so is the point of the interview to impress or to get along?

[johnster3982]

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i hear 2 schools of thought about the point of an interview

1) to impress the interviewer. everyone looks good on paper, so it's at interview when an applicant has the time to shine.

2) to get along with the interviewer. everyone interviewed is qualified and someone the school is willing to accept. interview then, is where the school sees how you would fit in and get along with everyone.


anyone have any other thoughts on the point of an interview? it makes a difference knowing this and going in. although you should "be yourself", i think one would still gear themselves a different way. for example, if one was trying to impress, one would spend more time trying to tie in answers to past accomplishments

 

[jtown]

i hear 2 schools of thought about the point of an interview

1) to impress the interviewer. everyone looks good on paper, so it's at interview when an applicant has the time to shine.

2) to get along with the interviewer. everyone interviewed is qualified and someone the school is willing to accept. interview then, is where the school sees how you would fit in and get along with everyone.


anyone have any other thoughts on the point of an interview? it makes a difference knowing this and going in. although you should "be yourself", i think one would still gear themselves a different way. for example, if one was trying to impress, one would spend more time trying to tie in answers to past accomplishments

school specific.
i interviewed and was waitlisted at ucsd last year and i called to ask for some feedback and they said something like, "you scored well in all of our categories (e.g. numbers, ECs, LORs, PS, etc.) but we were looking for you to really impress us at the interview"
however, uc irvine on monday, "take all of your accomplishments and put them away. you wouldnt be here if you werent qualified. now we're trying to determine if you're the kind of person we would want as our doctor or colleague."

it's nice when they tell you, but my guess is you'll have to flesh that out based on the interviewer's tone

 

[constructor]

i don't think there's really much distinction between the two... you're obviously going to talk about your accomplishments and you're obviously going to show them what kind of a person you are, so there's a little bit of both. when they say "impress", i think they want to be impressed by the way you articulate yourself and the kind of person you are (as someone to talk to) more than your accomplishments which have already been written down on paper.

 

[Rubick]

why can't you do both? I think if you're truly a strong candidate, you should be able to impress as well as get along with them.

 

[Doc.Holliday]

hopefully they are already impressed by the rest of your application.

my uncle interviews for a really competitive residency... he was joking about how many of the applicants seemed more qualified for his job than he was. In that case when everyone is the cream of the crop, the one an interviewer picks is usually the one they felt a connection with and enjoyed talking to.