Being "well read" for interviews?

[bozz]

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Recently, I was talking to someone who is involved in the medical school admissions process. He said that it was extremely important to be well read. He didn't really elaborate. But was was he getting at?

Knowing a lot about the healthcare system? how the medical profession is doing currently?

 

[Ashers]

Granted, I'm not on the admissions committee at my school, but I've got a general idea of questions I'd ask at interviews.

I'd assume it'd mean not just focusing your life totally on getting into med school. Being able to discuss a book you've recently read for fun -- that's still my favorite part of one of my med school interviews. Current events are always good to have a general knowledge about for interviews and because your time to follow them in depth during med school will drastically decrease (or the news stations just annoy you too much you don't want to follow them).

I know being "well read" isn't equivalent to being "well rounded," but I think it's close to the academic equivalent

 

[1956Goldtop]

reading books for fun.

 

[nevercold]

Recently, I was talking to someone who is involved in the medical school admissions process. He said that it was extremely important to be well read. He didn't really elaborate. But was was he getting at?

Knowing a lot about the healthcare system? how the medical profession is doing currently?

Not making a checklist for getting into medical school and confining your intellectual life to those things.

 

[bozz]

reading books for fun.

really? I mean .. he really stressed being well-read... he never explained what he meant. But he said something along the lines of: the single most important thing ... blah blah... is being well read.

 

[Ashers]

really? I mean .. he really stressed being well-read... he never explained what he meant. But he said something along the lines of: the single most important thing ... blah blah... is being well read.

In a 30min interview, I spent 10min talking about Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Even in med school, there's not a night where I don't read something from a leisure book (sometimes it's a long chapter, sometimes it's a few pages). You're going to be reading so much stuff for class, that it's nice to read something non-medical.

 

[Maxprime]

Not making a checklist for getting into medical school and confining your intellectual life to those things.

Bam!

OP, they were probably referring to reading about current issues in US healthcare and possible solutions to them. Read what you want, if you launch into the different authors' opinions on healthcare reform you'll be a big snooze. But you should have some knowledge about the current issues facing healthcare and at least have one idea of a possible fix.

That being said, a lot of people have books come up in interviews - check out the "Worst interview moments" thread. 🙂 Personally, I had one interviewer who was into the work of a scientist whose book I just read - we spent a lot of the interview talking about that scientist once we figured out we had both read the book. But I read that book as a choice (My Life Decoded for those who care) - read what you want or do what you want in your free time - don't be a sheep.

 

[dd128]

I had two interviews where the question of, "what books have you read recently?" came up. Both of the interviewers just happened to be familiar with what I mentioned and we had a chat about them for a while. One of the interviewers was my adcom where I was accepted, maybe a coincidence I don't know. Just make sure you don't lie about books you've read, if you're busy doing other things they'll be much more understanding if your honest rather than someone who just randomly pulls a title out of their head. And don't say something dumb and try to make yourself something your not, "I really enjoyed for whom the bell tolls." for example. Unless of course this is true 🙄

 

[gaki]

i was asked whats the most recent book i read (which was a medical ethics book.. i didnt even remember the authors name, and im sure it was obvious i just read it to prep for interview), and what author do i admire most. I named bill watterson, from calvin and hobbes, and gave a reasonable rationale (which was true).

i think they ask you about what youve read so they can get an idea of what kind of person you are outside of academics.

i have a feeling if i said all i read were comics, but had something meaningful and sincere to say about it it would have been fine.

i honestly don't read a whole lot of novels or memoirs or whatevers.

 

[coldweatherblue]

I don't think it's possible to become truly well-read just for the sake of interviews. You can read something that you know will be useful to your interview but then when asked about it your answer may appear forced.

Rather than try to become well-read for your interview, why not read great literature because it examines thoughts, situations, and ideas that enrich your own human experience and allows you to connect and share these ideas with others?

Don't want to read because it may make you look smart. Read because you enjoy the material and genuinely have an interest in understanding literature. Have this attitude and you will naturally become well-read and won't ever worry about whether or not you are "well-read enough".

 

[KnuxNole]

I brought up that I enjoy reading manga from time to time, but i spent more time talking about the last book i read: Bringing Down The House

 

[xrevision]

My grandfather who is a dermpath still reads 4-5 hours a day... for fun. I can imagine that him saying being well read is a big thing. He believes that physicians should be well educated in everything, not just their fields.

 

[smq123]

In a 30min interview, I spent 10min talking about Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Ditto.

In a 40 minute interview, we spent 5 minutes on medical stuff.

10 minutes on Frank Lloyd Wright and American architecture, 5 minutes foreign films (Nowhere in Africa, specifically), which led to a 10 minute discussion on World War II. Then 10 minutes on Fascism in Spain.

(Nope, not making this up. It was all about stuff he had gleaned from my app - I had been reading a book on Spanish history, and had been working on a research project on Wright.)

Even in med school, there's not a night where I don't read something from a leisure book (sometimes it's a long chapter, sometimes it's a few pages). You're going to be reading so much stuff for class, that it's nice to read something non-medical.

Totally agree with this.

 

[-Goose-]

Recently, I was talking to someone who is involved in the medical school admissions process. He said that it was extremely important to be well read. He didn't really elaborate. But was was he getting at?

Knowing a lot about the healthcare system? how the medical profession is doing currently?

Yea yea yea. When I was applying, I bought books called "Healthcare Meltdown" and read things like the WSJ, NYTimes, and The Economist, and generally tried to appear "well-read."

Then, on one of my interviews, a semi-retired chairmen of cardiothoracic surgery at virginia only wanted to talk about Harry Potter. For an HOUR. I, unfortunately, had never touched a HP book. Needless to say, it was a long hour.

 

[Jolie South]

I don't think I was asked directly what books I read, but at several interviews I was asked what I do in my spare time. I mentioned reading, then was inevitably asked what I like to read. I mentioned my preference of genre and this usually brought up more questions and fairly good length discussion.

 

[dienekes88]

One of my 30 minute interviews turned into a 45 minute interview, because we spent more than half the time talking about modern art (John Berryman, Schoenberg, Shostakovich... I think Lowell, Bukowski, and Glass might've come up)...

Read a lot. Read for fun. Read cool stuff.

 

[SamusLives]

One of my interviewers brought up current healthcare issues (stuff in the news). We spoke 5-10 minutes on that. Others asked about recent books I read (not for school). I talked about Lord of the Rings, Vampire Chronicles, etc. Interviewer had read these books, and we spoke at great length about them. You never know what may come up during interviews; I had one interviewer who grew up in my area, and we talked about that. All in all, its just a friendly conversation.🙂

 

[carwreck]

I agree with other posters here who have said that it's important to read about things outside of medicine. Most of my interviewers asked me about topics outside of medicine (I'm assuming to see if I had a life), and one specifically asked me what the most recent, non-medical/science book I had read was.

Just know what's going on in the world. I was interviewing during the great Writer's Strike of 07 🙂laugh🙂, and in one interview, I spent 20 minutes out of a 30 minute interview talking about its effect on SNL, SNL's current writing staff and its politics, what years SNL was better, and whether or not SNL would come back stronger because of the strike. It was weird but cool at the same time.

In another, I talked to the dean of a med school for 10 minutes about Quentin Tarantino and Pulp Fiction. Turns out it was his wife's favorite movie (mine as well), and we were debating its merits.

All in all, just figure out what you're interested in outside of science/medicine and be able to talk about it. It makes the interview that much more fun and relaxing when you can talk about real stuff.

 

[pride4jc727]

I never got a question like this at my interviews. However, questions along the lines of issues in healthcare assumes or even requires that you have read about and thought about these issues.

 

[medsrchr]

For my California interviews, they asked me what I liked to do for fun. I mentioned reading and they asked me what books. I listed books that I enjoyed, the common theme in them, and gave a brief sketch of one of them. I would argue against listing medical ethics or health care books because I think they want to see that you're a well rounded person. Instead, the books you choose reflect who you are because you may very well relate to the protagonist or can show empathy with the characters.

 

[ORTHO4ME]

i always thought being well read was basically...well read. knowing about cathy and heathcliffs love woes, ms havishams change of heart and sudden internal combustion (up for debate, i thought it was the candle myself), and knowing where waldo is at all times..

 

[nu2004]

I never got a question like this at my interviews. However, questions along the lines of issues in healthcare assumes or even requires that you have read about and thought about these issues.

+1

 

[87138]

One of my interviewers asked what the last book I read was. At another interview with a school that is notorious for asking healthcare/healthcare policy questions, I went in very prepared after having read a few books in the preceding weeks about healthcare and such. Perusing topics on SDN helped as well. Each answer of mine was met with a smile as it became obvious to them that I at least had a vested interest in healthcare beyond the desire to wear scrubs and play with a stethoscope. Three weeks later I received an acceptance letter and a very nice email from one of my interviewers at that school.

 

[arwilli3]

I was asked during an interview who my favorite author was and what types of books I like to read for fun (Steinbeck and Science Fiction respectively......when I get the time..........<-- makes me sound like a huge nerd).

 

[ORTHO4ME]

when i was asked what i like to do, i also repiled that i read books in my free time, in addition to mentioning other things. of course, my interviewer asked what type of books/novels i read, and i replied "anything that oprah suggests"...my interviewer had a good laugh at that one.

 

[jetxiu]

reading books for fun.

😀😀😀😀

 

[Myuu]

when i was asked what i like to do, i also repiled that i read books in my free time, in addition to mentioning other things. of course, my interviewer asked what type of books/novels i read, and i replied "anything that oprah suggests"...my interviewer had a good laugh at that one.

Hahaha. Man. And now all those books will be scarred for life with an "Oprah's Book Club" logo imprinted on the cover. :/

Well, I suppose she _did_ get people to read Tolstoy...

 

[cardboardearrin]

I'm definitely glad that I read a lot. It definitely sparked interesting conversation in my interviews.

 

[SStorm]

I've had all sorts of conversations in my interviews. Some about books that I've read, movies, sports, chess, the state of the healthcare system, the presidential race, etc. etc. etc. I think it's a good idea to have a broad range of knowledge coming into any interview.

 

[nevercold]

One important thing to remember about reading, however, is that it is really just listening to one person talk for a long, long time. Be sure it's a voice and message worth hearing!

 

[SageFrancis]

When interviewing at RFU, I mentioned my favorite author was Ray Bradbury. Turns out he grew up about 10 minutes away from RFU's campus!