"Repeating" essays during interviews

[mechtel]

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Greetings,

I've been asked during recent interviews such questions as "why medicine?" and "why our school?" But, the "why medicine" question was addressed in my PS and some schools specifically asked the nature of my interest on secondaries. The answers haven't changed in the past month.

I find myself answer in more condensed and conversational versions of my essays. But, the interviews have been open file so presumabley the interviewer has already read my answers. Do they simply want to hear the answer out of my mouth? Or, is there something different I should be doing?

Thank you very much for any insights!

 

[146233]

Don't assume the interviewer has read your secondary answers/PS, even if open-file. While some do, I (for example) prefer to wait until after the interview to read that material. You can expand your answers a little, add an anecdote that didn't make it into your formal answers, etc. If worse comes to worst, just "conversationally" repeat your answer. It's on the interviewer if they want to ask you something that's already been asked. Just don't give your response verbatim. 😉

 

[MedYEP]

At one of my interviews, the interviewer had access to my whole file and definitely read it before the interview because he knew a lot of information about me, and he still specifically said "I know that it says in your PS why you are interested in medicine, but I want to hear it directly form you."

So, it is fine to repeat what you have written, just don't sound like a robot.

 

[TopSecret]

Greetings,

I've been asked during recent interviews such questions as "why medicine?" and "why our school?" But, the "why medicine" question was addressed in my PS and some schools specifically asked the nature of my interest on secondaries. The answers haven't changed in the past month.

I find myself answer in more condensed and conversational versions of my essays. But, the interviews have been open file so presumabley the interviewer has already read my answers. Do they simply want to hear the answer out of my mouth? Or, is there something different I should be doing?

Thank you very much for any insights!

It could be that they found something in the PS that wasn't fully convincing.

 

[bellakk]

It could be that they found something in the PS that wasn't fully convincing.

or that they want to make sure you actually remember what you wrote