How to have an amazing interview

[Dr Simplicity]

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I know this is late in the interview season but I have a couple interviews left and want to impress.


-Any tips/advice for having an excellent interview?

-How can you really impress your interviewers when you have average stats/ECs?

-What has or has not worked for your interviews?

-What are adcoms really looking for?

-Any books/websites/journals that have helped you prepare besides SDN interview feedback of course 🙂!

 

[DrWookie]

1. Be relaxed
2. Be friendly and SMILE


Aside from that, don't try to make yourself look like a perfect candidate. It is better to be honest because it is amazingly easy to spot people who are just trying to make themselves look great. While I don't know if it helps I have always been honest about my strengths AND my weaknesses, because I feel (and if my weaknesses come up I always say this) it is better to admit and understand your weaknesses, because that is the first step to overcoming them. That doesn't mean your interview should be about everything you do poorly, you just shouldn't be afraid to talk about them.

Also, anything you can do to make the interview more of a conversation works well I think...though that may vary from interviewer to interviewer (depending on how you two click).

 

[Bacchus]

Be candid and friendly. You need to win these people over and a good personality is a must.

 

[Dr Simplicity]

1. Be relaxed
2. Be friendly and SMILE


Aside from that, don't try to make yourself look like a perfect candidate. It is better to be honest because it is amazingly easy to spot people who are just trying to make themselves look great. While I don't know if it helps I have always been honest about my strengths AND my weaknesses, because I feel (and if my weaknesses come up I always say this) it is better to admit and understand your weaknesses, because that is the first step to overcoming them. That doesn't mean your interview should be about everything you do poorly, you just shouldn't be afraid to talk about them.

Also, anything you can do to make the interview more of a conversation works well I think...though that may vary from interviewer to interviewer (depending on how you two click).

What were your weaknesses and how did you address them in the interview? I feel that a couple of bad grades on my application are a weakness especially sine i didn't take many advanced science classes as an econ major. For example, I didn't take my intro bio courses before I took Human Physiology and got a C+! Should I address this directly if they don't ask?

 

[rama kandra]

dont mention grades or academics unless they ask for it or you feel the need to explain an upward trend or something positive. Try to focus on other issues about yourself, or 'you' that is more interesting and special/memorable.

chances are if you are interviewing, theyve already considered your grades good enough to get this far. you have nothing to explain on your own.

 

[Nanon]

dont mention grades or academics unless they ask for it or you feel the need to explain an upward trend or something positive. Try to focus on other issues about yourself, or 'you' that is more interesting and special/memorable.

chances are if you are interviewing, theyve already considered your grades good enough to get this far. you have nothing to explain on your own.

Agreed. And while I've only had 2 interviews, they both seemed most interested in my answer to, "Why medicine." Have a really solid answer to that question, and make sure it ties into the rest of your application. I basically told a story about how my interest in the brain let to an interest in how thinking/decisions affect health... basically, I told a story that was consistent with my application.

 

[rama kandra]

personally I would re-iterate what you wrote about in your personal statement and secondary essays that were cool. grades are never all that exciting to discuss especially in the interview. tell them about yourself and your experiences in medicine.

 

[DrWookie]

What were your weaknesses and how did you address them in the interview? I feel that a couple of bad grades on my application are a weakness especially sine i didn't take many advanced science class especially as an econ major. For example, I didn't take my intro bio courses before I took Human Physiology and got a C+! Should I address this directly if they don't ask?

When I say weaknesses I'm not thinking specific grades you got, more in general.

Like for me I tend to take things a little too seriously and need to relax more. I admit that and it helps me be more aware.

 

[umean2tellme]

Be calm and act confident. Don't go overboard but don't be intimidated by the school. Bring your swagger with you to the interview. Know your app inside and out, you never want to be caught off guard by something your sent them in a secondary or w/e.

Oh and drink some water before you start. I always get dry mouth when I talk a lot and in an interview you can do quite a bit of talking.

Most of all just be yourself and realize if you're there then that means they like you so don't try and be anything but the person you are. Good luck.

 

[iheartmpls]

Stay relaxed!

 

[DrWookie]

Be calm and act confident. Don't go overboard but don't be intimidated by the school. Bring your swagger with you to the interview. Know your app inside and out, you never want to be caught off guard by something your sent them in a secondary or w/e.

Oh and drink some water before you start. I always get dry mouth when I talk a lot and in an interview you can do quite a bit of talking.

Most of all just be yourself and realize if you're there then that means they like you so don't try and be anything but the person you are. Good luck.

I agree about the water. During my very first interview my mouth got sooo sore and dry from all the talking (i do tend to talk a lot, and the interview ended up being like an hour and a half instead of 40 minutes). I actually think it isn't a bad idea (and it is okay, at least so far it has been for me) to bring a bottle of water into the interview to drink.

Oh and get a good night sleep before the interview...and don't eat anything unsettling the night before that may keep you from getting the sleep.

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

Suggestion as a person who owned a sales & customer service firm for years (and made it through this process successfully)

Part of it is your story. Make is complete and logical regarding why medicine, why this school, etc.

Part of it is the interviewer. Why did they choose medicine? Why are they participating as an interviewer if they're not an MD affiliated with the school? When you ask them questions, you will learn what makes them tick and excites them - then it's time to look to your experiences so that you can share things similar to this.

One interview I had was with a person who has very different opinions than I have regarding single payer health insurance - I tried to see things from her side, and to share stories that supported her perspective, rather than forcefully showing her that my opinion (which I didn't discuss) was better. This is not the forum to change someone's mind. But if you can find commonalities with the interviewer, you'll make a much better impression.

 

[DrWookie]

Suggestion as a person who owned a sales & customer service firm for years (and made it through this process successfully)

Part of it is your story. Make is complete and logical regarding why medicine, why this school, etc.

Part of it is the interviewer. Why did they choose medicine? Why are they participating as an interviewer if they're not an MD affiliated with the school? When you ask them questions, you will learn what makes them tick and excites them - then it's time to look to your experiences so that you can share things similar to this.

One interview I had was with a person who has very different opinions than I have regarding single payer health insurance - I tried to see things from her side, and to share stories that supported her perspective, rather than forcefully showing her that my opinion (which I didn't discuss) was better. This is not the forum to change someone's mind. But if you can find commonalities with the interviewer, you'll make a much better impression.

Just don't try to suck up to them too much.

I actually disagreed with one of my interviewers on a topic and we had a discussion about it. I got into the school so it went pretty well i assume.

 

[RySerr21]

find some way to connect with the interviewer. Something you both have in common, something you both are fired up about. If you can do that at some point you will end up having an awesome conversation where itdoesnt even feel like an interivew, you are just chatting away and before you know it the time is up (or maybe you even went over what was expected). I wouldnt consider any of my interview expereinces to be negative, but there were ones that went well and others where i walked out of there feeling "Wow that went amazing." The difference is I was able to make a personal connection with the interviewer....whether it be sports, some aspect of medicine, a similar philosophy or outlook on something that we both agree with, etc etc.

 

[nick_carraway]

Be calm and act confident. Don't go overboard but don't be intimidated by the school. Bring your swagger with you to the interview. Know your app inside and out, you never want to be caught off guard by something your sent them in a secondary or w/e.

Oh and drink some water before you start. I always get dry mouth when I talk a lot and in an interview you can do quite a bit of talking.

Most of all just be yourself and realize if you're there then that means they like you so don't try and be anything but the person you are. Good luck.

umean2tellme, I have a bit of an off-topic question. Were there any OOS students the day of your interview at FIU?

I wonder if it's worth applying next year. Even though they say that they want a diverse class, I'm skeptical.

 

[redlight]

act excited to be there. get over whatever nerves may come and show them that you have a genuine interest in the school and you are very happy to be there. be careful not to go over the top obviously.

 

[virusgirl]

Does anyone have any tips for how to answer the question "Why this school?" when you don't actually have an amazing reason? I know this sounds like a dumb question, but I knew I would not be hugely competitive at many schools with my undergrad grades, so when I made my list of schools to apply to, I intentionally included a number of places where I thought my numbers would be competitive -- it wasn't always a matter of whether I really felt drawn to that school. Do other people do this? And how do you explain your interest without sounding like an ass? What I've tried to do so far is research the school in question and identify things that strike me as qualities that I'm looking for, but I'm worried that adcoms have fairly good bs detectors and will know that I didn't apply to that school because I LOVED its curriculum, clinical experiences, etc.

 

[Tiare208]

I think everyone is BSing mostly, so they take anything we say with an ENORMOUS grain of salt. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[variablistic]

My interviews Pre-Acceptance... Terrible. Except for one.

My interviews Post-Acceptance. Amazing. I finally felt like myself.

So destress, be confident, and be yourself.

 

[umean2tellme]

Does anyone have any tips for how to answer the question "Why this school?" when you don't actually have an amazing reason? I know this sounds like a dumb question, but I knew I would not be hugely competitive at many schools with my undergrad grades, so when I made my list of schools to apply to, I intentionally included a number of places where I thought my numbers would be competitive -- it wasn't always a matter of whether I really felt drawn to that school. Do other people do this? And how do you explain your interest without sounding like an ass? What I've tried to do so far is research the school in question and identify things that strike me as qualities that I'm looking for, but I'm worried that adcoms have fairly good bs detectors and will know that I didn't apply to that school because I LOVED its curriculum, clinical experiences, etc.

Why not mention its curriculum and also talk about the school's mission statement and how it matches your future goals. Speak to some students that currently go there and ask them what they like about the school and include that. The school I will be matriculating at is new so I talked about being a pioneer in the school's history and all the technological stuff they're going to have. And I also mentioned the community health programs and stuff they have going on that made me really want to be a part of it. Hope this helps.

 

[ami1983]

I agree about the water. During my very first interview my mouth got sooo sore and dry from all the talking (i do tend to talk a lot, and the interview ended up being like an hour and a half instead of 40 minutes). I actually think it isn't a bad idea (and it is okay, at least so far it has been for me) to bring a bottle of water into the interview to drink.

Oh and get a good night sleep before the interview...and don't eat anything unsettling the night before that may keep you from getting the sleep.

yes!! if they give us water then I bring it in. You can take a sip while they're asking questions.

 

[ami1983]

Oh and drink some water before you start. I always get dry mouth when I talk a lot and in an interview you can do quite a bit of talking.

I always get super dry mouth because I end up talking so much, but deep breathing and drinking water before helps.

I'd also add just be confident in yourself, and it will show!

 

[Neuronix]

-Any tips/advice for having an excellent interview?

About 90% of interviewees will score the same top or close to top scores on the interviewer report forms at the school I'm most familiar with. Most people are social enough and have thought about why they're doing medicine enough to do a reasonably good job in a half hour interview. The two ways to stand out are:

1) Have had an amazing life (rare)

2) Really click with your interviewer for some reason (also rare). Especially true for admissions committee members, who are typically more difficult to impress, or with those interviewers (like me) who rarely really click with an interviewee.

-How can you really impress your interviewers when you have average stats/ECs?

-What are adcoms really looking for?

That you're not a psycho pretty much. Otherwise we all know we can't see into your soul from an hour's worth of interviews. If you're so Axis I or II that you stand out in the interview, that's how to get disqualified. That's the main thing interviews are for.

-Any books/websites/journals that have helped you prepare besides SDN interview feedback of course 🙂!

Read the website for the school you're interviewing at. Play up strengths specific to THAT school, and not BS things that are true for every school or every top school or some PC fouchy feely nonsense in the school's mission statement that we all know sounds kinda cliche or obvious anyways. Relate your undergrad experiences to things you plan to do at that school. You get bonus points when the school is particularly strong at that thing and/or you know exactly what sorts of programs exist at that school for things you have done in the past and wish to continue.

If I had a nickel for everytime I heard:
"Well your school is top, so it'll give me more opportunities."

My response: "What sorts of opportunities are you looking for and how would do that here?"

I almost never get a good response to that. But I'm a much more pain in the *** interviewer than most. Most interviewers, especially the students, have no clear sense of how to evaluate candidates and just want to make sure you're a decent person doing medicine for some sort of reasonable reason. So do your best not to be disqualified and hope that even though you get the same score as everyone else you end up being admitted.

The real randomness in this game comes from the subjective nature of medical school admissions on the part of adcoms. Your performance often has little to nothing to do with it unless it's something obvious.