i dread group interviews

[iheartrain]

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is anyone else somewhat put off by schools that give group interviews, like Northwestern? I'd love to apply there but the thought of doing the interview with several other complete strangers who are *also* interviewing at the same time, just seems very awkward to me. It's not like I'm a complete antisocialite and don't know how to interact with others, but really- can't these schools afford to give an applicant their own 30 min interview if they fly/drive all the way out to their school? or are these interviews not as nerve-wracking as I'm imagining? on top of the stress of saying the right thing to the adcoms, i just would feel weird having to think about when its appropriate to jump in and answer a question, when to stop talking so that I'm not talking too much, or to share some personal anecdote in front of other applicants. anyone else weirded out by group interviews?

 

[Robizzle]

i'd take 3 vs. 3 over the 3 vs. 1 that i'm gettin in a couple weeks..

 

[Wackie]

i'd take 3 vs. 3 over the 3 vs. 1 that i'm gettin in a couple weeks..

No way, man. They're concentrated on YOU.

With two others, they could look at your app and say, "which one was this?" because of some loud mouth. I dunno if they call your name and ask a question or if they ask "the group" the questions.

Seems like Jeopardy.

Adcom: "ER volunteer for 200 hours and is a URM?"
*Bob the applicant slams hand down on the bell* "Who is Bob the applicant!"
Adcom: "You are correct! MSII, would you please add points to Mr. Smith's paperwork? Thank you. And now...Bob the applicant?"
Bob the applicant: "I'll take 'Ethical questions for 500, Mr. Adcom"

 

[wolfram241]

Love to B.S. interviewers; not so much watching others do it.

 

[SoFla62]

Wow, maybe it's just me but I would love a group interview. I've had to do them a couple of times at my undergrad for positions on campus and stuff and they're so much more relaxed than a one-on-one. You have other people to be terrified with!

 

[Dr. Pepper]

I'm used to traditional 1 on 1 interviews. I don't know why, but I tend to step it up to another level when it's either 1 on 1 or up to 10 on 1 (that was kind of intimidating) primarily because most people act differently around applicants than they do interviewers.

For example, let's say that you and your friend from college are both interviewing on the same day in a 3 on 3 panel. In the lobby and around the tour, you two are talking casually, cracking jokes and complaining about having to wear a suit. But when you enter the interviewing room, it becomes very difficult to change your attitude on a dime and act serious in front of your interviewer when you're around someone who you act casual around.

Sorry for the long example, I'm just trying to prove a point.

Different environments require different personalities, and having someone from one environment fused with someone from another environment causes a chasm in personality. Plus, pre-meds are pretty vicious, and I'm sure some fellow pre-meds will do everything in their power to make you look bad.
-Dr. P.

 

[Pemberley]

I don't know, but I'm having my first one at Baylor soon.

Definitely odd, that having other pre-meds in the room should make me more nervous, when they don't have s**t to say about whether I'm admitted anyway. But somehow I think it will. And I'm even accustomed to public speaking. Hrm. Who's actually had one of these so far? What did they ask? Any details would help me prepare.

is anyone else somewhat put off by schools that give group interviews, like Northwestern? I'd love to apply there but the thought of doing the interview with several other complete strangers who are *also* interviewing at the same time, just seems very awkward to me. It's not like I'm a complete antisocialite and don't know how to interact with others, but really- can't these schools afford to give an applicant their own 30 min interview if they fly/drive all the way out to their school? or are these interviews not as nerve-wracking as I'm imagining? on top of the stress of saying the right thing to the adcoms, i just would feel weird having to think about when its appropriate to jump in and answer a question, when to stop talking so that I'm not talking too much, or to share some personal anecdote in front of other applicants. anyone else weirded out by group interviews?

 

[E-Raist]

Never having been interviewed by an adcom I can't speak from experience, however after years in the tech sector I can say that traditional one on one interviews are more expensive but give both sides a better idea of their identities and the potential of the future relationship. Group interviews do indirectly communicate about one's ability to work within group settings and dynamics, however they often favor extroverts versus introverts. (And in the tech sector that are many excellent introverts).

I'm curious to hear people's experiences with group interviews with adcoms.

 

[riceman04]

is anyone else somewhat put off by schools that give group interviews, like Northwestern? I'd love to apply there but the thought of doing the interview with several other complete strangers who are *also* interviewing at the same time, just seems very awkward to me. It's not like I'm a complete antisocialite and don't know how to interact with others, but really- can't these schools afford to give an applicant their own 30 min interview if they fly/drive all the way out to their school? or are these interviews not as nerve-wracking as I'm imagining? on top of the stress of saying the right thing to the adcoms, i just would feel weird having to think about when its appropriate to jump in and answer a question, when to stop talking so that I'm not talking too much, or to share some personal anecdote in front of other applicants. anyone else weirded out by group interviews?

Why are you acting like that...👎 👎
MAN UP for once!

 

[LizzyM]

Schools with group interviews do these because they want to see how the applicant behaves in a small group setting (such as a PBL). Those who are overly aggressive (interrupt others, finish other's sentences) and those who are too timid to get their point of view across don't do well in these interviews. Also, the interviewers want to know if the applicant is attentive when others are speaking as this is also something that is important for in small group discussion.

All three applicants can be rated "excellent"; it is not that one is best and the others on a panel are marked down.

Being friendly and cooperative with the other candidates is desirable; get to know them beforehand if possible (chat in the waiting area). Look at the interview feedback on this website for Northwestern to get an idea of the format.

Most interviewers want the applicants to be relaxed (not tense or nervous) and comfortable in a small group setting. If you've had classes involving small group discussion as an undergrad this shouldn't be much different. The interviewers will ask questions to individual applicants by name or may throw out a question to the group (I saw a story in the paper yesterday about... what do you think about that?) . there is sometimes a group question to see how you work as a group to solve a "problem" (e.g. dividing a donation among different med school priorities).

Another advantage of a 3 on 3 is that you are evaluated by 3 different interviewers who witnessed the same interview. The adcom gets 3 opinions about your interview, not just one, so there is a little more balance, not bias, as you might get with one interview who just doesn't "click" with you.

If you don't like the 3 on 3 interview you may hate the curriculum (if it involves PBL and other small group interaction). Check out the curriculum before you apply.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

If you don't like the 3 on 3 interview you may hate the curriculum (if it involves PBL and other small group interaction). Check out the curriculum before you apply.

+1

Your PBL score for the block will be an evaluation from your PBL tutor based on your participation in the group as well as the quality of your objectives. If you're not into that sort of "soft" grading, a PBL curriculum is probably not the way to go.

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

is anyone else somewhat put off by schools that give group interviews, like Northwestern? I'd love to apply there but the thought of doing the interview with several other complete strangers who are *also* interviewing at the same time, just seems very awkward to me.

I'm very much hoping to get an interview from Northwestern. I don't mind the 3-on-3 at all. It will be interesting to hear what other people have to say. Maybe you can even get a new viewpoint on certain subjects (e.g. health policy)

And I love working out stuff given a set problem so I think exercises like that would be great. There's gotta be someone on SDN that had a fun time at their NW interview.

 

[evade]

Ugh, I didn't care for my Northwestern interview back in the day. Part of it was that the day was so long. Part of it was surely the group interview. I loathed the questions they used. Anyone who interviews at NW'ern would do well to read the interview reviews, because they WILL ask bizarre questions, and they WILL recycle them directly out of some bizarre question book. The winner from my group interview was when the student interviewer asked the guy to my left (keep in mind, I met him for the 1st time 40 minutes ago) "so, what qualities do you think [evade] has that would make her a good doctor?"

Also, I really hate tooting my own horn, and the presence of others really makes me self-conscious about discussing my "glowing resume". The "practice" PBL that afternoon was even more grating; nothing's worse than pre-meds (myself included!) trying to sound impressive when really, we know nothing. I guess it's fitting that NW'ern straight rejected me after the interview. That's cool, because it just wasn't a good fit. But it will be a good fit for some of you, and I bet you're the sort that won't be bothered by group interviews. Best of luck to you all, and be sure to read the interview reviews!

 

[Orthodoc40]

Schools with group interviews do these because they want to see how the applicant behaves in a small group setting (such as a PBL). Those who are overly aggressive (interrupt others, finish other's sentences) and those who are too timid to get their point of view across don't do well in these interviews. Also, the interviewers want to know if the applicant is attentive when others are speaking as this is also something that is important for in small group discussion.

All three applicants can be rated "excellent"; it is not that one is best and the others on a panel are marked down.

Being friendly and cooperative with the other candidates is desirable; get to know them beforehand if possible (chat in the waiting area). Look at the interview feedback on this website for Northwestern to get an idea of the format.

Most interviewers want the applicants to be relaxed (not tense or nervous) and comfortable in a small group setting. If you've had classes involving small group discussion as an undergrad this shouldn't be much different. The interviewers will ask questions to individual applicants by name or may throw out a question to the group (I saw a story in the paper yesterday about... what do you think about that?) . there is sometimes a group question to see how you work as a group to solve a "problem" (e.g. dividing a donation among different med school priorities).

Another advantage of a 3 on 3 is that you are evaluated by 3 different interviewers who witnessed the same interview. The adcom gets 3 opinions about your interview, not just one, so there is a little more balance, not bias, as you might get with one interview who just doesn't "click" with you.

If you don't like the 3 on 3 interview you may hate the curriculum (if it involves PBL and other small group interaction). Check out the curriculum before you apply.

That's a great perspective - thanks.
OP - I definitely have an aversion to the group interview because I don't know if I can trust my fellow interviewees. But if these interviews are more like what LizzyM is talking about, then they shouldn't be that bad at all...
Being interviewed by 3 people alone doesn't bother me - I know how I will handle myself in those situations.

 

[kevster2001]

I'm always afraid of spurting out the same answer as someone else

 

[notdeadyet]

I'm very much hoping to get an interview from Northwestern. I don't mind the 3-on-3 at all.

You also have the opportunity after a question is raised to point your thumb at another applicant and say "Yeah. What she said." You can also say "Ditto", but it's not as insightful.

 

[notdeadyet]

Schools with group interviews do these because they want to see how the applicant behaves in a small group setting (such as a PBL).

I'm sure the folks running these are pros, but I'm curious how well it works. I did a mock interview once with a 3 on 3 type scenario and I found that I wasn't speaking as often as I'd've like. I'm an older applicant (34 yo) and am conscious of the fact that men tend to talk over women and interrupt more so I try to be considerate and not dominate a conversation. But when you're in a room with two alpha type premeds dying to speak this can give the incorrect impression that I'm the quiet type.

Oh well. Many jobs require just as much collaboration with coworkers as the most hardcore PBL curriculums require, yet multiple applicants interviewing at the same time is very much a rareity (I've never done it professionally).

So I'm curious if there's ever been a study done showing that it's effective and private sector is ignoring it (unlikely) or if medical schools are sort of marching to their own drummer. Oh well. They're calling the tunes...

 

[RDood]

Gag, I hate group interviews. I'm with you notdead, I've done group interviews for jobs before and they're so disgustingly competetive. I can't stand talking to many other pre-meds at school, can't imagine what it would be like to interview with them.

 

[MSTP?]

You also have the opportunity after a question is raised to point your thumb at another applicant and say "Yeah. What she said." You can also say "Ditto", but it's not as insightful.

Right, but you get to see who are the passive ones, who are the assertive ones, and who are the annoying agressive ones that dominate the interview. I think it'd be easier to weed out some of the latter people in a group setting than in a 1 on 1 interview. Much of medicine is about working in team, getting along with your coworkers as it is about patient care. Seeing who can maturely and respectfully interact with their peers in a somewhat stressful situation can be quite insightful.

 

[UCLAMAN]

Ugh, I didn't care for my Northwestern interview back in the day. Part of it was that the day was so long. Part of it was surely the group interview. I loathed the questions they used. Anyone who interviews at NW'ern would do well to read the interview reviews, because they WILL ask bizarre questions, and they WILL recycle them directly out of some bizarre question book. The winner from my group interview was when the student interviewer asked the guy to my left (keep in mind, I met him for the 1st time 40 minutes ago) "so, what qualities do you think [evade] has that would make her a good doctor?"

hmm. i am sorry that your interview day at northwestern wasn't the greatest.

we did address the length of the day and it is now significantly shorter.

as for the group interview. admittedly, when i interviewed at northwestern, i too dreaded the group interview. however, after having gone throgh it, i realize it wasn't that bad after all. personally, i think the group interview is a great way to get a sense of how a student works with others. i would argue that medicine is a team sport. medicine is about communication, whether it be with members of the medical team, or patients. have any of you ever been to morning report at the local medical school? has anyone ever been on rounds with the the medical teaching service? if you have, you will quickly realize that medicine has LOTS of group interaction. consequently, you want people who can effectively communicate with others on many different levels. i think the group interview can bring that out a little more than a 1 on 1 interview can. if you are a complete mute during the interview, it won't help you...on the other hand, if you are overbearing, monopolizing, and aggressive, it wont help you either.

biggest piece of advice...and we will tell you this when you get her to interview as well. get to know your fellow aplicants whom you will be interviewing with. also, we definitely try to keep it as low key as possible. we aren't there to make you panic and pressure you. we really just want to see what you are like in person. are you pleasant? would people enjoy working with you in the hospital? realize that if northwestern invites you to interview, academically you are qualified and capable of being here. at that point, the school just wants to get a sense of you as a person.

as far as the recycled questions...i will do my best to not use "recycled" questions. though personally, i do like the question about the person sitting next to you. it forces the applicant to be engaged, and to be able to think on the fly, and to be able to provide complements to their fellow applicant. how someone reacts to that question can tell a lot.

 

[UCLAMAN]

I'm always afraid of spurting out the same answer as someone else

do not worry, we try our best not to ask each student the same question. because obviously the 3rd student wont have anything to say.

well...we do have to ask everyone their name. but hopefully you will have a unique answer for that one. 😉

 

[evade]

hmm. i am sorry that your interview day at northwestern wasn't the greatest.

we did address the length of the day and it is now significantly shorter.

as for the group interview. admittedly, when i interviewed at northwestern, i too dreaded the group interview. however, after having gone throgh it, i realize it wasn't that bad after all. personally, i think the group interview is a great way to get a sense of how a student works with others. i would argue that medicine is a team sport. medicine is about communication, whether it be with members of the medical team, or patients. have any of you ever been to morning report at the local medical school? has anyone ever been on rounds with the the medical teaching service? if you have, you will quickly realize that medicine has LOTS of group interaction. consequently, you want people who can effectively communicate with others on many different levels. i think the group interview can bring that out a little more than a 1 on 1 interview can. if you are a complete mute during the interview, it won't help you...on the other hand, if you are overbearing, monopolizing, and aggressive, it wont help you either.

biggest piece of advice...and we will tell you this when you get her to interview as well. get to know your fellow aplicants whom you will be interviewing with. also, we definitely try to keep it as low key as possible. we aren't there to make you panic and pressure you. we really just want to see what you are like in person. are you pleasant? would people enjoy working with you in the hospital? realize that if northwestern invites you to interview, academically you are qualified and capable of being here. at that point, the school just wants to get a sense of you as a person.

as far as the recycled questions...i will do my best to not use "recycled" questions. though personally, i do like the question about the person sitting next to you. it forces the applicant to be engaged, and to be able to think on the fly, and to be able to provide complements to their fellow applicant. how someone reacts to that question can tell a lot.

Hey, no worries. . .I think NW'ern is a great place, I just don't think it was the place for me. 🙂 I definitely think the length of the interview day was the #1 problem, and I'm really glad that's been changed. I was just so exhausted by the time it was all over that I couldn't think straight.

I agree that the group interview can be a good thing, but I think sometimes it isn't used to the best advantage. During most of my interview, we interviewees didn't get to interact much. It was more of a rapid-fire alternating question thing: one interviewer would ask one interviewee a question, then the next interviewer would ask the next interviewee, and so on. It was kind of like three individual interviews going on at once. I think that's what made the 'person sitting next to you' question so off-the-wall: it was sudden interaction where there had been none. We did have one group question at the end, and that was nice, but kind of minimal. There were a couple other oddball questions too, such as "teach me something in two minutes."

I'll admit that part of the reason I didn't like the interivew is because I felt pressured and pretty uncomfortable. One of the guys in my group just blew me out of the water (he'd done everything, it seemed, and everything I said seemed so dumb and trivial by comparison), and the other was a veritable mute. I didn't interact so well with them, and I'm sure it showed.

 

[Dr. Pepper]

The thing about these group interviews is that (as Lizzy explained), they tend to make it easier for the school to eliminate applicants.

However, it's not fair for all applicants. Doing a group project or conducting rounds in a group is much different from interviewing. I understand that a certain level of cooperation and teamwork is necesarry, but some people will shy away in the presence of overly agressive applicants and vice versa. While this makes it easier for Northwestern to eliminate candidates, some candidates are given a handicap if they become nervous around their competition (if you think about it, that's how interviews generally are).

Anyway, Lizzy does make some good points and from the admissions perspective, I can see why group interviews might be used. But even though it takes more time, I think one on one interviews are much fairer and will most likely produce the better medical class.

Evade's story is testament to how some applicants can be unnecesarily shaken by this irregular and intimidating format.
-Dr. P.

 

[baylormed]

i'd take 3 vs. 3 over the 3 vs. 1 that i'm gettin in a couple weeks..

My committee interview was 3 vs. 1. It wasn't that bad. First of all, they do not attack you at the same time. Also, for me, it was much easier because it allows you to move you eyes over three people, instead of staring at only 1 interviewer (sometimes the eye-contact idea turns into a weird staring stage....and where else can you look without looking like a complete idiot?).

I don't know, I found it easier. As a matter of fact, it intimidates me less than being by myself with only 1 other person.

 

[UCLAMAN]

The thing about these group interviews is that (as Lizzy explained), they tend to make it easier for the school to eliminate applicants.

However, it's not fair for all applicants. Doing a group project or conducting rounds in a group is much different from interviewing. I understand that a certain level of cooperation and teamwork is necesarry, but some people will shy away in the presence of overly agressive applicants and vice versa. While this makes it easier for Northwestern to eliminate candidates, some candidates are given a handicap if they become nervous around their competition (if you think about it, that's how interviews generally are).

not true. i disagree that our interview makes it any easier to eliminate candidates. i'll even give you numbers.

actually, once you are invited for an interview at northwestern the school deems you academically qualified for admission. following the interview each of your 3 interviewers will rate you into 1 of 4 categories; decline, reservations, acceptable, and top recruit. if there is dissension between your three panelists, they discuss about you even further and ultimately come up with a consensus. nevertheless, after the three panelists have made their decisions about you... basically the "decline" group makes up a little less than 5% of those interviewed and the "reservations" group makes up a about 10% of those interviewed. the rest all fall into the "acceptable" and "recruit" categories with a little over 60% of those interviewed falling into the acceptable group. in other words, very few interviewees are "eliminated" or flat out rejected through our format of interview. only the decline group gets flat out rejected...at a little less than 5% of about 700 interviewees?...that group should be the least of your worries.

the point being, that the interview at northwestern will not break you(assuming you do not have any major outward social flaws). the interview can only help you, assuming you approach it with an open mind and let it. another helpful piece of advice is that you hope that whatever you bring to the group dynamic that day, strikes a chord with one of your interviewers such that they do not just put you into the acceptable pile, but that when they put you into the acceptable(or top recruit) file they also write glowing comments about you in their comments section. also keep in mind that this is a blind interview. therefore, ultimately the final final committee is gonna make their decision based on your blind interview comments/results as well as the academic credentials that your interviewers did not see. again...the interview will not necessarily make or break you. the interview is just one piece of the total package.

 

[UCLAMAN]

So I'm curious if there's ever been a study done showing that it's effective and private sector is ignoring it (unlikely) or if medical schools are sort of marching to their own drummer. Oh well. They're calling the tunes...

hmm...i am sure there are some studies out there. for all the harping we get on evidence based medicine, one would think that this is evidence based as well.

nevertheless, anecdotally this interview format has worked well for our purposes and has consistently allowed us to compose classes with wonderful group dynamics in my opinion. but you know...there are many ways to skin a cat. you will realize when you get to medical school that this is true for everything in medicine. there are a billion ways to perform a c-section, all with essentially equal outcomes, just different ways of getting there. for our institution we chose the group interview way!

 

[Orthodoc40]

It just seems to me like you don't really get to know the applicant, just how well or not well the applicant interacts with strangers in an interview setting!

 

[Dr. Pepper]

not true. i disagree that our interview makes it any easier to eliminate candidates. i'll even give you numbers.

actually, once you are invited for an interview at northwestern the school deems you academically qualified for admission. following the interview each of your 3 interviewers will rate you into 1 of 4 categories; decline, reservations, acceptable, and top recruit. if there is dissension between your three panelists, they discuss about you even further and ultimately come up with a consensus. nevertheless, after the three panelists have made their decisions about you... basically the "decline" group makes up a little less than 5% of those interviewed and the "reservations" group makes up a about 10% of those interviewed. the rest all fall into the "acceptable" and "recruit" categories with a little over 60% of those interviewed falling into the acceptable group. in other words, very few interviewees are "eliminated" or flat out rejected through our format of interview. only the decline group gets flat out rejected...at a little less than 5% of about 700 interviewees?...that group should be the least of your worries.

the point being, that the interview at northwestern will not break you(assuming you do not have any major outward social flaws). the interview can only help you, assuming you approach it with an open mind and let it. another helpful piece of advice is that you hope that whatever you bring to the group dynamic that day, strikes a chord with one of your interviewers such that they do not just put you into the acceptable pile, but that when they put you into the acceptable(or top recruit) file they also write glowing comments about you in their comments section. also keep in mind that this is a blind interview. therefore, ultimately the final final committee is gonna make their decision based on your blind interview comments/results as well as the academic credentials that your interviewers did not see. again...the interview will not necessarily make or break you. the interview is just one piece of the total package.

That's good to know UCLA. I assume that you have some tie to the admissions committee.

Anyway, in that case, I'll retract my earlier claim that the particular interview makes it easier to eliminate candidates.

But I still do think that interviews should be conducted individually, as even though it is very important to interact in groups (a reason why I understand why such interviews are created, but I don't wholly support it), I still think that knowing the individual is more important. You can argue that the group interview allows the interviewers to understand each individual applicant, but just in my opinion (unfortunately, I have no figures to support me), having the interviewer(s) question one applicant is more fitting for such a process.

Either way, you explained yourself well and there are good points on either side of the spectrum, I certainly won't deny that.
-Dr. P.

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

not true. i disagree that our interview makes it any easier to eliminate candidates. i'll even give you numbers.

actually, once you are invited for an interview at northwestern the school deems you academically qualified for admission. following the interview each of your 3 interviewers will rate you into 1 of 4 categories; decline, reservations, acceptable, and top recruit. if there is dissension between your three panelists, they discuss about you even further and ultimately come up with a consensus. nevertheless, after the three panelists have made their decisions about you... basically the "decline" group makes up a little less than 5% of those interviewed and the "reservations" group makes up a about 10% of those interviewed. the rest all fall into the "acceptable" and "recruit" categories with a little over 60% of those interviewed falling into the acceptable group. in other words, very few interviewees are "eliminated" or flat out rejected through our format of interview. only the decline group gets flat out rejected...at a little less than 5% of about 700 interviewees?...that group should be the least of your worries.

That is fantastic information.

 

[Ekoe10]

Why's it matter?

The majority of adcoms have already made up their mind about a candidate before he even sets foot in the room.


As long as you don't clam up, and make them feel you couldn't handle yourself around patients, you're in.

 

[UCLAMAN]

I still think that knowing the individual is more important.

rest assured that its not just an interview about group dynamics. we definitely want to get to know the individual too. when i interviewed i learned about one girl's passion for horse riding and her journey to try and get on the US riding team. I had the chance to talk about my air jordans. think of it this way...the opportunities for you to talk about your individual life, hobbies, dreams and desires will be there, its just that you will have a larger audience listening to you.

 

[Mac11]

Adcom: "ER volunteer for 200 hours and is a URM?"
*Bob the applicant slams hand down on the bell* "Who is Bob the applicant!"
Adcom: "You are correct! MSII, would you please add points to Mr. Smith's paperwork? Thank you. And now...Bob the applicant?"
Bob the applicant: "I'll take 'Ethical questions for 500, Mr. Adcom"

Way to go Bob!

 

[Dr. Pepper]

rest assured that its not just an interview about group dynamics. we definitely want to get to know the individual too. when i interviewed i learned about one girl's passion for horse riding and her journey to try and get on the US riding team. I had the chance to talk about my air jordans. think of it this way...the opportunities for you to talk about your individual life, hobbies, dreams and desires will be there, its just that you will have a larger audience listening to you.

If I give you my brand new pair of Air Jordans, will you let me into Northwestern? 😀
-Dr. P.

 

[LizzyM]

Why's it matter?

The majority of adcoms have already made up their mind about a candidate before he even sets foot in the room.


As long as you don't clam up, and make them feel you couldn't handle yourself around patients, you're in.

🙁 Alas, this is not true. Many schools interview far more applicants than they can take, even factoring in the 15% who don't interview well. So, while you might have what it takes to be successful in the school, there may not be room for you. So, you end up on a waitlist. ...and wait, and wait. Most people never make it off the waitlist. Of course, many have offers elsewhere so it doesn't really matter (except for the disappointment of not getting a preferred choice). Getting an interview should never, ever be equated with being "in".

 

[UCLAMAN]

If I give you my brand new pair of Air Jordans, will you let me into Northwestern? 😀
-Dr. P.

maybe....but i am only accepting deadstock OG I's, OG XI's, and OG fire red III's. 😀

i must say...i like how you think already. 😉

 

[LizzyM]

maybe....but i am only accepting deadstock OG I's, OG XI's, and OG fire red III's. 😀

i must say...i like how you think already. 😉

watch out UCLAMAN, next thing you know, these applicants will be asking if they should write their thank you notes to you on a $100 bill.

 

[SoCuteMD]

i'd take 3 vs. 3 over the 3 vs. 1 that i'm gettin in a couple weeks..

If that's the interview at EVMS then have no fear. It's really easy and laid back.

 

[iheartrain]

Originally Posted by iheartrain View Post
is anyone else somewhat put off by schools that give group interviews, like Northwestern? I'd love to apply there but the thought of doing the interview with several other complete strangers who are *also* interviewing at the same time, just seems very awkward to me. It's not like I'm a complete antisocialite and don't know how to interact with others, but really- can't these schools afford to give an applicant their own 30 min interview if they fly/drive all the way out to their school? or are these interviews not as nerve-wracking as I'm imagining? on top of the stress of saying the right thing to the adcoms, i just would feel weird having to think about when its appropriate to jump in and answer a question, when to stop talking so that I'm not talking too much, or to share some personal anecdote in front of other applicants. anyone else weirded out by group interviews?

Why are you acting like that...👎 👎
MAN UP for once!

Uh, what is your problem? What am I "acting like"? 👎 👎 👎 right back at ya weirdo.

Also, I'm not petrified of group interviews or social situations, so I don't need to "Man up" (though I don't think anyone that is introverted needs to "man up" either). I DONT think group interviews show how people work in a group- that would be shown in a mock PBL session, but not in the interview where people are directly asked questions about themselves and then they give an answer on their own- where is the group work involved? Plus, frankly I don't think that its ok for interviewers to discuss people's grades, personal statements, secondary essays, etc in front of other applicants. If this happens in the group interview ("Why Bob, please tell us why your grades suffered so much soph year, you mentioned your mother had cancer??") its really an invasion of privacy and can be embarressing for the interviewee to address in front of some total strangers that may be your future classmates. I think its totally tacky on the part of the school to do this style of interviews- if you have 3 interviewers available, break them up into 1 on 1 interviews. Just my opinion though, and I'm sure you (riceman) will come across just *great* in interviews with your "man up" comments so keep that up!

 

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[UCLAMAN]

1. I DONT think group interviews show how people work in a group- that would be shown in a mock PBL session, but not in the interview where people are directly asked questions about themselves and then they give an answer on their own- where is the group work involved?


2. Plus, frankly I don't think that its ok for interviewers to discuss people's grades, personal statements, secondary essays, etc in front of other applicants. If this happens in the group interview ("Why Bob, please tell us why your grades suffered so much soph year, you mentioned your mother had cancer??") its really an invasion of privacy and can be embarressing for the interviewee to address in front of some total strangers that may be your future classmates.

3. I think its totally tacky on the part of the school to do this style of interviews- if you have 3 interviewers available, break them up into 1 on 1 interviews. Just my opinion though

1. the group work is involved because we actually ask the interviewees to solve a problem as a group. furthermore, having to listen to someone else's response to an individual question and perhaps comment on their response(which will most likely occur during the interview) is definitely an aspect of group interaction that actually happens all the time on the wards. it happens everywhere in medicine, from morning rounds, to the operating room, to the radiology reading room, to the ICU...basically anywhere there is a team taking care of a patient. for example...lets say someone thinks that the patient who stroked out needs to have better Blood pressure control because X reason. Then, someone else chimes in and thinks that the pressure should run high because of Y reason. Such group discussions are vital to help provide the best care for patients.

2. its a blind interview. all we know is your name and undergraduate institution.

3. if you think northwestern is a tacky institution, then i suggest you don't apply there. just my opinion though.

good luck.