re: "I got into X school, should I got to my Y interview?"

[AStudent]

In my short time on this board I've seen many unusual things - an GPA of 3.7 being called average, MCAT scores of 31 being "satisfactory," and students so worried about applying to medical school they look for the slightest glimmer of hope from fellow applicants to reassure them it will be okay.

But now you've crossed the line.

You parade around your acceptance to a medical school like you walk on water and turn right around to ask "should I even bother showing up to this other school?" Why? Is this a public poll? Are you fishing for complements (wow, you must be pretty smart)? If everyone on the board said "no" would you still go? Why do you feel the need to belittle the ~50% of medical school applicants who don't get in to a single school? It smacks of pretentiousness and arrogance, is that really the question you want me to answer? Fine.

"I already got into X school, should I go to my Y school interview?"

No, you shouldn't. Don't waste the interviewers time 'showing up' to a school you probably don't want to come to anyways. Don't waste the gas, don't waste mommy and daddy's money, and don't take an interview spot for someone who actually, sincerely, wants to attend the school.

Stay at home and make wine from water.

</rant>

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[Tra La La]

 

[superdevil]

But now you've crossed the line.

i'm sorry to inform you, but the line isn't yours to draw. this is a forum for open discussion. if people wish to ask such questions, that's fine. if you wish to be so acutely offended by such questions, then that's fine, too. but all these claims of people being pretentious, arrogant, and wasting "mommy and daddy's money" are just sour grapes. take it easy.

 

[indo]

Good rant.



I've already grabbed a snapple, should I interview Chocolate Milk just in case?

 

[Uegis]

i think you, the OP, miss the point. People ask because they want to know if another school is better suited for them. A lot of applicants apply to schools they know nothing about, except physical location and blurbs in the MSAR. SDN is a resource for these people to potentially inquire from actual students and other applicants who know more about these schools. As I'm sure you know, this process is expensive and draining. Just asking for an honest opinion from others is not being arrogant. It helps the person asking make an educated and firm decision. It is 4 years of their life. They want to make the best choice. Asking others to help them decide is not being pretentious, but just demonstrates a desire to make an informed decision.

It's okay for someone to be frustrated by the process, but please don't assume that people seeking advice are flaunting their acceptances. Helpful advice can save someone money and time, and potentially allow others to gain an opportunity to interview. No one loses, except for the one's who misinterpret the goals of the people starting these advice threads and then proceeds to waste their time starting a thread to chastise those said people.

 

[AStudent]

It sure is, only I can decide what offends me (and not a whole lot does).

i'm sorry to inform you, but the line isn't yours to draw.

Which is totally cool, no problem. But why not ask "which is a better school X or Y?" Just sounds too pretentious the way some people put it.

And BTW, re: "the chill pill," I RARELY, if ever, get truly upset at something or someone. I'm not "type A," have a short fuse, or have a massive B.P. So I don't think it's a prob. PM me and find out for yourself '

People ask because they want to know if another school is better suited for them.

 

[Kazema]

I also don't really see the problem, and I'm one of those who doesn't have an acceptance to call his own yet. Asking if one school is better than the other doesn't really do it, I think, because that's not really what I'd want to know if I were in that situation. Sometimes there's other factors, like value for tuition, type of program, etc. Knowing where someone is in at makes a difference in the type of advice people will give, I'd think.

Sure, maybe they could use a topic like, "How does school X compare to school Y, taking into account factors like cost, research/clinical bias, student population, patient population, etc" but "I'm in at school X, should I interview at school Y" is more to the point.

 

[superdevil]

It sure is, only I can decide what offends me (and not a whole lot does).

ah, i see. didn't realize you were talking about yourself, thought you were dictating rules for appropriate posts, etc.

at any rate, people should still feel free to discuss that kind of stuff on SDN. if that gets your knickers in a twist, well, such is life.

 

[Scarletbegonias]

In my short time on this board I've seen many unusual things - an GPA of 3.7 being called average, MCAT scores of 31 being "satisfactory," and students so worried about applying to medical school they look for the slightest glimmer of hope from fellow applicants to reassure them it will be okay.

But now you've crossed the line.

You parade around your acceptance to a medical school like you walk on water and turn right around to ask "should I even bother showing up to this other school?" Why? Is this a public poll? Are you fishing for complements (wow, you must be pretty smart)? If everyone on the board said "no" would you still go? Why do you feel the need to belittle the ~50% of medical school applicants who don't get in to a single school? It smacks of pretentiousness and arrogance, is that really the question you want me to answer? Fine.



"I already got into X school, should I go to my Y school interview?"

No, you shouldn't. Don't waste the interviewers time 'showing up' to a school you probably don't want to come to anyways. Don't waste the gas, don't waste mommy and daddy's money, and don't take an interview spot for someone who actually, sincerely, wants to attend the school.

Stay at home and make wine from water.

</rant>

Amen. But there are other ways of putting that don't sound so hostile. I would like to say that I do share the same sentiment about that. If you're accepted and you think that you will most likely attend that school, then give someone else a chance at your interview spot. Don't waste other people's time (i.e. the adcoms, other applicants, etc.). Time=$. If you are someone accepted but are interested in the other school you can phrase the question as, "what are the advantages of me attending this school over the other?"

 

[kc123]

I think the OP's question is a fair one.....It's hard to know if a school is for you until you've had the chance to see it up close. You could fall in love with a school that previously had been at the bottom of your list. Everyone applicant has invested a lot of time, money, and effort in this process, and I don't think giving up an interview is something to take lightly. You worked hard for that interview slot, and everyone has the right to get all of the information available to them before making a huge, life-altering decision. I think that if there is a question in your mind as to whether or not "Y" school would be right for you, then you should go to the interview. If you know that you could never live in Philadelphia (ever), and you are already into a school in another city, then by all means, don't go to the interview, because it would be a waste of your time and money, and someone else could get the spot. But, if you're not sure, that's what an interview is for, to assess whether you'd rather go to "Y" over "X" school. It's a long, arduous process, so get angry with the imperfect process, not the people involved. Just my 2 cents.