"Know your application"

[achitn]

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As I've been preparing for interviews I keep seeing this as a feedback a lot of people have been listing. What does this mean? Does this mean knowing the activities you put down on the application and the way you described them and be prepared to explain the activity? Or know specific sentences/explanations you put down in your PS/Secondary and be prepared to discuss it?

What exactly does this mean?

 

[GBCrzzyy]

As I've been preparing for interviews I keep seeing this as a feedback a lot of people have been listing. What does this mean? Does this mean knowing the activities you put down on the application and the way you described them and be prepared to explain the activity? Or know specific sentences/explanations you put down in your PS/Secondary and be prepared to discuss it?

What exactly does this mean?

Yes. Basically, if I'm looking at your app and ask you a question about part of your PS or one of your activities you should be ready to talk about every part of your application. Adcoms may ask because they want to know more than the information you gave or they want to make sure you're being honest and not exaggerating or lying about anything. I'm not sure what other explanation I can give but you summed it up pretty well. Before an interview, read your entire primary and secondary application for that school and be ready to answer questions about certain activities or experiences that you think are the most important. But they could also choose a very obscure activity to ask about too. Just be ready and study your application.

 

[Jordan95]

I've never understood the whole "know your application" thing. I mean if what you listed on your app is true and you actually experienced what you spoke of, then it shouldn't even be an issue.




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[Marrowist]

What this phrase means to me is taking your entire application, and reading it from back to front. If you were an interviewer, what would stick out? A low grade? A gap in undergrad education? Find these parts of the application and make sure you can explain them if asked. Also know what you have written in your PS and Secondaries. Did you do research? What were the outcomes? Was it published? What journal? Why were you interested in that? Oh I see you volunteered at a nursing home? Why? Were there any other opportunities besides that? Why didn't you take them?

This kind of thorough examination, even if they don't ask about any of those things, will show that you KNOW your application, back to front, and will give you confidence and prepare you for anything. That confidence, in my opinion, is what an interviewer will be looking for.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I've never understood the whole "know your application" thing. I mean if what you listed on your app is true and you actually experienced what you spoke of, then it shouldn't even be an issue.




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It's not like you're trying to memorize what's in there like a script. You're just going through it like an interviewer might so you can be prepared to talk about any of it. Some of us will have a LOT of stuff on there.