Rescheduling an interview. Would they tolerate this excuse?

[Plutonium]

The interview is for my state school but I wont be in the city until the night before, pretty late at night actually. I am flying in. Do you guys think this will be seen unfavorably? I mean, it is not really a necessity but I rather attend the interview refreshed and with a good nights sleep. I just got the interview invite (they gave me a little over a week's notice) and I only had one date to choose from. I just don't want to risk anything at this point, it's one of my top choice schools.

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[HinduHammer]

They gave you one date only, and you want to ask them to reschedule to have a better night of sleep? Do you think this will help the school picture you as a future med student and resident?

 

[NoDakDok]

Depending on how late you get in, it probably would not hurt to just say that you potentially have a scheduling conflict and were wondering if there are other more palatable interview date options. If they say no, simply go on that day. You don't need to list a reason (and I certainly wouldn't if it was just a convenience), the secretary really shouldn't care.

Contrary to the above poster, I don't think seeking a more convenient interview date makes you a bad medical student or resident. You are human, so is the admissions committee, and so are physicians. If there are other date options that would provide you a better shot of admittance (e.g. well-rested), to me that says you care about your performance, and therefore have a significant interest in that school.

Edit: I wouldn't suggest this as a habit, of course. I would not mention the "more sleep" thing because it sounds bad, but I personally think it's a fine excuse if you want to perform at your best for this particular school and a significant lack of sleep will be a detriment to your performance. Interviews are stressful enough as it is. Because the school only offered a single date with only a week of advance notice I think it's a viable option to at least ask if there are other interview date options.

 

[freemontie]

They're not going to rescind the interview just for asking.

But generally, yes, that's a weaksauce excuse.

 

[blackroses]

If I were the person who answered that call, my response would be to take a couple of dramamine and sleep on the plane, then sleep when you get home. It's been done for a very long time by businessmen, you can handle doing it once for an interview.

 

[HinduHammer]

Depending on how late you get in, it probably would not hurt to just say that you potentially have a scheduling conflict and were wondering if there are other more palatable interview date options. If they say no, simply go on that day. You don't need to list a reason (and I certainly wouldn't if it was just a convenience), the secretary really shouldn't care.

Contrary to the above poster, I don't think seeking a more convenient interview date makes you a bad medical student or resident. You are human, so is the admissions committee, and so are physicians. If there are other date options that would provide you a better shot of admittance (e.g. well-rested), to me that says you care about your performance, and therefore have a significant interest in that school.

FWIW I was not insinuating anything about OP's suitability as a med student or resident, but rather how it would appear to an Admissions Department. I can see you're a med student so perhaps you have a different viewpoint from "up there,"... I recall going to a med school presentation by my state school and the dean of admissions explicitly saying "you're not doing us any favors by applying. We have 20 people applying for every seat we have to offer. If anything, you applying just creates more work for us." From that viewpoint, it seems pretty ridiculous to me to ask to re-schedule a high-stakes interview that could determine your future. But hey that's just me.

Also, perhaps OP could alter their plans to get into town earlier, or even a day before, and get a better night's sleep.

 

[JJMrK]

Just go. Had a buddy who left 1 residency interview after the dinner at 7PM and red-eyed it across the country to his interview at 6 AM the next morning. Do whatcha gotta do.

 

[Plutonium]

FWIW I was not insinuating anything about OP's suitability as a med student or resident, but rather how it would appear to an Admissions Department. I can see you're a med student so perhaps you have a different viewpoint from "up there,"... I recall going to a med school presentation by my state school and the dean of admissions explicitly saying "you're not doing us any favors by applying. We have 20 people applying for every seat we have to offer. If anything, you applying just creates more work for us." From that viewpoint, it seems pretty ridiculous to me to ask to re-schedule a high-stakes interview that could determine your future. But hey that's just me.

Also, perhaps OP could alter their plans to get into town earlier, or even a day before, and get a better night's sleep.

I see where you are coming from. I agree with you that there is no way to tell how an Admissions Department might view it, and there's definitely a possibility of being viewed negatively (more work on their part). Reading the other posts put everything in perspective for me. I'm just going to go. Thanks a lot for the feedback guys.

 

[ridethecliche]

Seriously? Just do it. Get sleep before and after the interview. Coffee that morning. You'll be fine.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I agree with the others that you should just go.

However it wouldn't hurt to ask and explain to them that you are concerned that because you are not arriving into town until very late the night before that if there is a flight delay or even cancellation, you may miss the interview without being able to offer much of a warning.

 

[mik30102]

I dont understand why everyone is making a big deal out of this... I had to reschedule 3 of my interviews (one I ended up keeping since I dident realize the crazy fees airlines charge to change). I just said scheduling conflict and was never asked to provide the exact reason...

 

[bionerd20]

I had to reschedule an interview due to a legitimate conflict that arose, but the school didn't even ask questions and gladly rescheduled me for the date I wanted. All it took was a 30 second phone call. Granted, this probably differs from school to school, but most schools probably aren't going to ask you to explain.

 

[SkipJunior]

yeah guys, don't make a big deal out of it. So many people have to reschedule for so many different & valid reasons. It's not a big deal. Call or email the admissions office and ask if it's possible to reschedule for a later date, no need to give an explanation. It really is that simple.

 

[NoDakDok]

I honestly think that the "tough it out" mentality is absurd. Why would you ever make this process more stressful and difficult than it already is? Who are you trying to prove yourself to?

To add to the list of individuals that are throwing in experiences with rescheduling, I rescheduled several interviews for convenience reasons and was accepted to those schools. I was never asked why I needed to be reschedules. I have yet to meet an admissions staff that wasn't welcoming and incredibly helpful. While it is correct that admissions committees are fickle when it comes to applicants, when they interview you it becomes a two-way street. You are evaluating them and they are evaluating you. In that regard, I would be pretty unimpressed with a school that only offered you a single interview day with only a week of advance notice and took offense to you asking if there were additional interview dates.

It is totally justifiable to say you are concerned about a scheduling conflict (I would be very surprised if they asked "What conflict?") and were curious if there were other interview dates (which, since it's September, I am sure there are). It's really not a big deal whatsoever, and as long as you are friendly to the person who takes your call I highly doubt it would ever impact your application.

 

[jonioesque]

They're not going to rescind the interview just for asking.

 

[ridethecliche]

I honestly think that the "tough it out" mentality is absurd. Why would you ever make this process more stressful and difficult than it already is? Who are you trying to prove yourself to?

To add to the list of individuals that are throwing in experiences with rescheduling, I rescheduled several interviews for convenience reasons and was accepted to those schools. I was never asked why I needed to be reschedules. I have yet to meet an admissions staff that wasn't welcoming and incredibly helpful. While it is correct that admissions committees are fickle when it comes to applicants, when they interview you it becomes a two-way street. You are evaluating them and they are evaluating you. In that regard, I would be pretty unimpressed with a school that only offered you a single interview day with only a week of advance notice and took offense to you asking if there were additional interview dates.

It is totally justifiable to say you are concerned about a scheduling conflict (I would be very surprised if they asked "What conflict?") and were curious if there were other interview dates (which, since it's September, I am sure there are). It's really not a big deal whatsoever, and as long as you are friendly to the person who takes your call I highly doubt it would ever impact your application.

Why would you push an interview back just because you're going to get there late-ish?

I mean, I'm sure it'll be fine either way, but this isn't a 'tough it out' thing. Maybe if the only option was to take a red eye that arrives there 2 hrs before the interview starts, but seriously this isn't hardship or scheduling conflict. It's life.

 

[Goro]

Man up and do the interview. You're going to be sleep deprived as a medical student and resident, so get used to it.

The interview is for my state school but I wont be in the city until the night before, pretty late at night actually. I am flying in. Do you guys think this will be seen unfavorably? I mean, it is not really a necessity but I rather attend the interview refreshed and with a good nights sleep. I just got the interview invite (they gave me a little over a week's notice) and I only had one date to choose from. I just don't want to risk anything at this point, it's one of my top choice schools.

 

[NoDakDok]

Why would you push an interview back just because you're going to get there late-ish?

As long as OP were to inform the school immediately and ask if there were other potential interview dates such that it does not mess up the school's schedule, why would you not? Schools generally have plenty of applicants to fill interview slots at any point in time. There is literally no downside to pushing your interview back slightly so that you may perform better on a day that could change the course of your life.

People are certainly trivializing it by essentially saying "be a man." OP is concerned about being fatigued in his interview. If it is a concern, I am simply saying that there is no harm done in speaking with admissions to see if there is an alternative date. Nothing more, nothing less.

But yeah, maybe I am soft. I have just come to the realization that "manning up" is antiquated. Do what needs to be done, but never make things more difficult than they need to be. Not saying this is always an option, but if my surgeon has a busy schedule one day and will be tired by my surgery, I'd prefer to be pushed back a week to a light day so that he can operate while well rested.

 

[ridethecliche]

As long as OP were to inform the school immediately and ask if there were other potential interview dates such that it does not mess up the school's schedule, why would you not? Schools generally have plenty of applicants to fill interview slots at any point in time. There is literally no downside to pushing your interview back slightly so that you may perform better on a day that could change the course of your life.

People are certainly trivializing it by essentially saying "be a man." OP is concerned about being fatigued in his interview. If it is a concern, I am simply saying that there is no harm done in speaking with admissions to see if there is an alternative date. Nothing more, nothing less.

But yeah, maybe I am soft. I have just come to the realization that "manning up" is antiquated. Do what needs to be done, but never make things more difficult than they need to be. Not saying this is always an option, but if my surgeon has a busy schedule one day and will be tired by my surgery, I'd prefer to be pushed back a week to a light day so that he can operate while well rested.

They gave the OP one weeks notice and one slot to choose from. Getting in 'late' at night and having an interview the next morning is not a big deal by any stretch of the imagination.

The difference here is not the 'be a man' mentality (calling you out on that @Goro , wasn't necessary here), but the people recommending it are generally older. It's really not a big deal and dealing with these situations is part of growing up. If your flight gets in at 2 in the morning for an 8 AM interview, that's one thing, but being able to get 5-7 hrs of sleep before an interview because of yours and the school's schedule is totally different. It's really not a big deal. Get good sleep for a few nights leading up to the interview, pack your stuff well, and get organized. It's really not that complicated.

 

[Goro]

It's a phrase. Just words. "Man up" uses fewer letters than "tough it out".

The difference here is not the 'be a man' mentality (calling you out on that @Goro , wasn't necessary here), but the people recommending it are generally older.

 

[Baron Samedi]

I just don't want to risk anything at this point

So how is this even a question, then?

 

[AMEHigh]

You don't have to give an excuse for asking to reschedule the interview.

I mean, I would personally still go to the interview, but if you don't think you can, then tell them you have a scheduling conflict and ask what other dates are available. It's not really a big deal.