Interview Socials/Mixers

[deleted931910]

Hi everyone!

I have a few upcoming interviews and plan to attend their socials or mixers with current students and prospective ones. These social events are happening at places like a bar&grill or a brewery. The fliers say the events are "casual". What sort of attire is appropriate?

My friends in medical school said it's totally fine to wear things like shorts and sandals (which is great considering these interviews are situated in very very hot areas). People on sdn seem to think "casual" means business casual.

I was thinking about wearing something like a dress or a romper, or maybe high-waisted shorts/jeans and a blouse. To my knowledge, these events are entirely for students and no adcom members are present.

What are your thoughts? Thanks!

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[pms_testosterone]

Yes, your ideas are fine. These events have no impact on admissions decisions.

 

[Catalystik]

I have a few upcoming interviews and plan to attend their socials or mixers with current students and prospective ones. These social events are happening at places like a bar&grill or a beer garden. The fliers say the events are "casual". What sort of attire is appropriate?

My friends in medical school said it's totally fine to wear things like shorts and sandals (which is great considering these interviews are situated in very hot areas). People on sdn seem to think "casual" means business casual.

I was thinking about wearing something like a dress or a romper, or maybe high-waisted shorts/jeans and a blouse. To my knowledge, these events are entirely for students and no adcom members are present.

What are your thoughts? Thanks!

Business casual. A dress has the potential to be cool, if AC isn't available.

Don't for a minute think that what happens at one of these events can't possibly have an effect on your admissions chances. Students are on admissions committees, too. And any input provided by any attendee will be regarded.

 

[maplecookie]

I always frame these as "what would my (hypothetical) sweet old slightly more reserved and conservative grandmother say if she saw me in this moment"
She'd probably understand a nice dress, or jeans/toned down shirt per say since I'd be with peers but still be judgemental if you wore something more appropriate for a YOLO night on the town like for hardcore clubbing
Hope this frame of reference helps
Good luck!

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

My experience with these mixers was that you should be casual, but presentable. Nice jeans and a blouse or a modest dress would fit right in. Business casual would never count against you, though you may feel a little stuffy compared to other people there if you go too formal. I would go jeans/pants over shorts though.

 

[deleted931910]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I think I might go with khakis and a suit tank or a tasteful dress/romper. Leaning towards the latter since it's an outdoor bar event in like 90 degree weather.

I'll update this forum after the event this Friday to let ya'll know what others attendees wore for future reference.

 

[aldol16]

I don't think you can go wrong with business casual - chinos and a button down for guys, a casual dress for a girl. Probably wouldn't go with high-waisted shorts.

 

[puahate]

Dont let your guard down. Go biz cas at min at all times.

Guys: Polo and chinos
Girls: simple conservative dress

 

[Reader88]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I think I might go with khakis and a suit tank or a tasteful dress/romper. Leaning towards the latter since it's an outdoor bar event in like 90 degree weather.

I'll update this forum after the event this Friday to let ya'll know what others attendees wore for future reference.

Following good luck on the interview!!

 

[deleted931910]

Hey everyone!

After my interview today, I spoke to multiple medical students, other interviewees, and admissions team members about attire for interview socials/mixers, and the unanimous response was that it does not matter what you wear.

Interviewers must submit their comments and reviews of applicants by a certain time, and once that time has passed they can no longer affect your application. So if the social occurs after the interview, it’s literally impossible for it to affect your admissions. Even if attendees know members of the adcom.

Even if that isn’t the case at other medical schools, if the admission committees say “casual attire” and “won’t affect your admissions”, they’re not trying to trick you lol. “Casual isn’t code for business casual”, is what one Adcom told me explicitly.

The socials are totally optional, if advertised as such, and have absolutely no bearing on your decision. Some MS2s said that there have been cases where literally no MSs have showed up to a mixer and they had to quickly get someone down to the bar to not make the school look bad. There aren’t planted moles at these socials lol, it’s optional for everyone to attend and the event is open to literally anyone.

For reference, a casual dress, romper, skirt, nice shirt, literally ANYTHING is fine for girls, though you might get some weird looks if you wear stilettos or something really wild. But ultimately, if you’re being judged on anything it’s not your fashion, it’s your social skills.

If you think about it, it makes no sense for an optional event to have an affect on your decision. A lot of people couldn’t attend the social because they had to catch flights or go to work or school, so if the mixers affect decisions at all that would be completely unfair to those who can’t or don’t attend.

It seems to me that a lot of well intentioned people on sdn either have outdated information or attended their own socials in business casual attire and felt comfortable doing so. Nothing wrong with that of course, but for other future interviewees there’s no need to panic. (Been there)


Tldr: there’s so secret code. Adcoms are honest people who mean what they say. Casual is casual. At least from what MSs and adcoms have assured me.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

Hey everyone!

After my interview today, I spoke to multiple medical students, other interviewees, and admissions team members about attire for interview socials/mixers, and the unanimous response was that it does not matter what you wear.

Interviewers must submit their comments and reviews of applicants by a certain time, and once that time has passed they can no longer affect your application. So if the social occurs after the interview, it’s literally impossible for it to affect your admissions. Even if attendees know members of the adcom.

Even if that isn’t the case at other medical schools, if the admission committees say “casual attire” and “won’t affect your admissions”, they’re not trying to trick you lol. “Casual isn’t code for business casual”, is what one Adcom told me explicitly.

The socials are totally optional, if advertised as such, and have absolutely no bearing on your decision. Some MS2s said that there have been cases where literally no MSs have showed up to a mixer and they had to quickly get someone down to the bar to not make the school look bad. There aren’t planted moles at these socials lol, it’s optional for everyone to attend and the event is open to literally anyone.

For reference, a casual dress, romper, skirt, nice shirt, literally ANYTHING is fine for girls, though you might get some weird looks if you wear stilettos or something really wild. But ultimately, if you’re being judged on anything it’s not your fashion, it’s your social skills.

If you think about it, it makes no sense for an optional event to have an affect on your decision. A lot of people couldn’t attend the social because they had to catch flights or go to work or school, so if the mixers affect decisions at all that would be completely unfair to those who can’t or don’t attend.

It seems to me that a lot of well intentioned people on sdn either have outdated information or attended their own socials in business casual attire and felt comfortable doing so. Nothing wrong with that of course, but for other future interviewees there’s no need to panic. (Been there)


Tldr: there’s so secret code. Adcoms are honest people who mean what they say. Casual is casual. At least from what MSs and adcoms have assured me.

We are not “outdated,” we are experienced.

Of course they’re going to tell you that. No one is going to say they will judge someone on their clothing outright, especially in the current social climate. But even if your statements are correct, why risk it? In hot weather a nice loose but conservative dress or blouse is not going to be too hot. And anyway, it’s good to get used to this type of attire....because even if it doesn’t have an impact on your admission, you don’t want to be known as the chick who showed up in something ridiculous. In residency socials we had someone in booty shorts, and we still talk about it.


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[Angus Avagadro]

Just as important to show good judgement on what you wear, is to show up. Missing the opportunity to talk to medical students would be a mistake, except for possible travel arrangements.
I certainly would error on the side of more business casual than beachy casual

 

[curbsideconsult]

So if the social occurs after the interview, it’s literally impossible for it to affect your admissions.

I think you need to clarify this statement. It is not literally impossible for what happens during a social mixer to not affect your admissions prospects even after notes have been submitted. If word gets around to the right people that Cassandra D was a major douchebag or got sloppy drunk and vomited all over the floor or skipped out on her tab etc. etc. I can pretty much guarantee that your chances are done. Forget about what you hear med students getting away with. It's much easier to reject a candidate, even post-eval submission, than it is to kick out a med student.

I realize you were probably emphasizing the point about a dress code. You probably wouldn't get rejected just because a higher up may have spotted you in booty shorts and a skimpy top at a post-interview mixer, but that's a far ways away from saying it's "literally impossible" for a mixer to affect your admissions chances. Yes, the chances are low that what you wore or what you did will get around to adcoms, but don't give anyone the impression that interviewees can completely let down their guard once the interviews are done.

You are right, though, that mixers aren't provided so schools can plant moles. They're set up more so for the school to say "hey kiddos, we can be cool too!" Your admissions chances will not be affected negatively just because you don't show up. No one is taking attendance. But, again, if you do show up, be on your best behavior.

 

[Lucca]

Just dress how you would on a first date. Because that is what this is: A first date.

 

[deleted931910]

We are not “outdated,” we are experienced.

Of course they’re going to tell you that. No one is going to say they will judge someone on their clothing outright, especially in the current social climate. But even if your statements are correct, why risk it? In hot weather a nice loose but conservative dress or blouse is not going to be too hot. And anyway, it’s good to get used to this type of attire....because even if it doesn’t have an impact on your admission, you don’t want to be known as the chick who showed up in something ridiculous. In residency socials we had someone in booty shorts, and we still talk about it.

Not quite sure how this was interpreted as a personal attack on you nor did I call anyone outdated lol. I said “a lot of well intentioned people on sdn may have outdated information or attended their own interview socials in business casual and felt comfortable doing so. Of course there’s nothing wrong with that, but for future interviewees there’s no need to panic”

Also, at no point did I encourage “booty shorts” lol. I even suggested “a dress, romper, skirt, nice shirt”. Obviously, not a great idea to wear anything too extreme in either direction.

Everyone should go to have fun, meet students, and learn about the school! My point is that if adcoms wanted business casual specifically they would say business casual.

 

[deleted931910]

I think you need to clarify this statement. It is not literally impossible for what happens during a social mixer to not affect your admissions prospects even after notes have been submitted. If word gets around to the right people that Cassandra D was a major douchebag or got sloppy drunk and vomited all over the floor or skipped out on her tab etc. etc. I can pretty much guarantee that your chances are done. Forget about what you hear med students getting away with. It's much easier to reject a candidate, even post-eval submission, than it is to kick out a med student.

I realize you were probably emphasizing the point about a dress code. You probably wouldn't get rejected just because a higher up may have spotted you in booty shorts and a skimpy top at a post-interview mixer, but that's a far ways away from saying it's "literally impossible" for a mixer to affect your admissions chances. Yes, the chances are low that what you wore or what you did will get around to adcoms, but don't give anyone the impression that interviewees can completely let down their guard once the interviews are done.

You are right, though, that mixers aren't provided so schools can plant moles. They're set up more so for the school to say "hey kiddos, we can be cool too!" Your admissions chances will not be affected negatively just because you don't show up. No one is taking attendance. But, again, if you do show up, be on your best behavior.

I agree! If someone were to behave so horrendously at a social that the word found its way to the core adcom then that would be bad news. I’d like to think most med school applicants know already to be on their best behavior. However I was more talking about attire at socials rather than extreme behaviors.

And again, at no point did I suggest “booty shorts” are a good idea lol. I suggested a “dress, romper, skirt, or nice shirt” which is what most girls wore.

I didn’t address these extremes in my original post, assuming it’d be rather intuitive that you shouldn’t down 20 shots or wear your most revealing going out outfit to these events. Of course, any major major extreme circumstances could be detrimental if word gets around.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

Not quite sure how this was interpreted as a personal attack on you nor did I call anyone outdated lol. I said “a lot of well intentioned people on sdn may have outdated information or attended their own interview socials in business casual and felt comfortable doing so. Of course there’s nothing wrong with that, but for future interviewees there’s no need to panic”

Also, at no point did I encourage “booty shorts” lol. I even suggested “a dress, romper, skirt, nice shirt”. Obviously, not a great idea to wear anything too extreme in either direction.

Everyone should go to have fun, meet students, and learn about the school! My point is that if adcoms wanted business casual specifically they would say business casual.

I dont take anything on the Internet personally. Just making the point that this is unlikely to be the source of outdated info, given that we have actual adcoms and attendings on this thread.


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