So I am meeting with the ....

[coomassie]

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Dean for admissions in about two weeks, I need your help SDNers. Here is the thing, I am a Texas applicant who has been placed on the waitlist to San Antone and to A&M. I managed to set a meeting with A&Ms dean (yes Filo). I just did it in hopes of getting one but I did not actually think he would extend one. Anyways, what should I tell him? Should I just start begging? Should I take some letters of recommendation? What should I do?

What I have planned so far is to take him my thesis statement and some letter from the hospital I am volunteering at, you know just to show that I have been doing stuff. Other than that how should I approach the whole situation?

One more question, what should I wear? I was thinking of going with a nice button shirt and some nice slacks, but should I go all suited up like the interviews??? (what a dilema)


-coomassie

 

[so_nice]

Dean for admissions in about two weeks, I need your help SDNers. Here is the thing, I am a Texas applicant who has been placed on the waitlist to San Antone and to A&M. I managed to set a meeting with A&Ms dean (yes Filo). I just did it in hopes of getting one but I did not actually think he would extend one. Anyways, what should I tell him? Should I just start begging? Should I take some letters of recommendation? What should I do?

What I have planned so far is to take him my thesis statement and some letter from the hospital I am volunteering at, you know just to show that I have been doing stuff. Other than that how should I approach the whole situation?

One more question, what should I wear? I was thinking of going with a nice button shirt and some nice slacks, but should I go all suited up like the interviews??? (what a dilema)


-coomassie

Congrats on the meeting. This is going to be your grand opportunity to sell yourself. Here is what you should address: Who you are and why you and this school are an excellent fit. For example, start by talking about how you developed your interests in medicine (early experiences, current activities, etc.), why this school (what is so special about it, is there a particular curriculum interest, faculty member, program or service that it provides where you can benefit from or make a SPECIFIC contribution to{if not, come up with something}?), but mostly what distinguishes you from the rest of the applicants, which is obviously your UNIQUE perspective and experiences (but what are they)?


Also, can you provide any updates (new publications, recs here, etc.)?

Make sure you think long and deeply about these questions, if they do not come up during your meeting, then find a way to work them in.

Put yourself in his shoes, he needs to have a reason to accept you above the rest. It needs to be unique and unmatched elsewhere.

I would wear something on the lines of business casual. It is more personal, friendly, and inviting. This would be ideal in setting the initial meeting mood.

Maybe I am wrong or my ideas fall short but consider them and see how they fit with yourself. Remember, I know nothing of you so I have little to work with.

best,

Christina

 

[SocialistMD]

Dean for admissions in about two weeks, I need your help SDNers. Here is the thing, I am a Texas applicant who has been placed on the waitlist to San Antone and to A&M. I managed to set a meeting with A&Ms dean (yes Filo). I just did it in hopes of getting one but I did not actually think he would extend one. Anyways, what should I tell him? Should I just start begging? Should I take some letters of recommendation? What should I do?

What I have planned so far is to take him my thesis statement and some letter from the hospital I am volunteering at, you know just to show that I have been doing stuff. Other than that how should I approach the whole situation?

One more question, what should I wear? I was thinking of going with a nice button shirt and some nice slacks, but should I go all suited up like the interviews??? (what a dilema)


-coomassie

Where would you rather go, San Antonio or A&M? When you go there, you should commit to him that if he moves you to the top of the list, you will be coming to his program, and you should be true to your word. If San Antonio comes along in June and accepts you, it would be very, very poor form to go there over A&M if you get in off the list at A&M. In fact, if San Antonio accepts you next week and then A&M finally gets you in in May, you still need to go to A&M to make good on your word. Otherwise you make the dean look like a fool and you make yourself look like a huge liar, not a reputation you want this early in your career.

As far as what to say, you should tell him why you want to go to A&M (not just to med school, but research specifics about A&M's program that you like and mention them). You need to show him that you really are interested in going to his program and not just med school, because every person on that list wants to go to med school; you are the one with the opportunity to tell him that it is his that you want the most.

Wear a tie, but a suit or blazer probably isn't necessary unless you feel more comfortable wearing one.

Again, if you want to go to San Antonio more, don't lie to the guy by telling him you want to go to A&M and then turn around and go to San Antonio, but remember that your visit won't do much good unless you tell him his program is the one where you want to be.

 

[Law2Doc]

While I agree with most of what the previous posters have said, I would wear a suit -- as you would in an interview...

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Definitely wear a suit. This opportunity should be seen as a second interview, so treat it as such.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Also, don't go in there with the intent to beg. Go in their with the intent to impress, whether it be about your accomplishments, new improvements in your application, or simply over your desire to attend that school and contribute to the incoming class.

 

[true blue]

Dean for admissions in about two weeks, I need your help SDNers. Here is the thing, I am a Texas applicant who has been placed on the waitlist to San Antone and to A&M. I managed to set a meeting with A&Ms dean (yes Filo). I just did it in hopes of getting one but I did not actually think he would extend one. Anyways, what should I tell him? Should I just start begging? Should I take some letters of recommendation? What should I do?

What I have planned so far is to take him my thesis statement and some letter from the hospital I am volunteering at, you know just to show that I have been doing stuff. Other than that how should I approach the whole situation?

One more question, what should I wear? I was thinking of going with a nice button shirt and some nice slacks, but should I go all suited up like the interviews??? (what a dilema)


-coomassie

When are you meeting with the dean?

 

[Blue Scrub]

Yes, you should def look at this as a 2nd interview...you should go with the tie and suit....any updates you should def bring...sell yourself, and think about why you want to go there, and why the school should accept you...remember to ask some thoughtful questions about the school as well...if you feel comfortable, you can ask why the dean feels his school is better than the other Texas schools, it may help you decide between A&M and SA......otherwise, good luck, impress him!

 

[mrgq912]

you should be prepared for the interview but i don' t think wearing a suit is needed. Just dress nice and look presentable. I think the whole suit thing for interviews is so crazy, but we do it any way. But the big thing is have questions to ask.

 

[docmemi]

ide wear a suit man. hes the dean. and he might just tell you some bs that there waitlist has so and so number of people and that you should just wait. that is, he might just tell you something that you would have heard if you had just called in. he might not even be intent on listening to you. it happened to me and the darn dean just told me some stupid thing and i left.

anyway, if he does listen to you. tell him that you really want to go there and why. and that you have made your decision that his school is your top choice and that you would go there if you got in. you need to assure him that and prove it to him by how much and why you like it. also you might want to somehow show that you match there school. letters of rec would also be helpful.

they want somebody who knows they want to be a dr, whose willing to go through the time and damn politics these days, someone who likes there school, someone who can handle the academics and time it takes to study, and someone who can be an assest/contribute to their school.

 

[Stitch626]

Definitely wear a suit. This opportunity should be seen as a second interview, so treat it as such.

I would definitely go business casual. If it was the Dean of Harvard, my answer would be different. However, considering that we, Tx applicants, refer to the A&M Dean as "Filo" (his first name) - and he prefers this as well - I would choose a nice dress shirt, tie, slacks. I imagine him wearing something similar.

As previously stated, emphasize your commitment to A&M. Oh, and no begging. The extra LORs sound good.

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JDAD]

I wanted to chime in on this because I have had a personal experience just like this.

First, I wouldn't wear a suit. There is no need to take it that far. You want the dean to see you as a human, no as a "pre-med robot" clone. When I went, I wore nice pants, a dress shirt, and a tie. I have to admit, I looked damn good! If you walked in there with your dark suit, shiny shoes, and perfectly greased up hair, you will look like every other pre-med who has meetings schedule with him. Wear what you think he would wear. I don't know Filo, but from what I'ver heard, he's a pretty chill character.

Now that you are looking fine and ready to go. The biggest peice of advice I can give is to have questions, lots of questions. If you were to walk in there, tell him why your think you should get in and then show him a rec letter, your meeting would take all of ten minutes. You need to get Filo to talk. Practice asking your questions, make sure you have at least a half dozen questions to ask. You need to appear interested in the school, they have gone through hundreds of applications this year, and I can promise you that you aren't that much different than the majority of them. I used to think my application was pretty special, but after going through this, I can confidently say that you aren't going to have any expereince/story that these adcoms havent heard before. They have been doing this for years, and your application is just one of thousands. I'm not trying to be mean, but you have to get across the point that you aren't just a profile, but an actual person.

Ask questions, appear interested, appear excited about school and medicine, and be personable. Don't try and impress him with your GPA or your "amazing accomplishements."

I am 100% confident that my acceptance to UTSW was because I had expressed a great interest in their school. I am an non-resident international student, and the chances of me getting into UTSW were slim. I knew this and decided to do everything in my power to increase my odds of acceptance. I called/email with Dr.W at UTSW about a dozen times. I made sure he knew my story, and that I was working my ass off trying to get into his school. When it came close to application time, I called and scheduled a meeting to talk with him. He knew that I had to drive up to Dallas just for the meeting, and that it was a big deal to me. I researched the school, had lots of questions, and tried my hardest to be personable. We talked for over an hour. He took me on a tour of the school and stayed in touch throughout the rest of the cycle leading up to the match. I hadn't received an interview, and it was late November. I email Dr. W asking him a few questions and within thirty minutes, he called me on my cell phone to tell me that they were offereing me an interview. He told me he wanted to make the call himself because he knew how badly I wanted it.

Without that meeting, I don't think I would have had a chance at getting into UTSW. This is a great opportunity, don't waste it.

 

[Blue Scrub]

yeah i change my mind, i think going with the suit and tie may be a bit much, especially for an informal meeting....i think you may be good with something business casual, shirt, nice pants, maybe even a sweater.....but def keep the interview mindset, and good thoughtful questions! 👍

 

[coomassie]

Thanks you guys for all your advice. I will definetely do some major research on the school and all its programs. And I think I am going to go for the business casual look.

-coomassie

 

[SFAJess]

Hey Coomassie! I just wanted to add something extra:

As all that have met Filo know, he's a pretty cool guy. Very personable and very friendly. I heard from several people that actually interviewed with him, he becomes very serious and can throw some difficult questions out there. I just wanted to let you know because they got a false sense of security when the saw that he was one of their interviewers that day. They came out thinking he was a little tough.

However, he might not do the whole interview routine with you. It may be laid back like everyone is referring to. I hope that you are able to express everything that you want to and I wish you good luck. It would be an honor to have you as a classmate! 🙂

Good luck coomassie!!!