How to engage fellow interviewees?

[gobblety_gook]

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I was wondering what your thoughts were about engaging fellow interviewees in conversation? I (personally) find it relaxing to engage people in conversation about something outside of this process...

I had my first interview recently and was really intimidated by me fellow interviewees...just felt like everyone wanted their own space before the interview.

Maybe I should ask this in a different way...imagine you're at an interview...would you be ok if a fellow interviewee came up to you, introduced himself/herself and then tried to ask you about the election, your school, sports, etc..etc..?

Or should I just shut the hell up and bring a newspaper?

 

[neuropower]

i definitely enjoyed meeting people at the interview. everyone i met (well pretty much) was really nice and supportive of each other. it's always nice to make small talk to take your mind off waiting for your turn.

 

[liverotcod]

I had my first interview recently and was really intimidated by me fellow interviewees...just felt like everyone wanted their own space before the interview.

Maybe I should ask this in a different way...imagine you're at an interview...would you be ok if a fellow interviewee came up to you, introduced himself/herself and then tried to ask you about the election, your school, sports, etc..etc..?

Or should I just shut the hell up and bring a newspaper?

I like to chat with fellow interviewees. I suspect that what you're seeing is more nervousness than aloofness, and you have no reason to be intimidated. Try using humor to break the ice, perhaps. It's fun, too, to pick out the gunners and egg them on... you know, "So where else are you interviewing? Johns Hopkins, eh? Wow, you must have really great stats!" Etc.

 

[DoctorFunk]

I've had three interviews thus far and have been sure to make conversation with other interviewees at each. I think it not only helps ease some of the pressure of the situation, it also helps me get into a conversational mode in which I ask and answer questions about spontaneous topics...it really helped get my self-confidence up for each interview.

 

[LauraMac]

i've met a lot of very social ppl at my interviews. everyone was pretty cool, and we had a lot of good conversations.

 

[CaMD]

Totally feel free to just talk to other interviewees. For the most part I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I've enjoyed hanging around fellow interviewees.

If someone seems aloof or wants their own space, give 'em that, I'm sure they're just nervous, but like the other people who've posted so far, it calms me down to talk to people.

 

[UDbiochem]

That's been my favorite part of my interviews: meeting folks like myself from all over the country and chatting! I've chatted about the election, about schools, about interviews.... It's awesome. Some of these folks might be in school with you someday, you never know. Be friendly and make a good impression now!

 

[ms2209]

I agree with you all! I've been on three interviews thus far, and at each one, I've been able to chat with fellow interviewees and we've had a great rapport with one another. It's always been very supportive and not at all "gunnerish"! Let's hope I didn't just jinx myself 🙂. Also, at the Drexel interview, I asked if anyone there was an SDNer, and two of them had visited the site but did not frequent it as posters.

 

[adamj61]

I played pool with 3 of mine 👍

 

[calstudent]

That's been my favorite part of my interviews: meeting folks like myself from all over the country and chatting! I've chatted about the election, about schools, about interviews.... It's awesome. Some of these folks might be in school with you someday, you never know. Be friendly and make a good impression now!

i agree! it is much less nerve-wracking to be studying your "notes" than to be chatting about the election or baseball or whatever!
that "cramming" of notes is not gonna help anyway; i have met some people who still cram anyway and/or just want their space, though, so give it to them. but, keep your mind off the interview and you'll be fresh when you go in!

 

[gobblety_gook]

haha, thanks for all the responses...I'm going to try my social skills this Wed...I'll let you all know how it goes 🙂

 

[bewitched1081]

my fellow interviewees were always nice. well there was this one guy from stanford... but the rest were almost nicer than the people that i normally meet (yes even the ivy leaguers and the other stanford interviewees).

 

[fakin' the funk]

I was wondering what your thoughts were about engaging fellow interviewees in conversation? I (personally) find it relaxing to engage people in conversation about something outside of this process...

I had my first interview recently and was really intimidated by me fellow interviewees...just felt like everyone wanted their own space before the interview.

Maybe I should ask this in a different way...imagine you're at an interview...would you be ok if a fellow interviewee came up to you, introduced himself/herself and then tried to ask you about the election, your school, sports, etc..etc..?

Or should I just shut the hell up and bring a newspaper?

I find it humorous that someone would ask thousands of anonymous people on a message board, after the fact, whether or not it would have been OK to speak to the live human being next to them on the interview day.

Who says premeds have no social skills?

 

[krelian]

I find it humorous that someone would ask thousands of anonymous people on a message board, after the fact, whether or not it would have been OK to speak to the live human being next to them on the interview day.

Who says premeds have no social skills?

I'm with fakin' the funk. I sure hope I didn't make anyone in my interview group feel uncomfortable by introducing myself to them and making small-talk to pass the time.

 

[MrTee]

I just go to each of the other interviewees one at a time, and say "what are your stats?" before even starting any kind of smalltalk. Maybe my approach is bad, none of them seem to want to talk after they tell me to screw off. 😕

J/K, btw.

 

[NubianPrincess]

You mean we weren't supposed to talk about interviews and applications? 😕 😡

They were nice anyway 😎

 

[liverotcod]

I just go to each of the other interviewees one at a time, and say "what are your stats?" before even starting any kind of smalltalk. Maybe my approach is bad, none of them seem to want to talk after they tell me to screw off. 😕

J/K, btw.

I find it's best to start these conversations with my own stats, perhaps enhanced a bit in key places. Sort of a stats codpiece.

 

[futuremsfdoc]

please do not talk about politics. i think at this point most people are pretty sick of politics and you're just risking getting in a big argument with fellow interviewees. i'd recommend sticking to more neutral issues such as sports and college. but that's just me.

 

[45408]

I'll just walk into the room and go

hay guys!!1

and start reciting lines from Dumb & Dumber