Is it possible for an interview to properly address a weakness in secondaries?

[deleted1210768]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I have come to the conclusion that the "why us" answer I gave in the secondary portion was likely unsatisfactory. However, it is true that my application made it through the screen and that I was given an opportunity to discuss why I wanted to attend that school. I believe my answer then was probably satisfactory (or at the very least a lot better) than what I provided in the secondary. When it comes time to make final decisions, is it usually the case that the interview answers can address lacking context in the secondary?

 

[AJS59]

I have come to the conclusion that the "why us" answer I gave in the secondary portion was likely unsatisfactory. However, it is true that my application made it through the screen and that I was given an opportunity to discuss why I wanted to attend that school. I believe my answer then was probably satisfactory (or at the very least a lot better) than what I provided in the secondary. When it comes time to make final decisions, is it usually the case that the interview answers can address lacking context in the secondary?

Impossible to tell, a lot of that will depend on your interviewer's report back to the committee. Regardless, what's done is done.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I have come to the conclusion that the "why us" answer I gave in the secondary portion was likely unsatisfactory. However, it is true that my application made it through the screen and that I was given an opportunity to discuss why I wanted to attend that school. I believe my answer then was probably satisfactory (or at the very least a lot better) than what I provided in the secondary. When it comes time to make final decisions, is it usually the case that the interview answers can address lacking context in the secondary?

I don't think it works the way you think. In traditional interviews (not MMIs), the evaluator leaves notes or impressions about the candidate.

What you haven't told us is whether the interview was open file or if the evaluator has access to all of your essays from the primary and secondary applications.

Also the evaluator is not always a member of the admissions committee, so they cannot be asked follow-up questions.

The evaluator may not have screened your application. Many times a faculty interviewer would ask me, "why was THIS person invited?"

Medical school admissions is deliberately fragmented. File review is like the Papal Conclave.

To your question: in your mind, yes, you want your interview answers and your essays to be concordant, perhaps even add to each other. But even in real life, this isn't how it works out unless you have been authentic and polished. We don't deliberate your fate like a jury in a criminal case. You might be time-limited in your interview response. You don't have unlimited space in your secondary application. But I don't think we place your interview response against your secondary essay and see where you diverged like running an essay through a plagiarism checker.

Don't overthink this or spend much more time self-torturing yourself. Trust the process.

 

[LizzyM]

An application reviewer may leave a note for the interviewer(s) asking that the applicant be asked about x or y or to suss out whether the applicant has been engaged in something the reader was looking for but didn't see mentioned in the application. As an interviewer, I'll do this and report back.

That said, the point of the interview is not to point out a negative that the interviewer might have missed or is unconcerned about (what I like to call "the zit on your chin") but to shine a light on the positive attributes you bring to the table and the things you are most proud of.

What's done is done. If you are going to put any effort into going down this path, consider how you could strengthen any weaknesses in the next cycle if it becomes necessary.

 

[Goro]

I have come to the conclusion that the "why us" answer I gave in the secondary portion was likely unsatisfactory. However, it is true that my application made it through the screen and that I was given an opportunity to discuss why I wanted to attend that school. I believe my answer then was probably satisfactory (or at the very least a lot better) than what I provided in the secondary. When it comes time to make final decisions, is it usually the case that the interview answers can address lacking context in the secondary?

Possibly. Depends on how well your interviwer(s) received the answer.