial world out there. First impressions mean a lot. Of course they matter when they're sifting through 50 to 500 interviewees.

 

[Mr hawkings]

So I would guess being good looking and charming would help a lot?

I sure hope so

 

[notdeadyet]

It sure helped me. So did my humility.

 

[docu]

what about looking really young for your age ,say about 16?

 

[Lui Kang]

I'm sure it doesn't hurt. It can play a minor factor such as race, religion and sex but its not the deal breaker, unless your PD is a sex-crazed maniac.

Are you saying it helps to be white as well? So the closer I am to Patrick Dempsey, the better my chances of getting a competitive residency?

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I have heard that grades and board scores only get you in the door for program interviews. After that the way a program ranks you depends on letters, the interview, and the "gut feeling" many PD's have.

I'm going to disagree with this statement, to some extent.

For very competitive programs where everyone's stats are stellar, perhaps. If everyone has a Step score >240, it really doesn't matter if it's a 245, 265, or 285.

Many programs will have a range of applicants. Some are stronger, some are weaker. In that case, I expect that interview performance can move you up to the top of your "peer group", as far as competitiveness is concerned.

A poor interview performance can drop anyone from the rank list, regardless of academic scores / performance.

 

[Chakrabs]

On 2 or 3 of my interviews, I had people commenting how "ugly" my picture looked on ERAS. I had taken it at Walgreens since I was swamped with rotations around the time ERAS as due. I got into my top choice program, so who knows if it really made a difference.

 

[DrAwsome]

I'm going to disagree with this statement, to some extent.

For very competitive programs where everyone's stats are stellar, perhaps. If everyone has a Step score >240, it really doesn't matter if it's a 245, 265, or 285.

Many programs will have a range of applicants. Some are stronger, some are weaker. In that case, I expect that interview performance can move you up to the top of your "peer group", as far as competitiveness is concerned.

A poor interview performance can drop anyone from the rank list, regardless of academic scores / performance.

i couldn't agree more. 🙁 I got an interview at a program that I was *dying* to go to, and was very surprised that I got invited in the first place. The minute I got the interview I was so nervous I said oh man I'm going to blow the interview. Even despite tremendous prep, I totally blew the interview and did not match there. 🙁 I think interview performance is incredibly important once you actually get invited and other PDs have also told me that once you make it to the interview since an interview invitation basically means that academically the program would be ok with having you, it comes down to whether the program likes you and how the performace on the IV goes. *Sigh*

 

[FutureInternist]

That may be part of the reason why up until a few years ago the photo was not submitted via ERAS until interviews were granted. 🙂

 

[DrAwsome]

That may be part of the reason why up until a few years ago the photo was not submitted via ERAS until interviews were granted. 🙂

I thought that was the same case currently too-or is the photo seen with the rest of the app materials?

 

[Top Gun]

Its not so much being good-looking, its maintaining a professional appearance. Obviously if you come in looking disheveled and unkempt, you're going to be ranked low, if at all. But if you come in appropriately attired and groomed, it will create a positive first impression in the interview. But that doesn't mean you have to look like you just stepped off the cover of GQ magazine. In fact, I wouldn't try to look like that. It just looks pretentious, in my opinion.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I thought that was the same case currently too-or is the photo seen with the rest of the app materials?

Now, we see your photo immediately. Of course, we can screen all photos, but then we can't see photos of those who are coming to interview.

You can choose when (and if) to release a photo to us (which is different than the old system). So, if you're concerned that your photo might somehow negatively influence your application, you can release it only after you get an interview, or not at all.

The old system wasn't really much better. Photos were hidden until we clicked the "selected to interview" button. Anyone who really cared could click that box, look at your photo, and then unclick the box,

 

[Rendar5]

Let's put it this way. Two equal applicants on paper, equally good interviews, one is good-looking, one isn't. Who's going to get the job? The better-looking person of course.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to enhance your appearance. A well-groomed, professionally shaved person with a fitted designer suit just gave himself a leg up.