Open vs. Closed File Interviews. Please Vote!

[boaz]

My personal favorite: closed file.

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[Omni]

For those of you who don't know, In an "open file" interview, the interviewer has access to everything from the student: transcript, PS, etc.
In a closed file, the interviewer knows nothing, other than the name of the student.

Personally, I'd have to choose closed, but I haven't done any mock interviews to know which one to prefer.

 

[swamprat]

Closed is always better IMO. It's like you have a clean slate and you can just as easily be that 4.0/40 MCAT kid as anyone else. They can't nitpick your volunteer work or research - basically only what you tell them is what they can ask about.

 

[dw2158]

i'm surprised anyone likes closed file interviews, haha. i hated the ones i had with a passion.

 

[BBender716]

...well I generally don't like repeating what I've written about multiple times. (see primary app activities and secondary app activities). I'd rather have them ask me things that couldn't be obtained from reading my application.

 

[red10]

I feel like with closed file interviews you may never get around to talking about the strongest or most out standing part of your app if the questions never lead in that direction. Then again I don't think I have any glaring red flags on my app that I'd have to explain myself on.

I like when they can see your activities but not your scores. My open file interview was great because my interviewer could be like "so tell me more about this" and I really got to brag about things without having to spend time explaining what the basics were. And he already had things he was interesting in talking about so the conversation flowed better.

 

[NickNaylor]

I'd rather do open - I'd rather the interviewer have some guidance as to what to talk about than be all over the map. I don't think it'd really matter either way, but doing an open interview just makes more sense to me.

 

[FIREitUP]

i'm surprised anyone likes closed file interviews, haha. i hated the ones i had with a passion.

+1

interviewer spends the whole time asking you to regurgitate your application information.

 

[boaz]

For me, the difference between open and closed file is the open-ended question, such as "tell me about yourself", "why medicine?", "tell me about this EC". These are clearly addressed in the application, so it's very hard to gauge exactly what the interviewer is looking for. You don't want to just repeat verbatim what you wrote on the app. And it is hard to add substantive information that is not on the app, since you would almost certainly have written that info.

The interviewer's intention with these questions is not to obtain the info contained in the answer, but to gauge how you answer it. I find this kind of conversation awkward. So I prefer closed-file: it feels much more like natural conversation with a stranger.

An open-file interview with specific questions is a different story...

 

[Zona Pellucida]

Open so I don't have to worry about forgetting to mention some aspect of my application.

 

[MossPoh]

Overall, my toughest interviews were probably open. Closed involved me focusing on just being myself. While it isn't intentional, there is always some degree of structuring/modeling your application and the fear of misrepresenting or forgetting some activity always seemed to linger, regardless of the fact that it was a trivial fear.

The most influential part of how an interview feels is the environment though. If you have two interviewers in a room without windows and a single lamp on the opposite end of a very long table and without sense of humor then you will understand what I mean. (It happened to me) The exact opposite of that was the small, almost bistro style table with lemonade, coffee, and cookies in a well lit room with lots of windows.

 

[boaz]

Overall, my toughest interviews were probably open. Closed involved me focusing on just being myself. While it isn't intentional, there is always some degree of structuring/modeling your application and the fear of misrepresenting or forgetting some activity always seemed to linger, regardless of the fact that it was a trivial fear.

The most influential part of how an interview feels is the environment though. If you have two interviewers in a room without windows and a single lamp on the opposite end of a very long table and without sense of humor then you will understand what I mean. (It happened to me) The exact opposite of that was the small, almost bistro style table with lemonade, coffee, and cookies in a well lit room with lots of windows.

 

[jojo420]

I like AMCAS w/o grades & MCAT. It truly does give guidance to the interviewer on what to ask and personalizes the question.

 

[VTBuc]

I personally liked open better. I felt I was able to get a better feel as to what my actual chances were at that school.

 

[boaz]

I like AMCAS w/o grades & MCAT. It truly does give guidance to the interviewer on what to ask and personalizes the question.

Some schools do that?

 

[HristosKaran]

Overall, my toughest interviews were probably open. Closed involved me focusing on just being myself. While it isn't intentional, there is always some degree of structuring/modeling your application and the fear of misrepresenting or forgetting some activity always seemed to linger, regardless of the fact that it was a trivial fear.

The most influential part of how an interview feels is the environment though. If you have two interviewers in a room without windows and a single lamp on the opposite end of a very long table and without sense of humor then you will understand what I mean. (It happened to me) The exact opposite of that was the small, almost bistro style table with lemonade, coffee, and cookies in a well lit room with lots of windows.

I completely agree, the temperment of the interviewers is much more important, than whether or not they have access to your information!

 

[TaylorMDhopeful]

Some schools do that?

Yea its a mix of open and closed. I think that this is the best one. The interviewer has your AMCAS application and activities without grades or MCAT scores. A few interviewers have told me that this removes interviewer bias so they can really get to know you as a person without you being sized up by the numbers. It makes sense.

 

[FIREitUP]

Yea its a mix of open and closed. I think that this is the best one. The interviewer has your AMCAS application and activities without grades or MCAT scores. A few interviewers have told me that this removes interviewer bias so they can really get to know you as a person without you being sized up by the numbers. It makes sense.

i second that. i never understood fully closed file.

 

[Narmerguy]

I say open. I want them to talk about the stuff I've been doing for the past few years and that I spent several hours writing to them about.

 

[MossPoh]

i second that. i never understood fully closed file.

Because, if they gave you the interview it is after looking over that stuff. They've decided that when it comes to ECs and academics you meet the cut. They want to see how you can converse and interact with people with very few cues or trigger points for conversation. In medicine, establishing rapport quickly with little information is nearly as important as the treatment.

 

[MaryLennox]

i guess it depends on your app. i said open file. my gpa is low but my MCAT is high. i was hoping someone might ask me about the discrepancy, giving me the chance to explain how i've changed from then til now . . . but no one ever did. the questions i got were a lot more general. also, i am a nervous interviewee, i like specific questions (explain this grade) a lot better than broad ones (tell me about yourself.) if i get too broad of a question, i ramble and panic.

 

[dw2158]

i guess closed file interviews have the potential to allow them to get to know you as a person, but in my experience it didn't work that way. in the closed file interviews i had, they asked really generic questions that required me to regurgitate what i had already written on AMCAS. in open file interviews, i had some meaningful discussions with my interviewers about various issues raised by my activities and PS.

 

[faith2]

closed file because it prevents any bias