Horrible interview skills

[idiotface]

Can I describe my interview and someone please help me understand what I am doing wrong? Its as if Im threatening the other guy during the interview. What could possibly warrant me not getting a single offer after over 40 job applications, some of which were cashier and other simple things and 35 med school applications? That's 0/75... The only things that I got were positions that didn't require serious interviews. Does anyone want to help
EDIT: Those things that I got that didnt require serious interviews were either volunteer or paid job in my university. So what's the conclusion? Oh, yeah. I suck.

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[ScottTenorman54]

Shoot. But keep it as objective as you can, leave the self-deprecation out of it because that'll make it hard to tell what actually happened.

 

[idiotface]

Shoot. But keep it as objective as you can, leave the self-deprecation out of it because that'll make it hard to tell what actually happened.

Okay, well I had two 20-minute interviews with two different faculty. Prior to the interview, they made these short profiles about the interviewers available to us. I briefly looked at them, but decided that I won't remember the stuff during interview time. During the entire tour, I was the only one asking questions or so I felt that. I felt like I easily asked 80% of the questions of the 8 interviewees there. I don't know why I felt like I was the only one talking. Anyway, skipping ahead to the interview...my first one was with a Hispanic doctor. He basically asked me all about my MCAT, grades, and stuff on my resume and why I wanted to go to the med school. I talked about my MCAT and why I took it multiple times. I told him because I thought the course was expensive and I thought I could prepare by myself adequately. Eventually, I had to take the course and I finally did well. We didn't talk too much about my grades, just my GPA. At some point, he asked about my parents and what their level of education and occupation are. I said my mom is on permanent disability, so she didn't have her former occupation any longer. I told him about my dad's job and that he has a master's degree. I think after that I had to explain why wanted to go to the school. I think I said a few things, such as the area seems relaxed and not too hectic like the suburbs and cities I am used to. I also talked about a cool program there that offers heart screening for children and related it back to the fact that my dad had a couple heart attacks and I don't think anyone should go through the turmoil that comes with it. Lastly, I also cited affordable living as a major reason for wanting to attend. I compared housing prices there to housing prices where I lived. Also, we talked about my clinical stuff and my research. I also explained the new clinical and new research I'm currently doing. That's all I remember for the first one. The second one is a little bit more interesting.
For my second interview, the guy was almost opposite in style from the first and asking completely different questions. Whereas the first one was very talkative and constantly saying OK, the other one let me talk quite a bit and even went long periods without saying a word. That was a bit unnerving. He got right into it by asking about stuff on my resume. The first thing he talked about was the essay contest I won. I briefly explained what that was all about. He said that was fascinating. I told him how I'm keeping myself busy in the gap year with my new research and volunteering and he said that's smart. He asked me about the club that I had a leadership position in and I talked about that, as well. He asked me about the honor society that I was a part of, but I didn't talk that much about it. Here's where I think things may get a little interesting. He asked me about the shadowing that I did and I talked about the wide range of diagnosticians I shadowed (NP, several MD's, PA) and how I learned how to interpret some of the tests, such as tympanometry. Then, he asked a good question: "Do you like pediatrics?" Here, I didn't lie. I plainly said pediatrics wasn't really for me and I'd prefer some specialty where there are more complex and unique cases. I didn't want to necessarily deal with recurring cases of sinus infection and colds. Then, I began to meander a little bit and I said but primary care here would have a bunch of unique cases because they get patients from all over the state. Then, I said I may want to do something like cardiology, but I remain open to all of the specialties. Then, I talked about how people think they will go into one specialty but end up doing something different. I said that there's plenty of time to decide and he agreed with me. He asked me about my ride here and I told him it was a 7-hour drive and it was quite an adventure and I saw a bunch of beautiful scenery along the way. He asked if I was a travel person and I told him that I traveled only a couple times in my life. At some point, he asked why I wanted to go here. I said pretty much the same thing although I added that I like how the students are presented on the website and the fact that they are shown with their own unique hobby or interest. I told him my interest was basketball. I talked about how the basketball team for the university is nationally ranked and there are intramural basketball teams I could play on and they could be fun things to take advantage of. He said that most students want to come to med school just to study, even though we generally want them to be more balanced. Idk how the conversation got to this, but I talked about how disappointed I was after watching the Super Bowl because Matt Ryan lost to Brady. I momentarily forgot Brady's name and he said it, which confirmed that he followed sports. This basically gave me permission to talk more about it. I went on to tell him about my love for basketball and that it started earlier in my life when the Nets got to the Finals two years in a row. I remarked that it was hard to stay a fan of a team that was doing so poorly and there was no one on the team I particularly like. I told him I do like the Warriors with Steph, Klay, Draymond, and KD. He agreed with me that they are great. That's about it. I heard the knock on the door and that meant it was time for me to wrap it up and so I did. I shook his hand and said I hope to see you in the future, Dr. _____.
Side note: When both of them asked me if I had questions for them, I told them I learned a lot during the tour and the previous night because I took advantage of student hosting.
Man, I blew it, I really wanted to go here.

 

[QofQuimica]

Good grief, this post makes me cringe a bit. I honestly think your biggest issue there was that you just kept rambling on and on until you stumbled into some social minefield or another. FWIW, most doctors have the problem of talking too much, which is why lawyers make mincemeat out of them on the witness stand. In all seriousness, knowing when to shut your mouth is just as important of an interview skill as knowing when to talk. :-/

OP, you have two separate issues here: wanting to be more independent, and wanting to go to medical school. They are not the same thing. Given that medical school is not a good place for you to "find yourself," I suggest that you work on resolving the first problem first, and then come back to applying to medical school in a year or two if you still want to go. In other words, you don't have to go to medical school in order to be independent. Go get a job and an apartment, and start living your independent adult life, now. If your parents try to interfere, then move away if you have to. Get a therapist if you want to, or don't. But regardless, medical school is NOT therapy, and getting into medical school will not magically fix your self-confidence or make you independent. Unless you take steps to change these things for yourself, you will still be the exact same person in medical school that you are right now.

 

[idiotface]

Good grief, this post makes me cringe a bit. I honestly think your biggest issue there was that you just kept rambling on and on until you stumbled into some social minefield or another. FWIW, most doctors have the problem of talking too much, which is why lawyers make mincemeat out of them on the witness stand. In all seriousness, knowing when to shut your mouth is just as important of an interview skill as knowing when to talk. :-/

OP, you have two separate issues here: wanting to be more independent, and wanting to go to medical school. They are not the same thing. Given that medical school is not a good place for you to "find yourself," I suggest that you work on resolving the first problem first, and then come back to applying to medical school in a year or two if you still want to go. In other words, you don't have to go to medical school in order to be independent. Go get a job and an apartment, and start living your independent adult life, now. If your parents try to interfere, then move away if you have to. Get a therapist if you want to, or don't. But regardless, medical school is NOT therapy, and getting into medical school will not magically fix your self-confidence or make you independent. Unless you take steps to change these things for yourself, you will still be the exact same person in medical school that you are right now.

If I get a job that pays low and believe me, it will pay low (I recently applied to a bunch of jobs and could only get a cashier job) then I will barely be able to support myself and where will I have the money to go back to school or apply to medical school. I live in Bergen County and the cost of living is extremely high. You may suggest student loans if I want to go back to school, but if I don't have the money to pay off the loan as soon as I leave school, that thing will gain interest rapidly. How will I have the money to spend on med school applications, which easily cost 5-10 thousand dollars. I worked at Rite Aid and made about 300 every two weeks!!!!!! In case you don't know, that's not enough just for rent in the most crime-ridden areas in NJ, let alone food, gas and utilities. And I'm scared to leave my family alone. My mom has psychological disorders and doesn't know how to anything around the house. The heat in the house is not working and she doesn't cook food for my little brother and her car broke and I have to pick up my brother every day to bring him to the apartment my dad and I live in. My family is separated. My dad is an immigrant who doesnt know how to read or write and he needs me to order his heart medication that's sustaining his life and pay all the bills and do anything that requires anything that needs a brain. And my parents are separated, before it used to be my dad did the handy work and my mom did the technology and paying bills stuff. Together with their combined skills, they made one half of a married couple. Now, my dad left and my mom cant manage the house. So I'm afraid to go somewhere more affordable by myself. And the money we DO have is frozen in a savings account so my parents can retire comfortably, so I'm hesitant to spend it to go back to school or to use it for rent for my own place. So what should I do? I realize I eventually have to leave my family, but I at least want to make sure I will be able to support myself. Is anything I said here incorrect, like about the loans and cost of living and so on? Did I forget a possible solution? Please let me know.
As for the interview, I know it seems like I was rambling... but I wanted to be myself and talk about what I like. But I suppose that's not appropriate, huh? Interviews are performance-based and scored, and thus you have to play it like a game, which means sometimes you have to be disciplined, correct? I can't go off on tangents even if I am trying to be myself. Am I correct in saying this?
Thanks for helping, I appreciate it.

 

[idiotface]

Good grief, this post makes me cringe a bit. I honestly think your biggest issue there was that you just kept rambling on and on until you stumbled into some social minefield or another. FWIW, most doctors have the problem of talking too much, which is why lawyers make mincemeat out of them on the witness stand. In all seriousness, knowing when to shut your mouth is just as important of an interview skill as knowing when to talk. :-/

OP, you have two separate issues here: wanting to be more independent, and wanting to go to medical school. They are not the same thing. Given that medical school is not a good place for you to "find yourself," I suggest that you work on resolving the first problem first, and then come back to applying to medical school in a year or two if you still want to go. In other words, you don't have to go to medical school in order to be independent. Go get a job and an apartment, and start living your independent adult life, now. If your parents try to interfere, then move away if you have to. Get a therapist if you want to, or don't. But regardless, medical school is NOT therapy, and getting into medical school will not magically fix your self-confidence or make you independent. Unless you take steps to change these things for yourself, you will still be the exact same person in medical school that you are right now.

Furthermore, one solution I neglected to mention is getting a PhD. I could leave and be able to support myself because they give a stipend and there won't be any student loans to worry about. However, I didn't want to do that because I'm not a hands-on or lab person, so I don't think research is for me. And I don't want to do a PhD in something other than science because it may be a useless degree. Also, I don't like anything except for math and science. Lastly, sometimes it's hard to get a good job with a PhD; it's more of a sure thing if you have an MD. Should I get a PhD just to get out of the house and be independent? I feel like that's quite a long route (5 years) to take just to achieve independence. I suppose I could apply for a PhD, but that would require a whole year to apply again. I don't want to wait another year, and my parents don't look like they want to support me much longer.

 

[ScottTenorman54]

Could be the rambling. Were you super nervous? Did you make eye contact, were you smiling? Did you ever get around to doing some mock interviews? Only definitive thing I picked up on was asking questions to the interviewers at the end - you've gotta ask something. It's supposed to demonstrate interest or whatever, but it's really just one of those things that everyone does and you need to do it too. Don't ask something dumb or really obvious, if you've had all of your questions answered, just ask about their opinion of the school/hospital/area, their own med school experience, etc.

 

[810390]

@idiotface

I'd like to offer some help and advice as well! This is coming from someone who just successfully interviewed for two DO programs. Lets get to it. I wrote a total of...5 pages of interview notes, detailing solid answers to possible interview questions I researched for hours online. Revise those notes, then begin practicing. Deliberate memorization isn't necessary. Read it over 10~20 times, then 5 times looking at yourself in front of the mirror. At random points throughout the day, recall the question topics and test your fluency at answering the questions.
This worked really well for me, and should for anyone who follows it. If you still aren't comfortable with your preparation results, definitely have your pre-med advisor practice with you.
If this still doesn't work, and you've repeated two application cycles, I suggest applying to less competitive fields, preferably non-interview.

Sorry, why weren't you able to allocate time for the scribe job again?
Do you have student debt right now as a bachelor graduate?

Even with your personal dilemmas, considering the financial situation in your family, I strongly advise you get into a graduate school, whether it be physician assistant, anesthesiologist assistance, accounting, finance, nursing, whatever. Get a solid pay job over $60,000/year.

I definitely understand your struggles, and very strongly empathize with you. Unsupportive and financially incapable parents, thinking coercion will be successful in pushing you into the doors of a medical school. Anyhow, secure a seat in a graduate school. Take out a hefty loan, and crack grad school. Are you parents willing to support your financially, even a little bit, for study at a non-medical graduate school? Do you have any connections from which you can get financial or academic assistance from?

Best Regards


EDIT: "If I get a job that pays low and believe me, it will pay low (I recently applied to a bunch of jobs and could only get a cashier job) then I will barely be able to support myself and where will I have the money to go back to school or apply to medical school."

If I were you, I would secure a job that pays a minimum of $25,000 annually. Do anything you possibly can to get it. What is the subject of your bachelor's degree? Get to a point where you can offer support to your family and yourself to a certain extent; then take out loans from the bank. This will not be hard, given that you have a stable occupation.

EDIT: Feel free to private message me if you'd like to talk more directly on platforms such as Whatsapp or Skype. I'd love to help more

@Goro You're a real pain in the ass. Don't give up a guy so easily. Everyone has their flaws, even if it's juvenile and annoying. facedesk

 

[idiotface]

Could be the rambling. Were you super nervous? Did you make eye contact, were you smiling? Did you ever get around to doing some mock interviews? Only definitive thing I picked up on was asking questions to the interviewers at the end - you've gotta ask something. It's supposed to demonstrate interest or whatever, but it's really just one of those things that everyone does and you need to do it too. Don't ask something dumb or really obvious, if you've had all of your questions answered, just ask about their opinion of the school/hospital/area, their own med school experience, etc.

Ahh, all good questions! I was not nervous in the beginning, but towards the end I became nervous. I think I may have not worded something the way I intended to and thus I began to reflect upon it as the interview went on. Thinking that I had not said something the way I wanted to led to a steady increase in anxiety towards the end of the interview. I failed to make eye contact during part of my answers. I naturally do this to think of how I am going to answer a question. When I was offered a question, I did maintain eye contact. I am not sure if I was smiling as I fail to self-monitor such actions very well, but I did smile in the beginning and in the end. I may have smiled occasionally throughout the interview, but subtle smiles, not very outright. I did one mock interview that lasted an hour and was extremely unhelpful due to the fact that most of the questions being asked had nothing to do with medical school. None of them even had to do with medicine. I think one of them was "When were you excited?" Such questioning in a medical school mock interview is baffling.The pre-med committee in my school is not helpful at all, we don't graduate many MD's- especially not undergraduate. Rarely, some of the post-bacs here end up in MD school. As for undergrads, which I was, there was one MD last year and one this year and it could be two this year if I get in. Most are Caribbean or DO or never get in lol. I actually did ask one question in the end. I asked if I could get placed into one of the three campuses for my third and fourth year. I don't know if you consider this a good question or not and I may have asked this to both of my interviewers. Okay, I will consider that for the next interview and ask them about their opinions on the medical school or something similar to that.
Thanks.

 

[idiotface]

@idiotface

I'd like to offer some help and advice as well! This is coming from someone who just successfully interviewed for two DO programs. Lets get to it. I wrote a total of...5 pages of interview notes, detailing solid answers to possible interview questions I researched for hours online. Revise those notes, then begin practicing. Deliberate memorization isn't necessary. Read it over 10~20 times, then 5 times looking at yourself in front of the mirror. At random points throughout the day, recall the question topics and test your fluency at answering the questions.
This worked really well for me, and should for anyone who follows it. If you still aren't comfortable with your preparation results, definitely have your pre-med advisor practice with you.
If this still doesn't work, and you've repeated two application cycles, I suggest applying to less competitive fields, preferably non-interview.

Sorry, why weren't you able to allocate time for the scribe job again?
Do you have student debt right now as a bachelor graduate?

Even with your personal dilemmas, considering the financial situation in your family, I strongly advise you get into a graduate school, whether it be physician assistant, anesthesiologist assistance, accounting, finance, nursing, whatever. Get a solid pay job over $60,000/year.

I definitely understand your struggles, and very strongly empathize with you. Unsupportive and financially incapable parents, thinking coercion will be successful in pushing you into the doors of a medical school. Anyhow, secure a seat in a graduate school. Take out a hefty loan, and crack grad school. Are you parents willing to support your financially, even a little bit, for study at a non-medical graduate school? Do you have any connections from which you can get financial or academic assistance from?

Best Regards


EDIT: "If I get a job that pays low and believe me, it will pay low (I recently applied to a bunch of jobs and could only get a cashier job) then I will barely be able to support myself and where will I have the money to go back to school or apply to medical school."

If I were you, I would secure a job that pays a minimum of $25,000 annually. Do anything you possibly can to get it. What is the subject of your bachelor's degree? Get to a point where you can offer support to your family and yourself to a certain extent; then take out loans from the bank. This will not be hard, given that you have a stable occupation.

EDIT: Feel free to private message me if you'd like to talk more directly on platforms such as Whatsapp or Skype. I'd love to help more

@Goro You're a real pain in the ass. Don't give up a guy so easily. Everyone has their flaws, even if it's juvenile and annoying. facedesk

Sure, I suppose I can adapt your method of interview preparation. I was unable to commit to the scribe job because I was expecting to begin medical school by the following August. As of now, I do not have student debt. My undergraduate education costed about $21,000 due to state school tuition, no room and board, scholarship, and graduating early. Grad school costs a lot of money, whereas PhD school gives money. That's why I wanted to do PhD as a backup. With grad school, I fear I won't be able to get a good job and pay off loans right away and interest will build. My parents can hardly support the family currently, grad school tuition is likely not an option. I do not have any connections that can support me. I have a BS in biology, which means less than nothing. Why would I take out loans after getting a job that pays 25k? Ok, thanks for the help. I actually dont have Skype, but I do have Whatsapp. Maybe I should get Sykpe. Thanks for defending me with Goro, but I think we just had a miscommunication. I realize now that he said "we are done here" to address my ignoring of his advice, not the reasons why I want to be a doctor. I thought he may have been clearer if he just quoted that one part of my post, where I only responded to his advice about getting a therapist. I was expecting a response to my reasons to pursue the medical field, so I thought they indeed were.
As an update, I had more mock interview stuff today with my pre-med advisor and it was largely useless. It took about an hour and she spent like 20 minutes harping on the fact that I don't know enough about eastern medicine and herbal remedies and thus I cannot do an MMI properly. Bear in mind, the MMI questions I obtained from the internet posed a scenario in which a patient wanted to try alternative eastern medicine. Therefore, we didn't get through much of it. Also, it wasn't very realistic because she was reading the scenarios off to me and I didn't get to read it by myself. Subsequently, it was hard for me to retain everything or completely understand what was going on. She didn't understand that this made it difficult for me. And I don't think I ever really got to say an ideal answer. When I was trying to search for an ideal answer, she would just interrupt and say something I didn't understand or just criticize what I was saying. So the interview troubles continue...
P.S. What are non-interview fields? These exist?!
Thanks for the help!

 

[ScottTenorman54]

You've got a weird undergrad premed office, dude. Nothing you can do about that though. If you're looking to adapt LordLana's method of preparation, I've attached a list of questions that a friend and I put together over the course of our undergrad of all the interview questions from any position we ever applied to, including med schools. Could serve as a starting point. Best of luck for the next one!

 

[idiotface]

You've got a weird undergrad premed office, dude. Nothing you can do about that though. If you're looking to adapt LordLana's method of preparation, I've attached a list of questions that a friend and I put together over the course of our undergrad of all the interview questions from any position we ever applied to, including med schools. Could serve as a starting point. Best of luck for the next one!

Sorry, I meant to say "adopt" not adapt. Thanks for the compilation of interview questions. The range of questions in my first interview did not extend beyond the document you made. But there are a bunch of questions here that would freeze me up if I were to receive them in an interview, like "if you could be any object, what would you be?" The questions about healthcare would have been so much more difficult if they were asked years ago. Now it's easy; all you have to say is that "we have a president who wants to repeal the ACA," since that's the biggest issue right now. As for books to put on the president's bedside, I don't know a good answer. All I know, is that my favorite novels are Lord of the Flies and Rumble Fish. Also, how is medicine like riding a Ferris Wheel? It's more like climbing a mountain... As for the hero question, my hero is Barack Obama. He was someone who got out of a terrible situation, got an education, and rose to the highest office in the country. And when he was there, he did what he could to help underserved people with the ACA. Also, he is always well-spoken, composed, and respectful. Some of these other questions I'm sure I could manage some answer. Also, you could add to the list the questions where they ask what you have been doing in the gap year. They love to ask that. Thanks for the compilation; it should be of use as I prepare for interviews in the future.

 

[ScottTenorman54]

Will do. Don't stress about the wackier ones, think of them as a little break from the monotony. I can't imagine an MD/DO interviewer asking about ferris wheels with a straight face!

 

[idiotface]

Will do. Don't stress about the wackier ones, think of them as a little break from the monotony. I can't imagine an MD/DO interviewer asking about ferris wheels with a straight face!

Okay, thanks.

 

[gamieg]

I skimmed through your post-interview blurb up there, and I felt like two things jumped out at me:

1. when asked why this school, you talked more about the area and "life" around the city/suburb rather than why you were a good fit for the school. the question itself is two in one: why do you want to come to our school and why are you a good fit for our school? rather than answering those, it sounds like you gave a generic noncommittal answer that could translate to any other school in a similar area.

2. when asked if you are interested in pediatrics, you basically said that that field consists of non-unique and boring cases. that's pretty obtuse, considering pediatrics can encompass a wide range of things including pediatric surgery, which is anything but not complex. I dont know how you presented that view, but if there was any hint of entitlement, it would've been detrimental. especially as a premed student when we have no real idea what a specialty entails, talking about disinterest in a particular field can come off really pompous.

 

[sammiesings]

I really feel for you, buddy. But your interview account, especially with the second guy, made me want to cry. It just seemed so lonely and sad, and I think you fell into all the traps the interviewer laid for you which I think were meant to assess your mental health status.

I think you should really consider therapy. Its not just about "fixing" your problems. Like you said, you want more independence and you want your parents to be more bearable to you. Therapy can teach you different ways to approach your CURRENT home situation, family and life situation (not having a job that allows independence). It will also give you news to think about your situation. Ultimately, it could really help your level of happiness.

But don't go unless you can have an open mind about it. That's often just a waste of money and time.

 

[idiotface]

I skimmed through your post-interview blurb up there, and I felt like two things jumped out at me:

1. when asked why this school, you talked more about the area and "life" around the city/suburb rather than why you were a good fit for the school. the question itself is two in one: why do you want to come to our school and why are you a good fit for our school? rather than answering those, it sounds like you gave a generic noncommittal answer that could translate to any other school in a similar area.

2. when asked if you are interested in pediatrics, you basically said that that field consists of non-unique and boring cases. that's pretty obtuse, considering pediatrics can encompass a wide range of things including pediatric surgery, which is anything but not complex. I dont know how you presented that view, but if there was any hint of entitlement, it would've been detrimental. especially as a premed student when we have no real idea what a specialty entails, talking about disinterest in a particular field can come off really pompous.

Thanks so much for the feedback. I was sure to emphasize the living aspect of the school because I want to accentuate the fact that I understand the importance of a favorable living situation to convey maturity. Recently, I have gained an understanding of the cost of living when it comes to mortgage/rent, gas & electric, food, and gas and I have not always been like that. I thought that by showing an awareness of the ease of living, I am demonstrating that I have a realistic plan of changing my residency and going somewhere I have never been, rather than having the potential to have an acceptance fall through upon realizing the eventual indebtedness. I am sure WVU is a public school that has regional bias, as well as a mission dedicated to serving those in WVU. I told my interviewer that I was projecting 20-30 years in the future to show that I'm not just interesting in finishing med school with low debt, but rather that I plan to live here for a long time to come because of the favorable economic situation. I supplemented this by also talking about the school specifically when talking about the CARDIAC initiative and how I appreciated the way students are presented on the website. They are presented in a way that emphasizes who they are and what hobbies they like. I was certainly passionate about the CARDIAC initiative, but I guess you can argue that the thing about the website is not really a good reason. Since I was passionate about this initiative and I had family history of it, I thought it would be only right to argue that I was interested in cardiology. Otherwise, I may come off as inconsistent. Furthermore, does one have to like or pursue the only specialty they happened to shadow? According to some study I read, med students are notorious for flip-flopping when it comes to the specialty of interest. I also concluded with the fact that I would be open-minded to show that I am not stuck on cardiology despite never having any real experience in it. You are right, though, I should NOT have said pediatrics gets boring cases. That was arguably foolish or pompous or whatever you would like to call it, but I thought it was understood that I know what it entails because I shadowed clinicians at a pediatrics practice. I tried to correct myself by saying that the pediatrics cases here are probably interesting being that they get cases from all over the state. But my attempt at redemption may have been a little too late. Please let me know what you think of what I said as I appreciate any and all feedback! Thanks so much, gamieg!

 

[idiotface]

I really feel for you, buddy. But your interview account, especially with the second guy, made me want to cry. It just seemed so lonely and sad, and I think you fell into all the traps the interviewer laid for you which I think were meant to assess your mental health status.

I think you should really consider therapy. Its not just about "fixing" your problems. Like you said, you want more independence and you want your parents to be more bearable to you. Therapy can teach you different ways to approach your CURRENT home situation, family and life situation (not having a job that allows independence). It will also give you news to think about your situation. Ultimately, it could really help your level of happiness.

But don't go unless you can have an open mind about it. That's often just a waste of money and time.

It made you want to cry? I think that validates how terrible I am interviewing. I didn't think he was trying to assess my mental health in a medical school interview, but just to gauge how well I fit with the school. Okay, I understand the thing about therapy, but I want to handle this by myself. I think this will inevitably be my last year at home and I will have to find something after this year- doctor or no doctor. I will have to find a place of my own. Regardless of my happiness, I can't stay here. I do not think my dad wants to support me any longer and I do not want to stay with my mom as she is unmanageable.

 

[CommyO]

OP, what's your race? It's not asian-indian is it?

 

[idiotface]

OP, what's your race? It's not asian-indian is it?

Egyptian Coptic Christian, but I kinda went my own way in terms of religion. I sort of dont believe in God because I don't know what God is. And since God is not properly and specifically defined, it is not possible to say that it exists or not.

 

[FCMike11]

Egyptian Coptic Christian, but I kinda went my own way in terms of religion. I sort of dont believe in God because I don't know what God is. And since God is not properly and specifically defined, it is not possible to say that it exists or not.

This might be an example of someone asking you a question and you going off on a tangent. I practice being succint while supplying a lot of information/summarizing.



Sent from my Nexus 6P using SDN mobile

 

[idiotface]

This might be an example of someone asking you a question and you going off on a tangent. I practice being succint while supplying a lot of information/summarizing.



Sent from my Nexus 6P using SDN mobile

Ok instead of going off on a tangent, I will do an integral instead. Hah, calc humor! lol

 

[sammiesings]

It made you want to cry? I think that validates how terrible I am interviewing. I didn't think he was trying to assess my mental health in a medical school interview, but just to gauge how well I fit with the school. Okay, I understand the thing about therapy, but I want to handle this by myself. I think this will inevitably be my last year at home and I will have to find something after this year- doctor or no doctor. I will have to find a place of my own. Regardless of my happiness, I can't stay here. I do not think my dad wants to support me any longer and I do not want to stay with my mom as she is unmanageable.

Respectfully, I think it's gotten to the point where you can't handle it yourself. Some of your posts go long and tangential start to seem kind of manic too. Do you have people to talk to in real life? People that you talk to regularly? Friends, mentors, professors?

 

[810390]

Ok instead of going off on a tangent, I will do an integral instead. Hah, calc humor! lol

Don't bother with even tangential thoughts right now. Practice the interview questions and make sure it's clear, concise, and impressive.
What's your current status? Do you have med interview invites coming up, or still int he process of applying for them?

 

[idiotface]

Respectfully, I think it's gotten to the point where you can't handle it yourself. Some of your posts go long and tangential start to seem kind of manic too. Do you have people to talk to in real life? People that you talk to regularly? Friends, mentors, professors?

I'm manic? If Im correct, manic means lack of emotional stability and abrupt swinging of moods. Do I give off that impression? I do have people that I talk to in real life, like my friend who got upset when I did better than him on the MCAT or whenever I get a good test score or even know something that he doesn't. Or my other friend who always says I'm hopeless with talking to people and everything I do when I talk is bad. Or my premed advisor who only tells me that I don't say the right thing or I don't know enough to do an interview. Or my dad who gets upset whenever he sees me. Or my mom who lacks emotional stability and gets upset easily. Or do you mean all the friends I had in high school who were fake and would change their attitude whenever someone else would come around. Or that kid from high school who still talks to me and asks if I'm still good at math or if I'm still good at bio. Or the other kid who asks if I can do his economics homework for his class. You mean, like those people?

 

[idiotface]

Don't bother with even tangential thoughts right now. Practice the interview questions and make sure it's clear, concise, and impressive.
What's your current status? Do you have med interview invites coming up, or still int he process of applying for them?

Im probably done. I dont think Im going to get anymore invites... I have a few more schools that I havent been given a decision, I expect them to be eventual rejections despite the fact that I have already updated them more than a month ago, but who knows. I havent gotten any love from NY or PA schools and I suppose I may still get an invite because they do late interviews, but Im not really expecting anymore at this point.

 

[deleted675533]

All that said, you may be in a bad place if you feel you are destined to fail. This could in fact be pathological and you may want to speak with someone about these feelings and your difficulties with interviews.

You've got to believe in yourself and be optimistic. I know that isn't much easier said than done, but that is something you need to practice. You absolutely have to go into that interview thinking that you have a shot and that you will do well. You can do it!

For someone who spends an awful lot of time over-analyzing everything I do and still lacks self-awareness, there is nothing I can do at this point.

This is the mentality you need to work to get rid of. There IS something you can do at this point. Life is hard for everyone, we all have our mountains to climb. Most of us have been through situations where we thought we had done every possible thing and felt like there was nothing left that could be done. What separates those who ultimately succeed and those who ultimately fail is the mindset that even when everything seems lost, you keep believing and pushing forward. Eventually you break through the barrier. You can do it!

Empower yourself with positive thought and don't bind yourself with the mentality that you are meant to fail. It will take some work and a lot of practice, but you could really surprise yourself (and the interviewer) at your interview. You have that capacity. We're all pulling for you.

 

[ScottTenorman54]

There's a second interview left, isn't there? The MMI? That's going to be a bit more challenging to prepare for, what's your plan for that one?

 

[ScottTenorman54]

.

 

[idiotface]

You've got to believe in yourself and be optimistic. I know that isn't much easier said than done, but that is something you need to practice. You absolutely have to go into that interview thinking that you have a shot and that you will do well. You can do it!



This is the mentality you need to work to get rid of. There IS something you can do at this point. Life is hard for everyone, we all have our mountains to climb. Most of us have been through situations where we thought we had done every possible thing and felt like there was nothing left that could be done. What separates those who ultimately succeed and those who ultimately fail is the mindset that even when everything seems lost, you keep believing and pushing forward. Eventually you break through the barrier. You can do it!

Empower yourself with positive thought and don't bind yourself with the mentality that you are meant to fail. It will take some work and a lot of practice, but you could really surprise yourself (and the interviewer) at your interview. You have that capacity. We're all pulling for you.

Thanks for the kind words. However, I went on all my interviews and I'm done. Now, it's just time to wait and see. Thanks for the response, I appreciate it.

 

[idiotface]

There's a second interview left, isn't there? The MMI? That's going to be a bit more challenging to prepare for, what's your plan for that one?

I already went on that one. I prepared by looking at a bunch of MMI videos on Youtube and trying to do MMI practice with my premed advisor, which didn't go well because she doesn't let anything go when I don't answer something right. Anyway, I ended up eating something bad and getting an allergic attack during the MMI so I don't think I'm getting in.

 

[idiotface]

Just got post-II rejection #2 from the school I fell ill at. Couldn't really reschedule when they gave me the option because the other interview date was at the same time as another interview I had. I have three more interviews to hear back from, 5 in total. My feelings tell me one of them is an inevitable rejection. The last two (one IS, one OOS) are real possibilities for me to get accepted. If I can't get into at least one school, then that will be utterly devastating. I'm really not devastated by this rejection. I didn't get a food feeling from the students who hosted me nor did I get a good feeling from one of the students who presented, nor did I especially like the school. In fact, I was underwhelmed by interview day as compared to my expectations. This is in stark contrast to my first rejection from a school that was way better than I thought it would be.
By the way, I think I forgot to mention that I had 5 II's because I only had 2 II's at the time, so that may be causing confusion. I got three more since then and I attended all 5 of them. I've never heard of March II's, so I'm likely done. If I never get in, what am I supposed to do? There's nothing I can do to SUBSTANTIALLY improve my app...What am I gonna do another hundred hours of volunteering? Or more research? Or increase my GPA by 0.02? Or retake the MCAT and get a point higher? Or apply one month earlier? Or spend a ton of money to do professional interview prep even though it won't help my anxiety? I really can't imagine getting five out of five post-II rejections, I can't suck that bad, right?

 

[idiotface]

For the record, that's 5 II's from 20 secondaries completed. And my app was not top-heavy (highest MCAT school was 34, lowest 29).
For someone with 514, 3.75, I think that's a bit low. What do you guys think? I would've aimed for 7 II's.

 

[idiotface]

Just got interview feedback from my first interview. What took 18 minutes to say could basically be summarized as I didn't talk about why I wanted to go into medicine enough and I didn't relate my experiences to why I want to be a doctor.

 

[DrfluffyMD]

Sounds like you are going through a lot buddy. I think the unfair thing about life is that social grace is in a way a one-way mirror. It's easy for someone with higher emotional intelligence to understand why your posts are "off" but perhaps very difficult for you to understand why it's off yourself, or to understand what you did wrong. Let me try to summarize some key points that maybe of help.

1. Always wear a suit and tie for interviews. Job interview isn't the time for flare or creativity beyond the very small things that only the most skilled can pull off. I wear more conservative colors at interviews than when I present at national meetings.

2. Prepare those questions, practice against a mirror. Do not go in blind.

3. Have fun stories or things to share. I prepared a few fun stories about myself that interviewers can bring up during ranking meetings and make seem unique. Another applicant was asked to play the guitar during an interview. Some bring their art works, etc (don't over do it though). For you I would prepare canned stories.

4. Think of interviews as delivery of informations about yourself. Your goal is to get the information about YOU across. I noticed you were chatting with the interviewer, thats fine AFTER you got your point across. He talk with his friends about NFL dozen times a day. Why would he remember your conversation if you didn't tell him why you are unique before?

5. Match the mood of your imterviewer. If they are fun and high energy, be fun and high energy. If they are serious, be serious. If they are low key and quiet, chat in a relax and low key manner.


MOST IMPORTANT: absolutely no criticism of any field during interview. When you smack down pediatrics, you may not know that your interviewer's wife or husband or son/daughter could be a pediatrician....

And at the end of the day, some interviews are doomed to fail, just the nature of things. I've gained enough experience at this time in my life when I realize a difficult interview may mean a tough behavioral interview or simply that your interviewer already formed an unfavorable opinion before he/she met you. It's ok to write those off, but be polite, humble and self respecting and take the loss with stride.

 

[DOCzilla15]

I successfully interviewed at 5 schools this cycle and what I noticed between your answers and my own were that you answered things that were sort of obvious I guess. When asked why school X you mentioned the website, the low cost of living and something about a program you might have picked up on the tour. You didn't show that you did the research on the school. A Medical school is almost like a jealous girlfriend (or boyfriend) in that you have to make them feel special. Learn the schools mission statements and find out how you follow those missions. Is the school a good place for students to make an impact is it a place where your voice is heard? These are the questions you want to answer and fit into the question why this school, not something about how you think it will be less hectic to live in that area. That answer screams to the interviewer that you aren't ready for med school med school is like riding a bike except the bike is on fire and you are on fire and it's actually just hell nothing lesurly about it. Also your answer to medicine has to be equally thought out, think about what your passion is why do you want to help people. You need to go in and sweep them off their feet.
My secret weapon is this: before every interview I blast the lion speech by Christopher walken and stare at myself in the mirror
I'm not kidding it works

 

[idiotface]

Sounds like you are going through a lot buddy. I think the unfair thing about life is that social grace is in a way a one-way mirror. It's easy for someone with higher emotional intelligence to understand why your posts are "off" but perhaps very difficult for you to understand why it's off yourself, or to understand what you did wrong. Let me try to summarize some key points that maybe of help.

1. Always wear a suit and tie for interviews. Job interview isn't the time for flare or creativity beyond the very small things that only the most skilled can pull off. I wear more conservative colors at interviews than when I present at national meetings.

2. Prepare those questions, practice against a mirror. Do not go in blind.

3. Have fun stories or things to share. I prepared a few fun stories about myself that interviewers can bring up during ranking meetings and make seem unique. Another applicant was asked to play the guitar during an interview. Some bring their art works, etc (don't over do it though). For you I would prepare canned stories.

4. Think of interviews as delivery of informations about yourself. Your goal is to get the information about YOU across. I noticed you were chatting with the interviewer, thats fine AFTER you got your point across. He talk with his friends about NFL dozen times a day. Why would he remember your conversation if you didn't tell him why you are unique before?

5. Match the mood of your imterviewer. If they are fun and high energy, be fun and high energy. If they are serious, be serious. If they are low key and quiet, chat in a relax and low key manner.


MOST IMPORTANT: absolutely no criticism of any field during interview. When you smack down pediatrics, you may not know that your interviewer's wife or husband or son/daughter could be a pediatrician....

And at the end of the day, some interviews are doomed to fail, just the nature of things. I've gained enough experience at this time in my life when I realize a difficult interview may mean a tough behavioral interview or simply that your interviewer already formed an unfavorable opinion before he/she met you. It's ok to write those off, but be polite, humble and self respecting and take the loss with stride.

Yeah, I do wear a suit and tie to interviews. I wouldnt dare do anything less for a med school interview lol.
I hate looking at myself, that is why I cant do the mirror thing.
I have like no fun stories... but I do have some interests I like to talk about.
Also, I should not have criticized peds I know. I genuinely respect the hell out of primary care physicians. I just don't know if it's for me. I probably should have said, "I recognize the importance of peds and the primary care setting in general. These providers are the backbone of healthcare in their communities and serve as the relays between patients and high-end care. I just don't know if it is for me and I aim to keep an open mind towards all fields during our clinical years."
With that said, Im done with interviews so now I just have to wait and see.
Thanks for the response.

 

[DrfluffyMD]

Yeah, I do wear a suit and tie to interviews. I wouldnt dare do anything less for a med school interview lol.
I hate looking at myself, that is why I cant do the mirror thing.
I have like no fun stories... but I do have some interests I like to talk about.
Also, I should not have criticized peds I know. I genuinely respect the hell out of primary care physicians. I just don't know if it's for me. I probably should have said, "I recognize the importance of peds and the primary care setting in general. These providers are the backbone of healthcare in their communities and serve as the relays between patients and high-end care. I just don't know if it is for me and I aim to keep an open mind towards all fields during our clinical years."
With that said, Im done with interviews so now I just have to wait and see.
Thanks for the response.

You don't have to tell them it isn't for you. If something isn't for you, keep it to yourself.

 

[idiotface]

I successfully interviewed at 5 schools this cycle and what I noticed between your answers and my own were that you answered things that were sort of obvious I guess. When asked why school X you mentioned the website, the low cost of living and something about a program you might have picked up on the tour. You didn't show that you did the research on the school. A Medical school is almost like a jealous girlfriend (or boyfriend) in that you have to make them feel special. Learn the schools mission statements and find out how you follow those missions. Is the school a good place for students to make an impact is it a place where your voice is heard? These are the questions you want to answer and fit into the question why this school, not something about how you think it will be less hectic to live in that area. That answer screams to the interviewer that you aren't ready for med school med school is like riding a bike except the bike is on fire and you are on fire and it's actually just hell nothing lesurly about it. Also your answer to medicine has to be equally thought out, think about what your passion is why do you want to help people. You need to go in and sweep them off their feet.
My secret weapon is this: before every interview I blast the lion speech by Christopher walken and stare at myself in the mirror
I'm not kidding it works

Lol I actually did research on the school prior to the interview. I learned about the three campuses and looked at some of the service initiatives. I learned about the cardiac initiative through the website- not through the tour. In fact, I wrote about it in my secondary. Is there something more I should do than do research on the website? As for mission statements, that is typically the first thing on the website. Also, going through a bunch of schools missions for my secondaries, they tend to be uniform among the med schools. It's always service, professionalism, patient care, integrity, and a few others. I dont think you can learn much from a school based on their mission, vision, and values. As for the med school in question, their mission is oriented towards serving people in the state. And with good reason, since they are a public school that takes a lot of their own residents. When you have no ties to the state, it's hard to show that you are concurrent with their mission. The best I thought I could do was to talk about specifically what I like about the state. I don't know what more I can do, at that point. They didn't ask me why medicine, which was really surprising to me! I didn't always get that question during the interview trail. There was one school that outright asked me why I want to be a physician- lol as if I wasn't ready for that. I wrote about in my PS, so I knew what I wanted to say and I made sure that my reason was consistent with the image of myself that I portrayed. Thus, they could confirm that I am indeed the person who wrote that PS. It's easier said than done to sweep someone off their feet. It's easy to get a bit anxious mid-interview. There's always a difference between practicing beforehand and doing it in the moment. That's why I see interview performance as some crude measure of improv ability lol. The lion speech, eh? Never heard of it. Also, I hate looking at myself in the mirror lol, do I have to? Thanks so much for the response.

 

[idiotface]

You don't have to tell them it isn't for you. If something isn't for you, keep it to yourself.

So maybe I should shift my answer away from simple positive/negative answers and maybe provide light commentary on the experience?

 

[DrfluffyMD]

You are not at a position to talk about "i dont want to do this because...". You tell them your interest, what makes you happy, etc, absolutely NOTHING negative.

Also, I think the other thing is you must learn to LOVE yourself. Take care of your own needs, learn to love your own face. You cannot expect others to like you or want you if you can't show you like and want yourself

 

[deleted675533]

Also, I think the other thing is you must learn to LOVE yourself. Take care of your own needs, learn to love your own face. You cannot expect others to like you or want you if you can't show you like and want yoursel

This is essential. To get accepted to medical school, you need to convince at least a few people to like you. That is near impossible if you hate yourself, which seems pretty clear according to your responses to this thread. You can try to hide it, but I guarantee they will see straight through it. If things go south and you don't get in this cycle, that is one of the more important things you need to focus on over the next year.

 

[idiotface]

You are not at a position to talk about "i dont want to do this because...". You tell them your interest, what makes you happy, etc, absolutely NOTHING negative.

Also, I think the other thing is you must learn to LOVE yourself. Take care of your own needs, learn to love your own face. You cannot expect others to like you or want you if you can't show you like and want yourself

How can I love my face when I have gigantic nostrils and vampire cuspids? Yes, I have a big nose and weird looking teeth- there I said it... It's not so obvious at first so if someone saw a picture of me that was blurry or taken from a distance, they might think I looked normal. But then, it becomes more apparent when you see me from the side and when I smile. I got it from my mom, she has gigantic teeth and nostrils like me lol. Worst part is my smile pull backs the back part of my nose making my nostrils even more prominent. And dont tell me i sound like a celebrity that is upset with minor superficial flaws. I KNOW I sound like a celebrity that is upset with minor superficial flaws. No but seriously i dont like it... ill trade faces...
tbh im not thinking about that during the interview though, but i would be if i had to train for the interview by staring at myself. during the interview, the anxiety is mainly rooted not in superficial flaws but personality flaws. So me talking about my face is irrelevant.

 

[idiotface]

This is essential. To get accepted to medical school, you need to convince at least a few people to like you. That is near impossible if you hate yourself, which seems pretty clear according to your responses to this thread. You can try to hide it, but I guarantee they will see straight through it. If things go south and you don't get in this cycle, that is one of the more important things you need to focus on over the next year.

well one of the advantages of hating yourself is being an endless source of self-deprecating humor.... or self-loathing humor. Cant tell which one. Sure, I guess I can try to work on it so long as I learn to be independent.

 

[810390]

well one of the advantages of hating yourself is being an endless source of self-deprecating humor.... or self-loathing humor. Cant tell which one. Sure, I guess I can try to work on it so long as I learn to be independent.

Pm me a photo of yourself.

 

[DrfluffyMD]

There is nothing humorous about self depreciating humor from someone who geniunely dislikes him/herself, just saddness, and people see through that.

It's fine to be a little self depreciating when you are a big deal. Get there first.

 

[oopsaloo]

OP, looks like you got 5 interviews this cycle. That's a huge accomplishment right there. There are plenty of applicants who don't even get one interview, so you should be feeling proud that these schools see your potential and recognize the merits of your application.

Look at the positives too - don't just focus on the negatives. I recommend making a list or reflecting on some of your positive attributes and accomplishments. Find ways to channel these positives into your communication, at interviews and in your interactions with others. You can consult family/close friends to get their take on your positive attributes. If they have nothing nice to say, the fault's on them (not you) for not recognizing your strengths - especially among friends who always criticize. You want to surround yourself by people who lift you up, not bring you down.

Once you've gotten a good grasp of your strengths, start tackling some of the feedback that you've received. Look at it as an opportunity for improvement rather than criticism. No need to be so harsh on yourself.

 

[RenegadeOkapi]

Hi OP:

I realize that I'm probably late so my advice probably won't hold too much weight, but what the hell lol.

1. You got a 514 and a 3.75. That's really good for MD, let alone DO!
2. Pardon me for saying this but your self-esteem issues are concerning. As an introvert with social anxiety and constant paranoia that I'm upsetting someone about my appearance or whatever, I also get that. However, an interview is not the place to show that. You seem to have done pretty well in your interview answers but please focus on the positives and reflecting constructively on criticisms that are given to you.
3. In any interview, make no mistake about the "Why do you want to go here?" question. They're not really asking about why that particular school is good (they already think they're good), but why you would be a good fit for them.
4. Beggars can't be choosers. You're the student vying for a position at their university, so you want to avoid any "I don't like this specialty vs another". It's good to have a direction in mind, but try to just spam benefits of all specialties.
5. Don't browse SDN too much. Seeing "bestdocever1996 posted WAMC: MCAT:528, GPA: 4.0" can be pretty disheartening lol.
6. I got a 513 and a 3.5, and I got 1 interview out of all 25 schools, so you did well!

Improving your interview skills (in your case, it's really just improving your confidence and not beating yourself over the head for every small thing) may be difficult but it certainly isn't time consuming as pursuing several years of post-bacc work or retaking the MCAT.

Also, the cashier jobs probably rejected you because you were overqualified, so that happens...

 

[idiotface]

Pm me a photo of yourself.

I cant, I think you have to change that in privacy settings.

 

[idiotface]

There is nothing humorous about self depreciating humor from someone who geniunely dislikes him/herself, just saddness, and people see through that.

It's fine to be a little self depreciating when you are a big deal. Get there first.

Okay, thanks.