Interviews, "Do you have any questions for me?"

[Shredder]

interview at umichigan tomorrow; im finding that i do have questions if im able to write them down beforehand, but i quickly forget them otherwise. has anyone ever brought a note with written questions on it to an interview? is that acceptable? i could memorize them, but id rather not have that on my mind all day and especially during the interview

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[drmota]

interview at umichigan tomorrow; im finding that i do have questions if im able to write them down beforehand, but i quickly forget them otherwise. has anyone ever brought a note with written questions on it to an interview? is that acceptable? i could memorize them, but id rather not have that on my mind all day and especially during the interview

my bro did that at every interview he went to and he got accepted to 3 out of the 4 schools he interviewed at. if anything i'd say its a plus, especially if you write down their answers. shows you're actually evaluating THEM too rather than just asking for an acceptance.
-mota

 

[thegenius]

interview at umichigan tomorrow; im finding that i do have questions if im able to write them down beforehand, but i quickly forget them otherwise. has anyone ever brought a note with written questions on it to an interview? is that acceptable? i could memorize them, but id rather not have that on my mind all day and especially during the interview

Absolutely! Write them down, and also bring some paper and a pen to jot things down during the interview.

Whether you ever use any information you jot down during the interview is your business. I've interviewed dozens and dozens of candidates for my engineering position and I'm always more impressed if they seem active and are writing things down.

Remember the first Bush/Kerry debate? Kerry looked confident and was constantly taking notes. Part of the reason he looked confident was the fact that he appeared to have his shiit together. Bush learned that and for the second and third debates starting writing things down too (probably pictures and squibbles.

Here is what I plan on taking to my U of M interview. I'm going to buy one of those leather folder deals at Walgreens, I'm going to put in my entire application that I sent to U of M (so I can always review what I wrote), additional paper for taking notes, and other information that will help me throughout the interview. During the off time, I can review my notes, and I'll also have a place to carry things if I'm given information.

The greatest advantage is I know I'll be more relaxed because I won't have the pressure of having to remember everything that I want to say.

Hope this helps, and good luck! I want to hear all about your interview (because I have one too in October.) Maybe I can PM you next week.

 

[Faust]

interview at umichigan tomorrow; im finding that i do have questions if im able to write them down beforehand, but i quickly forget them otherwise. has anyone ever brought a note with written questions on it to an interview? is that acceptable? i could memorize them, but id rather not have that on my mind all day and especially during the interview

Yeah, you could have a little notepad. I was thinking the same thing. You could take it out while interviewing. It would be nice to write down the answers to your questions as well. It shows interest and lets them know that you care about certain things that are important. For example, you could ask them about a specific question about a certain field, and then follow up with, "well who would i be able to contact regarding" metabolism or something. Also, they might say something in the interview that you find very interesting and you could say "hmmm, i had a particular interest in that could you tell me more." The whole point is to have them talk more than you, haa, haa it sounds funny, but they will give you high marks for that.

 

[thegenius]

Yea, all good stuff. Plus you'll need a place to write down contact info for thanking each person you interview with. Doh! I wish we didn't have to do that. It's so perfunctory and un-genuine.

 

[crys20]

What kind of questiosn are yall thinking of asking? School-specific, general, curriculum etc?

 

[Shredder]

What kind of questiosn are yall thinking of asking? School-specific, general, curriculum etc?

thanks for the pointers all. im planning on asking fairly specific questions, i wouldnt want them thinking i ask the same questions to every school. something that shows youve looked into the school. and also avoiding questions that are clearly covered in the tour or website, as that would reflect somewhat poorly of course. however, on the other hand i think asking for elaboration about points that are covered online or in the tour would be a big plus

as for UM, for one im going to ask about the construction bc im genuinely curious about whats going on, its widespread

 

[Shredder]

Yea, all good stuff. Plus you'll need a place to write down contact info for thanking each person you interview with. Doh! I wish we didn't have to do that. It's so perfunctory and un-genuine.

i didnt write one for my ohio state interview earlier this week. ive heard mixed opinions about writing thank you notes; some say do it no matter what, others say only do it if you feel you shared some genuine connection. otherwise the recipient may indeed feel it is un-genuine. i didnt feel i aced that interview, being my first, so i decided no note.

 

[crys20]

shred i didnt know you were interviewing at OSU, thats my undergrad! its an awesome place!!

 

[Shredder]

shred i didnt know you were interviewing at OSU, thats my undergrad! its an awesome place!!

oh really? it was dead when i went at the start of this week, school apparently starts really late! i wish i couldve seen it in full swing, im sure its bustling like UT. the med center seemed nice and new, ppl kept making football comments to me!

 

[funshine]

i didnt write one for my ohio state interview earlier this week. ive heard mixed opinions about writing thank you notes; some say do it no matter what, others say only do it if you feel you shared some genuine connection. otherwise the recipient may indeed feel it is un-genuine. i didnt feel i aced that interview, being my first, so i decided no note.

well, I think a simple thank you note is always nice, no matter how the interview went...but maybe I'll feel differently after my first interview.

i didnt feel i aced that interview, being my first, so i decided no note

yuck, are first interviews necessarily the worst? I know we're advised to do our first interview at a safety school to "practice," but I happened to schedule one of my favorite schools first. I didn't want to, but it's the date that fit best. Hope I don't come to regret it

 

[funshine]

Here is what I plan on taking to my U of M interview. I'm going to buy one of those leather folder deals at Walgreens, I'm going to put in my entire application that I sent to U of M (so I can always review what I wrote), additional paper for taking notes, and other information that will help me throughout the interview. During the off time, I can review my notes, and I'll also have a place to carry things if I'm given information.

The greatest advantage is I know I'll be more relaxed because I won't have the pressure of having to remember everything that I want to say.

I'm doing the same thing. In fact, I'm going to make an outline of all the points I want to say for commonly asked questions. Do you think it'll be OK to review it DURING the interview though? Of course, I'll try not to...but if I do forget or panic about forgetting, I figure shuffling through my papers occasionally won't look too bad if I don't do it right after each question and don't make it obvious like I need a paper to trigger my memory. After all, they don't know the paper is a cheat sheet. It could be info from their school or something. On the other hand, just having the papers there might be distracting for me b/c I'll be trying to remember my own points rather than focusing on the interview. This sucks

 

[funshine]

The whole point is to have them talk more than you, haa, haa it sounds funny, but they will give you high marks for that.

Really. This always happens at my interviews, but I think it's a bad thing. It's basically a way to protect myself so I don't have to talk, but it doesn't allow me to present my full self...not that I care about THAT, but if they're considering you for a competitive position in med school, and you barely talk in your interview, thne you will definitely not stand out. Unless they go by your AMCAS/essays and not so much by interview.

 

[thegenius]

oh really? it was dead when i went at the start of this week, school apparently starts really late! i wish i couldve seen it in full swing, im sure its bustling like UT. the med center seemed nice and new, ppl kept making football comments to me!

Oh boy, interviewing at OSU and Michigan. They are hated football rivals, and seeing how I went to Michigan for undergrad/grad, I just can't stand the thought of OSU football.

But I would probably go to their med school (but I didn't apply.)

 

[thegenius]

I'm doing the same thing. In fact, I'm going to make an outline of all the points I want to say for commonly asked questions. Do you think it'll be OK to review it DURING the interview though? Of course, I'll try not to...but if I do forget or panic about forgetting, I figure shuffling through my papers occasionally won't look too bad if I don't do it right after each question and don't make it obvious like I need a paper to trigger my memory. After all, they don't know the paper is a cheat sheet. It could be info from their school or something. On the other hand, just having the papers there might be distracting for me b/c I'll be trying to remember my own points rather than focusing on the interview. This sucks

Yes I think it's OK to look at your notes. If you are constantly looking at your notes to find answers, that is bad. I think you pointed out the key. There are some questions that are harder than others. Over the last month while I was completing the secondary applications, I have learned a lot about myself (and have remembered more than I realize). And I haven't had the opportunity to write about everything that I have thought of.

So I've written them down on paper. The notes are used for a guide. I'll never read an entire paragraph prior to giving an answer, but I might write down the top 4 reasons as to "why I want to change careers and become a doctor." Each reason just might be a few words, but it will give me an outline.

Thankfully I've done a lot of interviewing in my life so I should feel pretty comfortable anywhere I go. And I'm pretty good at adapting to situations. But I carry notes with me and use them when I feel I need to use them.

I think it's basically a good thing to do.

 

[crys20]

I just can't stand the thought of OSU football.

Oh my god i can't believe you just said that.

Shredder, yes, school doesn't start until this Wednesday. A week later and it would have REALLY been crazy, Autumn quarter is definately the funnest time around here! OSU is great though, Columbus is a fine city, decently fun. I want out of here though... Besides, I doubt OSU would take me! It works out fine.

 

[glp]

Yea, all good stuff. Plus you'll need a place to write down contact info for thanking each person you interview with. Doh! I wish we didn't have to do that. It's so perfunctory and un-genuine.

i always write thank yous when people take time out of their schedule to meet with me. it doesnt have to be an essay, but i think a simple thank you speaks volumes. especially when your interviewers are private practice docs that take a day off to interview students.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

thanks for the pointers all. im planning on asking fairly specific questions, i wouldnt want them thinking i ask the same questions to every school. something that shows youve looked into the school. and also avoiding questions that are clearly covered in the tour or website, as that would reflect somewhat poorly of course. however, on the other hand i think asking for elaboration about points that are covered online or in the tour would be a big plus

as for UM, for one im going to ask about the construction bc im genuinely curious about whats going on, its widespread

those are all good points. I also wrote down questions on a note pad and if they hadn't already been addressed i asked them when asked if i had any questions. I had my general questions i wanted to know about pretty much any school and those specific tio certain schools. Also as things came up from the tour or things I noticed when i got on campus, i added them to the list. Always make sure you know why you like the school and make sure you seem well informed.