Reading interview-prep books?

[Dazedaisy]

I was just curious what other pre-meds thought of reading related books to prep for interviews? I just picked up “The Medical School Interview” by Jeremiah Fleenor, and as I was reading this, I discovered some ‘hidden truths’ that made me more nervous than before.

I have been told I am a decent interviewer (I’ve done about 3 mock interviews), but at the end of the day I knew they weren’t real. I’m afraid that I will try to incorporate the books into my interview, and might end up sounding fake. Anybody actually get a lot of help from such books?

I would love to hear any thoughts you guys have on this topic!

 

[Daedra22]

I read some literature about interviews before I attended mine, but in the end, don't let a book psyche you out or tell you what you need to "project." Most interviews are pretty laid-back; they want to make sure that you are sincere and able to communicate. I found mock-interviews to be my best resource, and since you're already on top of that, you should be fine.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

I read some literature about interviews before I attended mine, but in the end, don't let a book psyche you out or tell you what you need to "project." Most interviews are pretty laid-back; they want to make sure that you are sincere and able to communicate. I found mock-interviews to be my best resource, and since you're already on top of that, you should be fine.

I agree with all of this. If you're new to med school interviews, it's really easy to get psyched out and nervous because you picture it worse than it will be. You read/hear the horror stories and know all this crazy garbage they can ask you, so you play out bad situations in your head. However the truth is that most interviewers are really cool and know that it's a stressful time for you. They don't want to make your head explode. They just want to get to know you and see how you fit with the program that they are a part of. Simple as that.

So the best thing that you can do is to know yourself. Do some introspection. Be an expert of your own application. Know your strengths and weaknesses and be able to communicate them. Know your life and what the pivotal points were. When did you really learn a lot about yourself? How do you know what you want to do for the rest of your life already? How will you deal with the stresses of medical school?

I went through this process several times, but it wasn't until I took the time to get to know myself that I was finally successful and crushed every interview. Before then I was uncertain and naive and it glared through in my interviews. Gain some self-awareness and it will come through as confidence and self-respect, which are two pre-requisites to being a good physician.

Sorry for the ramble, but I hope that helps a little. 🙂

 

[Dazedaisy]

Very helpful guys! I appreciate it 🙂

 

[DOalchemist]

I didn't buy an books on interviews, but I read alot of online articles and tips and practiced with friends, reviewed my applications.
All of that said, my interviews went best when I simply let go of all the information about interviews I crammed in my head and was just myself.

My interviews were all laid back, and most (if not all) schools just want to see who your really are.

good luck!

 

[jcrewtriathlete]

worst thing you can do is overthink. i know, easier said than done 🙂

unlike other aspects of your application (GPA, MCAT...), studying ahead doesn't really translate well for interview prep. the only "studying" you can really do is to do some research on each school you're interviewing at so that you can ask a couple intelligent questions of your interviewers. they like to know you're considering a potential offer from them seriously, so at a bare minimum spend an hour trolling the school's website.

other than that, it's a safe idea to prepare an opinion (but *not* memorizing a monologue!) about modern US healthcare, ethical situations (hipaa laws, counseling a patient, or even working with a difficult colleague), and the like. then, once you have a position on those, march into your pre-health advisor's office and ask them to toss some tough questions your way, without telling them what you've been prepping for. both of the advisors i practiced with happened to be former Ad Com member at a very difficult-to-get-into MD program, and the questions they proposed were about 20x more difficult to answer than the actual questions i got during any of my interviews. those mock interviews showed me that i had a very poor surprise response, so i realized that i had to take a deep breath after each question to regroup instead of blubbering out a confused answer. and yeah, those mocks are very different and more real than having a parent/friend/professor/boss practice with you.

really, that's all the prep you should *have* to do - try not to fidget, don't keep a checklist in your head about topics you need to cover when you're in there. if you get a chance to just yak with your interviewers, it's really just important to show that you've been listening to what they've told you and that you think before you speak. that's tough to do if you've crammed your head full of 100 pages of interview advice... and yeah, i know i'm getting pretty close to a full page myself 🙂

be yourself, wear a suit that makes you feel confident and not fidgety, smile, and they'll be able to imagine you sitting bedside with their grandma - an instant way to almost guarantee a spot in their next class.

 

[Dazedaisy]

All good thoughts...I think for me its best if I don't fill my head with monologues that I will end up spewing even if it doesn't answer the question. haha
Thanks for all the responses, and good luck to us all in this whole process, and congratulations to those that have reached their goals!