Why aren't all interviews blind?

[QuinnTheEskimo]

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Why aren't all interviews blind to GPA and MCAT? Wouldn't that be a much more fair way of doing things? It seems like this information could potentially cause strong interviewer bias one way or the other.

I actually had a "blind" interview where the guy asked my MCAT! I guess he thought I seemed potentially thick-headed and wanted to clarify. Good thing I did well, because I have a feeling that probably factored into his assessment of me. I don't think that should be the case!

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

Because that means that all the work you did in undergrad, all the ECs, the high GPAs, the LORs, the stellar MCAT score, were not to get accepted, but merely to get an interview. Does that seem right to you?

What? This response makes no sense.

I am not suggesting that MCAT and GPA should not be used in admission past the interview. I am saying I don't think the interviewers should be given this information prior to the interview.

 

[BurberryDoc]

Suppose an applicant has a weaker GPA or weaker MCAT - if the interviewer/admissions committee is concerned, having a non-blind interview gives the candidate an opportunity to discuss/redeem themselves and alleviate those concerns to the committee.

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

Suppose an applicant has a weaker GPA or weaker MCAT - if the interviewer/admissions committee is concerned, having a non-blind interview gives the candidate an opportunity to discuss/redeem themselves and alleviate those concerns to the committee.

I guess that is one small positive. But it seems like if the candidate truly wants to talk about it, he/she can bring it up during the blind interview just as well.

I still think interviewer bias outweighs any potential positive.

Edit: I have a really bad GPA (full disclosure). I had one blind interview where they asked me, towards the end, "what are the weaknesses in your application?" I liked this set-up because it enabled me to address my GPA, AFTER the interviewer had already formed a first impression of me. It's harder to make a good first impression after someone has been perusing your crappy undergraduate report card.

 

[Mad Jack]

Why aren't all interviews blind to GPA and MCAT? Wouldn't that be a much more fair way of doing things? It seems like this information could potentially cause strong interviewer bias one way or the other.

I actually had a "blind" interview where the guy asked my MCAT! I guess he thought I seemed potentially thick-headed and wanted to clarify. Good thing I did well, because I have a feeling that probably factored into his assessment of me. I don't think that should be the case!

Because if you don't have a record of what the person has done, it makes it very hard to ask anything but generic questions. If you want to find out why a particular interviewee is a good for your medical school, it helps to be able to ask said interviewee questions about their performance history. I don't like blind interviews, I like my interviewers to know that I'm a person and not feel like just some guy filling a seat that is answering questions.

 

[SunsFun]

Because that means that all the work you did in undergrad, all the ECs, the high GPAs, the LORs, the stellar MCAT score, were not to get accepted, but merely to get an interview. Does that seem right to you?

Just because you're interviewers were not aware of your background doesn't mean the final decision admission committee isn't aware of it either. Final decision as far as I know is usually based on more then just evaluations from your interviewers.

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

Because if you don't have a record of what the person has done, it makes it very hard to ask anything but generic questions. If you want to find out why a particular interviewee is a good for your medical school, it helps to be able to ask said interviewee questions about their performance history. I don't like blind interviews, I like my interviewers to know that I'm a person and not feel like just some guy filling a seat that is answering questions.

I can see why ECs and personal statement would be useful as a starting point for discussion. But I really can't see why GPA/MCAT should be known to the interviewer.

 

[Mad Jack]

I can see why ECs and personal statement would be useful as a starting point for discussion. But I really can't see why GPA/MCAT should be known to the interviewer.

But then you end up ina situation where people who worked really hard on their grades but have few ECs have a negative bias compared to those with poor grades that have a lot of ECs. Grades require hard work too, as does the effort to get a good MCAT score. These students don't deserve to be looked at negatively because they focused their efforts elsewhere.

 

[baconshrimps]

I guess that is one small positive. But it seems like if the candidate truly wants to talk about it, he/she can bring it up during the blind interview just as well.

I still think interviewer bias outweighs any potential positive.

Edit: I have a really bad GPA (full disclosure). I had one blind interview where they asked me, towards the end, "what are the weaknesses in your application?" I liked this set-up because it enabled me to address my GPA, AFTER the interviewer had already formed a first impression of me. It's harder to make a good first impression after someone has been perusing your crappy undergraduate report card.

This.
Applicants with lower GPA's typically upgrade their applications competitiveness by bringing more to the table than their grades. I would imagine that the HYP grad with a 3.8 and a 39 could sneak in to some MD school with merely 6 months of volunteering in one hospital and a summer shadowing a doctor, maybe a publication somewhere along the line. There are lots of stories here of people with low grade point averages but you can see that people make up for this with lots of EC's over the long term.

A number of schools (including one that I interviewed at) conducts blind interviews. If you think your GPA may hinder your chances of giving the impression you want to give at the interview, consider applying to the schools that do blind interviews?

 

[darkjedi]

We as interviewers are blind to MCAT/GPA at our school, but have access to all the other parts of your application. I would agree with you that MCAT/GPA is really not that important in the actual interview, where you should be focusing on your EC's, experiences and personality.

 

[KnuxNole]

If they are blind, how can they see your pretty face?!?!?!

 

[Goro]

Let's put it this way. You have an MCAT score of VR6/PS 14/Bio15

I, as an interviewer, wan to know if you can speak English. If you're not an ESL, I'd want to know why VR was so challenging. Do you have communication skill issues?

Or, you have an excellent transcript and GPA, but your junior fall semester, you had a 2.0 that fall. Did something bad happen to you? Obviously, you recovered, but would you be able to cope this bad occurrence happened while you were in med school?

Suppose you had a great MCAT score, but a Bio6? Did you learn anything in college? Just because you have good social skills and can do well on in an interview, do you think you should be admitted?

This is why knowing your GPA and MCAT is useful to an interviewer.

Why aren't all interviews blind to GPA and MCAT? Wouldn't that be a much more fair way of doing things? It seems like this information could potentially cause strong interviewer bias one way or the other.

I actually had a "blind" interview where the guy asked my MCAT! I guess he thought I seemed potentially thick-headed and wanted to clarify. Good thing I did well, because I have a feeling that probably factored into his assessment of me. I don't think that should be the case!

 

[V5RED]

I wish all my interviewers could see my file. My story tends to make people think favorably of me (college dropout who went back years later after maturing and aced everything), and it shows them that I am not just putting on the song and dance when I say I will work really hard and am fully motivated to be a doctor.

Lots of people can put on the song and dance in an interview, so I think it is very useful if the interviewer has documentation of what the person claims about himself.

 

[V5RED]

If they are blind, how can they see your pretty face?!?!?!

Oh you. lol