missed interview

[tribulations]

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So, last wednesday I tried to send a cancellation email for an interview scheduled today. No response back, no mailer daemon auto-reply. Then Friday I receive an email from the PC asking about my meal selection for monday (Naturally I found this odd) but I didn't respond immediately for no reason in particular, although I was planning on responding. Then Saturday I have a family emergency without getting into too much details. Then today, I'm finally catching back up with stuff and I realize that the email I *sent* on wednesday is in my draft box and not my outbox. I have sent an apology email already. but how bad is this? I feel pretty awful about it.

 

[22031 Alum]

What specialty are you applying in?? Word of incidents like that tends to travel faster in smaller fields. But overall you're probably fine. And for the love of Pete respond promptly to emails, especially those pertinent to a high-stakes, career-defining process!

 

[gutonc]

The fact that you didn't actually cancel is not as big of a deal as the fact that you thought it was OK to do so 2 business days before the interview. 2 weeks is considered the minimum reasonable notice to cancel.

Will this have a significant impact on you personally? Probably not. But be sure to explain to the class behind you why they may not be getting interview offers from that program anymore.

 

[typhoonegator]

Exactly. Not to pile on, but what are they going to do with a cancellation two days before the event? Not ordering a dinner for you is the least of their concerns. Booking interviewers is a big deal, and to leave a spot open is a missed opportunity. Two days is nowhere near enough time to get another candidate in. No cancellation that late will ever seem courteous. Also, use read receipts for things that are that important.

Is it going to affect your application at other programs? Probably not at this point. But your Dean might be getting a phone call.

 

[mcl]

The fact that you didn't actually cancel is not as big of a deal as the fact that you thought it was OK to do so 2 business days before the interview. 2 weeks is considered the minimum reasonable notice to cancel.

Will this have a significant impact on you personally? Probably not. But be sure to explain to the class behind you why they may not be getting interview offers from that program anymore.

It hasn't happened in a while, but the few times that it has my PD has contacted the Dean for Student Affairs at the student's school to make him/her aware of the breech in professionalism. Ultimately, I imagine those applicants received a stern look and an admonition to not let it happen again, then matched in their chosen field and went on with their lives.

From the program's point of view it is a very big deal. It's true that two days isn't a lot of time--certainly not enough time to find someone from the wait list who is still available and willing to come for an interview on such short notice. Schedules are already set by that point and have to be re-worked. Catering guarantees have already been submitted. But two days is, at least, something. With a no-show, you wasted a lot of people's time (faculty hate to have their time wasted) and made the interview day much more stressful than it needed to be for no particular reason. Depending on that program's past relationship with your school, gutonc is right that it could affect future recruitment (especially if you are from a new medical school).

A formal letter of apology to the Program Director would not be out of place and would probably mitigate damage to future applicants.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

So, last wednesday I tried to send a cancellation email for an interview scheduled today. No response back, no mailer daemon auto-reply. Then Friday I receive an email from the PC asking about my meal selection for monday (Naturally I found this odd) but I didn't respond immediately for no reason in particular, although I was planning on responding. Then Saturday I have a family emergency without getting into too much details. Then today, I'm finally catching back up with stuff and I realize that the email I *sent* on wednesday is in my draft box and not my outbox. I have sent an apology email already. but how bad is this? I feel pretty awful about it.

For the vast, vast majority of applicants, I don't think this will have any future effect on you. Just send an email apologizing, explaining that you thought you had canceled earlier. In my non-competitive field, we routinely had people who I cancelled at the last minute because they would be on the schedule and then just not be there on interview day. I imagine it was really annoying for our PC, and it cost us a chance to interview other potentially good candidates, but I don't think anybody tracked down these people's schools and reported them or even bothered to talk badly about them to other PDs.

 

[Que]

I have an interview for a week and a day from today I was thinking of canceling this afternoon. Do you think it's already too late to cancel? I really would prefer not to go due to cost and already having all the other interviews I want.

 

[CaliAtenza]

It hasn't happened in a while, but the few times that it has my PD has contacted the Dean for Student Affairs at the student's school to make him/her aware of the breech in professionalism. Ultimately, I imagine those applicants received a stern look and an admonition to not let it happen again, then matched in their chosen field and went on with their lives.

From the program's point of view it is a very big deal. It's true that two days isn't a lot of time--certainly not enough time to find someone from the wait list who is still available and willing to come for an interview on such short notice. Schedules are already set by that point and have to be re-worked. Catering guarantees have already been submitted. But two days is, at least, something. With a no-show, you wasted a lot of people's time (faculty hate to have their time wasted) and made the interview day much more stressful than it needed to be for no particular reason. Depending on that program's past relationship with your school, gutonc is right that it could affect future recruitment (especially if you are from a new medical school).

A formal letter of apology to the Program Director would not be out of place and would probably mitigate damage to future applicants.

I'm actually on a "last minute cancellation" list at a Neurology program. I'm in the next State over (a reasonable driving distance) so it wouldn't be any trouble for me to go. In fact I expressed this specifically to the PC when I called her yesterday. She was happy that I would be able to make myself available on short notice, just in case there are cancellations. According to her, they do get some every cycle.

 

[typhoonegator]

I have an interview for a week and a day from today I was thinking of canceling this afternoon. Do you think it's already too late to cancel? I really would prefer not to go due to cost and already having all the other interviews I want.

It's a bit inconsiderate, but you really shouldn't go if you don't want to. I don't think a week's notice is actually going to make anyone upset. Let them know ASAP, a week is long enough that they might be able to replace you.

 

[CaliAtenza]

It's a bit inconsiderate, but you really shouldn't go if you don't want to. I don't think a week's notice is actually going to make anyone upset. Let them know ASAP, a week is long enough that they might be able to replace you.

A week should be enough. Flights are pretty much always available and hotels should be too, just gotta pay more. If it works out in the end, so what 🙂.

 

[Crayola227]

even a two day notice is better than none

if you don't say anything come interview day the PC will be like chicken with a head cut off calling you, calling the hotels they recommend put you up in, wondering if you got lost, got in a car accident, at least at some programs it will be quite the disruption

while they may not fill the slot, they will know to just go about their business that day

 

[mvenus929]

I have an interview for a week and a day from today I was thinking of canceling this afternoon. Do you think it's already too late to cancel? I really would prefer not to go due to cost and already having all the other interviews I want.

Certainly don't go if you don't want to, and just try to give the program as much notice as possible.

 

[killerleaf]

One other consideration: some programs do pay for hotels. So a no-show means you just cost the program money--typically $100 at our location. With budgets being tight, it only takes a couple of people no-showing to really frustrate the program--and promotes lots of conversations centering around continuing the practice or not.