Interview with a student? (at SUNY Upstate)

[yyd]

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[zurned]

I was invited to interview at SUNY Upstate in January, and today I received a letter asking me whether I'd give permission to be interviewed by a student (I understand that it is optional). Are interviews with a med student different in any way from interviews with a faculty? Since I am given a choice, should I pick to be interviewed by faculty only or it does not matter? I am an older applicant with a graduate degree in biosciences, not a traditional pre-med.

At Upstate, they give you two interviews, one with a student and one with faculty. So if you say that you don't agree to a student one, you only have to meet with faculty; its not that you have a choice of either or. But in these applications, optional means mandatory. They don't want to see that you refuse to talk to a studnet that might be ur future classmate. Don't worry, student interviews are nothing. Usually, they're given by first or second years who remember how it felt to be interviewed, and they're very informal. Don't worry, prepare more for the faculty one

 

[bigdan]

yyd-

I am a non-trad too, and I interviewed at Upstate last year. I suggest you do the student interview too. I'm not too sure how bad it would look if you didn't, but there really isn't any reason not to. Remember, your at the interview stage, which means that the numbers you have are good enough. So they wanna see that you aren't a psychopath and that you can fit in...and a student can help them with that. My interview was VERY relaxed, and with another non-trad. Just kinda talked about how I arrived at deciding on medical school, and what my worries and hopes for student life were like, if memory serves.

Enjoy it. And good luck.

dc

 

[Random]

I'd like to concur with the sentiment that it's a good idea to go for the student interview. In all of the interactions that I've had with the admissions people since I came here to Upstate (or for that matter while I was interviewing), I've never heard of any bias for or against those who decide to only interview with faculty or staff. Just realize that most of the people you'll be interviewing with will have interviews with students. As for being a non-traditional student, just FYI, in my class, our oldest student is 50 and has a Ph.D. in analytical chem and to the best of my knowledge, the differences in age and experience haven't been a big issue. Good luck with your interview.

Dave

 

[yyd]

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[MCYan]

Just want to add something, if u indicate that you don't want a student interview, they will assign you with two faculty interviews.

 

[Upstateadmiss]

just want to clarify - optional does mean optional. If you choose not to be interviewed by a student that is your prerogative and will have no affect on your application. It really doesn't matter to us! I think that having the opportunity to interview with a student can be really helpful in this process. They are living the life that you will be living in a few short months and can give you a very good perspective of what it will be like. Our student interviews are weighted the same as our faculty interviews. I hope this helps!
Jennifer

 

[hanjoko]

I interviewed there early in Sep and the students were *really* helpful and nice. I got a MS4 student interview and he was going out of his way to make me feel comfortable and relaxed. He was going to get into the interview phase since he was applying for residency so he totally understands my situation.

Go for it if you feel comfortable. BTW, the people at Upstate are really really great. Don't worry too much and just be yourself.