Blog Archives

You Never Get a Second Chance to Blow a First Impression

I receive a lot of questions about interview attire; I have two rules to guide applicants:

1. Do not be noticed for your clothes. You want to be remembered for your accomplishments, not your attire. Years later, I still remember the applicant who arrived in a Bugs Bunny tie. (This might fly for a pediatrics interview, but even then, I wouldn’t recommend it.) I also recall the applicant who arrived in jeans. (He packed his interview clothes, checked his luggage, his bags were lost, and he had nothing else to wear for his early morning interview.)

2. Be comfortable. No heels that are so high you are in too much pain to take the tour. No coat so light – but stylish 😉 – that you can’t walk out of the building.

What you wear is really much less important than how you present yourself in interviews. For help, contact me. I’ve recently added some mock interview slots to my online calendar because of high demand.

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Being the Squeaky Wheel

Medical School and Residency Admissions

Several years ago I helped a strong applicant who had been rejected by a top medical school. He thought he was a very good fit for this particular institution, so he called the school to make his case. Surprisingly, after the applicant’s phone call, the school granted him an interview, reversing their original rejection.

It was at this time when I met the applicant; we conducted a mock interview so he would be well-prepared.

Ultimately, after being initially rejected, this applicant was admitted to that top school.

Of course, this is an exceedingly rare occurrence. But to me, the moral of this story is that it is worth being assertive (not aggressive!) in the medical school and residency admissions processes: Send an update letter, call institutions (politely) to inquire about your status (if they do not expressly prohibit phone calls), and be proactive during your interviews.

You need to advocate for yourself in order to be noticed.

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Do Interviews Matter?

There’s an interesting NYT’s article from this past week called “Do College Admissions Interviews Matter?” Although the article makes a convincing argument that undergraduate interviews may not matter in many cases, it does point out that many graduate school interviews do. It also recommends doing mock interviews.

The NRMP Program Directors’ Survey makes it quite clear that residency interviews matter a lot, which was also my experience as Assistant Residency Director at Harvard. I remember very robust conversations about even small comments that candidates had made in their interviews that adversely affected their ranking on our Match list.

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What Would Your Mother Say?

I had a sweet client recently tell me that, although she will feel uncomfortable showcasing her accomplishments throughout her upcoming application process, she thinks her mom might be able to help her learn to speak about them fluidly.

If you have a supportive mother (father, grandparent), and you are having trouble highlighting your achievements in your personal statement, application, interview, even letter of intent, consider channeling your inner mother.

Remember: You must distinguish yourself from the other competitive candidates, and the best way to do that is with explicit examples of your accomplishments.

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January Schedule

I apologize for the delay: My January schedule is available online through my website. Please schedule Mock Interviews and Strategy Sessions early, as the slots get grabbed up quickly!

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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