Med student interviewer. Ask me anything (AMA).

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Frazier

Frazier

Palliative Emergentologist
Lifetime Donor
Verified Member
10+ Year Member
Gold Donor
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
Messages
4,830
Reaction score
2,702
I don't think that there's been one of these this week... There are a lot of student interviewers on this forum, and if you haven't realized it already there is a lot of subjectivity in med school admissions. That said, I hope that the other interviewers that stumble into this thread feel free to answer questions and share their own perspective.

Me: MS1 at a T20 school (i.e. research-focused institution). I went on a lot of interviews as a pre-med, so pretty well-acquainted with interviewing from that end. Currently, I've gone through the "interviewer training" at my institution and am all set to start with November applicants.

Feel free to ask anything about anything.
Members don't see this ad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
What is the toughest question you ask interviewees?
 
How do you interpret nervousness?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
What are some subtle, deal-breaking statements to avoid at the interview?
 
None of the questions will be tough from my point of view. However, what the applicant finds toughest to answer depends on the person.

Unfortunately, I think that talking about healthcare reform makes a lot of people uncomfortable. I know as an applicant it made me uncomfortable (worrying "am I going to step on anyone's toes?")

However, I think it is a good topic to probe as it not only measures the applicant's knowledge of current events, societal issues, and the framework of medicine. Also, it offers the applicant the opportunity to speak about a topic without showing political bias/offensiveness. The actual answer's content doesn't matter so much as the thought-process and delivery behind their response.

It's high yield from my point of view as an interviewer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
yehhhboiii said:
t20 lol
this aint law school
Click to expand...

heh, yeah, I mention that for 3 reasons...

1) This is SDN and by default a lot of the students are interested most in these schools. Ergo, perhaps labeling myself as such might draw their attention just a fraction of a percent more.

2) Those schools tend to be most heavy on the research and a lot of applicants have questions about applying to "the T20 schools" with XYZ level of research under their belt.

3) I like the way it rolls off my tongue.

However, you are right...this certainly isn't law school and I'm no better than my peers at school ranked 21, 31, 41...
 
Give me examples of an exceptional interviewer ;)
 
how does your evaluation of an interviewee differ from a faculty interviewer
is it different a lot or do you find that you get the same impression of a candidate most of the time
 
Beargryllz said:
What are some subtle, deal-breaking statements to avoid at the interview?
Click to expand...

I don't think there are many subtle, deal-breaking statements for applicants. If it is "deal-breaking", it obviously wasn't subtle.

However, giving you something to work with...you wouldn't want to make any subtle jokes/criticisms that might offend your interviewer. (Mainly because it shows a lack of tact/interpersonal skills on the applicant's part.)
 
Members don't see this ad :)
yehhhboiii said:
how does your evaluation of an interviewee differ from a faculty interviewer
is it different a lot or do you find that you get the same impression of a candidate most of the time
Click to expand...

I don't believe we have access to the notes of other interviewers (faculty, et al.) That said, going off of what administration said, there is parity between reviews more often than not.
 
Ja3ger said:
The latter.
Click to expand...

It depends on the degree of nervousness. If the person gives me a sweaty handshake and takes a few minutes to warm up, no problem. I was in their shoes, my hands were sweating and my mind racing back then too.

However, if their "nervousness" manifests itself in a way that completely impedes there ability to have a 40 minute conversation, then that is something that I need to take note of.

By the end of the interview, that palm shouldn't be sweaty. Well, it might be if they have something like hyperhidrosis....but you get my drift.
 
Last edited:
La Presse said:
****. I meant interviewee....

Pittsburgh, huh?
Click to expand...

An exceptional interviewee is someone that makes you wish that you had another hour to spend talking to them...they are eloquent, amicable, insightful, and make you [the interviewer] feel comfortable.

Note: It is important to remember than an exceptional interviewee doesn't necessarily always equate to being an exceptional applicant.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
darkjedi said:
MS2, but about to start clinics in 2 months :eek:
Click to expand...

1.5 yr curriculum? (my original question was going to be how you like 2nd year...but now I have no idea what your schedule looks like haha)

Do you have any idea of what progression you want for your rotations?
 
Frazier said:
1.5 yr curriculum? (my original question was going to be how you like 2nd year...but now I have no idea what your schedule looks like haha)

Do you have any idea of what progression you want for your rotations?
Click to expand...

We've been assigned our rotation schedules already and I'm pretty happy with it. 2nd year has been pretty good, but definitely excited to get out of the classroom. I'm sure I will regret saying that as it seems the grass is always greener on the other side. I'll probably be dead to the world for the next year or so :confused:
 
What types of responses do you look for to a "why medicine" type of questions? Are there important bases to cover?
Thanks for doing this! :)
 
karayaa said:
What types of responses do you look for to a "why medicine" type of questions? Are there important bases to cover?
Thanks for doing this! :)
Click to expand...

I would hope that the applicant can tell me "why medicine" without needing much time to reflect on it (i.e. not a lot of "uhhhhhhhh"s and "ummmmmm"s.) while at the same time avoiding the impression that they are reciting a script [which, is more often than not going to be the case].

In regards to content, I would like to know that the applicant, after exploring as many alternatives as possible, decided that medicine is the only field that offers them the job description they are looking for...in other words, they should be describing to me the mayo shields + desire for leadership.

Bonus points for being real and mentioning the job+financial security that comes with being a physician.

Note: that last point is one that highlights what I said in my original post...there's a lot of subjectivity. In other words, I'm sure that there are interviewers out there somewhere that do not want to hear the words "job+financial security" coming out of an applicant's mouth. I'm not one of those people.
 
How much does the interview matter at your school?
 
darkjedi said:
Are you friends with Ismet? Is she cool in real life
Click to expand...

Of course I'm cool :cool: duhhhhhh

Frazier said:
On the internet.

We both have our anonymity in real life (well, as far as I know...she is a mod now :D).
Click to expand...

:ninja:

nemo123 said:
How much does the interview matter at your school?
Click to expand...

Interviews are important, but it definitely varies by applicant. There's really no "percent importance" that I can give you. What I can tell you is that faculty and student interviews are weighted the same at our school, so take the student interview seriously.
 
Frazier said:
Also, it offers the applicant the opportunity to speak about a topic without showing political bias/offensiveness. The actual answer's content doesn't matter so much as the thought-process and delivery behind their response.

It's high yield from my point of view as an interviewer.
Click to expand...

Is political bias (not offensiveness) a deal breaker? Like if you claim you are a republican or democrat, for example?

Note: I would certainly agree you should not discuss politics if at all possible.
 
NuttyEngDude said:
Is political bias (not offensiveness) a deal breaker? Like if you claim you are a republican or democrat, for example?

Note: I would certainly agree you should not discuss politics if at all possible.
Click to expand...

Bias isn't an issue for me. My SO is a different political party than myself, so I am quite comfortable with being around a person with sharply contrasting beliefs/stances.

However, again, everyone is different. I'm sure there are plenty of interviewers out there that will take off points [per se] if you show political bias.

Best to play it safe.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
How much emphasis is placed on the number of credits a candidate has taken?
How are grade retakes viewed?
How are grades withdrawals (W on the transcript) viewed?
 
Raptor2000 said:
How much emphasis is placed on the number of credits a candidate has taken?
How are grade retakes viewed?
How are grades withdrawals (W on the transcript) viewed?
Click to expand...

Schools are different; at mine, I am not given any information about your academic credits/retakes/drops. So, as your interviewer, I will have no idea about any of that unless you bring it up to me.

Personally, I wouldn't put a lot of weight on credits taken (per semester?) and a W. There were a few semesters when I took the minimum credits in undergrad just because. I had a W (realized I didn't like the elective, so dropped it).

I would be curious about a retake.
 
Frazier said:
Schools are different; at mine, I am not given any information about your academic credits/retakes/drops. So, as your interviewer, I will have no idea about any of that unless you bring it up to me.

Personally, I wouldn't put a lot of weight on credits taken (per semester?) and a W. There were a few semesters when I took the minimum credits in undergrad just because. I had a W (realized I didn't like the elective, so dropped it).

I would be curious about a retake.
Click to expand...

Well, what if the W was in an important science course? For example, I bombed my inorganic chemistry midterm because I was really sick, and if I stuck with the course, I probably would have gotten a grade that I felt wasn't really reflective of what I felt I could achieve. I withdrew from the class, took the W on my transcript, and am doing it now and I think I'll end up with an A or A-.
 
Raptor2000 said:
Well, what if the W was in an important science course? For example, I bombed my inorganic chemistry midterm because I was really sick, and if I stuck with the course, I probably would have gotten a grade that I felt wasn't really reflective of what I felt I could achieve. I withdrew from the class, took the W on my transcript, and am doing it now and I think I'll end up with an A or A-.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't have known any of this information, nor that you have a W in a science course to begin with.

Unless the interviewer notifies you that they have access to your transcript (and asks about it specifically) or asks something like "is there anything else I should know about your academics?"...I wouldn't bring it up.

If you have an interview at a school, they already have seen your W/retakes/et al and are apparently okay with it. Bringing it up to someone that doesn't know about it already doesn't serve much utility.

The best time to give that explanation was on secondaries that prompted for more info.
 
As a student interviewer, are you told to maintain a more conversational tone to the interviews or to ask really structured questions in a list-like format? Would you say one is better than the other in terms of getting to know the interviewee?

Thanks for doing this, btw :)
 
When all is said and done, what do you turn back into the adcom? An essay on each applicant? A paragraph? Answers based on rank of 1-10 on certain things? Do they give you a 10 questions form to fill out? what exactly goes back?
 
lalalapartay012 said:
As a student interviewer, are you told to maintain a more conversational tone to the interviews or to ask really structured questions in a list-like format? Would you say one is better than the other in terms of getting to know the interviewee?

Thanks for doing this, btw :)
Click to expand...

Yes, we are supposed to be conversational. There is no particular questions that we are made to ask; however, there are questions that we are urged not to ask (i.e. religion, politics, etc). That said, there are topics that we, as interviewers, need to expound upon when turning in our forms to admissions...so you are going to get some standard (expected) questions so that we can get our answers.

In terms of "getting to know the interviewee", I imagine this route is better than being given a hard list of questions to ask in a short timeframe.
 
Last edited:
NuttyEngDude said:
When all is said and done, what do you turn back into the adcom? An essay on each applicant? A paragraph? Answers based on rank of 1-10 on certain things? Do they give you a 10 questions form to fill out? what exactly goes back?
Click to expand...

It depends on the school. My school has the interviewer fill out a one page form that has ~10 questions.

We are supposed to answer those 10 questions with supporting material that we gained from interviewing you. There is some ranking going on and also there are some lengthy prompts that require more essay-like responses from the interviewer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Have you ever seen interviews where the interviewee tears up while answering a personal question or even completely falls apart (emotionally)? Are both viewed just as negatively? How is this discussed with adcoms afterward?
 
Jennyfishy said:
Have you ever seen interviews where the interviewee tears up while answering a personal question or even completely falls apart (emotionally)? Are both viewed just as negatively? How is this discussed with adcoms afterward?
Click to expand...

No, I haven't.

I would say that there is a difference between "tearing up" and "completely falls apart"...so, no, I wouldn't say that they are both "viewed just as negatively". There is nothing wrong with a little bit of tearing up (granted the subject matter is appropriate). If I was to sit and talk at length with you about a deceased relative of mine that I was particularly close with, my eyes are prob going to get moist at some point. It could be looked at as a good thing -- you have emotions, you ARE a human not a pre-med robot after all.

However, if we are talking about your academics and you start "tearing up"... well, I would look at that differently.

I don't think that completely "falling apart" during an interview is going to ever be a good thing.
 
Frazier said:
I don't think that there's been one of these this week... There are a lot of student interviewers on this forum, and if you haven't realized it already there is a lot of subjectivity in med school admissions. That said, I hope that the other interviewers that stumble into this thread feel free to answer questions and share their own perspective.

Me: MS1 at a T20 school (i.e. research-focused institution). I went on a lot of interviews as a pre-med, so pretty well-acquainted with interviewing from that end. Currently, I've gone through the "interviewer training" at my institution and am all set to start with November applicants.

Feel free to ask anything about anything.
Click to expand...

1. What are the major things you look for in an interviewee? Someone asked what you were looking for in an "exceptional interviewer." Here, I am curious in merely the main qualities in what makes an interviewee recommendable.

2. How much training do interviewers receive at your school?

3. How easy or difficult is it to become an interviewer?

4. How much standardization is there between each interviewer?

Thank you for your contributions in this thread.
 
1. In regards to personal qualities/traits, it is more of not turning someone off instead of turning them on. In other words, I can't sit here and list the qualities/traits that make an interviewee "recommendable". Instead, it is much more efficient to list the qualities/traits that make an interviewee "unrecommendable". These would include: poor interpersonal skills (whether too passive, too dominant, socially awkward, etc), poor professionalism, and showing indifference. Exceptional interviewees turn the interviewers on - they get the highest level of recommendation. Poor interviewees turn the interviewers off - they are not recommended. Average interviewees do an average job and get an average recommendation. (Note: an "average" recommendation is not a negative one or one that will sink an applicant's ship. Remember, the interview is only one facet of the overall application file.)

2. I do not know what training faculty interviewers undergo; however, student interviewers have to complete an afternoon training session before being permitted to interview. In addition to this, we've all been to a number of interviews as pre-meds... We aren't foreign to the concept of how to conduct an interview.

3. Perhaps it depends on the school, but at my institution it is very easy. If you want to be an interviewer, you will be given the opportunity.

4. The forms that we are required to turn in after interviewing an applicant all have the same questions. We all have the same set of lenses that we are supposed to use to analyze the applicant. We all have the same exact training session. We are all at the same school. We all want to be involved in the process and help our school choose the best candidates possible (or else we wouldn't be volunteering our time to be an interviewer to begin with). So, with all that said, I am going to say that there is a fairly decent amount of standardization between interviewers.
 
What do you think of applicants who bring up non-clinical career goals - eg administration, policy, education, public health, social change?
Thanks!
 
karayaa said:
What do you think of applicants who bring up non-clinical career goals - eg administration, policy, education, public health, social change?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

I have no problems with it whatsoever. I would likely probe around to see how well thought out their goals are and why going through years of medical education is needed to reach those goals. Nevertheless, I personally think there needs to be more physicians working in administration and politics.

Aside: I guess I should point out that when I mentioned politics earlier as something we aren't supposed to talk about, I didn't mean that "politics" is a dirty word and should be avoided at all costs. But rather asking about political orientation, blaming particular parties for XYZ, etc. should be avoided.

If you told me you were interested in becoming a physician with the end goal of becoming a politician, I would think "cool". Hopefully you represent the interests of medicine better than our current homogeneous batch of ex-lawyers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
What color suit/tie should I wear to the interview?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

Hollow Knight
Medical *student* adcom member, AMA!
Replies
37
Views
4K
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight
L
OK question to ask current student?
Replies
5
Views
605
cj_cregg
cj_cregg
S
Interviewers didn't really ask me about why medicine. Is this a bad sign?
Replies
4
Views
844
Rachapkis
Rachapkis
H
Questions to ask interviewers in interviews?
Replies
5
Views
2K
happypremed11234
H
S
Ask the CDC Director!
Replies
4
Views
859
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
Top