Talking to the Dean of Admissions at Interview?

[Tropicana100]

There doesn't seem a lot of opportunities to talk to the dean b/c they usually give an introduction at the beginning of the interview day and then leave. Would it be appropriate to drop into their office and talk about the school?

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[drizzt3117]

At AECOM they allow you to schedule an appt to talk with the Dean of Admissions during an interview if you want... I wonder if that would be advantageous or under what circumstances you'd want to do that?

 

[Tropicana100]

At AECOM they allow you to schedule an appt to talk with the Dean of Admissions during an interview if you want... I wonder if that would be advantageous or under what circumstances you'd want to do that?

Sometimes interviewers are physicians in the hospital who volunteer their time to do interviews. Some of them can't really speak for the school or what the program has to offer.

 

[medguy83]

Some schools are pretty open to their applicants and encourage dialogue; however, when it comes down to choosing amongst applicants as far as who gets admitted, they're pretty mum. You may be able to schedule an appointment with the dean or associate dean of admissions, but I wouldn't choose to do so until either before or after the interview process. Dropping in the dean's office during the interview day appears in my mind a bit forward. To me it would appear that you're trying to buck the system and go above the heads of the committee. But hey, if you get in then it doesn't really matter. Meeting with the Dean or asst. Dean of admissions is actually a good thing. It shows that you're interested in the school and the program. The ideal time would be before the interview (maybe a week or so), but after the interview would be much better. Meeting with the dean after the interview looks favorable and displays your desire for that particular school.

 

[Law2Doc]

Sometimes interviewers are physicians in the hospital who volunteer their time to do interviews. Some of them can't really speak for the school or what the program has to offer.

That's probably true, but honestly the admissions folks don't have a great deal of involvement in the day to day goings on of the med school either and are perhaps only going to be marginally better in answering a lot of those questions that a clinicial could.

Your best bet for this kind of info is going to be to really talk to your student tour guides.

 

[drizzt3117]

Some schools are pretty open to their applicants and encourage dialogue; however, when it comes down to choosing amongst applicants as far as who gets admitted, they're pretty mum. You may be able to schedule an appointment with the dean or associate dean of admissions, but I wouldn't choose to do so until either before or after the interview process. Dropping in the dean's office during the interview day appears in my mind a bit forward. To me it would appear that you're trying to buck the system and go above the heads of the committee. But hey, if you get in then it doesn't really matter. Meeting with the Dean or asst. Dean of admissions is actually a good thing. It shows that you're interested in the school and the program. The ideal time would be before the interview (maybe a week or so), but after the interview would be much better. Meeting with the dean after the interview looks favorable and displays your desire for that particular school.

My question would be whether it is advantageous to meet with the Dean during the interview since they apparently allow it as part of the process... would it just be to find out info about the school?

 

[OCallag]

I don't know how much more helpful the dean would be than the other faculty and students you would be around on tour day. That said, I wouldn't try to meet with the dean for the simple fact that that person is INCREDIBLY busy. I was working on a project during undergrad where we had to contact deans of various graduate schools. I called to schedule an appointment to talk to the dean at one school (who was very enthusiastic about what we were doing), but the only open time for me to talk to her was May 5. I called to schedule in early March.

The point is this: doing that and disrupting his/her schedule might very well piss him/her off rather than help you.

 

[SigurRos]

I feel that it would be incredibly inappropriate to try and meet with the dean during your interview day. It seems like a very shady method of getting an extra edge in the admissions process.

 

[Tropicana100]

What if the dean is sitting in his/her office and the door is open. Is it ok to drop in a say hi, or is that taboo?

 

[OCallag]

What if the dean is sitting in his/her office and the door is open. Is it ok to drop in a say hi, or is that taboo?

Hand him/her an evelope with your name and a couple grand.

In all seriousness, if you really want to talk to the dean about something on interview day, your best bet would be to contact the office and ask if that's even a possibility. You could email the dean yourself, but that could backfire. I wouldn't chance walking in on interview day, regardless of how open he/she appears to be. After all, they're busy with interview day, as well.

 

[Blanket]

What if the dean is sitting in his/her office and the door is open. Is it ok to drop in a say hi, or is that taboo?

Don't do it. These deans know what you want and unless you have a good reason to stop by his office (other than just to say hi), its not really gonna help and actually i think it will hurt.

You should have enough opportunities to ask questions about the school --- students, interviewers, welcome session (probaby with the dean).

 

[drizzt3117]

Ok, so on the interview invitation, it says:

Please note that Einstein does not group applicants for a presentation, however if you have specific questions or concerns, and would like to speak with the Dean of Admissions, Ms. Noreen Kerrigan, she will be happy to meet with you.

What "specific questions or concerns" in addition to normal interest about the school would make it worthwhile or advantageous to speak to the dean?

 

[Jsmooth]

how come i didn't get that in my invitation...

 

[Jsmooth]

and i thought noreen was the assistant dean?

 

[drizzt3117]

how come i didn't get that in my invitation...

It's in the confirmation email if you've gotten it already.

 

[prettymonkey]

if the dean were male i would tell him that i am his long lost love child from his crazy party days in the 80's. and i will never mention it again if he lets me into the school.

 

[drizzt3117]

and i thought noreen was the assistant dean?

You're on a first name basis with the Dean? You're as good as gold

 

[TheRealMD]

Like it's been said before, sometimes interviewers are just physicians with a bit of free time. Some questions are better answered by someone with a lot of experience in the area, like deans and such. Usually though, schools should give a brief overview of what their school has to offer so that most questions are answered before you need to arrange a personal visit.

 

[elwademd]

the dean of admissions and the dean of the medical school are, typically, NOT the same person. the dean of admissions is one of the many deans that functions under the dean of the school.

with that said, usually the dean of admissions is usually pretty open to receiving/meeting/talking with students... but i'd schedule the interview with the dean of admissions if the process allows it.
if not, speak with his/her secretary and see if you can when you're there.

 

[Nikki2002]

the dean of admissions at my school is extremely friendly. So based on my experience, I would tell you to definitely go--even on the day of your interview--but schedule an appt. well in advance with his/her secretary.

but i imagine that there are some deans that are not as open and welcoming--so you should try to investigate beforehand.