Briefly describe yourself...

[psych for path]

Hey all-

One of my apps has a "briefly describe yourself not related to academics" question. What do you guys think?

With no word limit, how brief is briefly? And, when they say "interests, activities, and hobbies" are they really asking me? Or is that a trick question where I should really just relate everything back to psychology?

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[DrivenDoctoress]

Not sure that mine is the right answer, but....

I take those questions at face value and answer genuinely without relating it back to the position or psychology. I try to remember to be "refreshing"-- they are going to see so many people using every last scrap of opportunity to tell them exactly why they are a perfect fit for their site, blah blah blah. If you can take a moment to just be an interesting and straight forward human being I think they appreciate it.

That said, I do make sure that my examples/stories exemplify qualities that I think they'll value... humor, flexibility, hardiness, etc.

Good Luck!!!

 

[Doctor Eliza]

I think it is basically a face value question, but you can still use it to your advantage. I would want to be thoughtful about personal attributes that I want to emphasize. What personal qualities would make a good psychologist?

A few things off the top of my head...

1. Likable and a "people person." When i got this question on interviews, i often spoke about how I had many important friendships throughout the country and it was important to me to travel and maintain those connections.

2. Socially aware. A great opportunity to mention non-psych volunteer and charity work. (Just keep it non-controversial.)

3. Culturally aware. Perhaps discussing travel abroad.

4. Good at self-care. You could mention exercise and all that crap. 😉

5. A life-long learner, curious. You could mention any interests such as reading or learning about history.


Dr. E

 

[bmedclinic]

I would take this at face value.
I think they want to know who you are, not who you want them to think you are, professionally.
They dont want to let in some person they're going to hate (or the cohort will hate) a few years down the line (assuming this is for grad school, not internship?)
I'd tell them how I love coffee and am a rabid college football fan. How I enjoy the outdoors and connecting with people, but also about my phiolosophy of balance in life.

I might leave off the rabid college football fan part but if you go interview, they're going to ask these questions anyways. I think they just want to see that you're a real person before inviting you.

 

[KillerDiller]

(assuming this is for grad school, not internship?)

While we're on the topic, how would people suggest we handle this question at the opposite end of training? I'm betting it will come up in postdoc interviews over the next few months, and it definitely came up on internship interviews. It was one of my least favorite iquestions because there weren't many clues as to what type of answer people were looking for.

So far, this is what I've come up with:

"Tell me about yourself."
"Sigh."

No good?

 

[Pragma]

While we're on the topic, how would people suggest we handle this question at the opposite end of training? I'm betting it will come up in postdoc interviews over the next few months, and it definitely came up on internship interviews. It was one of my least favorite iquestions because there weren't many clues as to what type of answer people were looking for.

So far, this is what I've come up with:

"Tell me about yourself."
"Sigh."

No good?

I think it is just a good icebreaker. It's interesting to see what people say first and gives them an opportunity to show a little bit of their personality. I wouldn't overthink it, just be yourself (especially for postdoc). Depending on what kind of postdoc it is, I am sure they just want to see if you would be nice to spend time with and are motivated enough to work hard.