Med student interviewer. Ask me anything (AMA).

[Frazier]

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okay sorry for the sidetracking

how much of the decision to accept an applicant can be made with the first impression vs the rest of the interview?

No worries. The more med students that chime in the better. Like I said on the last page, you make a good point that applicants should try to remember: you can get a good medical education at any US MD program.

I think Ismet did a good job of answering the 2nd part.

 

[Frazier]

some people spend a lot of time worrying about the length of an interview
but i've seen people get rejected with long interviews and others get accepted with 10 minute interviews as well as the other way around for both
any thoughts?

Sure, my thoughts are that your guess is likely as good as mine. Maybe the interviewer loved to talk but didn't advocate well. Maybe the interviewer was having a great day during the interview but a terrible day when providing the adcom with feedback. Maybe the adcom did not weigh the interviewer's recommendation (assuming it was a good one) as heavily as other factors that resulted in a rejection. Maybe the short interviewer was very efficient at gaining all the information they needed, while the long interviewer was inefficient and bumbled around a lot. Etc. Etc.

It is very frustrating though. I can remember coming out of a particular 70-minute interview -- supposed to be only 40 minutes. I thought "wow, that went great. we really connected!"

Result: rejection, no waitlist.

Other times the interview ended 5-10 minutes early, and they ended up in acceptances.... I imagine having a "10-minute interview" would be extremely frustrating and would make me feel that I wasted my money traveling to the school. Props to those people you mentioned for pulling out with the W.

 

[slz1900]

Do you guys have a way of standardizing your interview feedback so that applicants all get the same assessment regardless of who interviewed them? For instance, you mentioned that you like it if an applicant talks about job security but another interviewer might not. Is anything done post interview to "correct" for each interviewer's personal biases?

 

[histidine]

Are interviewers' scores and evaluations normalized?

If interviewers are randomly assigned to interviewees, the acceptance/waitlist/rejection rate for each interviewer should be about equal.

However, there might be interviewers who are lenient and score their interviewees high, and vice versa with interviewers with higher standards. Is the sample size large enough evaluate this retrospectively? It might not be worth it for student interviewers who come and go, but what about faculty who interview for decades?

 

[deleted407021]

How do you view applicants who are musicians? I'm a clarinetist (rather I will be in a few months) in my school's wind symphony.

 

[jb94mg]

Do you get nervous for interviews?

Any comments on the degree to which race and/or socioeconomic background influences the application process?

 

[Frazier]

Do you guys have a way of standardizing your interview feedback so that applicants all get the same assessment regardless of who interviewed them? For instance, you mentioned that you like it if an applicant talks about job security but another interviewer might not. Is anything done post interview to "correct" for each interviewer's personal biases?

Yes, everyone has the same form to fill out that asks the same ~10 questions. The questions are somewhat broad and opinion-based. For example it might say "How well do you feel the applicant would fit in with the culture of our school?" There is subjectivity since individual interviewers come up with their own answers to those questions. Beyond this level of standardization, there is no means of "correcting" for personal bias... I'm not sure how they would do this anyway given the nature of the process.

Are interviewers' scores and evaluations normalized?

If interviewers are randomly assigned to interviewees, the acceptance/waitlist/rejection rate for each interviewer should be about equal.

However, there might be interviewers who are lenient and score their interviewees high, and vice versa with interviewers with higher standards. Is the sample size large enough evaluate this retrospectively? It might not be worth it for student interviewers who come and go, but what about faculty who interview for decades?

It is important to not over-think things. To my understanding. the overwhelming majority of interviewees get great reviews from their interviewers. It is only one piece of the puzzle. More people are recommended for acceptance by their interviewers than are eventually accepted. The bottleneck at this point still rests with the adcom, not the interviewers. All that said, you aren't going to get a negative review unless you do something that warrants it. If there are two perfectly normal applicants that can communicate effectively, are amicable, are professional, and can answer our questions => they are both going to be recommended for admission. One isn't going to get recommended and the other screwed over.

The interviewers do not score interviewees on a 1-100 scale where little differences between individual interviewers can make a meaningful impact (i.e. Doc A scores all average interviewees 90% and Doc B scores all average interviewees 70%). Rather it is more like 0 = not recommended, 1= recommended with reservations, 2=recommended, 3=highly recommended. You get the idea.

How do you view applicants who are musicians? I'm a clarinetist (rather I will be in a few months) in my school's wind symphony.

That is great. There are many musicians and singers in my class. I know how to play a handful of instruments myself -- albeit none of them very well.

 

[Frazier]

Do you get nervous for interviews?

Any comments on the degree to which race and/or socioeconomic background influences the application process?

I have no reason to be nervous before an interview -- I have nothing riding on the line at this point. Rather I'm more likely to feel excited about meeting a great applicant that is way more accomplished than me.

Schools want diverse classes. When I was an applicant looking in, I felt it was perhaps "unfair" than certain demographics were approached differently. It was an easy feeling to have when trying to get in. I felt that the superior applicant in regards to stats should get the spot. A 37 should trump a 35.

However, on the other side, I see that it was a silly point of view. 34, 35, 36, 37...at this point these scores mean nothing. I have no idea who scored 40+ in my class and who scored a 35. Everyone is smart. If they can bring something to the table beyond scores, that should count for something.

At this point, I see value in being part of a diverse class with colleagues from different lands, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

To blatantly answer your question, the degree of influence is not large but exists.

 

[deleted407021]

My questions are rather fundamental but,

How are interviews, yours included, generally structured? I know of some schools that do a interviewee panel type of thing, which sounds interesting.

 

[Frazier]

My questions are rather fundamental but,

How are interviews, yours included, generally structured? I know of some schools that do a interviewee panel type of thing, which sounds interesting.

I hated panel interviews.

My school does two separate 1-on-1 interviews. One with faculty member and one with a student.

I def preferred this set up when applying versus the alternatives (i.e. a single interview, panel interview, MMI, etc)

In regards to structure, we will go and sit in a PBL room and chat for ~45 minutes.

 

[histidine]

Well it's easy to say that interviewers are unbiased and fair across the boards in their evaluation, but, until you run the statistics, it can't be assumed.

Take, for instance, the studies showing gender bias. In one study involving research tech jobs, female PIs are actually more discriminatory against female applicants than male PIs are. Who would have thought...

 

[gtbROX]

Wow, Seriously? No offense to the OP, but I rather receive advice from a seasoned "low tier" med student than someone that just started a few months ago, t20 or not.

If I want interview advice, it really doesn't matter whether he's ms1/2/3/4 if he has already gone through the school's specific training for interviews. And I would rather get interview advice from someone from a t20 than someone from the Caribbean med school or a low tier or newly accredited med school. If that makes me a tool then so be it.

 

[Frazier]

Well it's easy to say that interviewers are unbiased and fair across the boards in their evaluation, but, until you run the statistics, it can't be assumed.

Take, for instance, the studies showing gender bias. In one study involving research tech jobs, female PIs are actually more discriminatory against female applicants than male PIs are. Who would have thought...

Certainly. I agree with you. Potential is there and will be there when we interview for residency...fellowship...jobs...etc. Sucks that the potential exists, but it does.

Nevertheless, you should be pretty comfortable with the likelihood that you are going to be analyzed fairly.

 

[BABSstudent]

What are some subtle, deal-breaking statements to avoid at the interview?

I asked a student why medicine and not something else like a PA and they gave a long answer. One phrase ruined the entire thing.

They said something along the lines of a PA not being medicine.

😱

You are not supposed to bash the other profession! You are supposed to build the other profession up but list specific reasons why you don't want to go into that field. How is the applicant going to work with PAs in the future if don't think it is medicine!

 

[histidine]

Certainly. I agree with you. Potential is there and will be there when we interview for residency...fellowship...jobs...etc. Sucks that the potential exists, but it does.

Nevertheless, you should be pretty comfortable with the likelihood that you are going to be analyzed fairly.

Well, after a dozen interviews, I've been waitlisted at some that I thought went well and accepted to some that I thought were going to reject me before I could leave the room. All I can say is - fair enough. It's too hard to tell from my perspective, because, like you said, the decision whether to admit/waitlist/reject involves more than just the interview. It'd be an interesting study though.

 

[Status Sciaticus]

Hey Blaize,

Some of my interviewers will talk/ask about really random stuff such as football/reading books/ recent vacations or traveling. My question is that how do interviewers rate students if they talk about these things as opposed to topics related in medicine such as healthcare/future career/ motivation for medical school?

 

[Frazier]

Well, after a dozen interviews, I've been waitlisted at some that I thought went well and accepted to some that I thought were going to reject me before I could leave the room. All I can say is - fair enough. It's too hard to tell from my perspective, because, like you said, the decision whether to admit/waitlist/reject involves more than just the interview. It'd be an interesting study though.

Happens to the best of 'em. It would be an interest study to look at.

Hey Blaize,

Some of my interviewers will talk/ask about really random stuff such as football/reading books/ recent vacations or traveling. My question is that how do interviewers rate students if they talk about these things as opposed to topics related in medicine such as healthcare/future career/ motivation for medical school?

I'm not sure I know what you mean by "rate" them. It sounds like the interviewers are looking to have a conversation and perhaps indirectly measure how normal/human you are. There isn't much to conclude from an interviewer that wants to talk football versus healthcare reform. Different strokes for different folks. Perhaps one weighs your knowledge of healthcare heavily and the other weighs your ability to have a normal conversation on an everyday topic more heavily...or maybe they just like football.

Do your thing, be friendly, be outgoing, and be professional. The chips will fall no matter what.

 

[Davida]

Sorry I missed this when it was actually active, but if you're still answering questions...

I had a student interview, and I had no idea whether I should send a thank you email. I ended up doing it, because student interviews=faculty interviews at that school, and I figured sending a thank you was the better default. It felt kind of weird, though, since I was worried I was going to come across as sucking up (which I really tried to avoid in the email language). Too late for that school, but in case it comes up again - do student interviewers appreciate thank you notes? Should I do this if I get student interviewers in the future?

 

[Frazier]

Sorry I missed this when it was actually active, but if you're still answering questions...

I had a student interview, and I had no idea whether I should send a thank you email. I ended up doing it, because student interviews=faculty interviews at that school, and I figured sending a thank you was the better default. It felt kind of weird, though, since I was worried I was going to come across as sucking up (which I really tried to avoid in the email language). Too late for that school, but in case it comes up again - do student interviewers appreciate thank you notes? Should I do this if I get student interviewers in the future?

They are a nice token of your appreciation.

Also, depending on the school, they are added to your application file.

 

[eizeral]

How much does what you have to say about a particular applicant have an effect on their decision in comparison to that of the faculty interviewer? My application is very strong in some areas (GPA, LOR's, decent EC's), and weak in others (low MCAT). I'm also a URM. However, my faculty interview went relatively well I think, and my student interview went very well. I guess I'm just trying to figure out how much an interview affects your admission status, and how much weight your word carries.

 

[Captain Sisko]

Why volunteer to be an interviewer? Is it just fun or is it value added on a cv or what?

And you might have interviewed me a couple weeks back?

 

[Frazier]

How much does what you have to say about a particular applicant have an effect on their decision in comparison to that of the faculty interviewer? My application is very strong in some areas (GPA, LOR's, decent EC's), and weak in others (low MCAT). I'm also a URM. However, my faculty interview went relatively well I think, and my student interview went very well. I guess I'm just trying to figure out how much an interview affects your admission status, and how much weight your word carries.

Depends on the school. At my institution, they are weighted equally. Interviews are obviously important.

...but, as you know, they are just one piece of the puzzle.

 

[eizeral]

Depends on the school. At my institution, they are weighted equally. Interviews are obviously important.

...but, as you know, they are just one piece of the puzzle.

Very true. I'd like to think that once you receive an II, the "you on paper" is out of the woods (i.e., your MCAT, GPA, EC's, etc. are good enough), and the next step is to show how you are in person. Unfortunately, I know that is not always the case. Hopefully I'll be fortunate in this whole process.

 

[Frazier]

Why volunteer to be an interviewer? Is it just fun or is it value added on a cv or what?

And you might have interviewed me a couple weeks back?

Why interview? Some reasons are:

1) that you went though the process and know how painful it can for the applicant with crappy interviewers. You have an interest in making sure that applicants (people that spend their time and money traveling to a school) get their money's worth : a quality interview.

2) that you have a vested interest in the school. this is your school. this is where you will have received your medical education. unless you HATE your school, you want the best applicants possible filling the halls and representing your school after graduating.

3) that it is interesting to see things from the other side of the fence. I had a lot of experience being the interviewee. Being the interviewer is a nice opportunity to switch roles for awhile (ie until residency interviews).

4) it is fun meeting young, accomplished, and motivated individuals.

5) that it is practical. we can pick which days we want to interview. I chose all days where I would be at school anyway for mandatory events...so while I do lose a lunch break, I don't have to battle hell and high water to interview.

Anyway, I guess you could put it on your CV. It wouldn't mean anything whatsoever. I will, however, probably put it on my residency app, but again it won't impress anyone. That said, it is involvement outside of the classroom. So it's something just not much.

In other words, one does not become an interviewer so that they can put it on their CV or application.

Lastly, I didn't interview anyone a couple weeks back... so, no, that wasn't me.

 

[darkknight9000]

Ive been getting wait listed at schools post interview despite high stats (3.9 gpa/40 mcat)? How do I figure out what I'm doing wrong in the interview?

 

[deleted508066]

How do you approach the subject of low grades during first two years of undergrad in an interview? The summer before my junior year, I discovered I really, really love medicine, and I was undecided before that. Now I always feel the need to point out that my first two years worth of grades were low (2 C's, mostly B's), but greatly improved (All A's since). Which is better? To try to explain poor grades, or not mention it or draw attention to it?

I've been asking different people this, and I keep getting different answers. Curious on your input. Thanks.

 

[Frazier]

Ive been getting wait listed at schools post interview despite high stats (3.9 gpa/40 mcat)? How do I figure out what I'm doing wrong in the interview?

I would really need to see a specific breakdown (applied -> intervierwed -> A/W/R) to make any hypothesis whatsoever.

I suggest you find someone that you trust to mock interview you immediately (the more experience they have, the better). If you already have done this, find someone else. Record it. Watch it.

 

[Frazier]

How do you approach the subject of low grades during first two years of undergrad in an interview? The summer before my junior year, I discovered I really, really love medicine, and I was undecided before that. Now I always feel the need to point out that my first two years worth of grades were low (2 C's, mostly B's), but greatly improved (All A's since). Which is better? To try to explain poor grades, or not mention it or draw attention to it?

I've been asking different people this, and I keep getting different answers. Curious on your input. Thanks.

In my school's case, your plan of pointing it out would have backfired since we students are blinded to everything about you except where you're from.

If I don't ask, then I'm not particularly interested. If I want to know about your academics, despite being blinded, I will ask you "tell me about your academic history" or whatever.

If I do ask, it would obviously be better for you to explain than change the subject.

 

[Captain Sisko]

Why interview? Some reasons are:

1) that you went though the process and know how painful it can for the applicant with crappy interviewers. You have an interest in making sure that applicants (people that spend their time and money traveling to a school) get their money's worth : a quality interview.

2) that you have a vested interest in the school. this is your school. this is where you will have received your medical education. unless you HATE your school, you want the best applicants possible filling the halls and representing your school after graduating.

3) that it is interesting to see things from the other side of the fence. I had a lot of experience being the interviewee. Being the interviewer is a nice opportunity to switch roles for awhile (ie until residency interviews).

4) it is fun meeting young, accomplished, and motivated individuals.

5) that it is practical. we can pick which days we want to interview. I chose all days where I would be at school anyway for mandatory events...so while I do lose a lunch break, I don't have to battle hell and high water to interview.

Anyway, I guess you could put it on your CV. It wouldn't mean anything whatsoever. I will, however, probably put it on my residency app, but again it won't impress anyone. That said, it is involvement outside of the classroom. So it's something just not much.

In other words, one does not become an interviewer so that they can put it on their CV or application.

Lastly, I didn't interview anyone a couple weeks back... so, no, that wasn't me.

Thanks for the reply. I guess I meant residency app, not cv. I don't really know how that process works. Cart before the horse, eh?

It might have been three weeks ago, but they were all second years and you're a first, right? Do you know any straight male 2nd years with a flair for red pants?

 

[Ismet]

It might have been three weeks ago, but they were all second years and you're a first, right? Do you know any straight male 2nd years with a flair for red pants?

LOL!

 

[touchpause13]

What do you think about regional accents for Americans? I have had several people tell me I should try to get rid of my accent. Once I open my mouth most people know I'm from NY.

I have a semi thick regional accent (think fargo) and no one has ever mentioned it.

OT: Why did you decide to be a student interviewer and how much time does it take?

 

[Frazier]

Thanks for the reply. I guess I meant residency app, not cv. I don't really know how that process works. Cart before the horse, eh?

It might have been three weeks ago, but they were all second years and you're a first, right? Do you know any straight male 2nd years with a flair for red pants?

I don't know anyone that matches that description; however, it looks like Ismet might, haha.

I have a semi thick regional accent (think fargo) and no one has ever mentioned it.

OT: Why did you decide to be a student interviewer and how much time does it take?

It doesn't take much time -- although it is variable with the amount of interviews you conduct. See post #124 for the rest of your answer.

 

[touchpause13]

I don't know anyone that matches that description; however, it looks like Ismet might, haha.



It doesn't take much time -- although it is variable with the amount of interviews you conduct. See post #124 for the rest of your answer.

I just saw that. Thanks!

 

[wiloghby]

I apologize if this has already been asked:

How do you study for your classes? I know you said you study every day and I'm pretty good about putting time in every day for all of my classes when it counts.

I'm more curious what study methods you use to digest and make sense of that enormous volume of material. Can you talk about what has worked for you? (Obviously highly specific for each person, I am just curious.)

 

[dracosta]

I'm interviewing at my top choice school in a couple of days and they do student interviews. I've already had one student interview that I felt went well but afterwards I felt like I didn't ask enough questions of them. What are some good questions that you would like to get from an interviewee or questions that you wish you might have asked when you were in this position? Thanks for doing this 🙂

 

[Frazier]

I apologize if this has already been asked:

How do you study for your classes? I know you said you study every day and I'm pretty good about putting time in every day for all of my classes when it counts.

I'm more curious what study methods you use to digest and make sense of that enormous volume of material. Can you talk about what has worked for you? (Obviously highly specific for each person, I am just curious.)

Yeah, I try to do some degree of studying every day. Some days that might only be an hour, other days that might be 12 hours...some days none at all. It really depends on my schedule outside of school and if we have an exam coming up.

There is a lot of material and a very high volume as an MS1 -- which gets even higher as an MS2.

Ideally, all the material that needs to be learned for a course can be found in the syllabus (i.e. the "go to" resource)...this was the case for anatomy. I basically turned the syllabus into one giant anki deck. By the end of the 7 weeks, I had maybe 7-8k cards.

I did very well in anatomy.

Biochemistry was different in that the material we were summposed to learn was jumbled all over the place (a bit in the syllabus, a bit in the lectures, etc)... In other words, there was no "go-to" resource for biochemistry. This fact, coupled with the course only being 2 weeks long with a single grade (the final exam), meant that my anki strategy from anatomy would not be very feasible. So I did a hodgepodge of strategies for the course...a bit of anki...a bit of straight reading the syllabus... a bit of listening to podcasts... The result was that I passed by an okay margin, but was ultimately below the average for the course.

Given my classmates, I am fine with being "average" at my school (much in part because I am not shooting for plastics/derm/etc). Nevertheless, I prefer to stay on the right side of the bell curve if possible, so I needed to regroup after biochemistry.

We are in genetics now and it is a somewhat weird course to prep for... there is a decent syllabus (better than biochem at least), but some of the topics aren't explained well -- so outside explanations need to be consulted whether that be a textbook from the library or wiki. Then there is uncertainty of what will be actually on the exam, since for genetics we take a computerized NBME exam -- in other words, our final exam will not have been written by our professors that are picking what to teach us. So I will likely be studying subject review books like BRS prior to the exam.

Other courses (ethics, biostatistics, et al.) are just an annoyance that require cramming last minute.

 

[Frazier]

I'm interviewing at my top choice school in a couple of days and they do student interviews. I've already had one student interview that I felt went well but afterwards I felt like I didn't ask enough questions of them. What are some good questions that you would like to get from an interviewee or questions that you wish you might have asked when you were in this position? Thanks for doing this 🙂

Some good questions to ask student interviewers:

What made you decide to attend XYZ? (Note: this is different than asking "where else were you accepted")

How do you like living in this city?

What is your favorite thing about being a med student so far?

What is your least favorite thing about being a med student so far?

What is your favorite thing about your school?

What are some things that you would change about your school if you had the chance?

Why should someone pick this school over one of its peer institutions?

How would you describe the culture of your school?

How would you describe your classmates?

Can you tell me more about the curriculum? (If you haven'r already found out if it is P/F, podcasted, etc).

....
.....
.....

 

[Leoz M Jiliums]

How do you feel about an applicant listing firearms related sports and hunting as ECs?

One of my interviewers talked for ~80% of the interview, is this a bad thing?

 

[Frazier]

How do you feel about an applicant listing firearms related sports and hunting as ECs?

One of my interviewers talked for ~80% of the interview, is this a bad thing?

It is somewhat risky in that there is always the chance that you might get someone that is very anti-gun, very anti-hunting.

You have no way of knowing who is going to end up judging you.

That said I own a firearm and my family owns all types. I went to the range often when I was younger. I would think "cool -- something to talk about".

I don't have much of an opinion on hunting. Many of my friends were hunters growing up; however, I never got into it. I guess I'm neutral -- as long as you eat what you kill and don't shoot something just for its antlers. That said, if you do engage in the latter, it's not like I would spit at you and rip up your application... it just means we would have different opinions on the topic.

You had a talkative interviewer, there is nothing to conclude from that alone other than they liked to talk.

 

[DaenarysDuhh]

Are you trained to conduct yourself in any particular way during an interview as a student interviewer? For example, are you encouraged to tell someone that you are trying to convince them to come? Or are you expected to play it cool and not "give it away" if you like the candidate or not? Basically, can you give a rough sense of how your school asks you to represent the institution and your role in the process/ opinion of the interviewee to the interviewee? Thanks!

 

[Frazier]

Are you trained to conduct yourself in any particular way during an interview as a student interviewer? For example, are you encouraged to tell someone that you are trying to convince them to come? Or are you expected to play it cool and not "give it away" if you like the candidate or not? Basically, can you give a rough sense of how your school asks you to represent the institution and your role in the process/ opinion of the interviewee to the interviewee? Thanks!

Yes and no...

We are told ("trained"?) to act professionally. We are not "encouraged to tell someone that you are trying to convince them to come". I guess it is assumed that if you want to spend your free time interviewing for the school that you are enthusiastic about the program and will want people to be just as excited about it.

We aren't directed to "play it cool" or drool over an applicant.

We are just supposed to be ourselves, conduct the interview in a professional manner and get the info we need to concoct a sound set of answers to the questions the adcom wants to know.

That said, we are expected to not trash talk the school (this is in sharp contrast to listing "dislikes" or things that we wish could be improved). This makes sense. Why would the school want you trying to scare away the people they are trying to get?

We are supposed to represent the school for exactly what it is:

A top-ranked research institution that is known for producing excellent physicians and physician scientists alike.

 

[Narmerguy]

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.

:LOL: One of my interviewers just started blasting some people politically within 2 minutes of the interview beginning. I was kind of shocked and confused if he actually had already surmised my political stance (I agreed with him) or was just going to blast away regardless. It was a fun interview.

 

[Captain Sisko]

:LOL: One of my interviewers just started blasting some people politically within 2 minutes of the interview beginning. I was kind of shocked and confused if he actually had already surmised my political stance (I agreed with him) or was just going to blast away regardless. It was a fun interview.

This happened my second interview of the year. This family practice doc from mn started talking about how doctors should stay the hell out of politics, current congress as an example. Ifigured he was talking about Rand Paul so we spent five minutes talking about how the tea party was scary but would ultimately lead to the demise of the republican party.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

Interesting. I'm in a red state so anything mainstream is considered offensive liberal 😛

 

[touchpause13]

Interesting. I'm in a red state so anything mainstream is considered offensive liberal 😛

I know that feel

 

[inycepoo]

"i go to pitt". easy to say
t20 is as douchey as when people say "i went to school in new haven"
do you want us to guess southern connecticut state university before you reply NOPE IT'S YALE

I can speak to the example you give. It's a different case than the one here; it's a moot point.

Very rarely do we expect someone to probe and ask if it is the prestigious institution they have in mind. If you think that's why we do it, you'll sadly misinformed and biased.

Typically we say things like that because we're so sick of the follow-up questions of "What was your GPA? SAT score? Blah blah blah blah tell my kid what it takes to get into an Ivy plz" 'cause ya know what? I don't ****ing know why I got in. I don't really think I belong here, even as a junior. I don't want to tell you all my stats in high school. You don't need to know where exactly I go to school. This is especially true with Asians; I have yet to meet a fellow Asian kid/parent who did not follow up my revealing my college with those invasive questions. The more you avoid it, the more opportunistic they get. It's sickening and seriously annoying.

That's why we do it in the case you bring up. It's not the same. If you think we're elitist for thinking that those follow-up questions will be asked, it happens much more often than you'd think.

 

[yehhhboiii]

I can speak to the example you give. It's a different case than the one here; it's a moot point.

Very rarely do we expect someone to probe and ask if it is the prestigious institution they have in mind. If you think that's why we do it, you'll sadly misinformed and biased.

Typically we say things like that because we're so sick of the follow-up questions of "What was your GPA? SAT score? Blah blah blah blah tell my kid what it takes to get into an Ivy plz" 'cause ya know what? I don't ******* know why I got in. I don't really think I belong here, even as a junior. I don't want to tell you all my stats in high school. You don't need to know where exactly I go to school. This is especially true with Asians; I have yet to meet a fellow Asian kid/parent who did not follow up my revealing my college with those invasive questions. The more you avoid it, the more opportunistic they get. It's sickening and seriously annoying.

That's why we do it in the case you bring up. It's not the same. If you think we're elitist for thinking that those follow-up questions will be asked, it happens much more often than you'd think.

ok thanks for the perspective. this totally makes sense to me

 

[inycepoo]

ok thanks for the perspective. this totally makes sense to me

But only an idiot would say New Haven to mean Yale when the point is to not reveal the institution. The logical answer, short of lying straight up, which I also do sometimes because I'm just a troll lol, would be Connecticut. Anyone respective of people's boundaries would know to quit probing at that point.

Either idiot, or actually douchey like you say and are expecting people to guess where they are.

 

[HopesandDreams]

We are just supposed to be ourselves, conduct the interview in a professional manner and get the info we need to concoct a sound set of answers to the questions the adcom wants to know.

What is the set of questions the adcom wants answers to?

 

[Frazier]

What is the set of questions the adcom wants answers to?

For my school, they largely revolve around the applicant's: motivations, activities, personal traits, interpersonal skills, fit, root of interest/s in the school, etc. I do not have the form in front of me, and wouldn't transcribe it all onto SDN anyway.

That said, the topics are outlined above. They are not questions that the interviewer would ask you verbatim, rather they're questions that the interviewer needs to reflect upon after gathering info during the interview.