Bad Committee Interview

[Emily Callaway]

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I go to University of Arkansas and had a very bad committee interview in my opinion. I just want to get in the Arkansas, but I am worried this will really hurt my chances. Besides that I think I have a good application. 30 MCAT, 3.97 overall GPA, and 4.0 science, summer research internship, volunteer, and other good EC's. Do you think the committee would give me a bad score just because of a bad interview. Also, do you think that bad score would have a great affect on my chances at Arkansas? I have an interview there Nov. 1 because in state applicants get a free interview.

 

[Dr. Retractor]

How bad was it? Did you present yourself badly? If so, a bad committee letter can really screw you. If you really think it's bad maybe you should schedule an appointment with the committee head and talk to him/her about how you don't think you gave an accurate impression of yourself as a person and want another chance to do better.

 

[Emily Callaway]

How bad was it? Did you present yourself badly? If so, a bad committee letter can really screw you. If you really think it's bad maybe you should schedule an appointment with the committee head and talk to him/her about how you don't think you gave an accurate impression of yourself as a person and want another chance to do better.

I presented myself very well the first half of it. Then I made a huge mistake talking about the war on vaccines because I was very nervous. I accidentally said Down's syndrome instead of autism. It was humiliating but after that I still remained as calm as possible and answered all their other questions.

 

[ColorfulBlue]

The committee at your university is on your side. They will place emphasis on your good traits rather than on your mistakes and nervousness (which is expected in an interview). Remember, you are representing their school and they will not want to make you look bad. If it was really bad, you will probably be asked to do it over.

 

[Goro]

Yes.
Do you think the committee would give me a bad score just because of a bad interview.

Yes.
Also, do you think that bad score would have a great affect on my chances at Arkansas? I have an interview there Nov. 1 because in state applicants get a free interview.

 

[snowflakes]

I presented myself very well the first half of it. Then I made a huge mistake talking about the war on vaccines because I was very nervous. I accidentally said Down's syndrome instead of autism. It was humiliating but after that I still remained as calm as possible and answered all their other questions.

Honestly, it's probably not a big deal. They'll probably just chalk it up to nerves. This doesn't really sound that bad to me.

 

[nm825]

Yes.
Do you think the committee would give me a bad score just because of a bad interview.

Yes.
Also, do you think that bad score would have a great affect on my chances at Arkansas? I have an interview there Nov. 1 because in state applicants get a free interview.

How often do you see a bad committee letter? I know you've said in the past that you see a bad letter maybe once a cycle, but does that include committee letters?

 

[mysdnhandle]

No you're fine.

Actually you're not.

I don't know and nobody here knows how you did unless they were on that committee? What do you want to know? A good interview usually is a good thing and a bad interview is usually a bad thing, I don't know what you are seeking. Interviews are done for a reason and can make or break and applicant.

 

[G_Marker]

.

 

[Goro]

More common that the individual bad LOR. I can't give numbers, but they happen.

How often do you see a bad committee letter? I know you've said in the past that you see a bad letter maybe once a cycle, but does that include committee letters?

Some schools are very vested in their applicant's success and will highly endorse them no matter how bad they are. Others have more integrity and will be honest in an applicant's assessment.

I just thought that the committee letter was only positive. I can't imagine my school writing a negative one. It wouldn't help med school acceptance rate statistics any. So why write a bad letter?

 

[GFP]

If the only reason that you think the committee interview went badly was because of your Down syndrome comment, then I think you are overreacting. You are fine. Everyone get's nervous during interviews and can make a minor mistake, but hopefully you weren't overtly nervous to the point of trembling, stuttering, and other extreme characteristics.

You'll be fine. Practice your interview skills a bit before your big interview day.

Good luck.

 

[MelloTangelo]

Oh, hey! I don't see many people from the UoA around here. I also attended there and went through the interview process last year. Granted, I didn't get in to UAMS (was waitlisted), but I'm pretty sure that had to do with my lackluster MCAT score (I wasn't planning on applying, but the head of the premed committee thought I should give it a shot).

Anyway, if you think you did well overall but only stumbled here and there, you might be alright. As others have said, it's hard to tell. Did you manage to correct yourself during the interview, or did you just realize you had slipped up later? I know during my PMAC interview, I was talking about abortion laws, and repeatedly spoke about a 5 week limit as opposed to a 5 month limit. I can't remember the exact context, but I did manage to correct myself when they questioned me. It was definitely embarrassing, but the rest of the interview went smoothly and they seemed happy enough with me.

I do know that some of the interviewers are a little...well, people prefer to interview with them less than others, and it might be because of how tough they are. I'm not for sure, but if you ever wanted to discuss that, feel free to shoot me a PM. Good luck, and don't stress! What's done is done! Your stats are good, otherwise--you just gotta' rock that UAMS interview!

 

[gettheleadout]

I presented myself very well the first half of it. Then I made a huge mistake talking about the war on vaccines because I was very nervous. I accidentally said Down's syndrome instead of autism. It was humiliating but after that I still remained as calm as possible and answered all their other questions.

This sounds extremely minor, especially if you corrected yourself. Even if you didn't, big deal. Misspeaking isn't a mortal sin. Your premed committee would be dumb to lower your eval rating for this alone.