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Anyone else find it difficult to get too excited about interviews?
- Thread starter NotSur
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Depends on the school. Some schools accept 50%+ of their interviewees (especially if you are IS), and of course some don't. Get excited though! It's an honor to be invited anywhere, and enthusiasm can only work in your favor. No school goes, "Oh wow, applicant X was a real Debbie Downer, lets accept them."
Keep the energy level up until you get that fat envelope!
Keep the energy level up until you get that fat envelope!
Do you realize only a small % even make it as far as the interview?? You've worked for this your whole life and you're finally there..yet you can't get motivated!?!?
I think you may be burning out man...just look around you and realize how far you've come and maybe you'll start to get a little more excited. You're doing great...be proud dammit!
I think you may be burning out man...just look around you and realize how far you've come and maybe you'll start to get a little more excited. You're doing great...be proud dammit!
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That's why I love caffeine. Maybe think of it as talking to a really interesting person who is employed at a place you're really interested in, but talk about yourself more than you normally would, because that's pretty much what it is it seems. My main problem is I don't know if I "sell myself" effectively because I really hate talking about myself. I think I cause other people to talk. (I know that's not necessarily how I am on here, but that's how I am in person)...
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Getting an interview is a sort of self-validation that your application is decent and your rec letter writers did not screw you over.
But the novelty of it does die away the more you get. Law of diminishing marginal returns, I guess
But the novelty of it does die away the more you get. Law of diminishing marginal returns, I guess
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I understand what you mean.
You want to get excited as this is the ultimate final step before hopefully being accepted. It's humbling to remind yourself that a large number of applicants still get the axe even after the interview but you should feel honored to receive an invite in the first place, as thousands do not.
Come interview day though, it's all positivity and smiles!
You want to get excited as this is the ultimate final step before hopefully being accepted. It's humbling to remind yourself that a large number of applicants still get the axe even after the interview but you should feel honored to receive an invite in the first place, as thousands do not.
Come interview day though, it's all positivity and smiles!
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Yeah, definitely the mental tape(CD?) I have going right now.
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Same here. I'm thinking, "That was your first interview, you'll probably be put on hold, but you could be accepted... or maybe rejected... or maybe I should just prepare for the next one... but I can't stop thinking about the last one."
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agree, an interview or 2 or 15 isnt an acceptance
that's a great attitude... you're right an interview isn't an acceptance, but shouldn't you feel glad that you were even chosen to interview somewhere? lots of people don't have the same opportunity.
i wish i had this problem! i have been really excited about my interviews, and i think that makes them even more emotionally draining than they would be otherwise. and i know i'm setting myself up for disappointment when i inevitably get rejected from somewhere(s). oh well!
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You guys are probably overthinking it if you aren't excited about interviews.
Interview excitement is really like a U-shaped curve....you get the invite (awesome, very excited), kind of dies down but when you finally get to the med school the night before, stay with host etc. your excitement should peak once again. You just ride that high into the interview and you'll be fine. If you're nervous, do a mock interview or take a nap/ play video games. Most would recommend the former, but knowing some pre-meds, the latter is far far more beneficial.
No one expects you to be excited every day between your invite and your actual interview, so don't worry about it. In my opinion, if you really want to make sure that you're excited for an interview, go get a camera, arrive at the med school the day before, and start taking pictures of the med school/undergrad/city and you'll probably start getting excited.
Regarding your initial query concerning the acceptance rate of interviewees, you are right that an interview does not guarantee an acceptance. But your chances just went up considerably, and I mean extremely, if you got an interview. Some schools accept upwards of 50%, some accept only about 10-20%, but hell, 10-20% chance at any school is still a much better chance than what you had when you were filling out your AMCAS.
If you have one interview, I can understand being nervous and perhaps not even excited because you fear that you might not make it (still though, its all relative, and your odds just went up by a lot). But if you have multiple interviews (especially anything more than 3 interviews), chances are that some school will like you and you'll get an acceptance, so you should probably relax and just make sure you appear enthused/excited during the interview and hope for the best.
You have to remember that you will only be attended one medical school, regardless of how many interviews you have. Don't expect to get into every school you interview at, but you should definitely walk in with the attitude that you're willing to prove why you're worthy of an acceptance at every school you interview at.
Expect the worst and hope for the best. If you're nervous, take a walk/hang out with friends and then do a mock interview, or read up on your research or on health care reform/ethics. Whatever you do, make it productive. That's what's most important, and when you actually are in medical school, having that attitude will do you a lot more good than worrying about the unknown and the uncontrollable.
-Dr. P.
Interview excitement is really like a U-shaped curve....you get the invite (awesome, very excited), kind of dies down but when you finally get to the med school the night before, stay with host etc. your excitement should peak once again. You just ride that high into the interview and you'll be fine. If you're nervous, do a mock interview or take a nap/ play video games. Most would recommend the former, but knowing some pre-meds, the latter is far far more beneficial.
No one expects you to be excited every day between your invite and your actual interview, so don't worry about it. In my opinion, if you really want to make sure that you're excited for an interview, go get a camera, arrive at the med school the day before, and start taking pictures of the med school/undergrad/city and you'll probably start getting excited.
Regarding your initial query concerning the acceptance rate of interviewees, you are right that an interview does not guarantee an acceptance. But your chances just went up considerably, and I mean extremely, if you got an interview. Some schools accept upwards of 50%, some accept only about 10-20%, but hell, 10-20% chance at any school is still a much better chance than what you had when you were filling out your AMCAS.
If you have one interview, I can understand being nervous and perhaps not even excited because you fear that you might not make it (still though, its all relative, and your odds just went up by a lot). But if you have multiple interviews (especially anything more than 3 interviews), chances are that some school will like you and you'll get an acceptance, so you should probably relax and just make sure you appear enthused/excited during the interview and hope for the best.
You have to remember that you will only be attended one medical school, regardless of how many interviews you have. Don't expect to get into every school you interview at, but you should definitely walk in with the attitude that you're willing to prove why you're worthy of an acceptance at every school you interview at.
Expect the worst and hope for the best. If you're nervous, take a walk/hang out with friends and then do a mock interview, or read up on your research or on health care reform/ethics. Whatever you do, make it productive. That's what's most important, and when you actually are in medical school, having that attitude will do you a lot more good than worrying about the unknown and the uncontrollable.
-Dr. P.
