SUNY interview scheduling advice needed

[crunchhhh]

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I recently got invited for an interview to SUNY and am debating whether or not to schedule it for early November or mid December. In November, it will be 1.5 months earlier but I'll have to miss 3 days of instruction, arrive the night before my interview, and travel alone. However, in December I'll be on winter break, be able to travel with company, and arrive with ample time before my interview. Since I live across the country and have never been to New York, I definitely want to take advantage of this trip to explore a few extra days (which is why the December date appeals to me) but I also don't want to lower my chances significantly by waiting longer than I have to. Do any of you know if 1.5 months will make that much of an impact in terms of acceptance chances? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

 

[happymango]

It sounds like you should interview in December! I am a current student at SUNY and even though I personally interviewed relatively early, plenty of my classmates didn't (talking Feb/March). I think the only reason to interview in November would be if you were a very weak candidate (<3.1 GPA AND ~300 OATs), in which case, showing earnestness would work in your favor. Also, don't they say in the letter/email that an invite to the interview means you passed the academic requirements? In that case, my last argument is moot so no worries!

 

[bluu]

Congrats on the interview!
I agree with happymango. The last thing you want to do is stress yourself out before an interview. I scheduled my interview for PCO in December because I too will be on winter break then.

I'm almost certain that most schools follow these guidelines:
1.Since you got the interview, you passed the 1st tier of applications and are academically sound enough to go through the schools program.
2. Interviews are the chance for schools to get to know you more and answer one of the most important question, "Will this person do the best he can to provide the best healthcare for his patients?" Which translates to having good communication skills and being compassionate.

At least that's what I've been told when I asked about the admissions to multiple admissions officers at different schools. You can always call an academic advisor and ask them their opinion on it. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to help.
I hope this helps and best of luck on your interview!

 

[ieatelephants]

Contrary to the others, I would recommend interviewing earlier. I interviewed last week, and they told us that seats typically fill up by December. I'm not sure if it's to scare us into reserving our seats should they offer us acceptance, but interviewing early wouldn't hurt.

Good luck! NYC sure is a lot of fun!