tell us about yourself.....

[waverider]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

So, what do programs want to hear in response to this apparently often asked question? Running narrative about your life to this point? Short and sweet? Medicine related? Non-medicine related? Seems like all the medicine stuff should be in your application, so why repeat it? Hmmmm?????

 

[165808]

So, what do programs want to hear in response to this apparently often asked question? Running narrative about your life to this point? Short and sweet? Medicine related? Non-medicine related? Seems like all the medicine stuff should be in your application, so why repeat it? Hmmmm?????

I would LOVE to hear a good answer to this. Personally, I hate this question, and being asked it would probably make me turn into a flushed, giggling ball of nerves. That being said, I realize it's a very valid and often-used interview question. I'd like to be prepared....

 

[m1234d]

I would LOVE to hear a good answer to this. Personally, I hate this question, and being asked it would probably make me turn into a flushed, giggling ball of nerves. That being said, I realize it's a very valid and often-used interview question. I'd like to be prepared....

yeah, some insight from the interviewer's side would be nice. i instinctively start with "Well, i'm the third of 4 girls..." since the vast majority of my life, my decisions, my strengths and weaknesses all kind of stem from my sistas, directly or indirectly. i guess i tend to go more personal, since all the technical/professional stuff is in the folder in front of them.

 

[165808]

yeah, some insight from the interviewer's side would be nice. i instinctively start with "Well, i'm the third of 4 girls..." since the vast majority of my life, my decisions, my strengths and weaknesses all kind of stem from my sistas, directly or indirectly. i guess i tend to go more personal, since all the technical/professional stuff is in the folder in front of them.

Hey, I totally agree!! Only mine would be, "Well, I'm the oldest of three girls...." It seems like everything in my life traces back to that one way or another!!

 

[14022]

they dont really care about the content of what you say...they simply want to hear you speak and get a sense of your communication skills...what you find important...what your interests are...find something else to talk about during the interview....there is no right or wrong answer so dont think too much about it, just take 2 or 3 minutes to talk about who you are and what your background is

 

[TexasRose]

When I interviewed for med school and got that question as the very first one at my very first interview, I nearly froze. The next day, I was telling my brother about it and he recommended that I come up with a 3 sentence "elevator pitch." As in, if you only had a minute to tell the interviewer about yourself while running into him or her on an elevator, what would say? The point is to give enough information about yourself that when you finish your quick pitch, it leads to more questions or conversation. It worked pretty well for me and made me less nervous about those giant open-ended questions. 🙂