How do interviewees convey arrogance and/or immaturity in interviews?

[Doctoscope]

Considering one of, if not the biggest killer in interviews is arrogance and immaturity, what are some examples of sheer arrogance shown by the interviewees?

I mean, considering they made it to an II, these guys must be smart enough to at least "play" humble, right?

Is it more subtle than one realizes? Or is it more commonly blatant, like "I don't know what else I'd do other than medicine, I'm too good for other professions."

How could one avoid unintentionally coming off as arrogant/immature? Trying too hard to sell yourself?

Recently talked to one of my old classmates who's on their 3rd app cycle, and they harbor A LOT of resentment towards adcoms for "lying about holistic processes, all they care about are stats to pad their rankings." This guy was always studying his butt off in undergrad, so I only assume he must have had decent enough stats... he was so sure he'd get into UCSD (I still remember him buying a UCSD Med School Alumni fleece when we visited my high school friend during Junior year lmfao). Makes me wonder what kind of BS he pulled in interviews to be this bitter.

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[907914]

Considering one of, if not the biggest killer in interviews is arrogance and immaturity, what are some examples of sheer arrogance shown by the interviewees?

I mean, considering they made it to an II, these guys must be smart enough to at least "play" humble, right?

Is it more subtle than one realizes? Or is it more commonly blatant, like "I don't know what else I'd do other than medicine, I'm too good for other professions."

How could one avoid unintentionally coming off as arrogant/immature? Trying too hard to sell yourself?

Recently talked to one of my old classmates who's on their 3rd app cycle, and they harbor A LOT of resentment towards adcoms for "lying about holistic processes, all they care about are stats to pad their rankings." This guy was always studying his butt off in undergrad, so I only assume he must have had decent enough stats... he was so sure he'd get into UCSD (I still remember him buying a UCSD Med School Alumni fleece when we visited my high school friend during Junior year lmfao). Makes me wonder what kind of BS he pulled in interviews to be this bitter.

All of your answers can be found right here:

Strong personality on interview day

So, if y’all can’t tell from my forums presence, I have a very strong personality. Obviously toned down in person, particularly in professional settings (Thankfully the military taught me to respect and play by the rules of hierarchy). However, I am worried that in a multi-person exercise on...

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[dr_kateb]

All of your answers can be found right here:

Strong personality on interview day

So, if y’all can’t tell from my forums presence, I have a very strong personality. Obviously toned down in person, particularly in professional settings (Thankfully the military taught me to respect and play by the rules of hierarchy). However, I am worried that in a multi-person exercise on...

forums.studentdoctor.net

Damn you got roasted hard here

Edit - What I got from that thread after reading it more in depth was you can be proud of your accomplishments, just don’t compare them with others. Honestly you can’t blame anyone for having the comparison mindset. MCAT/GPA are measured in percentile. Some adcoms on here refer to volunteer hours in quartiles and even CA$P£R is measured in percentile. The whole process is a giant pissing contest but you just can’t show it apparently.

 

[907914]

Damn you got roasted hard here

Gotta be equally comfortable asking questions about one’s self as well as taking that as genuine feedback for personal self development.

 

[Moko]

I mean, considering they made it to an II, these guys must be smart enough to at least "play" humble, right?

You would be surprised. Usually the student interviewers pick up on hints of arrogance. Another common pitfall is coming off as awkward or too shy. This is after all a social profession. The question all of us try to answer is whether we can see an applicant as one of our students, future doctor and colleague.

While I feel for your friend, I suspect that his arrogance of thinking he was a shoo-in for a particular medical school probably came off during his interview(s).

 

[Tenk]

Ever talk to someone and think to yourself: I wish this douchebag would stop talking?

That’s how.

 

[NickNaylor]

You may be surprised at how not self-aware many people can be.

 

[zaxy]

You always want to convey confidence but it’s important not to overstep that. It may be a subtle difference but allowing others to speak and actively listening will go a long way.

 

[Goro]

Considering one of, if not the biggest killer in interviews is arrogance and immaturity, what are some examples of sheer arrogance shown by the interviewees?

I mean, considering they made it to an II, these guys must be smart enough to at least "play" humble, right?

Is it more subtle than one realizes? Or is it more commonly blatant, like "I don't know what else I'd do other than medicine, I'm too good for other professions."

How could one avoid unintentionally coming off as arrogant/immature? Trying too hard to sell yourself?

Recently talked to one of my old classmates who's on their 3rd app cycle, and they harbor A LOT of resentment towards adcoms for "lying about holistic processes, all they care about are stats to pad their rankings." This guy was always studying his butt off in undergrad, so I only assume he must have had decent enough stats... he was so sure he'd get into UCSD (I still remember him buying a UCSD Med School Alumni fleece when we visited my high school friend during Junior year lmfao). Makes me wonder what kind of BS he pulled in interviews to be this bitter.

Immaturity comes across as being unwilling or unable to deal with hypotheticals.

Arrogance is what it is. You know it when you see it. An example, smirking or looking bored when another interviewee is answering a question, or coming across as being full of one's self. Or throwing shade on other professions.

I've had interviewees address us by our first names...That's lethal right there.

Your friend must be one of those pre-med belaboring under the delusion that "holistic admissions" means "we'll look at any lousy application".

 

[LizzyM]

What's going on in the applicant's head comes out not so much in words but in the way that the words that are delivered.

In the head:
"I am so much smarter and better qualified than all the other people here today."
"I have far better than average stats for this school; they'd be damn lucky to get me here."
"I'm going to have a lot of choices -- I already have offers -- so this is my opportunity to tell the school what I'm looking for and get them to sell me on this place."
"I wouldn't even come to this interview but I think I can play this offer against other schools to get a bigger scholarship offer."
"I'm only here so my parents would pay for a trip here so I could catch up with my BFF from high school. We are going to party tonight!"

 

[calipremed5768]

Make sure to show up 15 minutes late in your Prada suit and complain that the waiter at the ritz messed up your eggs Benedict. When you start introducing yourself, tell everybody you go to a school just outside of Boston. If nobody asks which school, be sure to let them know it’s harvard. When the interviewer asks you how you liked the tour, tell him that’s it’s sufficient but you’re not as impressed as when you interviewed at Johns Hopkins and Stanford.

 

[calipremed5768]

Couldn’t some of the above things be good to say to yourself if you’re a naturally unconfident/anxious person? Like say it in your head but not actually believe it to boost confidence?

 

[Cornfed101]

Couldn’t some of the above things be good to say to yourself if you’re a naturally unconfident/anxious person? Like say it in your head but not actually believe it to boost confidence?

Try to avoid comparing yourself to other people. Even if you are "boosting your confidence" it isn't really the best method to do that. You are competing with yourself. Be the best you can be. There will always be people smarter, more talented, better looking than you... don't get caught up in it. There will also be people less smart, less talented, and uglier than you. Don't think you are better than them. This is sometimes harder to do than it sounds, but isn't that exactly how you want your own doctor to view things?

 

[Cornfed101]

Immaturity comes across as being unwilling or unable to deal with hypotheticals.

Arrogance is what it is. You know it when you see it. An example, smirking or looking bored when another interviewee is answering a question, or coming across as being full of one's self. Or throwing shade on other professions.

I've had interviewees address us by our first names...That's lethal right there.

Your friend must be one of those pre-med belaboring under the delusion that "holistic admissions" means "we'll look at any lousy application".

I don't know if I would want to be interviewed by you... but I really think I would enjoy watching you interview someone else haha

 

[Doctoscope]

I don't know if I would want to be interviewed by you... but I really think I would enjoy watching you interview someone else haha

Idea: to determine whether or not the person who’s interviewing you is Goro, gyngyn, or LizzyM, simply casually mention dogs are superior to cats in every way, and observe how they react.

Cons: automatic rejection.

I’m also 50% certain they are also the Cats movie people in disguise, slowly spreading cat propaganda.

 

[907914]

Idea: to determine whether or not the person who’s interviewing you is Goro, gyngyn, or LizzyM, simply casually mention dogs are superior to cats in every way, and observe how they react.

Cons: automatic rejection.

I’m also 50% certain they are also the Cats movie people in disguise, slowly spreading cat propaganda.

View attachment 274412

Ok, have y'all actually seen the broadway show 'Cats'? Like, they are sticking pretty damn close to the musical with this movie.

 

[Doctoscope]

Ok, have y'all actually seen the broadway show 'Cats'? Like, they are sticking pretty damn close to the musical with this movie.

I think it has to do with the quality of the CGI, since the cat people look like monsters.