During interviews, does "we are the best" attitude by a school turn you on or off?

[chef]

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I have heard of stories of people interviewing at certain schools where they were greeted with faculty, staff, and students who felt that their school was the best med school on the planet and who were not afraid to voice out their opinions. It even got to a level where they wanted to make sure the interviewees feel honored to be there...

now does this make you like the school or not?

 

[Snuffleuffagus]

I think it kind of depends on how you felt, just prior to the interview. If your interest in the school was particularly strong going in, hearing glowing remarks from students would only heighten your perception (in my opinion). You have to keep in mind, they're trying to convince you to attend. Current students raving about their facilites, curriculum, etc. is to be expected. Consider it a complement.....They want you!!

 

[THE instiGATOR]

I prefer a positive attitude about one's school to an indifferent attitude. It would be difficult to rally the troops to sell a crummy (relatively speaking) school, so if everyone is willing and happy to sell their school...it must be a good school.

 

[coop]

For me it depends on how exactly the attitude is presented. It was a turn off for me at vanderbilt where the attitude of many was "our super-traditional curriculum is the only way to learn medicine and students at schools that don't do it this way really don't learn anything." Also at hopkins the attitude was very derogatory of other schools which I don't like at all.

I do like it when a school/students have pride and say "we do x, y, and z really well here, and we enjoy the way in which things are done/presented." Places that present themselves in a way where they try to be open an honest with you, and talk about their school and acknolwedge that no one school is right for everyone but if the things they do well are right for you then this is a great school for you. I feel like when it turns into snottiness and knocking other schools it seems like the school is trying to hide something, and i just get a negative impression, especially of the students. Great examples of schools that pride themselves on their strengths and don't turn it into childish bickering about why others schools suck are Duke, Pitt, Case Western and Pritzker. This is, of course, just from my limited experience, do you guys agree?

 

[choker]

at columbia, there was this prick 4th year telling us they were the best at blah blah blah and i think it turned all of us off. he just sounded like such a prick. if it weren't for the fact that there were so many other cooler students, i would have liked the school a lot less.

 

[skelly99]

Definitely a turn off for me.

Haven't really run into it with med schools, but for undergrad the first question I was asked at Harvard was "We know why you are interested in coming here, now why should we accept you?" The rest of the interview was pretty much the same. I dropped the interviewer's card on her office floor on the way out and never applied. In retrospect, it was a pretty darn good decision for me, I think.

 

[sundevil1]

All schools must brag somewhat, they have to show you their good points so that you will go to school there. However, at one school I visited we were constantly reminded of how high their board scores are and how happy and laid back everybody is there. It almost seemed like instead of trying to make us believe it, they were trying to make themselves believe it cause maybe they weren't so happy. This probably wasn't the case but it just seemed that way. When schools brag too much, it is definitely annoying and lessens my interest in atteding.

 

[E'01]

Columbia students sure were putting down the Cornell med students. The tour guide at Einstein was even worse - in fact she sounded rather bitter, as if Cornell had been her first choice but didn't get in. Her ranting and raving was a little too personal if you asked me... Anyway, I tried not to form any negative opinions of the schools based upon what these individuals had said.