Pre-interview dinners?

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5twilight5

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How important are pre-interview dinners for anesthesiology? Has anyone heard of applicants that weren't ranked because they could not attend? Due to traveling and financial issues, there are a few I cannot go to🙁

Just wondering if the dinner is more for you as an applicant rather than an interview. And how would the residents be able to even remember your name to even tell the PD/Chair or whoever about you from the previous night???

Thanks!!!!
 
I'm interviewing now as well, but from what everyone's said, the dinners are very important. This may vary from school to school, but some program directors have said they usually know if you don't go to the dinner. One interview I had, I was asked in every single interview (very casually) if I made it to the dinner the night before. Thankfully I had, but was really glad I did! All that to say, I'm sure if you have good reasons you can't make it, I'm sure they'd be open to hearing that too, but from what I can tell, I'd go if you can! And obviously, it can be a great time to learn more about details you may not otherwise get.
 
I'll echo what Sunshine58 said -- I don't think that programs care *what* you talk about during an interview dinner, but do care that you took time out of your schedule to make it to the dinner.

I recently interviewed at a Midwest residency program, but couldn't make it to the interview dinner based on inclement weather. The subsequent day, 2 out of my 4 interviewers asked me if I had made it to the dinner, and made note of it when I said that I hadn't made it. I certainly don't think that missing a dinner will have a substantial effect on your application, but . . . let's just say that you don't want to miss the interview dinner at your top-ranked program.

I've also noticed that some programs are turning the 'resident dinner' into a 'resident+faculty' reception. If this is the case, I'd strongly recommend going to the meal.
 
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Since no one on the ranking committee goes to the dinners (at least at my program), it's hard to imagine how they would know whether you went or not. I suppose if you really stood out (either good or bad) at a dinner, a resident might go out of their way to tell someone about you, but beyond that, I don't think it matters.

But what if I did? How much would it have to matter before you borrowed thousands more dollars to get to more of the dinners? Honestly, you can only do what you can do. Don't sweat it. Just get to the interview, do all of the right things, and your appearance at the dinner will be immaterial. If they ask if you were there, tell them you couldn't get in on time because you just flew in after an interview at Harvard. Or that you were busy buying a speedboat. Anything to distract them from your absence.

I would say the only benefit of going is to help you and your spouse decide if the residency is filled with douchebags. Important, yes, but remember that most of the people you'll meet at the dinners will be gone by the time you arrive as a PGY2.
 
If anything, go for the free dinner and drinks, and don't hesitate to order whatever (enough to cover the cost of flying in a night early) you want
 
. . . let's just say that you don't want to miss the interview dinner at your top-ranked program.
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👍

However, I do know of one person who didn't attend the dinner of the program he matched to.

I've had an unexpected number of interviewers also ask about the dinner. BUT, my general feeling is that it doesn't affect the rank list for the applicants whom they've already ranked highest/know they want.

It definitely demonstrates interest vs nonchalance.

In an interesting twist, the prog chair at my last interview took down the name of the resident whose table I sat at for dinner so that she could get his input. Who knew...(good thing I went in my fave S&M costume and pretended I didn't know halloween was over. )

I don't think being the most charming gal at the dinner table will salvage a 180 on Step I or F's on core rotations. The biggest factors will always be academic credentials followed very closely by the absence of cockiness.

on the other hand, competition in anesthesia is so stiff this year. Applicants are REALLY stepping up their game. Every little thing counts now.
so while absence from the dinner may not be a deal breaker, it may make you stand out (negatively) compared to OTHER gunner applicants this year.

(I've had one program chair tell me he looks most favorably on applicants who have completed a medicine residency and then apply to anesthesia :scared::scared:
Me: "Yeah right, I might as well just apply to the Research Track in Neurosurgery (9+ year residency) at my home institution.")

I didn't actually say that, but, he was trying to relate the increasing level of competition for anesthesia spots.

For the rest of your interviews, I would say, GO TO THE DINNER. I certainly intend to!
 
My $0.02:

You don't have to go.

You should go if you can. The dinner is there to benefit you, so that you can interact with the residents in a non-stressed environment, and you may be able to ascertain residents' true or less-than-obvious opinions of the program, especially later in the evening, and depending on the wine budget 😀 And not to mention, it's a free nice dinner. I personally doubled my lifetime creme brulee tally during interview season.

If you go, it's unlikely you'll make a significant splash, but when (not if) an interviewer asks you if you went you can say "Oh yeah, the residents were great!"

If you don't go and it's due to a legit reason e.g. weather, other travel, wayyy the f*ck across town (UChicago anyone?) etc etc, just say so and that's that. They only ask because it's something to talk about.
 
What is the norm -- bring a guest or not, if the program is in the same city where you live?

Thanks!
 
thanks so much guys for your input! i have been trying to make it to the ones i will rank at the top but like everyone said, its really competitive this year so I am accepting more invites which means more traveling in between the interviews ugh...plus when i go on the dinners, you never get to speak to all the residents which is where i question how important it is...

by the way no i am not a twilight fan, i had the name way before those movies came out!

Thanks guys!:laugh: really delirious from 3 interviews in a row driving hours on top of hours
 
Emily2009 said:
What is the norm -- bring a guest or not, if the program is in the same city where you live?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I'd say let the coordinator and whoever is the resident contact for that dinner know ahead of time. and DO bring a guest if that's the city where you live. I think it fortifies your claim that you have a vested interest in remaining in that location. Programs like to know that you do want to come there and have some attachment!

In a different city, you might have some explaining to do, so I'd say don't bring a guest...unless of course they specifically state that you should bring your S.O. or a guest is welcome.
 
5twilight5 said:
thanks so much guys for your input! i have been trying to make it to the ones i will rank at the top but like everyone said, its really competitive this year so I am accepting more invites which means more traveling in between the interviews ugh...plus when i go on the dinners, you never get to speak to all the residents which is where i question how important it is...

by the way no i am not a twilight fan, i had the name way before those movies came out!

Thanks guys!:laugh: really delirious from 3 interviews in a row driving hours on top of hours
Click to expand...

alright, bed time for you...
Just kidding, get some rest.
 
I don't think it really matters if you bring a guest or not. I doubt a program considers one applicant more interested than another just because they bring a friend.
 
Bertelman said:
I don't think it really matters if you bring a guest or not. I doubt a program considers one applicant more interested than another just because they bring a friend.
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For me it will be disruptive if I have my wife with me...
She will find some facts new for her - like - I am a a very "dedicated" physician and I am willing to spend all my weekends in the hospital or I really appreciate surgeon "satisfaction".
Now - I really believe that for the business is important to do all of that.
I enjoy doing that? Oh - NO!
I will do it? Oh - YES.
I can say it to an interview and be credible?
I am still watching "Lie to me" and improving my skills.
But my wife will smile and they will see it.
2win
 
Emily2009 said:
What is the norm -- bring a guest or not, if the program is in the same city where you live?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I'm sorry I was under the assumption that the guest was a spouse or S.O.
 
Bringing a guest is fine. However when the waiter comes to take orders, insist that you want your guests/spouses bill on a seperate order. Most of the time one of the host residents will chime in and say its not necesarry, but it makes you look more courteous.
 
ultm8frisbee said:
Bringing a guest is fine. However when the waiter comes to take orders, insist that you want your guests/spouses bill on a seperate order. Most of the time one of the host residents will chime in and say its not necesarry, but it makes you look more courteous.
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No way - we are in the business of anesthesia - we STILL make money.
A good resident/physician is a real asset for a program or a business - we are looking for a sorry 150$ bill??? I would offer to pay for ALL but NOT a separate bill. I know that is hard for a resident but you shouldn't go for a program that is not able to spend few hundred bucks for a dinner.
And another question - drinks or not?
Oh yes - this is a custom where I come form and it will be culturally insensitive to don't accommodate that.
And another topic - what drinks?
Go with a Grey Goose? Now depends if this a gay pro department versus a straight bourbon...Just joking.
2win
 
2win said:
No way - we are in the business of anesthesia - we STILL make money.
A good resident/physician is a real asset for a program or a business - we are looking for a sorry 150$ bill??? I would offer to pay for ALL but NOT a separate bill. I know that is hard for a resident but you shouldn't go for a program that is not able to spend few hundred bucks for a dinner.
And another question - drinks or not?
Oh yes - this is a custom where I come form and it will be culturally insensitive to don't accommodate that.
And another topic - what drinks?
Go with a Grey Goose? Now depends if this a gay pro department versus a straight bourbon...Just joking.
2win
Click to expand...

?
 
Eta Carinae said:
I'm sorry I was under the assumption that the guest was a spouse or S.O.
Click to expand...

It is an S.O. I just used the term friend. My point is, if only one of five candidates has a spouse to bring, does that automatically make him or her more dedicated to the program?

Of course not. You can deduce nothing from someone bringing a spouse to the dinner. Maybe they just want a cheap vacation.
 
2win said:
Eta -you're an awesome girl - I bet - what's about this highlighting stuff?
Tell daddy, please ...
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😀

SORRY, just having a little fun with it...
 
2win said:
No problemo (Bart) - keep in touch....Are you in anesthesia?
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I've been called 'the idealist trail hopper' on this site recently.

I'm applying/interviewing.
 
It seems to me that people are overthinking this.

Unless you're one of the 1-2% of applicants that cannot conceal their personal issues over a friendly dinner, nothing about the dinner is going to help or hurt you (even not being able to go).
 
As a resident who frequently goes on these dinners:

1. I could not care less if you bring a spouse/significant other.
2. You can order whatever you want, it doesn't matter to me, the department pays.
3. You can dress however you want. I always try to be slightly under-dressed for wherever we go, so no applicant feels out of place.
4. Please dont bring your kid, even though I am at a family-friendly program, I think it makes you too distracted to figure out the important information.
5. I am frequently asked what I thought about the applicants. If you were able to hold a somewhat interesting conversation about anything, even though I don't really like twilight myself, you are fine in my book. I typically just mumble something noncommital no matter what, but will say I liked you if you stand out (so far, just 2 of the 20 applicants I have interacted with this year)

At my program, dinners serve two purposes. First is to let you guys ask whatever questions you want, even those you are uncomfortable asking the interviewers about, and the other is for us to see if you can carry on a conversation that is marginally interesting.
I think that overall the effect of dinner the night before ends up accounting for ~ 0.1% of your position on the rank list for most people. Just so you guys know the other secret, the thank you note counts for 0.05% of your position.
 
So far I've only missed one dinner, and I definitely got asked about it on all my interviews. I would try to go if it's at all possible (barring travel restrictions).

Also, I originally brought my SO along (and vice versa), especially since we're couples matching, but I quickly realized that A) I don't want to go to twice as many interview dinners, B) the applicants want to talk to residents, not SOs, and C) my SO is 100X more interesting, and the program might decide they want her instead (and she's not even going into the same field...)
 
of course, if you are a loud obnoxious person while under the influence, don't go to the dinners. :laugh:
 
So I thought that I would try to bring this conversation back from the grave.

I had two questions.

1) From people who have interviewed in the past. When they tell you that the dress for dinner or the first day is "casual" what did you usually wear?

2) I have had a couple programs ask if I will be bringing a SO to dinner. She is planning on traveling with me to most programs to get an idea of what the areas are like. I was wondering what peoples opinions were about bringing SOs on dinners where they didn't mention it one way or the other. I had been told by a resident at my local program that they like seeing you bring your SO, and I was wondering what your opinions were.

Thanks for your help 🙂
 
BEMD said:
So I thought that I would try to bring this conversation back from the grave.

I had two questions.

1) From people who have interviewed in the past. When they tell you that the dress for dinner or the first day is "casual" what did you usually wear?

"Business casual". Nice slacks or jeans, nice shirt. No tie, please. You can wear a sports jacket if you like. I've worn a pair of khakis with a nice sweater in cold places. Think about what you wear when you go out on a date. You want to like nice enough to go into almost any restaurant, but you don;t want to look like you're showing everyone else up.


2) I have had a couple programs ask if I will be bringing a SO to dinner. She is planning on traveling with me to most programs to get an idea of what the areas are like. I was wondering what peoples opinions were about bringing SOs on dinners where they didn't mention it one way or the other. I had been told by a resident at my local program that they like seeing you bring your SO, and I was wondering what your opinions were.

Thanks for your help 🙂
Click to expand...


"Business casual". Nice slacks or jeans, nice shirt. No tie, please. You can wear a sports jacket if you like. I've worn a pair of khakis with a nice sweater in cold places. Think about what you wear when you go out on a date. You want to like nice enough to go into almost any restaurant, but you don;t want to look like you're showing everyone else up.

As for bringing an S.O., if she's with you, and she is invited to the dinner, by all means take her. If it's not mentioned, politely contact the program and ask if it would be acceptable. The Program Coordinator should be able to fill you in.
 
The SO is an important part of the dinner. While you're trying to impress people or appear interested, she's trying to figure out if the residents are tools. This is key.

As for the wardrobe, most programs take you to pretty nice places, so it pays not to slouch. A tie is overkill, mostly because ties without coats look funny to me, and a tie AND a coat is way overkill. A sportcoat or blazer or nice sweater is probably fine.
 
Candidates who brought their spouse always made me think that they must be really serious about the place. Contact the PD to see if she/ he may come.

This is what I wore to all of my pre-interview dinners.

steve_martin.jpg


- pod
 
My favorite interview dinner memory from last year was when a co-interviewee downed 3 "Patron" margaritas, mumbled gibberish, and then DROVE to his motel. He didn't match that program.

If you see a resident binge drinking/staring at his bud light bottles the whole evening, that's a sign = don't rank!
 
100101 said:
My favorite interview dinner memory from last year was when a co-interviewee downed 3 "Patron" margaritas, mumbled gibberish, and then DROVE to his motel. He didn't match that program.

If you see a resident binge drinking/staring at his bud light bottles the whole evening, that's a sign = don't rank!
Click to expand...

We had a female applicant once who brought her BF to dinner and they pretty much kept to themselves the whole time. By the end of dinner, they were practically embracing; it was almost like she was sitting in his lap. They didn't make out, at least not that I saw, but it sure looked like it was heading that way.
 
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