How to be Confident During an Interview?

[baja2oo2]

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for how not to get too nervous and/or come off as confident during DO school interviews.

I have my first interview this week at my first choice school, LECOM-Erie. Just thinking about it makes me panic. I have practiced a lot with the interview questions off of Student Doctor Network, but I am afraid I will get intimidated when I'm actually there and not be able to put together even one intelligent sentence. I am pretty quiet/modest by nature, and so "selling myself" to try to convince them to offer me admission is about the hardest thing in the world for me.

Any tips you could give me would be greatly, greatly appreciated!

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[baylormed]

Be yourself, there is nothing to worry about.
Be honest with your responses, they won't ask you anything about yourself that you don't already know.
If you don't know the answer to a question, say so. Don't make anything up
I usually remind myself of everything that I have done, that I am a hard-worker, that I am smart, etc. You have to believe it yourself before anyone else will believe it. Also, be well rested, practice and practice with questions. Get someone else to ask you questions, get them to make up questions which you do not know about, to test your ability for improvising a good answer.
Hope that helps.

 

[Jezzielin]

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for how not to get too nervous and/or come off as confident during DO school interviews.

I have my first interview this week at my first choice school, LECOM-Erie. Just thinking about it makes me panic. I have practiced a lot with the interview questions off of Student Doctor Network, but I am afraid I will get intimidated when I'm actually there and not be able to put together even one intelligent sentence. I am pretty quiet/modest by nature, and so "selling myself" to try to convince them to offer me admission is about the hardest thing in the world for me.

Any tips you could give me would be greatly, greatly appreciated!

Just practice and relax the night before. Have someone pretend that they are interviewing you. I interviewed on 9/29/05 and it was SO relaxed. They are really nice! Make eye contact, shake hands with them, etc. PM me if you have any questions. Let us know how the interview goes! LECOM-Erie is my first choice too... In case you haven't seen my 1,378,283,292 posts about it, haha...

OY

 

[MikeyLu2010]

the night b4 my interview..in my hotel room..i was practicing in front of a mirror..
and also..when you get to your school..actively talk to your fellow interviewers..it helps get you in the talking mode...worked for me !! heading to med school in the fall

best of luck..rock those interviews

 

[dr.z]

Be yourself, there is nothing to worry about.
Be honest with your responses, they won't ask you anything about yourself that you don't already know.
If you don't know the answer to a question, say so. Don't make anything up

I think this is a good interview tip.

 

[(nicedream)]

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for how not to get too nervous and/or come off as confident during DO school interviews.

I have my first interview this week at my first choice school, LECOM-Erie. Just thinking about it makes me panic. I have practiced a lot with the interview questions off of Student Doctor Network, but I am afraid I will get intimidated when I'm actually there and not be able to put together even one intelligent sentence. I am pretty quiet/modest by nature, and so "selling myself" to try to convince them to offer me admission is about the hardest thing in the world for me.

Any tips you could give me would be greatly, greatly appreciated!

Practice in front of a mirror and have answers planned for all expected questions. However, don't script it too much - it's important to appear candid and to be prepared for possible unexpected questions as well (although all the questions I got at LECOM were from SDN).
Most important of all, go in knowing that all you have to do is be yourself and you will succeed. It's cliche, but it's true.

 

[FrogE7]

Try reading a book. For me, a couple of days leading up to the interview I just read read read. That way words--many words are going through my head and I feel more articulate. I don't end up saying "uuhhh". Also, I always walk into the interview genuinely thinking that I don't want to go there. Takes the pressure off.

 

[mj1878]

For me, the biggest thing was remembering what GOT me to the interview. Think of all the other premeds out there that would SELL THEIR SOULS to have just ONE interview! You've already got one! Have confidence that you BELONG there, and try and remember all the hard work that you put into getting to this moment. You're already a lot better off than many applicants; try to have confidence in that.

 

[Canuck99]

do not over do it, too much preparation is bad. you will just end up psyching yourself out. take a little bit of time to look over your application and essay questions. you do not want anything to sound scripted or too thought out. the admission folk are not stupid, they have been doing this for a long time. my suggestion is to be yourself. instead of practicing in front of a mirror, spend some time relaxing thinking about how you are going to ace the interview. its a mental game, dont burn out before you have even made it to the interview.

 

[DD214_DOC]

Take an ativan.

 

[griffyn81]

I was so nervous and had the same concerns you did on my first interview. First impressions are huge--at the end of the interview, the Dr. that was interviewing me said he knew when I walked into the room and introduced myself that I was going to be accepted. Make sure you're comfortable in the clothes you're going to wear on interview day, smile and look the interviewers in the eye when you shake their hands and introduce yourself. Be confident when you introduce yourself (even if you don't feel it), and the rest of the interview gets easier. Good luck, and make sure you let us know how it goes!!

 

[ClubberLang]

Have a sense of humor. It works wonders.

 

[christinejane19]

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for how not to get too nervous and/or come off as confident during DO school interviews.

I have my first interview this week at my first choice school, LECOM-Erie. Just thinking about it makes me panic. I have practiced a lot with the interview questions off of Student Doctor Network, but I am afraid I will get intimidated when I'm actually there and not be able to put together even one intelligent sentence. I am pretty quiet/modest by nature, and so "selling myself" to try to convince them to offer me admission is about the hardest thing in the world for me.

Any tips you could give me would be greatly, greatly appreciated!

well...erie is actually the easiest interview to prepare for since EVERY SINGLE question they ask you is posted on SDN interview feedback...seriously, they read from a list of 10 questions, and all of them are on SDN.. go through the feedback from the past two years, and prepare answers..its worth it, hands down!! plus, they are not at all intimidating... good luck, youll do great

christine

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Take an ativan.

lol, just what i was going to say. not bad advice if you seriously have anxiety issues. if pharmaceuticals aren't necessary, just make sure you have answers for the questions you see on the interview feedback. also, know why you'll be a great physician. that one's the biggest. the other things are to be able to name a weakness, discuss flaws in your app, why medicine, why osteopathic medicine, etc. the biggest thing of all is to make sure you have at least three or four questions for your interviewers.

 

[notnarcsDO]

One important thing that is often overlooked is what you are wearing. If you are comfortable with your attire and appearance, you are more comfortable with yourself, and will perform better. I have found that if I feel good in what I wear, I feel more confident

 

[notnarcsDO]

Oh, and not sure if you are male or female....but if you are female with long hair and you are nervous, PULL IT BACK. When most girls are nervous, they play with their hair, and rarely notice it. It is not only unprofessional, but also very distracting to the interviewers.