How does it look if I am not able to attend the dinner before the interview?

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andrewsmack05

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Title says it all! Interviews stacking up and still trying to work in between. Everybody has interviews the same day and it's not easy to schedule them. I could do multiple if I didn't attend the dinner. I was told by one place hat it didn't matter but I am not sure if I believe them, so I ask you guys.

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I think it's hard to say. There has been some conflicting information on the forums as to how much of a role the interview dinners play in the process but if it were me, I would definitely be going to the dinner for at least my top 5 programs. Not just because that's where the residents will be forming their opinion of me and potentially reporting that to the PD, but also that's where you can see how the residents interact with each other and how they get along.
 
If you have a good reason not to attend and it is still a big deal to the program, maybe that says more about them than you. Try to make the dinner for sure, but if there is a compelling reason why you can't go then no big deal.

I was a chief and interviewed a bunch of candidates for our program. The second years would usually do the dinner the night before and either myself or the other chief would be one of the interviews the following day. What I wanted to see out of a candidate was a want to work, some sort of life outside of medicine and the ability to have a normal conversation with a total stranger. I never really pimped because it wasn't my style and I already had a pretty good idea of ability from your ERAS.
 
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As a coordinator, I would say that it really doesn't matter to the program if you don't make the dinner, especially if you are traveling, have to work, or something of that nature. The only time it was held against you was if you didn't go because you just didn't feel like going. It's more important for you to go to get an idea about the residents, how the interact, and maybe something about the program that wouldn't necessarily come up during an interview.
 
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I don't think it matters. My former program did not even offer pre-interview dinners solely because they did not want applicants to feel obligated to fly in earlier than they had to. In all the rank meetings I have sat through the issue of whether or not someone attended a pre-interview dinner or not has never been mentioned. Personally I feel that they serve as a medium for you, the applicant to get information about the program in a more social, less stressful situation.
 
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I think it's hard to say. There has been some conflicting information on the forums as to how much of a role the interview dinners play in the process but if it were me, I would definitely be going to the dinner for at least my top 5 programs. Not just because that's where the residents will be forming their opinion of me and potentially reporting that to the PD, but also that's where you can see how the residents interact with each other and how they get along.

This -- I ruled out the program at Conroe because of this --- and I had done an audition month there and was considering it --- when we got picked up from the hotel, the 2 residents assigned to us made no conversation with the interviewees in the car. We went to the restaurant and they stood off by themselves talking -- we talked among ourselves as interviewees --- then we went over to stand by them and tried to make polite conversation, were ignored and they moved away from us again. Table conversation did not exist between the two groups and when we were dropped off back at the hotel, we talked amongst ourselves for about 5 minutes on how weird that dinner was ----
 
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This -- I ruled out the program at Conroe because of this --- and I had done an audition month there and was considering it --- when we got picked up from the hotel, the 2 residents assigned to us made no conversation with the interviewees in the car. We went to the restaurant and they stood off by themselves talking -- we talked among ourselves as interviewees --- then we went over to stand by them and tried to make polite conversation, were ignored and they moved away from us again. Table conversation did not exist between the two groups and when we were dropped off back at the hotel, we talked amongst ourselves for about 5 minutes on how weird that dinner was ----


Weeeeird
 
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