good vs bad interview

[jon0013]

i was wondering what an ideal "good" interview should be like....had my first interview today...questions were pretty general "why do you wanna do medicine"...tell me about your research...which clinical experience was most meaningful...

i answered smoothly and confidently making sure to focus on the overall theme of my personal statement and constantly tying my answers back to the kind of medicine im shooting for...

my question for those who have interviewed is "is it generally good to dictate the interview and turn it around so that its more conversational and less answering questions? or is it good to keep answers pretty short and get more questions?"

for example when asked about my research, i went through the methodology fairly thoroughly ..furthermore i voluntarily briefly brought up how my endless quest for perfection resulted in test anxiety which got me on one mcat and how i learned from it and improved my score and how i've grown from the experience...

afterwards i felt pretty good but now im just not sure whether to continue being verbose during my interview on friday or to keep the answer dryer/shorter?

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[ClearDay]

i was wondering what an ideal "good" interview should be like....had my first interview today...questions were pretty general "why do you wanna do medicine"...tell me about your research...which clinical experience was most meaningful...

i answered smoothly and confidently making sure to focus on the overall theme of my personal statement and constantly tying my answers back to the kind of medicine im shooting for...

my question for those who have interviewed is "is it generally good to dictate the interview and turn it around so that its more conversational and less answering questions? or is it good to keep answers pretty short and get more questions?"

for example when asked about my research, i went through the methodology fairly thoroughly ..furthermore i voluntarily briefly brought up how my endless quest for perfection resulted in test anxiety which got me on one mcat and how i learned from it and improved my score and how i've grown from the experience...

afterwards i felt pretty good but now im just not sure whether to continue being verbose during my interview on friday or to keep the answer dryer/shorter?

Usually, I think it's better to keep it conversational and interesting. I was told to try to keep each answer to less than 3 minutes. However, it's more important to take non-verbal clues from your interviewer and adjust your style accordingly.

 

[jon0013]

Usually, I think it's better to keep it conversational and interesting. I was told to try to keep each answer to less than 3 minutes. However, it's more important to take non-verbal clues from your interviewer and adjust your style accordingly.

when you say non-verbal cues do you mean for example if your interviewer seems interested in what you're sayin, keep talking or if they look bored just cut it short?

 

[Elastase]

I don't believe that there is ever a good time to bring up mcat scores unless they specifically ask.

 

[Law2Doc]

i was wondering what an ideal "good" interview should be like....had my first interview today...questions were pretty general "why do you wanna do medicine"...tell me about your research...which clinical experience was most meaningful...

i answered smoothly and confidently making sure to focus on the overall theme of my personal statement and constantly tying my answers back to the kind of medicine im shooting for...

my question for those who have interviewed is "is it generally good to dictate the interview and turn it around so that its more conversational and less answering questions? or is it good to keep answers pretty short and get more questions?"

for example when asked about my research, i went through the methodology fairly thoroughly ..furthermore i voluntarily briefly brought up how my endless quest for perfection resulted in test anxiety which got me on one mcat and how i learned from it and improved my score and how i've grown from the experience...

afterwards i felt pretty good but now im just not sure whether to continue being verbose during my interview on friday or to keep the answer dryer/shorter?

conversational is always better than short answers.

 

[dilated]

I don't believe that there is ever a good time to bring up mcat scores unless they specifically ask.

I just write them down on the nametag they give you. Then when I catch the faculty interviewer reading the nametag and seeing them, I give them a little wink to show who the boss is. Or if I'm really feeling generous, I'll give them the ol' Shooter McGavin to put them at ease. That helps them get over their nervousness.