Watch Brand for interview

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ChymeofPassion

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My premed advisor said to skip make sure premeds are careful about any display of opulence during the interview, be it an Armani Suit, Ferragamo tie, Patek, etc. Would upper-end watches (Omega, Tag, Rolex) be frowned upon by the brand alone, or is it more do on basis of gaudyness than brand.
 
I saw someone wearing a watch with the calculator function. No shame. Wear any watch and kill the interview.
 
I wore my apple watch and one of my interviewers noticed but it actually started a conversation about whether we are pc or apple people and how little devices like an Apple watch could help people monitor their health. I would imagine any watch is fine as long as it fits your outfit
 
Avoid anything that looks like it would be found on the production set of an early 2000's hip-hop music video. Also, lapel pins are a no.
 
My premed advisor said to skip make sure premeds are careful about any display of opulence during the interview, be it an Armani Suit, Ferragamo tie, Patek, etc. Would upper-end watches (Omega, Tag, Rolex) be frowned upon by the brand alone, or is it more do on basis of gaudyness than brand.
I don't pay attention to such trivialities.
 
I believe there was a recent thread here or on premed Reddit about a guy getting called out on his TAG watch by one of his interviewers.

I wore an orient bambino automatic dress watch. Looks very nice and is under $150.
 
Would upper-end watches (Omega, Tag, Rolex) be frowned upon by the brand alone, or is it more do on basis of gaudyness than brand.

There are some interview settings where an Omega or Rolex would be appropriate. A medical school interview is not one of them.

What the wearer is trying to say: "I have great style."

What the wearer is actually saying: "I'm a narcissist with rich parents."
 
Why is opulence or a lack of a bad thing?

Let’s say you’re wealthy and that is your taste, so be it. What does it matter? If you look classy it shouldn’t matter how expensive what you’re wearing is. Long as you’re properly groomed and look neat and tidy.
 
There are some interview settings where an Omega or Rolex would be appropriate. A medical school interview is not one of them.

What the wearer is trying to say: "I have great style."

What the wearer is actually saying: "I'm a narcissist with rich parents."
Why assume that they have rich parents? I went to a Konstantino trunk show yesterday on a date with a girl, who bought herself a 2,000$ pair of earrings. Her parents didn’t give her the money, she is an RN and earned it. Not my thing but hey I’ve paid 2,000$ for glass on a rifle so who am I to judge?

Related pic from the show- C812A382-5BE1-4836-BAE8-C0A60DBD4934.jpeg
 
Why is opulence or a lack of a bad thing?

Let’s say you’re wealthy and that is your taste, so be it. What does it matter? If you look classy it shouldn’t matter how expensive what you’re wearing is. Long as you’re properly groomed and look neat and tidy.

I think it just puts OP at risk of coming of as a brat
 
I think it just puts OP at risk of coming of as a brat
Just seems presumptuous that people couldn’t have made the money themselves. I never had anything given to me. Saved every bit of money I made in the Army and as a nurse. Worked my ass off for what I have.
 
Just seems presumptuous that people couldn’t have made the money themselves. I never had anything given to me. Saved every bit of money I made in the Army and as a nurse. Worked my ass off for what I have.

Woah. I personally don’t give a hoot. But if you can make a bad impression for wearing a tie that is too skinny, why would you slap on a Rolex?
 
Woah. I personally don’t give a hoot. But if you can make a bad impression for wearing a tie that is too skinny, why would you slap on a Rolex?
Just comes down to if you look neat and tidy like I said. You can do that with a multi thousand dollar suit and a Tag Heuer or with a few hundred dollar suit and a fossil watch if you ask me. Just have clothes that fit properly, single break in the pant leg, not trying to squeeze into clothes too small, etc and have your hair and beard if applicable well groomed. That simple to me.
 
Just seems presumptuous that people couldn’t have made the money themselves. I never had anything given to me. Saved every bit of money I made in the Army and as a nurse. Worked my ass off for what I have.
Judging by your name and that you served and worked as a nurse, you’re more experienced and have made some money. But if a 21 year old college student shows up with a $2-10k watch it may come off as spoiled rich kid. I personally wouldn’t care, but after reading that one thread I can see why some people would. It was something like what would your patients think being treated by someone wearing a watch worth more than their car?
 
Judging by your name and that you served and worked as a nurse, you’re more experienced and have made some money. But if a 21 year old college student shows up with a $2-10k watch it may come off as spoiled rich kid. I personally wouldn’t care, but after reading that one thread I can see why some people would. It was something like what would your patients think being treated by someone wearing a watch worth more than their car?
I just don’t assume. I’ve known some younger people with money. I just think it should be irrelevant. Honestly I don’t have a problem with kids from super rich families going to med school. This is coming from someone who came up lower middle class. All I care about is how good they’ll take care of patients. My cousins wife was the mayors daughter and grew up rich. She’s a resident and seems like she’s doing a great job. I don’t see where wealth matters.
 
I just don’t assume. I’ve known some younger people with money. I just think it should be irrelevant. Honestly I don’t have a problem with kids from super rich families going to med school. This is coming from someone who came up lower middle class. All I care about is how good they’ll take care of patients. My cousins wife was the mayors daughter and grew up rich. She’s a resident and seems like she’s doing a great job. I don’t see where wealth matters.
I don’t see where it matters either when it comes to being a good doctor, but flaunting ones wealth to patients, especially if you are in a low-SES area is just poor judgement. I’ll see if I can find the thread I mentioned how the interviewer reacted to the TAG watch.
 
After reading through it, a point made just I had thought of as well is “how did the interviewer know it was a very expensive watch?”

I’ll admit- I’m not a jewelry/watch guy, and there are 100$ fossil watches that I can’t tell from a Tag Heuer. The interviewer must have been opulent enough to identify it. In the thread they state that the watch model wasn’t over the top.

It sounds like this interviewer was a douche. Probably wouldn’t want to go to that school anyway. And why do they assume everyone will be working with poor patients? Maybe he wanted to be a cosmetic surgeon, and that would actually help him fit in with the patient population.

Judgmental people piss me off.

Btw this watch he was wearing doesn’t even look expensive to my poor eye for expensive jewelry/watches. I would’ve had no idea.

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After reading through it, a point made just I had thought of as well is “how did the interviewer know it was a very expensive watch?”

I’ll admit- I’m not a jewelry/watch guy, and there are 100$ fossil watches that I can’t tell from a Tag Heuer. The interviewer must have been opulent enough to identify it. In the thread they state that the watch model wasn’t over the top.

It sounds like this interviewer was a douche. Probably wouldn’t want to go to that school anyway. And why do they assume everyone will be working with poor patients? Maybe he wanted to be a cosmetic surgeon, and that would actually help him fit in with the patient population.

Judgmental people piss me off.

Btw this watch he was wearing doesn’t even look expensive to my poor eye for expensive jewelry/watches. I would’ve had no idea.

View attachment 240514
I wouldn’t have known either! In fact, one of the variations of the orient bambino watch I wore looks very similar. I believe it’s the V2 generation 1 and it goes for ~$130.
 
I wouldn’t have known either! In fact, one of the variations of the orient bambino watch I wore looks very similar. I believe it’s the V2 generation 1 and it goes for ~$130.

A watch that low key couldn’t hurt. I’ve worn a similar seiko for years now. Probably did in interviews
 
Absolutely nothing wrong with it as long as it’s tasteful. If it’s tasteful, the only people who notice will be those who know the watch and what it costs. A young person wearing a watch like that might raise the following thoughts:

Spoiled by rich parents
It’s fake

Also, Rolex doesn’t go with the other two. A stainless steel submariners sells for about $10k these days, and that’s really an entry level Rolex sport watch. Rolex make a statement. The other two don’t.

I wear a $4k watch daily and 99% of peofple don’t know what it is and probably think I bought it at Walmart.
 
I believe there was a recent thread here or on premed Reddit about a guy getting called out on his TAG watch by one of his interviewers.

I wore an orient bambino automatic dress watch. Looks very nice and is under $150.
He got called out for wearing a Heuer?? Great watches, but nothing like a Patek or even a Rolex.
 
I completely agree with you. I came up from a modest background and now I’m rich. I worked my butt off to earn it, and I have zero issues showing it. I feel comfortable in nice designer clothes. My patients are mostly lower middle-class, but I wear Azuazzura and Givenchy to clinic, because it’s the one day I’m not in scrubs and danskos, and can dress like I want to as a young, fashionable woman. Unfortunately, many people today equate wealth with prissiness and poverty with humility. (Personally I think it’s college leftist indoctrination and how they worship socialism). But anyway, I wouldn’t advise a med school applicant to do anything that might be a disadvantage, in case one of those people interviews them. I think that’s what people here are saying.


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I do not personally believe in dressing super flashy or whatever to show off wealth. But I would never judge someone dressing in a flashy way because as you said, they may just feel comfortable in those clothes and be dressing in a way that makes them happy. Nothing wrong with that per se.

There were probably a dozen people at my first interview who looked super sharp and rich. I said hello to three of them during breakfast, and they were extremely humble and friendly. Then there was a guy at my second interview who was dressed nice and looked pretty wealthy who was clearly trying to intimidate the other interviewees by talking about his other interviews.

You just can’t know what someone is like based on their clothes.
 
Even though I did pay for my Omega by myself, I appreciate what could come across. No use in potentially rubbing someone the wrong way when my Citizen Ecodrive would also keep the time just as well xD
 
Even though I did pay for my Omega by myself, I appreciate what could come across. No use in potentially rubbing someone the wrong way when my Citizen Ecodrive would also keep the time just as well xD

I just didn’t wear a watch. But that’s because I never wear a watch lol.
 
So if you're gifted an expensive but tasteful watch you aren't allowed to wear for fear of being viewed as a "spoiled rich brat?" What I don't get is why people vilify kids who grew up with money. They didn't ask for their reality, but that is theirs. When I look at interview clothes threads, I see lots of advice about going to thrift stores to buy nice suits, making sure they're tailored properly, looking professional. That means that even if you don't have money, you can still dress properly. So what if someone didn't HAVE to go to the thrift store or or they're wearing a nice watch. Does having grown up with money make them less entitled to become doctors??? There is a difference between being rich and looking flashy and being rich and looking tasteful. Who cares how successful their parents are. That should be completely irrelevant.
 
Absolutely nothing wrong with it as long as it’s tasteful. If it’s tasteful, the only people who notice will be those who know the watch and what it costs. A young person wearing a watch like that might raise the following thoughts:

Spoiled by rich parents
It’s fake

Also, Rolex doesn’t go with the other two. A stainless steel submariners sells for about $10k these days, and that’s really an entry level Rolex sport watch. Rolex make a statement. The other two don’t.

I wear a $4k watch daily and 99% of peofple don’t know what it is and probably think I bought it at Walmart.
Agree 100% here. I personally don't look at accessories. I look at the entire candidate. The only time our Adcom has ever discussed someone's attire was those rare occasions when someone came dress in street clothes, and it turned out that the airlines had lost their luggage. We naturally cut them slack. I reiterate that unless you're wearing one of these, I wouldn't know if your watch was a Timex or a Patek Philippe.

I do want to point out that we as Adcoms do wish to avoid candidates who have an entitlement mentality, and there are candidates who are definitely spoiled. But usually these are weeded out by their essays.
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So if you're gifted an expensive but tasteful watch you aren't allowed to wear for fear of being viewed as a "spoiled rich brat?" What I don't get is why people vilify kids who grew up with money. They didn't ask for their reality, but that is theirs. When I look at interview clothes threads, I see lots of advice about going to thrift stores to buy nice suits, making sure they're tailored properly, looking professional. That means that even if you don't have money, you can still dress properly. So what if someone didn't HAVE to go to the thrift store or or they're wearing a nice watch. Does having grown up with money make them less entitled to become doctors??? There is a difference between being rich and looking flashy and being rich and looking tasteful. Who cares how successful their parents are. That should be completely irrelevant.
Again, our worry is the entitlement mentality. It's a real thing.
 
So if you're gifted an expensive but tasteful watch you aren't allowed to wear for fear of being viewed as a "spoiled rich brat?" What I don't get is why people vilify kids who grew up with money. They didn't ask for their reality, but that is theirs. When I look at interview clothes threads, I see lots of advice about going to thrift stores to buy nice suits, making sure they're tailored properly, looking professional. That means that even if you don't have money, you can still dress properly. So what if someone didn't HAVE to go to the thrift store or or they're wearing a nice watch. Does having grown up with money make them less entitled to become doctors??? There is a difference between being rich and looking flashy and being rich and looking tasteful. Who cares how successful their parents are. That should be completely irrelevant.

@gyngyn summed it up perfectly: the interview is a situational judgement test. It's a game of social interaction that (1) broadcasts an optimal first impression, (2) maximizes the odds that you will be remembered for your words and actions, rather than your appearance, and (3) shows that you understand and abide by rules of respect that are ingrained in the process. It's not about looking your best, or even particularly good. You'll notice that not many people show up to the Oscars looking like they're about to take an MMI.

As for the victimization of those with money, there is abundant data that higher SES is associated with greater success in the medical school admissions, although most of this probably derives from events that occur long before shopping for a suit. This Matriculating Student Questionnaire from 2016 (p. 23) reported median parental income of $125,000 (the national median was $57,600). This brief from 2008 shows that over half of medical students from 1987-2005 came from families in the highest quintile of income.

So, while leaving the Rolex at home might be dreadfully sad, I would take it in order to have higher odds of food security, stable housing, good schools, ample role models, choice in university, and access to money and guidance as needed.
 
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Agree 100% here. I personally don't look at accessories. I look at the entire candidate. The only time our Adcom has ever discussed someone's attire was those rare occasions when someone came dress in street clothes, and it turned out that the airlines had lost their luggage. We naturally cut them slack. I reiterate that unless you're wearing one of these, I wouldn't know if your watch was a Timex or a Patek Philippe.

I do want to point out that we as Adcoms do wish to avoid candidates who have an entitlement mentality, and there are candidates who are definitely spoiled. But usually these are weeded out by their essays.
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What? Goro you are telling me you don't bling out when you go to deliver a lecture?

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AMCAS. And experience.
So if the wealthy candidate is say... oh... 36, would they be viewed differently? Because a single childless mid thirty year old in my opinion SHOULD have amassed some wealth.
 
I completely agree with you. I came up from a modest background and now I’m rich. I worked my butt off to earn it, and I have zero issues showing it. I feel comfortable in nice designer clothes. My patients are mostly lower middle-class, but I wear Azuazzura and Givenchy to clinic, because it’s the one day I’m not in scrubs and danskos, and can dress like I want to as a young, fashionable woman. Unfortunately, many people today equate wealth with prissiness and poverty with humility. (Personally I think it’s college leftist indoctrination and how they worship socialism). But anyway, I wouldn’t advise a med school applicant to do anything that might be a disadvantage, in case one of those people interviews them. I think that’s what people here are saying.


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I love a success story. Rock those designer clothes, capitalism is wonderful. You notice that even though “capitalism is horrible and we should all be socialist because muh greater good”,

Capitalistic countries have to worry about keeping people OUT, socialistic countries have to worry about keeping people IN. Enough evidence for me.
 
I love a success story. Rock those designer clothes, capitalism is wonderful. You notice that even though “capitalism is horrible and we should all be socialist because muh greater good”,

Capitalistic countries have to worry about keeping people OUT, socialistic countries have to worry about keeping people IN. Enough evidence for me.

Dude. We are talking about watches. Keep you simplisms to yourself.
 
My son dressed up nicely (good navy Brooks Brothers suit, winter jacket, scarf/muffler) to a BSMD interview at a school in NE and the interviewer (Physics professor) complimented him. May be he was impressed by a HS senior dressing up like that 🙂
 
So if the wealthy candidate is say... oh... 36, would they be viewed differently? Because a single childless mid thirty year old in my opinion SHOULD have amassed some wealth.

How many digits is this 36-year-old sitting on? High sixes? Low sevens?

But yes, perceptions can change for older applicants who are switching careers.
 
Dude. We are talking about watches. Keep you simplisms to yourself.
Ever thought outside the box? The hidden message here is rich people are terrible and capitalism is evil.

I just love hearing stories like Orthotraumas. Isn’t that the American dream? Do well so your kids can be better off than you were? I wouldn’t spoil my kids with expensive items, but who am I to tell others how to raise their kids? And if my father was a well to do doctor for instance and gave me his Rolex because he was proud of me following in his footsteps, you’re damned right I would’ve worn it.

Isn’t anyone else’s business, judge their competency as a doctor, instead of being jealous that they came into more wealth than you. I’m honestly glad I didn’t grow up wealthy. It makes every success that little bit more sweet. My moms 5 sisters and brother pitied me because they thought I was abused, we were poor, and used to openly apologize that my parents were subpar. Guess which grandkid didn’t get addicted to drugs/commit suicide/have a boatload of kids/get arrested.
 
It used to be.
I don’t want it confused that I like spoiled rich brats who don’t know hardship.

I just won’t judge them from their appearance. I’ve seen both poor and rich people that are both wonderful and terrible people. I feel like that’s the point of the interview. See if they are a twit or have any real depth. For an interviewer to harp on their garments the whole time, he wasn’t using his assessment skills.
 
Wrong. The message here is don't bring your dad's tennis racked to a baseball game.

With regard to isolate anecdotes about the American dream, here is what the hippies at Forbes and The Economist have to say:
The U.S. Does Poorly On Yet Another Metric of Economic Mobility
Americans overestimate social mobility in their country
Wouldn’t it be like bringing your dads tennis racket to a tennis game? Most every single doctor I see outside of scrubs is dressed to the nines.
 
Ever thought outside the box? The hidden message here is rich people are terrible and capitalism is evil.

I just love hearing stories like Orthotraumas. Isn’t that the American dream? Do well so your kids can be better off than you were? I wouldn’t spoil my kids with expensive items, but who am I to tell others how to raise their kids? And if my father was a well to do doctor for instance and gave me his Rolex because he was proud of me following in his footsteps, you’re damned right I would’ve worn it.

Isn’t anyone else’s business, judge their competency as a doctor, instead of being jealous that they came into more wealth than you. I’m honestly glad I didn’t grow up wealthy. It makes every success that little bit more sweet. My moms 5 sisters and brother pitied me because they thought I was abused, we were poor, and used to openly apologize that my parents were subpar. Guess which grandkid didn’t get addicted to drugs/commit suicide/have a boatload of kids/get arrested.
Your ability to miss the point that Adcoms that are making in this thread is disheartening. If you haven't taken the MCAT, watch out for the CARS section.
 
Your ability to miss the point that Adcoms that are making in this thread is disheartening.
I get the basic point they make. It just seems extremely shallow and judgemental to me.

I get that they want to weed out shallow spoiled sh-heads. And I can appreciate that. But judge them on their psychological maturity, not their garb.
 
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