for those of you already in med school...

[LolaLee]

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do you feel that interviews made a big difference in where you got accepted? did you get into schools where you had tough/not as great interviews? did it seem completely random or could you basically predict where you'd get in based on your feelings coming out of the interview? Thanks!

 

[Hurricane]

I had the flu when I interviewed here, but it was the last interview weekend so I couldn't reschedule it. I felt like my brain was in a fog, and just wanted to go to my hotel room and take a nap the entire time. (And these were MD/PhD interviews, so I had to endure 2 days of interviews plus nighttime social events while feeling like crap.) Afterwards, I thought "no way am I getting in there, I must have come across as an idiot." Yet, here I am 🙂

 

[Sean2tall]

Seemed somewhat unpredictable to me.

Most of them went pretty well, yet I was put on hold/waitlist occasionally - I can't think of anything in particular that went exceedingly better where I was outright accepted.

My thought at the time was that the purpose of interviews was mainly to determine that you were relatively not a weirdo.

 

[Acherona]

do you feel that interviews made a big difference in where you got accepted? did you get into schools where you had tough/not as great interviews? did it seem completely random or could you basically predict where you'd get in based on your feelings coming out of the interview? Thanks!

Totally random

 

[THP]

I only received 3 interviews but was accepted at each of them. The interviews all went well.

 

[Gimlet]

My thought at the time was that the purpose of interviews was mainly to determine that you were relatively not a weirdo.

I concur...it seems like a lot of schools just want to make sure you're not completely socially inept. My school explicitly states that you wouldn't be there for an interview if you weren't good enough on paper, so the interview is mostly to make sure you're not some sort of jackhole.

 

[PreMedAdAG]

yea i think it has a lot to do with timing too. If you interview early in the season and it goes great, chances are you're looking good to get in (this isn't 100% though). The later you interview, even if it's a good inteview, the fact of the matter is that with rolling admissions, there just aren't as many spots left.

 

[Sparky Man]

do you feel that interviews made a big difference in where you got accepted? did you get into schools where you had tough/not as great interviews? did it seem completely random or could you basically predict where you'd get in based on your feelings coming out of the interview? Thanks!

I felt it was semi-random. I definitely knew when it went bad (when I said something that was clearly taken in a bad way). I also knew when it went really well (like when the dean tells you she would really love to have you). In between, I didn't predict a single admission/waitlist/rejection correctly.

Sparky

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I concur...it seems like a lot of schools just want to make sure you're not completely socially inept. My school explicitly states that you wouldn't be there for an interview if you weren't good enough on paper, so the interview is mostly to make sure you're not some sort of jackhole.

yea i tend to agree with that. Basically I think i interview fairly well and i was acceped everywhere that i interviewed at, even when there was a couple of stupid things i said or did (including hitting my interviewers car 😳 )

 

[Agent Splat]

the interview is mostly to make sure you're not some sort of jackhole.

Such a way with words, Andy!

 

[Sean2tall]

(including hitting my interviewers car 😳 )

Now that is an impressive acceptance. 👍 Phew. Hitting the car? Damn.

 

[philchemist]

I had 6 interviews and I got into the school where I had my worst interview and was rejected from the school where I had my best interview. Don't sweat it. Be yourself and you'll be fine.

 

[evade]

It's somewhat random. The earlier you interview, the better your chances of getting in. . .other than that, you'll learn to distinguish the interviews that went well from the ones that were more lackluster. Initially, I thought all my interviews went very well. I never had a horror story. But in retrospect, I know that my interviews at a lot of the places where I was waitlisted were missing the spark that some of my other interviews had. It's difficult to describe, but in retrospect, it makes perfect sense.

 

[TruTrooper]

At the interview of the school that was my #1 choice; I was 15 minutes late, and did some other things during the interview that I am too embaraased to discuss now. I told a few of my friends and they laughed at me. I got accepted anyway so I got the last laugh.

 

[ms1finally]

My worst interview was at the school I'm at now. I couldn't develop a rapport with my interviewer and when he asked me why I wanted to attend that school, my mind went BLANK! Oops! I got in - waitlisted everywhere else (which is probably because I interviewed late and every other school had all their acceptances out at the time I interviewed).