Interview Invites 2020-21

[Guest]

(12-14-2020, 11:33 AM)Guest Wrote:

(12-14-2020, 10:40 AM)Guest Wrote: Resident here:
With all the chaos this year, home applicants are a “known commodity”. We know them, we worked with them, we interacted with them in clinics, the OR and while on-call. If they are competent and reliable on their rotations and sub-I’s, they are the safest bet for most programs this year. This is particularly important if they are geographically committed to where the program is.

I know this sounds unfair to applicants with smaller or no home programs but I feel this is how my program will view known applicants this year. I haven’t had a formal discussion with our PD, but usually in the rank meetings they ask us about whom we would like to work with. Honestly, the ones we know well are the ones we interacted with the most.

There are still shining stars amonst external applicants and I bet they will be ranked high on our list.

My advice is:
1. If you have a home program, try to be on good terms with them.
2. If you absolutely want to move to a certain location or go to a specific program, make sure you tell ONLY that program that you are interested and WHY this means so much to you. Would it help? Probably, if you have good reasons.

What if we didn't enjoy our home program?

Then have your home call/vouch for you at whatever your top choice is

[Guest]

(12-14-2020, 11:44 AM)Guest Wrote:

(12-14-2020, 11:33 AM)Guest Wrote:

(12-14-2020, 10:40 AM)Guest Wrote: Resident here:
With all the chaos this year, home applicants are a “known commodity”. We know them, we worked with them, we interacted with them in clinics, the OR and while on-call. If they are competent and reliable on their rotations and sub-I’s, they are the safest bet for most programs this year. This is particularly important if they are geographically committed to where the program is.

I know this sounds unfair to applicants with smaller or no home programs but I feel this is how my program will view known applicants this year. I haven’t had a formal discussion with our PD, but usually in the rank meetings they ask us about whom we would like to work with. Honestly, the ones we know well are the ones we interacted with the most.

There are still shining stars amonst external applicants and I bet they will be ranked high on our list.

My advice is:
1. If you have a home program, try to be on good terms with them.
2. If you absolutely want to move to a certain location or go to a specific program, make sure you tell ONLY that program that you are interested and WHY this means so much to you. Would it help? Probably, if you have good reasons.

What if we didn't enjoy our home program?

Then have your home call/vouch for you at whatever your top choice is

Students at shitty home programs/no name home programs and no home programs will again at further disadvantage.

[Guest]

(12-13-2020, 12:58 PM)Guest Wrote: Methodist straight up asked us with our top three programs were. Glad I didn't blow a few hundred bucks on travel and lodging just to exclude them from my rank list this year

One of the interviewers this year asked me some really uncomfortable questions about my family background. Will not be ranking. Wish I could have given that interview to someone with double doctor parents- grew up in a white picket fence neighborhood-went to an ivy league-white male. They need to get with the times.

[Guest]

(12-14-2020, 01:09 PM)Guest Wrote:

(12-13-2020, 12:58 PM)Guest Wrote: Methodist straight up asked us with our top three programs were. Glad I didn't blow a few hundred bucks on travel and lodging just to exclude them from my rank list this year

One of the interviewers this year asked me some really uncomfortable questions about my family background. Will not be ranking. Wish I could have given that interview to someone with double doctor parents- grew up in a white picket fence neighborhood-went to an ivy league-white male. They need to get with the times.

Any more details? Lots of programs (Houston Methodist included) have asked about family members and their occupations, but not really in a malignant way, just getting to know you

[Guest]

Does post interview thank you email weight anything on ranking process?

[Guest]

Hey USF, you up?

[Guest]

(12-13-2020, 12:58 PM)Guest Wrote:

(12-12-2020, 07:19 PM)Guest Wrote:

(12-12-2020, 02:13 PM)Guest Wrote: Anyone else get bombarded with illegal/condescending questions at Houston Methodist during the one brief faculty interview?

Yeah idk about illegal but felt like one of those stress interviews where they push you and see how you react under pressure. Impossible to get to know the faculty tho

You can tell a condescending questions from pressure questions lmao...idk if it is ever appropriate to test someone how they handle stress by being condescending during interview. Remember this is a professional atmosphere, being condescending during an interview is never appropriate...but do people do it? Yes. But then idk if it serves a purpose as testing the applicants ?

that's totally fair, I was speaking from my experience where I felt my answers were appropriately challenged and I was pushed to respond under that pressure. had nothing illegal/condescending though. what is an example of a condescending question?

---

(12-16-2020, 06:04 PM)Guest Wrote: Does post interview thank you email weight anything on ranking process?

Definitely curious about this

[Guest]

I've been told no, not at all. The only email that is going to help in the ranking process the one you send in late January where you either tell them they are your #1 (if they truly are), or you tell them you love their program and would love to be there (which means you'll rank them #2-5). Doing these things may bump you a couple spots higher on their list obviously.

[Guest]

Some programs have interviews until late January or early Feb this year - will it be too late to send love letters if we wait until after all of the interviews are done?

[Guest]

As a resident who does interviews I get a lot of generic thank you letters. If the interview went well, the letter expresses sincere interest in the program, and reinforced how you would be a good fit it can be additional icing on the cake. The generic thank you letters don't really do much and usually I forget them. However I do notice who sends them and who doesn't.