Quick and simple interview tips?

[cocobobby1]

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So... applied somewhat late (october)... I had an interview early in january... got rejected. I am a relaxed social guy so I took the "wing it" approach to some extent. Didnt work out. I have been reading and researching about the medical school interview (very different from any other interview of course).... I was just wondering if any of you who have made a killing with acceptances after your interviews had general tips, mindsets, or anything espeically pertinent to this year's cycle you could help me (and probably many others) out with. I have two more interviews here in the next two weeks and hopefully I will get one more by the end of the cycle, but I really need to nail these interviews and get started on this awesome career. Thanks a lot!

 

[Hifey]

So... applied somewhat late (october)... I had an interview early in january... got rejected. I am a relaxed social guy so I took the "wing it" approach to some extent. Didnt work out. I have been reading and researching about the medical school interview (very different from any other interview of course).... I was just wondering if any of you who have made a killing with acceptances after your interviews had general tips, mindsets, or anything espeically pertinent to this year's cycle you could help me (and probably many others) out with. I have two more interviews here in the next two weeks and hopefully I will get one more by the end of the cycle, but I really need to nail these interviews and get started on this awesome career. Thanks a lot!

I don't really qualify with the "killing with acceptances" but I do know that you need to prepare. Don't have rehearsed responses but what I did was have bullet points that I knew I wanted to hit/convey. These things that you want to convey about yourself to your interviewer can be used in more than one question. I learned this from an medical interview book I used to prepare. good luck on your upcoming interviews!

 

[BBender716]

Be yourself? What... you asked for it. lol

 

[Omar Gooding]

I've found from experience that when I get nervous I tend to ramble and end up digging myself into a hole if I'm not sure how to answer a question. So, every time I'm in a med school interview I consciously slow myself down and take as much time as I need to think before I speak. It's usually calming for me and it lets the interviewer know that you think before you do things, or that's what i tell myself anyway. But I've been pretty successful with it.

 

[MB333999]

Be yourself? What... you asked for it. lol

hahaha i appreciate u

 

[bannie22]

There was another thread recently ~ how important is the interview.

Read that one I think

 

[Arjuna]

So... applied somewhat late (october)... I had an interview early in january... got rejected. I am a relaxed social guy so I took the "wing it" approach to some extent. Didnt work out. I have been reading and researching about the medical school interview (very different from any other interview of course).... I was just wondering if any of you who have made a killing with acceptances after your interviews had general tips, mindsets, or anything espeically pertinent to this year's cycle you could help me (and probably many others) out with. I have two more interviews here in the next two weeks and hopefully I will get one more by the end of the cycle, but I really need to nail these interviews and get started on this awesome career. Thanks a lot!

I do. Roberto Ruiz, director of admissions at UMich, said this gem:

"If you dont know the answer, don't say anything at first. Think silently and count to three in your head. Then say "That is a good question. Can we get back to that?"

Also, be ENERGETIC and ENTHUSIASTIC.

Know the answer to "Why do you want to be a Doctor?" without a pause.

Finally, be ready to explain "Why?" for anything on your application.

 

[marele86]

I started off doing pretty badly on my interviews and learned a lot on each one. I was deferred at one school, waitlisted at 2, then finally accepted at my #1 choice - so while I don't have mad acceptances, I do think I figured out how to do better on my interviews.

1. Be relaxed. My first interview, I was so nervous that I really just didn't stand a chance. You just have to do whatever it takes to make yourself relaxed - don't bother with figuring out the public transit system the morning of the interview, just take the darned cab. Don't take a flight home within 2 hours of the end of the interview day unless it'll save you more than $100. The extra money is worth being more composed during your interview.

2. Make sure your interview tells a story. If you have a great personality, fantastic - that's all you need. If, like me, you're somebody who is subdued and easygoing, recognize that you may come across as boring, and fix that by emphasizing (completely true and honest) specifics.

For example: In response to the question "So, what was it like, running a half-marathon?"
Boring answer: "Oh, it was really cool. Training was really hard, but it was a great feeling in the end." (Yawn. This tells you nothing. Of course it was hard, and of course the end feeling was great.)
Better answer: "It was the best thing I did that summer. Seeing my family rooting me on at the finish line - especially my half-sister, I hadn't seen her in years - meant more to me than I expected. I'm training for a full marathon right now.."

Now the interviewer can ask you about the full marathon OR why you hadn't seen your half-sister (And of course, you wouldn't have mentioned your half-sister if the true answer wasn't positive, like "we hate each other." Instead, you'd be mentioning her because the answer is "She was in the air force - most of my family is in the military, actually" or "I was in the peace corps, actually." Something that tells them another positive thing about you.)

Again, these should be completely true stories, just making this up for an example. If you think hard enough, you can relate most potentially boring questions to a story that tells the interviewer something good about yourself. It's good to think up possible examples in advance.

3. Re-emphasize the best points of your application. I had a couple of great volunteering experiences that were the main theme of my PS, mentioned again in my LORs, and included in my Activities - so I started off not bothering to mention them in my interview. But once I started doing it (in response to questions where it made sense), the interviewer's face would light up and they'd immediately shift the topic to those experiences. This was almost always the strongest part of my interview.

Don't count on the interviewer selling you to the committee based on your strong points when you haven't bothered to emphasize them to your interviewer first. I was avoiding it because I didn't want to come across as conceited - but there's a huge difference between selling yourself and being conceited, and you have to sell yourself a little.

 

[naijaboi]

Buy or borrow the Examkrackers medical school guide. Everything you need to know about interviewing is in there.

But here is a brief summary of what I did:

1. Do not take yourself too seriously. Relax and be yourself.

2. Formulate your career goals and link most of your questions to your goals.

3. Research the school thoroughly. Know the school's mission and fit yourself into their mission. Spend about an hour on each school the night before the interview. Make notes and develop a theme for the day. For example for my Michigan interview, my theme was pragmatic solidarity and for Chicago, my theme was humanities and integration with medicine.

4. Relate your home, life experiences (not just the ones on AMCAS) to your desire to become a doctor.

5. Listen to your interviewers. Ask them questions about their lives. Good listeners always make the best interviewees.

6. I know it is a medical school interview. But talk about other things in your life. Music, art, computers. Stay away from religion and politics. Sports also.

7. Smile. I know it is nerve wracking, but please enjoy yourself.

8. Be aware of your surroundings. People notice the less obvious things. One of my interviews was a walking interview - we went around the medical center as he interviewed me. I kept excusing myself and interrupted our conversation several time to open doors for people. When I got in, he sent me an email congratulating me, and of course he remember my courtesy to others.

9. Be proactive. Greet the Deans and admission members.

10. Camaraderie with your fellow interviewees.

I am sorry for this long list. Please PM. I will be happy to go over all of this with you.

 

[Daedra22]

Listen, consider, respond. In that order. It's okay to pause for a second to think about how you want to structure your answer to an unusual question. This worked very well for me. ^.^

 

[Catalystik]

See if your school's career center offers practice interviews.

 

[cocobobby1]

Hey guys, just want to thank you all for all of the tips so far... really appreciate it. I'll be putting my thoughts together and thinking of all of these recommendations over the next week when I have my next interview... so anything you can think of is great and hopefully I can make you guys proud next week. Thanks.

 

[imnastywitit]

I do. Roberto Ruiz, director of admissions at UMich, said this gem:

"If you dont know the answer, don't say anything at first. Think silently and count to three in your head. Then say "That is a good question. Can we get back to that?"

Also, be ENERGETIC and ENTHUSIASTIC.

Know the answer to "Why do you want to be a Doctor?" without a pause.

Finally, be ready to explain "Why?" for anything on your application.

this is a slippery slope. you don't want to be hyper or ramble. if you are explosive, it could be painful for the interviewer. you also, somehow need to seem like you are relaxed and easy going. you need to seem like you could easily relate to any patient. Also, some schools are screening for relaxed during the interview....

 

[boaz]

So... applied somewhat late (october)... I had an interview early in january... got rejected. I am a relaxed social guy so I took the "wing it" approach to some extent. Didnt work out. I have been reading and researching about the medical school interview (very different from any other interview of course).... I was just wondering if any of you who have made a killing with acceptances after your interviews had general tips, mindsets, or anything espeically pertinent to this year's cycle you could help me (and probably many others) out with. I have two more interviews here in the next two weeks and hopefully I will get one more by the end of the cycle, but I really need to nail these interviews and get started on this awesome career. Thanks a lot!

Maybe you were too relaxed at the interview? If they see you are too relaxed, they might think you just don't care. They usually see, and have come to expect, at least some nervousness.

 

[BlueElmo]

You can also buy The Medical School Interview by Jeremiah Fleenor if you have the time to read it.

 

[Bearie]

You can also buy The Medical School Interview by Jeremiah Fleenor if you have the time to read it.

I read it, but didn't find it too helpful.

Here are my tips:
1. Know your application well and prepare some "talking points" and answers to commonly asked questions. The two most likely for every interview is 1. Why Medicine? and 2. Why this school? Don't rehearse your answers so much that they sound canned, but know how to stay on message. Also, think of some anecdotal stories that support your pitch and have them handy.
2. Show genuine empathy for interviewer. Don;t force your narrative. Know how they feel and what they want to know from you. Get to know them if time permits.
3. Smile and make eye contact but don't stare.
4. Seriously, seriously relax.

 

[imnastywitit]

I read it, but didn't find it too helpful.

Here are my tips:
1. Know your application well and prepare some "talking points" and answers to commonly asked questions. The two most likely for every interview is 1. Why Medicine? and 2. Why this school? Don't rehearse your answers so much that they sound canned, but know how to stay on message. Also, think of some anecdotal stories that support your pitch and have them handy.
2. Show genuine empathy for interviewer. Don;t force your narrative. Know how they feel and what they want to know from you. Get to know them if time permits.
3. Smile and make eye contact but don't stare.
4. Seriously, seriously relax.

yes. this will make your schpeal both more memorable and more believable.

 

[OpalOnyx]

Strategize.

Yeah people say just be yourself. However, there is an inherent advantage in placing yourself in the shoes of the interviewer, considering the goals/missions of the school, and evaluating your strengths/weaknesses. Emphasize the strengths.

 

[DrSmooth]

Got a great tip from a fellow interviewee. She always stays for a while after the interview day is over "waiting for a cab" or something like that after all other interviewees have taken off. I tried it and was able to have an hour long chat with the admissions dean and office staff. This doesn't work at every school but it's definitely worth planning an extra hour into your day just in case.

 

[SN2ed]

Never lie.

 

[GoBeers]

as quick and simple as can be...

1) be relaxed and confident as any sociable person should be (which you already are)

2) definitely know your app. like the back of your hand. try to remember 3-4 key points/highlights that you can nail impressively and swiftly (which you probably didn't really do the first time)

that's pretty much it.


i think the hardest questions are "what did you learn from this experience. how will this experience translate to your being a competent doctor." but fortunately, some poster above gave detailed tips.

 

[bannie22]

Always smile.

 

[Neatloaf]

Have a few beers before hand and then talk about your WoW characters at length. Worked for me!

 

[BlueElmo]

Make eye contact.