Photo for Secondary Application

[CanadianApplicant2020]

What type of photo is everyone submitting? I don't have a real professional head shot..

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[gyngyn]

What type of photo is everyone submitting? I don't have a real professional head shot..

Smiling against a plain background in professional dress (shoulders and head).
An iphone is fine.

 

[rdyotz]

What type of photo is everyone submitting? I don't have a real professional head shot..

Put on interview attire. Have friend take a good picture against a neutral background with adequate lighting using a good camera phone. Profit.

These pictures are not going to be printed out on a 3' x 4' canvas or analyzed. They often get printed on your application so admissions can make sure you are not a psychopath that used a photo with racist elements and so interviewers can see what you look like (think 2 inches).

 

[Justapremedguy]

Although the application may have asked for a head shot, I decided that submitting a full-body photo would allow me to demonstrate some of my unique qualities and give me a leg up on the competition.

Not to sound braggadocious, but I'm jacked. For my photo, I tanned for a few hours, went shirtless, and flexed my triceps in an attempt to intimidate the admissions office into extending an interview invite. I would also recommend this method to anyone seen as conventionally unattractive, as it would make it more difficult for admissions to see your face (which could negatively impact your chances of receiving an interview).

If you're not bold enough for this strategy then just wear a shirt, face against a wall, and have someone take a photo of your face with your smartphone.

You call this bold? Please. Try an all out nude and then we’ll talk...

 

[mvsrocks]

You call this bold? Please. Try an all out nude and then we’ll talk...

I'm sure adcoms will appreciate the openness

 

[docb2]

I didn’t have a professional headshot either. My boyfriend snapped a photo of me in a dress shirt against a blank wall in our apartment lol Cropped it from the shoulders up!

 

[gyngyn]

You call this bold? Please. Try an all out nude and then we’ll talk...

We actually had a nude photo once.

 

[Justapremedguy]

We actually had a nude photo once.

I sure hope they got an interview

 

[gyngyn]

I sure hope they got an interview

If I can remember a photo, the odds are against it.

 

[Justapremedguy]

Here’s a more serious question.

Should I go with the classic suit, plain background picture for all schools? If I have a shirt from a graduate program at one medical school from a program I did or if I work in a lab at one of the schools would a picture in that shirt or in front of the med school building make me seem more interested or less professional?

 

[gyngyn]

Lol what happened? Did you report her to AMCAS?

What makes you think it was a woman?

 

[gyngyn]

There was a box of chocolates covering the genitalia, so I couldn't really report it as porn.

 

[Justapremedguy]

There was a box of chocolates covering the genitalia, so I couldn't really report it as porn.

I have to assume it was an applicant with awful stats who had given up. Or someone already admitted to another school and did it for fun. No serious applicant would think to do that.

 

[gyngyn]

I have to assume it was an applicant with awful stats who had given up. Or someone already admitted to another school and did it for fun. No serious applicant would think to do that.

It otherwise appeared to be a serious candidate. He attended a well-recognized research university. Stats were good enough to get in somewhere.
I think he just took the theory of being "memorable" too much to heart.
This brings up a good point. The goal is not so much to "stand out" as it is to stand in.

 

[gyngyn]

Lol would you have given him an ii if he had a normal pic?

I said "good enough to get in somewhere."

 

[Goro]

We actually had a nude photo once.

Teachingm oment!!!

SDNers, while you're normal knee-jerk response would be "You're making that up!", sadly, I have learned that gyngyn's school seems to attract some VERY odd applicants.

 

[gyngyn]

Here’s a more serious question.

Should I go with the classic suit, plain background picture for all schools?

Yes.
Pandering isn't pretty.

 

[LiteralLungs]

Yes.
Pandering isn't pretty.

Would a graduation cap and gown headshot be okay?

 

[deleted1044561]

We actually had a nude photo once.

Wow and here I was thinking about how I missed a spot while shaving that an adcom might squint and see

 

[Calizboosted76]

Smiling against a plain background in professional dress (shoulders and head).
An iphone is fine.

Should beards be shaved off? I planned to shave for interviews at the last second but now this picture dilemma has surfaced.

 

[gyngyn]

Should beards be shaved off? I planned to shave for interviews at the last second but now this picture dilemma has surfaced.

Shave.

 

[gyngyn]

Would a graduation cap and gown headshot be okay?

Not ideal. It makes you appear naive, innocent, young... None of these is necessarily a negative but this is not the image you want to project in a professional application.

 

[Calizboosted76]

Shave.

Tarnations, my fiancé is not going to be happy about this.

 

[gyngyn]

Tarnations, my fiancé is not going to be happy about this.

It'll grow back.

 

[Radiology2020beyond]

Every now and then a woman is wearing a professional suit, but has her shirt open to show cleavage, no need for that....

 

[jhmmd]

I would be safe and take a picture in a suit. Try to have someone else take the picture for you, so that you're not submitting a selfie 😉

 

[Justapremedguy]

Shave.

So shaved is a necessity? Even for an applicant who can grow a beard and general wears one? It reflects that badly to have one?

 

[gyngyn]

So shaved is a necessity? Even for an applicant who can grow a beard and general wears one? It reflects that badly to have one?

There are only so many parts of this process in your control.
You have no idea how many evaluators will have to overcome their implicit bias. Why worry about it?
If being clean shaven will damage your self-confidence to the point that you would perform worse in an interview, keep the beard. If a beard is required by your religion, keep the beard. Otherwise, shave.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

Honestly, if gyngyn's stories weren't so consistent every year I'd be convinced they were made up. I'd like to see a med school class made up of the folks from those stories.

 

[wysdoc]

Honestly, if gyngyn's stories weren't so consistent every year I'd be convinced they were made up. I'd like to see a med school class made up of the folks from those stories.

You might like to see it, but I doubt patients would like to be seen by them 😱

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

You might like to see it, but I doubt patients would like to be seen by them 😱

Never said I'd like to see them graduate!

 

[ErasPhoto.com]

We would highly recommend sticking to the rules.

Studio shots by pros of course look amazing and it’s a great investment, but if it’s out of your budget or time - find somebody that knows how to take photos with the atural light.

Cloudy days are better than the high noon sun with super dark shadows under your eyes. They are dark enough from your lack of sleep, so you really need good even lighting that will fill in all the imperfections and make you shine.

Requirements are head and shoulders with plan light background. Schools, hospitals, pools are not appropriate as a background. Try to find a light plain wall outdoors and make sure to keep some social distance from it to have it go out of focus. Bricks or wall cracks should not distract from your gorgeous smile of confidence and approachability.

Don’t fake your smile! Just stop it and try to have some fun. Fake smiles break the trust. Who knows what else you’re faking 😉

If you want a cleaner shot - try retouching. Make sure you give it to somebody who will do it in a very natural way, so you still look like yourself and not resemble a Madame Tussauds wax copy of your clone with a skin of a 5 year old.

Formatting can be tricky. Requirements are tough, but do make sure you have the right image size, file size and resolution. Otherwise the system won’t accept it. We are happy to help if you get stuck.

Good luck with this exciting time!

 

[subparman]

A funny story from a mentor of mine who was on an admissions committee is that when they were reviewing applicant profiles, they came across a student from Hawaii. His headshot was a graduation photo with leis stacked around his neck. One of the senior admissions officers saw the photo and said, "Pfft, who does this guy think he is, King Kamehameha?! Ridiculous!"

Not sure what that meant in regards to how they looked at his app, but it doesn't sound favourable...well, it at least made him memorable.

 

[gyngyn]

Not sure what that meant in regards to how they looked at his app, but it doesn't sound favourable...well, it at least made him memorable.

The last thing you want is a memorable photo.

 

[ontiquicuo]

Mine ended up in a meet-your-classmates presentation. Maybe something to keep in mind.