Informal Student/Resident Parties before interviews

[CaliOBGynee]

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Has anyone gone to an "informal party hosted by the residents" the night before their interview yet? What is appropriate to wear to those? Can I wear nice jeans, heels and a conservative top or is that too casual?

Also, is it appropriate to drink alcohol at the party the night before the interview?!?! I would definitely only have one drink...just to be social (I tolerate alcohol really well). Is that okay?

 

[tiredmom]

Hi!
I'm not sure on the jeans. I went to my first interview/ night before social last weekend, and there wasn't anyone in jeans. It was at an italian rest. with a fairly fancy setup - I felt comfortable in a black sweater and nice skirt. Several of the residents wore khakis (and one who came straight from l&d wore scrubs), but if you had worn jeans to it, you would have looked underdressed compared to the other applicants. Several of the residents were drinking, and I saw a couple of applicants have 1 drink, but I can't think clearly after one, so use your judgement there. Good luck.

 

[bruinkid]

how important are the socials?
if you don't go, does it ruin your chances?

 

[tiredmom]

I'm not sure how important they are. Some programs say in their invite that they are optional and don't factor into your consideration as a candidate. I felt like I got a really good feel for the residents about how happy they are, how well they get along, etc at the ONE I've been to (so take that for what it's worth). It made me feel as though these were people I could spend time with. But, that being said, the social chit-chat is the hardest thing for me.

 

[inka868]

mind you, i have not actually attended one of these or even an interview yet, for that matter, but i have applied for fellowships/scholarships where these same sorts of events occur, and I have heard from residents that it is advantageous to attend these events, for multiple reasons:

1. as tiredmom says, it gives you the opportunity to evaluate the residents and see how you get along with them in a slightly more informal setting, although don't let "informal" trick you into thinking it doesn't count at all. Your interactions will likely be catalogued in the back of their minds and they will use that, consciously or not, to evaluate you for their program.

2. it demonstrates interest if you go to these events - if you opt not to go, even though they say it's okay, they may assume that you have a better interview to go to or that you have better plans than the event and it could ultimately count against you.

3. if you do thrive in social situations, this is the perfect opportunity to shine. People always appreciate skilled small-talkers. after all, more than half of medicine is small talk and people skills anyway.

I'm planning on attending all of my pre/post interview events - I'm booking tickets and interviews to make that happen.

 

[cocoabutter]

Dress depends on the location, so if you can find out where it will be held, that would help. I attended a pre-interview social at a hotel this past friday, and there were definitely folks with jeans. I had on slacks and a nice top and didn't feel out of place, so you can never go wrong with that. I think its important to attend just to see what kind of people you are dealing with and if you would fit in with them, so I'm going to try to make as many of them as I can.

 

[Carbo/Taxol]

I highly recommend going to the pre-interview dinners. As an interviewee I found it to be extremely useful to ask questions about the program in a more laid-back, informal, setting. You also get to see the camaraderie that exists between the residents and the value they place in their program. As you will see, at some programs all the residents who are not in the hospital will make it to the dinner while at others there will be only a handful at best....I tended to rank the former higher than the latter.

Now as a resident....
The pre-interview dinners are very important in evaluating the interviewees. At least at my residency program, the dinners although very laid-back and easy-going play an extremely crucial role in the candidate ranking process. We actually rank each of the attendees to the dinner at the end of the night or the next day based on our impression of their interest in the program, Ob/Gyn in general, and how they would "fit in". These ranks are then factored into the interview scores. I can't evaluate people I did not meet....so I urge you all to attend whenever possible (obviously there are times when it is impossible due to scheduling).

 

[obbyjobby]

Carbo/Taxol, I hope this isn't a dumb question, but I have several important interviews back to back and it would be impossible to attend the dinners. I would rather go to 2 interviews than be able to the dinner/interview of 1 program. Do you think this is wise? Unfortch a lot of my darling programs are scheduled this way!

 

[Carbo/Taxol]

Obbyjobby...

I think that is completely understandable. Unfortunately many programs interview on the same day and sometimes travel plans do not allow you to be at any given location for more than just the interview day. I wouldn't sweat it that much...I think in your situation it would be higher yield to go to both programs' interview days (especially if you are interested in both) than to cancel one just so you can go to the dinner (unless one if them is absolutely one of your top choice programs and the other is much farther down the list). Just let the programs know that due to scheduling conflicts you will not be able to attend the dinner...they have to understand. I had to do that while I was interviewing also. Hope that helps.

 

[Stephanieukmed]

Night before dinners are extremely important. At my program a lot of weight is placed on what the residents say about how people acted at the night before dinner because it gives us some clue whether you would fit in here or not.
That said, I did not go to the night before dinner last year at the place I match, so that just proves that they aren't the be all end all of the interview process.
The most important thing is to know yourself. If you don't do well in those situations, or if you have been traveling and will rush to the dinner and not feel up to participating and shining all night...don't go. You will just make a bad impression with the residents and might hurt your chances at a program that you otherwise like a lot.