how messed up is this?

[camstah]

last year when i interviewed at a southern cali school that shall remain nameless, i was asked two questions:

1) tell me about yourself....i got as far as my name, my undergrad institution and major, before he went off and talked for about 40 min about how this field was so much broader now than 20 years ago....and spent 20 min of that time looking for a book....

and 2) what ethnicity i was....i told him i was persian, and he paused for a second, sat back in his chair like, oh, we're done here, and said "don't all persian girls go to dental school?"
i responded honestly and said i didn't know, i don't know that many persian girls, but that i wanted to be a physician....end of interview.

is that messed up or what??????

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[OnMyWayThere]

Originally posted by camstah
last year when i interviewed at a southern cali school that shall remain nameless, i was asked two questions:

1) tell me about yourself....i got as far as my name, my undergrad institution and major, before he went off and talked for about 40 min about how this field was so much broader now than 20 years ago....and spent 20 min of that time looking for a book....

and 2) what ethnicity i was....i told him i was persian, and he paused for a second, sat back in his chair like, oh, we're done here, and said "don't all persian girls go to dental school?"
i responded honestly and said i didn't know, i don't know that many persian girls, but that i wanted to be a physician....end of interview.

is that messed up or what??????

That is just wrong. I would definately, without a doubt dispute that with the head of admissions ( well, if you get rejected ) I'm sorry that happened... take all necessary measures to get it taken care of. Keep us posted or PM me when you find out - I'm interested to see what happens.

 

[camstah]

thanks, i'll keep you posted...i should have written a letter to the dean about it last year...but i wanted to wait until i knew whether i was accepted or not.....ended up getting wailisted and rejected last year.....boo!!......we'll see about this year though....it's not like he was saying it to test me either...he really meant it.......

 

[OnMyWayThere]

Originally posted by camstah
thanks, i'll keep you posted...i should have written a letter to the dean about it last year...but i wanted to wait until i knew whether i was accepted or not.....ended up getting wailisted and rejected last year.....boo!!......we'll see about this year though....it's not like he was saying it to test me either...he really meant it.......

Write the letter for sure. If you need help or my input, PM it to me. I'd be glad to help.

 

[ad_sharp]

Man, that sucks. I'm suprised that any professional person would say something so stupid. I agree with the above posters. You should write a letter to the dean.

 

[emily69]

by last year you mean the last calendar year - your interview for a spot in the Class of 2008?

That sucks, anyhow. I think you should (if you could) ask for a re-interview with a different faculty member. It's not fair that I got a super nice minority female faculty interviewer whom I could have hugged cause she was so darn nice while you ended up with this *tool*. I would complain, if I were you... Plus how dare he be an ever greater jerk by stereotyping "persian girls"... I'll b*tch-slap him for ya when I get there in August!

 

[norouz1383!!!]

Originally posted by camstah
last year when i interviewed at a southern cali school that shall remain nameless, i was asked two questions:

1) tell me about yourself....i got as far as my name, my undergrad institution and major, before he went off and talked for about 40 min about how this field was so much broader now than 20 years ago....and spent 20 min of that time looking for a book....

and 2) what ethnicity i was....i told him i was persian, and he paused for a second, sat back in his chair like, oh, we're done here, and said "don't all persian girls go to dental school?"
i responded honestly and said i didn't know, i don't know that many persian girls, but that i wanted to be a physician....end of interview.

is that messed up or what??????

I'm sorry to hear this, if it makes you feel any better about 70% of those interviewed get accepted at USC, so your chances are pretty good. And yes its true that in any field there are socially ignorant people. The stereotype isn't even true, out of the 15 or so persian girls i know only 1 is applying to dental school and 9 are applying to medschool. And whats up with asking about your ethnicity? Whats that got to do with evaluating you as a person? Good luck and power 2 u.

 

[Eraserhead]

Originally posted by norouz1383!!!
I'm sorry to hear this, if it makes you feel any better about 70% of those interviewed get accepted at USC, so your chances are pretty good. And yes its true that in any field there are socially ignorant people. The stereotype isn't even true, out of the 15 or so persian girls i know only 1 is applying to dental school and 9 are applying to medschool. And whats up with asking about your ethnicity? Whats that got to do with evaluating you as a person? Good luck and power 2 u.

omg 70% so why do they hate me??

 

[Amy B]

That was totally rude of the interviewer to make comments about your ethnicity. I agree, if you are rejected, then fire off that letter. The dean needs to know what is being said to applicants.

 

[Chemguync]

Why wait till rejection (though it seems moot consider it now, since it sounds like this was the class of 2007 application cycle). Isn't that like saying that if she were accepted, it's ok for the dude to behave that way?

 

[camstah]

this interview was for the class of 2007, so it's sort of moot now...i should have written a letter last year, but i didn't, hoping that i'd be let in.....didn't want to make waves if i didn't have to....and i didn't even know that WAS a stereotype of persian girls.....that they all go to dental school....it's funny, the one that i know is an engineer....

anyway, if i get rejected this cycle i'll write a letter just because of the principle of the thing.....

and you guys are awesome!!! so supportive....i love SDN

 

[Blade28]

Damn, that is SO messed up. I'm very sorry to hear that.

 

[Eraserhead]

I can't believe you didn't write a letter a long time ago. IT way too late now.

 

[docmemi]

although it was messed up and i wish u get in this year camstah, something to remember: doctors are regular people...they are not super humans who are perfect and love everyone!! they are just like you and I, they are people! and the interview is suppossed to be just that, a convo between two people. DOCTORS ARE PEOPLE!

but yeah, that interview he gave you wasnt even really an interview. how stupid of him. hope this year's went much better. best wishes.

thoughts??

 

[Amy B]

Originally posted by Eraserhead
I can't believe you didn't write a letter a long time ago. IT way too late now.

I think though, that camstah didn't want to make wave for this cycle, so that is why the letter wasn't sent last year.

I hope they accept you this year, but if they don't fire that letter off ASAP. Good luck. I also love SDN

 

[the_equalizer]

hold on. I guess I'm gonna be the only one to go waaaaay out on a limb here and say that this isn't exactly how the story shakes out.

 

[camstah]

what do you mean it isn't how the story shakes out?

 

[camstah]

Originally posted by the_equalizer
hold on. I guess I'm gonna be the only one to go waaaaay out on a limb here and say that this isn't exactly how the story shakes out.

if you're implying that what i said happened isn't exactly what happened, it is...except i forgot to mention that he spent ten minutes in the middle of the interview talking to one of his research students about some question she had....but that wasn't really the point.....it was the whole ask-me-my-ethnicity-dental-school comment=end of interview......it was wrong, but i didn't feel i could say anything because i didn't want to hurt my chances for admission....it sucks, but in this process we as applicants can get wronged and don't really have much recourse in fixing those wrongs for fear of repraisal in the form of rejection.....so if you doubt my story, doubt away, it makes no difference in what happened.......

 

[gschl1234]

Originally posted by camstah
it sucks, but in this process we as applicants can get wronged and don't really have much recourse in fixing those wrongs for fear of repraisal in the form of rejection

You make an excellent point. The power is all theirs...until they make us an offer...and then it's ours for a short time.

 

[ad_sharp]

Originally posted by camstah
if you're implying that what i said happened isn't exactly what happened, it is...except i forgot to mention that he spent ten minutes in the middle of the interview talking to one of his research students about some question she had....but that wasn't really the point.....it was the whole ask-me-my-ethnicity-dental-school comment=end of interview......it was wrong, but i didn't feel i could say anything because i didn't want to hurt my chances for admission....it sucks, but in this process we as applicants can get wronged and don't really have much recourse in fixing those wrongs for fear of repraisal in the form of rejection.....so if you doubt my story, doubt away, it makes no difference in what happened.......

Pay no attention to the troll under the bridge............

 

[camstah]

you're right...i won't feed the troll....

 

[Disenchanted 1]

ugh....that really sux. But as far as the letter goes you should have written it last year (of course it doesn't matter now and I am not trying to make you feel regretful) but a more milder version of this happened to me. My second interviewer walked in 10 minutes late and the interview which probably didn't even last 15 minutes started out like
interviewer: "so you lived ____ (name of city where I use to live). hmmm...which part of town?"
me: " northwest"
interviewer: "I use to go visit there...they have this thing...blah blah (and started ranting and forgot the name of this one place he was looking into and after 5 minutes...) so you live in ____ now?
me: "yes"
Interviewer: "which part of town?"
me"southwest"
interviewer: "my daughter lives in northwest"....is your place close to onion creek? blah blah...
and the only question relevant to this whole process that he asked me was "Did your mother's illness cause you to choose this profession" and that's it!!

So I was pretty shocked and messed up but what I did is immediately go talk to someone and very politely said that I thought my second interview did not allow me to show my passion and interest in school and it seemed as if the interview was constraint by time and personal obligations of the interviewer. Of course when I talked to the person in charge of this I was very polite and never said anything mean about the interviewer just mentioned how I wasn't able to get these points across. and guess what?? they gave me another interview and I GOT IN!! So what I am trying to say is that not at all times do you have to just go with the flow and allow such unfair situations to occur. Those who create those waves often make the difference.....I have learned that a lot of times you have to be confident and assertive rather than passive and this comes from a person who is normally very passive. I will tell you this I didn't let my passive mannerism overtake me when this happened. I mean give me a break...this is ridiculous. We have worked so hard just to be able to get an interview and some ass blows your chance off this easily...!! How shallow and superficial of him to be bringing up stereotypes and not even allowing you to have an "interview". I am really sorry about everything. I just hope and pray that things work out this year.