Freeze Up/Blank in interview

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Nooblet

Nooblet

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Anyone care to share their experiences? What is the best way to recover/cope? I think this would just kill my confidence and make me perform even worse.
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cough say excuse me and regroup quickly.
Don't let them know your nervous. however don't act too cocky either.
 
it happened to me multiple times during my first interview, including with the first question. i was promptly rejected 2 weeks later.
 
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what are you expecting to be asked that you have no idea how to answer?

if they're asking about you, you should always know the answer
 
i froze up a bit at my first interview. i'm not talking bad though. i stopped to think for a few seconds before answering instead of spewing out a prethought answer.

you shouldn't even get to this point unless they ask some vague unexpected questions. mine weren't the typical questions that we prep for.

if you freeze up on why medicine and describe yourself, that could be trouble.
 
armybound said:
what are you expecting to be asked that you have no idea how to answer?

if they're asking about you, you should always know the answer
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Do a search for oddest interview question or look through the SDN interview feedback page. They do ask some very strange questions sometimes. You don't always discuss you at the interview. Any topic is fair game. I think alot of people have problems when given an ethical question they haven't considered.
 
digitlnoize said:
Do a search for oddest interview question or look through the SDN interview feedback page. They do ask some very strange questions sometimes. You don't always discuss you at the interview. Any topic is fair game. I think alot of people have problems when given an ethical question they haven't considered.
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yeah, I had a guy tell me his interview involved some guy asking him to give his impressions on some artwork he had around his office.

I guess I just don't have a problem with saying I don't know the answer to something.
 
armybound said:
yeah, I had a guy tell me his interview involved some guy asking him to give his impressions on some artwork he had around his office.

I guess I just don't have a problem with saying I don't know the answer to something.
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the question i had a hard time answering was "so you want to be a doctor, huh?"

obviously i can write a 5300 characters on this, but when it actually came to saying it out loud, i just froze. i mean, i had practiced and everything. sometimes the luck isn't there...
 
etf said:
the question i had a hard time answering was "so you want to be a doctor, huh?"

obviously i can write a 5300 characters on this, but when it actually came to saying it out loud, i just froze. i mean, i had practiced and everything. sometimes the luck isn't there...
Click to expand...

That's what I'm afraid will happen at my first interview. I'm a non-trad, and have a lot of ground to cover with my answer to that question, and I'm worried that I'll just..... Ugh. And yes, I've done a mock interview with someone from my pre-health committee (they said I did well) and have practiced. I thought I had it nailed, and then recently when I went to practice my answer with my mom, I...well, kind of talked myself into a corner and froze. I needed to go back farther in my history, I think. Anyway, a more directed question like "how did you get from your prior career to medicine?" gives me less trouble for some reason. Maybe I should just pretend that's what I've been asked. Regardless, I obviously need to practice more. But this is why I'm a firm believer that if it's at all possible, try not to have one of your top choices be your first interview.
 
Phoenix. said:
Anyway, a more directed question like "how did you get from your prior career to medicine?" gives me less trouble for some reason. Maybe I should just pretend that's what I've been asked.
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👍 I dont know if it ends up looking good, but since most of the interviewers claim the questions are open-ended, I have no problem rephrasing a question myself...hehe. That happened at my last interview. He asked "if not a physician, what would you do?"...i wasnt prepared to dance around the issue that I would do anything to find a way into healthcare, so I said "well, if the medical field never existed, I would..." 😎 It was awesome, he went with it, and the way I answered it really helped me better answer his counter "so you wouldnt do research?" (I have a research background).
 
etf said:
the question i had a hard time answering was "so you want to be a doctor, huh?"

obviously i can write a 5300 characters on this, but when it actually came to saying it out loud, i just froze. i mean, i had practiced and everything. sometimes the luck isn't there...
Click to expand...
it really is the hardest question to answer. how do you describe a natural instinct or something like that?
 
Phoenix. said:
That's what I'm afraid will happen at my first interview. I'm a non-trad, and have a lot of ground to cover with my answer to that question, and I'm worried that I'll just..... Ugh. And yes, I've done a mock interview with someone from my pre-health committee (they said I did well) and have practiced. I thought I had it nailed, and then recently when I went to practice my answer with my mom, I...well, kind of talked myself into a corner and froze. I needed to go back farther in my history, I think. Anyway, a more directed question like "how did you get from your prior career to medicine?" gives me less trouble for some reason. Maybe I should just pretend that's what I've been asked. Regardless, I obviously need to practice more. But this is why I'm a firm believer that if it's at all possible, try not to have one of your top choices be your first interview.
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When they ask you "Why medicine?" Just start your response with something to the effect of, "Well the best way for me to answer that question is to tell you about how I got from my prior career to medicine..." That will set you in the direction you're comfortable with and also answer their question.
 
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armybound said:
it really is the hardest question to answer. how do you describe a natural instinct or something like that?
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thanks, I dont feel like much of an idiot anymore.

It seems like a lot of people have that one special incident that miraculously convinced them to spend the rest of their 'prime years' in school, acquire massive debt, work upwards of 60 hrs/wk (after the 80+hrs/wk in residency), etc. This is a major commitment in life with plenty of pros and cons, and it's not exactly something you can easily summarize at an interview without sounding superficial (I love science, I love helping people, etc).
 
My trick, OP. Nod, smile, look pensive and ask if you can come back to the question later. The catch is that you really DO have to answer the question before you leave and you better answer it well when you do since you've been given some extra time.
 
Smctbone said:
It seems like a lot of people have that one special incident that miraculously convinced them to spend the rest of their 'prime years' in school, acquire massive debt, work upwards of 60 hrs/wk (after the 80+hrs/wk in residency), etc. This is a major commitment in life with plenty of pros and cons, and it's not exactly something you can easily summarize at an interview without sounding superficial (I love science, I love helping people, etc).
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Or at least it seems like people want to hype up one special incident to make their answer interesting and unique. I think many of the people who claim to have had this "miraculous eye-opening experience" probably spun a more mundane experience into this for the adcom's sake, which is probably ultimately a bad strategy.

As for the OP's question, I drew a blank when my interviewer asked "how did you handle some major problem as an undergraduate, or what would you have done differently in college?" I took up a good reflective pose, repeated the question back to her, and sat mentally surveying my college experience for anything relevant for a good ten or fifteen seconds. I then looked up, smiled, and said something like "you know, I don't think I had any major crises as an undergraduate." She smiled back, said "that's good," and then I mentioned that I guess the one thing I would change is that I would start my premed requirements on time since I would know what I wanted to do and thereby avoid taking an interim year, but that I actually did not hate the idea of working for a year before med school.

I think in general if you repeat the question back, think about it, and do not let the experience shake you, drawing a blank on a question is not the end of the world (or of your chances at acceptance). It at least shows that you are giving your responses real thought and not just throwing out preplanned BS.
 
You GOTTA rehearse the answers to the most common questions (and by rehearse, I mean actually say it out loud - don't just think about it in your head. Practice with a friend, a family member, even in front of a mirror!):

*Why do you want to be a doctor?
*Why are you applying to our school?
*What are your strengths and weaknesses?
*Tell me about yourself.
*Where do you see yourself in 10-15 years?
*What will you do if you don't get into medical school this year?

Practice, practice, practice!
 
wtf is "Tell me about yourself" supposed to be? that's the biggest BS question I've ever seen

I wrote an entire essay and filled out 12+ pages of an application telling you about me.
 
If I was interviewing someone, I'd rather they look a little nervous, stutter a bit sometimes, and actually seem like they are fishing around for their answers once in a while. I'm sure they are pretty sick of the perfect pre-meds who waltz in all fat and cocky with their programmed responses; I know I would be. I'd accept someone who is giving me who they really are in the interview, even if if means they choke a little, over some guy/girl whom I can't read because they practiced what they were going to tell me 15 times with mommy.
 
armybound said:
wtf is "Tell me about yourself" supposed to be? that's the biggest BS question I've ever seen

I wrote an entire essay and filled out 12+ pages of an application telling you about me.
Click to expand...

i think it's more for closed file interviews, so they can see who you are and have jumping off points for questions.

both times i got to talking about Peace Corps and Africa I got hijacked and that's what the whole interview was about.
 
Billy Sexcrime said:
If I was interviewing someone, I'd rather they look a little nervous, stutter a bit sometimes, and actually seem like they are fishing around for their answers once in a while. I'm sure they are pretty sick of the perfect pre-meds who waltz in all fat and cocky with their programmed responses; I know I would be. I'd accept someone who is giving me who they really are in the interview, even if if means they choke a little, over some guy/girl whom I can't read because they practiced what they were going to tell me 15 times with mommy.
Click to expand...

that's what i think. i think you sound more genuine.
 
armybound said:
wtf is "Tell me about yourself" supposed to be? that's the biggest BS question I've ever seen

I wrote an entire essay and filled out 12+ pages of an application telling you about me.
Click to expand...
Sometimes the interviewers don't get to see that.

If you get hit with a real doozy, use some intelligent filler rather than dead silence. Say something like "Hmm, that's a good question. I can't say I've ever thought about that before, but I guess what I would do is......"

Ummms, aaaahhhhs, hmmmmmmmms, ummmmmm......is not a good way to fill a long pause.
 
Billy Sexcrime said:
because they practiced what they were going to tell me 15 times with mommy.
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Not that I practiced with my mom, but there's no need to be condescending to people who are well-prepared for this. It would be stupid to go into a med school interview cold, without any preparation, and I don't feel sorry for someone who doesn't get accepted if they didn't bother to prepare themselves at least a fair amount. This is like saying that we should all take the MCAT without studying in advance.
 
Just don't pull a miss teen usa if you're drawing a blank!!
anybody else youtube it? f-ing hilarious!
 
the first time i applied, i was awful with interviewing. i would blank out and just ramble... pull miss teen usa's (well, not that bad). basically, i didnt get in. practicepracticepractice. and remember not to get nervous. i've gotten a handle on my nerves this time, and now i'm much better at identifying when i'm getting to my 'rambling' point and pausing and starting over. hopefully that will create a different (better) result this time....
 
Phoenix. said:
That's what I'm afraid will happen at my first interview. I'm a non-trad, and have a lot of ground to cover with my answer to that question, and I'm worried that I'll just..... Ugh. And yes, I've done a mock interview with someone from my pre-health committee (they said I did well) and have practiced. I thought I had it nailed, and then recently when I went to practice my answer with my mom, I...well, kind of talked myself into a corner and froze. I needed to go back farther in my history, I think. Anyway, a more directed question like "how did you get from your prior career to medicine?" gives me less trouble for some reason. Maybe I should just pretend that's what I've been asked. Regardless, I obviously need to practice more. But this is why I'm a firm believer that if it's at all possible, try not to have one of your top choices be your first interview.
Click to expand...

Same case for me! I'm kind of a non-trad too, but it's easier to connect on the career switch that I made through describing experiences rather than just stating reasons...I'm not sure if they would like the latter to save on time though?
 
Blade28 said:
You GOTTA rehearse the answers to the most common questions (and by rehearse, I mean actually say it out loud - don't just think about it in your head. Practice with a friend, a family member, even in front of a mirror!):

*Why do you want to be a doctor?
*Why are you applying to our school?
*What are your strengths and weaknesses?
*Tell me about yourself.
*Where do you see yourself in 10-15 years?
*What will you do if you don't get into medical school this year?

Practice, practice, practice!
Click to expand...

Every time I respond to these types of questions, my answer is somewhat different each time...I kind of want to keep it like that too, because it keeps my response candid rather than coming off like a robot...if I overrehearse a speech, i find it very hard to keep emotion/enthusiasm when answering...also, if I had everything completely rehearsed, I would totally blank at an interview!
 
there's nothing wrong with taking a few seconds to think about your answer instead of just blurting out whatever comes to mind. just don't stare and go "uhhhhh..."
 
armybound said:
wtf is "Tell me about yourself" supposed to be? that's the biggest BS question I've ever seen

I wrote an entire essay and filled out 12+ pages of an application telling you about me.
Click to expand...

Trust me. It's a VERY common (opening) question.
 
koko_eats said:
My trick, OP. Nod, smile, look pensive and ask if you can come back to the question later. The catch is that you really DO have to answer the question before you leave and you better answer it well when you do since you've been given some extra time.
Click to expand...

anyone else every do this? i didnt think that was ok to do
 
koko_eats said:
My trick, OP. Nod, smile, look pensive and ask if you can come back to the question later. The catch is that you really DO have to answer the question before you leave and you better answer it well when you do since you've been given some extra time.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't recommend doing that if the question is "Why medicine?" Regardless, I'd rather repeat the question to buy a little more time, look pensive for a moment, and then just give it my best shot. But that's me.
 
Phoenix. said:
I wouldn't recommend doing that if the question is "Why medicine?" Regardless, I'd rather repeat the question to buy a little more time, look pensive for a moment, and then just give it my best shot. But that's me.
Click to expand...
Well okay perhaps I should use an example.

If I was asked why MD instead of MD/PhD, I'd give it my best shot. It's not a mindblowingly random question and I have an idea of how I'd respond.

If I was asked what kind of inanimate object I would be if I could be anything, I'd go "Hmm... good question! I don't know... I'll have to think about it. Is it okay if we come back to it in a few minutes?"
 
Ugh, I just had my first mock interview and boy did it suck.

I did freeze up occasionally, but I would have much preferred freezing up to spewing out crap like I did. I gave some really, really awful answers that were far from how I felt, but I just wanted to move away from the question as quickly as possible. The biggest problem I noticed was fatigue. I got really tired after about 10-15 mins because interviewing seems to be such a thought intensive process. I was sweating rather intensely because the room was poorly air conditioned and it is summer here in Texas. I can't imagine how much worse my perspiration is going to be with a 100% wool suit on.

I need to prep myself better and hope for a miracle in my first real interview.

🙁
 
Nooblet said:
Anyone care to share their experiences? What is the best way to recover/cope? I think this would just kill my confidence and make me perform even worse.
Click to expand...
I think humor is the best way to handle it. If you freeze or say something silly, then laugh, and tell the interviewer something along these lines: "You can obviously see that I'm really nervous, because I really want to come to this school." And then you can steer the discussion toward something to do with what you like about the school.

Being able to laugh at yourself really helps, because you're definitely going to do screwy things. We all do. My first day in clinic, I was super nervous. I had to take this woman's blood pressure. It was my first ever patient. I'm fumbling around with the blood pressure cuff, and I put it on backward and had to take it off and fix it. She's telling me how she has white coat syndrome, where she gets nervous and her BP goes up whenever she sees a doc. And I stopped what I was doing, looked her in the eye, and said, "You think YOU'RE nervous? You're the first patient I've ever seen. How do you think I feel???" So then we both started laughing, and I finally got her BP after a few tries. And the best part is that she told my preceptor how great my bedside manner is and how comfortable I made her feel, so I came out looking better than I would have if I had tried to pretend like I knew what I was doing.

I think the important thing to remember is that you don't have to be perfect. Just if you do something silly, laugh at yourself so that the other person is laughing with you instead of at you (or even worse, feeling sorry for you). Good luck with your interviews.
 
humor fosho
 
Nooblet said:
humor fosho
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Oh, and I'm surprised no one else has mentioned this yet, but you should also read the interview feedback for that school on SDN. In my experience, the same questions from previous years tend to be repeated, so you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect if you do that.
 
Jolie South said:
i froze up a bit at my first interview. i'm not talking bad though. i stopped to think for a few seconds before answering instead of spewing out a prethought answer.

you shouldn't even get to this point unless they ask some vague unexpected questions. mine weren't the typical questions that we prep for.

if you freeze up on why medicine and describe yourself, that could be trouble.
Click to expand...

Jolie, what weird questions have you gotten so far?
 
Picklesali said:
Jolie, what weird questions have you gotten so far?
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they weren't that weird, but i definitely didn't see them on the interview feedback.

one, "you keep saying to you like working with people, what's that about?"

two, name a time when you haven't gotten along with someone.

my student interviewer was totally doubting that i really tested my desire for medicine. i kept backing up what i was saying but i don't think she believed me.

i was like well i worked in a developing country for 2 years shadowing docs and helping people for no money. i didn't get why there was a doubt.
 
Probably because they went through the process so recently, student interviewers tend to expect BS, and aren't as likely to believe a sincere response.
 
Picklesali said:
Probably because they went through the process so recently, student interviewers tend to expect BS, and aren't as likely to believe a sincere response.
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i didn't have any "canned" responses. i was totally genuine. i didn't expect to get an eye roll. 😎

it was just weird.

i felt so much more comfortable with the faculty member.
 
Wow. That sucks. I'm sure your doing great, though! Good luck for the rest of your (multitudes of) interviews. I hope you don't get any more jaded and snarky students!
 
Picklesali said:
Wow. That sucks. I'm sure your doing great, though! Good luck for the rest of your (multitudes of) interviews. I hope you don't get any more jaded and snarky students!
Click to expand...

africa changed my life and maybe it sounds fake. it really did though.

it's weird that she couldn't understand that. i wasn't all dumb about it either.

there were no "wow, the poverty touched me" or "when i was holding the dying african baby. . ." comments.
 
I've been to Africa - albeit for a much shorter period of time than you, I think I can understand where you're coming from (I'm jealous, by the way, I seriously considered the Peace Corps, but then decided to go straight into an MD/PhD program...hopefully.) And I have had some amazing life experiences in other places as well - India, Cambodia, Burma... Maybe its hard to relate if the interviewer has never had an experience like this. I'm sure that the passion you have about this subject comes through clearly, and maybe this person was just a jerk...or tired.
 
yea, i'm really glad that i did it.

i speak french, got a husband, experienced a different culture, and decided on my career path there.

plus, when i talked about it to other interviewees they were like totally freaked out. like "i don't stand a chance if these are the people i'm interviewing with"
 
Jolie South said:
plus, when i talked about it to other interviewees they were like totally freaked out. like "i don't stand a chance if these are the people i'm interviewing with"
Click to expand...

Well, I certainly wouldn't want to be the one walking into the interviewer's office after you walked out.... 😉
 
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