Northwestern Invite and questions!!!

[SmoothNC]

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Hey guys...I'm ecstatic that I just recieved an invitation to interview at Northwestern. First, I want to say to all those who haven't heard back from schools yet to be patient..I"m an August MCATer...never thought that I would get an invite here...my numbers are below their averages...just proves that numbers only get you so far...and everything else matters just as much! Next...for those who have interviewed...I read up a lot about this panel interview, which seems to have generated mixed reviews. What is the best way to prepare for this...what advice would you give? Also, I'm uncertain about the last 15 minutes of the panel interview, where they give you a group problem. Can somebody please give an example of such a problem? Any other relevant info/advice about the experience is welcomed! PM me if you want or just respond to this post...thanks.

 

[Zymogen]

I don't know anything. However...

Congrats. Good Luck. Stay Calm. Trust your instinct.

Go monk like Hansel during a walk-off if you have to.

 

[owenmichael]

Hey guys...I'm ecstatic that I just recieved an invitation to interview at Northwestern. First, I want to say to all those who haven't heard back from schools yet to be patient..I"m an August MCATer...never thought that I would get an invite here...my numbers are below their averages...just proves that numbers only get you so far...and everything else matters just as much! Next...for those who have interviewed...I read up a lot about this panel interview, which seems to have generated mixed reviews. What is the best way to prepare for this...what advice would you give? Also, I'm uncertain about the last 15 minutes of the panel interview, where they give you a group problem. Can somebody please give an example of such a problem? Any other relevant info/advice about the experience is welcomed! PM me if you want or just respond to this post...thanks.

Congrats SmoothNC!, i've been waitin since august for them, could you pm me your stats so I have an idea of what kinda applicants their interviewing right now? THanks!

 

[Scoot]

Hey guys...I'm ecstatic that I just recieved an invitation to interview at Northwestern. First, I want to say to all those who haven't heard back from schools yet to be patient..I"m an August MCATer...never thought that I would get an invite here...my numbers are below their averages...just proves that numbers only get you so far...and everything else matters just as much! Next...for those who have interviewed...I read up a lot about this panel interview, which seems to have generated mixed reviews. What is the best way to prepare for this...what advice would you give? Also, I'm uncertain about the last 15 minutes of the panel interview, where they give you a group problem. Can somebody please give an example of such a problem? Any other relevant info/advice about the experience is welcomed! PM me if you want or just respond to this post...thanks.

Congratulations on the invite...I personally loved the group interview because I think it fives you an opportunity to showcase how well you can interact with colleagues. I found that the people who didnt like it at my interview were the antisocial/arrogant ones. whatever, just my opinion. anyway, the group problem for my group was to advise the president of the qualities to look for in nominating the next head of the FDA. You basically just talk it out with your fellow interviewees and come to some kind of conclusion while they watch and you pretend theyre not there. Its really not as hard as it might sound.

 

[badlydrawnvik]

actually i thought the group interview was really intimidating. you're interviewing with two other students in front of three interviewers and then there's an admissions lady sitting in the corner taking notes. so there are a lot of eyes on you when you are asked questions, and northwestern's questions were really out of the box and different than any i got at other schools. needless to say i'm going to guess it was not positive for me. anyway, the group problems all seemed pretty straight forward from what i heard, they just want to see how you work it out. i think my group had the least "ethical" one. we were asked what our house rules would be if the three of us were accepted to northwestern on the terms of having to live together.

 

[veenut]

i didn't like the panel interview too much, it felt like one guy was getting softball questions and the other guy and me were getting torn apart. even though they give you this disclaimer in the beginning about how you're *not* in competition with the others on the panel, it's hard to not judge your answers against theirs. i came out of the panel thinking that it had gone pretty badly.

that said, i got accepted and will very likely be attending NU next year. so i guess my advice is to not overstress about how you did and to not compare yourself to the other applicants in the panel. i think that if you can show somehow that you've been listening to the other applicants - "well, i agree with what mike said earlier, that blah blah blah..." - then you'll probably get a few points for that. good luck, maybe i'll see you there next year!

 

[SailCrazy]

I just received the interview invite as well. I definitely wasn't expecting them to have sent emails on Christmas!

I'm out of the country during the first two of the four possible interview dates, and would miss a ton of classes if I choose the third option. So January 27th is the day for me! Any SDNers going to be joining me? I've heard that they only interview through January. Could the 27th the last day of interviews?

FYI for those who have been asking about who is being invited to interview now: I'm an April MCATer whose secondary was submitted in the first week of August! 😱 I'm a non-trad with a high MCAT and post-bacc gpa, but low overall gpa. I have a lot of unique non-medical experience and less of the traditional shadowing/medical employment type background.

I'm really looking forward to the group interview. I don't get stressed over interviews, and thought the Northwestern format sounded pretty interesting. Good luck to all of you & wish me luck as well!

 

[45408]

i didn't like the panel interview too much, it felt like one guy was getting softball questions and the other guy and me were getting torn apart. even though they give you this disclaimer in the beginning about how you're *not* in competition with the others on the panel, it's hard to not judge your answers against theirs. i came out of the panel thinking that it had gone pretty badly.

Well, sometimes a question seems easy to you but not to someone else. For example, the girl in my panel interview got a question that would've sunk my battleship, but she had an excellent answer. On the other hand, the other guy had a question that I thought was an easy one, but he went "uh, um, well, let's see," for at least 20 seconds. For my questions, I kept the ball rolling, but we'll see what they thought of my answers. I kind of liked the panel interview, honestly.

As for the "group problem," some people got ethical issues, other people got healthcare issues.

 

[veenut]

Well, sometimes a question seems easy to you but not to someone else. For example, the girl in my panel interview got a question that would've sunk my battleship, but she had an excellent answer. On the other hand, the other guy had a question that I thought was an easy one, but he went "uh, um, well, let's see," for at least 20 seconds. For my questions, I kept the ball rolling, but we'll see what they thought of my answers. I kind of liked the panel interview, honestly.

As for the "group problem," some people got ethical issues, other people got healthcare issues.

when i said that one guy got easy questions, i meant like this: he was doing some work with kids, got asked "so do you think that working with kids has made you more of a leader, more sympathetic, a better person?"...real tough question, right?
then the other guy got a question: "so do you do ANYTHING besides research? is that it?". just seemed like they tore us apart more than the other guy. whatever, it all worked out in the end.

 

[UCLAMAN]

don't worry too much about the panel interview. it is not the end-all at NU. i thought i tanked my interview there and well...3years later...i find myself busting my butt at their hospital.

the group question at the end is not about what you answer, its about how you work with others to get your answer. they want to see if you can work with others. make sure you get your point across, but make sure you listen to what others have to say. take a moment to reflect on what others say and give reasons for why you agree or reasons why you politely disagree. share the limelight. if there is a quiet one in your group...make sure to try and include that person in the conversation. compromise!!!!

good luck.

 

[somewhere2010]

congrats to all who've gotten interviews or acceptances at NU! i've been complete since the end of july and haven't heard anything...thought they were done inviting people, so i emailed them asking if that was the case, just cuz i figured it was and wanted to force them to say so! hmm i probably blew my chances! oh well 😳

 

[badlydrawnvik]

yeah someone in my group was asked what book they recently read and then the other got an obscure question about her role model. it really varied.

 

[dajimmers]

You can't really prepare for the specific questions they will ask you (but by all means look through those posted on SDN), but you can and probably should think about how you want to interact in the panel interview.

Pay very close attention to what everyone else says. If, for example, one of the docs says they do immunotherapy, and another asks what you want to do, say you find Dr. X's field interesting for a, b, and c reasons (if you are interested in immunology), for example. Same thing for what another interviewee says.

Don't talk too much, or try to prove you are better than the others. I don't mean not to complete an answer, but don't jump in pointlessly to say "I agree!!!" Just don't be rude.

It may be advantageous to disagree with another interviewee during the group part. I got this advice from a current NU student, and used it during my interview. Of course, you need to have a good reason to disagree, and to do it in a way that doesn't demean the person you're disagreeing with. This can help show that you can take charge of a conversation, give your perspective while understanding another's, etc.

Definitely, definitely relax during the interview. Especially during the initial, more one-on-one section. If it helps, forget that the other people are in the room briefly (but it may help to remember what they said/do, see above) and focus on talking specifically with the interviewer who asked the question for that particular question. Don't worry if your two-week trip to Mexico pales next to the African AIDS clinic started by the girl on your left, or that your happily married parents makes you appear too 'advantaged' next to the guy on your right that raised his younger sisters single-handedly while working full-time and keeping his dying, abusive mother happy. Don't lie or exaggerate.

I really liked the panel interview format. Oh, one more piece of advice: You'll probably have time between when you get your packets that tell you who you'll be interviewing with and when your interview is scheduled. Take this time to meet the interviewees that will be on your panel, and talk about yourselves. It will be last-minute practice for the real thing and you'll be somewhat prepared to work together during the group part.

 

[SailCrazy]

How may interviewees do they bring in on each interview day?

 

[princessd3]

When I went it could have been about 15 of us.

 

[45408]

I think my group was 18, so not very big.

 

[cubs08]

anyone know the specifics as to how many people are accepted of those interviewed?

 

[idillio06]

anyone know the specifics as to how many people are accepted of those interviewed?

When I went they told us that 50% of interviewees are accepted. And you really aren't competing with the others in your group interview - the 4th year who interviewed me said her entire group was accepted.

Good luck! and bundle up 😉

 

[thegenius]

When I went they told us that 50% of interviewees are accepted. And you really aren't competing with the others in your group interview - the 4th year who interviewed me said her entire group was accepted.

Good luck! and bundle up 😉

They said 50% to me too, but if you do the numbers then 50% isn't likely...

They interview 700+ people, and I was told that they will send out 220-250 acceptances. That isn't 50%. Perhaps they will invite 220-250 before May 15th?

Maybe LizzyM knows?

 

[NunoBR]

They said 50% to me too, but if you do the numbers then 50% isn't likely...

They interview 700+ people, and I was told that they will send out 220-250 acceptances. That isn't 50%. Perhaps they will invite 220-250 before May 15th?

Maybe LizzyM knows?

It does come out to about half.
In 2003 they interviewed around 600-700 people and accepted 323.
According to US NEWs and WR.
I think the 323 are for the ~100 spots in the class that are reg MD.
The rest of the 70-80 are for the combined NU BA/MD program.
Not to mention the md phd (but I don't know about that).

I absolutely loved my interview.
The day before I stayed with a student and we went to his PBL session, it was cool .
There were 8 students and 4 were from the combined BA/ MD program.
The panel was not as scary as I thought and you definitely get to tell them your story.
One of the best parts it the fact that it is closed file. You really get to expose yourself the way YOU want it and you know you are going into the interview with a clean slate (no bias by interviewers).

Advice: MEET THE GROUP BEFORE YOUR ACTUAL INTERVIEW. Talk to them and get to know each other so that you will be comfortable throughout the interview

 

[CerealBox]

I did not like the group interivew, also thought i may have done poorly, but got accepted anyway.
why i didn't like it: one girl was so nervous that she couldn't even think of something she did to relieve stress. she fumbled all her questions and i just felt so bad and embarassed for her... like in a movie when someone does something horribly dumb and embarassing that you want to look away.
anyway, the other boy got completely grilled and he kept second guessing himself when they asked him why he would think something or to defend his answer, and then they basically asked him to explain the meaning of life. i felt bad for him.
i answered well, i thought.. but then felt like i dominated the group discussion and thought they would think i was a control freak. but there was nothing i could do! the one girl was so misreable that she wasn't talking. i kept asking her for her thoughts, but she was so beaten down she couldn't say anything really. the other boy was so indecisive that it was driving me crazy.

anyway. i left feeling crumby. but it worked out in the end.

i just prefer one on one interviews.