How much do interviews count?

[karat]

I feel like adcoms may already like you a lot (and are almost certain to accept you) but just want to meet you to make sure...and to rule you out if you're some kind of socially awkward freak. Do you guys agree that the interview really is just their chance to make sure you're a nice person beyond how you appear on paper?

Obviously, I know there are exceptions to this rule (WashU, Columbia, etc.) but I think for most schools that are not very, very selective, being granted an interview is almost 90% in.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[pseudoknot]

No, most schools accept about one half to one third of their interviewees. There are numerous threads on this topic, mostly filled with uninformed speculation, but the percentage accepted is quite telling. Keep in mind also that even if a school accepts 50% of its interviewees according to USNews, that figure includes people accepted off the waitlist.

 

[HopefulUGACVM]

I feel like adcoms may already like you a lot (and are almost certain to accept you) but just want to meet you to make sure...and to rule you out if you're some kind of socially awkward freak. Do you guys agree that the interview really is just their chance to make sure you're a nice person beyond how you appear on paper?

Obviously, I know there are exceptions to this rule (WashU, Columbia, etc.) but I think for most schools that are not very, very selective, being granted an interview is almost 90% in.

I had a friend with an amazing GPA, amazing MCAT scores but she misanswered one question on her interview (what are some of your weaknesses) and did not get in. She had basically the same app the second time around just improved her interview skills and got in early decision this year.

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

I had a friend with an amazing GPA, amazing MCAT scores but she misanswered one question on her interview (what are some of your weaknesses) and did not get in. She had basically the same app the second time around just improved her interview skills and got in early decision this year.

Did someone from admissions tell her that was why she didn't get in, or is she just assuming? To have a question like that keep her from getting in, she would have had to have shown an amazing lack of judgment in answering it...

 

[silas2642]

Did someone from admissions tell her that was why she didn't get in, or is she just assuming? To have a question like that keep her from getting in, she would have had to have shown an amazing lack of judgment in answering it...

Yeah, I mean there's like no "wrong" answer to a lot of these interview questions unless it's like, "yeah, I have a real weakness to drugs and alcohol" or something like that.

Part of me thinks that they're looking for honesty, people who can connect to others, have strengths and weaknesses, and who are going to be a good fit in their school.

But no matter what anyone says, the interview is important, because that's when they get to see YOU.

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

Yeah, I mean there's like no "wrong" answer to a lot of these interview questions unless it's like, "yeah, I have a real weakness to drugs and alcohol" or something like that.

Part of me thinks that they're looking for honesty, people who can connect to others, have strengths and weaknesses, and who are going to be a good fit in their school.

But no matter what anyone says, the interview is important, because that's when they get to see YOU.

I agree. I doubt it was one specific moment in the interview that decided her fate. She might have simply had an okay interview -- nothing wrong with it, but nothing to really set her apart, either. Or, the interview may have been completely fine -- unfortunately, having good interviews and stats is not enough to guarantee an acceptance. The tough thing about applying to medical school is that since there are so many qualified applicants, many very qualified people do not get in, particularly to a specific school.

 

[seadizzle]

Yeah, I mean there's like no "wrong" answer to a lot of these interview questions unless it's like, "yeah, I have a real weakness to drugs and alcohol" or something like that.

My weaknesses?

Well, when I come under stress I make this vigorous chopping motion with my right hand.

 

[gary5]

1/3 scores, 1/3 secondary, 1/3 interview. So yes, interviews are important. You can have great numbers but if you interview poorly, you're done. Schools can easily find people who shine at all three.

 

[osli]

1/3 scores, 1/3 secondary, 1/3 interview. So yes, interviews are important. You can have great numbers but if you interview poorly, you're done. Schools can easily find people who shine at all three.

And that forumula is as arbitrary as any other. I know of some schools that put a tremendous weight on the interview, others where it is a chance to make sure their numbers lineup is what they really want.

For example, many DO schools place great importance on the interview. Maybe they follow your 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 formula. I know of others that are very "numbers" oriented, and your initial application bears by far the most weight in getting an acceptance... well over 50%. In those cases, I've been informed that a good interview will rarely move you up by much (say only 1 point on a scale from 0 to 10), but a bad interview might move you down (say a couple to a few points).

But most obvious I think is that different shcools approach admissions in quite different ways.

 

[HopefulUGACVM]

I did not say she said the "wrong" answer. She is a good friend of mine so I want to be careful of how I word it... but she called me afterwards, explained the situation and said she bombed the interview. Which I can say with confidence that I agree.

She did not just allude to her weakness, but gave examples as well. Then she stressed about her answer and stumbled all over the place. It wasn't an OK interview... it was pretty bad from what she had told me.

Otherwise she was a shoe-in applicant and is a very social person and should not have had an issue with the interview at all, she just fumbled and couldn't recover. Her interview this year was stellar as was the rest of her application. I am very proud of her achievement (getting in this time around).

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

1/3 scores, 1/3 secondary, 1/3 interview. So yes, interviews are important. You can have great numbers but if you interview poorly, you're done. Schools can easily find people who shine at all three.

I can tell you that at my school that is not the formula at all. It is a lot more complex, and academics count for much more than the secondary and interview combined. In general, every aspect of your application is important to med schools, but I think different schools value different attributes and weight them accordingly. However, I agree that the interview is important -- a poor one can stop you from moving forward in the process (for instance, going before the admissions committee).

 

[AtomicLush]

I had a friend with an amazing GPA, amazing MCAT scores but she misanswered one question on her interview (what are some of your weaknesses) and did not get in. She had basically the same app the second time around just improved her interview skills and got in early decision this year.

I just don't understand...did she only apply to one school? If she has an amazing GPA and amazing MCAT scores, I would think she would have gotten more interviews than the one that she bombed? No?

 

[HopefulUGACVM]

Yep, just one. Not everyone applies to 30 med schools . This was her top choice, had her sight set on that particular school and didn't get in first try. She applied early decision this year and decided that if she didn't get in early decision she would try elsewhere this time around but only to 2 other schools. Its not always a bad thing to not get in first time around. She took that time to do other things and is thankful for the break.

Otherwise don't ask me anything else about med-school interviews as I am not even a med school applicant, I am a vet school applicant (and there aren't even 30 vet schools in the US)... and my top choice for vet school does not even interview.

 

[TheMightyAngus]

I can tell you that at my school that is not the formula at all. It is a lot more complex, and academics count for much more than the secondary and interview combined.

What school do you attend? At almost every school I've been to someone from the admissions committee has said some version of, "by virtue of you being here, you can be assured that the admissions committee feels you are academically qualified for our program."

Anyone else have similar impressions?

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

What school do you attend? At almost every school I've been to someone from the admissions committee has said some version of, "by virtue of you being here, you can be assured that the admissions committee feels you are academically qualified for our program."

Anyone else have similar impressions?

Yes, most if not all people who interview are academically qualified to attend the school. However, when in the whole med school process is simply being qualified enough? Even though everyone who has interviewed is probably able to do the work, med schools still want to select the most exceptional of the people they interviewed (for instance, people who would excel at their school rather than just getting through). In other words, even though everyone in the interview pool is academically "good enough," med schools often preferentially select people with higher grades, scores, etc. from this group. (Of course, other factors come into play in the final decision as well -- recs, research, ECs, interviews, etc., which is why med school classes are not simply the people with the best academic stats)

 

[Law2Doc]

Yes, most if not all people who interview are academically qualified to attend the school. However, when in the whole med school process is simply being qualified enough? Even though everyone who has interviewed is probably able to do the work, med schools still want to select the most exceptional of the people they interviewed (for instance, people who would excel at their school rather than just getting through). In other words, even though everyone in the interview pool is academically "good enough," med schools often preferentially select people with higher grades, scores, etc. from this group. (Of course, other factors come into play in the final decision as well -- recs, research, ECs, interviews, etc., which is why med school classes are not simply the people with the best academic stats)

This is definitely not true everywhere. At many places once you have made the interview level, you have a decent (or even equal) chance at getting a seat with a good interview, notwithstanding that you might have lower grades/scores than some of the others being met with. Very few schools waste their time interviewing someone with lower stats unless they have some decent chance of winning a seat -- the resources used for interviewing (often clinicians with busy schedules), are simply to valuable to waste on someone who likely won't be given an offer no matter what. And some schools weight the interview very highly because they have already used the other stats in deciding who gets to the interview stage. Bottom line -- don't treat the interview like a formality, where you can expect to be admitted so long as you don't act foolish. There will be people who are phenomenal interviews who will get spots even if their stats were not as high as others who got passed on.