Super Pre-Interview Jitters

[WhatUpDoc!]

Hey SDN fam, I have my first interviw coming up this Monday and (as evident by the time of this post) I'm already losing sleep on how I can utilize this weekend to best prepare for it. Does anyone have any suggestions/strategies for making the most of my time between now and Monday morning. I'm all ears... until I can force myself to sleep and quit with the neurotic worrying episodes

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[jbone]

First of all, congrats. Review the SDN interview stuff, School websites, and other material about the school. Take some time off and do something other than think about your interview. You'll be fine. Good luck. Where are you going? Keep us posted.

 

[MoosePilot]

Relax. I barely prepared for any of my interviews and I didn't feel unprepared.

Read the interview feedback for your school at http://www.studentdoctor.net/interview/interview_read.asp

Think about the most common questions from that. Be sure you have a decent answer to:

1. Why do you want to be a doctor?
2. Why should we accept you?
3. How do we fix the US healthcare system/insure the uninsured? (not that big a deal, because it's probably unanswerable, but have some thoughts on how to improve it).
4. Why our school?

Relax! You'll be fine. Be normal. Nervous is normal, just don't be a super-freak, a liar, or a social ******.

 

[WhatUpDoc!]

It's at UT-memphis Jbone, the school is like a 15 minute drive away from me... but I swear it'll seem like a different country once I step foot on campus. Thanks for the questions MoosePilot. I think I'll sleep on those tonight and wake up with some better answers than the ones I've been trying to come up with for the past two weeks... gotta catch some before they run away

 

[Telemachus]

Whatever you do, don't be a nervous wreck on interview day.

Be confident but not cocky, humble but not self-loathing, curious but not naive, open-minded but not a push-over. There seems to be a theme here.....

 

[Thundrstorm]

Although I understand your nerves (I get pretty nervous before interviews too), your most important task is to calm down so that you can be pleasant, relaxed, and a good representation of yourself on Monday. In order for me to feel relaxed, I have to feel prepared, so I type up a little data sheet on each school before I visit with info about the program, the curriculum, any special features of interest, and a list of specific questions I have. I also have more general lists I typed up for every interview that list a series of good questions to ask, and also my answers for typical questions. Even though I inevitably end up saying something different from what's written, it helps me to know that I've prepped. It also helps me to know eaxactly where I'm headed on campus, and how to get there. So, I guess what I would say is to overprepare a little today so that your mind is at ease, and then on the day of the interview just chill. It's not as scary as you think.

 

[Law2Doc]

It's at UT-memphis Jbone, the school is like a 15 minute drive away from me... but I swear it'll seem like a different country once I step foot on campus. Thanks for the questions MoosePilot. I think I'll sleep on those tonight and wake up with some better answers than the ones I've been trying to come up with for the past two weeks... gotta catch some before they run away

Also peruse the web to find out what you can about the school, and come up with a half dozen good questions to ask in case the interviewer asks you what questions you have. You may want to decide ahead of time what things in your app you want to highlight, and how you want to handle any of the more sensitive areas of your credentials. Review your AMCAS and secondary to be sure you remember and can talk about anything that is in there. Make sure your suit is clean and still fits, and shoes are polished, etc. Good luck.

 

[mustangsally65]

Hey now, you're an all star! Congrats on the interview, WhatUpDoc!

Try not to psych yourself out about your MCAT score. It will probably come up, but keep your confidence and play up the positives. I know you will do great! Good Luck!

 

[TimmyTheWonderD]

Does anyone have any suggestions/strategies for making the most of my time between now and Monday morning.

before hand go over AMCAS, secondary, school info, hypothetical ethical/hot topic questions (moosepilot had a good one, the insurance problem - i was asked this, and GENETICS ?'s are big now), know your own motivations for going into medicine and for doing so AT THAT school.

night before/day of interview....
1. have fun with friends/fam!
2. get plenty of sleep, i know it sounds hard but all that worrying had me so tired as soon as my head hit the pillow i was out!
3. get up early enough to not have to rush around and have a great breakfast!
4. BE YOURSELF! SMILE! LOOK THEM IN THE EYE!
5. ask ?'s! engage your interviewer!

i am sure you will charm their socks off! good luck you will do great!

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

Just do whatever you would normally do on a weekend. Personally, I would try to learn the moves in your avatar. Just don't worry about remembering your "answers" to questions. You shouldn't have a pre-made answer to anything; you should know the issues and then answer whatever question you're asked. If you try to memorize stuff you'll stress out. Oh, and give yourself plenty of time to get there early. At several of my interviews, people have strolled in like 15 minutes later, and trust me, you don't want to be That Guy.

 

[njbmd]

Hey SDN fam, I have my first interviw coming up this Monday and (as evident by the time of this post) I'm already losing sleep on how I can utilize this weekend to best prepare for it. Does anyone have any suggestions/strategies for making the most of my time between now and Monday morning. I'm all ears... until I can force myself to sleep and quit with the neurotic worrying episodes

Hi there,
The worst thing that you can do is try to anticipate what the interviewer wants to hear and be something other than yourself. If you were invited for interview, you are a potential student so relax and think of things that you can do to give the interviewer the best possible opportunity to get to know you.

1. Review what is in your personal statement and be prepared to discuss anything that you have written.
2. Make sure you have all of your interview stuff clean, polished and that you are well-groomed. This is not the time to experiement with a new look. You want to be as physically comfortable as possible.
3. No cologne or strong smells of any kind. The interviewer may be allergic or may hate your choice of cologne/aftershave/perfume. Use rubbing alcohol or witch hazel if you must use an aftershave. Carry a pocket hankerchief or tissue pack (nose can starts to run from the cold or from nerves).
4. Wear comfortable shoes. Most medical school interviews include a tour and nothing ruins your day faster than feet that hurt.
5. Do not eat anything that can drop on your clothing. You can always eat after the interview (rubber chicken is just not that good).
6. Arrive early (Don't be late!) and ask question of all the students not just the ones that are involved with the admissions stuff. Walk around, see the classrooms outside of the tour. Imagine yourself there and do a recon mission to the library. Ask where people live and if you need a car. How is the parking? Find out the clinical affiliates and know a bit about them (you can do this on the web).
7. Really be yourself and do not be "psyched out" by the others that are interviewing. A few folks will attempt to make you feel inadequate by developing a "superior air". (Favorite pre-med tactic; don't fall for this!) You are all equals and you have as good a shot of getting accepted as anyone else. The interview is just to see if you have some social skills so be nice to everyone (even the housekeeping folks), take copies of all your documents and enjoy yourself and the process.
8. Learn as much as possible and be positive. Good will is infectious and can calm your nerves.
9. If you are generally a depressive worrier, use the time between now and the interview to practice being upbeat. The worse than can happen is that you do not get in and you are not in medical school now so what's the difference? You will still be alive and well after this experience.

The interview is not to make you trip up or keep you out but to see how you fit in. Unless you are an oaf or phoney, you should be fine.

njbmd

 

[WhatUpDoc!]

WholeLottaGame - One of the best suggestions yet... maybe I'll hit up the club and see what I got

mustangsally - thanks for the carry-over support from the MCAT forum!!! Hopefully, we won't have to speak about that dreaded beast again, but if we do, I'll be down with ya all the way

Thanks for all the great advice people. I already feel alot calmer about the whole process than I did last night. Guess it's super prep time now, my finals are so going on the back burner this semester