Secondary Photos?

[sbs152]

I know there are other threads on this topic, but I can't find them so I'm asking again...

What kinds of photos are you using? Is it better to have formal photos or more laid back ones?

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[Robizzle]

use your avatar.

jk. i just took passport photos at CVS and got like 24 of em. it's a little pricey..

others just use their digicams. it really doesn't matter. just don't look like a goof in your picture and make sure it's just you in it

 

[Schaden Freud]

use your avatar.

jk. i just took passport photos at CVS and got like 24 of em. it's a little pricey..

others just use their digicams. it really doesn't matter. just don't look like a goof in your picture and make sure it's just you in it

What about painting a self-portrait?

 

[Em1]

I did it myself w/a digital camera, wearing a plain solid colored shirt against a white wall. Cost me like $7 to have a bunch printed out at the photo place.

 

[musiclink213]

Last year, I just took a picture of myself of myself against a plain wall with a digital camera and printed out an entire sheet of them at Wal Mart. I think this year I might just scan my senior picture and print out a bunch of those. Saves me the trouble of having to make my hair nice for the picture.

 

[Brainsucker]

It's better to be more formal, you are interviewing formally, after all. I don't think you need a tie, but you should be professional about it.

 

[NoSoupforYou13]

It's better to be more formal, you are interviewing formally, after all. I don't think you need a tie, but you should be professional about it.

Formal

 

[braluk]

lol id be really interested in seeing some of the goofy pictures they probably get. I think i might submit a goofy picture just for the hell of it to some reach school

 

[thinknofu3]

I used passport-style photos I took myself using a digital camera. Most secondaries (especially those that are paper and not online) give a size, which is usually passport size. I don't think it really matters what you are wearing, as long as it's not something awful - it should be a neck-up shot anyway.

 

[AxlxA]

passport is so boring.

Use formal. Make ur head turn slightly.... like the citizenship photos(oh wait you guys dont take that if you were born here.)

Just turn your head slightly to show your ear.

Dont be dumb, you're trying to enter one fo the most respected professions.

 

[Robizzle]

passport is so boring.

Use formal. Make ur head turn slightly.... like the citizenship photos(oh wait you guys dont take that if you were born here.)

Just turn your head slightly to show your ear.

Dont be dumb, you're trying to enter one fo the most respected professions.

damn! i didn't get enough ear! nooooooooooooooooo!!!!

 

[Punkn]

Most schools say the photo is just for identification purposes anyway. *shrugs* So, I'm not sure how much it matters. I just used the same one from my MCAT admissions ticket (just a from the neck up shot and I'm smiling).

 

[sbs152]

i guess that means i gotta get a haircut- damn

 

[Bubblehead-to-MD]

It's better to be more formal, you are interviewing formally, after all. I don't think you need a tie, but you should be professional about it.

Eh...I'm wearing a solid polo shirt in the photo. The way I see it, they're going to see me in suit and tie for the interview (should I get one), so I decided to go a little more casual - let them see the real me.

For the record, I think this talk of using these photos for ID purposes is a bunch of BS...what exactly is wrong with presenting our driver's license, military ID, or social security card when we check in for the interview. They want to make sure they like the way you look before they extend the invite.

 

[khadija]

ummm, i was thinking of using a black and white photo (for some reason i think i look better in that than in the color one). is black and white proper?

 

[notdeadyet]

Use formal. Make ur head turn slightly.... like the citizenship photos(oh wait you guys dont take that if you were born here.)

Just turn your head slightly to show your ear.

Least. Flattering. Angle. Ever. Seriously.

The reason INS uses that angle is to expose the area of skin around where your jaw connects to the skull. You can apparently see scar marks here for folks who've had lots of facial reconstructive surgery done. Useless factoid.

 

[runningmom]

The TMDSAS primary app required one, so I will be using that for my secondaries as well.

I shot it myself, plain button-up business shirt against a white wall and then had CVS print them out. It was something like $5 total and done in an hour.

The best part is that as I was already 7 mo pregnant then, none of my business shirts would actually button all the way down, so I spent MANY MANY HOURS trying to get a decent shot without any tummy skin showing and no odd shirt wrinkles. OK - so most here probably don't get the humor in this, but for me, it was just so typical of this entire process. Everything is just a little harder that it should have to be.....

 

[sentrosi]

I think by ID purposes, some schools mean that when a face is attached to the file, it makes it easier for evaluators to keep them straight...instead of having hundreds of faceless files.

Don't look sloppy but I don't think you need to be super formal either.

 

[StevenRF]

I made mine extra dorky. Fully suited with my hair combed like Conan O'Brian. It was pure awesomeness. I angled it just right so the part lined up perfectly with the camera. I wish I had worn glasses...

Seriously though, I think it's just another insignificant portion of the app purely for bureaucratic purposes.

I think someone should do a photo of themself voguing or something else rediculous.

 

[ar2388]

wow i know this is an old thread, but i think its totally relevant now.. im trying to find some photos and was definitely not going to use passport ones. i mean those are so boring. i was just going to go with a snapshot of me in a red tank top, waist up, sitting at a table and smiling... think that will be ok?

 

[Mister Pie]

damn! i didn't get enough ear! nooooooooooooooooo!!!!

I hate to say it, but game over man. I included a 2x2 close-up of my ear in addition to my ear-angled secondary photo with all my applications and literally all my interviewers last year said "Nice ear..." and then made disparaging comments about other applicants who either neglected to show enough ear on their secondary photos or had ear defects.

 

[Charles English]

I hate to say it, but game over man. I included a 2x2 close-up of my ear in addition to my ear-angled secondary photo with all my applications and literally all my interviewers last year said "Nice ear..." and then made disparaging comments about other applicants who either neglected to show enough ear on their secondary photos or had ear defects.

man. old thread dug up. i have to give the grins on this one though. too funny. good thing for me my ear (only one) is my best feature. now that i know this gem of knowledge, i think i'll lay low and stop worrying about the MCAT so much.

 

[Little Etoile]

wow i know this is an old thread, but i think its totally relevant now.. im trying to find some photos and was definitely not going to use passport ones. i mean those are so boring. i was just going to go with a snapshot of me in a red tank top, waist up, sitting at a table and smiling... think that will be ok?

I wouldn't use a photo in which you're wearing a tank top. A lot of adcoms are stuffy, old school conservatives who wouldn't appreciate the casual, perhaps revealing attire. Though it doesn't have to be formal, it's best to wear something more professional.

 

[rowerlauren]

What one of the members of the med school associated with my undergrad told us is to look professional. You don't want the older members of the adcom to not be able to respect you despite a good app due to a stupid photo. Basically taking a nice professional photo shouldn't be hard, get it printed wallet/passport size and send it in. No harm no foul.

 

[87138]

I made mine extra dorky. Fully suited with my hair combed like Conan O'Brian. It was pure awesomeness. I angled it just right so the part lined up perfectly with the camera. I wish I had worn glasses...

Seriously though, I think it's just another insignificant portion of the app purely for bureaucratic purposes.

I think someone should do a photo of themself voguing or something else rediculous.

When I interviewed at my medical school (a school which happens to be big on "Professionalism"), the Dean spoke to us saying something like "you were all chosen to interview because your applications not only showed that you were able and competent, but also displayed the kind of professionalism we look for, from the content of your personal statement to the picture you submitted. You'd be surprised how few people take application photos seriously. We received some pretty "unprofessional" photos, such as pictures of people cropped out of a group photo at a bar."

 

[Kernal83]

I used passport-style photos I took myself using a digital camera. Most secondaries (especially those that are paper and not online) give a size, which is usually passport size. I don't think it really matters what you are wearing, as long as it's not something awful - it should be a neck-up shot anyway.

neck up.... oh crap. i thought it was neck down

 

[etf]

holy s...has it been a year since i submitted amcas already?

 

[enjoydrywax]

When I interviewed at my medical school (a school which happens to be big on "Professionalism"), the Dean spoke to us saying something like "you were all chosen to interview because your applications not only showed that you were able and competent, but also displayed the kind of professionalism we look for, from the content of your personal statement to the picture you submitted. You'd be surprised how few people take application photos seriously. We received some pretty "unprofessional" photos, such as pictures of people cropped out of a group photo at a bar."

can you tell me what school that is so i can avoid applying to it - i swear professionalism is the biggest bunch of bull****.

before anybody responds with "hurr being a doctor is the embodiement of professionalism," yes I realize this but I have many friends who have gained acceptances to top tier schools without any kind of OCD attention to professionalism. the last thing I want to do is attend a school that runs a facist regime

 

[ChubbyChaser]

I got a nice picture of me drunk in a club...and I plan on submitting it.

 

[87138]

can you tell me what school that is so i can avoid applying to it - i swear professionalism is the biggest bunch of bull****.

before anybody responds with "hurr being a doctor is the embodiement of professionalism," yes I realize this but I have many friends who have gained acceptances to top tier schools without any kind of OCD attention to professionalism. the last thing I want to do is attend a school that runs a facist regime

Trust me, there's no facism. The Dean and the program seem very laid back. Every med school in the country is going to cram "professionalism" down your throat. Some schools just publicize it more.

 

[LucidSplash]

can you tell me what school that is so i can avoid applying to it - i swear professionalism is the biggest bunch of bull****.

before anybody responds with "hurr being a doctor is the embodiement of professionalism," yes I realize this but I have many friends who have gained acceptances to top tier schools without any kind of OCD attention to professionalism. the last thing I want to do is attend a school that runs a facist regime

Maryland. That's ok, we're over not getting your application. It was hard at first but then we talked it out and now we're doing ok.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I had a suit on in my picture. You've got to at least be wearing a polo, I think. I don't know why anyone would consider submitting anything less unless you're just screwing around.

 

[LikeClockWork]

I used my fraternity composite picture. Suit, smile, whole nine yards. Now I'm not so sure many of the other pictures on the composite would be appropriate, but mine was.

 

[decafplease]

As a woman... am I supposed to do the suit and the whole nine yards, too? It's a shame, I have this beautiful (best one ever taken, I'm convinced) photo of me in a nice black shirt. Unfortunately, the photo was taken from above, so the shirt covered a little less than would be considered "highly professional." I'm considering just cropping it so it's just my face, bad idea?

Man, I wish there were a place we could see a bunch of real secondary photos to compare and get a good idea of what it's supposed to look like. I'm wondering if everyone sends in cheesy formal photos with a stupid marble background (like yearbook photos) or if it's a mixed bag. All you guys are like, "Just set up your digital camera on a timer and get it over with!" but good pictures are hard to come by! It's like an astronomical aligning of the stars... you can't just "make" it happen.

 

[LucidSplash]

As a woman... am I supposed to do the suit and the whole nine yards, too? It's a shame, I have this beautiful (best one ever taken, I'm convinced) photo of me in a nice black shirt. Unfortunately, the photo was taken from above, so the shirt covered a little less than would be considered "highly professional." I'm considering just cropping it so it's just my face, bad idea?

Man, I wish there were a place we could see a bunch of real secondary photos to compare and get a good idea of what it's supposed to look like. I'm wondering if everyone sends in cheesy formal photos with a stupid marble background (like yearbook photos) or if it's a mixed bag. All you guys are like, "Just set up your digital camera on a timer and get it over with!" but good pictures are hard to come by! It's like an astronomical aligning of the stars... you can't just "make" it happen.

Under no circumstances should you send in a photo with too much showing or something cropped from that photo.

Seriously, my secondary pic was me standing up against a blank wall at work. I was wearing a business casual shirt and it was framed to be my shoulders and head. If you have a nice pic to send in (such as the aforementioned fraternity pic) then that's fine but don't go out and get some portrait done or get too worried about it.

 

[87138]

Under no circumstances should you send in a photo with too much showing or something cropped from that photo.

Seriously, my secondary pic was me standing up against a blank wall at work. I was wearing a business casual shirt and it was framed to be my shoulders and head. If you have a nice pic to send in (such as the aforementioned fraternity pic) then that's fine but don't go out and get some portrait done or get too worried about it.

Yeah. I was wearing a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt, and just threw a button down shirt and a tie on. Borrowed a friend's digital camera and stood against a white wall and voila. Nice looking picture from the shoulders up. Printed it out at Walmart for a very very small fee.

I'm not saying you have to go get a professional portrait done. In fact, that's surely overkill (unless you were getting one done for another reason). But at least make the picture look nice.

 

[decafplease]

Under no circumstances should you send in a photo with too much showing or something cropped from that photo.

Seriously, my secondary pic was me standing up against a blank wall at work. I was wearing a business casual shirt and it was framed to be my shoulders and head. If you have a nice pic to send in (such as the aforementioned fraternity pic) then that's fine but don't go out and get some portrait done or get too worried about it.

Of course I wouldn't send in a cleavage shot. Jeez. That's why I said "Unfortunately..."

I guess I'll work on it. Maybe someday when I'm having a good hair day I'll toss on a button-up shirt and say "cheese". It's not as easy for us ladies as it is for you guys. There are makeup concerns, hair issues, etc.

 

[LucidSplash]

Of course I wouldn't send in a cleavage shot. Jeez. That's why I said "Unfortunately..."

I guess I'll work on it. Maybe someday when I'm having a good hair day I'll toss on a button-up shirt and say "cheese". It's not as easy for us ladies as it is for you guys. There are makeup concerns, hair issues, etc.

But I am a female so I do understand. I trust you have common sense but you'd be surprised how many people don't. Like rogerwilco said, our admissions dean loves to tell stories about the horrible pictures people have sent. Not horrible as in bad hair day. Horrible as in "picture of girl in her bikini at the beach" and "man in faux toga with bloodshot eyes."

I think I was wearing eyeliner in my pic, maybe. And I'm pretty sure my hair was pulled back in a clip. Whatever it was was professionally enough for work. But definitely not something I prepped for. Seriously, don't over think it.

 

[silverlining1]

You can get a nice professional photo for really cheap - check out JC Penney http://www.jcpportraits.com/ No sitting fee and just $3.99 for 8 wallet-size portraits.