First Interview: AE

[dynamite]

Hey guys,

Finally!!!! I'm soooo stoked. I got an interview offer to Albert Einstein yesterday. Woohooo!! Anyway, do you guys have any suggestions at all? You know: place to stay, what to wear, interview questions, AE specifics I can ask them, etc. This is my first interview and while its exhilerating to hear from them, I'm also at a lost as to what to do next. I mean, I have only been on an airplane once in my life, and it was when I was 5 to come to the US. Trust me, I truly need some advice on the whole interview process. Anything you guys can offer to a clueless colleague, albeit an excited one, would be much appreciated. Thanks so much everyone.

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[choker]

congrats on the interview. mind sharing when your application was complete there?

 

[alice]

congrats on the interview...

i would call up right away and ask the people in the office of admissions what to do. they are the nicest people on earth. i am sure you could stay with a student - which might be a good option because unless you have a reason to be downtown the night before, getting to AE the first time might be a hassle worth avoiding.

the students, faculty and everyone else at einstein are really nice. there is a real feeling of community there. about four people asked if they could help me find my way around (look on interviewfeedback.com because you'll see you bring a sealed envelope to the interview and other unconventional things).

have fun, and be relaxed. the people there are nice and won't be trying to trip you up.

 

[SMW]

CONGRATS, dynamite!!

Here's my advice, for what it's worth, based on my one interview trip thus far (I have, however, flown on a regular basis since birth):

1) Make your airline reservations right away. The sooner they're made, the better fare you'll get.
Check orbitz.com for good deals. If at all possible, fly in the day before your interview so you can get the lay of the land ahead of time and be able to find the admissions office and be on time. This way you'll be more relaxed and also get more of a chance to talk with students, see parts of the school that may not be on the tour, maybe sit in on a class, and get a good night's sleep before the interview.

2) Definitely arrange to stay with a student if they offer you that option. Saves money and lets you meet students and get information that you wouldn't otherwise. Plus they generally help you get to the admissions office, which can be a lifesaver for the directions-impaired ( :wink: that would be me!)

3) Go to interviewfeedback.com to find out what your interview will be like.

4) Make sure you're knowledgeable about the health care system and ethical issues. For the latter check out <a href="http://eduserv.hscer.washington.edu/bioethics/topics/index.html" target="_blank">University of Washington's awesome bioethics site.</a>

5) Prepare answers to common questions and practice them, either in a mock interview or in front of a mirror. A good site for how to go about this preparation is <a href="http://essayedge.com/medical/admissions/interview.shtml" target="_blank">at Essay Edge's medical interview page.</a>

6) Check out these old SDN threads on
<a href="http://www.studentdoctor.net/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=003471" target="_blank">last minute interview checklist</a> and <a href="http://www.studentdoctor.net/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=004382&p=" target="_blank">tips for the ladies</a> (especially the advice from punkin2 and spacecadet on the latter thread).

7) Never check your interview attire. Well, do check it for food stains, unbuttoned buttons, runs in nylons, etc. but do not check it as baggage on an airline!! :wink: I find a garment bag to be the best way to carry my suit, and most everything else fits as well.

8) Check out the school's website for their mission statement and travel tips on getting to the school from the airport.

9) If you've applied to other New York or nearby schools, you might want to call them and ask them if they are considering giving you an interview, whether they would allow you to schedule it the day before or after your AE interview. I did this, and 1 out of several schools I called was able to accomodate me.

Best of luck!! Enjoy New York!!! I was very nervous about traveling there, but had a wonderful time.

 

[altaskier]

congrats on the interview. I interviewed at Einstein in early november and haven't heard anything yet. Here is the problem with Einstein, if you don't stay with a student, then you have to stay in Manhattan b/c there are no places around it to really stay at. I actually stayed in manhattan with a friend and it took me about an hour and 20 minutes to make the trip to Einstein. It's really easy to get there, public transportation is great. Look on interviewfeedback.com, I wrote a review and wrote exactly how to get there from manhattan. As for the interview, you are interview by one faculty. I had a child psychiatrist interview me. She did not ask me one question about my clinical work or about my research. The whole interview was about me, my childhood and my family. By far the weirdest interview I've had. I know a lot of psychiatrist interview there so be preparted to talk about your family, etc in depth. It is a pretty short interview day. It's from 10am to about 2pm or so. Some people interview in the morning and then eat lunch and some interview after lunch. You can't choose though, they choose for you. The area around the school is okay. The students were really nice and so was the staff. Cool staff! The facilities were okay, nothing new or anything, but I don't care or mind anyway. The lecture hall was pretty huge, b/c they have a class of 200 or 250 or so. They interview a lot of people. Just be yourself. Email me if you got any questions.


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Hope this helps

 

[dynamite]

Gee, thanks everyone!!

choker, i received a complete app postcard on Nov. 7. So it took about a month.

alice, thanks so much. i think i will definitely stay with a student.

SMW, you are one thorough, thoughtful, and ever so helpful SDNer!! Thanks so much for all the websites, i never would have thought about that. And i checked today about airplane ticket. It was $238 roundtrip. Is that a good deal? anyway, i haven't checked online yet, but will do so today. "Never check interview attire?" What do you mean? Don't look in the mirror? Also, I'm gonna try to contact the other schools to see if I can interview all at once. Do you suggest I call, or email? I kind of don't want to reveal that I have only one interview in the area. It would be easier to do so if I email, rather than call. What do you suggest?

altaskier, a psychiatrist? are you serious? damn. i'm gonna be mentally probed and violated? geez. i'm sooooo nervous!!!! and yes, as the interview grow nearer, i may very well take you up on your offer of email communication. i'm sure i'll have more questions soon.

 

[SMW]

Originally posted by dynamite:
• And i checked today about airplane ticket. It was $238 roundtrip. Is that a good deal? anyway, i haven't checked online yet, but will do so today. "Never check interview attire?" What do you mean? Don't look in the mirror? Also, I'm gonna try to contact the other schools to see if I can interview all at once. Do you suggest I call, or email? I kind of don't want to reveal that I have only one interview in the area. It would be easier to do so if I email, rather than call. What do you suggest?•••

I just edited my post above about checking interview attire just as you were posting! Please do look in the mirror! And check your teeth too, especially if your interview's right after breakfast or lunch!!

$238 sounds pretty good to me, but I'm not a good person to ask, because we Alaskans are kind of held hostage by the airlines -- I had to pay over $500!!

I suggest calling the schools. They won't give you an answer right away, at least they didn't me. They just said they'd make a "note to my file," and then later one school called me back to say yes. (I then had to change my airline ticket, which luckily and uncharacteristically got me a better deal -- I was going to have to pay $700, be glad you don't live here -- as they'd just announced a sale. No money back, but a credit, which somehow I think I will have occasion to use ). I guess, thinking about it, you could probably accomplish the same thing with an e-mail. But I kind of liked talking to a real live person, and not being dependant on how long it takes the staff to deal with incoming e-mails.

 

[dynamite]

over $500? are you kidding me? and i thought i would be paying a lot since i'm in CA and as far away from NY as possible. that is, within the continental US

that price sounds ridiculous to me. i thought prices were going down as of recent. somehow, i think you'll be going broke this year SMW (but in a very positive and rewarding way

 

[SMW]

Originally posted by dynamite:
• i thought prices were going down as of recent. •••

Nope, fewer people are flying, the airlines are going broke, and they want to share the pain. I've heard that Southwest is the one airline that's doing well, and they always tend to have cheap fares. Have you checked them out? (Not an option for we Alaskans ).

 

[Dr. Kermit]

Congrats on your interview. I had mine in October and it was very laid back. Try Jetblue. They fly from Cali to NY for really cheap, maybe &lt;$200 a flight. Carry your suit on board, try to stay with a student, if not stay in Manhattan and take the express bus.