Reschedule interview?

[chemj]

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Hi all,
I've been lurking for while now, this is a great forum!

I have an upcoming interview at Stanford (Dec), which is my absolute dream school. If I were lucky enough to receive an offer from Stanford, there would be no question that I would accept in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, there was a death in the family over Thanksgiving. I just returned home from the funeral and despite my best efforts I am just not ready to interview.

I want to do well at my interview, it is so incredibly important to me, but I need some extra time--I lost a lot of interview preparation time, not too surprising I suppose.

How bad is it to reschedule an interview at Stanford? Since they have rolling admissions, will I be hurting myself by taking a later interview slot? Does anybody know if Stanford would even be amenable to rescheduling?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Albanian Mafia]

My condolences for your loss.

Coincidentally, I also rescheduled an interview at Stanford a few years ago. Interviewing at a late date could hurt your chances; however, a poor interview at an earlier time would be much worse.
I interviewed at one of the latest times and was admitted.

 

[chemj]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your advice.

I was afraid that rescheduling would hurt my chances, so I'm not excited about that. But I also believe you're absolutely right--a poor interview is much worse than a later interview. I find it very encouraging that you were admitted from a later interview as well.

Thanks again!

 

[JustAPhD]

How bad is it to reschedule an interview at Stanford? Since they have rolling admissions, will I be hurting myself by taking a later interview slot?

I'm sorry for your loss. Since they're on rolling admissions it would make sense that postponing an interview would negatively effect your chances. Just how much would depend on how late your rescheduled interview is. If it's not too much later I think you don't have to worry about it much. As the poster above said, a bad interview will hurt you more than a good interview at a slightly later date.

Does anybody know if Stanford would even be amenable to rescheduling?

I'm sure they will be, especially due to your reasoning. Best to contact them though.

 

[stickgirl390]

Sorry for your loss.

I don't mean for this question to come off as rude, it's an honest question. How much time do you need to "prepare" for an interview? Isn't that what the 4 years of undergrad are for? My friend and I got together to practice questions, but it only took one day. I'm wondering if you have techniques that I don't know about? Thanks!

 

[JustAPhD]

Sorry for your loss.

I don't mean for this question to come off as rude, it's an honest question. How much time do you need to "prepare" for an interview? Isn't that what the 4 years of undergrad are for? My friend and I got together to practice questions, but it only took one day. I'm wondering if you have techniques that I don't know about? Thanks!

I'm assuming OP means it in more of a mental state.

 

[stickgirl390]

I'm assuming OP means it in more of a mental state.

Ok, I think I misinterpreted.

 

[chemj]

Sorry for your loss.

I don't mean for this question to come off as rude, it's an honest question. How much time do you need to "prepare" for an interview? Isn't that what the 4 years of undergrad are for? My friend and I got together to practice questions, but it only took one day. I'm wondering if you have techniques that I don't know about? Thanks!

No worries, it's a reasonable question.

Actually, though, it's a two part answer. I have to travel to the East coast to help my family with all details that need to be taken care of when a loved one dies. My sis and I were the only two kids in the family, so everyone is kind of a mess right now and I feel like I'm the only one who can do what needs to be done. So there's the part about literally being on the other side of the country too close to when my interview is scheduled.

As for the preparation part, I've already interviewed at other medical schools, but never MMI format. So I have to read about MMI, think about ethics, think about my own values and ethics--just generally spend time reflecting on some tricky situations and how to best handle them.

I'm not sure if I have any special techniques, I often approach learning from a conceptual viewpoint, it just works for me. When I was studying for the MCAT, I did the usual masses of practice problems, tests, and endless hours of studying. Then, the week before the MCAT, I disappeared into the mountains for a week just to think about physics and life in general. Although it may be unorthodox, it worked out for me and I did well on my MCAT. Of course, being a philosophy major only adds to this tendency!

 

[stickgirl390]

Thank you!

 

[chemj]

Quick update in case anyone else has to reschedule:

I called Stanford and they were incredibly nice and accommodating. Thank you to everyone who answered and gave advice, I really appreciate it!