Is it that rude to talk about other interviews on interview day?

[someperson]

It's pretty common for me to see people talking about the other places they've gone to. For example, the Northwestern panel interview is usually pretty popular. However, I understand that some people find discussion about other interviews to be rude--kind of like bragging. What is the SDN take on this?

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[Overeducated]

It's pretty common for me to see people talking about the other places they've gone to. For example, the Northwestern panel interview is usually pretty popular. However, I understand that some people find discussion about other interviews to be rude--kind of like bragging. What is the SDN take on this?

If it's rude... then I've met a lot of rude people.

It really depends on how it comes up in conversation. Some people do sound genuinely arrogant. Others don't. Personally, I only chat about my other interviews if someone asks me a direct question or if another school is being discussed that I happened to interview at, etc.

 

[Wahina]

I think it's just something everyone has in common, so it's an easy topic. One girl I met at one interview had actually seen me at a different interview, but I hadn't seen her because we were in different time sessions so we started talking about that and then other interviews we had been on. I don't think anyone really cares. I guess it depends on the school though. Like if you are on an interview at a top 10-20 school, then nobody is going to care if you talk about other schools youve been to. But if you are at your state school, you probably shouldn't talk about how great your visits at top 10 schools have been. Know what I mean?

 

[aumed22]

I never really wanted to talk about my other interviews during the interview day. I just feel weird talking about other schools in front of the staff of the school I am interviewing at. Also, I don't want other people to think I'm arrogant

 

[medhacker]

ROFL


There is nothing wrong with having an innocent talk about other places you have interviewed at or will...premeds...


.

 

[kalenakai]

ROFL


There is nothing wrong with having an innocent talk about other places you have interviewed at or will...premeds...


.

I know, yeah... ah, typical pre-meds.

 

[jbrice1639]

it's not rude if you're just talking about it...rude was some kid at one of my interviews who had already had four interviews in september and was bad mouthing hopkins saying "i would never go there anyways, i just wanted to use it to practice interviewing...i went to hopkins for undergrad and it's time to move on to something new"

nobody uses hopkins as a practice interview...what a tool

 

[beanbean]

Chatting with other people about the interview and application process can be a good way to break the ice and maybe find out a different perspective re: schools you have applied to. However, bragging about yourself or putting down other applicants is rude and stupid. An applicant interviewing the same day I was told everyone as soon as she sat down that her daddy used to be on staff at the school and she was sure she would have no problem getting accepted....not a good way to make friends on interview day. Don't know if she ever got in but she isn't a member of my class!

 

[masterMood]

it's not rude if you're just talking about it...rude was some kid at one of my interviews who had already had four interviews in september and was bad mouthing hopkins saying "i would never go there anyways, i just wanted to use it to practice interviewing...i went to hopkins for undergrad and it's time to move on to something new"

nobody uses hopkins as a practice interview...what a tool

Probably got rejected from Hopkins

 

[veenut]

i remember at one of my interviews i asked this one girl if she'd had any other interviews yet. she said yes, but when i asked her what schools, she said she "forgot". i thought this was pretty lame. how paranoid can you get? what, the school's gonna get offended that you considered another school? the horror!

 

[QofQuimica]

I don't think it's rude, though it might be a bit tasteless to do it in front of the admissions staff. Still, even they know that unless you're applying ED, you've almost certainly applied to more than one school. Plus, it seems like a lot of the same people tend to pop up again at other schools, which is kind of neat, b/c then you can compare notes with them.

vn2004, it may be that the girl didn't have any other interviews, and that's the reason why she couldn't "remember" the schools. I mean, if she only has received the one interview, and everyone else around her is talking about the other half dozen they've already gone on, she's going to feel bad, right? If you want to make small talk, it's probably better to just ask people where else they're applying, rather than how many interviews they've had.

 

[kirexhana]

i don't think it's rude, in fact, i think it's fun to share info on other schools, especially the weirder or more interesting questions they ask. it's like saying what you did the other day. As long as you don't blow off the other person if they have had less interviews or continuously listing off your bajillion interviews and how successful they were, you won't come across as arrogant. talking about interviews in the waiting room is like a form of bonding, share the good and the bad and you laugh over it. Otherwise, you'd just have awkward silence and i think that's worse.

 

[veenut]

I don't think it's rude, though it might be a bit tasteless to do it in front of the admissions staff. Still, even they know that unless you're applying ED, you've almost certainly applied to more than one school. Plus, it seems like a lot of the same people tend to pop up again at other schools, which is kind of neat, b/c then you can compare notes with them.

vn2004, it may be that the girl didn't have any other interviews, and that's the reason why she couldn't "remember" the schools. I mean, if she only has received the one interview, and everyone else around her is talking about the other half dozen they've already gone on, she's going to feel bad, right? If you want to make small talk, it's probably better to just ask people where else they're applying, rather than how many interviews they've had.

not the case...i saw her at another interview

 

[QofQuimica]

not the case...i saw her at another interview

lol, ok, so then she was just paranoid.

 

[italicsquirel99]

It's pretty common for me to see people talking about the other places they've gone to. For example, the Northwestern panel interview is usually pretty popular. However, I understand that some people find discussion about other interviews to be rude--kind of like bragging. What is the SDN take on this?

In general I think its okay and quite commonplace for applicants to discuss other interviews they have had - sometimes its helpful for the people who are going to be inteviewing at a particular school discussed and want to know what the experience was like, and sometimes it can be rude if the person who brings up the topic is a rude and boastful situation, but I haven't seen that happen too much.

For some I am sure the topic is an uncomfortable one - if it is their first interview, and they are in a room with other students talking about their 5 previous interviews, then I can see that being a tad unnerving.

 

[45408]

all my interviews were pretty early, so lots of people were asking things like "So, is this your first interview?" and for most people, it was, or maybe their second. It was just a way to get conversation going. If I burst out, "So, at my HARVARD interview last week...." that would probably be bragging, but lots of people interview at multiple schools (if you're good enough for one interview, you'll probably be good enough for 2-5 more), so we're just making small talk.

 

[Thundrstorm]

I wondered if this topic would come up before I started interviewing, and it turns out it's one of the main topics of conversation. I'm applying MD/PhD, so not only do the applicants spend a lot of time together (at dinner and the hotel), but we often see each other repeatedly on the interview trail b/c there are fewer interivew days at each school. So, it's more of a 'hey, you're cool. Will I see you again?' kind of thing. Everyone has talked openly about their rejections too; I haven't had any conversations about interviews that have been uncomfortable or insulting. Granted, when I had a convo where several people were lamenting rejections from a school I was scheduled to interview at, I didn't pipe up "well, hey, they liked me!"

 

[prana_md]

I think it's nice to finally talk about interviews in person with other applicants. I just made sure I never said anything nasty or catty ... you never know who's listening or who knows someone somewhere ...
Plus, it's about all my brain can come up to talk about in those awkward silences waiting in the lobby. "So ... where'd you come from" ... crickets ... "where've you interviewed?"
But I did get really uncomfortable last year when I had my first interview and everyone else had dozens.