ESL/immigrant and interview

[longhorn09]

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Hi you all, I am wonder if the fact of being an ESL/ new immigrant will justify to be less talkative during an med school interview in the eyes of the adcoms?

 

[nick_carraway]

Don't do it! Chat your brain out! Be charming and fun.

My interviewer kept talking about random things and it took me 5-7 min to realize that I should interrupt at some point. I attribute it to deference from being Asian and I think my hesitation really killed the interview.

I talked to my fellow applicants more than I talked to my interviewer, which is usually not a good sign.

 

[witness23]

?


relax dawg, interviews are actually pretty chill. people in real life aren't as obsessive or intense as SDN kids. you will talk to other applicants about movies, the city, go to happy hour, etc. after the welcome speech, its all normal.

if you are concise in your answers, it won't be a problem. sometimes saying too much can hurt you. however, I do hope that you do not undersell yourself on any given opportunity.

interviews are a chance to talk to experienced MDs and PhDs in the academic field. approach a conversation with an interesting in learning something new, and you will feel more than comfortable. if you have really enjoyed your activities in college, it will show through.

good luck. don't worry about it yet. make your secondaries perfect.

 

[hewmanoid]

A med school interview is an opportunity for an admission committee to evaluate how an applicant thinks and would interact with people (more specifically, patients), and also get a glimpse of the applicant's character. I don't think being talkative is always a good thing because I believe the quality of your talk (like your reasoning, insight) is more important than the quantity. But, you still have to demonstrate decent communiaction skills because that's a pivotal quality in a physician, sort of a people's person🙂.

Usually, applicants don't have the problem of being not talkative during interviews because many times interviewers will bombard them with questions or sometimes they'd rather talk about their life stories than the applicants'. But, in most cases, your interviewers will guide you through their questions and try their best to make the whole interview process as pleasant and meaningful as possible.

You may not be fully fluent in English, but don't let it stop you. What matters during an interview is that you are open and can express your thoughts clearly and articulately, not your pronunciation or imperfect choice of words due to your immigration background. So, don't be pressured to be someone whom you are not. Just try to have a fun, genuine, meaningful conversation with your interviewers. Good luck.

 

[longhorn09]

Thank you for all of your advices =]

 

[leonc]

I was born and raised in Taiwan and I moved to Texas when I was 16. I still have very strong accent when I speak English. However, I would say I did pretty well on my interviews. Even though English is not your first language, you can still do well and show confidence during interviews. You just need to prepare alot and know basically most of the answers in your head. It is tough but if I can do it, you can do it, too. Good luck on your interviews.

 

[ThaliaNox]

I would think that being quiet during your interviews is exactly what an ESL applicant SHOULDN'T do! They know that english isn't your first language from your application and they probably are looking for proof that you can effectively communicate. After all, having english as a second language will not fly as an excuse for being less talkative during patient interviews later on!

 

[longhorn09]

I was born and raised in Taiwan and I moved to Texas when I was 16. I still have very strong accent when I speak English. However, I would say I did pretty well on my interviews. Even though English is not your first language, you can still do well and show confidence during interviews. You just need to prepare alot and know basically most of the answers in your head. It is tough but if I can do it, you can do it, too. Good luck on your interviews.

Hi there! I am from HongKong and I moved to Texas when I was 19 =] Seems like we have very similar backgroud!

ps. my mandarin is kinda...crappy lol.

 

[leonc]

I also went to UT Austin for my undergrad. Maybe I have seen you around campus. Moving to the states when you are 19? I bet many people are in awe of your accomplishment since you had to master a new language and adjust a different culture while maintaining a very competitive GPA.

 

[nick_carraway]

I also went to UT Austin for my undergrad. Maybe I have seen you around campus. Moving to the states when you are 19? I bet many people are in awe of your accomplishment since you had to master a new language and adjust a different culture while maintaining a very competitive GPA.

After reading this post, I just had to look at the OP's MDapp.

"A very competitive GPA" is probably the greatest understatement ever. You're a monster, OP! An effing monster!

 

[leonc]

My bad. "Very competitive" does sound like an understatement for his GPA. I meant to say it is very competitive even for the top-tier med schools. However, I think I'm more impressed by OP's MCAT. How did you manage to get a 40 on your MCAT, longhorn09?

 

[nick_carraway]

My bad. "Very competitive" does sound like an understatement for his GPA. I meant to say it is very competitive even for the top-tier med schools. However, I think I'm more impressed by OP's MCAT. How did you manage to get a 40 on your MCAT, longhorn09?

Seriously. Can we assume that the OP took high level English in HK and didn't have that keeping him from an insane score?

 

[longhorn09]

My bad. "Very competitive" does sound like an understatement for his GPA. I meant to say it is very competitive even for the top-tier med schools. However, I think I'm more impressed by OP's MCAT. How did you manage to get a 40 on your MCAT, longhorn09?

It's a bit of luck actually. The highest VR score I got in my practice test was 9, and the highest science combo I got was 14/15 in the practice. The highest practice score I got was 38 (15/14/9), and it was like a day or two before the real test. I was so happy when I knew I got a 10 in VR... cause I know a single digit in any part of the MCAT will raise a red flag to med school.

 

[nick_carraway]

It's a bit of luck actually. The highest VR score I got in my practice test was 9, and the highest science combo I got was 14/15 in the practice. The highest practice score I got was 38 (15/14/9), and it was like a day or two before the real test. I was so happy when I knew I got a 10 in VR... cause I know a single digit in any part of the MCAT will raise a red flag to med school.

Luck?! #!@&#*! There was no luck with practice scores that high! Fantastic job!

I take back my advice too. You can just sit there and smile and you'll still be admitted 🙂