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How should one answer a question like that? What information should one include? Can you give an example of a good response?
Interview Question
- Thread starter AMedStud
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Sorry, but this is one of those questions that no one else can help you with. Just tell them what you want them to know about you.
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Don't start with..."On a bright shining morning on July 10th, 1985 I was born."
Start with college. Give the gist of yourself - major, jobs, activities, etc. The more relaxed you are the more conversational the interview can become so don't force some monologue that would make a monkey fall asleep. Go with the flow and just talk about yourself! I can't believe people have a hard time with it (then again, I might just be egotistical and vain which makes it easy for me 🙂 )
But in all seriousness, I basically had an idea of some topics to mention. Make sure its not too rigid. Its awesome if interviewers stop you and ask you to elaborate. Seriously, almost all of my interviews never got past that question, everything led into everything else and we basically ended up touching on everything the interviewer would have asked anyway - made it super conversational and comfy.
What I wrote down for myself was this (remember I'm not memorizing this, just keeping points in mind).
I'm 22 years old, I graduated in May from UC Berkeley with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology and an emphasis in Immunology. I am currently working full-time with the Fire Prevention Division at the office on campus where I worked my Junior and Senior year. I worked there as an office assistant for two years and when I graduated the Fire Marshal asked if I would like to stay on to complete a project for them. When Fire fighters respond to buildings they often have maps of the building to know what buildings nearby are threatened and where all the fire suppression equipment in the building is. So I spent 3 months learning AutoCAD for them and am now redoing all 200 buildings on campus. I am also currently teaching an MCAT Biology course for Princeton review – which I like a lot because it keeps the material fresh in my mind while letting me work on how I go about explaining complex material to someone who doesn't understand it.
I also took up a quarter-time Americorps position at the clinic where I have volunteered for 3 years. I have been a medical assistant in the free clinic since my sophomore year and recently started doing follow-up, outreach, and preparation during the daytime as well as my usual job of being a medical assistant in the evening.
I worked part-time all four years of college, and paid my own way through. I worked as a cashier in a café my freshman year which was fun because I got to meet a lot of new people and got a lot of practice in Spanish since so many employees were Hispanic and didn't speak English.
My sophomore year I worked as a tutor and mentor with a bunch of middle school students. That was a lot of fun. They were really cute and a good challenge to work with.
(basically I would start with most recent stuff and go all the way back to major activities at the beginning of college, if you ever get that far - I never did). I don't know if this is a good response, but it worked well for me.
I would say anythign that can make the interview nice and conversational for you is a good answer for you.
Start with college. Give the gist of yourself - major, jobs, activities, etc. The more relaxed you are the more conversational the interview can become so don't force some monologue that would make a monkey fall asleep. Go with the flow and just talk about yourself! I can't believe people have a hard time with it (then again, I might just be egotistical and vain which makes it easy for me 🙂 )
But in all seriousness, I basically had an idea of some topics to mention. Make sure its not too rigid. Its awesome if interviewers stop you and ask you to elaborate. Seriously, almost all of my interviews never got past that question, everything led into everything else and we basically ended up touching on everything the interviewer would have asked anyway - made it super conversational and comfy.
What I wrote down for myself was this (remember I'm not memorizing this, just keeping points in mind).
I'm 22 years old, I graduated in May from UC Berkeley with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology and an emphasis in Immunology. I am currently working full-time with the Fire Prevention Division at the office on campus where I worked my Junior and Senior year. I worked there as an office assistant for two years and when I graduated the Fire Marshal asked if I would like to stay on to complete a project for them. When Fire fighters respond to buildings they often have maps of the building to know what buildings nearby are threatened and where all the fire suppression equipment in the building is. So I spent 3 months learning AutoCAD for them and am now redoing all 200 buildings on campus. I am also currently teaching an MCAT Biology course for Princeton review – which I like a lot because it keeps the material fresh in my mind while letting me work on how I go about explaining complex material to someone who doesn't understand it.
I also took up a quarter-time Americorps position at the clinic where I have volunteered for 3 years. I have been a medical assistant in the free clinic since my sophomore year and recently started doing follow-up, outreach, and preparation during the daytime as well as my usual job of being a medical assistant in the evening.
I worked part-time all four years of college, and paid my own way through. I worked as a cashier in a café my freshman year which was fun because I got to meet a lot of new people and got a lot of practice in Spanish since so many employees were Hispanic and didn't speak English.
My sophomore year I worked as a tutor and mentor with a bunch of middle school students. That was a lot of fun. They were really cute and a good challenge to work with.
(basically I would start with most recent stuff and go all the way back to major activities at the beginning of college, if you ever get that far - I never did). I don't know if this is a good response, but it worked well for me.
I would say anythign that can make the interview nice and conversational for you is a good answer for you.
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I think Dr. Evil from Austin Powers gave a perfect response -- you may need to change it to reflect your own life story:
"The details of my life are quite inconsequential.... very well, where do i begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking- I highly suggest you try it."
😀
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Honestly, i would answer this question trying to stray away from the academic side. i mean, they know what you majored in, extracurriculars and such from your application already. try to be more human with this open ended question, what do you like to do? whats passions do you have. Listen to music? what type. why.favorite artist? why. whats makes you who u are, besides academia etc etc etc.....
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I think SOME of this is good, but completely avoiding the things on your application are going to force them to ask you about them anyway (thats what they generally ask about at an interview). So you might as well bring them up yourself. I think only talking about non-EC, non-academics would make this answer pretty short for most people and wouldn't lead too many useful places.
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well put
1
146233
I have merged your two threads on this exact question together. Thus, you can benefit from the advice others have already given you.
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Hmm. My friend told me about this question. She didn't really get much to say. They cut her off after she said well I was born in Taiwan and moved to America. They want to know a lot about you and it's a good starter question to break the ice. It's not a threatening question. However, don't be surprised if they stop you. How would you feel if they let you rant and then say, "Thank you for your time. We'll get back to you soon" off one question?
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What I did for later interviews on advice: Create a me-list, outlining everything you know about yourself, your principles, and your character. You can use it to not only answer the tell me about yourself, but also the ethical questions (i.e base your answers on your unchanging principles)
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As a prelude to your eloquence, bust out some Eminem...
j/k.
Depending on the conversation, you could describe yourself in two ways - accomplishments or qualities. Think about the particular med school, its mission... and highlight attributes/accomplishments of yours that correlate.
j/k.
Depending on the conversation, you could describe yourself in two ways - accomplishments or qualities. Think about the particular med school, its mission... and highlight attributes/accomplishments of yours that correlate.
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I'd say 90 sec. max. Have 4 character traits/qualities in mind that you can back up with examples of how you've demonstrated them. Don't shoot all 4 out at once though, give 2-3. If the interviewer wants more, give him or her another.
