UF interview help.

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abrielle

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Hey I recently got an interview for uf through the junior honors program and I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on how to prepare. I'm only a sophomore so i am really stressed about it :( i have no idea what to expect/what they will ask. HELP.

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I can't speak to the Junior Honors Program specifically, as I interviewed for the regular MD program. However, from my experience, just remember to relax and know your application well.
 
do mock interviews with someone until you feel comfortable answering questions in front of someone. there are hundreds, if not thousands of questions they could ask you. but cover the basic questions, and think of anything they could ask you about yourself as well as know your application inside out in case they ask you about experiences you listed, or grades, or activities/clubs you participated in. read up a bit on the healthcare situation now, and what your opinion on different aspects of it are. have a solid answer as to why medicine and not any other profession. also, why UF is the school for you, where you see yourself in 10 years, why they should accept you, etc.

goodluck
 
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I know it is what everyone says but the honest truth is that you have to just be yourself. Answer whatever questions they ask you in your own personal style. Just let things come naturally to you and try not to worry about what your interviewer thinks. You are who you are, and they will either like it or not. If they don't and you are a good student who works hard somewhere else will like you. The point of the interview (especially at UF) is for them to get to know you. So give them that opportunity. And it really isnt anything worth stressing about, most interviews are just an hour long conversation.
 
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I interviewed for JHMP last year. Here's what I can remember in an itemized form:

1) You will have four interviews, two half hour interviews and two one hour interviews
2) The two hour-long interviews (if I remember correctly) are with two faculty. You won't know which two faculty members until you arrive.
3) Two half-hour interviews with Dr. Gessner and Dr. Sumners. Gessner seems to like a high-stress environment. The medical students told me he's into music and the arts, so that might be an in with him. I saw when I walked in he had some girl's SAT score highlighted which I guess was the bone he had to pick with her. He criticized the fact that I took 13 credits one semester (despite it being 4 classes and 1 lab).
4) The normal faculty interviews are really laid back, more conversational.
5) The interviews with Gessner and Sumners were kind of laid back, but they also asked questions (especially Sumners) about how you would fix the healthcare system, what steps would you take, etc. If you've ever volunteered at Shands, he mentioned to me that he heard that volunteering at Shands "was kind of bogus." Seemed like a trap that I was able to side-step, but nonetheless, an odd trap.
6) Wear a suit and get a haircut. The current JHMP students when I was applying told us in the informational meeting to be clean-cut; this makes me think it was mentioned to them by Gessner and Sumners. If you're a girl, dress formally. If you're a guy, wear a suit. If you don't own one, borrow one.
7) They give you lunch there, so if you're self-conscious about your breath, bring something to freshen your breath.
8) Have answers prepared as to why you think you would make an addition not only to the UF COM but to the small JHMP class itself.

I did a mock interview with Robert Kwong the premed advisor. I really don't think it helped me too much, but to each their own. Kwong seems to be kind of negative which can be good in some cases, but I personally wouldn't do it again, I have better sources to practice with. If you don't know of anyone who does interviews on a regular basis, definitely try him. The point of most of the interviews is for the interviewers to get to know you and make sure you aren't a sociopath or a psychopath. However, I got the impression from Dr. Gessner that he was trying to gauge your ability to handle pressure by pointing out some pseudo-fallibility he could find your application. Don't come off as cocky, take it in stride, but you're warned that the "highest stress" (though it's not really that stressful) interview will be with Gessner.

As a final thought, be sure you want to stay at UF another four years or longer. I do enjoy UF and I will be applying again for regular admissions (I was the only alternate last year), but I think it turned out to be a good opportunity for me to be able to assess financial aid offers, see other parts of the country in interviews, and perhaps live in another part of the country for four years. Regardless, I remain undeterred from UF after being placed on the JHMP one-man alternate list. I'm not going to say it was an honor to be placed on that list because it's like some sort of an admissions purgatory, but I would still recommend the program. They emphasize research, which at that point I had none, but the "Junior Honors" year is basically covered by any competitive prospective medical applicant during their junior year and the honors thesis completed in their senior year.
 
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Has anyone received news of a interview for 2016 junior medical honors program cycle?
 
Dude it's mid April and I'm getting really nervous. I didn't get an interview, How about you
 
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