Bad interview. How much does the interview really count?

[yaypoker]

I have heard mixed things abotu interviews.

some say that its to make sure u arent weird or socially inept.

just got back from a cornell interview that did not go so well (i froze on a couple of questions and didnt feel like my interviewer and i were on the same page). what to do? anyway to help make it up?

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[iamgoaloriented]

I have heard mixed things abotu interviews.

some say that its to make sure u arent weird or socially inept.

just got back from a cornell interview that did not go so well (i froze on a couple of questions and didnt feel like my interviewer and i were on the same page). what to do? anyway to help make it up?

The interview is definitely an important part of the decision process, and once it is done with it I don't think there is anything more to do, but I have heard many people say that they got accepted at places they were sure they had crapy interviews (as well as rejected from places they interviewed well), so don't worry about it.

 

[nervouspremed]

I have heard mixed things abotu interviews.

some say that its to make sure u arent weird or socially inept.

just got back from a cornell interview that did not go so well (i froze on a couple of questions and didnt feel like my interviewer and i were on the same page). what to do? anyway to help make it up?

I am shadowing with a doctor, who went to Cornell Med. He said that his interview with Cornell didn't go well too, but he got in. So, you never know, good luck.

 

[Mr. Seeds]

Just got my letter from Wake today. It was my first interview and I knew it didn't go very well. I was a nervous wreck. I was expecting a waitlist, and that's exactly what I got. Oh well, live and learn. My subsequent interviews have gone much better, and the more you do the better you get. My interview today was only supposed to be 50 minutes, and it went for an hour and a half because the interviewer and I were so engrossed in our conversation about medicine and politics that we lost track of time

Anyway, don't worry about it, especially if it was your first one.

 

[mikedc813]

While the interview might not be the deciding factor, don't underestimate it's value or potential to sway the adcom's decision. There are plenty of cases where a really bad interview has meant rejection. But most people are simply nervous and the interviewers realize this. My impression is that they want to see if you can interact with another human being since being a doctor is all about patient interaction. If talking to you is like talking to a wall then I think you'd better find a different calling in life or start practicing your interviewing skills.

 

[ellia08]

I take a different view I guess. I say that all the stats are just to get you to the interview which is most important (because it can put your stats in context and tell WHY you chose to do certain things). BUT dont worry because they arent necessarily looking for how suave you are, they are hunting for someone who is passionate about what they do and has a good attitude.

A few pauses wont change anything. Its what you say that counts.


PS: Dont always take the interviewers tone as an indicator. It can be really hard for the student to correctly interpret how the interview went. Seeing how an applicant deals with conflicting opinions is the approach some interviewers take. (kind of mean but what can you do)

 

[Bubchik]

I had not so good interview at JHU, did not click with interviewer, got into an argument with him, and.... was accepted a month later. On the other hand I had a great interview at GT (2 hours), the guy was awesome and I got accepted too. So it depends. When I was in UC irvine the coordinator told us a story (i do not know if it is true or not): an applicant was interviewed by a professor who screamed at him and called his application "total BS", the interviewee rushed back to coordinator to request another interview which he got, but when the coordinator received the eval from the first interviewer it was the most positive and glowing one. So the bottom line: you never know. It is just my 0.02. Good luck,