Does it mean anything if an interviewer says positive things to you during an interview?

[inasaur]

Or does everyone get that? They said stuff like "you have an impressive resume" and "I hope to see you next year." This was at UVA, by the way.

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[curbsideconsult]

Depends on the type of person the interviewer is. Some people always say stuff like that and others are more stingy with their compliments. The interviewer could genuinely believe you have an impressive resume....But so does pretty much everyone who interviews at UVA. The interviewer may truly want to see you next year, but they may also want to see everyone they interview.

Take the compliments at face value and walk around with a smile on your face for a few days, but don't inject any other meaning into them and try not to stress out while you're waiting to hear back from schools. What you can mark nearly without a doubt as a win is that you had a good interview.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

No. The interviewer will give you no feedback regarding admissions or your performance during the interview, just polite supportive comments.

 

[Sunna12]

Or does everyone get that? They said stuff like "you have an impressive resume" and "I hope to see you next year." This was at UVA, by the way.

Yes, it means you have an impressive resume and he hopes to see you next year.

 

[ciestar]

It is nice to hear but keep in mind the entire committee needs to feel the same way.

 

[Goro]

Or does everyone get that? They said stuff like "you have an impressive resume" and "I hope to see you next year." This was at UVA, by the way.

We're trained to polite, and nothing more.

 

[Apothecary Aquinas]

Just to piggyback off of what has already been said here, I wouldn't read too much into it. As a personal anecdote, during my best interview last cycle the interviewer took a solid 5 minutes just to talk about how great I was before I left and I felt fantastic about it. However, I was promptly rejected not long after...

I've heard similar stories from others involving the interviewers saying things along the line of, "I look forward to having you in my class next fall" to something like, "You're a perfect fit", etc. Similarly, many also walk away feeling like the interview was awful and that the interviewer didn't like them at all, only to be accepted later on.

TL;DR - don't take anything told to you to heart until you have it in writing. (this also applies to life in general)

 

[gyngyn]

A good interviewer makes everyone feel welcome and that their voice was heard.

 

[dr_kateb]

These posts always remind me of that one guy that lived on my floor a year ago that thought every girl loved him because they made a slight amount of eye contact.

 

[Cheenghee Koh]

May I extend this question a little bit? How would I respond to this type of polite compliment during interviews? Is a smile and say "Thank you" enough? How about if I say "I am privileged to have this opportunity to do XYZ ....." or something along this line? Would this make me sound too calculating? ("Oh, this person tries to play the humble card")

 

[gyngyn]

May I extend this question a little bit? How would I respond to this type of polite compliment during interviews? Is a smile and say "Thank you" enough? How about if I say "I am privileged to have this opportunity to do XYZ ....." or something along this line? Would this make me sound too calculating? ("Oh, this person tries to play the humble card")

Just smile and thank them.

 

[Catalystik]

Does it mean anything if an interviewer says positive things to you during an interview? Or does everyone get that? They said stuff like "you have an impressive resume" and "I hope to see you next year."

The success of your application relies on far more than one person's opinion.

 

[Saifa]

No

 

[WedgeDawg]

UVA has (or at least had) a 66% acceptance rate OOS and 80%+ acceptance rate IS s/p interview, so if you interviewed there, chances are you will get an accept, and they usually give you a decision within 2 weeks.

Unless things have changed substantially from 4 years ago.

 

[inasaur]

Thanks for the responses. This whole process is making me over think everything.

UVA has (or at least had) a 66% acceptance rate OOS and 80%+ acceptance rate IS s/p interview, so if you interviewed there, chances are you will get an accept, and they usually give you a decision within 2 weeks.

Unless things have changed substantially from 4 years ago.

According to MSAR, they interviewed 133 in state, and 70 something matriculated. I don't know what that means in terms of raw acceptance numbers, though.

 

[WedgeDawg]

According to MSAR, they interviewed 133 in state, and 70 something matriculated. I don't know what that means in terms of raw acceptance numbers, though.

Hard to tell. More were accepted than matriculated. That's a 53% matriculation rate. 80% would be ~1.5x 53% which seems reasonable. I would guess that 75% at least of IS interviewed applicants are accepted which is around the same.

 

[oregonian19]

Or does everyone get that? They said stuff like "you have an impressive resume" and "I hope to see you next year." This was at UVA, by the way.

Not for medical school, but I had an experience at another school MMI where I felt like I was genuinely complimented, so it does happen.

I was the last person of the day to meet with the interviewer. I answered the question succinctly enough to leave a few minutes. The interviewer, after a few follow-up questions, actually told me, "I'm not supposed to say this, but that was probably the best answer to this question I've heard all day."

It was a Friday interview, I got my acceptance on Monday.

So, as others are saying, it may mean something, it may mean nothing. If someone wanted to genuinely compliment you, I suspect they would have been more specific.

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

Or does everyone get that? They said stuff like "you have an impressive resume" and "I hope to see you next year." This was at UVA, by the way.

DOESN’T MEAN A DAMN THING....or atleast 85% of the time. Found out the hard way

Edit: Just saw the post above me. I was strictly referring to medical school. Like many users above me have posted, med schools are unpredictable. Don’t get your hopes up like I did, until you get your acceptance in the mail. That bone crushing disappointment and heartbreak is scarring

 

[deleted895369]

I haven't interviewed for med school yet, but I was a finalist for a full-tuition scholarship at a certain university and had to interview.
Basically, I thought I had it in the bag because several members of the admission committee said that they were very impressed with me. Then I got overconfident and I was crushed when I didn't receive the scholarship. Lesson learned, don't get your hopes up until the decision is in writing.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

DOESN’T MEAN A DAMN THING....or atleast 85% of the time. Found out the hard way

Edit: Just saw the post above me. I was strictly referring to medical school. Like many users above me have posted, med schools are unpredictable. Don’t get your hopes up like I did, until you get your acceptance in the mail. That bone crushing disappointment and heartbreak is scarring

I had a med school interview today where I was genuinely complimented. But it still doesn't mean anything. Even if the interviewers loved me, that's still only two people. If the rest of the committee isn't convinced, I'm not getting in.