NapeSpikes said:
When I say formal, I mean polite, respectful, friendly, etc.
I think of this as "normal" rather than "formal." I have a hard time understanding why you would be anything other than the above with anyone (or at least ALMOST anyone
😉 )
As someone who has been interviewed by students, interviewed students, and is now being interviewed by residents (the residency application equivalent) I would echo everyone's comments and say that you should err on the side of formality. Ideally, the interviewer will set the tone early and you can follow their lead. You should, however, always be a bit more formal than the interviewer. For example, if the interviewer kicks their feet up on the table, you're probably safe relaxing your posture a bit but you shouldn't kick up your feet as well.
A lot depends on their role (perceived or dictated) in the interview process. Personally, I see my purpose as being a representative of the student body to a) answer questions and b) try to determine if the applicant fits our student body (ie. would they fit in and contribute in a positive way). I make it a point of outlining this at the beginning of the interview and hopefully this helps put prospies at ease. This doesn't mean I don't expect to see some professionalism, but I also expect you to act like a person and my potential peer. As someone mentioned, some student interviewers do take their role (too?) seriously and many times applicants will say that this is the hardest/weirdest interview. In these instances take the high road and act a bit more foramally than you might like. (Don't you just love playing this game?)
At the same time, you absolutely should not act like something you're not. I can't imagine talking to someone my age like they're 20 years my senior (yes, sir...no, ma'am...etc) and I wouldn't do it just to stroke their ego or to maintain some arbitrary level of formality. After all, these are your potential schoolmates and a M1 would never call a M4 Mr/Mrs/etc--and the M4 shouldn't let them, let alone expect it. But I also wouldn't drop Napoleon Dynamite references with someone that acted like this was a super-serious interview. During my (very relaxed) student interview at MCW I was having a hard time conveying my point when I realized that a scene from Seinfeld summed it up very well. I mentioned that, the guy got it and our conversation took off from there. I think that was key--both in helping me get in and in making the decision to come here. In the end, you just have to feel it out and go with the flow, which is really what you have to do every day in medicine.
Hopefully this helps a bit. If it helps further, I agree with you that the student interview should be more relaxed than others and that students that dictate otherwise are doing a disservice to the applicant and their school. I know I have a few classmates that do this and it annoys me and most of my classmates to no end. It should be more of a peer-peer type thing, regardless of age, and hopefully that's what you'll experience the majority of the time. Good luck with the rest of your interviews and feel free to PM me or post other questions that come up.