Secondary photo - not passport style?

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pluto101

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Hello all,

I already submitted all my secondaries. However, for various reasons, I did not use a passport style photograph for my secondary photo. Instead, I used an old photo from an internship that is waist up, with me looking at the camera from the side.

I did this in spite of the fact that, after submitting, I saw that some schools specifically request a passport photograph.

Will this be a problem? Should I contact these schools about changing my photograph? I have not heard back from anyone yet about interviews.

Thanks.

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Would you interview someone that can't read/follow directions?

... I did not use a passport style photograph for my secondary photo. ...

I did this in spite of the fact that ... some schools specifically request a passport photograph.

... I have not heard back from anyone yet about interviews.
 
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Would you interview someone that can't read/follow directions?

I'm aware it could look bad, though I'm not sure of the magnitude. That's why I'm here, kindly asking for your advice. I'm only a few weeks post-completion, so I wouldn't really expect to hear back from anyone at this point.

Thanks for your constructive criticism. </sarcasm>
 
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I submitted a selfie and I've gotten interviews lol.... I don't think any of my apps specifically asked for a passport style photo though. I'm sure it's fine as long as it's not a wicked unprofessional picture!
 
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I just had an interviewer go on a rant about how some people submit photos where they're clearly at a party, are dressed inappropriately, and have cut other people out of the picture. Something like that might get you rejected, but submitting a tasteful photo that's a little more zoomed out than they would have preferred shouldn't make such a difference. I wouldn't worry too much.
 
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Would you interview someone that can't read/follow directions?

Wouldn't it be kinda lame... if after an applicant put, like, say, three years at least of their lives toward meeting course requirements and earning good grades, worked to earn a solid MCAT score, put a lot of thought into crafting a great personal statement/etc/etc (I mean, LBH, also paid $100-150 for just the application to one school, alone) -- wouldn't it be kinda ridiculous if after all that, ADCOM was like, "Woah, that is definitely not an official passport photo. We'd better toss this one." Just sayin'.
 
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Wouldn't it be kinda lame... if after an applicant put, like, say, three years at least of their lives toward meeting course requirements and earning good grades, worked to earn a solid MCAT score, put a lot of thought into crafting a great personal statement/etc/etc (I mean, LBH, also paid $100-150 for just the application to one school, alone) -- wouldn't it be kinda ridiculous if after all that, ADCOM was like, "Woah, that is definitely not an official passport photo. We'd better toss this one." Just sayin'.
The ability to follow simple instructions (and judgement) are being evaluated in all aspects of the application.
 
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The ability to follow simple instructions (and judgement) are being evaluated in all aspects of the application.

Seriously? You would toss an otherwise strong candidate because of a non-passport photo? I hope I don't come across as condescending here because I'm genuinely incredulous.

OP isn't talking about party pics or vacation shots. S/he would be sorted out on account of an old lab photo?
 
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The ability to follow simple instructions (and judgement) are being evaluated in all aspects of the application.

That's why I'm posting this today. It's pointless to get into why I made this mistake. The photo I submitted is a fine photo, but my face is smaller than it should be. I just want to know if this is something that merits a call to the application office. As important as it is to follow instructions, it's also important to quickly discover and correct small mistakes.
 
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Ok but... It also says passport STYLE. I'm no adcom, but I think that's meant more as a guideline to give people an idea of the kind of photo they're looking for. Doesn't mean you have to go into your local walgreens and get passport shots taken. I used a professional headshot-style photo from a little while back, and it hasn't given me any problems.
 
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SDN is fairly unforgiving of mistakes. If you do make a mistake and post about it on here, be prepare to be raked over the coals.

I think you're fine. At this point what's done is done, and it's not a grossly unprofessional photo. The staff members who work in adcom offices are very busy, and have to deal with unnecessary calls often. Calling now and drawing more attention to it wouldn't help you.
 
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What part of "a passport-style photo is required" didn't you understand?

I did this in spite of the fact that, after submitting, I saw that some schools specifically request a passport photograph.

Will this be a problem? Should I contact these schools about changing my photograph? I have not heard back from anyone yet about interviews.
 
What part of "a passport-style photo is required" didn't you understand?

I did this in spite of the fact that, after submitting, I saw that some schools specifically request a passport photograph.

Will this be a problem? Should I contact these schools about changing my photograph? I have not heard back from anyone yet about interviews.

I was on vacation, working furiously through the vacation to submit my applications. As I had started this process late (a whole other story), I wanted to get them in as soon as possible.

After finally finishing all 10000 words of text, I began to submit, only to discover that I didn't have a good photograph of myself. As I was on vacation, I didn't have a collared shirt to wear. My first application only required "a photograph," so I used a flattering promotional photograph of myself that had been taken at an old lab internship.

I wasn't sure if that photograph would be suitable, but a family friend (who is a physician) assured me it would be fine. I quickly submitted everything, using the same picture for each school. Later, I discovered on this forum that some schools require passport style photographs. I went back, and sure enough about half of the schools I had applied to had specified a passport style photograph. In my rush to get my applications out, I hadn't payed attention to the instructions. It was bone-headed of me.

Considering that my face is only a small part of the photo, it couldn't really be described as a passport photo. Shrunk down on a list of interviewees, it wouldn't be useful to identify me. As a result, it might make for a bad first impression. I thought the best course of action would be to ask the ADCOMs who read this forum what they thought.

But like I said, none of that is really relevant to my question. I'm honestly surprised that this has been as controversial as it has become.

Those who have actually answered my question have suggested that, while my situation isn't ideal, it isn't worth contacting admissions offices. That's what I suspected, so I won't take any further action. Thanks for your help.
 
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Seriously? You would toss an otherwise strong candidate because of a non-passport photo? I hope I don't come across as condescending here because I'm genuinely incredulous.

OP isn't talking about party pics or vacation shots. S/he would be sorted out on account of an old lab photo?
With thousands of qualified candidates, each aspect of the application is evaluated. Depending on the variance from what is requested, it is possible that a screening score would drop. Without seeing the photo OP submitted, it is impossible to judge the potential significance of what I hope was a relatively minor deviation from instructions.
 
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Well maybe you'll hear from them still. At least not all of them specified that. It probably isn't something worth contacting them about.

But going forward, if you receive an ii I'd suggest reading the instructions carefuly.

I'm aware it could look bad, though I'm not sure of the magnitude. That's why I'm here, kindly asking for your advice. I'm only a few weeks post-completion, so I wouldn't really expect to hear back from anyone at this point.

Thanks for your constructive criticism. </sarcasm>
 
I took one in my backyard with trees in the background after work so I was just wearing slacks and a button up, with photo from waist up. No tie, no cheesy sit-down-smile-like-you-care pose, or artificial light. I look good, look friendly, and I have had interviews thus far. Square pictures with square poses are for squares.
 
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I used a professional headshot-style photo from a little while back, and it hasn't given me any problems.
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