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- Jun 7, 2018
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Now that the cycle is over, I wanted to share some thoughts in case any underclassmen, who will be interviewing next year or later, on would find them helpful. I can't comment on whether or not it was a successful interview season, because I haven't matched yet, but this is what I thought in general.
1) Interview season is a lot of fun. You'll be meeting applicants from all across the country, and meet some cool people. It's fun to hang out with them, learn about their schools, hang out with residents, learn about their programs, etc. Socials are generally a lot of fun. I was told that the OMFS community is a small world before interviewing, and now I'm starting to see that's really true. I feel as if I'll keep in touch with a lot of people I met on the trail, run into a bunch of people at AAOMS over the next few years, etc. Interview season is also the most traveling I've ever done; it's really cool to see different cities and different parts of the country, each with their own unique vibe, culture, food, etc.
2) Interview season is expensive. I kept a pretty close eye on my expenses. Application fees, secondaries, flights, gas, tolls, accommodations, food, leisure, Uber etc for 12 interviews came in at $7,800. This worked out to $650 per interview, but not all interviews cost the same. If you're applying broadly and need to fly more than drive, it will be more expensive. If you have a smaller couch surfing network or prioritize staying at a hotel very close to the hospital, it will be more expensive. I drove to more long distance interviews than the average person, and probably split accommodations/couch surfed more than the average person. I also didn't interview on the opposite side of the country, so your expenses will vary. If you are applying to only one specific geographic region, your expenses will be a lot less. The bottom line is you need to account for this expense ahead of time, whether it be through requesting additional loans from the school, using private residency interview loans, saving money from a part-time job etc.
3) Everything matters less than we think it does. Nobody cares about your CBSE score, rank, letters etc, or else you wouldn't be there for the interview in the first place. The faculty and residents just want to see if you're normal and if they can tolerate you for 6 years. Have a general idea of how to answer "tell me about yourself", "why oral surgery", "what do you like to do for fun", as well as how to discuss any significant work/life experience you have outside of school, externships, research, and your dental school experience. Knowing how to talk about how all of these things naturally without sounding rehearsed or scripted covers 85-90% of the discussions you'll have during interviews. Just be normal. Other questions you might get are usually not intimidating or random, but these are the bread and butter. If anything, it's more important to think of questions you have for your interviewers. You will be asked "do you have any questions for us?" at every single interview, so that's something you should put some thought into preparing. If you can't think of anything, a good generic cop-out could be asking them their favorite procedure, what their favorite part about being a faculty member is, what advice they would give to their former self, etc.
4) Always keep your eyes and ears open during all your interviews, as you'll learn a ton about the program, especially if it's a place where you haven't externed. Residents are always helpful and willing to answer questions about the program; a great resource. They give honest answers about the program dynamic and culture, their living situation, quality of training etc. Obviously, you want to learn as much as you can about the program at which you're interviewing from its current residents, but residents and fellow applicants alike can sometimes know things about other programs on your list that you hadn't previously learned. There is a lot of information out there so it's great to always be paying attention. Try to consolidate your thoughts and all the info you learned from the presentation/conversations right after your interview so you don't forget; they can start to run together.
I'm happy to answer more specific questions if any underclassmen have them. Disclaimer is I'm just a D4 who finished interviewing and hasn't matched yet. Current residents or anyone else who has been through this before can chime in and throw in their two cents. This site has a lot of dumb nonsense, but also a ton of great information, and I hope this can spark a useful discussion/encourage more people to share info.
1) Interview season is a lot of fun. You'll be meeting applicants from all across the country, and meet some cool people. It's fun to hang out with them, learn about their schools, hang out with residents, learn about their programs, etc. Socials are generally a lot of fun. I was told that the OMFS community is a small world before interviewing, and now I'm starting to see that's really true. I feel as if I'll keep in touch with a lot of people I met on the trail, run into a bunch of people at AAOMS over the next few years, etc. Interview season is also the most traveling I've ever done; it's really cool to see different cities and different parts of the country, each with their own unique vibe, culture, food, etc.
2) Interview season is expensive. I kept a pretty close eye on my expenses. Application fees, secondaries, flights, gas, tolls, accommodations, food, leisure, Uber etc for 12 interviews came in at $7,800. This worked out to $650 per interview, but not all interviews cost the same. If you're applying broadly and need to fly more than drive, it will be more expensive. If you have a smaller couch surfing network or prioritize staying at a hotel very close to the hospital, it will be more expensive. I drove to more long distance interviews than the average person, and probably split accommodations/couch surfed more than the average person. I also didn't interview on the opposite side of the country, so your expenses will vary. If you are applying to only one specific geographic region, your expenses will be a lot less. The bottom line is you need to account for this expense ahead of time, whether it be through requesting additional loans from the school, using private residency interview loans, saving money from a part-time job etc.
3) Everything matters less than we think it does. Nobody cares about your CBSE score, rank, letters etc, or else you wouldn't be there for the interview in the first place. The faculty and residents just want to see if you're normal and if they can tolerate you for 6 years. Have a general idea of how to answer "tell me about yourself", "why oral surgery", "what do you like to do for fun", as well as how to discuss any significant work/life experience you have outside of school, externships, research, and your dental school experience. Knowing how to talk about how all of these things naturally without sounding rehearsed or scripted covers 85-90% of the discussions you'll have during interviews. Just be normal. Other questions you might get are usually not intimidating or random, but these are the bread and butter. If anything, it's more important to think of questions you have for your interviewers. You will be asked "do you have any questions for us?" at every single interview, so that's something you should put some thought into preparing. If you can't think of anything, a good generic cop-out could be asking them their favorite procedure, what their favorite part about being a faculty member is, what advice they would give to their former self, etc.
4) Always keep your eyes and ears open during all your interviews, as you'll learn a ton about the program, especially if it's a place where you haven't externed. Residents are always helpful and willing to answer questions about the program; a great resource. They give honest answers about the program dynamic and culture, their living situation, quality of training etc. Obviously, you want to learn as much as you can about the program at which you're interviewing from its current residents, but residents and fellow applicants alike can sometimes know things about other programs on your list that you hadn't previously learned. There is a lot of information out there so it's great to always be paying attention. Try to consolidate your thoughts and all the info you learned from the presentation/conversations right after your interview so you don't forget; they can start to run together.
I'm happy to answer more specific questions if any underclassmen have them. Disclaimer is I'm just a D4 who finished interviewing and hasn't matched yet. Current residents or anyone else who has been through this before can chime in and throw in their two cents. This site has a lot of dumb nonsense, but also a ton of great information, and I hope this can spark a useful discussion/encourage more people to share info.
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