Pre Med Committee Interview

[MedSchoolChica]

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So I just had my Pre Med interview tonight, and I think I bombed it. Not only was I incredibly nervous, to the point my voice was shaking and I had difficulty describing my research and forgot my advisor's name, I didn't ask any questions when asked if I had any, and they kept asking me about what I would do if I didn't get in, which came off to me as though they didn't think I would get in. That alarms me, and I'm really upset. Not only because I feel I blew my interview, but also because I just took the MCAT saturday, and am anxious about my score.

My confidence is kinda blown...any one relate, or have condolences or feedback?

 

[scarletgirl777]

So I just had my Pre Med interview tonight, and I think I bombed it. Not only was I incredibly nervous, to the point my voice was shaking and I had difficulty describing my research and forgot my advisor's name, I didn't ask any questions when asked if I had any, and they kept asking me about what I would do if I didn't get in, which came off to me as though they didn't think I would get in. That alarms me, and I'm really upset. Not only because I feel I blew my interview, but also because I just took the MCAT saturday, and am anxious about my score.

My confidence is kinda blown...any one relate, or have condolences or feedback?

I also did not do that great on my interview. It's ok. As for asking if you have questions...I mean, this is not a med school interview, so maybe you just know everything you think you need to know about the process. 😎Your letters will hopefully be strong and speak for themselves. But I think the "what you would do if you don't get in" question is standard for med school interviews, so now you know to think of an answer. 😳

 

[MedSchoolChica]

They just seemed to ask a lot about not getting in scenarios, and brought up carribean schools and stuff like that. It just seemed a bit unusual to me.

I know it's not a real interview for med school, I just saw it going a lot better.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[175961]

So I just had my Pre Med interview tonight, and I think I bombed it. Not only was I incredibly nervous, to the point my voice was shaking and I had difficulty describing my research and forgot my advisor's name, I didn't ask any questions when asked if I had any, and they kept asking me about what I would do if I didn't get in, which came off to me as though they didn't think I would get in. That alarms me, and I'm really upset. Not only because I feel I blew my interview, but also because I just took the MCAT saturday, and am anxious about my score.

My confidence is kinda blown...any one relate, or have condolences or feedback?

I didnt even think about that....what the heck do you say when they ask you since it isnt a med school or anything. So, uh....you gonna write me a good LOR?? You are already attending the school and probably close to graduating, so not much you can really ask them that you really want/need to know is there?

 

[135892]

They just seemed to ask a lot about not getting in scenarios, and brought up carribean schools and stuff like that. It just seemed a bit unusual to me.

I know it's not a real interview for med school, I just saw it going a lot better.

Thanks for the feedback.

Either they really do ask "if you don't get in..." type questions to everybody, which would make sense. Or they specifically asked only you this, which probably means that you actually do need to consider different sceanarios. There are way more qualified applicants out there than there are seats available, thus many people do not get in and this is something that every applicant must consider. Best of luck on the MCAT, and try not to worry too much about the interview, you can't change anything now anyway.

 

[CubaLibre]

Pre-health committee just wants to make sure you're prepared. And for the most part they are trying to help. They generally don't give bad recommendations, because if you end up applying, it is in their best interest that you get in. This helps boost your undergrad school's stats. Because they are worried about the stats, they end up trying to dissuade many people from applying. For instance, I was advised to take a year off to get research experience and also have my senior year grades count. That said, bombing this interview will probably not affect you much.

 

[scarletgirl777]

They just seemed to ask a lot about not getting in scenarios, and brought up carribean schools and stuff like that. It just seemed a bit unusual to me.

I know it's not a real interview for med school, I just saw it going a lot better.

Thanks for the feedback.

Ok, so maybe they really are concerned. I mean, if you go to the caribbean, it's not because you want to pursue another career, it's because you can't get in stateside. I can't imagine them credibly asking every single applicant that. I guess you have to decide for yourself if you should include that as an option or just work extra hard to make sure you get in the USA. Just make sure your rec letters are amazing, I feel that that's all that really matters.

 

[tealovr]

So I just had my Pre Med interview tonight, and I think I bombed it. Not only was I incredibly nervous, to the point my voice was shaking and I had difficulty describing my research and forgot my advisor's name, I didn't ask any questions when asked if I had any, and they kept asking me about what I would do if I didn't get in, which came off to me as though they didn't think I would get in. That alarms me, and I'm really upset. Not only because I feel I blew my interview, but also because I just took the MCAT saturday, and am anxious about my score.

My confidence is kinda blown...any one relate, or have condolences or feedback?

Don't worry about it. Pre-med interviews are not all that important anyway. Just try to shrug it off and stay positive 🙂

I have a similar problem with nerves before interviews, and I find that the best thing is just to prepare as best you can by having thought out answers to common questions, so then you don't freeze up when asked something you wouldn't have expected. Also, remember to talk slowly, and take deep breaths when you need to! If the interviewer can tell you have a shaky voice, it's okay to apologize and admit you're nervous - sometimes trying to laugh it off can help you relax.

I am done interviewing and although I did not ace every single one of my interviews, I did pull off some awesome acceptances that I am extremely happy with. Just know that you will encounter interviewers with all different personalities and styles of interviewing, and you are bound to click and/or feel relaxed with at least some of them! 🙂

 

[se2131]

At our school, the pre-med committee asks every single applicant "what will you do if you don't get into med school this year," no matter how qualified they might be.

Standard response that they're looking for is that you'll figure out what you're application is lacking in (by talking to the adcoms, etc.), work on that, and reapply the next year

 

[DocSoMa]

So I just had my Pre Med interview tonight, and I think I bombed it. Not only was I incredibly nervous, to the point my voice was shaking and I had difficulty describing my research and forgot my advisor's name, I didn't ask any questions when asked if I had any, and they kept asking me about what I would do if I didn't get in, which came off to me as though they didn't think I would get in. That alarms me, and I'm really upset. Not only because I feel I blew my interview, but also because I just took the MCAT saturday, and am anxious about my score.

My confidence is kinda blown...any one relate, or have condolences or feedback?

Hey, I experienced a mock interview that was conducted by the pre-med committee at my school (top 5 liberal arts college) about a year ago, and I totally feel what you are going through. First of all, when they ask questions like "what is your plan B in case you don't get into medical school" or "how about going to the Caribbean?", they are testing to see how you respond to negative comments and whether or not you are easily influenced by their seemingly doubtful attitude. Do you begin to doubt yourself simply because others doubt your circumstances? Are you easily influenced by external pessimism? I'm a realistic optimist and I think that as long as you believe in yourself, this should give you enough confidence when going into interviews.

You have to show the committee, and eventually, adcoms, that you are willing to put in the hard work and that you are incredibly dedicated and determined to achieve your lifelong goal. You simply can't let a bunch of professors and committee members get you down about something you have known about for a long time. Think of it this way: you are in a very powerful position to know what you want to do for the rest of your life, whereas a majority of undergrads are undecided about their respective futures. This should boost your confidence. You will impress your interviewers by displaying your such high self-esteem (not to be confused with cockiness), so I think you should work on these things more than anything.

Also, you have to remember that during medical training, there will probably be a lot of "higher-ups" trying to break students down and strip them of their confidence, so you have to start building thick skin as a pre-med. It will not get any easier down the road. Work on selling yourself as a candidate. Success is not determined by ability, but by attitude! Have more faith in yourself - you've worked so hard to get to where you are! 👍