Bad Interview Feeling

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CherylSwoops

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I had an interview last Friday at one of my top choices. I went in feeling really prepared, knowing all about their values, mission, communities they work with, and some key stats. I'm usually good at connecting with people, but the two interviewers seemed pretty cold. They didn’t react much to my answers and didn’t really engage with me. Still, I handled their tough questions well and asked a few solid ones of my own at the end. It was odd because others had described the interviews as really relaxed and chatty, but that wasn’t my experience at all.

Has anyone experienced this before or have any advice? I’ve seen many people who have had bad interviews but eventually get the acceptance, so I am optimistic.

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There's not much we can say. Some people get A's or WL's or R's. It's often the luck of the draw, but the committee decides what to do with the feedback.

All you can do is your best from your own side and let things happen.


Episode 4 Luke GIF by Star Wars
 
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There's not much we can say. Some people get A's or WL's or R's. It's often the luck of the draw, but the committee decides what to do with the feedback.

All you can do is your best from your own side and let things happen.


Episode 4 Luke GIF by Star Wars
I believe I tried my best and did everything in my own power to come prepared and well rounded to the interview day. The culture of the school really resonated with me and I already miss being there for some odd reason. What I put in is what I’ll get out, so I’m optimistic about what’s to come. It just hit me out of no where because I expected a chattier convo however I felt like I was able to be me and handle the situation well.
 
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Sometimes I felt that it's a way of seeing how you do under pressure. At my school, our interviewers aren't allowed to give any feedback to the interviewee during the interview. They just sit, cold, and listen and when you're done they write some notes and move onto the next question. It definitely felt one-sided. But like you, I just kept rolling with it and answering the questions as best as I could. I left feeling like it was for sure my worst interview, contemplated how I answered things, and worried I wasn't going to get in.

Low and behold, here I am, attending that school.

You just really have to wait and see. Your interview is just another metric used by the committee to decide who to accept. Just gotta be patient and trust the process. You've done all that you can.
 
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Sometimes I felt that it's a way of seeing how you do under pressure. At my school, our interviewers aren't allowed to give any feedback to the interviewee during the interview. They just sit, cold, and listen and when you're done they write some notes and move onto the next question. It definitely felt one-sided. But like you, I just kept rolling with it and answering the questions as best as I could. I left feeling like it was for sure my worst interview, contemplated how I answered things, and worried I wasn't going to get in.

Low and behold, here I am, attending that school.

You just really have to wait and see. Your interview is just another metric used by the committee to decide who to accept. Just gotta be patient and trust the process. You've done all that you can.
And does that also pertain to thank you emails being sent to the people who interviewed me? I sent one a day after to the faculty member who interviewed but have yet to get an email back.
 
There's not much we can say. Some people get A's or WL's or R's. It's often the luck of the draw, but the committee decides what to do with the feedback.

All you can do is your best from your own side and let things happen.


Episode 4 Luke GIF by Star Wars
so you are saying "trust the process"?
 
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And does that also pertain to thank you emails being sent to the people who interviewed me? I sent one a day after to the faculty member who interviewed but have yet to get an email back.
dontworryaboutit
 
There's not much we can say. Some people get A's or WL's or R's. It's often the luck of the draw, but the committee decides what to do with the feedback.

All you can do is your best from your own side and let things happen.


Episode 4 Luke GIF by Star Wars
I have a quick question: Is it appropriate for me to reach out to my admissions counselor at the dental school about connecting with a faculty member I have a connection with? The faculty member is emeritus, and I'm unsure if it would be perceived as too forward, especially since I recently interviewed and haven't received a decision yet. The faculty member also used to be the dean, would it be better to contact the dean of the school instead?
 
I have a quick question: Is it appropriate for me to reach out to my admissions counselor at the dental school about connecting with a faculty member I have a connection with? The faculty member is emeritus, and I'm unsure if it would be perceived as too forward, especially since I recently interviewed and haven't received a decision yet. The faculty member also used to be the dean, would it be better to contact the dean of the school instead?
Why do you want to reach out to the faculty member?
 
Why do you want to reach out to the faculty member?
I went to Creighton for undergrad, and the faculty member I would like to get in touch with worked at Creighton for a period of time. I don’t have any friends at westernU (I’m OOS) and I just wanted to chat briefly, get to know the guy a little, ask about westernU vs Creighton, very conversational. And if he asks about my app I’ll bring it up. But just to share some experiences I had and connect with someone at westernU
 
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