2005/2006 Strange interview story telling! OooOOooOOoo

[LadyJubilee8_18]

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Has anyone else had a strange interview yet? I know I have, post your strange stories here:
Yesterday I interviewed at UT Houston and the second guy I interviewed with did not talk about me at all or ask me any questions. He just started talking about his family and his experiences doing research at other schools. Apparently his parents came from India to visit him while he was at U of Chicago and he worked so hard that he only saw them for dinner. His mom was all pissed because she’s, “Not his maid and cook,” and eventually his wife threatened to leave him because he worked too hard. Then he started going on and on about how Americans are obsessed with glamour and that’s the only reason why people want to go to top tier schools. This story transitioned into a story about his wife’s obsession with weight and why he didn’t plan on leaving her even if she gained ten pounds. Much more than I needed to know about my interviewer. Maybe the guy doesn’t have many friends to talk to.
The last part of the interview was him asking where I applied and then explaining which schools were “better than UT Houston,” the ones I could get into, and the ones I could not. At the end he said he’d write a good note and that I could go there if I wanted. Then he took off early so he could get an early lunch. That was so random, who just unburdens themselves on an interviewee?

 

[AxlxA]

Hey if your interviewer felt thearaputic after the little rant, then maybe he did enjoy the interview and will recommend you to the adcom.

 

[newdude]

Has anyone else had a strange interview yet? I know I have, post your strange stories here:
Yesterday I interviewed at UT Houston and the second guy I interviewed with did not talk about me at all or ask me any questions. He just started talking about his family and his experiences doing research at other schools. Apparently his parents came from India to visit him while he was at U of Chicago and he worked so hard that he only saw them for dinner. His mom was all pissed because she’s, “Not his maid and cook,” and eventually his wife threatened to leave him because he worked too hard. Then he started going on and on about how Americans are obsessed with glamour and that’s the only reason why people want to go to top tier schools. This story transitioned into a story about his wife’s obsession with weight and why he didn’t plan on leaving her even if she gained ten pounds. Much more than I needed to know about my interviewer. Maybe the guy doesn’t have many friends to talk to.
The last part of the interview was him asking where I applied and then explaining which schools were “better than UT Houston,” the ones I could get into, and the ones I could not. At the end he said he’d write a good note and that I could go there if I wanted. Then he took off early so he could get an early lunch. That was so random, who just unburdens themselves on an interviewee?

what's his name?
care to PM me.

 

[BooMed]

Has anyone else had a strange interview yet? I know I have, post your strange stories here:
Yesterday I interviewed at UT Houston and the second guy I interviewed with did not talk about me at all or ask me any questions. He just started talking about his family and his experiences doing research at other schools. Apparently his parents came from India to visit him while he was at U of Chicago and he worked so hard that he only saw them for dinner. His mom was all pissed because she’s, “Not his maid and cook,” and eventually his wife threatened to leave him because he worked too hard. Then he started going on and on about how Americans are obsessed with glamour and that’s the only reason why people want to go to top tier schools. This story transitioned into a story about his wife’s obsession with weight and why he didn’t plan on leaving her even if she gained ten pounds. Much more than I needed to know about my interviewer. Maybe the guy doesn’t have many friends to talk to.
The last part of the interview was him asking where I applied and then explaining which schools were “better than UT Houston,” the ones I could get into, and the ones I could not. At the end he said he’d write a good note and that I could go there if I wanted. Then he took off early so he could get an early lunch. That was so random, who just unburdens themselves on an interviewee?

Wow. Did you pretty much just sit there and listen? I think you did a great job! I love the part about not leaving his wife if she gains 10 pounds... wow.

 

[LadyJubilee8_18]

Wow. Did you pretty much just sit there and listen? I think you did a great job! I love the part about not leaving his wife if she gains 10 pounds... wow.

He said he'd write a good note for me, that's cool I guess. It was just strange. No one else has a weird story from interviews? I know they couldn't all have been normal.

 

[argonana]

LadyJubilee, I had a similar experience at Vanderbilt. I heard my interviewer's entire life story. (He was an older man.) And at the end of the interview, I reached over to shake his hand, and he gave me a high five instead. I didn't handle that very smoothly.
His stories were really interesting, but I'm worried that I only spoke about 10% of the time.

 

[LadyBulldog]

hehe..high five...that's funny.... yeah, i think i'd handle it pretty badly too 🙂

 

[hatshepsut]

Maybe they were waiting to see if you'd take control of the interview or testing your listening skills 🙂

 

[lazygunner]

LadyJubilee, I had a similar experience at Vanderbilt. I heard my interviewer's entire life story. (He was an older man.) And at the end of the interview, I reached over to shake his hand, and he gave me a high five instead. I didn't handle that very smoothly.
His stories were really interesting, but I'm worried that I only spoke about 10% of the time.

I had the exact same experience at Vanderbilt. At the beginning, he asked me about my experiences at Cornell, then went off about how his son is a graduate student there. That was basically the extend of my talking. Any time he'd ask me a question after that (which was approximately 4 times) he would cut me off and start on another 20 minute rant. The best was when he asked me what I do in my spare time, and when I got to reading and mentioned the author Michael Palmer, he talked about how he knew him and a million other authors from Harvard. I haven't nodded my head so much in a 1-hour span in my life. Meanwhile, I emailed him a thank you note and he responded the same day saying how much he enjoyed meeting me and hoped to see me again soon...guess that kind of interview is a good sign.

 

[dajimmers]

My student interview at UMich was pretty normal, except he went off on a 10min rant about how he didn't get depressed in med school like others he knew, but that his wife had gotten severely depressed and had to fly back to California to wait out the previous winter, and how she didn't have any friends or anything to do in Ann Arbor.

Guess it wasn't the greatest that I had mentioned I had just gotten married a month ago...

 

[argonana]

I had the exact same experience at Vanderbilt. At the beginning, he asked me about my experiences at Cornell, then went off about how his son is a graduate student there. That was basically the extend of my talking. Any time he'd ask me a question after that (which was approximately 4 times) he would cut me off and start on another 20 minute rant. The best was when he asked me what I do in my spare time, and when I got to reading and mentioned the author Michael Palmer, he talked about how he knew him and a million other authors from Harvard. I haven't nodded my head so much in a 1-hour span in my life. Meanwhile, I emailed him a thank you note and he responded the same day saying how much he enjoyed meeting me and hoped to see me again soon...guess that kind of interview is a good sign.

Yeah, I got an email from my interviewer the same night with an essay about Francis Crick, and another one with the syllabus for a course he teaches. It was really cool/cute. I'm hesitant to draw conclusions about my application from these kinds of things, but I'm definitely, at the least, very impressed with the Vandy faculty and how they treat applicants.

 

[prettygirl1908]

Has anyone else had a strange interview yet? I know I have, post your strange stories here:
Yesterday I interviewed at UT Houston and the second guy I interviewed with did not talk about me at all or ask me any questions. He just started talking about his family and his experiences doing research at other schools. Apparently his parents came from India to visit him while he was at U of Chicago and he worked so hard that he only saw them for dinner. His mom was all pissed because she’s, “Not his maid and cook,” and eventually his wife threatened to leave him because he worked too hard. Then he started going on and on about how Americans are obsessed with glamour and that’s the only reason why people want to go to top tier schools. This story transitioned into a story about his wife’s obsession with weight and why he didn’t plan on leaving her even if she gained ten pounds. Much more than I needed to know about my interviewer. Maybe the guy doesn’t have many friends to talk to.
The last part of the interview was him asking where I applied and then explaining which schools were “better than UT Houston,” the ones I could get into, and the ones I could not. At the end he said he’d write a good note and that I could go there if I wanted. Then he took off early so he could get an early lunch. That was so random, who just unburdens themselves on an interviewee?

I saw you at the interview! I wish we could have talked to each other 🙁 Anyway both my interviews at ut houston were awesome, but my first interview was quite noteworthy. The doctor was phenomenal and she was so touched by my personal statement, my life and all the things I've done that by the end of the interview she started crying and then I started crying and then we started hugging. It was beautiful. She then gave me her contact information and told me that she would want nothing more than to see me at her school. Whether I go to ut houston or not I am definitely going to keep in touch with her!

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I saw you at the interview! I wish we could have talked to each other 🙁 Anyway both my interviews at ut houston were awesome, but my first interview was quite noteworthy. The doctor was phenomenal and she was so touched by my personal statement, my life and all the things I've done that by the end of the interview she started crying and then I started crying and then we started hugging. It was beautiful. She then gave me her contact information and told me that she would want nothing more than to see me at her school. Whether I go to ut houston or not I am definitely going to keep in touch with her!

wow, if you don't mind me asking what about your life experiences did you interviewer cry about? I guess that's a good thing that you felt so connected.

on one of my interviews last year, my interviewer asked me questions about my PS; it was very personal and very traumatic to me. erhaps my voice was shaky when i responded and talked about it. My interviewer started crying which made me lose the composure which i was struggling to keep. When I left she put her arm around me and said "you'll be ok". It made me feel really uncomfortable.

 

[WhatUpDoc!]

I saw you at the interview! I wish we could have talked to each other 🙁 Anyway both my interviews at ut houston were awesome, but my first interview was quite noteworthy. The doctor was phenomenal and she was so touched by my personal statement, my life and all the things I've done that by the end of the interview she started crying and then I started crying and then we started hugging. It was beautiful. She then gave me her contact information and told me that she would want nothing more than to see me at her school. Whether I go to ut houston or not I am definitely going to keep in touch with her!

Ok, ummmm... tried soooo hard to suppress the typical male in me but, THAT SOUNDS SUPER-FREAKY Damn, my gender curses me 😛

 

[tank you]

Ok, ummmm... tried soooo hard to suppress the typical male in me but, THAT SOUNDS SUPER-FREAKY Damn, my gender curses me 😛

empathy my friend, empathy.

 

[DrPain]

I had the exact same experience at Vanderbilt. At the beginning, he asked me about my experiences at Cornell, then went off about how his son is a graduate student there. That was basically the extend of my talking. Any time he'd ask me a question after that (which was approximately 4 times) he would cut me off and start on another 20 minute rant. The best was when he asked me what I do in my spare time, and when I got to reading and mentioned the author Michael Palmer, he talked about how he knew him and a million other authors from Harvard. I haven't nodded my head so much in a 1-hour span in my life. Meanwhile, I emailed him a thank you note and he responded the same day saying how much he enjoyed meeting me and hoped to see me again soon...guess that kind of interview is a good sign.

would you mind PMing me his name. I have an interview there soon.

Thanks.

 

[CoffeeFreak]

I'll have plenty of opportunity to cry when I have to reapply next year.

 

[MadameLULU]

I saw you at the interview! I wish we could have talked to each other 🙁 Anyway both my interviews at ut houston were awesome, but my first interview was quite noteworthy. The doctor was phenomenal and she was so touched by my personal statement, my life and all the things I've done that by the end of the interview she started crying and then I started crying and then we started hugging. It was beautiful. She then gave me her contact information and told me that she would want nothing more than to see me at her school. Whether I go to ut houston or not I am definitely going to keep in touch with her!

I think I had the lady you're talking about when I interviewed last year. Was she an ER doc?

 

[Psycho Doctor]

empathy my friend, empathy.

👍

 

[funshine]

I had the exact same experience at Vanderbilt. At the beginning, he asked me about my experiences at Cornell, then went off about how his son is a graduate student there. That was basically the extend of my talking. Any time he'd ask me a question after that (which was approximately 4 times) he would cut me off and start on another 20 minute rant. The best was when he asked me what I do in my spare time, and when I got to reading and mentioned the author Michael Palmer, he talked about how he knew him and a million other authors from Harvard. I haven't nodded my head so much in a 1-hour span in my life. Meanwhile, I emailed him a thank you note and he responded the same day saying how much he enjoyed meeting me and hoped to see me again soon...guess that kind of interview is a good sign.

Yes, I've noticed the interviews that went well for me were the ones where the interviewer did most of the talking. I don't mind because I enjoy listening rather than talking anyway. However, I've also noticed that the interviews that go badly for me are the ones where the interviewer really grills me and there are sometimes long awkward silences. I don't even think I really answer BADLY at these interviews, it's just that the interviewer has decided not to like me. I wonder if this means I have no control over a good interview vs. a bad one.

 

[LadyJubilee8_18]

I saw you at the interview! I wish we could have talked to each other 🙁 Anyway both my interviews at ut houston were awesome, but my first interview was quite noteworthy. The doctor was phenomenal and she was so touched by my personal statement, my life and all the things I've done that by the end of the interview she started crying and then I started crying and then we started hugging. It was beautiful. She then gave me her contact information and told me that she would want nothing more than to see me at her school. Whether I go to ut houston or not I am definitely going to keep in touch with her!

Wow, I had no idea you were there. How did you know it was me? I think I also interviewed with the same woman, she was an ER doc but trained in Peds. I think she went to school at UTMB.

 

[MadameLULU]

Wow, I had no idea you were there. How did you know it was me? I think I also interviewed with the same woman, she was an ER doc but trained in Peds. I think she went to school at UTMB.

I think we're talking about the same lady. I believe her name is Robin, right?

 

[prettygirl1908]

yea her name was robin 🙂

 

[Monette]

wow, if you don't mind me asking what about your life experiences did you interviewer cry about? I guess that's a good thing that you felt so connected.

on one of my interviews last year, my interviewer asked me questions about my PS; it was very personal and very traumatic to me. erhaps my voice was shaky when i responded and talked about it. My interviewer started crying which made me lose the composure which i was struggling to keep. When I left she put her arm around me and said "you'll be ok". It made me feel really uncomfortable.

Haha, I'm actually surprised you'd say it made you really uncomfortable given the following line from your sig:

Never hug tomorrow someone you could hug today. 😍

😉

Cheers,
Monette

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Haha, I'm actually surprised you'd say it made you really uncomfortable given the following line from your sig:

Never hug tomorrow someone you could hug today. 😍

😉

Cheers,
Monette

Big differece:
mine wasn't a hug; that's not what i meant made me feel uncomfortable and this was an interview.

 

[Hoberto]

If my interviewer hugged me I'd probably overreact and clock him.

 

[BooMed]

Maybe they were waiting to see if you'd take control of the interview or testing your listening skills 🙂

I have the feeling that interviewers, just like most everybody else, simply love to talk about themselves!

 

[LadyJubilee8_18]

If my interviewer hugged me I'd probably overreact and clock him.

that would be a great way to get into your choice school.