The interview. Whats the spatial layout?

[QuietStorm-]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Just out of curiosity to those who have already been accepted or interviewed for med schools.

Roughly what is the atmosphere and layout like when you are interviewing?

I guess in my mind I have this scary image of walking into a room and having to stand infront of 4 medschool people sitting behind desks with angry looks on their faces ready devour me at a moments notice.

Anyway ive looked through the search function but no one discusses this explicitely.

Whats the general layout? How many interviewers are in the room? Do you stand or sit for the interview? If sitting are you sitting at a desk opposite them or are you sitting on a chair pitched far ahead of them ?

 

[NapeSpikes]

http://www.studentdoctor.net/interview/interview_read.asp

 

[Law2Doc]

Just out of curiosity to those who have already been accepted or interviewed for med schools.

Roughly what is the atmosphere and layout like when you are interviewing?

This is really a pre-allo question, rather than an allo one. But to answer your question, most interviews will be one on one, and will most frequently be conducted in small offices (often those of the clinician doing the interview) with you in a chair and the interviewer behind a desk. Sitting across a table from the interviewer is not unheard of. Not sure how this matters.

 

[deleted87716]

It's bound to be slightly different at every school, so you should be prepared for anything. At my medical school, interviews were conducted by groups of three people: one clinical faculty member, one basic science faculty member, and one medical student (any year). One of the three was a member of the admissions committee, and would be responsible for presenting the applicant to the committee. Interviews were held in small conference rooms in the library, with everyone seated around a small table. It's been a few years, so I'm not sure if they still do it that way.

 

[QuietStorm-]

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

[Northerner]

pre-allo

 

[QuietStorm-]

pre-allo

I did think about that but figured the vast vast majority of pre-allo have no first hand experience about what a interview room is like.

 

[SoCuteMD]

It's bound to be slightly different at every school, so you should be prepared for anything. At my medical school, interviews were conducted by groups of three people: one clinical faculty member, one basic science faculty member, and one medical student (any year). One of the three was a member of the admissions committee, and would be responsible for presenting the applicant to the committee. Interviews were held in small conference rooms in the library, with everyone seated around a small table. It's been a few years, so I'm not sure if they still do it that way.

If you went where I'm thinking you went, then yes, interviews are still conducted this way.

 

[sometime07]

Do you stand or sit for the interview? If sitting are you sitting at a desk opposite them or are you sitting on a chair pitched far ahead of them ?

It is customary to sit in the lap of the interviewer. They may protest at first, but that is just to see if you are afraid of them. If you resist his/her struggles to get you off, you'll get into that med school for sure.

 

[Law2Doc]

It is customary to sit in the lap of the interviewer. They may protest at first, but that is just to see if you are afraid of them. If you resist his/her struggles to get you off, you'll get into that med school for sure.

Along that same line, if there's a couch in the room, that's the "casting couch". Undress and make yourself comfortable. It's the quickest way to get past low numerical stats. 😀

 

[QuietStorm-]

Along that same line, if there's a couch in the room, that's the "casting couch". Undress and make yourself comfortable. It's the quickest way to get past low numerical stats. 😀

Unfortunately I do not like being naked in public.

 

[Law2Doc]

Unfortunately I do not like being naked in public.

They can probably get you one of those hospital gowns.

 

[Northerner]

I did think about that but figured the vast vast majority of pre-allo have no first hand experience about what a interview room is like.

There are lots of people with lots of interview experience, who love talking about interviews.

 

[Law2Doc]

There are lots of people with lots of interview experience, who love talking about interviews.

Plus they are a bit more focused on that process at this point in the year. Med students have their own troubles.

 

[Arsenic]

I did think about that but figured the vast vast majority of pre-allo have no first hand experience about what a interview room is like.

there are a lot of re-applicants and others in pre-allo that can totally answer this question too so i've moving it out of allo and over to PA. awesome pic though. good luck with your applications this year!

 

[defrunner]

I would imagine that you're thrown into a small, dark and cold room with a stainless steel table and an uncomfortable chair with one leg being just slightly shorter than the other three, then endlessly interrogated for days on end with the good guy - bad guy routine, all the while getting your fingernails pulled out by pliers, your bare toes getting smashed by a hammer, getting a massive enema by some 6'9" big ass dude named 'Tiny' and your genitals getting electrocuted; not to mention utilizing sleep deprivation techniques all this time. Remember to always utter, "Thank you sir! May I please have some more?" as you get ever-so-lovingly tortured, and then afterwards, you will get the reward of being deloused and a firehose aimed right at your shivering body, numbed by the excitement of possibly attending their fine institution.

Then, they'll ask you the biggie: "So, why do you want to come here?", you'll hesitate, stutter and mumble something unintelligible. Right before you go, you give them a firm handshake, look at them in the eye and tell them that it is your first choice.

You'll walk out, with your head held high (but not too high, because your neck is crooked now) and with your black and blue eyes gleaming. Congratulations.

 

[QuietStorm-]

I would imagine that you're thrown into a small, dark and cold room with a stainless steel table and an uncomfortable chair with one leg being just slightly shorter than the other three, then endlessly interrogated for days on end with the good guy - bad guy routine, all the while getting your fingernails pulled out by pliers, your bare toes getting smashed by a hammer, getting a massive enema by some 6'9" big ass dude named 'Tiny' and your genitals getting electrocuted; not to mention utilizing sleep deprivation techniques all this time. Remember to always utter, "Thank you sir! May I please have some more?" as you get ever-so-lovingly tortured, and then afterwards, you will get the reward of being deloused and a firehose aimed right at your shivering body, numbed by the excitement of possibly attending their fine institution.

Then, they'll ask you the biggie: "So, why do you want to come here?", you'll hesitate, stutter and mumble something unintelligible. Right before you go, you give them a firm handshake, look at them in the eye and tell them that it is your first choice.

You'll walk out, with your head held high (but not too high, because your neck is crooked now) and with your black and blue eyes gleaming. Congratulations.

Lol, as long as I get in.

But on the serious side. Is it usually multiple interviewers in the room or only one? for those of you who have interviewed at many schools what is the common trend?