hhmi cloisters interview questions

[rms435]

just wondering if any current/past fellows/applicants could describe the types of questions they ask you on interviews. i heard that they're kind of hardcore so was wondering what kind of things i should make sure i know so i don't waste people's time/look like a fool (ie. topic background, research technique, etc.). thanks!

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[Stillmaticbeat]

bump

 

[YanCanCook]

Current Cloisters kid here.... let me give you a run down of the interview to hopefully quench your fears. This was my experience from last year. Two interviews: one is more casual talking about your background, etc. (basically a "get to know you" interview) and the other is the "science" one where you talk about your research background and can sometimes they can ask pretty specific science questions if they are familiar with your work. You interview with NIH scientists/mentors (i think) and they can be intense depending on the personalities interviewing you. Most people I remember from interview day had a negative impression of their interviews and are actually part of the program now (this just might be due to the self-critical perfectionist personality of med students).

I just remember when I interviewed that the current scholars then kept on saying it was basically a 50/50 chance and just to have a positive attitude during the interview day. Things have changed this year so pretty much roughly 60 applicants are interviewing one time for the 42 spots. So it's pretty much a 66% chance once you get an interview, even more if you consider the waitlist and how applicants are applying for multiple programs.

Best of luck!!!

 

[Sabino]

Thanks for posting! Any particularly difficult questions during the "get to know you" interview portion -- like ethical or problem solving questions?

Thanks again! Looking forward to interviewing at Cloister!

 

[rms435]

yes, thanks so much for your advice! so in terms of "science" questions, you should just know your own research really well, and any more general principles relating to it? do they ask about how you would approach working in their lab? (ie. should you know the research of some of the labs you mentioned really well?) thanks again for your input!!

 

[jejudo]

What's the dress code for these interviews? Is it formal like a medical school interview (black suit) or can we just wear business casual?

 

[YanCanCook]

Like medical school interview... you'll have to bust out your dark suit sadly