Hair matter?

[ubermu]

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I've got a few interviews coming up in February and I also happen to be a SoCal native with longer hair. The only kind of hair I can relate this to is probably Johnny Depp's ala http://www.depponline.com/imgs/mex7.jpg. I'm wondering if this would be inappropriate for interviews, and if this could negatively affect my chances of getting accepted. A few other pre-meds at my school, UCSD, have told me of their friends cutting their hair short for a professional look for interviews.

Do you think this is a necessary, or even wise decision?

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Just cut your hair. Is it really THAT much of a problem or source of worry?

 

[nicholasblonde]

I've got a few interviews coming up in February and I also happen to be a SoCal native with longer hair. The only kind of hair I can relate this to is probably Johnny Depp's ala http://www.depponline.com/imgs/mex7.jpg. I'm wondering if this would be inappropriate for interviews, and if this could negatively affect my chances of getting accepted. A few other pre-meds at my school, UCSD, have told me of their friends cutting their hair short for a professional look for interviews.

Do you think this is a necessary, or even wise decision?

I had the same issue with my hipster scruff...except the decision was made easier by the fact that hipster scruff grows back really fast after shaving it off with a Mach 3. But my face hurt for 4 days while it was growing back. I felt naked.

Depending on the school, it might help or hurt you having long hair. If you go in and it's a neocon neurosurgeon who was a military phsyician, you're nailed. If it's a public health guy who did Peace Corps in Ghana and spends more time in a free clinic than Mother Theresa, it's a good thing. Either way, it will make you stand out...and whether that helps you or hurts you will depend squarely on how your interviewer responds to your look. I knew a guy who got in at a pretty conservative school in my home state, and he had permed hair halfway down his back--think hair band meets afro-shine. Then again, he was non-traditional, so maybe they forgave him for being stuck in the 80s.

 

[Indryd]

I have really long hair for a guy, like heavy metal long, and also a heavy metal-ish beard/goat/sideburn combo, and I am in at Hopkins and Cornell, and am waiting to hear from Harvard (actually my best interviews out of anywhere were there). So, it is quite possible to have long hair and succeed in the admissions game.

 

[drmota]

i, personally, would cut it just to be safe. i usually rock an afro but got rid of it for interviews.
-mota

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

I admire Indryd for not cutting his hair. However, what is acceptable at a private Eastern school might not fly in my part of the world.

I shaved my mustache and beard off for interviews. I looked a lot younger for interviews (I'm an older non-trad) but I hated it - I hadn't gone without a mustache for 20 years. I didn't have to worry about cutting my hair (not enough of it left) but I normally put gel on it and finger-style it - for interviews, I had a male version of what used to be called the "Dallas hair helmet." I looked like something straight out of the 1950s.

Was it necessary? Probably not - my principal interviewer had a beard. Would I do it again - absolutely. You just never know who your interviewer will be, and there are still plenty of old-school very conservative interviewers on admissions committees. My theory is to eliminate any possible "dings."

Nor am I going to school with the look I used for interviews. I quit shaving the day the acceptance letter came...

 

[Callogician]

I am a first year medical student who has conducted several admissions interviews, and I think that you are all overestimating the importance of these superficialities. After an interview, I always sit down and try my best to objectively rate the individual as a medical school candidate.

A representative example:

Recently, I interviewed two very different students. One had a tremendous amount in common with me and is someone with whom I could imagine myself being close friends. The other student, by contrast, had nothing in common with me, and she came off as extremely arrogant and condescending. Her tone spelled "this is my backup-backup-backup-backup school, and you should be awed by my presence." I was so offended that I drilled her on her research experience and spit medical jargon in her face to knock her down a notch. In the end, I ended up rating the two students about equally because I felt that it would be unfair to allow my personal biases to affect what I believe to be a very important admissions process (and I honestly felt that the two individuals were roughly equally good medical school candidates).

If anything, faculty members and older students are even more mature and even less susceptible to bias than I am. Focus on the basics: demonstrate to the interviewer that you are philanthropic, mature, and socially adroit.

One general tip: Be prepared to talk about your extracurricular activities. When an interviewee mentions research, I immediately respond, "tell me something I don't know about [insert subject here]." I you can explain something complex and interesting with passion, I will be very impressed.

 

[45408]

ubermu, I would just style it conservatively and go from there. I cut my hair a little bit before my interviews, but remember this - you want them to accept you for you are, not who you're pretending to be. Would you really be happy at a school that you didn't like and that didn't like you? I realize that your interviewer is just one person, but as long as you're not flat-out weird, you should be okay.

 

[p00psicleSTICK]

It really depends on the med school, I'd assume.

For example, look at Johnny Damon - he had to get his hair cut when he joined the Yanks because Steinbrenner likes it when players look professional. But w/ the Redsox they didn't care about Johnny's Jesus look.

I'd assume MOST (95%) of the med schools are cool w/ long hair though. Personally I'd feel more intrigued to talk to someone with long hair that seems quite different from the rest (as long as the guy keeps proper hygiene). 😛

 

[adcomm]

here's the deal. you need to count on hair and facial hair being NOTICED, although it will probably not be a deal-breaker. like it or not most adcoms are chock full o older people, and they will not appreciate your "hipster scruff" quite like your girlfriend does. at my school at least longer hair doesn't come up as long as it is well groomed. scruff has. we admitted the guy anyway because he was a great applicant otherwise. one dean said maybe he lost his razor while traveling. shave!

 

[Gavanshir]

Here's what you do: http://www.johnnydeppweb.com/gallery/albums/pics/movies/chocolat/promo/chocolat-promo-001.jpg

 

[DocIn2012]

this is somewhat of a strange concept to me. I would just try and aim to look neat above anything. The universities here, as far as i'm concerned, probably wouldn't take much notice of hair length or appearance.

 

[gary5]

Since you cannot control the biases of your interviewer, you may want to play it safe and dress/appear professionally. You could gamble and hope that they won't be negatively influenced by long hair, but they might.

 

[njbmd]

I've got a few interviews coming up in February and I also happen to be a SoCal native with longer hair. The only kind of hair I can relate this to is probably Johnny Depp's ala http://www.depponline.com/imgs/mex7.jpg. I'm wondering if this would be inappropriate for interviews, and if this could negatively affect my chances of getting accepted. A few other pre-meds at my school, UCSD, have told me of their friends cutting their hair short for a professional look for interviews.

Do you think this is a necessary, or even wise decision?

Hi there,
Are you neat and well-groomed? If you can answer this question, then the question of your hair is moot. Another question to answer is, if you get plenty of interviews and no acceptance, is keeping the hair worth it? Hair does grow back.

I had a Rasta friend with very neat locks who cut them for residency interview. He matched well and now his locks are back. You can have hair down to your knees and not get into medical school after paying thousands in tuition, test-taking and application fees. If your hair is this valuable, then by all means do not cut it.

njbmd 🙂

 

[JennyL867]

I think the important thing is to look neat and clean....is your hair long enough to put into a ponytail? I think that would look fine.

 

[wAxIe]

I think your hair looks good (if it looks like Jonny's 😛 ) But I would cut it for your interview, at least trim it up a little.
You should be fine. 😉
Want to make a good first impression. 👍

 

[63768]

i would cut it to be safe.

 

[Its_MurDAH]

Are people actually discussing this?

wow.

 

[newguy357]

You can make longer hair look somewhat neat, right? I've had a few interviews. My hair is pretty crazy. Decent sized fro. For the one interview I did NOT cut it, I got a fast acceptance. For all the other interviews I actually had it cut down pretty neatly and have not yet heard back. Of course the school I got in might be slightly less competitive than the ones I'm still waiting on, but maybe not. Anyway, all these people who are saying that hair must be done a specific way, suits must be exactly so, you must carry x-type of a portfolio, etc. etc., are paranoid. It doesn't seem that the ad coms care that much. Of course this probably depends on the school too.