Redwings, I'll tell you how my interview day went. I don't know how others were, but here's my day:
Lisa sent me a parking pass by email so I could park in the general parking lots. I arrived early and walked around the campus, poked in the library and in some buildings. Walked around. Visited the beach. Nice campus (but watch out for acorns in the fall! 🙂 ) Sat in the designated room (in your letter) and waited for the rest of the interviewees. After the other two showed up (yes, only three of us), A short presentation by admissions and the two student guides. One of my guides was pretty geeky but very friendly and happy to be at UNE. The other was getting a cold or something, so she was a bit lower key, but still very nice. They were honest, open, and answered any questions we had.
We then went to the nearby commissary and got sandwiches and drinks. UNE picked up the tab for those - simple fare, but hearty. Wrapped sandwiches, beverages, cookies, chips, bagels were all available. Our inteviewer came and got us one at a time.. meanwhile other UNE students were milling about, some came and sat down at the table and asked if we had any questions. Volunteered a lot of information that we hadn't heard before. One guy skipped class to sit and talk with us.
My turn for interview. Although it was listed as having three interviewers, two didn't make it, and I had one older gentleman. He was very direct, very candid, and very tough. A consummate questioner. I didn't notice any papers in front of him.. and he knew my file inside and out. I mean, he remembered things that I barely touched on in my application... asked me about my middle name (it's unique). Asked me why I took and what I learned in a class I failed 20 years ago. This was a good question - I hadn't really thought about it before, figuring people would look more at my recent work. I gave a very personal, very candid answer that revealed a lot of admitted weaknesses and immaturity in myself back then, but reflected that in hindsight I learned more about myself than any grade could ever teach me. I was asked about how strong my marriage was... he grilled me on this one. Big time. I grilled right back ("do you know 75% of all marriages don't make it through med school?" "Did you know 90% of all police marriages fail? I can count on one hand the number of cops my husband works with that haven't been divorced." "Point made (smile).") He asked if I had "any idea whatsoever" how hard medical school was going to be.. as in the sheer volume of information that had to be assimilated. I likened it to drinking from a firehose - and remarked that I had indeed tried doing just that when I was a firefighter and it knocked me on my a$$ more than once before I figured out how to do it. He laughed. He asked if I had any personal experience with DOs as a patient. I had.. and it wasn't a good one. I told the story and said that doctor just wasn't for me. I went on to say that I never cared if a doctor was an MD or DO or QPT; a good doctor was good and a bad doctor was bad. And just because that DO wasn't right for me didn't mean he was a bad doctor. I also stated that my husband's doc is a DO and, after interviewing every pediatrician in my town, I selected the only DO pediatrician for my children's doctor. I stressed I was interested in becoming the very best physician I could be and that I applied to schools that seemed like they could help me in that endeavor. I also stated I was interested in OMM due to my own problems with hypermobility syndrome. Apparently a little while later I stretched my hand out on the table (my fingers come off the surface a LONG way when I do that). My interviewer remarked that he couldn't do that and pointed to my hand. Got off on a tangent about ligament laxity for a few seconds and the lack of MD help for that particular problem.
The interview went like that for almost an hour - hard pointed questions, and I gave unrehearsed answers. Some answers threw the question right back, some admitted weaknesses in myself, some pointed out strengths. At the end of the interview, he said "one of your recommendation letters stated that you are 'a woman of unusual candor'." He paused. I really didn't know what to say. I mean, is that good? Is it bad? Certainly it's true... dang, what do I say to that?!? I kinda nodded my head a little and said softly "yeah....." He smiled and said "don't lose that quality". The student guides took us on a tour of the medical buildings then, and they day was over around 3 or so. I got my acceptance letter 6 days later.
Before my interview, UNE was not high on my list. After my interview, UNE went to the top. I canceled my MSU interview and just turned down my PCOM-Ga interview because I got accepted to UNE and really loved the school, mainly based on the interview experience. It's hard to find a place where my candor is appreciated - so many places don't seem to like it much. I really felt welcome and appreciated for my strengths AND weaknesses at UNE.
I hope this helps. I know it's a long post, but I guess in summary the interview is all about you. Your strengths, weaknesses, and experiences. Everything in my application was touched on (EVERYTHING). But in a non-confrontational way... very probing, thought-provoking questions, yet conversational and non-threatening at all. Lots of give and take.
Good luck, redwings. I hope you like UNE as much as I did.
