Gays of premed, what should I wear to my in-person interviews?

[picornaviridaeluvr]

I have a couple of in-person and virtual interviews with Texas med schools. For those of y'all that are queer (and genderqueer), what would y'all wear? I'm a 22 y/o male who would like to dress a little more personable, but I'm unsure if this is ideal for a med school interview.

Here are my options:

• Grey houndstooth blazer and pant with a solid brownish tie, black belt, and black loafers (more traditional)
• Brown wool double-breasted blazer and pant set (slight baggy fit), with subtle cream pinstripes. I would wear this with a cream button-up underneath, a black belt, and black loafers (more me I think)

Both are professional-looking but I'm unsure if I should go the more traditional route.

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

I'd go with option 1 if those are your two options. But honestly just wear a black/blue suit like everyone else, especially if you're "noticeably gay" like me, and doubly especially in Texas. Thank God I got in in the Northeast lol.

 

[Z_C]

If you otherwise look more or less like the typical interviewee I think the first might be appropriate, but if you otherwise look notable (e.g visibly gender-nonconforming or 'alternative') I agree to keep it basic!

As a person who fits the 'otherwise notable' criterion, I typically wear something like a black suit with white blouse or business formal dress with a blue or white accent piece for professional events.

Edit: the second one sounds like it might make you look like David Byrne which is a very funny bit, but probably not the best interview attire

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What Do I Wear? Basic Interview Attire for Men - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

Always go with the traditional route. Save the less traditional for more social/formal occasions.

 

[Hollow Knight]

I get wanting to be interesting, trust me. But always dress more conservatively.

Once you're an attending you can wear whatever you want (within reason), but until then, you're trying to impress people. You don't want anyone to remember your outfit, you just want to be another applicant in a suit.

 

[Goro]

Option 1. Thus is an interview for medical school. Show off your professionalism.

Interviews are not places to make statements,, BTW.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Option 1. Thus is an interview for medical school. Show off your professionalism

Agreed. At my mid-tier school in the Northeast, it was fine for women to show up for the interview wearing a suit, even a men's suit that had been tailored to fit them. If you do this, however - make sure you have service to the LGBTQ+ community on your application. One queer person to another - the pool has been polluted with grifters. However, I have a few doubts about whether grifters would go as far as to obtain gender-nonconforming professional clothing and then wear it at interview.

If you are reasonably professional - especially if you're skilled with fashion - it is likely to help more than hurt, especially at the schools you probably applied to. I am guessing you did not apply to medical schools known for being politically conservative or religious, where that might be counted against you.

@Hollow Knight had some interesting points with respect to fashion. I have a different opinion there - it can be a good thing if you draw attention for your skill at fashion. Some argue that breaking exactly one rule - no more, no less - is a good idea. On the other hand, if you have to ask SDNers you are probably not skilled enough to know exactly where the line is drawn. There is another point, too, to be drawn here - increasing variance is the poor man's self improvement. As such, if you know you are a marginal candidate and are barely hanging on it may make sense to swing for the fences. I don't know very much about that, though. @LizzyM describes a "stairstep" model where the Olympic athlete with a 4.0 and 528 is not on a level playing field with the guy with a 3.7 and 518 after the interview's been offered. Other adcoms say it's all equal (on paper) at interview.

Good luck with everything, and don't go too wild!

 

[LizzyM]

Houndstooth plaid?? Plain trousers I hope, or is this a houndstooth suit? Not my idea of traditional but I'm not from Texas. There will be other opportunities to show your style sense. For now, find a thrift shop blue or gray suit and have it tailored to fit. Keep your physique (easier said than done) and you can wear it 4 years from now for residency interviews. (Black was the norm 20 years ago but most people are getting away from the funeral look.)

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Houndstooth plaid?? Plain trousers I hope, or is this a houndstooth suit? Not my idea of traditional but I'm not from Texas. There will be other opportunities to show your style sense. For now, find a thrift shop blue or gray suit and have it tailored to fit. Keep your physique (easier said than done) and you can wear it 4 years from now for residency interviews. (Black was the norm 20 years ago but most people are getting away from the funeral look.)

I've posted the following wisdom before (some sarcasm):

Pinstripes are for bankers. (A very well known physician in my research area.)

 

[pizzaluigi]

I'm out of the loop but what correlation does being gay have on interview attire?

 

[LizzyM]

I've posted the following wisdom before (some sarcasm):

Pinstripes are for bankers. (A very well known physician in my research area.)

My dean favors pinstripes and he looks like an extra from Guys and Dolls.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

I'm out of the loop but what correlation does being gay have on interview attire?

Gender non-conforming attire - suits on women, maybe skirts on men.

 

[Z_C]

only gay people wear clothes

 

[MD_Maker]

A tie is a nice way to add flavor to a suit. I have a rainbow one that often gets compliments. I nice pin near the front pockets can also take you far. I'd avoid standing out too much with what you wear, especially if you run anxious (like me) and worry what people think of you. Instead put your energy into having engaging conversation and being likeable.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

Agreed. At my mid-tier school in the Northeast, it was fine for women to show up for the interview wearing a suit, even a men's suit that had been tailored to fit them. If you do this, however - make sure you have service to the LGBTQ+ community on your application.

Gender non-conforming attire - suits on women, maybe skirts on men.

pant suits on women have been pretty much the norm on the interview trail since at least as far back as when I interviewed (7 years ago) and probably a long time before that. wearing a men's suit would be slightly more gender non conforming, but assuming it is appropriately tailored to fit the wearer (since an off the rack men's suit may not fit very well at all) i don't think it would raise many eyebrows at all tbh and definitely would not require a specifically LGBTQ+ focused application. Adding in a men's tie is where you start to get more noticeably non-conforming perhaps.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

pant suits on women have been pretty much the norm on the interview trail since at least as far back as when I interviewed (7 years ago) and probably a long time before that. wearing a men's suit would be slightly more gender non conforming, but assuming it is appropriately tailored to fit the wearer (since an off the rack men's suit may not fit very well at all) i don't think it would raise many eyebrows at all tbh and definitely would not require a specifically LGBTQ+ focused application. Adding in a men's tie is where you start to get more noticeably non-conforming perhaps.

Yeah - the classmate I was thinking of wore a men's suit (that had been tailored to fit her) and a tie to her interview and pretty much anything where a suit was appropriate or required. I'm not necessarily saying that the applicant needs anything more than a couple hundred hours of LGBTQ+ service on their application - just enough to dispel fears that they are grifting, if they show up to the interview in something visibly and clearly queer or gender non-conforming.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

Yeah - the classmate I was thinking of wore a men's suit (that had been tailored to fit her) and a tie to her interview and pretty much anything where a suit was appropriate or required. I'm not necessarily saying that the applicant needs anything more than a couple hundred hours of LGBTQ+ service on their application - just enough to dispel fears that they are grifting, if they show up to the interview in something visibly and clearly queer or gender non-conforming.

this is a very excessive fear of grifting and not how things work in real life

There is no quota the med school adcoms are trying to fill of women who wear ties to their interviews - if anything, being visibly gender non conforming is a risk one might take to show up as their true selves and hopefully find a program that accepts them as such. There are many places where it can unfortunately still hurt you.

 

[BRWCD]

Just wear the one that makes you most comfortable.

 

[picornaviridaeluvr]

Hi all! Thanks for all of your feedback Here is a little update from my past couple of interviews:

I mainly decided on wearing whichever suit I felt most confident and thought looked most put together. I wore that first suit option (the gray houndstooth suit and pant set) with a white button-up, black belt and loafers, solid dark brown die, and a small baby's breath (flower) bundle in my breast pocket.

I felt confident in what I chose and I did think this was best because 1) it looked very put together (which was the main takeaway) and 2) it felt true to me and what I would usually wear. I talked a lot with some of my friends and we all agreed that a navy or black traditional suit does not go with my character and I fully agreed.

Anyway, the interviews went great! I had several compliments on my suit and started a nice conversation about flowers from my baby's breath bundle. The moral of the story (from what I learned) is to wear what makes you feel confident and to keep it rather traditional

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Hi all! Thanks for all of your feedback Here is a little update from my past couple of interviews:

I mainly decided on wearing whichever suit I felt most confident and thought looked most put together. I wore that first suit option (the gray houndstooth suit and pant set) with a white button-up, black belt and loafers, solid dark brown die, and a small baby's breath (flower) bundle in my breast pocket.

I felt confident in what I chose and I did think this was best because 1) it looked very put together (which was the main takeaway) and 2) it felt true to me and what I would usually wear. I talked a lot with some of my friends and we all agreed that a navy or black traditional suit does not go with my character and I fully agreed.

Anyway, the interviews went great! I had several compliments on my suit and started a nice conversation about flowers from my baby's breath bundle. The moral of the story (from what I learned) is to wear what makes you feel confident and to keep it rather traditional

This - as a queer person myself, I think that if you're bending or breaking fashion rules you should do it skillfully and in a way that shows that you are very much aware of the rules. That is respectable and admirable - and good luck. Also: variance is the poor man's self-improvement!