So I am going to interview for my top med school soon and I am sooooooooo nervous. How would you recommend I prepare as well as calming myself down? And you said I don't need to wear a boring suit? Awesome, what would you recommend?
@AnonymousSo, while I was searching the internet for an accurate picture of my royal blue striped cardigan with silver buttons (very nautical, and appropriate I thought as the school is in a port city), I found this AMAZING website.
http://www.academichic.com/category/interview-attire/
They have some really great ensembles on here. I loved A. and E.’s looks and think they would definitely work for a med school interview. I also loved the idea of black suit + red heels, although heels can be dangerous and horrible when you have to take the tour of the school, or worse, when your interviewer is “walker” and wants to interview you while moving around (this happened to a girl in heels in my group, I sympathized with her but secretly celebrated my foresight in wearing flats).
Sites like these are great for inspiration. But whatever you wear, make sure it’s YOU. If you’re generally a quiet, mild tempered person, red heels or a yellow cardigan might not really reflect who you are. If you’re self-conscious about wearing something, don’t wear it. I personally knew that “black power suit” didn’t embody who I was as a person whatsoever. But if it does for you, wear it! But whatever you wear, OWN IT. Own your clothes, your shoes, your nail polish, your make-up, your jewelry, your watch—own them like a second skin. You can choose to wear the most basic, muted ensemble with none of the add-ons, and if you are comfortable in it, you will look just as bang-pow-wham as Queen Elizabeth herself. Of course, at the end of the day you absolutely have to look professional. If you go in wearing anything made of denim, don’t expect an acceptance letter. Getting into medical school is serious business, and you need to look as though you take it as such.
So, I kind of went about this assuming you identified as female, but if identify as male, and for any other dude-bros out there reading:
Sorry guys, you’re kinda more limited in that you pretty much have to wear a suit. BUT it absolutely does not have to be a boring suit. I personally love the three buttoned look on younger men, especially in combo with a vest. I also love grey and charcoal suits. The key for men especially is attention to detail: if you can afford it, get your suit tailored!! Many of the guys I saw were wearing suits that simply were too big on them. Nothing could scream “I am young and inexperienced and don’t really know what I’m doing” more. If you can’t afford to do anything else but wear a hand me down suit, at least get it minimally tailored so it fits correctly.
A tie or pocket square with an interesting pattern or color is a great addition. So is a nice watch. Make your your nails are clean and trimmed and your facial hair/normal hair isn’t out of control.
A note for everyone:
You never know who is going to interview you, and while some people might appreciate body artwork or modification, there is always a chance you will encounter someone who just genuinely believes that that kind of thing is unprofessional and makes you immature and reckless. Having two fairly large tattoos myself, and having had a variety of facial piercings, I obviously disagree with this sentiment, but in this scenario I also feel it is 100% better safe than sorry. So my advice is to take the metal out, cover the ink up, and comb back and put into a ponytail wild hair or dreads, especially if you identify as male.
This commentary has been pretty gender-binary, for which I apologize, but also the reality is that to 99% of the interviewers out there, they are going to assume that you are one of the other. Obviously, you can mix up the gender stuff as much as you like, but as always, be careful. As long as you pay attention to detail and look professional, you should be safe, but as much as it leaves a poisonous taste in my mouth, doctors can be bigots too.
