Interview with a PhD...thoughts?

[Adcadet]

Hey all - I just got my first interview (U of MN), and found out I'm being interviewed by a guy with a PhD (no MD)....does anybody have a sense of how this changes things? Should I prepare differently? Focus different stuff?

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[S.c. Cdc28p]

Originally posted by Adcadet
Hey all - I just got my first interview (U of MN), and found out I'm being interviewed by a guy with a PhD (no MD)....does anybody have a sense of how this changes things? Should I prepare differently? Focus different stuff?

No. I doubt that an interview by a Ph.D. will be much different from that by an M.D. (Some of the Ph.D.'s at my med school seem to be even more doctor-like than the M.D.'s.)

 

[DoubleDoctor]

The only thing that you have to watch out for will be questions in their field of expertise. An MD interviewing you will not expect you to be able to treat patients but a PhD may quiz you on scientific knowledge esp if you have a science major. I was asked step by step how to perform a Northern and Western Blot If you get their name ahead of time, I would probably see what they are researching and do a little beefing up in their area so you can come off looking intelligent and well informed. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kam730]

Good thing you know before your interview that its a Ph.D. Unfortunately I discovered that after one of my interviews. He had asked me why I wasnt going for MD/PhD and I said something like I was more interested in patient care, and less interested in research. He seemed less than pleased with my response, which I later found out was because all he does is research! Oops, hope that didnt ruin my chances.

 

[CaNEM]

Originally posted by Adcadet
I just got my first interview (U of MN), and found out I'm being interviewed by a guy with a PhD (no MD)

Uh oh, you're screwed!!!

 

[CaNEM]

In all seriousness, what I heard is that when you interview with an MD, you should read over your application ahead of time and take a look at the school's website. On the other hand, when you interview with a PhD, read over your app, check out the website, and then run around the campus 3 to 4 times, in a pink clown suit laced with little golden bells.

 

[Adcadet]

Originally posted by CaNEM
In all seriousness, what I heard is that when you interview with an MD, you should read over your application ahead of time and take a look at the school's website. On the other hand, when you interview with a PhD, read over your app, check out the website, and then run around the campus 3 to 4 times, in a pink clown suit laced with little golden bells.

I thought the clown suit and golden bells was for MDs and a gorilla suite with pink bows was for PhDs. I hope I haven't been doing this wrong!

 

[DoubleDoctor]

Aren't you supposed to make sure that they know that they aren't
"real" doctors and instead are like teachers just for big kids?

 

[DW]

Originally posted by CaNEM
In all seriousness, what I heard is that when you interview with an MD, you should read over your application ahead of time and take a look at the school's website. On the other hand, when you interview with a PhD, read over your app, check out the website, and then run around the campus 3 to 4 times, in a pink clown suit laced with little golden bells.

CaNEM, as much as I appreciate your sarcasm.....you're posting on the wrong thread

 

[uclachris]

Originally posted by DoubleDoctor
Aren't you supposed to make sure that they know that they aren't
"real" doctors and instead are like teachers just for big kids?

A "real" doctor? I'm sorry? A Ph.D. is just a real a Doctoral Degree as an MD. You do not NEED a Ph.D. to be just "teachers for big kids." In fact in the rest of the western world, a Ph.D. is consisdered a more valued degree than an M.D. Because in Europe, for example, the M.D. is basically an undergraduate program, while the Ph.D. is a post-graduate program.

I'm sorry this is just a pet peave of mine to say that Ph.D. is not a "real" doctorate.

Dr. C, Ph.D.

PS: "I didn't go to evil grauate school for six years to be called mister. Thank you very much."

 

[racergirl]

Don't worry-I interviewed with a PhD at the U of MN last year and in some ways I liked it better than interviewing with an MD--a PhD interview can be a lot more down to earth. Some tips:

You get the name of the interviewer, so do some research on Him/Her--they love it when you know what they do, (and I think at the U of MN it's kind of expected.)

Know your research. I was asked several questions about my immunology research, but DON'T WORRY TOO MUCH. All the research Q's I was asked were really easy. If you are actually doing research in the field you claim, you won't have a problem. More than anything else, I think they're just trying to bust people who claim research on their apps when all they're really doing is scrubbing the lab's glassware.

So anyhoo, relax and have fun. Good luck!

 

[uclachris]

Actually r-girl is right. When I _last_ interviewed at vanderbilt, they put me with a Ph.D. He was very down to earth, very easy to talk to, and a great resource.

Just know your stuff for ANY interview. If you did research-- know it. If you built a clinic in the Congo-- know it. MDs are just as likely to ask about it than PhDs. Remember that most MDs at universities are involved in some way and in some form of research. Anything you put down on your application is fair-game-- if you don't know it intimately, then it should not be on the application as a significant event.

Just my 2 cents,
C