Impressions from interview vs. how the school actually is

[hhap1234]

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To current medical school students, I’m curious about how your med school actually is as compared to your first impressions at your interview day.

I recently interviewed at a school I really expected to like, but I just didn’t. It’s hard to put my finger on it, but something about the faculty and current students just didn’t click with me. A lot of schools I interviewed at, I could imagine myself being friends with the students I met. But at this school, it just wasn’t the same.

I’ve heard a lot about “choosing the school that you fits you the best,” but how much can you really tell about the fit from the interview day? I met and chatted with maybe 5-6 students that i didn’t mesh well with. But that’s such a small portion of the class, who knows what the majority are actually like? Also, it’s just a small sample size of those students who happened to be the schools “ambassadors.”

So my question is, how accurate can interview day be in evaluating a schools fit? Even the schools I really liked, maybe the people in the admissions office just worked extra hard To impress us, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to happiness of students and stuff. And to current medical students, did your gut feeling about your school translate to how your actual experience has been?

 

[vanilina]

Follow your intuition. When I interviewed at my school something just felt right. Can’t quite explain it. Of course during interview day the schools put on their best face and wanna lure you in. No school is perfect. Even my school has some things I don’t love - but the things I love/the good things outweigh the not so good. So, I went with my intuition, and I’m happy. Trust your gut. Lots of things, even people, can look great on paper and not be right for you. It’s worth noting that you met 5-6 students, which is quite a handful, and didn’t mesh with at least one. Something to think about

 

[sophop]

Oh, gosh. I got an II at my tippy-top T10 dream school and well - my interviewers were actually great, but it was the only school (out of more than a dozen) where I didn't feel a connection with any of the current students. Then I got actually got in, and figuring that since everybody else seems to think it's a great place, I went to admitted students weekend thinking I just must of had an unusually bad interview host experience. Nope. In fact, the only people I connected with during second look were a couple of other admitted students who were also having pretty strong second thoughts about going there. (Not that the rest of the current and admitted students weren't amazing - we just didn't connect). I ended up deciding on a slightly lower ranked school where I did feel a fit, and have never ever regretted it. If you are blessed to have a choice of schools, I totally agree with @vanilina - med school can be overwhelming and it helps if you can be overwhelmed with people you really like.

 

[DokterMom]

Confirmation bias is a very real thing, so don't put too much stock in your initial impression until you actually have more than one acceptance to pick from.

Once you do have that choice, then gather as much information as you can and listen to your gut. Second look weekend and/or an accepted students Facebook page can be invaluable.

 

[Goro]

Picking a school can very much be like buying a new car or or house....it has to pass the sleep test. If your decision makes you lose sleep, it's not the right choice.

 

[bananafish94]

Unfortunately, for better and for worse, there is a finite amount of information you can glean about a school from spending a few hours on an interview. A lot of it really does come down to your gut feeling. I think that you should try and envision exactly what you want to get out of medical school. Are you the kind of person who wants to keep their head down, do your work, and go home? In that case, super friendly or outgoing people don't add much and might even detract from your experience. Do you envision yourself becoming really involved and making lots of friends in your class? In that case, looking for people that you get along with is important. Note that this isn't only limited to the students who currently attend the school, but also the people interviewing with you - many schools might look for particular types of people and the students you're interviewing with likely represent well the types of people who will end up being in your class - one of my best friends in medical school was on my interview day with me, and lots of others from the interview are in my class.

Look around at students uninvolved with the interview. Do they seem happy? Do they seem to like each other? Do they seem excessively stressed out? Is the school itself a bleak place that you don't think you could spend lots of time in without becoming miserable?

Remember this, too. Once you're accepted, you're basically untouchable. At that point you can reach out to current students and ask any questions you want about the school free from thoughts about how it might affect your application status.

All in all, I say that you should trust yourself. If something inside you says there's something wrong, something is probably wrong.

 

[SouthernGent]

Look at the students not giving the tour. Try and eavesdrop in the halls on what people are talking (complaining) about. See what topics the tour guides are tip toeing around. We were told as tour guides not to say anything negative, but I can tell you we also wouldn't say anything positive certain parts of our program that we loathed. After you get in try and reach out to currenr students you know or run into on 2nd look day.