Preparing for Fellowship Interviews: HHMI/Sarnoff/CRTP

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Superstarz34

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Hey guys,

I have a couple of fellowship interviews coming up in about a week. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on preparing for those interviews. What kinds of questions will they be asking? Thanks.

-S

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I'd like to know too... anyone have any idea if the current presidential race will be brought up? I feel like there's a good shot that it will be... but I'm really not following it at all.
 
I'd like to know too... anyone have any idea if the current presidential race will be brought up? I feel like there's a good shot that it will be... but I'm really not following it at all.

Haha, I pretty sure it wont be brought up (except maybe at the night time dinners). Politics doesn't make good "polite" conversation.

I'm betting it'll be more along the lines of questioning past research experience, 10 year goals, making sure we're all normal, and weeding out the people who are willing to do a year of research just to be more competitive for certain specialties.
 
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Hey guys,

I have a couple of fellowship interviews coming up in about a week. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on preparing for those interviews. What kinds of questions will they be asking? Thanks.

-S

Hey Superstarz, diosa, and Reimat, I'm a current Sarnoff Fellow and I interviewed (and was also accepted) at cloisters etc.

Both are great. Neither interview was difficult per se but the tone of the entire interview day is INCREDIBLY different. You'll see what I mean. (Typically people walk away knowing that they'll take one or the other.)

Its been a while but here's what I remember.

First off, the timing of the interviews are different. At Sarnoff the interviews are MUCH shorter (when I say short, I mean SHORT) and they have your 3pg proposal. At cloisters its a bit more Research-chatty because they need to get an impression of your knowledge. Both were 2 sets of interviews, 2 on 1 (profs to student).

At cloisters they asked me about my prior research and tried to test my understanding of research design/broader implications/etc. They were VERY friendly but tried to grill me a little. Nothing uncomfortable or unpleasant, I just explained the rationale of my research and stuck to my guns.

At Sarnoff, they've already read your proposal (+CV + personal statement, and believe me they have actually READ them) so the focus will be much less on these aspects. You might get 1 or 2questions on your proposal to test your general comprehension-- so know your proposal, but this wont really be the focus so don't freak out. They are really looking more for how you approach science, research, & your career. (There is no right answer here so don't look for one. All kinds of people were accepted my year. Just say what you think)

From the other fellowship-applicants, it seemed like the questions varied widely but the FOCUS of the questions (see previous 2 paragraphs) was pretty consistent.

I'm betting it'll be more along the lines of questioning past research experience, 10 year goals, making sure we're all normal, and weeding out the people who are willing to do a year of research just to be more competitive for certain specialties.
This is absolutely correct.

For some reason, even though my cloisters interviewers grilled me, it was the Sarnoff interview that I felt was more intense. (My friends who are previous cloisters fellows agree so its not just me having some weird Sarnoff bias, I don't think)

The dress may have been a bit more formal at Sarnoff for non-interview events... although as far as the interviews themselves go, an interview-suit is an interview-suit. (bring your suit and tie for the friday dinner...or carry a tie in your pocket on Fri night, just in case. Saturday dinner, which is with current fellows, was much more relaxed though.)

Hope that gives you at least some idea of what to expect.

Feel free to PM me with questions.

I look forward to seeing all of you Sarnoff applicants this Fri/Sat (and taking you out to dinner... after all, its not all interviews)
 
PS-- A quick plug.

My Sarnoff year has been incredible. I'm doing research that I could NEVER do anywhere else (one of the joys of being able to pick any location in the US). I've already submitted my first paper. The mentorship is beyond fantastic. I really cannot say enough good things.

This fellowship is sometimes overlooked by medical students. It shouldnt be. There isnt really anything else out there like it. (Although there are certainly huge benefits to the other programs as well and you have to make the best decision for you.) Picking any location in the country is FANTASTIC (& very beneficial for your research) and, despite my initial skepticism, the mentorship really does seem to be career-long. And yes, it is fancy and prestigious and mentioned in Isersons and has been around in some incarnation since the mid '80s... blah blah blah.

Also, it might feel daunting to move to a place and be [cue scary music] ALL ALONE. In reality, it is a very friendly program. I see the other fellows and my Sarnoff mentors quite a bit. (We tend to inadvertantly cluster in certain cities due to research interests. I dont think that there are any fewer than 2 in a city this year. In Boston alone there are 6 fellows, 3 in NIH/Baltimore and NY respectively, plus some clusters out in California... UCSF/UCSD/UCLA) Also, previous Sarnoff fellows who are now in residency and fellowship are EVERYwhere and are always happy to meet up. Officially, we have 2 or 3 national meetings a year, plus 1-2 local meetings, plus 1-3 sarnoff mentor meetings, plus sporadic conference calls and webinars. And, within a city, there are lots of student-planned functions. Not so scary (or lonely) now, huh. :)


So in addition to questions about interviews, feel free to send me questions about the fellowship itself.
 
Any feedback from the HHM-NIH Scholars Program interviews would be greatly appreciate. What was your impression of the program and the interviews? It'd be great if you guys can share some of your expriences with those of us who are interested to apply to this program. Thanks
 
PS-- A quick plug.

My Sarnoff year has been incredible. I'm doing research that I could NEVER do anywhere else (one of the joys of being able to pick any location in the US). I've already submitted my first paper. The mentorship is beyond fantastic. I really cannot say enough good things.

This fellowship is sometimes overlooked by medical students. It shouldnt be. There isnt really anything else out there like it. (Although there are certainly huge benefits to the other programs as well and you have to make the best decision for you.) Picking any location in the country is FANTASTIC (& very beneficial for your research) and, despite my initial skepticism, the mentorship really does seem to be career-long. And yes, it is fancy and prestigious and mentioned in Isersons and has been around in some incarnation since the mid '80s... blah blah blah.

Also, it might feel daunting to move to a place and be [cue scary music] ALL ALONE. In reality, it is a very friendly program. I see the other fellows and my Sarnoff mentors quite a bit. (We tend to inadvertantly cluster in certain cities due to research interests. I dont think that there are any fewer than 2 in a city this year. In Boston alone there are 6 fellows, 3 in NIH/Baltimore and NY respectively, plus some clusters out in California... UCSF/UCSD/UCLA) Also, previous Sarnoff fellows who are now in residency and fellowship are EVERYwhere and are always happy to meet up. Officially, we have 2 or 3 national meetings a year, plus 1-2 local meetings, plus 1-3 sarnoff mentor meetings, plus sporadic conference calls and webinars. And, within a city, there are lots of student-planned functions. Not so scary (or lonely) now, huh. :)


So in addition to questions about interviews, feel free to send me questions about the fellowship itself.


Hi Ellia!

I applied for the Sarnoff this year and recently received a Finalist interview invite for March 6th. I wanted to ask you for advice preparing for the interview. Is there anything that really makes an interviewee really stand out? Thanks for your time! :)
 
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