Going to residents house before interview?

[microshar88]

Hey guys,
So for this interview I have, we have a pre-interview night at the residents house. I would love to attend and will be there for this one. However, before I RSVP, is it ok for me to ask if she has any animals in the home, can she put them in a cage or outside?

I have a genuine phobia and allergy to cats and dogs. I know this society views them as family and I'm cool with that. However, I would hate for my rank to be lessened with this.

just wondering lol

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[splik]

I think it would be okay to ask if there are animals and to let them know you are allergic. I think it might be a bit much to ask her to cage them or put them outside. I would not mention having a phobia of them.

or consider taking 10 of pred and some benadryl and suck it up. and perfect time to seek treatment for your phobias!

 

[bashir]

Just to let you know, microshar88, the advice splik gave holds true for most social events at people's houses. Ask them if they have cats or dogs in the context of informing them of your allergy. They may simply say "yes" and leave it at that, in which case you might decide to politely decline the invitation or to take "10 of pred and some benadryl and suck it up". They may offer to keep them outside or restrict them to a certain part of the house for your comfort, but it is pretty much never appropriate for you to ask them this and would generally be considered quite rude to do so.

I'm not advising you on whether or not to attend this particular dinner, but I don't have the sense that attending or not attending will directly impact the program's ranking of you. It's more an opportunity for you to ask the residents questions in an informal setting to help determine if they are a good match for you.

 

[wolfvgang22]

OK story time!
When I was interviewing I had an informal pre-interview dinner with two quite attractive single senior residents, one of which invited me over to her house afterwards. The vibe was definitely romantic. When we got there, I just had a glass of wine and stood around, making admiring comments about her taste in furniture and her cute PUPPY. Instead of letting things develop naturally, I went back to my hotel. I slept very poorly that night.
I eventually matched at a program in another state.
Not sure if I'm disgusted with myself or proud of myself sometimes.

 

[microshar88]

thanks for the input guys. I think I'm a little anxious because I scheduled this interview a few days before my comlex pe retake and i have not had the opportunity to really prepare for that since my audition rotation has kept me on my toes.

in spite of having 6 interviews in the bag, i'm still feeling anxious about not matching. im scared to death i'll fail the comlex pe again bc i have been so sleep deprived the entire month after working 7 days a week. last time, i had the pm session and i failed the humanistic domain, i completed remediation at my school and was authortized to take it on 10/30....i have the am session now and im scared they will fail me for the biomedical domain bc im forgetting simple things like checking distal pulses etc. oh well. we'll see.

this program is nice, but we'll see as time progresses. im also a little unclear of what to ask, without sounding like a lazy person? or someone who won't fit in well enough. " literally my real question is are the residents happy? and how are the didactics?" the rest nonstop work and political bs is expected in residency but its only 4 years.

 

[microshar88]

i truly apologize for the multiple posts, i'm just trying to keep myself together after this rotten 1.5 months have lapsed since i took the CoMLEx pe and failed early september.

but what should I wear to this occasion? are jeans out of the question? how about khaki pants and a polo shirt?

 

[wolfvgang22]

Yeah, business casual is cool. Polo and khakis are fine. No jacket or tie required for these dinners.