Open or closed file interviews...which do you prefer?

[CalH22a]

As the interview season is rolling along, I'm sure some of you have had both open and closed file interviews. Which one do you prefer? What do you think are some pros and cons of each?

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[IndyZX]

open. the interviews are easier because you know whats coming.

 

[superdevil]

open. it usually results in questions about you/your application, rather than allowing the interviewer to freestyle bullsh*t about crazy hypothetical situations/ethics questions/etc.

 

[UCLAstudent]

Open ... with closed, you end up having to regurgitate stuff about your ECs that you wrote in AMCAS.

 

[Geronimo]

Open

 

[Davina3000]

I found my closed interview enjoyable b/c we barely talked about academics and had a great conversation instead. However, 5 minutes after leaving the interview (from which I got great feedback) I realized that it was a bit of a tease. The interviewer was gushing about how I was a great candidate, and in reality he had none of my stats or activities to help him base this judgement on, so his feedback seemed a bit empty. I would have had a bit more confidence in my chances at the school if he had looked at my file, questioned areas he was worried about, and then STILL given me positive feedback.

I'm thinking I would prefer open in the future.

 

[fakin' the funk]

closed! ... though i haven't had any.

The most conversational interview, also the one I felt the interviewer got to know ME best, was the one that was the most closed, i.e. only personal statement and courses taken.

In completely open-file interviews I have to dig deep for that emotional stuff, talk about family issues, go into detail about ECs, research...most of which I don't feel has an important bearing on whether I'm academically qualified for med school or have the interpersonal skills to be a good doctor (it may help for getting a read on whether I'm a good fit for the school though).

In a closed-file interview I think you'd be able to make an impression as yourself rather than the sum of your numbers, ECs, letters, and personal statement. Ya know?

 

[iamgoaloriented]

I guess open. My personal statement is a little atypical and tends to generate good conversation, but if its closed and they give me the "tell me about yourself" or "why medicine" questions, it ends up going in the same direction. Perhaps closed is actually better, because since they have less time to think of questions I have more control over the conversation.

 

[ellia08]

I prefer open by far. In closed we always end up talking about just one thing in real detail for the whole time. I walk out feeling as though the interviewer might know a lot about me in that one aspect but very little about my collective outlook.

But I do agree, closed are more laid back.

 

[evajaclynn]

I like this thread! However, I don't have an opinion on this one yet. Guess I will after my first interview on election day!

 

[futuremsfdoc]

closed cuz i don't end up assuming anything and it ends up being more conversational.

 

[Damnit Jim!]

open, but closed to mcat and gpa

 

[elliott]

I have had both open and closed interviews.

I prefer the closed. I felt that the closed was a more "getting to know you" as a person interview, and the open was a "you said this in your personal statement...can you tell me about that..." interview.

good luck

 

[aparecida]

Open. I don't like interviewing with someone who doesn't have the "whole picture" on me. I did an interview where they had my PS and secondary but not my grades or MCAT, which sucked because my PS had two paragraphs explaining my grade slump. My MCAT score, along with the straight A's since the grade slump, were supposed to be a counterpart to the personal statement showing how much I've recovered. I ended up feeling like the interviewer was more likely to assume I was a big loser. Also, I think my transcript really explains my unusual academic history in terms of courses chosen, and I felt like a big piece of the picture was therefore missing. I don't like explaining that stuff.

 

[Childe]

Either one can be conversational. So I wont say in general one is better that way.

However, with a closed file interview, you will spend a large amount of time giving basic information that would have been in AMCAS. This is good in that they arent asking you 'hard' questions during this time. Aside from that I think either can be difficult, just depends on the interviewer.