Luckiest Moments?

[mmmcdowe]

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Sometimes the heavens are against you, but every so often the fates of medicine are on your side. Any memorable strokes of luck?

I think most recently was at a medical interview at one of my top choices, the dean of admissions walked into the room about a minute after everyone else had left (I had used the restroom and was on my way out to go explore, we all had over an hour before our interviews). I got to speak to him one on one for over an hours! Free interview baby!

Another good one, one of my interviewers happened to be really big into Latin dancing, and I happen to study it as a minor!

 

[DrMattOglesby]

okay, i'll play too.

when i interviewed at FIU...i wandered into the medical admissions department in search of a possible parking permit for a week long stay. I ended up meeting many of the adcoms and I even got to talk one of their deans of student affairs for over 30 minutes!

then when i interviewed at creighton, one of my interviewers had almost EVERYTHING in common with me! we were both homeless for a brief period in college, we were both lifeguards, we both worked all throughout college, we both thought of getting PhDs and becoming professors(--because what else was there to do with our degrees?), and he applied to schools at my same age so he really understood the plight of being a non-trad! talk about lucking out in who you get for an interviewer 😀

 

[mmmcdowe]

okay, i'll play too.

when i interviewed at FIU...i wandered into the medical admissions department in search of a possible parking permit for a week long stay. I ended up meeting many of the adcoms and I even got to talk one of their deans of student affairs for over 30 minutes!

then when i interviewed at creighton, one of my interviewers had almost EVERYTHING in common with me! we were both homeless for a brief period in college, we were both lifeguards, we both worked all throughout college, we both thought of getting PhDs and becoming professors(--because what else was there to do with our degrees?), and he applied to schools at my same age so he really understood the plight of being a non-trad! talk about lucking out in who you get for an interviewer 😀

That's pretty awesome! I requested a letter from the president of my university, and he agreed on the condition that we meet in person for a while (we had met before, but he wanted to get some points for his letter). Turns out that his mother is a 2nd cousin to my grandfather AND we share the same first and middle names!

 

[Fibroblastman]

At my second interview, I had no idea who my faculty interviewer was...

When I told him that I was currently working on the NIH Artificial Retina Project, and how much I liked it... he just kept nodding, nodding, nodding. I was thinking, "Man, this guy's bored out of his mind."

Then he says, "Oh yeah, me and a few guys started that at USC back in the day with a chip." For about half an hour that's all we talked about. It's such unique project that only a few people started it in the 80's/early 90's... and my interviewer was one of the pioneers.

I literally said to him, "You were there when it all began?" I sounded like an idiot... but a surprised, curious, nerdy idiot. =)

Now... if only Bill Nye the Science Guy could be next...

 

[TheElement]

I would love to post here but I fear I might jinx myself..

 

[Docere]

I would love to post here but I fear I might jinx myself..

Haha aww do share!

My luckiest moment was when I interviewed for Baylor. I believe it was the Neuroscience professor who noticed that I did some on-site studies on the health-care systems and quality of caregiving in China. He had actually just recently visited Beijing for a conference, and we had an animated discussion about what we learned and what we wanted to change about China. This lucky moment saved my day after my most unluckiest moment.

On the same day, my first interviewer asked me about my opinion about the Body Worlds exhibit. I made some comment about how the concept of using the body as art in such a unique and scientific way intrigued me and how it draws more public attention to the importance and miracle of the human body. Turns out the interviewer absolutely abhorred the idea of Body Worlds and sort of just frowned at me the rest of the interview.

 

[jdandturk]

The MCAT, i completely geussed 10 questions on the PS and got a 12 on that section 😀

 

[ButImLETired]

Sometimes the heavens are against you, but every so often the fates of medicine are on your side. Any memorable strokes of luck?

I think most recently was at a medical interview at one of my top choices, the dean of admissions walked into the room about a minute after everyone else had left (I had used the restroom and was on my way out to go explore, we all had over an hour before our interviews). I got to speak to him one on one for over an hours! Free interview baby!

Another good one, one of my interviewers happened to be really big into Latin dancing, and I happen to study it as a minor!

I had a similar experience at Vandy. I was walking back from my interview and had to kill time for a while before the tour, so I peeked into one of the lecture halls. The professor happened to be standing by the door, so he introduced himself. Turns out he was the Dean of minority affairs and was about to teach a lecture on underserved populations (a topic which I am very passionate about). So we start talking for a bit about that and at one point he stops me, smiles, and starts quoting my essay. Turns out he'd read my essay and really liked it. Five minutes into our conversation, he excuses himself to go teach and gives me his business card.

Accepted 😀

 

[chad5871]

The MCAT, i completely geussed 10 questions on the PS and got a 12 on that section 😀

Same thing happened with me for Biological Sciences.

 

[littlealex]

Once in college I was at a party, and as I was coming downstairs this girl caught my eye. We held eye contact and without saying a word, I held my hand out.
She took it. And it was an amazing 3 weeks.

That was the luckiest moment that I can remember.

 

[DrYoda]

There was a penny in the elevator today. I had an overwhelming desire to pick it up for good luck. However, out of fear of the door opening and me looking like a complete asshat I restrained myself.

Edit: I hope its luck has an airborne transmission.

 

[RySerr21]

Okay so this is a pretty unlikely story......

I had my interview at UCI the other day and my faculty interviewer graduated from my high school AND grew up like 2 blocks from my house. How friken crazy is that? And her interest in medicine started with orthopedics and sports medicine (just like mine). Needless to say we got a long really well.

 

[202781]

One of my interviewers was a neurologist...The day before I read and completed The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat By Oliver Sacks


nuff said...

 

[silverhorse84]

Okay, so I know this is going to sound like something someone would make up, but I'm totally not lying about this. Recently I interviewed at USC, so I had both faculty interivew and a student interview. All three of us have the same birth date...

I don't know if that's lucky or not, but it was only one of several things I had in common with my faculty interviewer 😳

 

[202781]

Uhh...no way this is too weird.
I literally posted the response above yours like a minute before you did.

My lucky stroke came at my USC interview as well...

 

[mmmcdowe]

Speaking of things in common. I do research on insects, and one of my interviewers was a zoology major in undergrad.

 

[RySerr21]

Speaking of things in common. I do research on insects, and one of my interviewers was a zoology major in undergrad.

Ooo zoology. I have a test tomorrow morning at 830, part of the material is on the arthropods and with that come the insects. I'll be dreaming of malphigian tubules and cephalothorax's all night.

 

[Corvus Riley]

Ooo zoology. I have a test tomorrow morning at 830, part of the material is on the arthropods and with that come the insects. I'll be dreaming of malphigian tubules and cephalothorax's all night.

That sounds vaguely dirty.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Only if your into the equivalent of bug kidneys. lol

 

[Corvus Riley]

Only if your into the equivalent of bug kidneys. lol

Rule 34, my friend.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Rule 34, my friend.

I'm more partial to Rule 35.5 myself.

 

[chemolupusMD]

I was in my UMDNJ interview and i hear the name of my interviewer, she happened to be hispanic. so i am thinking "thank you GOD", then i am interviewing with her and she tells me "why medicine, why not working for a drug company? I was a chem major in college just like YOU that is why i ask" I was like "YES" and then she tells me she is the oldest sibling and she is the first member of her family to go to college, JUST LIKE ME!!! 😀 I was SOOOO happy!

 

[GoSpursGo]

At one of my interviews, my scheduled interviewer doesn't show, so they have to scramble to find someone else at the last minute and I get the Dean of Admissions. I'm reasonably confident that I did great on that interview- like, I'm almost positive I killed it. I later find out that all of the other interviewers don't actually have a vote in the admissions decisions, they only make suggestions; naturally, however, the dean has a vote, so unless the interview went much worse than I thought, that's a huge advantage for me to have the guy advocating my case actually have a vote when no one else does!

 

[mmmcdowe]

At one of my interviews, my scheduled interviewer doesn't show, so they have to scramble to find someone else at the last minute and I get the Dean of Admissions. I'm reasonably confident that I did great on that interview- like, I'm almost positive I killed it. I later find out that all of the other interviewers don't actually have a vote in the admissions decisions, they only make suggestions; naturally, however, the dean has a vote, so unless the interview went much worse than I thought, that's a huge advantage for me to have the guy advocating my case actually have a vote when no one else does!

Yet another reason why I hope any more interviews I have are with deans!