how should I approach this interview question

I always used this opportunity to give a basic background on myself. So my response included

name (just so the interviewer could hear the correct pronunciation and hopefully remember it for later)
where I was born
a little about each member of the family
favorite activities when I was a child
activities during high school
why I picked my undergraduate institution
favorite activities in college

I wanted the interviewers to know that family is important to me, that I am a very active person and enjoy trying new activities. My advice is to talk about a few things that are important to you and that cannot be found in your application. But make sure your answer is logical. Good luck!

 

I use this to expand upon ANYTHING that I want them to knwo about me that might not come up in the rest of the interview...

What I'm doing now: Lab research, married this summer, wife applying to nursing school, Honors College thesis, etc...

I NEVER say my name/major(they already know that) or "when I was a kid..."(This makes them think.. "so he is dwelling on his past, he must be immature and a good candidate for a re-applicant")

-I was in an interview where one guy answered the question "What sort of volunteer experiences have you done?" with "in High School I did..."

The interviewer's looked astonished that he reverted to highschool, we've had plenty of time to do things the past 3/4 years!! Stay away from your past, and use this open ended question of "tell me about you" to answer the amazing things you're doing now...

Good luck!!

 

I told them my life experiences and major events in my life that have influenced me.

 

I hate this question. As a non-trad, there are many (many) experiences which have shaped my life. There are several major events, most of them very personal and not ones I particularly want to share with an interview panel. I also hate (hate hate hate hate) talking about myself - one of my weaknesses: I don't toot my own horn very well.

IMO, this question ranks right up there with "tell us about a challenging problem you have overcome". Well, gee, do you want a personal challenge? How about a professional challenge? An emotional challenge? A life challenge? A lifechanging challenge? A family challenge? A physical challenge? Dealing with a crippled family member challenge? Breaking new ground challenge? Give me a little more to work with here. And no, I really don't want to talk about any of them - they have shaped me into the person I am, but they are FAR from being the main thing to make me what I am today. Stupid questions.

Ok. venting done. Back to the original question - I answer with why I went back to school, what jobs I've held, what I am today (wife, mother, educator, tutor and guide for my children, student), and what brought me to apply to med school (and why it took so d*mn long to get there). It only takes about 5-10 sentences. Oh, I also mention my hobbies and what I like to do in my personal time. I don't elaborate much - if they want more information they can ask. Of course, most of this is in my application. Good luck.

 

"As if answering your questions wasn't painful enough?".

 

yeah, that tell me about yourself question is so lame -- really, can't they come up with something more original? it reminds of this stupid class i took in college where the essay on the final basically asked us to write about every topic that we covered in class.

 

Excellent vent. I go through that whole conversation every time I see that question!!!

 

My last interview was actually really good. I was complimented on the strength of my overall application and the improvements I have made since applying last year. It was more of a good conversation that ended up going 20 minutes past the alotted time. I did get the dread, "Tell me about yourself" question, but I have had it so many times now in regular job interviews that it's nothing to worry about.

My first interview of this year, at a school I won't mention (WVSOM) was nothing. I was asked, "Why DO" and that was pretty much it. It was, literally, over in under 10 minutes. I had to do my best to stretch it as long as I could, but was still out in under 15. I've had the unfortunate luck of being the last person interviewed at all of them aside from my most recent one.

 

The point of this question is to favor prepared candidates. You should be walking into an interview with a list of things about yourself that you WILL tell the interviewer, no matter what you are asked. If you have prepared this, then "tell me a little about yourself" is an easy question.

And the answer is not "I was born in X and have three adorable siblings", it is "I want to be a doctor and will make a terrific one. Here are the reasons for both."