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OIC. I did think you were serious. Nevermind then!!!
OIC. I did think you were serious. Nevermind then!!!
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"Well one time in college, but I got a shot and I'm all better now..."
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Lol I wasn't sure if your post contained some very well hidden sarcasm or totally serious.
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I'm the type of person that cracks myself up while everyone else just stares at me like I'm an idiot so trust me I know not to try and be humorous 🙁
Although I did expect more people to resonate with the anime thing (or maybe I incorrectly assumed that there are more anime fans here 😛 ).
Welp if something happens in a year from now during my interview season I'll make sure to come back with some content.
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Basically my interviewer said I have a good application, it’s just my MCAT that is holding me back. I politely pointed out to him that based on the interview packet I was just given 15 mins prior to my interview that my MCAT was exactly the school’s median. I then politely told him that 85 students in the current class have an MCAT at or lower than mine (the school has a 170 class size). He then nodded his head no and said “I don’t think so... that can’t be”. I just left it there because I didn’t want to fight with my interviewer lol.
Okay so I guess the interview packet they gave us and MSAR is lying????? WTF?? Does anyone have any explanation for this?? I’m still dumbfounded.
For reference, my MCAT, and the "school's median" is in the low-mid teens.
Okay so I guess the interview packet they gave us and MSAR is lying????? WTF?? Does anyone have any explanation for this?? I’m still dumbfounded.
For reference, my MCAT, and the "school's median" is in the low-mid teens.
At my last interview when they asked about my hobbies and personal interests the interviewer responded "good enough" to all of my answers.... not the most reassuring response 😵
Might have been a "test" to see if you could defend your application? I've had a couple of questions prodding me about weaknesses in my app that I've taken as a chance to explain why my other stuff makes up for it.
I legit had an interviewer comment on my "very low GPA" vs my MCAT, and ask how he could know that I wouldn't come to school and ace the boards but tank my classes... IMO that was actually an easy question to answer!
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Interviewer (MD, attending): "So Dr. Stalker, any particular pre-med class you liked? I'm a new attending, so I completed pre-med not too long ago! I didn't really have a favorite...but I HATED orgo *shudders*. Mechanisms, arrows, electrons, diels-alder, I HATED it!"
Me: *Thinking don't say orgo, don't say orgo, don't say orgo* Orgo.
Interviewer: "Huh. Moving on..."
Result: #Accepted
Me: *Thinking don't say orgo, don't say orgo, don't say orgo* Orgo.
Interviewer: "Huh. Moving on..."
Result: #Accepted
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WHERE AT???? CONGRATS DUDEInterviewer (MD, attending): "So Dr. Stalker, any particular pre-med class you liked? I'm a new attending, so I completed pre-med not too long ago! I didn't really have a favorite...but I HATED orgo *shudders*. Mechanisms, arrows, electrons, diels-alder, I HATED it!"
Me: *Thinking don't say orgo, don't say orgo, don't say orgo* Orgo.
Interviewer: "Huh. Moving on..."
Result: #Accepted
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Interviewer (MD, attending): "So Dr. Stalker, any particular pre-med class you liked? I'm a new attending, so I completed pre-med not too long ago! I didn't really have a favorite...but I HATED orgo *shudders*. Mechanisms, arrows, electrons, diels-alder, I HATED it!"
Me: *Thinking don't say orgo, don't say orgo, don't say orgo* Orgo.
Interviewer: "Huh. Moving on..."
Result: #Accepted
Probably liked that you didn’t just cave and agree with him, but actually showed some chutzpah.
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I have:
-7+ years in organic/synthetic chemistry research (undergrad + gap years + masters) (bonus points for paper pubs in material chemistry journalssss)
-TA'd organic chemistry at my college for 10 semesters straight (undergrad through masters)
-Set records for highest organic chemistry midterm scores in the last decade
-Started/Finished writing a "idiots guide to orgo" designed for my home school and our particular course - officially recognized document that professors now GIVE students (btw its my version of an organic textbook....650+ pages of writing, mechanisms, practice problems, detailed solutions, and my particular favorite chapter "Curved Arrow Chaos" all written by yours truly)
It legit was my favorite premed class haha
*Edit: Forgot the word "research" after 7+ years (my first point)
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I’m basically the math version of you haha.
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MY GUY! I tended to be more on the math/physics/chemistry end of pre-med vs. the usually biology/life sciences end of the pre-med spectrum. I have the highest respect for you if you're a math wizard!
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Ha. Yeah I have a math degree. I’m starting a math channel to do really short videos showing people higher math concepts (and more basic stuff like calc). I do love chem and physics though. I was the nerd in gen chem who solved Schrodinger’s equation to build the periodic table from scratch.
Bless you for your math services 😀 Can I also suggest some nice color-coded concept schematics for the video-challenged learners like me? I might as well be trying to learn drunk watching concept videos, but if I pause the video on the last "page" that usually has the whole concept worked out, I pick it up like a normal person...
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I would like it noted now that I've heard back from everyone that my final interview, with the least embarrassing faux pas, was my only post-interview rejection. I'm drafting a research hypothesis that the more weird accidents you have in proximity to an interview, the better you perform. 🙄
8
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One of my interviews was in a rural, hard to get to area. I decided to take a few cost-saving measures, which did NOT work out and ended up costing me way more money. Literally, everything that could have gone wrong went wrong.
I decided to stay up until 11:00pm doing some last minute prep for the interview, and I had to be up at 3:00am in order to get to make my flight in Baltimore (I live on the DC/MD border).
11:30pm - I realized that I couldn't fall asleep because of all the coffee I drank that night, so I decided to just watch some Netflix.
Watched Netflix until 3:00am.
3:00am - Took a shower/started packing. I was flying Spirit, and as a broke AmeriCorps member, I didn't want to pay the extra money to bring a carry on, so I needed to fit EVERYTHING in my personal item. The only book bag I had was my AmeriCorps bag, which I'm not allowed to wear unless in full uniform. So.....I decided to pack all my stuff inside this giant black trash bag, and to just wear my suit the entire time so it wouldn't get wrinkled. I realized right before I started packing that my roommates put the last trash bag in the trash can. Luckily there was nothing thrown in there yet, so I took it out and put all my stuff in there (personal hygiene materials, hairdryer, computer, change of cloths). I put on my suit and left my apartment at 4:00am carrying my trash bag over my shoulder.
4:15am - Got to the bus station (an ubur from my apt to Baltimore was $60, so I decided to save money by taking public transport). Realized that busses did not start running until 4:45am! Waited in the blow freezing weather for 30 min before taking a bus from my apartment to the Metro station.
5:30am - Took the Metro to Union Station DC.
5:45am - When I got off the metro, I realized that my hairdryer was still hot when I put it into my trash bag and melted a hole in it. At this point I decided to just spend the money to buy a book bag. I walked around union station, but none of the luggage stores were open. I saw a maintenance person changing out the trash bags in the public trash cans, so I asked him for a trash bag. He, luckily, gave one to me. I transferred my stuff to the new trash bag.
6:15am - Got on a train from DC to Baltimore.
7:00am - Arrived at Baltimore train station. Took another bus from the train station to the BWI airport.
7:30am - Standing in line at security feeling very awkward wearing a suit while carrying a big, black trash bag.
7:45am - TSA agents/other people give me awkward looks as my trash bag goes through the scanner. At this point, I COULD have bought a book bag at the airport, but I decided not to since I had already come so far.
8:30am - Boards flight to Boston.
10:00am - Arrive at Boston, Logan International. I put my trash bag under the chair of the seat in front of me during the flight, but when I went to take it out, it caught on something on the seat and ripped. The hole was so big that is was unusable. So I put all of my personal hygiene stuff inside my suit pockets and carried my change of cloths, hairdryer and laptop with me as I walked around the airport looking to buy a book bag. I transferred all of my stuff to my new book bag ($65).
10:50am - I was supposed to take a bus from Boston to my school, but because I had spent time looking for a book bag, I JUST MISSED the bus. I found out that the bus stopped at a bus station in Boston before making the 2.5 hour drive to the school. An Ubur was 5 min away and I didn't want to risk missing the bus, so I decided to use the more expensive taxi ($25). I got to the bus station just in time. I later realized that busses ran from Boston airport to the school every hour...so I didn't need to take the Taxi...
11:30am - Bus leaves for the school.
11:45am - I notice a white stain on my suit because one of my hair products spilled in my pocket.
3:00pm - Bus arrives at the school (right in front of the hotel I was staying in). I check in and change out of my suit. The hotel did not offer dry cleaning services (for the stain on my suit). Because the school was in such a remote area, the closest dry cleaners was 6 miles away. There was no Ubur or Lyft service in the area, so I had to call a taxi to get to the dry cleaners. When I got there, I realized that they were closed for Valentines day (roundtrip taxi $35). I decided to just leave the stain on my suit.
6:00pm - I relaxed and prepared for my interview the next day. Went to sleep early.
The interview went fine. LOVED the school. Still waiting to hear back.
The journey home went pretty smoothly. Bus from school to Boston --> Plane Boston to Baltimore --> Bus from airport to train station --> Train from Baltimore to DC --> Metro from DC to MD --> Bus from metro staton to apartment.
Got back to my apartment just in time to get 5 hours of sleep before I had to get up for service the next day 🙂
UPDATE: Accepted!!
I decided to stay up until 11:00pm doing some last minute prep for the interview, and I had to be up at 3:00am in order to get to make my flight in Baltimore (I live on the DC/MD border).
11:30pm - I realized that I couldn't fall asleep because of all the coffee I drank that night, so I decided to just watch some Netflix.
Watched Netflix until 3:00am.
3:00am - Took a shower/started packing. I was flying Spirit, and as a broke AmeriCorps member, I didn't want to pay the extra money to bring a carry on, so I needed to fit EVERYTHING in my personal item. The only book bag I had was my AmeriCorps bag, which I'm not allowed to wear unless in full uniform. So.....I decided to pack all my stuff inside this giant black trash bag, and to just wear my suit the entire time so it wouldn't get wrinkled. I realized right before I started packing that my roommates put the last trash bag in the trash can. Luckily there was nothing thrown in there yet, so I took it out and put all my stuff in there (personal hygiene materials, hairdryer, computer, change of cloths). I put on my suit and left my apartment at 4:00am carrying my trash bag over my shoulder.
4:15am - Got to the bus station (an ubur from my apt to Baltimore was $60, so I decided to save money by taking public transport). Realized that busses did not start running until 4:45am! Waited in the blow freezing weather for 30 min before taking a bus from my apartment to the Metro station.
5:30am - Took the Metro to Union Station DC.
5:45am - When I got off the metro, I realized that my hairdryer was still hot when I put it into my trash bag and melted a hole in it. At this point I decided to just spend the money to buy a book bag. I walked around union station, but none of the luggage stores were open. I saw a maintenance person changing out the trash bags in the public trash cans, so I asked him for a trash bag. He, luckily, gave one to me. I transferred my stuff to the new trash bag.
6:15am - Got on a train from DC to Baltimore.
7:00am - Arrived at Baltimore train station. Took another bus from the train station to the BWI airport.
7:30am - Standing in line at security feeling very awkward wearing a suit while carrying a big, black trash bag.
7:45am - TSA agents/other people give me awkward looks as my trash bag goes through the scanner. At this point, I COULD have bought a book bag at the airport, but I decided not to since I had already come so far.
8:30am - Boards flight to Boston.
10:00am - Arrive at Boston, Logan International. I put my trash bag under the chair of the seat in front of me during the flight, but when I went to take it out, it caught on something on the seat and ripped. The hole was so big that is was unusable. So I put all of my personal hygiene stuff inside my suit pockets and carried my change of cloths, hairdryer and laptop with me as I walked around the airport looking to buy a book bag. I transferred all of my stuff to my new book bag ($65).
10:50am - I was supposed to take a bus from Boston to my school, but because I had spent time looking for a book bag, I JUST MISSED the bus. I found out that the bus stopped at a bus station in Boston before making the 2.5 hour drive to the school. An Ubur was 5 min away and I didn't want to risk missing the bus, so I decided to use the more expensive taxi ($25). I got to the bus station just in time. I later realized that busses ran from Boston airport to the school every hour...so I didn't need to take the Taxi...
11:30am - Bus leaves for the school.
11:45am - I notice a white stain on my suit because one of my hair products spilled in my pocket.
3:00pm - Bus arrives at the school (right in front of the hotel I was staying in). I check in and change out of my suit. The hotel did not offer dry cleaning services (for the stain on my suit). Because the school was in such a remote area, the closest dry cleaners was 6 miles away. There was no Ubur or Lyft service in the area, so I had to call a taxi to get to the dry cleaners. When I got there, I realized that they were closed for Valentines day (roundtrip taxi $35). I decided to just leave the stain on my suit.
6:00pm - I relaxed and prepared for my interview the next day. Went to sleep early.
The interview went fine. LOVED the school. Still waiting to hear back.
The journey home went pretty smoothly. Bus from school to Boston --> Plane Boston to Baltimore --> Bus from airport to train station --> Train from Baltimore to DC --> Metro from DC to MD --> Bus from metro staton to apartment.
Got back to my apartment just in time to get 5 hours of sleep before I had to get up for service the next day 🙂
UPDATE: Accepted!!
Last edited by a moderator:
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I thoroughly enjoyed this, esp. since I've had my share of pre-interview blunders, but I really hope you get accepted after that struggle.
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thank you for contributing to science. next time i go to an interview i'm literally going to break my leg in front of the dean --> automatic acceptance
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This is not entirely unexpected -- Customer satisfaction surveys (in the travel industry, but probably widely applicable) show that the happiest customers were actually NOT those who had experienced no difficulties, but rather those who had experienced problems that were swiftly and pleasantly resolved.
It would not be much of a stretch to then hypothesize that a minor interview faux pas that was handled well would make you a more memorable candidate that left an overall favorable impression rather than another nameless-faceless who blended into the crowd.
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THIS! At an interview, after I finished my one-on-one with a GI, I walked out to meet two other applicants in my interview group. They asked me how it went. I did not realized that my voice carried and said, "I feel like I just had a colonoscopy!"
Unbeknownst to me, the student affairs assistant director who had just given us a presentation during breakfast was in her cubicle about 25 feet away. She overheard me and laughed out loud saying, "That's the kind of students we want here at X!"
I was flustered and laughing nervously, "That was a joke! That was a joke!"
Result: Accepted.
All I can say is thank GOD you had that night in the hotel to recover, because that sounds mildly traumatic
That does make sense. Plus, even if it doesn't factor into the school's evaluation of you I feel like it very forcefully takes your attention away from panicking about interview answers, because you're dealing with whatever the current crisis is. Mindfulness at it's finest??
Update that I just remembered after discussing interviews with a friend:
At the interview with my top choice school they asked me why I did a post-bacc year and for some reason all I could say was "to raise my GPA" and then NOTHING ELSE. Which is the truth but oh my god I could have made it sound a little better. I still laugh remembering the look on the interviewer's face. Result: Still waitlisted😳
At the interview with my top choice school they asked me why I did a post-bacc year and for some reason all I could say was "to raise my GPA" and then NOTHING ELSE. Which is the truth but oh my god I could have made it sound a little better. I still laugh remembering the look on the interviewer's face. Result: Still waitlisted
😳
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Just because I saw this revived thread, I'll post one:
I was about to go interview, but first I had to get my morning joe on at Starbucks. I drove over from my hotel which was about 20 min away with the traffic, and was going to walk over after I got my caffeine rush going. When I got my coffee, I took the lid off to put in some cream, and it was at that moment that the guy behind me decides to stumble on something, hit me, and cause my lidless coffee cup to go flying. Of course, I had a white shirt on. First event of the day starts in about 15 minutes, so I have absolutely no time to go back to the hotel and replace my horrendously stained shirt. Suit is somehow ok because of the dark color.
So I go to my car and hope to god I find something. Only thing I had was a short sleeve Ralph Lauren polo I had left in, but it was a bright pink color. So I throw it on along with my purple tie and strut in there as best I can. Of course everyone notices, even my interviewers mention it. They both laughed at it though, and one said "well at least I will definitely remember you".
Accepted.
Lessons learned: don't wear white shirts, man up and drink your coffee black.
I was about to go interview, but first I had to get my morning joe on at Starbucks. I drove over from my hotel which was about 20 min away with the traffic, and was going to walk over after I got my caffeine rush going. When I got my coffee, I took the lid off to put in some cream, and it was at that moment that the guy behind me decides to stumble on something, hit me, and cause my lidless coffee cup to go flying. Of course, I had a white shirt on. First event of the day starts in about 15 minutes, so I have absolutely no time to go back to the hotel and replace my horrendously stained shirt. Suit is somehow ok because of the dark color.
So I go to my car and hope to god I find something. Only thing I had was a short sleeve Ralph Lauren polo I had left in, but it was a bright pink color. So I throw it on along with my purple tie and strut in there as best I can. Of course everyone notices, even my interviewers mention it. They both laughed at it though, and one said "well at least I will definitely remember you".
Accepted.
Lessons learned: don't wear white shirts, man up and drink your coffee black.
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I'll chime in.
I was at an interview that was within a less than a day drive away. Before I left, my brother came running out asking if I forgot my suit pants hanging in my closet. I told him that was my spare pair and my current pair were on the hanger with my blazer in the car. So my mom and I drive off toward the interview. (Side note, my mom has been the best travel buddy/area scout at interview sites and I can't thank her enough for taking time away to join me.) We got to the hotel after about a 7 hour drive, got dinner and went to bed early since the interview was the next day.
Note this town is practically the middle of nowhere.
Next morning, I get up, shower, start make-up (you know, the usual). As I am getting dressed, I realize my pants are no where to be found. In a panic, I throw on my jeans, grab the rest of my suit and watched as my mom broke every speeding and traffic law (besides red lights) to get to the nearest Walmart. We found dress slacks in the women's section, put them on in the dressing room and had them scan them at check out with me in them. Removed all the tags in the car as she raced through side streets to get me on time (and I was only one minute late to check in). Admissions secretary was very nice to call and ask if I was ok. Mom returned to the hotel to find coffee and recover from our quick morning adventure. I told no one why I was truly late, just said we got turned around (and prayed I got all the tags off). Although that would have been one hell of a story in the interviews. I also texted my best friend who had a spare key to my apartment and my pants were in fact hanging in my closet and not on the hanger I thought they were on.
Result: Accepted.
And I still have the Walmart receipt in the travel log.
Ever since, I have a witness watch me (or I take photos and send to someone) to prove I have all my interview suit pieces or whatever important piece I need in luggage.
I was at an interview that was within a less than a day drive away. Before I left, my brother came running out asking if I forgot my suit pants hanging in my closet. I told him that was my spare pair and my current pair were on the hanger with my blazer in the car. So my mom and I drive off toward the interview. (Side note, my mom has been the best travel buddy/area scout at interview sites and I can't thank her enough for taking time away to join me.) We got to the hotel after about a 7 hour drive, got dinner and went to bed early since the interview was the next day.
Note this town is practically the middle of nowhere.
Next morning, I get up, shower, start make-up (you know, the usual). As I am getting dressed, I realize my pants are no where to be found. In a panic, I throw on my jeans, grab the rest of my suit and watched as my mom broke every speeding and traffic law (besides red lights) to get to the nearest Walmart. We found dress slacks in the women's section, put them on in the dressing room and had them scan them at check out with me in them. Removed all the tags in the car as she raced through side streets to get me on time (and I was only one minute late to check in). Admissions secretary was very nice to call and ask if I was ok. Mom returned to the hotel to find coffee and recover from our quick morning adventure. I told no one why I was truly late, just said we got turned around (and prayed I got all the tags off). Although that would have been one hell of a story in the interviews. I also texted my best friend who had a spare key to my apartment and my pants were in fact hanging in my closet and not on the hanger I thought they were on.
Result: Accepted.
And I still have the Walmart receipt in the travel log.
Ever since, I have a witness watch me (or I take photos and send to someone) to prove I have all my interview suit pieces or whatever important piece I need in luggage.
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Fail #1: I have incredibly frizzy hair, so I carried a mini can of hairspray with me in my purse. I was sitting and having lunch with students, when I smelled what was my hairspray. I looked at my purse, and it somehow leaked out of the can and completely ruined my brand new leather purse (which was a gift from my mom- it was my first time using it). My pants also got covered in hairspray because that’s how much leaked, so I was a walking hairspray bomb for my interview.
I dealt with frizzy hair after that incident.
Result: Accepted
Fail #2: We had just toured the hospital and were taking a 30 min bus ride back to the campus. I REALLY had to pee and knew I wouldn’t make it half an hour, so I went at the end of the interview. The janitor was cleaning the only bathroom, and everyone was waiting on the bus for me, so I didn’t know what to do. I begged the janitor to let me go, and although he was annoyed, he did. Walking on the bus super late and having everyone stare at me wasn’t exactly fun though.
Result: WL
Going against the grain, I also have a pretty big win.
I had just had an AMAZING interview (at the school I’m matriculating to, actually), and I decided to walk around the city for a bit. After a while, I really had to pee, and the closest toilet to me was in a bar. So, after using the bathroom, I had to buy a beer (can’t use the bathroom without buying anything, amirite?). I ended up chilling at the bar for a couple hours, drinking a couple beers, messaging friends about my interview, and just basking in post-interview glory. As I stood up to leave, a guy came next to me and said to the bartender, “I’d like to start a tab for *name of med school I just interviewed at*.”
Being a couple beers in and feeling good about myself, I started a conversation with him, telling him I had just interviewed there. This is entirely out of character for me since I’m pretty reserved, but it went great. A group of researchers from the med school would go and have drinks at that bar every Thursday. We talked for about 3 hours, and they even bought me drinks on the med school’s tab! Couldn’t believe it happened to me, especially since it was in a BIG city and I had walked pretty far from the school. Fate, I guess!
I dealt with frizzy hair after that incident.
Result: Accepted
Fail #2: We had just toured the hospital and were taking a 30 min bus ride back to the campus. I REALLY had to pee and knew I wouldn’t make it half an hour, so I went at the end of the interview. The janitor was cleaning the only bathroom, and everyone was waiting on the bus for me, so I didn’t know what to do. I begged the janitor to let me go, and although he was annoyed, he did. Walking on the bus super late and having everyone stare at me wasn’t exactly fun though.
Result: WL
Going against the grain, I also have a pretty big win.
I had just had an AMAZING interview (at the school I’m matriculating to, actually), and I decided to walk around the city for a bit. After a while, I really had to pee, and the closest toilet to me was in a bar. So, after using the bathroom, I had to buy a beer (can’t use the bathroom without buying anything, amirite?). I ended up chilling at the bar for a couple hours, drinking a couple beers, messaging friends about my interview, and just basking in post-interview glory. As I stood up to leave, a guy came next to me and said to the bartender, “I’d like to start a tab for *name of med school I just interviewed at*.”
Being a couple beers in and feeling good about myself, I started a conversation with him, telling him I had just interviewed there. This is entirely out of character for me since I’m pretty reserved, but it went great. A group of researchers from the med school would go and have drinks at that bar every Thursday. We talked for about 3 hours, and they even bought me drinks on the med school’s tab! Couldn’t believe it happened to me, especially since it was in a BIG city and I had walked pretty far from the school. Fate, I guess!
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I've got some pearls to contribute! With the next cycle already underway, the youngins will need some idea of what to expect!
School 1
>Interviewer: "Hi byunprime, I'm Jim X"
>Me: "Nice to meet ya Jim"
>As I sit down, realize he's wearing a name tag with a clearly visible "MD" on it
>Realize I greeted an MD adcom as if he was my country bumpkin buddy
>Smile and nod while I resist the overwhelming urge to facepalm
Result: Accepted! (Guess adcoms are just normal people, too.)
School 2
>Interviewer immediately yawns as I begin my answer to "why do you want to practice medicine?"
>Gets me nervous and makes me stumble over my words, which in turn causes him to yawn even more
>This sickening downward spiral continues for an inappropriately long amount of time
>By the end he'd probably been yawning for at least 50% of the duration of my answer
Result: Accepted! (Sometimes, interviewers are just tired?)
School 3
>Interviewer: I noticed one of your family members is in medicine. Would you ever consider working for him in the future?
>Me: Hmm, haven't thought about that before. Would that even be ethical? *chuckle*
>Interviewer: I actually worked in private practice with my father for over 25 years. It was an incredibly rewarding experience...
>Me:
Result: Accepted! (Why do they even do these interviews, again? 🤣)
Now for some stories at the opposite end of the spectrum.
School 4
>Interviewing at my hometown school
>We chat about how much I'd love to be back in the community I grow up in
>We chat about how my backstory was a natural lead-in to medicine
>It's a naturally flowing conversation with serious and funny moments interspersed throughout
>I leave thinking "this was my best interview"
>Later get a letter back from my interviewer where he tells me he "hopes to see me around next year"
Result: Waitlisted (ouch)
School 5
>Interviewing at one of my favorite programs
>We have a long, pleasant chat about my application and the school
>Interview actually goes so long that I miss part of lunch
>Realize that I would actually fit the culture of the school incredibly well
>Realize that I could see myself going here and striking up a mentor/mentee relationship with my interviewer
Result: Rejected (double ouch)
Now I'll be matriculating at a school where my stats were more mediocre than at any of the above schools, and where my interview was far more average than at any of the above schools. All told, I'd say this past year taught me that 1) outcomes are not always reflective of your abilities and 2) being able to laugh at the small absurdities of this process are key to making it through intact 🙂
School 1
>Interviewer: "Hi byunprime, I'm Jim X"
>Me: "Nice to meet ya Jim"
>As I sit down, realize he's wearing a name tag with a clearly visible "MD" on it
>Realize I greeted an MD adcom as if he was my country bumpkin buddy
>Smile and nod while I resist the overwhelming urge to facepalm
Result: Accepted! (Guess adcoms are just normal people, too.)
School 2
>Interviewer immediately yawns as I begin my answer to "why do you want to practice medicine?"
>Gets me nervous and makes me stumble over my words, which in turn causes him to yawn even more
>This sickening downward spiral continues for an inappropriately long amount of time
>By the end he'd probably been yawning for at least 50% of the duration of my answer
Result: Accepted! (Sometimes, interviewers are just tired?)
School 3
>Interviewer: I noticed one of your family members is in medicine. Would you ever consider working for him in the future?
>Me: Hmm, haven't thought about that before. Would that even be ethical? *chuckle*
>Interviewer: I actually worked in private practice with my father for over 25 years. It was an incredibly rewarding experience...
>Me:
Result: Accepted! (Why do they even do these interviews, again? 🤣)
Now for some stories at the opposite end of the spectrum.
School 4
>Interviewing at my hometown school
>We chat about how much I'd love to be back in the community I grow up in
>We chat about how my backstory was a natural lead-in to medicine
>It's a naturally flowing conversation with serious and funny moments interspersed throughout
>I leave thinking "this was my best interview"
>Later get a letter back from my interviewer where he tells me he "hopes to see me around next year"
Result: Waitlisted (ouch)
School 5
>Interviewing at one of my favorite programs
>We have a long, pleasant chat about my application and the school
>Interview actually goes so long that I miss part of lunch
>Realize that I would actually fit the culture of the school incredibly well
>Realize that I could see myself going here and striking up a mentor/mentee relationship with my interviewer
Result: Rejected (double ouch)
Now I'll be matriculating at a school where my stats were more mediocre than at any of the above schools, and where my interview was far more average than at any of the above schools. All told, I'd say this past year taught me that 1) outcomes are not always reflective of your abilities and 2) being able to laugh at the small absurdities of this process are key to making it through intact 🙂
Oh god those clothing horror stories are why I always crammed a spare dress into my suitcase 😱
Sounds like you both played it off well!
Sounds like you both played it off well!
Preach. My thoughts exactly. 🙂
