Non-trad interview wackiness!

[Nevadanteater]

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So I enter my first interview yesterday and start talking with these other interviewees, very casual, normal conversation when one of the interviewees asks me, "so what's your specialty?"

"Me? You mean my interests?"

"No, what type of medicine do you practice?"

😕

"You're a resident, right? What field are you in?"



I explained that in fact I am not a doctor and that I'm in the same boat she was in. Hilarious.

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Anyone have similar older student tales to share?

 

[NTF]

Nothing too wacky yet, though I was older than my faculty interviewer. Made for a relaxed collegial interview.

 

[Lacheln]

Nothing too wacky yet, though I was older than my faculty interviewer. Made for a relaxed collegial interview.

That's awesome. 😀

I, on the other hand, look like I'm about 12. I get mistaken for being in undergrad all the time; I have to be like, um, yeah, no, 30 years old over here. Class o '98 in the hizzouse! And then the little undergrads go "Like 1998?! Oh wow". And then we all sit in awkward silence. I can't decide yet whether that is a good or bad thing on the med school front - being female and young-looking doesn't strike me as optimal in medicine.

 

[take the shot]

That's awesome. 😀

I, on the other hand, look like I'm about 12. I get mistaken for being in undergrad all the time; I have to be like, um, yeah, no, 30 years old over here. Class o '98 in the hizzouse! And then the little undergrads go "Like 1998?! Oh wow". And then we all sit in awkward silence. I can't decide yet whether that is a good or bad thing on the med school front - being female and young-looking doesn't strike me as optimal in medicine.

I don't think looking young will be detrimental for you as it's good to look young and vigorous

I have read the threads where people post pictures and discuss wardrobe and hair styles for interviews. People pull back their hair in a severe bun to look as old and mature as possible. I, on the other hand, will be wearing my hair down to look as youthful and young as possible! Although I am told I look really young for my age (40s), I want to take the focus off my age and keep it on my qualifications.

 

[ChairmanMao]

I don't think looking young will be detrimental for you as it's good to look young and vigorous

I have read the threads where people post pictures and discuss wardrobe and hair styles for interviews. People pull back their hair in a severe bun to look as old and mature as possible. I, on the other hand, will be wearing my hair down to look as youthful and young as possible! Although I am told I look really young for my age (40s), I want to take the focus off my age and keep it on my qualifications.

When you're young, you try to look old. When you're old, you try to look young. Am I the only one who sees this paradox in life? Whatever happened to being yourself and being comfortable with ones' lot in life? 🙄

 

[p30doc]

being a non-trad has been great during interviews, because when they ask you what makes you unique etc you have all kinds of life experience to speak of compared to a junior in college, also I like playing the diversity card as a non-trad, even tho i'm a white male. 😛

 

[bioteach]

also I like playing the diversity card as a non-trad, even tho i'm a white male. 😛

This is true. My interviewers mentioned the "diversity" I would bring to the class. It definitely helps you stand out as an applicant.

 

[Harry Bahgina]

That's awesome. 😀

I, on the other hand, look like I'm about 12. I get mistaken for being in undergrad all the time; I have to be like, um, yeah, no, 30 years old over here. Class o '98 in the hizzouse! And then the little undergrads go "Like 1998?! Oh wow". And then we all sit in awkward silence. I can't decide yet whether that is a good or bad thing on the med school front - being female and young-looking doesn't strike me as optimal in medicine.

Class of 98'? High school or college? Cause you should be 28 if you graduated HS in 98. 32 if it was college.. lol

Either u were held back in HS or graduated college real early.. lmao

31 here, class of 95' (HS that is)

 

[student1799]

So I enter my first interview yesterday and start talking with these other interviewees, very casual, normal conversation when one of the interviewees asks me, "so what's your specialty?"

"Me? You mean my interests?"

"No, what type of medicine do you practice?"

😕

"You're a resident, right? What field are you in?"



I explained that in fact I am not a doctor and that I'm in the same boat she was in. Hilarious.

-----------------------

Anyone have similar older student tales to share?

I had a similar experience a couple of years ago at a volunteer interview. It was at Bellevue Hospital in NYC; for those of you who don't know the place, it's a huge, bustling public hospital with a renowned ED. The place is so busy that they have their own police station, and there's a cop in the lobby to check ID's and direct traffic.

I was all dressed up in my best business interview attire. I approached the officer at the entrance, expecting to be asked where I was going, but she waved me through and barked, "Next time wear your ID!" She clearly mistook me for a doctor.

The same kind of thing has happened to me a number of times since then. If only looking the part were enough! ("I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV ...")

 

[Lacheln]

Class of 98'? High school or college? Cause you should be 28 if you graduated HS in 98. 32 if it was college.. lol

Either u were held back in HS or graduated college real early.. lmao

31 here, class of 95' (HS that is)

College, graduated @ 20. But thanks for the math help. 🙄

My situation, perfectly illustrated: I was at the ER the other day for a case (I'm a sexual assault medical advocate) - the survivor was a freshman in college. I was chatting with one of the nurses on my way out, she says: I think these girls feel much more comfortable with someone like you, one of their peers. I laughed and told her my age, she didn't believe me without id. Too funny. Anyway, I don't mind looking younger generally speaking, it's just not helpful from a professional POV.

I totally agree with you guys that it's an advantage once you get to talking though - clearly we bring poise and experience to our interviews.

 

[heartoftexas]

Haha, breeak. I am 33 and I also look very young (and also graduated college early - 19, holla!). I get carded all the time and people are often shocked to hear I have three kids!

 

[nowonder]

I showed up about 15 minutes early to my interview this weekend and was sent, not once, not twice, but three times to the table to register as a faculty interviewer.

I guess I passed the "will the faculty think you are one of them" test.

 

[Skorgirl]

That's awesome. 😀

I, on the other hand, look like I'm about 12. I get mistaken for being in undergrad all the time; I have to be like, um, yeah, no, 30 years old over here. Class o '98 in the hizzouse! And then the little undergrads go "Like 1998?! Oh wow". And then we all sit in awkward silence. I can't decide yet whether that is a good or bad thing on the med school front - being female and young-looking doesn't strike me as optimal in medicine.

I'm right there with ya! I work for the local immunization registry and visit a lot of clinics, and even with professional attire and a county badge I've gotten "oh, are you the new student intern?" a number of times. People are shocked to find out that I'm over 30. And yes, I know in the long run this will be a good thing, but sometimes I think it keeps some individuals from taking me seriously.

As an aside, I've been getting a lot of good information from the pre-allopathic board, but hanging out there has made me anxious. And now I know why - I need to check out the non-trad board more often! Just reading everyone's posts on this thread made me breathe a sigh of relief. Thanks everyone! 😀

 

[Lacheln]

Haha, breeak. I am 33 and I also look very young (and also graduated college early - 19, holla!). I get carded all the time and people are often shocked to hear I have three kids!

Holla!

I'm right there with ya! I work for the local immunization registry and visit a lot of clinics, and even with professional attire and a county badge I've gotten "oh, are you the new student intern?" a number of times. People are shocked to find out that I'm over 30. And yes, I know in the long run this will be a good thing, but sometimes I think it keeps some individuals from taking me seriously.

Yes, exactly. I work in a consulting field, and my boss has to field a lot of concerns from people doing double-takes between my resume and my face. I even took voice lessons to try to make my voice lower at one point (to some small degree of success), but at the end of the day there's only so much you can do. We'll enjoy it when we're 50. 😀

 

[NTF]

Interviewed at a school today and my second faculty interviewer never showed up. I waited for 45min and finally called the admissions office. They tried paging him, calling his cellphone, and paging him overhead on the loud speaker. No answer.

It all turned out beneficial to me in the end. They got a department chair to interview me on the fly. He was so apologetic about the whole situation that he spent the whole interview complimenting me. When the interview ended he told me he was going to tell the selection committee that I was an A+, 10 out of 10. And to snatch me up if they can get me.

 

[scpod]

....I approached the officer at the entrance, expecting to be asked where I was going, but she waved me through and barked, "Next time wear your ID!" She clearly mistook me for a doctor....

During my first IM rotation my attending and I walked into the room of a new patient, a pleasant woman about 75 years old. My attending starting taking her history and she kept glancing back and forth at me. I'm 44; my attending was 29. Finally, she looks at me and bellows, "Why aren't you asking me anything?" Without missing a beat, my attending tells her, "He's my boss. Don't wory, he's making sure I get everything right." She looked at me, smiled contentedly, and said, "I thought so."

Age has actually helped me in quite a few ways. I've been invited to my attending's houses for barbecues and to the beach for surfing on the weekends.....things that my younger classmates just don't have happen. It's mostly because I'm so much closer in age than most students, but it really helps when you start looking at LORs for residency applications and such.

 

[sunny1]

During the casual-lunch-with-a-current-med-student portion of interview day, someone asked about average age of students. He explained that most students spent 1-2 years after college pursuing other activities and there were some older students, including a 50 year old in one of the classes.

I saw all the other interviewees (7 other them) look flabbergasted. Their comments ranged from, "Why?" to "How will he pay off his loans?" I simply shrugged and said, "Maybe he had that money in savings," and left it at that. Obviously I wanted to say much, much more! Their reactions disappointed me to say the least.

 

[Nanon]

During the casual-lunch-with-a-current-med-student portion of interview day, someone asked about average age of students. He explained that most students spent 1-2 years after college pursuing other activities and there were some older students, including a 50 year old in one of the classes.

I saw all the other interviewees (7 other them) look flabbergasted. Their comments ranged from, "Why?" to "How will he pay off his loans?" I simply shrugged and said, "Maybe he had that money in savings," and left it at that. Obviously I wanted to say much, much more! Their reactions disappointed me to say the least.

Yesterday I admitted my age (one month shy of 40) to a group of traditional pre-meds at an admissions conference. Audible gasps, one "WHAT?" And then the admissions coordinator interrupted and said, "Good for you! It is NEVER too late," and told a story of an older multi-millionaire who got into her school. Not a peep out of the peanut gallery from that point on.

It is kind of disappointing, but it's also a function of normal maturation and experience for this set. When they are my age, they might get it that your life doesn't end until you die. But that takes a while to grok.

S.

 

[HCN]

The tour guide for my interview group asked me whose Mom I was. 😀
But I was accepted so I guess I'll get used to it!

 

[Druzie]

grok

👍

 

[Crelal]

I have a family, and am wondering how I should have answered this question:

You are a mother to three little children (thank you to my DO letter writer for putting this in the LOR); I don't see how you can possibly devote enough time to being successful in medical school. (WTF? Is this really a question? And would you ask me the same question if I were male?)

To this date, I am still not sure how I answered the question- I was seeing red! 😡

Advice on how to answer this in case I see it again in an interview? (obviously need to rehearse this answer!)

 

[student1799]

I have a family, and am wondering how I should have answered this question:

You are a mother to three little children (thank you to my DO letter writer for putting this in the LOR); I don't see how you can possibly devote enough time to being successful in medical school. (WTF? Is this really a question? And would you ask me the same question if I were male?)

To this date, I am still not sure how I answered the question- I was seeing red! 😡

Advice on how to answer this in case I see it again in an interview? (obviously need to rehearse this answer!)

That's a great letter writer you have there! (IMO, it would have been safer for them to leave this out and let YOU decide whether to bring it up. But what's done is done.)

Your answer should be on the lines of : I am very serious about this, I have the full support of my family [say this even if it isn't true!], and I've already demonstrated that I can juggle family and school through my performance in premed classes/volunteer work. Also cite previous career, if relevant, as evidence that you're mature and responsible.

Above all, just do your best to remain calm. I'm a mother of 2 myself, and I'm dreading a question like that, but I'm determined not to let it throw me off.

 

[Lacheln]

I have a family, and am wondering how I should have answered this question:

You are a mother to three little children (thank you to my DO letter writer for putting this in the LOR); I don't see how you can possibly devote enough time to being successful in medical school. (WTF? Is this really a question? And would you ask me the same question if I were male?)

To this date, I am still not sure how I answered the question- I was seeing red! 😡

Advice on how to answer this in case I see it again in an interview? (obviously need to rehearse this answer!)

Yeesh. Definitely practice answering this one since you know it'll come up again. I agree with Student.

Start off by acknowledging their concern (yes, having children is a big responsibility, and I've thought a lot about how to be successful both in medicine and at home.) Address their concerns by emphasizing the support system you've got, the practicalities you've thought about (ie. research the school's family support services like day care etc, when they kids will start school - hopefully before you start clinical years). Then emphasize the GOOD aspects of having been a mother to several small children - multi-tasking, calm in a crisis, management of resources and personalities, etc. If there are pro's to the school's location that relate to your family I would bring those up too (good school district, good job prospects for your husband etc).

 

[newdoc15]

So, as a nontrad applicant you expect to be grilled on the question, "Why do you want to change careers now and be a doctor?"

But when I interviewed recently, my interviewers seemed genuinely incredulous and one seemed like he was almost trying to talk me out of it ("...being a doctor is hard work...you could probably make as much money staying where you are..." I made clear it wasn't about the money.) The folks at the school, including the interviewers, were otherwise very welcoming and friendly, but I'm really not sure how they will view my application based on this issue alone.

Just curious if any other nontrads are facing that level of scrutiny on this.

 

[Crelal]

I have gotten the career change question and some of the negatives of the profession. I acknowledge what is being said, then give my reason for the change. After that, I add that any profession has its positives and negatives, but if you are in the field that is right for you, the negatives aren't as difficult to handle.

Thanks for the responses to the "You have a family" question- I must have answered ok, got accepted!

 

[RT2MD]

I must have answered ok, got accepted!

CONGRATS!!!! 👍👍👍

 

[Still Kickin]

That's awesome. 😀

I, on the other hand, look like I'm about 12. I get mistaken for being in undergrad all the time; I have to be like, um, yeah, no, 30 years old over here. Class o '98 in the hizzouse! And then the little undergrads go "Like 1998?! Oh wow". And then we all sit in awkward silence. I can't decide yet whether that is a good or bad thing on the med school front - being female and young-looking doesn't strike me as optimal in medicine.

This is a pretty accurate description of my age and appearance. It actually works out really well during med school - appearance-wise you blend in with all of the other students & none of the attendings or residents suspects a thing. So they're just impressed with how "wise" "responsible" "understanding", etc. you are.

I figure I can always change my hairstyle after med school if I want to look "old" for my patients...

 

[sirius08]

So, as a nontrad applicant you expect to be grilled on the question, "Why do you want to change careers now and be a doctor?"

But when I interviewed recently, my interviewers seemed genuinely incredulous and one seemed like he was almost trying to talk me out of it ("...being a doctor is hard work...you could probably make as much money staying where you are..." I made clear it wasn't about the money.) The folks at the school, including the interviewers, were otherwise very welcoming and friendly, but I'm really not sure how they will view my application based on this issue alone.

Just curious if any other nontrads are facing that level of scrutiny on this.

I definitely get this kind of scrutiny, especially since my current career path is one that is thought to have a somewhat relaxed lifestyle. I also get questions along the line of, do you really think you're up for working 100 hours a week during residency? I assure them that I know what I want, and that marathon running has kept me in shape, but it's still a little disconcerting to be asked that. I also find that interviewers sometimes compare me to themselves - e.g., telling me that they'd like to switch careers with me, or that I am still young enough to switch careers, unlike them.

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

I've gotten this feel before regarding medical staff feeling that the "grass is greener" on our side of the fence - I'm also at a professional level that some would think would be tough to give up given the demands of medicine, and have heard from adcomms that this is something I must address head on; that "why the change now" will be a steeper hurdle for a person with career successes.

Tough thing about this is that some people feel that making good money while working reasonable and predictive hours is such a positive attribute that they're unable to see the challenges of working in corporate america -- the concern that your job will be there in a year, that your company will be doing ok (check out GM laying off 1/4 of their salaried staff in recent news), and that you'll still be marketable in your 50's.

We can speak all we want about the intangible benefits of medicine, how helping others and working with people is what drives us, but some in medicine seem to have grown insensitive to those benefits due to the perceived benefits of the executives that they read about with high salaries and no 10 year "training" period during which very little is earned.

Almost easier just to change the subject rather than spar about this with an interviewer. Or possibly to refer to the massive research we've done in medicine and how this has helped us better understand the difficulties of this path as well as the benefits.

 

[MeowMix]

So, as a nontrad applicant you expect to be grilled on the question, "Why do you want to change careers now and be a doctor?"

I just told people that I knew my career as an exotic dancer couldn't last much longer at my advanced age, so I started looking for a new career that still allowed me to be of service to those in need.

Seriously, people will try to talk you out of it if you already have a real career and med school is financial suicide, which it is. As long as you agree that from a financial perspective it is a ******* decision, they will feel that they have fulfilled their responsibility to help you make an informed decision. Then you can go on to talk about how much you still want to be a doctor.

 

[nevinleiby]

I have my first interview on Wednesday and I am expecting the same type of questions...29 y/old post-Comp Sci, married without kids (yet...3 more years maybe?). 3.80 undergrad, 3.96 post-bacc, 26P (ouch...)

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?id=11682

Basically, its very clear in my PS and my application that I inherited a veterinary practice and a bunch of properties (ag, res, comm.) after both of my parents died suddenly and tragically. That has taken up alot of my time throughout the past 6 years or so and has been a major inspiration for me to pursue medicine.

I would suspect that anyone reviewing my application would connect the dots and realize my situation. The "why do you want to be a doctor?", "how are you going to pay for medical school"", "are you sure you want to pursue medicine?" questions I intend to answer like trad (and non-trad) people.

But should I be more hinting or clear and just say that I can afford to simply pursue what I choose, regardless of how much or little it pays? In addition to my many other motivations to become a physician, I can not think of a better occupation and life purpose than medicine. This has been a childhood dream cloaked for many years...now is my opportunity!

Thanks for any input!

 

[student1799]

I have my first interview on Wednesday and I am expecting the same type of questions...29 y/old post-Comp Sci, married without kids (yet...3 more years maybe?). 3.80 undergrad, 3.96 post-bacc, 26P (ouch...)

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?id=11682

Basically, its very clear in my PS and my application that I inherited a veterinary practice and a bunch of properties (ag, res, comm.) after both of my parents died suddenly and tragically. That has taken up alot of my time throughout the past 6 years or so and has been a major inspiration for me to pursue medicine.

I would suspect that anyone reviewing my application would connect the dots and realize my situation. The "why do you want to be a doctor?", "how are you going to pay for medical school"", "are you sure you want to pursue medicine?" questions I intend to answer like trad (and non-trad) people.

But should I be more hinting or clear and just say that I can afford to simply pursue what I choose, regardless of how much or little it pays? In addition to my many other motivations to become a physician, I can not think of a better occupation and life purpose than medicine. This has been a childhood dream cloaked for many years...now is my opportunity!

Thanks for any input!

First of all, I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your parents, and impressed that you seem to have dealt with it so well. I wish you the best with your plans.

As for the money issue, I know how tricky this can be. (I'm an older nontrad who worked for 20 years in a high-paying field, so I will also be paying my own way through med school.) But interviewers shouldn't be asking you how you're going to pay for med school, because it's not supposed to figure in the admissions process. They probably won't ask anyway, because it won't occur to them. (The vast majority of med school applicants are college seniors or recent grads who are financially dependent on their parents, and the schools tend to assume that everyone is in the same boat.)

Second, and more importantly, you don't want to run the risk of sounding like a rich kid who wants to get into medicine on a whim. (I'm not implying or assuming anything of the kind--I'm just warning you that people can misinterpret your motivations, especially if they don't know you well.) If I were you, I wouldn't bring up the economic side of things at all; instead, stress how the EXPERIENCES you've had over the past 6 years have motivated you to become a doctor. If the subject of money comes up, you can just say something like, "Fortunately, money is not a concern for me" and then immediately move on to a different subject.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having inherited money from anyone, but it's your business, not theirs. Don't give your interviewers too much info, or you could generate excessive curiosity or even jealousy in your direction.

Good luck.

 

[nevinleiby]

Second, and more importantly, you don't want to run the risk of sounding like a rich kid who wants to get into medicine on a whim. (I'm not implying or assuming anything of the kind--I'm just warning you that people can misinterpret your motivations, especially if they don't know you well.) If I were you, I wouldn't bring up the economic side of things at all; instead, stress how the EXPERIENCES you've had over the past 6 years have motivated you to become a doctor.

I definitely understand what you mean. My decision to pursue medicine, and human medicine in particular, was the major focus of my PS. It involved another experience with someone very close to me that could have been very tradgic, ironically after exposure to a particular veterinary medicine 🙁. It made me value families more directly than before - I saw that a family often was united through a family's pets, often without the family realizing it. But what happened changed how I viewed things. When deeply contemplating my career choices and my desire to heal someone/thing, I decided that human medicine was what I was truly seeking, deep down.

It took about three years to dig my way out the remaining mess after my parents died; unfortunately, my grandmother also lost her battle with cancer in the same time period.

My life and experiences have continuously motivated me to become a physician. I feel that even at the risk of sounding entitled, those experiences have defined me as a person and as an aspiring physician.

Good luck.

The same to you, too, student1799 - thanks for your feedback and all of your advice on these forums!

 

[NTF]

My weirdest moments came all in one bizarre interview.

The highlights:

1) Being grilled about the septic system of a water line I helped install (ie digging a 1/2 mile trench) to a sharecropper village. It was for Habitat for Humanity and I was 16 years old (I'm 35 now) at the time. (And I was only talking about a 19-year old activity because when I was describing my volunteer background he interrupted with "But have you done anything that ACTUALLY helps people like Habitat for Humanity?") I babbled about there being outhouses and not knowing if they had waste water system. He kept obsessing about it and how they couldn't just be throwing their "dirty dishwater" in the ground. I just kept repeating that I didn't know anything about septic systems and babbled a few speculations about how they might do it. Finally he let out frustrated sigh and said, "Well, I suppose it was worthwhile." I replied, "The people certainly seemed appreciative to have running water."

2) Being asked why I chose my wife and "not to say because she's hot." I found the question bizarre and inappropriate for a professional interview. But I answered it sincerely. Then he asks me, "Do you ever regret it?" My response: (Stare) Um.....No. And he continued to interject this question to me in the middle of topics later in the interview.

3) Being told about my 60+ hours of shadowing - "You didn't shadow enough primary care docs." I told him that I had had less success finding primary care physicians to shadow (but still found them) because many of them had privacy concerns, but that I was continuing to seek opportunities in the future. His response, "Well, obviously you didn't try hard enough."

4) The first ten minutes of the interview were a stream of simple facts from my file. It was supposed to be an open file interview, but he obviously hadn't looked at. He asked me questions like what MCAT score? Score on each section? What college did you go to? What is your cGPA? What is your scGPA? Are you an Ohio resident? When did you graduate? etc etc. He didn't want any elaboration. Just a recitation of my file since he hadn't bothered to look at it.

Funny thing is I didn't leave the interview thinking that he had it out for me or anything. I just think he's a weird guy and kind of a tool.

Oh yeah, and I got accepted. Go figure.

 

[nevinleiby]

lol...I haven't had my first medical interview, but I've heard a pretty interesting one from a local graduate pursing a fellowship in sports medicine (DO) (31 y/o, married):

Interviewer: If you were going to a party, what would you bring?
Interviewee: I don't know, brownies?
Interviewer: Do you *like* brownies?
Interviewee: Umm...yeah? They're chocolately and chewy