Hello Blog Readers! For those of you who are planning to visit campus, I encourage you to read Cameron’s informative posts. She explains what to expect and how to arrange a productive trip.
Speaking of what to expect, I overheard a relevant conversation yesterday. While waiting to cross the street by the Hanover Inn (in the center of Hanover, a two minute walk from my office at Tuck) I heard a conversation between two Dartmouth seniors. One of them was applying to medical school, and had just completed an interview. She was telling her friend that the interviewer asked her about backup plans, in case she wasn’t admitted to med school for the Fall. The student had replied – quite honestly – that she was also interested in becoming a pastry chef, and would likely pursue that career option if med school didn’t work out right away. The interviewer was somewhat taken aback by this answer, and took the opportunity to tell the applicant that this was perhaps not the best answer. The interviewer suggested that the institution was looking for something along the lines of “I would strengthen my profile and reapply to your school” or “I have always wanted to be a doctor and this would not dissuade me; instead it would increase my resolve to pursue my dream” or other sentiments along these lines.
The Dartmouth student was confused by the interviewer’s advice. As she said to her friend (it was a long traffic light) “If she didn’t want to hear an honest answer, why did she ask the question?”
OK, as an admissions officer and frequent interviewer I understand the student’s confusion. However, I can also sympathize with the med school interviewer, who undoubtedly felt that she was helping the student to succeed. If the student was my friend, I would also tell her to dial back the candor in this situation. That’s right – I would discourage her from sharing the pastry chef plan. I am all for honesty and being genuine, not only in life (obviously) but quite definitely in the admissions process. We look for people to give sincere, complete answers and anything less can cause us to have doubts about the applicants overall candidacy. This may sound like a complete contradiction; on the one hand, we expect honesty and self-reflection; and we penalize you if you aren’t sincere. On the other hand, I am advising you not to share something that may seem like ambivalence to an interviewer.
To the applicant, this was a straightforward dialogue; she was clearly bright, talented, interested in lots of things and flexible – all good qualities. However, the level of competition to get into top graduate programs is intense. Admissions committees are very fortunate in that we can choose candidates who are bright, talented, flexible AND unequivocally committed to their stated career goals. We would rather give the seat to someone who will not only enhance the community while they are here but who also seems destined to contribute to the field as an alum.
So, what might have been a better answer for the med school applicant – one that stops short of a complete (and disingenuous)disavowal of all other life plans, but still demonstrates commitment to the field? She could have said something like “I am confident that I will eventually succeed in my chosen career path. I have learned a lot about resilience and dedication and look forward to continuing to refine my skills in this area. Your institution is the perfect place for me to continue to advance.” Of course, you need to put this message – or something comparable – into language that is natural for you.
I welcome comments and questions about this post – I know that there are lots of grey areas here.
Read the full article: "If they don’t want to hear the answer, why do they ask?"