USCF-fresno vs UNLV vs Cleveland Clinic - help!

[nhnative]

I've been playing interview scheduling tetris for the past few weeks trying to fit everything in, and am hoping for some advice as I make the final choices about which interviews to attend! I currently have these three (UCSF-Fresno, UNLV, and Cleveland clinic) all scheduled in a 2 day time frame, and will only be able to attend one of them.

A bit of background if it's helpful: DO student applying categorical IM, career goal = hospitalist vs pulm/crit fellowship. Step 1 and step 2 255, honors x 4 in 3rd year clerkships (including IM), strong letters, minimal research, one unique volunteer thing otherwise the standard. Non-traditional with some interesting work before med school. All 3 of these programs are in locations I'd be ok living, none are my top choice obviously.

My question is, if you could only attend one of these interviews, which one would you choose?

Thanks so much for any thoughts, I'd really appreciate it!!

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[rokshana]

I've been playing interview scheduling tetris for the past few weeks trying to fit everything in, and am hoping for some advice as I make the final choices about which interviews to attend! I currently have these three (UCSF-Fresno, UNLV, and Cleveland clinic) all scheduled in a 2 day time frame, and will only be able to attend one of them.

A bit of background if it's helpful: DO student applying categorical IM, career goal = hospitalist vs pulm/crit fellowship. Step 1 and step 2 255, honors x 4 in 3rd year clerkships (including IM), strong letters, minimal research, one unique volunteer thing otherwise the standard. Non-traditional with some interesting work before med school. All 3 of these programs are in locations I'd be ok living, none are my top choice obviously.

My question is, if you could only attend one of these interviews, which one would you choose?

Thanks so much for any thoughts, I'd really appreciate it!!

Have you talked to the PCs of those programs to see if there is another interview date? Once they have asked you for an IV, they generally are willing to work with you to make sure you can come.

 

[Instatewaiter]

CCF... Best of the mix and DO friendly.

But as Rokshana said, ask if there are other dates.

 

[nhnative]

CCF... Best of the mix and DO friendly.

But as Rokshana said, ask if there are other dates.

Thanks!! I hadn't thought to reach out to PCs, will give that a try.

 

[gutonc]

Thanks!! I hadn't thought to reach out to PCs, will give that a try.

How is that even possible? The first thing that should have crossed your mind is "hey...I should see if anybody can give me a different date, I'll ask", not "hey...I should ask a few randos on the interwebz what to do:.

 

[nhnative]

How is that even possible? The first thing that should have crossed your mind is "hey...I should see if anybody can give me a different date, I'll ask", not "hey...I should ask a few randos on the interwebz what to do:.

gutonc, I understand your point. However, not all of us have been brought up in a world in which we assume others will give us what we want. As a woman and the first in my family to attend college, my instinct is to do my best within a system I'm trying to understand, not to ask for an exception to the rules. There are waiting lists for interview dates, and it hadn't occurred to me that I would be any more important than anyone else on the waiting list.

 

[rokshana]

gutonc, I understand your point. However, not all of us have been brought up in a world in which we assume others will give us what we want. As a woman and the first in my family to attend college, my instinct is to do my best within a system I'm trying to understand, not to ask for an exception to the rules. There are waiting lists for interview dates, and it hadn't occurred to me that I would be any more important than anyone else on the waiting list.

You are not on a waiting list, you were offered an actual interview...
Why, as a woman, would you lack common sense? Why do you think, as a women, that you cannot ask to see if there would be a way to accommodate both your and the program’s schedule?
As a woman myself, I’m offended that you use being a woman an excuse and you do no service to the sisterhood to think that as a woman you are somehow less...and by using that as an excuse, you perpetuate the myth that somehow being female is a disadvantage.
When I had an interview invite at SLU (St Louis ) and then got an invite at USC for the same day , my first thought was to call the PCs and see if there was any chance for another day to accommodate both...PC at SLU was very nice and gave me another date.

Please don’t blame the reason you can’t speak up on being a woman.

 

[tantacles]

gutonc, I understand your point. However, not all of us have been brought up in a world in which we assume others will give us what we want. As a woman and the first in my family to attend college, my instinct is to do my best within a system I'm trying to understand, not to ask for an exception to the rules. There are waiting lists for interview dates, and it hadn't occurred to me that I would be any more important than anyone else on the waiting list.

I think rather than just criticize your decision making (although there is component of that), he might be trying to set you up for a future where you advocate for yourself maximally. For some people "Come on! Do this thing you didn't think of! What were you thinking?" actually works better at effecting change than "Have you thought of trying this, kind sir/madam?" A little bit of both, provided there's no malice, tends to yield the best results, in my experience.

Of course, the in my experience part is how you know you should disregard this comment.