What do you think about stating your 1st choice on a secondary?

[Dr Turninkoff]

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On a secondary with the standard, why are you applying/interested/etc. in xyz medical school, what are your thoughts on stating that this particular school is your first choice, if in fact, it is. 👍 👎

 

[RaistlinMajere]

Only if you have compelling reasons that are real. Otherwise the adcoms will just roll their eyes. And it could come up in an interview.

I know you said you wouldn't, but do NOT put more than one school. People from different schools do know each other. It is a small world.

 

[jlee9531]

if it is truly your #1 choice and you can do express that without sounding lame, then go ahead.

 

[velo]

I think it sounds silly to talk about 1st choices until after you have started interviewing.

 

[medstylee]

velocypedalist beat me to it. you really don't know what school is your first choice until you've been to different schools. i thought i was convinced about my first choice last year but, after interviewing at another school, i definitely questioned myself about that.

at this point, i don't think mentioning 1st choice will really have much of an impact. save that for post-interview.

 

[Jason110]

For those of you who have been on the interview trail, how "brainwashed" do you think the student tourguides are? Or are they self-selected (i.e., only the students who love the school would tour guide)?

Jason

 

[medstylee]

For those of you who have been on the interview trail, how "brainwashed" do you think the student tourguides are? Or are they self-selected (i.e., only the students who love the school would tour guide)?

Jason

it varies from school to school. some of em are all "rah-rah" about their school and some of em will be honest - they'll tell you the pluses and the minuses. try talking to other students on your off time because you'll probably have plenty of it during interview days. it's not essential to rely on your tour-guides to form some perspective on the school, in any case.

 

[ZOT! ZOT!]

I think it sounds silly to talk about 1st choices until after you have started interviewing.

I knew before I even applied. I wrote a LOI pre-interview, even.

 

[velo]

I just don't think it would have much influence on the adcom pre-interview (except maybe in your extreme, pre-interview LOI case). If I were an adcom, I'd say to myself "this person can claim we're their top pick now, and then say that after interviewing here and at other schools they've changed their minds."

Basically, the extremly unbinding nature of claiming "top choice" on your 2ndary means that an adcom isn't going to give it much consideration...plus for most people its a silly thing to say.

 

[PublicEnemy]

i completely agree with lance.

if a good portion of your essay actually is dedicated to all the compelling reasons you want to go there, and you're able to make real school specific individual claims, regarding things like location, curriculum, campus, environment, research, facilities, rotation sites, some kind of club they have, somehow it would prolly seem more real than all of us who are writing secondaries based on the websites and brochures. that adcom will know you want to go there more.

but if you are going to put numbers on your secondaries, don't go with #2 and definitely not #22.

 

[RaistlinMajere]

Basically, the extremly unbinding nature of claiming "top choice" on your 2ndary means that an adcom isn't going to give it much consideration...plus for most people its a silly thing to say.

I agree to a point about it being "extremely unbinding." If you put it in writing and sign that everything in your application is true, then it is somewhat binding. And, the medical community is relatively small, so there is a chance that adcom people remember you as "the guy who bailed on them."

But, it probably won't hurt you either, as long as you have good reasons (e.g., special programs or clinical teachings, etc.). Which means that you can only win (albeit modestly) or break even. I like gambles like that.

 

[jattmalva]

I knew before I even applied. I wrote a LOI pre-interview, even.

Hey ZOT ZOT, did it work? If UCI was that school, do you think it made a difference?