Confused about interviews...

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tatabox80

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Hi there,
Just wondering, what should I think about for my interviews? I 've heard that some people were mostly asked about themselves and things noted on their personal statement. Others have been drilled about their research and ethical questions. I've looked at some of the interview questions from the schools I'm applying to and they have varied in difficulty. What do you guys think is the best way to prepare?
 
this might sound kind of weird, but the best way to prepare i think is not to overprepare. I mean, its good to read interview feedback and the websites just to get a sense since you'd like to know a little about the format and the school before you get there, but its really more so about just knowing your application. Read up on some the bioethics and such if you REALLY want to, but even if you get asked some really difficult ethical question, they're mainly looking for how you handle yourself, not what you answer.

I have this funny feeling that if you rail off a lot of "canned" answers, an interviewer would be more inclined to badger you with "hard" questions since he or she is sniffing out your lack of sincerity, but thats just my thought. Just be yourself, know your past but dont rehearse answers excessively, and pretty much of all of mine have turned into casual discourse more than anything. you have the numbers to be competitive at the school, now its time to show them your personality 😀
 
Well said DarkWing:

I couldn't agree more. At Tufts, my interviewer blatantly said, "now let's get on to some questions you don't have answers prepared for..." or something along those lines.

Just be comfortable with your mindset and know why you want to go there.

BEST,
Sham
 
The key is giving a partially canned (not vacuum sealed) answer without looking like it is one. 🙂
 
the key to interviewing is to be yourself if you feel like you are trying to be someone else then you are not prepared. Yes you should know why you are going into medicine and what you have done and why but most schools are trying to see what kind of person you are. I have interviewed people and i was easily able to see what answered were prepared and which ones werent. Then there are those interviewers who are just strange and there really is no way to preparefor them. But just be yourself and relax and if you are a good person youll be fine
 
I heartily agree with DW. Just roll with the punches, but know yourself and your motivations and your application well enough to speak clearly and with confidence. The one thing to avoid is confusing your interviewer. I did that once, where my answer was really muddled and he thought I was saying something completely different. But I think the rest of the interview went pretty well.

Just out of curiosity, do any of you out there ever walk out of an interview feeling like you'd nailed it? I'm sure this happens, but I always feel like I did okay but then I start thinking about one little part of the interview that could've gone better or for which I could have had a better answer. Maybe it's just my anal perfectionism having a heyday.
 
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