Secondary Pictures - Dilemma!

[Scooby Doo]

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Okay,
I got a secondary from Dartmouth and they put picture as "optional" which I will assume means required. I have a few questions. Does this picture need to be traditional with me standing in front of a wall with a photo being snapped? Basically, I have one picture from graduation that looks good but it has me in a cap and gown...is that ok? I would go and take pictures today, however, I lost a bet recently and had to buzz my hair off. When I went to work my boss kept joking that I look like a skinhead. Well, I don't want the admissions committee to think that obviously! And all the other pictures I have are of me partying with girls and friends! Has anyone ever done an "action picture"? Like one of you playing tennis or skiing?

Now, past the type of pictures...How did you go about making enough copies? Did you buy photopaper and just print your own after you make them 2X2? Or did you just go to a store and ask them to crop your face and then make a bunch of copies?

Thanks!

 

[Billie]

One of my classmates sent a picture of himself after he had been fishing and had caught a swordfish, those kind of pics with the fish hanging by your side. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, but he said that was the best picture he had. The others were like what you mentioned, of him partying, some half naked.

I just went to a place that made Passport photos and used those to send in.

Billie

 

[Smoke This]

I had passport photos taken for like $10, kept the originals, and had color photocopies made of them. It looks pretty good and I think that will suffice.

 

[Vader]

Originally posted by ScoobyDoo:
•Okay,
I got a secondary from Dartmouth and they put picture as "optional" which I will assume means required. I have a few questions. Does this picture need to be traditional with me standing in front of a wall with a photo being snapped? Basically, I have one picture from graduation that looks good but it has me in a cap and gown...is that ok? I would go and take pictures today, however, I lost a bet recently and had to buzz my hair off. When I went to work my boss kept joking that I look like a skinhead. Well, I don't want the admissions committee to think that obviously! And all the other pictures I have are of me partying with girls and friends! Has anyone ever done an "action picture"? Like one of you playing tennis or skiing?

Now, past the type of pictures...How did you go about making enough copies? Did you buy photopaper and just print your own after you make them 2X2? Or did you just go to a store and ask them to crop your face and then make a bunch of copies?

Thanks!•

Well, you could try wearing a wig, or alternatively check out hair club for men, but I think I'm at a loss to help you.

I can say though that I found a special deal on passport-size photos at a studio in a local mall (30 prints for $18). They took a few shots and I selected the one I liked best. Perhaps you can find a similar deal... hope this helps! 😀

 

[Spang]

I went to the local portrait studio at Target on Friday and got some pics taken. About $15 for the sitting fee and one full set of photos. I did the coat and tie, white shirt thing. Takes about 2 weeks to get 'em back.

Spang

 

[applicant2002]

go to the searsportrait.com, and look for their coupon section. on there, there is a 5 dollar per sheet special (8 wallets each). there is a $14.99 sitting fee, but if you take your friend along, you only pay the sitting fee once. Portraits should make you look sharper, no matter what your hair is. BTW the offer expires August 4th. hope this helps. 😀 😀 😀 😎 😎 🙂 😉

 

[Dylann FMD]

I am trying to find where I read this, but I have heard from at least one source not to send in pictures when they ask on the secondary applications. They can't require it because that would be illegal. From what I was told, save the picture until you go for an interview (they need it to remember who you are!). If anyone else has heard this, please back me up. I will try to find the source. They were very specific, however, about not including a pic.

 

[pre-hawkdoc]

Originally posted by Dylann FMD:
•I am trying to find where I read this, but I have heard from at least one source not to send in pictures when they ask on the secondary applications. They can't require it because that would be illegal. From what I was told, save the picture until you go for an interview (they need it to remember who you are!). If anyone else has heard this, please back me up. I will try to find the source. They were very specific, however, about not including a pic.•

Dylann,
Do you remember the reasoning behind this advice?

 

[kutastha]

I haven't heard this but I agree completely. Why on earth do they need to know what you look like before they evaluate your secondary? I do like that idea of bringing it to the interview since some people (like me) remember faces better than names sometimes.

Originally posted by Dylann FMD:
•I am trying to find where I read this, but I have heard from at least one source not to send in pictures when they ask on the secondary applications. They can't require it because that would be illegal. From what I was told, save the picture until you go for an interview (they need it to remember who you are!). If anyone else has heard this, please back me up. I will try to find the source. They were very specific, however, about not including a pic.•

 

[Dylann FMD]

Ok, I found where I read this. It is in a book by Kenneth V. Iserson, M.D. ("Get into medical school . . ."). Here is the quote:

"About half of the school-specific applications either require or give the applicant the option of including a passport-size photograph. Requesting or requiring such pictures happens to be illegal under civil-rights legislation, since photos reveal race, gender, and age. The legal legal point is that since schools cannot discriminate against individuals based on race, sex, age, and national background, there is no reason for a picture. If pictures are optional, don't include one. Let your application materials speak for you. However, once you have been granted an interview, have a photograph for the school to include with your application materials. Why should you do this? For a very obvious reason. You want to be remembered."

Hope this helps. I definitely will not be including one.

 

[Scooby Doo]

Well I already put that I am a WHITE MALE on my application so they are going to know that I am going to fit into that stereotype.
Even if I had not put I was a white male, it would have been blatantly obvious by my last name which is Welsh.

I personally believe my looks can only help me and not hurt me (if my hair grows out just a little more). Who could not resist but fall in love with a face like this!!! 😛 😛 😛 😛
😀 😀 😀 😀

 

[Street Philosopher]

why don't you photoshop in the hair?

 

[rxfudd]

I think I'll be Photoshopping OUT my hair - those of you who saw my pic in the Sun Times article might have noticed that it's a little longer than most adcoms would consider "conservative" for a male (a little below chin length). Rather than do the deed and cut my hair, I think I'll just use the benefits of photoshop to help me out a little for now. If I get interviews, I'll get a cut.

Hey, the hair is me. I'm a musician. No, I'm more than a musician. I'm a rocker. And rockers have long hair.

 

[TwoSteveSquared]

I knew a guy who had was steller applicant, so he got cocky and sent in a picture of him chugging a beer at a party.

Got into 6 schools, going to U of Chicago.

Whatever works!

 

[grasshopper]

So do all secondaries basically ask for a pic? What other kinds of questions can I expect on secondaries? Is it mostly either something pretty open like Dartmouth or something like "why here" like Yale?

 

[deleted4401]

Illegal or not, I'd still do whatever the secondary asks you to do ...

I like the idea of action shots (though, the beer thing might be a little extreme ...) but I wasn't gutsy enough to do it.

If you have a AAA (Triple A) membership, you get free passport photos... I went in everyday for about a week and amassed a lot of photos ...

Good luck,
Simul
Tulane Med '05

 

[freshity]

another time and money saving idea is to have a friend take a roll of 35mm pictures of you. this is esp. good if you have an unfinished roll in your camera, since most places these days offer a bonus of duplicates when you develop there. worked well for me!

 

[kutastha]

Another thing you can do is use a digital camera, if you have access to one. You can take the 'perfect' picture, make it the perfect size and print it out as many times as you need. You can even use photoshop to edit out any extraneous zits, blemishes or eyebrow rings. 🙂

Andrew

 

[Hopkins2010]

Is it really illegal to ask for photos? The Texas application service makes it clear that they require a wallet-sized photo for every Texas school you are applying to.

It specifically states that these photos are required, not optional.

If it really was illegal to do this, I would have thought they would be aware of it and change their procedures.

 

[Jamier2]

Originally posted by rxfudd:
•If I get interviews, I'll get a cut.•

You better cut it now, so you know how to comb it for the interviews. But, maybe your interviewer will be a rocker too, and will understand. 🙂

 

[Amy B]

Thanks for the laughs from these posted replies. Laughter is the best medicine and we who are studying for the MCAT can use a few good laughs.

My friend and I went to the little photo booth in the middle of our mall. For $3.00 we got 4 color photos in 3 1/2 minutes. I have used them on my MCAT ticket and my resume for my undergraduate pre-med commitee.
They work perfectly. The last one of the 4 I puckered up and shot the sexiest look I could muster up. I think I'll give that one to my husband. It might not portray the correct imagine on my secondaries.
😉 😉 😉 😉 😉

 

[Dylann FMD]

Originally posted by baylor21:
•If it really was illegal to do this, I would have thought they would be aware of it and change their procedures.•

The illegality in this manner is obviously minor, and of course it is not illegal for us, just the school asking. Civil rights information says that you cannot discriminate on the basis of gender, race, age, etc. Most applications, however, contain some questions on this manner. Responding to them is supposed to be completely optional, which few people realize. If this information is submitted, technically I believe it is supposed to stay separate from the rest of the application so that the people reviewing your application (reading essays, etc) are not influenced by this information. Obviously other parts of your application can indicate some of these confidential areas (like activities such as boys choir, Women in Science awards, involvement in minority organizations, our names, etc). So really it probably isn't a big deal. I doubt anyone has challenged the Texas app because they figure its futile. I guess it really isn't such a big deal, but I will withhold pics just because I am self-righteous (plus, who knows, if interviewers ask and you have legal backing, it might just impress them!). But really I don't think it is that big of a deal.

😉

 

[Jamier2]

Originally posted by Amy Beth:
•The last one of the 4 I puckered up and shot the sexiest look I could muster up. I think I'll give that one to my husband.•

That's too bad, because sexy shots are just what the med schools are looking for. I'm having glamour shots done. 😉

 

[sanford_w/o_son]

bVmp!

l3T chA05 Re1gN!