Interviewer reaction

[dangit]

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Does the interviewer's reaction indicate how your interview went? Man, I felt like my interviewer started to lose interest, but then again, maybe he was tired. If so, do you guys try to step it up to make them engaged? ....

 

[engineeredout]

Hard to tell. My NYCOM interviewer looked liked she really didn't want to be there and was really disinterested and blew through the interview. Ended up getting accepted however so you never know

 

[DrMattOglesby]

one interviewer asked me about the ironman and what that was...I got really really enthusiastic and started talking a lot. I don't think he shared my enthusiasm though and I may have sounded boring/crazy to a non-triathlete.

Result -- rejected.

 

[dangit]

one interviewer asked me about the ironman and what that was...I got really really enthusiastic and started talking a lot. I don't think he shared my enthusiasm though and I may have sounded boring/crazy to a non-triathlete.

Result -- rejected.

for what school was this?

 

[Chocolate Bear]

This thread will help show how you can never tell the result of your application based solely on your perception of the interview. Good. That assumption is one of the biggest fallacies held by many pre meds.

Carry on. 👍

 

[Semicolon]

This thread will help show how you can never tell the result of your application based solely on your perception of the interview. Good. That assumption is one of the biggest fallacies held by many pre meds.

Carry on. 👍

Yep.

For 2 out of my 3 interviews that I decided to attend, I was almost sure that I would not get accepted. I was wrong; I got accepted to all 3. 😀

Don't let it get to you! In the end, you have no idea!

 

[DrMattOglesby]

for what school was this?

The Medical College of Wisconsin.
For what its worth though...I, more than once, made the comment that I was scared about the idea of living in a snow-consumed Milwaukee for 4 years. haha, in retrospect, that probably didn't play to my favor.

 

[nevinleiby]

I've had both. But I've found that it depends on their other reactions.

If you find that they nod and smile a lot and tend to look downward, you might be getting the impression that you are meeting their expectations...anything that you are saying now has the possibility of going towards extra credit. Thats a good thing, just try to keep it moving faster on your end...so zip it, brother =)
--> Accepted

You can also have the staring/no response guy 🙂lame: often with wide eyes). When you are answering the one person's questions, the other one just stares at you. It kind of reminds me of the child within the room when you are shadowing. They watch you very intensely. Again - that's okay..they are either trying to really listen closely, or trying to rattle your cage and get you used to that look that we all have seen 🙂
--> Accepted

On the other hand, my first interview 😱 at a local pending-accreditation allopathic school.

Guy: "What is your favorite Channel and TV show?"
Me: "Discovery Channel and Dirty Jobs...you gotta love Mike Rowe..."
(Avoiding the Scrubs/House/ER/Discovery Health criticism thoughts, even though I LOVE scrubs, mystery diagnosis, and enjoy an occasional House, its just not the same. If you follow Mike Rowe, he is an excellent actor with a tremendous personality and mission. mikeroweworks.com)
Guy: "Yeah, I've seen some of those. I always enjoyed the How its made show."
Me: "Yeah...those are pretty interesting. One day I saw them making the Pasteur pipets that we use in Organic - same brand and everything!"
Woman (semi-cold): "I like Mystery Diagnosis"
Me: "That's another one of my favorites. blah, blah, blah. There is another Mystery show that I love, too, blah, blah, blah."
-> Rejected

SO, imho, it depends on what they ask and their expression when they talk.

After that first interview (seriously, is that how they evaluate how good of a physician you would be? I know that its not completely representative, but that just dumb imho), I had Lecom-Brad interview and all of my other DO interviews....I never looked back on the allopathic programs again. I've definitely found my osteopathic home!!! 😍

 

[Dissected]

You can also have the staring/no response guy 🙂lame: often with wide eyes). When you are answering the one person's questions, the other one just stares at you. It kind of reminds me of the child within the room when you are shadowing. They watch you very intensely. Again - that's okay..they are either trying to really listen closely, or trying to rattle your cage and get you used to that look that we all have seen 🙂
--> Accepted

haha, i think we've all had to deal with this guy/gal. The wide eyes are a little creepy..and they just sit there. Its impossible to tell what they are thinking.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

haha, i think we've all had to deal with this guy/gal. The wide eyes are a little creepy..and they just sit there. Its impossible to tell what they are thinking.

Haha I bet they're thinking, "When's lunch?" and "What's this jackass' name again?"

Thanks for your time, Mr. and Mrs. Interviewer. 🙄

😀

 

[dangit]

One of my interviews, I had the wide eyed cold interviewer and during the whole time, I could not get anything from her. After the interview, I was sure I was gonna get rejected, but got a waitlist instead.

My other interview (LECOM-ERIE), I was so sure that I was gonna get in because I was very engaged and energetic and excited. Also, in terms of stats they were a little below average, but another guy with similar stats to me got in the previous week. In the end, I got an outright reject. Not even a waitlist.... that interview threw me off because I thought I did so well. Kinda took the wind out of my sail

So in my last two interviews, I just tried to be myself, which is that I didn't try to be the peppy happy cheerleader. That's not who I am, but I felt that I was doing that at LECOM. I did try to smile and engage them, but from my own perspective, I felt they didn't feel it, especially yesterday, when one of the guys put his head down to rest. haha felt like he was falling asleep on me and then occasionally get up and try to be interested. in the end, you can never tell so i'll just have to wait a few weeks

 

[thanecyan]

Had one interviewer at KCOM bust my balls about ACME drug-testing employees and rape incidents in the student body

Lots of my answers apparently he wasn't looking for and he seemed displeased to be interviewing me at 9am but I got accepted anyway

 

[Semicolon]

haha, i think we've all had to deal with this guy/gal. The wide eyes are a little creepy..and they just sit there. Its impossible to tell what they are thinking.

I would call that a great poker face. 😎

 

[TexasTriathlete]

one interviewer asked me about the ironman and what that was...I got really really enthusiastic and started talking a lot. I don't think he shared my enthusiasm though and I may have sounded boring/crazy to a non-triathlete.

Result -- rejected.

My friend, who is an ER attending now, told me that when she was interviewing for residency, one interviewer asked her about her triathlon stuff right off the bat, and that was pretty much all she talked about.

I don't know if they ranked her, or where she ranked them, but I do know that she trained at one of the better emergency med programs around, and probably had pretty much her pick.

 

[nevinleiby]

My friend, who is an ER attending now, told me that when she was interviewing for residency, one interviewer asked her about her triathlon stuff right off the bat, and that was pretty much all she talked about.

Off topic, but reminds me of what I heard from a friend interviewing for a sports medicine fellowship:

Interviewer: "So if you were going to a party, what would you bring?"
Resident: "I dont know...brownies?"
Interviewer: "Why?"
Resident: "Because they're easy to make? And everyone likes them?"
Interviewer: "Do you like brownies?"


Result - resident rejected *them* =)

 

[becool5]

I thought the interviewers were totally uninterested and unimpressed at my last interview and this was right from the beginning before I really had a chance to say anything. I was their last interview of the day out of 5 people so I am sure they were tired at that point, but still I walked away feeling awful. I was shocked to learn that I got accepted.

This wasn't for medical school and I know its not quite related, but 2 years ago I interviewed for a professional position, it was a day long interview and everyone was so friendly and nice. They took me out to dinner, sent a lot of correspondence before and after the interview, then about 4 weeks later I got letter saying they weren't going to hire me. It makes no sense to me, but as other people have said you can never tell how it is going to go based on body language, mood, etc.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

Paradoxically it seemed for me that whenever interviewers were enthusiastic and happy I got rejected/waitlisted, and whenever the interviewers were bored/disinterested/unhappy I got accepted. None of the interviews that "went well" actually led to an acceptance.

 

[aterry]

I had a good number of interview experiences. When I interviewed at Touro-NY it was odd. I thought they were trying the good cop bad cop routine but then the bad cop started liking me all of a sudden and was laughing and having a good time. The good cop looked really confused. Then, I got asked if my fiance would be supportive of my being a doctor (I didn't mention him in the interview, I guess they saw my ring) and that threw me off. In the end I got waitlisted (in May) then immediately accepted less than a week later. It was crazy.

I also had a very weird one at LECOM-Bradenton. They seemed that tired/bored/uninterested and I thought there was no way I could have impressed them. I got in there.

I got in all the other places I interviewed except RVU and I wonder about RVU. Did anyone else have a very unstructured interview at RVU?? Also, I asked a ton of questions about the financial situation there and they told me the wrong end time for the interview day and I had to leave early (they didnt have to change my interview time, I just missed the lunch and I had to get a tour from a student). I wonder if I asked too many questions?? Anyway, I am happy to be going to NSU but I always wonder about RVU since I got in the 5 other places I interviewed. I also did not get rejected from RVU but not waitlisted either....very strange.

 

[dangit]

Sometimes I wonder if they don't smile or act like they don't care to see if you can still be confident and sure of yourself when other's don't care. Whereas when interviewers seem to really like you, they want to see if you can keep calm without getting overly excited despite how others are acting.... 😕

 

[Deepa100]

I had pretty good luck with the interviewers. I did 5 interviews and I knew I would get in 4/5. The one I was not sure about is the one in which the interviewers looked stern and never smiled but I was confident I did my best and got into that school as well.

 

[nevinleiby]

I also had a very weird one at LECOM-Bradenton. They seemed that tired/bored/uninterested and I thought there was no way I could have impressed them. I got in there.

I got in all the other places I interviewed except RVU and I wonder about RVU. Did anyone else have a very unstructured interview at RVU?? Also, I asked a ton of questions about the financial situation there and they told me the wrong end time for the interview day and I had to leave early (they didnt have to change my interview time, I just missed the lunch and I had to get a tour from a student). I wonder if I asked too many questions?? Anyway, I am happy to be going to NSU but I always wonder about RVU since I got in the 5 other places I interviewed. I also did not get rejected from RVU but not waitlisted either....very strange.

I'm not sure, but I always ask a ton of questions throughout the interview day. Often, I'm usually the one asking about 1/3 of the questions myself usually pertaining to rotations, experiences, what other programs they considered (trying to find out how competitive their application was for their #1 pick), where they were from (determining their top choice based upon my own personal bias), etc. During the interview, I often ask one or two follow-up questions to what other said to cross-check. To me, it just shows that you're informed. The important part is to just show that you are really interested their program and not some cocky bastard =)

aterry, your RVU interview was probably a fluke...you're batting a thousand - nice job 👍

 

[rajaholick]

My CCOM interview was horrible. They never responded to my replies...no follow up questions or any sense that they were interested in what I was saying. All I could think while i was responding to their question (my reply went on for about 5 minutes with pauses for follow up questions in between) was "WHY ARN"T THEY ASKING ANY FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS WHEN I PAUSE??!!
So instead of pausing for too long, I'd just start talking again...most awkward interview ever
I was accepted though, so maybe both interviewers were just noobies?

 

[singinfifi]

I had a good number of interview experiences. When I interviewed at Touro-NY it was odd. I thought they were trying the good cop bad cop routine but then the bad cop started liking me all of a sudden and was laughing and having a good time. The good cop looked really confused. Then, I got asked if my fiance would be supportive of my being a doctor (I didn't mention him in the interview, I guess they saw my ring) and that threw me off. In the end I got waitlisted (in May) then immediately accepted less than a week later. It was crazy.

hahaha.

My Touro NY interview was AWFUL. Forget about the fact that one of my interviewers got up and LEFT in the middle (and didn't come back 😵), but then the other one caught me in the hallway as I was trying to drag my luggage (which had broken that morning while I was getting out of the cab) down the stairs.

Accepted for some stupid reason.

My LECOM-B interview was awful, then again, by the time I got to the interview, I knew ith wasn't the place for me, so I didn't particularly care...but still awful and combative. Also accepted....weird.

My Touro-CA interview was ... strange. That panal interview. yeesh. I'm not entirely comfortable talking about myself in front of groups, especially since I had this girl after me who felt the need to basicaly parrot me, yet somehow make herself sound better...the interviewers must have caught on though, becuase I was accepted there too.

WVSOM was my favorite. Hands down. Best interview, best facilities, best everything. It's where I had my deposit before NSU.


My PCOM GA was a great interview too. Though I wasn't as hot on the school as I was on WVSOM and Nova. Also Accepted.

My Nova interview was OMG AWFUL. I thought I was screwed (plus the fact that I was interviewing in Feb). Accepted.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Off topic, but reminds me of what I heard from a friend interviewing for a sports medicine fellowship:

Interviewer: "So if you were going to a party, what would you bring?"
Resident: "I dont know...brownies?"
Interviewer: "Why?"
Resident: "Because they're easy to make? And everyone likes them?"
Interviewer: "Do you like brownies?"


Result - resident rejected *them* =)

That's a ******ed question. But sports med fellowships are super-competitive, because they usually only take one or two people, and its not like these programs grow in trees. Lots of good applicants probably get the axe from programs like that.

Either that, or they had your friend pegged as a stoner.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

I'll talk about my interview at Eastern Virginia later. That place sucked. Time to study now though.

 

[nevinleiby]

That's a ******ed question. But sports med fellowships are super-competitive, because they usually only take one or two people, and its not like these programs grow in trees. Lots of good applicants probably get the axe from programs like that.

Either that, or they had your friend pegged as a stoner.

LOL...if you knew the guy, you'd know that he was DEFINITELY not a stoner. Balding, married, responsible, athletic guy with a goatee and knew his $hit after moonlighting 1.5 yrs at our local urgent care center seeing 20 pts / night. Our ED director (of a dept that sees 110k patients/year) said that he was the best resident that he ever worked with. He was one of the major reasons why I came to value osteopathy so much (and his program) 👍. The resident said that he didn't even want to go to their program before the interviewer asked him the question. The interviewer was the icing on the...um...brownies?

 

[meganmarie]

My CCOM interview was horrible. They never responded to my replies...no follow up questions or any sense that they were interested in what I was saying. All I could think while i was responding to their question (my reply went on for about 5 minutes with pauses for follow up questions in between) was "WHY ARN"T THEY ASKING ANY FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS WHEN I PAUSE??!!
So instead of pausing for too long, I'd just start talking again...most awkward interview ever
I was accepted though, so maybe both interviewers were just noobies?

haha that is EXACTLY how my CCOM interview went! It really made me mad, and it gave me a really bad impression of the school. The interviewers were really unprepared and seemed like they had no interest in even being interviewers. I guess feelings were mutual because I got waitlisted!