Interview Prep

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housefish26

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So I've got an interview coming up on the 26th, and I'm getting pretty nervous, even though it seems like the vast majority of interview feedback seems to claim that the interviews are "very laid back."

I'm having trouble motivating myself to prepare for all the possible questions and scenarios and there's a small voice inside me that is telling me to "just wing it and be yourself, it'll be fine!"

What do you guys think? Are any of you not healthcare reform aficionados? Did anybody go into it without reading books on ethical situations or the current state of medicine?
 
It helps to record yourself answering these questions, to get a sense of what you're like and how you present yourself to the interviewer.

Many people are surprised at how different they actually are compared to how they think they present themselves.
 
It will help you to at least get some preparation down. Read some articles on health care debate, think about answers to the most common questions they are going to ask you, go over your application, etc. You don't want to walk in there without being prepared, hem and haw, and look like an idiot. You made it this far, don't blow it.
 
Take BlueElmo's advice with a grain of salt. Don't adopt the "don't blow it!" attitude with regards to preparation; it will only serve to make you nervous. Most interviews are laid back and there really isn't any specific question you should be preparing for. Try to think of your interviews as a chance to show them how personable you really are above all else - that's the main thing that doesn't come across on your application. However, BlueElmo's advice to be well-informed on the healthcare debate is spot on. I was asked a lot about this when I interviewed in 2005, and healthcare reform has only increased in prominence and importance since then. It would definitely help to familiarize yourself with it, even if you don't necessarily prepare for specific questions.
 
One thing that really helped me was to actually write out answers to common questions. This is NOT to say that I memorized the answers and recited them verbatim. But thinking through the questions really helped to get my brain juices flowing and to pin down my thoughts before the interviews so I could express them coherently instead of scrambling to think of an answer.
 
Take BlueElmo's advice with a grain of salt. Don't adopt the "don't blow it!" attitude with regards to preparation; it will only serve to make you nervous. Most interviews are laid back and there really isn't any specific question you should be preparing for. Try to think of your interviews as a chance to show them how personable you really are above all else - that's the main thing that doesn't come across on your application. However, BlueElmo's advice to be well-informed on the healthcare debate is spot on. I was asked a lot about this when I interviewed in 2005, and healthcare reform has only increased in prominence and importance since then. It would definitely help to familiarize yourself with it, even if you don't necessarily prepare for specific questions.

I'm sure it's different for many people, but for me personally, I would feel very uncomfortable walking in cold to something as important as a medical school interview without at least some level of preparation. And when I'm uncomfortable or nervous, I tend to stutter and become confused over my thoughts and words. That's why I suggested at least preparing some answers to the most common questions beforehand. I think it will be helpful to answer questions like "Why medicine?" "Why this school" when you have thought about the answers before. Obvisouly, don't go crazy with this, but at least give some thought to these questions before the actual interview.
 
Fair enough. Good point.
 
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