english and interview

[keibee82]

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hey I just applied for this years cycle but I am terrible
with interviews. reason is that english is my second language
and its so hard to say what I really want to say when
unexpected questions are asked and even for the questions I
prepared for, I always had problems on the interview. Did this
happen to anyone else whose english is second language or is
it just me. If you are and have tips on dental school interview
please help me out.

 

[RockstarDMD]

hey I just applied for this years cycle but I am terrible
with interviews. reason is that english is my second language
and its so hard to say what I really want to say when
unexpected questions are asked and even for the questions I
prepared for, I always had problems on the interview. Did this
happen to anyone else whose english is second language or is
it just me. If you are and have tips on dental school interview
please help me out.

What is your first language?

 

[INFNITE]

just go in there with a positive attitude and go over every possible topic that may be raised during the interview. Relax and be yourself. If you can't handle oral communication during an interview, how are you expected to deal with patients when you're in the clinics? Most interviewers are not there to stump you with difficult to answer questions, but they're there to learn about your personality and your desire to become a dentist. Good luck!

 

[keibee82]

What is your first language?

korean...

 

[keibee82]

just go in there with a positive attitude and go over every possible topic that may be raised during the interview. Relax and be yourself. If you can't handle oral communication during an interview, how are you expected to deal with patients when you're in the clinics? Most interviewers are not there to stump you with difficult to answer questions, but they're there to learn about your personality and your desire to become a dentist. Good luck!

i had no problem talking to patients when I was working in the clinic.
its just an interview. i get so nervous!!! damn...
how many questions do they usually ask?

 

[INFNITE]

in many cases, the interview would consist of a few major questions (those typical questions like why do you want to become a dentist. Tell me about your dental experience etc) and then have followups to each question. Those types of interviews don't even feel like a real interview, but more like a normal easy-going conversation. I would say these types of interviews can have maybe 6 to 8 major questions that the interview is structured around.

Other types of interviews are more structured and more like a question-answer session. I don't normally like those because they can get a bit awkward..especially if the interviewer is a senile old man. These interviews can have lets say up to 20 questions, and are generally very structured. A typical interview lasts anywhere from 20 minutes up to an hour, but 30 minutes to 40 minutes is the typical.

My advice to you is: tackle the questions, and make sure you finish your answer strong (make a summary statement for ex to get your main point across). When you have a weak finish to your answer, the interviewer may think you have more to say, which leaves an awkward moment of silence. Those are not good. Go in there with confidence, and relax. Answer questions clearly and concisely, and you'll do fine.
Good luck

 

[heyamandi]

i think you just need to practice being in the interview situation. ask your pre health advisor or a friend who has already been through the interview process to sit down with you like its the real deal, and ask them to make sure they cover a wide range of topics. i would check out the interview feedback pages on this site to get familiar with all the different types of questions you could be asked.

 

[tinman831]

i had no problem talking to patients when I was working in the clinic.
its just an interview. i get so nervous!!! damn...
how many questions do they usually ask?

If you are fine talking to patients in the dental office, but you freak out during an interview... it seems more like the nerves are getting to you more than your english speaking skills. I agree with heyamandi, in that you should go do practice interviews with your pre-health department, career center, or even just friends. Hopefully you'll get better at answering those dental interview type questions on the spot. 🙂

 

[Gulch]

If you are fine talking to patients in the dental office, but you freak out during an interview... it seems more like the nerves are getting to you more than your english speaking skills. I agree with heyamandi, in that you should go do practice interviews with your pre-health department, career center, or even just friends. Hopefully you'll get better at answering those dental interview type questions on the spot. 🙂

I agree with tinman. If you can relax, it sounds like you will be just fine. Lots of english practice will help you feel more confident when the interview day comes. It might be a good idea to practice more than just the mock interview with your pre-health advisor. Practice writing essays about issues in dentistry and have your friends edit them. Then discuss them. You will do great. Good luck.

 

[keibee82]

thanks for all replies!!! i'll try to keep those in mind and
practice alot.

 

[Uracil]

Yes, practice and practice...and just be confident 😉

 

[hockeydentist]

If you are fine talking to patients in the dental office, but you freak out during an interview... it seems more like the nerves are getting to you more than your english speaking skills. I agree with heyamandi, in that you should go do practice interviews with your pre-health department, career center, or even just friends. Hopefully you'll get better at answering those dental interview type questions on the spot. 🙂

Most interviews are relaxed in that schools just want to know who is behind the application. If you can carry on a conversation, you should have no problem in an interview. I would go into an interview with an idea of what you want to say, but don't go into an interview with lines pre planned. Most interviewers will be able to sniff out a preplanned speech. Having a robot speech spew out of your mouth just makes you look fake.

hd

 

[Gulch]

Yes, practice and practice...and just be confident 😉

Hey, I love your sig!!

 

[Uracil]

Hey, I love your sig!!

lol thanks..I think I like it too 😛