Residency pre-interview dinners - how important are they?

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PS2summerdays

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I'm wondering how important these pre-interview dinners are for residency. Applying psychiatry. I am traveling a lot this year with required courses/etc. and I don't think I'll be well rested enough to make a good impression at the dinners. I feel like I have more to lose than gain in terms of making an impression as I'm not too sociable when fatigued!

Any advice for me? Is it okay to not go to these dinners? Will they peg me down a notch in the consideration pile if I don't attend? Thanks all.
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I can only speak from experience with my own program (not psychiatry)....we expected you to be at the dinner. We understood if you were tired; heck, most of the residents who attended the dinner were tired, too. We did not keep you out late, so you could have a decent night's sleep and be ready to go for the interview day.

We viewed the dinner as a way for the residents to get to know you, and you to get to know them. To figure out if this was the program you would be happy at; if these people would be ok to work with for the next 4 years. We valued input from our residents from the dinners...the stories they could tell. 😛

So please make an effort to be at the dinners. I know it is difficult to juggle everything; fatigue can be an issue; so do be mindful of your limits. Try to plan to arrive at your destination earlier; maybe take a nap beforehand?
 
Each program is probably different. I'd venture that most programs won't care, but there's probably a handful of programs that would be a little put off.

That said, I think there's a lot for YOU to learn about the program and what the people you'd be working with are like. Might also give you some insight for questions to ask the next day. If it's a matter that you need to take a late night flight in the day before because of school, that's fine, but if you're already going to make it into town in time, then you shouldn't let concerns about looking tired deter you from going to the dinner.
 
Yeah, if you're going to make it in on time or driving there, I'd say go to the dinner. Unless you're a total dingus or seem totally disinterested in the program, it's unlikely to hurt you and you get free dinner (and get to know the people in the program and usually ask questions you won't get to ask on interview day, especially about stuff like benefits, culture of ancillary staff at the hospitals, get a feel for who actually shows up to dinners, etc) so not much downside. Upside of going is that if residents particularly like you or think you'd be a good fit, they'll probably let people know about it. So it's unlikely to be overtly held against you for not going but you're missing out on the potential upside by not going.

If you're not going to make the dinner because of a late flight or clinical rotation that will make you end up coming in too late, I would make sure you actually say that when you respond back to the dinner invitation.

Btw residents aren't gonna have any sympathy for a 4th year med student being "too tired" to do anything 😉

Edit: Apparently SDN autocorrects a**hole to "dingus". 😀
 
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As stated above, dinners are more important than you think... they really are the start of the interview.

And really? If you are tired as a 4th year, you are in a work of hurt next year.
 
Thanks all. I guess I'll go. I just have some issues in terms of traveling (depending on others to drive me, etc.) so it's not as convenient for me to get form place to place. I think that's more the issue than tiredness. We've all survived long shifts, so that's not a huge deal! 🙂
 
nebuchadnezzarII said:
Thanks all. I guess I'll go. I just have some issues in terms of traveling (depending on others to drive me, etc.) so it's not as convenient for me to get form place to place. I think that's more the issue than tiredness. We've all survived long shifts, so that's not a huge deal! 🙂
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You don’t drive?
 
rokshana said:
You best learn...outside of say boston, Chicago, nyc, and maybe dc ,most places where there are residencies are not going to have public transportation that is extensive enough to rely on to get to work.
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Thanks. I have a physical disability that is hindering me currently but I will try working through it. Appreciate the advice 🙂
 
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nebuchadnezzarII said:
Thanks all. I guess I'll go. I just have some issues in terms of traveling (depending on others to drive me, etc.) so it's not as convenient for me to get form place to place. I think that's more the issue than tiredness. We've all survived long shifts, so that's not a huge deal! 🙂
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Then why did you say the tiredness was the problem....

Just be upfront about what’s going on. If you can’t physically be there for the dinner for some places, not a big deal if you let them know you won’t be getting in until later that night. However it’s to your advantage to go to as many of them as possible to get an idea of what the actual residents at the programs are like outside of the stuffy interviews and hospital tours.
 
Hope OP doesn’t mind me asking a related question!

What about post interview dinners? One program has a survey attached to the invite that asks if I will be attending the interview the night before but then also asks if i will be attending dinner the night after the interview

Not sure how to respond to it..
 
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NecFasc92 said:
Hope OP doesn’t mind me asking a related question!

What about post interview dinners? One program has a survey attached to the invite that asks if I will be attending the interview the night before but then also asks if i will be attending dinner the night after the interview

Not sure how to respond to it..
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Really? Just answer the question.
 
gutonc said:
Really? Just answer the question.
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Yes really. Don’t know if not going to the one after will negatively impact me like it does not going to the one the night before. Thanks 🙂
 
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I think the question is do they expect attendance at both? Or is it more like they expect you to pick one or the other? It seems kind of weird to expect an applicant to attend two dinners in a row unless one is with a research track or some other differentiated thing.

GoSpursGo said:
I think it should be pretty clear that the importance is the same whether it's a pre or post interview dinner :lame:
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Ludwig2000 said:
I think the question is do they expect attendance at both? Or is it more like they expect you to pick one or the other? It seems kind of weird to expect an applicant to attend two dinners in a row unless one is with a research track or some other differentiated thing.
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Oh, I misread the question.

Yes, just pick one, don't go to both.
 
Ludwig2000 said:
I think the question is do they expect attendance at both? Or is it more like they expect you to pick one or the other? It seems kind of weird to expect an applicant to attend two dinners in a row unless one is with a research track or some other differentiated thing.
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Yes. These are my questions! Thank you 🙂
 
just as important as the interview day; we like to see what you are like socially. Sure you can be the smartest person alive but we will think twice if you are socially awkward/ a d-bag/ get drunk, etc
 
nebuchadnezzarII said:
I'm wondering how important these pre-interview dinners are for residency. Applying psychiatry. I am traveling a lot this year with required courses/etc. and I don't think I'll be well rested enough to make a good impression at the dinners. I feel like I have more to lose than gain in terms of making an impression as I'm not too sociable when fatigued!

Any advice for me? Is it okay to not go to these dinners? Will they peg me down a notch in the consideration pile if I don't attend? Thanks all.
Click to expand...
To be honest, we don't take attendance at our dinners and I don't even know if anyone would notice if you skipped them.

That being said, it's part of the interview experience and probably more important for you than it is for us. It's a chance to spend more time with the residents in a more casual setting and is more data to help you get a sense of the program. We don't turn in formal evaluations at the end of the night but we might drop a comment to the program director if an applicant seems unusually awesome or if they set off red flags. This doesn't happen often.
 
I guess this is specialty-dependent. In peds we definitely didn't care, and I don't think I remembered the applicants' names half the time, let alone bothered to pass any info along to our PD :shrug:
 
GoSpursGo said:
I guess this is specialty-dependent. In peds we definitely didn't care, and I don't think I remembered the applicants' names half the time, let alone bothered to pass any info along to our PD :shrug:
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Its less of an issue when there's like 10+ applicants at a dinner. Smaller programs with 3-6 applicants/interview dinner tend to make a bigger deal of it. There were 1 or 2 times where either I was the only one at dinner or it was just me and 1 or 2 other applicants, and it did seem like it adversely affected the applicants that didn't show up (even though they say it doesn't).
 
It's all about making a good impression. More face time = more chances to make a good impression. If you're normal, hard working, honest, and someone people like to be around, then spending more time with residents or attendings only helps you. If you're someone your classmates avoid like the plague because you make them feel uncomfortable, then dinners are more likely to hurt you. I still remember a few applicants that hit on other applicants at the dinner. They did well on the interview day but the dinner sunk them.

Not attending the dinners is not the biggest deal but then you have a smaller window to make a good impression. It's also more pressure on an already stressful day.
 
Personally I saw the dinners as a way to assess the program. I could see how the residents interacted in a social situation, if they were friendly or just kinda there. If resident turnout was poor, I interpreted that as they were either overworked or not invested in who their coworkers might be, both negative signs for me, given that residents spend more time with each other than with their families. I preferred the places that had dinner with just the residents, with no attendings around, as it gave a good chance to gauge their personalities away from professional expectations. I felt the dinners were more important to me than they were to the program. When I was a resident, we only brought up someone in discussion if they were super crazy at the dinner. Not being able to hide your crazy for just 2-3 hours is a bad sign. There were only a couple of those over the years. Otherwise, as a resident, we saw the dinners as 1) to let the interviewees see if they felt like a fit with us, 2) a good opportunity to hang out with each other outside of work with free beer and food. We didn’t begrudge anyone who didn’t show up, as we understand travel during interview season is hard and sometimes people had back to back interviews and would get into town late.
 
Any ideas on what to do if the pre-interview dinner conflicts with another interview?

Example:

Interview at Program A on Monday that ends at 5pm

Pre-Interview Dinner at Program B on Monday evening with the actual interview held on Tuesday

Program B is higher on my "rank" but Program A is no slouch either. Would it be in my best interest to make both interviews without going to the pre-interview dinner for Program A, or would it be wise to give up interviewing at Program A so that I can make the dinner for Program B?
Would programs understand if you are not able to make the dinner because of conflicts or travel time?
 
TheRongeur said:
Any ideas on what to do if the pre-interview dinner conflicts with another interview?

Example:

Interview at Program A on Monday that ends at 5pm

Pre-Interview Dinner at Program B on Monday evening with the actual interview held on Tuesday

Program B is higher on my "rank" but Program A is no slouch either. Would it be in my best interest to make both interviews without going to the pre-interview dinner for Program A, or would it be wise to give up interviewing at Program A so that I can make the dinner for Program B?
Would programs understand if you are not able to make the dinner because of conflicts or travel time?
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No, an interview dinner doesn’t trump an actual interview...just let the PC know that while you would love to come to the interview dinner, you have an interview in another city that day and will be unable to make it.
 
nebuchadnezzarII said:
I'm wondering how important these pre-interview dinners are for residency. Applying psychiatry. I am traveling a lot this year with required courses/etc. and I don't think I'll be well rested enough to make a good impression at the dinners. I feel like I have more to lose than gain in terms of making an impression as I'm not too sociable when fatigued!

Any advice for me? Is it okay to not go to these dinners? Will they peg me down a notch in the consideration pile if I don't attend? Thanks all.
Click to expand...

It depends. If you are sociable, it can be a plus. If you are shy/awkward, it likely will be a detriment. It also depends - can you actually make it? If you have to give up an interview elsewhere to attend, I'd say not worth it. If you have nothing scheduled, are reasonable normal and sociable, I'd try to make it if I were you.

Will it be a dealbreaker if you otherwise have a good interview? doubtful.
 
TheRongeur said:
Any ideas on what to do if the pre-interview dinner conflicts with another interview?

Example:

Interview at Program A on Monday that ends at 5pm

Pre-Interview Dinner at Program B on Monday evening with the actual interview held on Tuesday

Program B is higher on my "rank" but Program A is no slouch either. Would it be in my best interest to make both interviews without going to the pre-interview dinner for Program A, or would it be wise to give up interviewing at Program A so that I can make the dinner for Program B?
Would programs understand if you are not able to make the dinner because of conflicts or travel time?
Click to expand...

don't give up an interview for a dinner! Dinners are mostly attended by residents, so it wont make a huge difference. it can add "slight" brownie points if you are well liked by residents but nothing that will be earth shattering. do not give up an interview in another place for a dinner!!
 
TheRongeur said:
Any ideas on what to do if the pre-interview dinner conflicts with another interview?

Example:

Interview at Program A on Monday that ends at 5pm

Pre-Interview Dinner at Program B on Monday evening with the actual interview held on Tuesday

Program B is higher on my "rank" but Program A is no slouch either. Would it be in my best interest to make both interviews without going to the pre-interview dinner for Program A, or would it be wise to give up interviewing at Program A so that I can make the dinner for Program B?
Would programs understand if you are not able to make the dinner because of conflicts or travel time?
Click to expand...
This is a situation in which it is 100% OK to not go to the interview dinner. Better by far to go to both interviews.
 
nebuchadnezzarII said:
I'm wondering how important these pre-interview dinners are for residency. Applying psychiatry. I am traveling a lot this year with required courses/etc. and I don't think I'll be well rested enough to make a good impression at the dinners. I feel like I have more to lose than gain in terms of making an impression as I'm not too sociable when fatigued!

Any advice for me? Is it okay to not go to these dinners? Will they peg me down a notch in the consideration pile if I don't attend? Thanks all.
Click to expand...
i like your profile pic
 
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