First interview tomorrow! What should I bring?

Make sure you bring a first aid kit, some of these interviews can get nasty!!! Oh yea, always bring sunscreen.

 

Altoids, or a Tic Tac.

 

If you bring a purse...not too fancy and not too cutesy. It has to be a professional-looking purse.

-RA

 

I found this on a website, hope it helps!!!!!



The Interview Checklist (Print This Out)

If going out of town, remember to bring:

_____ Directions to campus, map of campus
_____ The agenda that you will be following
_____ Alarm Clock (that runs on batteries)
_____ A watch
_____ Nicely bound Notebook with pen
_____ **A copy of your AMCAS or AACOMAS app
_____ **A copy of your secondary application
_____ **A copy of your questions for the interviewers
_____ Suit/ shoes/ tie/ shirt/blouse
_____ Extra shirt or blouse
_____ Toiletries/ toothbrush, brush, deoderant, razor, aftershave

**These are for you to review the night before, before going to sleep, do not pull these out and read them to your interviewers, keep these private.

Additional things to remember:

_____ Get a wake up call from the front desk or some external party (family).
_____ Relax, if you didn't deserve to be interviewed you wouldn't be invited for one.
_____ Don't forget to get the name and address of your interviewers, to send them thank you cards later.
_____ Look your interviewers in the eye, you want them to respect you as much as you respect them.

 

i brought a purse to my first two interviews and then it ended up being a pain. most schools will give you a folder with some handouts. after the first couple of interviews, i brought a very nice and professional looking courier bag. in it, i kept a leather portfolio with my AMCAS, resume, and paper on which to write. i never pulled it out during an interview, but if asked, i could provide it. also, it gave me something with which to write on when presentations were given. i also had gum/mouthwash, a comb, and extra stockings in my bag.

good luck tomorrow, don't forget to wipe your hands before you shake anyone elses and turn off your cell phone!

 

People sweat this stuff WAAAY too much. If you feel like you need to bring your purse to carry stuff, then go ahead and bring it--just make sure it doesn't have any "l love heroin" buttons on it or anything. I carried a Tote large enough to hold the folders and stuff the schools invariably give you when I interviewed last year. Schools usually give you paper too, so you really don't need to drop bucks on a leather-bound notebook either. I remember at one interview there was this group presentation, and EVERY interviewee had what looked like the exact same leather notebook out on the table. You should have seen the stares I got when I pulled out this old spiral notebook from a biochem class that had some blank pages in it. It was like these people thought I had TOTALLY blown my chances through my choice of writing paper--please! I got into that school despite my old spiral notebook.

So just to reiterate--bring a purse if you want one. If you feel your interview suit is going to be too warm, wear something else (as a woman you have a LOT of ladditude as to appropriate attire). Be yourself and be comfortable. I guarantee, yes GUARANTEE that wether or not you carry a purse or a leather notebook will have NO bearing on you getting in. Now if you if you decided to take notes on fuscia paper using a purple crayon, that might get you noticed--and probably in a good way.

Good Luck this year everyone, and try not to sweat the small stuff too much !

 

LOL this is great advice--bump!

 

I think the point is that you should look professional, but don't look like you're trying too hard. You definitely don't need a leather notebook. If people think that's what makes them a good doctor, they're sadly mistaken...


-RA

 

A shopping bag from Neiman Marcus full of cash....it's a slam dunk~! Have a great interview and relax it's not the end of the world... you'll do fine.