In an an interview bind straight out of a sitcom

[watchman]

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Ok so I asked 7 people for letters of rec before I applied, but I decided that it was too much and wanted to cut down. I knew 2 of them were going to be similar since they were from the same class, but I asked them both because I also knew they were both going to be stellar. So I ended up using only Prof X and not Prof Y's letter in my final selection to send to AMCAS and then all the schools.

Now, Prof Y is my interviewer for my top choice med school next week. I never told Prof Y that I didn't use her letter because I didn't want her to feel offended, and it is in her personality to get offended at something like that. She would've been like "If you weren't sure you were going to use my letter, why did you even ask me???"

I'm worried that Prof Y is going to see that I didn't use her letter and then kill my chances at the school if she gets offended. On the other hand, this could be my golden ticket since if she doesn't get offended, she already thinks I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread and that will be awesome for me. If I wanted, I could email the school and ask for a different interviewer since I already know Prof Y and want to "play fair" or something. What do I do?? Thanks in advance!

 

[randombetch]

Oh man, you're done. LOL

 

[mediterranean]

I'm confused as to why you didn't use Prof. Y's letter for your top school. I am sure s/he should be listed as part of the committee or is one of the faculty since you attended a class for that specific university and possibly attended undergrad and want to attend their med school (you didn't tell us, I am just assuming). But yeah, you're NOT screwed IF it is closed file (she didn't look at your application/file and no one told her what is under it). Call your school to see if it is a closed file interview. The "excuse" you made up for playing fair sounds nice but I personally would ask if it is closed/open file interview. Good luck!

 

[gmreed2]

If it were me I would still go to the interview with Prof. Y. Having them know you personally would be amazing when they report back to the admissions committee. Plus, he/she has probably already reviewed your file and did not find the letter - asking for a different person would just add injury to insult. You want to interview with this person.

This topic probably wont even come up in the interview.

 

[watchman]

I'm confused as to why you didn't use Prof. Y's letter for your top school. I am sure s/he should be listed as part of the committee or is one of the faculty since you attended a class for that specific university and possibly attended undergrad and want to attend their med school (you didn't tell us, I am just assuming). But yeah, you're NOT screwed IF it is closed file (she didn't look at your application/file and no one told her what is under it). Call your school to see if it is a closed file interview. The "excuse" you made up for playing fair sounds nice but I personally would ask if it is closed/open file interview. Good luck!

It's open file (I already checked). If I ask for a different interviewer on the grounds of me already knowing the person and it being unfair to others, I will have a different interviewer. I think that would be like damage control if Prof Y actually gets offended.

Otherwise, could I email Prof Y to just say like "hey I say that I have Dr. Y as an interviewer for med school, but Y is a common last name so I was just wondering, is that you?" then if Prof Y is like "yeah it is! How did I get you, I thought I wrote a rec for you?" I could explain how I was a letter over the total number they would accept (which is true) so I dropped one of the two that I thought would say similar things for this school.

In other words, which damage control route should I take? Or do you think Prof Y would even offended? If not, then I shouldn't do anything at all right?

 

[ChiDO]

don't owrry about it, you'll be fine and it won't be brought up.

if you have time before your interview, why don't you just submit the extra letter?

 

[LizzyM]

First, I would call the school and determine who the interviewer is. State that you have a concern about putting her in a bind because she was your professor when you took a class. The school may offer to swap one interviewer for another, problem solved. If that doesn't work, I would suggest bringing it up on interview day: start by telling her how happy you are to see her again and thank her for writing the letter and then tell her that you were over the number that could be submitted so that you pulled hers. Then tell her that you are so glad that she'll be able to add her opinion this way, through the interview.

 

[J ROD]

First, I would call the school and determine who the interviewer is. State that you have a concern about putting her in a bind because she was your professor when you took a class. The school may offer to swap one interviewer for another, problem solved. If that doesn't work, I would suggest bringing it up on interview day: start by telling her how happy you are to see her again and thank her for writing the letter and then tell her that you were over the number that could be submitted so that you pulled hers. Then tell her that you are so glad that she'll be able to add her opinion this way, through the interview.

do this....🙂

 

[DendWrite]

My PI is also an interviewer for the medical school, and it's his policy that he won't write a letter of rec (one of the postdocs can though) and that he will put in a good / bad word for you at the interviews instead. I guess he sees it as a conflict of interest.

If you have as good a relationship with your professor as you say, the odds that he/she is going to turn around and screw you over like that is pretty rare unless he/she is a vindictive ass.

 

[IDoIt4Love]

I doubt a grown man or woman with a PhD, teaching at a top notch school is going to abuse his or her power to crush a very good student's future just because you hurt her feelings (which you can and should easily explain --either during your interview if it's one-on-one, or after your interview in a thank you note). Don't freak out about this; just focus on nailing your interview with her.

 

[watchman]

First, I would call the school and determine who the interviewer is. State that you have a concern about putting her in a bind because she was your professor when you took a class. The school may offer to swap one interviewer for another, problem solved. If that doesn't work, I would suggest bringing it up on interview day: start by telling her how happy you are to see her again and thank her for writing the letter and then tell her that you were over the number that could be submitted so that you pulled hers. Then tell her that you are so glad that she'll be able to add her opinion this way, through the interview.

This is what I am considering doing, but my question is whether or not this is worth it. I'm wondering whether or not Prof Y is even going to get offended. If not, I would really want to keep her as my interviewer. Are you saying that I shouldn't take the risk and just ask to switch interviewers?

Alternatively, would it be wise to get in touch with her earlier (like today) via email to say all that stuff about how happy I am that she will be able to give her input, or just on the interview day? I don't want it to fester in her mind, and if she really overreacts on email then I'll have a chance to ask for a different interviewer via the same reason (that I already know her).

Thanks everyone for the advice so far!

 

[LizzyM]

This is what I am considering doing, but my question is whether or not this is worth it. I'm wondering whether or not Prof Y is even going to get offended. If not, I would really want to keep her as my interviewer. Are you saying that I shouldn't take the risk and just ask to switch interviewers?

Alternatively, would it be wise to get in touch with her earlier (like today) via email to say all that stuff about how happy I am that she will be able to give her input, or just on the interview day? I don't want it to fester in her mind, and if she really overreacts on email then I'll have a chance to ask for a different interviewer via the same reason (that I already know her).

Thanks everyone for the advice so far!

If I knew I was assigned to interview someone who I know well enough to write a LOR for, I'd ask to switch (and I'm the interviewer). In fact, IIRC, we've been asked to do this and it is one of the reasons we're told in advance who we are scheduled to see. So she may be calling too.

 

[muhali3]

I don't think she would be offended. Why would she want to read an LOR from herself? If you know that she wrote a strong LOR, use an interview from her to your advantage because she's already rooting for you. Just explain why you had to drop her letter and she'll understand.

 

[watchman]

If I knew I was assigned to interview someone who I know well enough to write a LOR for, I'd ask to switch (and I'm the interviewer). In fact, IIRC, we've been asked to do this and it is one of the reasons we're told in advance who we are scheduled to see. So she may be calling too.

So then one option may be to contact her and say "Hey Prof Y, I saw that I had a Dr. Y for an interviewer next week and I was wondering if it could be you. Do you think this is okay since we know each other? I don't think the admissions committee knows that we know each other since this med school has a strict limit on the number of LORs allowed so I couldn't send a couple of my letters of rec to the school, including yours."

What do you think about that? Knowing Prof Y, she will definitely want to switch if she sees it as an ethical violation since she's known around the department as being a very "ethical doctor." But then the catch is that if she didn't really want to switch before, my email could convince her that I should get another interviewer, and that will end up worse for me if she wasn't going to get offended in the first place that I didn't use her letter.

Muhali3, as far as explaining goes, I won't have any opportunity to do so until the interview date unless I contact her with the kind of message I wrote above.

 

[csmittyB]

I doubt a grown man or woman with a PhD, teaching at a top notch school is going to abuse his or her power to crush a very good student's future just because you hurt her feelings

You do realize that this is medicine we are talking about? People in this field can be very vindictive and childish.

Check out this link in the anesthiology forum where attendings are acting like children:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=692642http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=9093889#post9093889

or this thread about a resident who had his career ruined:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=660565

 

[gromz]

Here's a possibility: Tell Professor Y you chose not to use her letter at this particular school because you knew she was on the adcom and a pre-health advisor, counselor, Dear Abby, Randy Cohen, you yourself or some other authority on ethics believed it would be unethical to use her letter at this particular school.

 

[redsbear]

Be honest. If it comes up, shoot straight. If it doesn't, no big deal.

As soon as you start making excuses to avoid hurting feelings you compromise your integrity, and THAT'S damage that can't be controlled.

Barry

 

[watchman]

Here's a possibility: Tell Professor Y you chose not to use her letter at this particular school because you knew she was on the adcom and a pre-health advisor, counselor, Dear Abby, Randy Cohen, you yourself or some other authority on ethics believed it would be unethical to use her letter at this particular school.

But how would I bring that up? Beforehand in an email? That would be similar to what I said earlier. But that might make her think that it would be best to switch interviewers, even if she's not offended by it, and I shot myself in the foot.

 

[RevMD]

But how would I bring that up? Beforehand in an email? That would be similar to what I said earlier. But that might make her think that it would be best to switch interviewers, even if she's not offended by it, and I shot myself in the foot.

You have to consider the situation from her perspective as well. Since you already know she is interviewing you, then this means she must also know this as well. If she was really concerned about ethics, then she would have already requested a change even without you ever knowing.

I would not contact her beforehand at all unless you can do so in person. Emails are very unpredictable when it comes to delicate situations like this and even a well thought out letter can come across negatively depending on the mood/perspective of the reader.

I, as well as any other SDNer, would kill to be your position to know the interviewer, already have their graces, and being comfortable having a conversation with her. All of these things work in your favor toward getting the golden ticket. So I suggest just chilling out until the interview and let it take its course. If she deliberately notices in the interview you have not included her letter, then simply say something along the lines of: "I could only include a few letters with the application. Since I already knew you were on the committee, I figured you would put in a good word for me anyway. So I decided to excludes your letter. But, I really appreciate you taking your time to write it as I have used it for other application." I think this response will cover all your bases and avoid the possibility of getting upset since you mention you still used the letter for other med schools.

 

[gromz]

I think RevMD is on the money. Succinct, polite and innocuous.

 

[JonathanMD]

If it comes up, just tell it how it is.

She's a professional in a professional capacity and knows how the game is played.

 

[Schwann]

How did they let you interview with this professor? Isn't that a conflict of interest? I believe it is a policy for most schools not to give you an interviewer that you know beforehand. Something sounds not right.

 

[Theory]

Ok so I asked 7 people for letters of rec before I applied, but I decided that it was too much and wanted to cut down. I knew 2 of them were going to be similar since they were from the same class, but I asked them both because I also knew they were both going to be stellar. So I ended up using only Prof X and not Prof Y's letter in my final selection to send to AMCAS and then all the schools.

Now, Prof Y is my interviewer for my top choice med school next week. I never told Prof Y that I didn't use her letter because I didn't want her to feel offended, and it is in her personality to get offended at something like that. She would've been like "If you weren't sure you were going to use my letter, why did you even ask me???"

I'm worried that Prof Y is going to see that I didn't use her letter and then kill my chances at the school if she gets offended. On the other hand, this could be my golden ticket since if she doesn't get offended, she already thinks I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread and that will be awesome for me. If I wanted, I could email the school and ask for a different interviewer since I already know Prof Y and want to "play fair" or something. What do I do?? Thanks in advance!

Tell her you realized too late that they would be similar, so you flipped a coin, and that you apologize if she feels that you wasted her time. Problem solved.

 

[Myuu]

Ok so I asked 7 people for letters of rec before I applied, but I decided that it was too much and wanted to cut down. I knew 2 of them were going to be similar since they were from the same class, but I asked them both because I also knew they were both going to be stellar. So I ended up using only Prof X and not Prof Y's letter in my final selection to send to AMCAS and then all the schools.

Now, Prof Y is my interviewer for my top choice med school next week. ...

Isn't that a huge conflict of interest??

 

[watchman]

How did they let you interview with this professor? Isn't that a conflict of interest? I believe it is a policy for most schools not to give you an interviewer that you know beforehand. Something sounds not right.

I'm not sure what their policy is, but Prof Y is the only professor that I know of from my undergrad who is on the admissions committee (the med school belongs to a nearby university). I figured that they would take the care to make sure that no one from my undergrad would be interviewed by her since she teaches a pre-med requirement.

Is it dangerous to ask a former TA from the class that used to know Prof Y pretty well? The rec I got from Prof Y was based on a letter that this TA wrote for me first. I don't want it to get back to her, but the TA does know her and is the one who told me about how Prof Y is ethical, etc.