How do you know if your interview was successful?

[mightyrat]

Hope everyone is doing well on their respective interviews, and much success on its way!

This is probably just me freaking out but....what are some indications that tell you had a successful interview that will result in an acceptance?

Here is my situation for example,

At my top school...my interview lasted only 20 minutes and i made it last that long simply by my questions...my interviewer didnt ask me the usual why dentistry, why this school etc

She knew me from a program i did in high school so i thought that went a long way, but now im not so sure!

During the interview i overstated some answers and i sounded a bit redundant so that probably didnt go too well for me...what do you guys think?

I made sure to tell her that this school is my top choice and i know like 10 people in the school and i think she got that but i dont think that will do it alone.

Am i just paranoid? lol id be a bit heart broken if i get rejected from that school lol

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[jaejae87]

you know it when you get your acceptance letter

 

[DentGirl4]

i'm wondering about this question too.
My interviewers were very friendly... more like overexaggerating!
They chanted and complemented everything on my apps...and they seem to like all my answers i gave them too...
I thought my interview went very well when I was in the room...
I'm not sure if they really liked me or they were just playing off for the sake of it. 'bcuz I e-mailed thank you note few days later but didn't got any replies...is this bad? I think i was being naive
Now, I don't even remember what happened in that room anymore
anybody else had any interviewer like this?

 

[Awhy]

i'm wondering about this question too.
My interviewers were very friendly... more like overexaggerating!
They chanted and complemented everything on my apps...and they seem to like all my answers i gave them too...
I thought my interview went very well when I was in the room...
I'm not sure if they really liked me or they were just playing off for the sake of it. 'bcuz I e-mailed thank you note few days later but didn't got any replies...is this bad? I think i was being naive
Now, I don't even remember what happened in that room anymore
anybody else had any interviewer like this?

I wouldnt expect a reply to your thank you note.

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

When the interview goes boom boom boom!

When you feel a genuine connection with your interviewer... and I don't mean just because they are friendly. You can be sure that they will put in a very good word for you.

Also you can sometimes tell if you notice subtle hints after the interview. I don't mean wink wink or any of those...

 

[journeybegins]

When the interview goes boom boom boom!

When you feel a genuine connection with your interviewer... and I don't mean just because they are friendly. You can be sure that they will put in a very good word for you.

Also you can sometimes tell if you notice subtle hints after the interview. I don't mean wink wink or any of those...

hahaha i loved your response. Had to give a thumbs up.
It's probably true as well.

 

[HoustonDAT]

When the interview goes boom boom boom!

When you feel a genuine connection with your interviewer... and I don't mean just because they are friendly. You can be sure that they will put in a very good word for you.

Also you can sometimes tell if you notice subtle hints after the interview. I don't mean wink wink or any of those...

After my first interview, I didn't think it went bad, but I still felt worried. (ended up getting in)

After my second interview, I had this "genuine connection" like the above poster said. The interview was almost an hour long. We chatted about my life and the struggles it took just to land an interview. She then walked me back to where the rest of the students were waiting. I sat down in disbelief and told my self that I just got into dental school. Sometimes you just know.

 

[dantemac]

There is no way to tell, even by your impression or acceptance/lackthereof. I am sure some great future dentists have a nervous wreck interview and don't get in. I'm also sure some qualified people have a great interview, and the candidate pool is just so competitive they can't offer you admission.

There are so many tangential issues...and remember, the interview is only one part of your file.

 

[dreamerndoer]

adcoms are human beings too .. I think you can tell with some certainty how it went by the connection you've developed with them throughout the conversation

 

[PlasticSurgeon3]

Im not gonna say which school said this to me at the interview, but you know your good when the interviewer says: "Listen "my name here", if "name of the school" doesn't choose you then "name of the school" is a loser" that was what was said to my face, and my interview lasted the shortest out of everyone else 5-10 min. But I'm not getting excited until I officially get a letter stating my acceptance. Good luck to all

 

[YoHomey]

When the interviewer tells you that you're the man.

 

[dentalbadger]

When the interview goes boom boom boom!

When you feel a genuine connection with your interviewer... and I don't mean just because they are friendly. You can be sure that they will put in a very good word for you.

Also you can sometimes tell if you notice subtle hints after the interview. I don't mean wink wink or any of those...

I actually did get a smile and wink from on of my interviewers at the end of the day as i was thanking them for their time and what not... wasn't completely sure how to take it but hopefully its a good sign. hahaha

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

There is no way to tell, even by your impression or acceptance/lackthereof. I am sure some great future dentists have a nervous wreck interview and don't get in. I'm also sure some qualified people have a great interview, and the candidate pool is just so competitive they can't offer you admission.

There are so many tangential issues...and remember, the interview is only one part of your file.

After having attended a couple of interviews... I have a pretty good gauge of what is considered good, what is considered acceptable, and what is considered sub par. Yes, I've experienced all of the above but I'm still trying to pull off THE perfect interview but it appears to be very hard since its not just about you, its also about the dynamic between you and your interviewer, which is very much out of your hands...


My advice may be worth less than a grain of salt but if you've truly had a good interview and you've made a connection that is more than just skin deep, I would say that you can pretty much expect that big envelope. The feeling that I'm talking about has nothing to do with the interviewer being friendly. Heck they were all friendly to me but only during one particular interview, where I had this particular feeling. That feeling is inexplicable and could be comparable to the same one that you get when you lay your eyes upon your future wife/husband for the very first time.

 

[MrAvicii]

After having attended a couple of interviews... I have a pretty good gauge of what is considered good, what is considered acceptable, and what is considered sub par. Yes, I've experienced all of the above but I'm still trying to pull off THE perfect interview but it appears to be very hard since its not just about you, its also about the dynamic between you and your interviewer, which is very much out of your hands...


My advice may be worth less than a grain of salt but if you've truly had a good interview and you've made a connection that is more than just skin deep, I would say that you can pretty much expect that big envelope. The feeling that I'm talking about has nothing to do with the interviewer being friendly. Heck they were all friendly to me but only during one particular interview, where I had this particular feeling. That feeling is inexplicable and could be comparable to the same one that you get when you lay your eyes upon your future wife/husband for the very first time.

lesson of the day: stay off the nyquil during the interview.

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

lesson of the day: stay off the nyquil during the interview.

Don't disappoint me on December 1st, Mr. Avicii

 

[Bereno]

After having attended a couple of interviews... I have a pretty good gauge of what is considered good, what is considered acceptable, and what is considered sub par. Yes, I've experienced all of the above but I'm still trying to pull off THE perfect interview but it appears to be very hard since its not just about you, its also about the dynamic between you and your interviewer, which is very much out of your hands...


My advice may be worth less than a grain of salt but if you've truly had a good interview and you've made a connection that is more than just skin deep, I would say that you can pretty much expect that big envelope. The feeling that I'm talking about has nothing to do with the interviewer being friendly. Heck they were all friendly to me but only during one particular interview, where I had this particular feeling. That feeling is inexplicable and could be comparable to the same one that you get when you lay your eyes upon your future wife/husband for the very first time.

Why do I get the sense that you are hitting on the interviewer... lol


OP: you cant tell. Did they see you as a good fit for their school or no? There is no way for you to know that now. You will find out sometime on/after dec 1st. Best of luck

 

[iralex801]

After having attended a couple of interviews... I have a pretty good gauge of what is considered good, what is considered acceptable, and what is considered sub par. Yes, I've experienced all of the above but I'm still trying to pull off THE perfect interview but it appears to be very hard since its not just about you, its also about the dynamic between you and your interviewer, which is very much out of your hands...


My advice may be worth less than a grain of salt but if you've truly had a good interview and you've made a connection that is more than just skin deep, I would say that you can pretty much expect that big envelope. The feeling that I'm talking about has nothing to do with the interviewer being friendly. Heck they were all friendly to me but only during one particular interview, where I had this particular feeling. That feeling is inexplicable and could be comparable to the same one that you get when you lay your eyes upon your future wife/husband for the very first time.

lmao someone's got a crush on his or her interviewer.

 

[mightyrat]

Thanks for all your responses guys! Definitely didnt let the SDN spirit fail to impress me

My interviewer ended up giving me her personal business card, just to see if i had anymore further questions regarding the school, and then i told her, I hope to hear some good news soon, very nonchalant as we were walking out, then she said "you know we cant give you an answer until Dec 1st" with a smile on her face. So im hoping thats a good thing lol

She didnt tell me that we would be stupid if we dont take you but i think i made a connection with her since i knew from high school and the fact that she used to live in my neighborhood,

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

lmao someone's got a crush on his or her interviewer.

That would make me bisexual as I had a male and a female

or maybe I'll just take anything that I can get

 

[GrendizerDDS]

Well if they tell you that they'll put in a good word for you, then that means you most likely got the acceptance. I know a friend that had this situation. As long as you have a good connection with the interviewer and get a good vibe, then I think there a high possibility for acceptance.

 

[HoustonDAT]

i think i made a connection with her since i knew from high school and the fact that she used to live in my neighborhood,

Your interview was served on a silver platter. If you couldn't make a connection with this person, then pharmacy may be a better option.

 

[YoHomey]

I had an interview recently and the interviewer said I was worthy on paper and the interview was just to confirm that I was the actual person in the application, and then said I sure was and blah blah blah. This is the only real definitive confirmation of a good interview. Anything else is subject to interpretation.

 

[iralex801]

I think it depends on where you stand. Some people they invite to the interview to see if you are a normal person because they already know they are going to accept you. Others they invite are on the borderline and the interview determines if you get accepted or not. That is what one of my interviewers told me at least.

Also, this is pure speculation, but if you go to an interview where some people get one interviewer and others get 2. I think the person that gets the one interviewer is already in and they are just checking if your normal. If you get 2, then they probably want to find out more about you. Again, this is a pure guess.

 

[cumberland34]

At my interview , the lady that interviewed me said she was going to fight for me! So pretty much the whole interview was coming up with reasons why my grades were low . She liked my personal statement and I feel like I might get accepted! But till then I just keep praying !! I think they want you to know. After my interview she told one of the other guy who interviewed after Me , to tell me to ask alot of questions during lunch !

 

[Just Peachy]

I don't know that you can really know most of the time until you get that acceptance notification. At one of my interviews, they basically told me I was in (First interviewer: "If you didn't get into *that particular school's name here* this year, though that won't be a problem for you, what would you do?" Second interviewer: "Yeah, we can actually skip this question since it doesn't really pertain to her.") and I was wait listed then later rejected. At another interview, I called my mom afterward and told her there was no way that I was getting in that school because I felt like the interview had gone so terribly - acceptance on Dec 1st.

Who knows.

 

[YoHomey]

I think the only sure thing is with early interviews at Pacific. My classmate who had an interview there the other day said the admissions people in addition to all students kept saying Oct. interviewees at UoP were the creme of the crop and all would be accepted as long as you didn't curse out the interviewer or were clueless about the school or interest in dentistry.

 

[nboogie]

After my first interview, I didn't think it went bad, but I still felt worried. (ended up getting in)

After my second interview, I had this "genuine connection" like the above poster said. The interview was almost an hour long. We chatted about my life and the struggles it took just to land an interview. She then walked me back to where the rest of the students were waiting. I sat down in disbelief and told my self that I just got into dental school. Sometimes you just know.

This gave me the chills!

I hope I get to experience this next month!!

 

[vicsin]

At my last interview my interviewer said at the end "I think you'll get in, I hope you make the right decision". So, I believe it went well. I felt like I said everything I wanted to tell them about myself and represented myself well. People are right, sometimes you just get that feeling that it went well. You have to be comfortable and walk into that room like they want you more than you want them ha. But, December 1st will tell all.

 

[mightyrat]

I thought once you get a pre-december interview, then they like on paper and now they just want to see if your a normal person? I know stats still go a long way but now isnt the interview the most important thing?

At one of my interviews, a predent was talking about this "formula" that every school uses to grant acceptances, where stats play a big role. Can anyone confirm this? Will a great interview overlook stats?

 

[dantemac]

I don't know that you can really know most of the time until you get that acceptance notification. At one of my interviews, they basically told me I was in (First interviewer: "If you didn't get into *that particular school's name here* this year, though that won't be a problem for you, what would you do?" Second interviewer: "Yeah, we can actually skip this question since it doesn't really pertain to her.") and I was wait listed then later rejected. At another interview, I called my mom afterward and told her there was no way that I was getting in that school because I felt like the interview had gone so terribly - acceptance on Dec 1st.

Who knows.

I feel like this is the normal experience. A lot of my friends swore the interview went well, and then the rejection came. There are just too many applicants.

 

[toothexplore]

I feel like this is the normal experience. A lot of my friends swore the interview went well, and then the rejection came. There are just too many applicants.

i feel almost 90% of applicants will speculate having had a "good" interview

 

[Sakab]

After my second interview, I had this "genuine connection" like the above poster said. The interview was almost an hour long. We chatted about my life and the struggles it took just to land an interview. She then walked me back to where the rest of the students were waiting. I sat down in disbelief and told my self that I just got into dental school. Sometimes you just know.

Wow, that's awesome

 

[DentGirl4]

You really don't know until you actually have acceptance letter in your hand. I know all the cases that are mentioned above and end up having different results:

I know a friend who were brutally attacked by interviewer but end up getting into the school.
Different friend of mine who were also brutally attacked by interviewer at different state -> rejected
A friend who had good feeling after his/her interview -> accepted
Lastly, my friend thought her interview went well and even got a nice reply from her thank you note but end up getting rejected

I wish we can tell just by how our interview went but that's not the case.
This is why I've been hyperventilating.

 

[mightyrat]

You really don't know until you actually have acceptance letter in your hand. I know all the cases that are mentioned above and end up having different results:

I know a friend who were brutally attacked by interviewer but end up getting into the school.
Different friend of mine who were also brutally attacked by interviewer at different state -> rejected
A friend who had good feeling after his/her interview -> accepted
Lastly, my friend thought her interview went well and even got a nice reply from her thank you note but end up getting rejected

I wish we can tell just by how our interview went but that's not the case.
This is why I've been hyperventilating.

you would think that after going through the nightmare of keeping up and doing well in undergrad, then going through the mind rape of the DAT and excelling in both, that you would get in some where...but no!

 

[YoHomey]

Alright I'll share this and maybe this too can happen for you. At my last school visit, the student interviewer said that he read my essay and saw everything in my application except my grades. He said he liked everything and asked if there was anything I wanted him to include in his evaluation of me. This was before asking me any interview questions. So we just talked about random stuff like the weather, sports, what I ate for lunch, etc. This is when you know you had a great interview... when you don't even actually have one and you're invited you to write the evaluation.

 

[MrAvicii]

Don't disappoint me on December 1st, Mr. Avicii

ill try not to

 

[amalgamgrillz]

At three of my interviews, my interviewers either asked me to contact them about doing research together or gave me a professor to contact about doing research with them. I guess those went pretty well.

 

[YoHomey]

At three of my interviews, my interviewers either asked me to contact them about doing research together or gave me a professor to contact about doing research with them. I guess those went pretty well.

Or perhaps they needed a toolboy to do the dirty work and thought you would fit the mold? j/k lol.

I'm sure you did just fine.

 

[amalgamgrillz]

Or perhaps they needed a toolboy to do the dirty work and thought you would fit the mold? j/k lol.

I would do much more shameful things than being a toolboy to get into dental school. Sounds like a good gig to me. #JustSayin.

 

[jayccee]

one reason why i think an interview can go well and you not get into the school is when the interviewer tries to see if you would actually attend the school if accepted. for example, someone from florida may have a bit more of a difficult time getting into somewhere like buffalo. or maybe someone with great stats may not attend an expensive school like nyu over their state school. i feel that after doing interviews for so many years, they can tell if you truly want to go there or not despite the fact that you have a great personality. just a guess though.

 

[YoHomey]

I would do much more shameful things than being a toolboy to get into dental school.

I would too and I have classmates that would to the nth degree.

 

[amalgamgrillz]

one reason why i think an interview can go well and you not get into the school is when the interviewer tries to see if you would actually attend the school if accepted. for example, someone from florida may have a bit more of a difficult time getting into somewhere like buffalo. or maybe someone with great stats may not attend an expensive school like nyu over their state school. i feel that after doing interviews for so many years, they can tell if you truly want to go there or not despite the fact that you have a great personality. just a guess though.

Agreed. At my Boston interview, I was asked where else I have interviewed. I (humbly) listed to him Columbia, UPenn, UCSF, UC- (he cut me off), he said "Oh. Ok." From that point on, he seemed a lot less interested in me, possibly because he thought I would choose those schools over BU. He's damn effing right about that.

 

[YoHomey]

Agreed. At my Boston interview, I was asked where else I have interviewed. I (humbly) listed to him Columbia, UPenn, UCSF, UC- (he cut me off), he said "Oh. Ok." From that point on, he seemed a lot less interested in me, possibly because he thought I would choose those schools over BU. He's damn effing right about that.

Yeah, you should have said you had interviews at Howard, LECOM, Midwestern-IL and other schools along the same tier as BU.

 

[amalgamgrillz]

Yeah, you should have said you had interviews at Howard, LECOM, Midwestern-IL and other schools along the same tier as BU.

You are quickly becoming my favorite poster on SDN.

 

[Ukee]

Was anyone else told ...

"I hope you choose XXXX university" ??? I definately got that at 2 of my interviews, I'm hoping that was some sort of indicator of how things went.

At another interview, one professor spent a long time convincing me of why I should go there after the first few questions. So once again, I'm hoping that's positive

 

[member0543183]

Interesting. But I've heard of people getting wait-listed/rejected after what they thought was a good interview. Any thoughts?

 

[ewu6three]

Interesting. But I've heard of people getting wait-listed/rejected after what they thought was a good interview. Any thoughts?

I had one interview last cycle, I left feeling like there was no way I wasn't in. I kept the interviewers smiling, they kept telling me how good they thought the school would be for me, one interviewer kept telling me how intelligent and smart I was. Needless to say I was rejected. It was a post Dec. interview and I had a 16AA, but based on the interview I thought that wouldn't matter. I was wrong. It took like three months for them to reject me. I just think they couldn't justify letting someone in with that score, over someone else, regardless of how awesome they were.

 

[member0543183]

I had one interview last cycle, I left feeling like there was no way I wasn't in. I kept the interviewers smiling, they kept telling me how good they thought the school would be for me, one interviewer kept telling me how intelligent and smart I was. Needless to say I was rejected. It was a post Dec. interview and I had a 16AA, but based on the interview I thought that wouldn't matter. I was wrong. It took like three months for them to reject me. I just think they couldn't justify letting someone in with that score, over someone else, regardless of how awesome they were.

I'm sorry you had to wait so long....I was in a similar experience last cycle when I applied, so I'm familiar with how you felt. I had a pre-december interview at this school and was told by the interviewer during the interview that I was doing well.... and then I was later wait-listed in January... and then "rejected".... I was actually called by an adcom and he told me I should invest in taking more advanced bio classes and do well in them... then reapply. But I also believe it was because of my old DAT scores.

 

[Stacker]

This thread makes me neurotic. I think I just felt a single hair turn grey.

 

[Jeffs]

This thread makes me neurotic. I think I just felt a single hair turn grey.

Just one? I feel like I may have to invest in Just for Men before my interview now...