What is the point of interviews!?!?

[mdurfa]

Hey all,

I have recently been interviewing at some pretty competitive schools and have more to come, but I am not sure what the point of interviews even are!!! If you dont get an overly positive OR negative vibe from your interviewer - what does that mean!! Schools interview, at times, way more people then they ultimately invite. That said, what does the interview do for the applicant???


any comments on this would be MUCH appreciated!

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[vtucci]

One of the most important (if not, the most important) skills of a physician is the ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of individuals.

The interviews not only demonstrate whether you can be articulate and maintain a conversion but whether you have a personality and a depth of experience and understanding that would add to a medical school class.

 

[mdurfa]

good point.. but i guess my question is more.. how are interviews evaluated? Schools cant accept all those that interview..and for those middle of the range interviews (which I am sure they are many) - how do they decide??

 

[hp540]

Hey all,

I have recently been interviewing at some pretty competitive schools and have more to come, but I am not sure what the point of interviews even are!!! If you dont get an overly positive OR negative vibe from your interviewer - what does that mean!! Schools interview, at times, way more people then they ultimately invite. That said, what does the interview do for the applicant???


any comments on this would be MUCH appreciated!

it's so they can screen out those weirdos....

like the ones with the head tick and keep on repeating "mind yo bizness that's all..mind yo bizness"

 

[45408]

Just wait until you're in med school and you meet some of the people who come for interviews. You'll see why they have interviews. Most people are decent, but some of them are weeeeiird.

 

[calcox]

I'm all about the interview! It's the opportunity for the school to actually meet you. Its like a blind date. Up until then, they have heard all these great things about you. You're smart and giving and have done all these interesting things... but you don't "fall in love" with a candidate until you have a chance to actually meet them. They need to know that your kind tone in your Personal Statement and secondary essays isn't hiding a horrible jerk who is completely arrogant and only interested in the status that being a doctor confers. On the other side of the coin, you may be a marginal candidate by numbers but when they meet you, they are able to see that you were made to manage the health of people at their most vulnerable stages of sickness. Unless you have no confidence in your ability to represent yourself in person (I hope this isn't the case as that would be detrimental to patient care) interviews can be a wonderful opportunity to "seal the deal".

 

[vtucci]

good point.. but i guess my question is more.. how are interviews evaluated? Schools cant accept all those that interview..and for those middle of the range interviews (which I am sure they are many) - how do they decide??

If you get an interview, it means that you are qualified on paper for that school. The next question is whether you will be a good fit. Most schools try to get a wide range of personalities and interests and ethnicities represented in their classes.

The interview is also used for you to get a feel for whether you would be happy at a particular school. I know everyone says that it is the same-- that all schools trot out their happy students for interview day. That is not true at USF, we all have an open invite to drop in and speak with the interviewees. I was able to get a very different feel for all of the schools I interviewed at.

If you have an opportunity to stay with a medical student, take it. You can ask them questions and they are not usually on the ADCOM so you can ask anything you really want to know.

 

[mdurfa]

but how do they decide b/w those many applicants that end up being the 'normal ones '?

i recently interviewed at harvard.. and it boggles my mind how a school like harvard will end up picking its lucky 165...???

 

[Steve203]

If you get an interview, it means that you are qualified on paper for that school.

No, actually it doesn't. I know some medical students at various schools who have interviewed who said that even if you get the maximum amount of points or the highest recommendation possible for an interview, that it is very possible that you will still not be accepted. Interview is really a small part of the decision, maybe factors in about 15% of the total decision. The only thing that can kill you is if you are a total weirdo....then yeah interview is important.

I personally think interviews are a bunch of nonsense and a waste of time.

 

[Law2Doc]

it's so they can screen out those weirdos....

like the ones with the head tick and keep on repeating "mind yo bizness that's all..mind yo bizness"

While it does some of this, in addition to weirdos, there are certainly people who get screened out due to being lukewarm and disinterested, and people who get screened out for being arrogant. And there are people who are able to use the interview to their benefit and vault over people with slightly better stats. The ones in the middle probably didn't help themselves any, so if they were on the cusp, there may be a waitlist risk. There are a variety of different ways in which different schools use the interview, some making it hugely important.
So practice.

 

[Robizzle]

it's so they can screen out those weirdos....

like the ones with the head tick and keep on repeating "mind yo bizness that's all..mind yo bizness"

YES! Fresh Prince! You = THE MAN.

(unless they got that from somewhere else?)

 

[Law2Doc]

No, actually it doesn't. I know some medical students at various schools who have interviewed who said that even if you get the maximum amount of points or the highest recommendation possible for an interview, that it is very possible that you will still not be accepted. Interview is really a small part of the decision, maybe factors in about 15% of the total decision. The only thing that can kill you is if you are a total weirdo....then yeah interview is important.

I personally think interviews are a bunch of nonsense and a waste of time.

Different schools have different approaches. There are schools where everyone who makes it to the interview stage is deemed acceptable and thus the interview becomes the driving factor in acceptance, the only game in town. Treat these as nonsense at your own peril. The schools wont.

 

[vtucci]

Most schools of medicine will not interview someone who is not qualified based on their criteria for admission. Everyone's time is valuable- esp. the docs interviewing students.

15% is not a small part of the total. It is the difference between acceptance and rejection or waitlist.

The interview process is not just about whether you are a serial killer or sociopath in personality. There are other attributes-- how well do you fit in here with our philosophy. Or will you make a nice addition to our incoming class-- keep in mind that can change from year to year. Maybe they have plenty of classics majors this year but had none last year-- depends on the pool. Philosophy is not something an ADCOM can know until they (or their representative(s)) speak with you and get a better feel for the applicant pool as a whole.

 

[DrVanNostran]

After being rejected post-interview from two schools--I am beginning to believe that I am weird and that there is something wrong with me. No joke.

 

[Law2Doc]

After being rejected post-interview from two schools--I am beginning to believe that I am weird and that there is something wrong with me. No joke.

Effective interviewing is a learnable skill. Get to work!

 

[DrVanNostran]

Effective interviewing is a learnable skill. Get to work!

Sad thing is that I thought they went well--The interviewers gave me that impression as well.

 

[braluk]

I'm a pretty good interviewer (not to boast, but i think its the only reason why i was accepted into med school cause honey, grands aint cut it!). and i taught my friend that the best way to learn about what type of person u are is to have a friend mock interview u and then videotape yourself. You'd be surprised all the different little ticks and nervous habits you do in an interview setting. My friend just would not believe me when i said that he rocks in his chair and "umm"s alot, and makes the longest run on sentences with the word "and" connecting every one of his sentences. Kinda annoying if you ask me.

 

[DrVanNostran]

I'm a pretty good interviewer (not to boast, but i think its the only reason why i was accepted into med school cause honey, grands aint cut it!). and i taught my friend that the best way to learn about what type of person u are is to have a friend mock interview u and then videotape yourself. You'd be surprised all the different little ticks and nervous habits you do in an interview setting. My friend just would not believe me when i said that he rocks in his chair and "umm"s alot, and makes the longest run on sentences with the word "and" connecting every one of his sentences. Kinda annoying if you ask me.

Thats a really good point. I need to have someone do this for me. BTW--ive been meaning to PM you back, so much to ask you lol .

 

[photo_girl07]

What happens if they really have no questions for you....are they just getting to know how you communicate, are you likeable, etc? I suppose they always have our app to review...but at one of my interviews, I felt like I spent most of the time asking questions. And I think I benefited from that...

Just thought I throw that in there....

 

[braluk]

well if they dont have questions, id do the talking, after all, an interview is all about selling urself, the "consumer" or interviewer, doesnt have to be at all interested in the product. but like all good salesman, theyll cram down all the sales pitches down your throat anyway and make you like the product lol.

 

[braluk]

No problemo feel free to PM me or just IM me. Im free to tlak, i should be studying for a medical physiology test but SDN is distracting, and i love to talk

 

[MadHopsMD]

I never find myself in a situation where the interviewer has to ask me questions to keep the conversation going. I have had a rich history (grew up in a war torn country, volunteered overseas etc) I have interesting stories to tell! So I keep them interested...of course, you can not forget my canadian humOUR. haha

 

[Law2Doc]

well if they dont have questions, id do the talking, after all, an interview is all about selling urself, the "consumer" or interviewer, doesnt have to be at all interested in the product. but like all good salesman, theyll cram down all the sales pitches down your throat anyway and make you like the product lol.

Couldn't agree more. If they let you control the interview, you get to hit on all the points that otherwise an interviewer might miss or gloss over. You get to be the applicant you want them to see because you choose the topics you want to emphasize and can avoid the ones that are less helpful. So put on your best used car salesman smile and earn your commission. You are hopefully the best vehicle you have on the lot.

 

[EndSong]

Interviews have been standard for medical school admission for a long time. I've often thought that there's very little you can tell from an interview other than the fact that a person is either A) a total psychopath or B) has the charisma of a hollywood celebrity. Still I suppose you can weed out some for not really understanding or remembering what they wrote on their application.

Although sometimes, I've wondered a lot about some schools admission policies with some of their more famous alumni:

1) Michael Crichton of Harvard has famously said that Global Warming is a lie and that the scientists are in cahoots with eco-terrorists (this was part of the White House's policy). And then there's his book Next that has the premise of evil pharmaceutical companies using bounty hunters to get people's genes.

2) There's also Bill Frist of Harvard who famously saw a video of Terry Schiavo for 1 hr and spoke to Congress about how, as a physician, he could tell she wasn't brain-dead. He's trained as a cardiologist. And then there's also the fact that it was discovered that, as a medical student, he adopted animals for an animal shelter to get more test subjects. He also recently lied on his Tennessee licensing renewal.

3) There's also Ben Carson who is a Yale/Umich alum who while being a talented neurosurgeon has also spoken out on how evolution in schools should be replaced with creationism. http://www.adventistreview.org/2004-1509/story2.html

 

[AZhopeful]

ha, there are some people at interviews that i feel like i could just see bombing w/ the interviewers. one guy that was in my group never really looked at you when he talked. he turned his eyes away and lazily flopped his head to the side and basically looked half bored as he lectured you or whatever on what he'd been doing lately in college.

then i think to myself, man he probably doesn't even know that he sounds condescending or disinterested when he's talking. what kind of bad habits do i have to piss off interviewers with? ........
and the cycle of self-doubt continues.

 

[braluk]

I read Ben Carson's book, Gifted Hands, quite an amazing story, and given his religion and how it saved him, I can understand why he would rather have religion be taught in the stead of evolution. At the very least, evolution and creationism or whatever it is, shouldn't affect the practice of medicine.

 

[etf]

the interview is the reason i'm still forced to post in pre-allo. i'm not a psychopath or anything, but i'm terrible at interviews. it's not fair.

 

[braluk]

on the contrary, its the only reason why im in med school, my numbers are so drab. just imagine talking to the interviewer like you're talking to your best friend, without the cursing.

 

[hp540]

on the contrary, its the only reason why im in med school, my numbers are so drab. just imagine talking to the interviewer like you're talking to your best friend, without the cursing.

I can envision myself having a difficult time with interviews.

Often, I find myself staring at people's faces - like really zooming into the details, whether it's their teeth, mouth, eyes, nose, etc etc etc

It gets distracting...and other times, i find maybe intense eye to eye might be uncomfortable too.

 

[ClockworkDoc]

The point is to keep people like me out of med school...

 

[etf]

on the contrary, its the only reason why im in med school, my numbers are so drab. just imagine talking to the interviewer like you're talking to your best friend, without the cursing.

i wish i had your interviewing talent. my numbers were pretty mediocre as well - i was surprised i received so many interviews (could have been ps/other essays).

 

[ITRGTR]

the interview is the reason i'm still forced to post in pre-allo. i'm not a psychopath or anything, but i'm terrible at interviews. it's not fair.

practice practice practice. seriously, i suck at interviews. in past, i would always get rejected for things that required interviews (like officer positions in a club, or job application). over summer break, i looked up the most common interview questions, answered them, and practiced answering in front of a mirror and other ppl. if your school does mock interviews, take advantage of those. not only do u get some practice in, but the person evaluating u will usually give u some helpful feedback.

 

[Law2Doc]

practice practice practice. seriously, i suck at interviews. in past, i would always get rejected for things that required interviews (like officer positions in a club, or job application). over summer break, i looked up the most common interview questions, answered them, and practiced answering in front of a mirror and other ppl. if your school does mock interviews, take advantage of those. not only do u get some practice in, but the person evaluating u will usually give u some helpful feedback.

Exactly. A small handful of people may be naturally good interviews. But far more people on the applicatin trail have to teach themselves this important skill.

 

[braluk]

L2D u dont sleep too much do u lol, im here often just because I have no life... =/

but back to the intervieweing thing...
I think alot of my interviewing abilities had to do with sweet talking my parents into not looking into my grades and persuading them into letting me do things i probably wouldnt of had been able to do without persistence. My significant other and I also argue alot (in a joking manner) so I learned not to be so timid with talking and to learn to wean a debate towards my favor. But in the end I guess women win one way or another. *sigh*

But honestly, there are interviewers who will try to keep it as strict as humanly possible, I enter into these interviews seeing it as a challenge to try to get him or her to lighten up. Sometimes I'll slip in a joke here or there, depending if I assess the interview to be going my way or not. Just be yourself, dont be so caught up in the moment, forget that you're wearing a business suit, or that the person sitting across from you can really screw you over or make your dreams come true. I go in with the mentality that they are human beings that are capable of all emotions that are human. Go in there thinking that you have arleady been accepted, and just make the interview a nice pleasant chat, all the while talking yourself up and selling yourself.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

 

[Law2Doc]

L2D u dont sleep too much do u lol, im here often just because I have no life... =/

Insomnia is a blessing in this career path. I'm online when I'm studying, and sometimes work best when I'm multitasking -- one of the skills picked up from my prior hectic career.

 

[braluk]

im trying to study med physio but this stuff is so drab at 6am in the morning.

 

[45408]

Insomnia is a blessing in this career path. I'm online when I'm studying, and sometimes work best when I'm multitasking -- one of the skills picked up from my prior hectic career.

yeah, I've noticed that your 4am posts are increasingly frequent

 

[etf]

in past, i would always get rejected for things that required interviews (like officer positions in a club, or job application).

no joke, i got rejected from a grammar school because of an interview. didn't get into high schools, colleges, jobs, or med schools that required an interview. have never had a successful interview in my life. people that know me find it hard to beleive because i'm usually gregarious and have a great sense of humor. i think it could just be stage fright.

 

[notdeadyet]

and i taught my friend that the best way to learn about what type of person u are is to have a friend mock interview u and then videotape yourself. You'd be surprised all the different little ticks and nervous habits you do in an interview setting. My friend just would not believe me when i said that he rocks in his chair and "umm"s alot, and makes the longest run on sentences with the word "and" connecting every one of his sentences. Kinda annoying if you ask me.

EXCELLENT advice. I did this many years ago when I started to have to do more professional interviews and found that when nervous, I had a habit of punctuating every few sentences with "blah blah blah, you know?"

Also, for those interested in mock interviews, if you can, have a stranger do it. The comfort you feel with friends/SOs can be misleading. Also, strangers will give you more honest feedback.

I found a great resource for mock interviews. I asked my girlfriend to get friends of hers I didn't know to do it. They did, but they weren't thrilled about it, so there was a bit of tension that I found to be pretty realistic.

 

[Holistic]

My stats are below average for the medical school process and I am a white male so the odds were heavily against for both MD and DO schools, and I was applying in Texas so it was competitive to say the least....I also applied to a few osteopathic schools out of state and my results were as follows. Every school that interviewed me accepted me, I ranked UTHSCSA #1 in the Texas match and got in, but my interviewer told me I got accepted at UTMB via email before match because he liked me so much, also TCOM accepted me because the admissions people told my dad(hes an osteopath) at a conference in Fort Worth that my interview scored one of the highest and they really wanted me at TCOM and were disappointed I did not rank them #1. Also KCOM accepted me after my interview (complementing me on the phone about how impressed my interviewers were with me) a few weeks before the Texas match and they were the only out of state osteopathic school to interview me.

Bottom line, the interview can get you into medical school if you have really good bull**** like I do.....I was 4/4 at the schools that interviewed me and they all complemented on how great my interviews went (they told me a UTHSCSA as an MS 1 I had one of the highest interview scores of all the 2005 applicants). Bottom line, the interview matters and can get you in against the odds, then you might ask, how is my BS so good, well if you must pry, its all about reading people and getting them to talk about themselves....Any guy good at picking up women knows that getting her talking about herself is the best way to get in her pants...its the same with these interviewers and getting into medical school(which leads to getting into more girls pants an example of synergy).....You have to turn the interview from question and answer format to a conversation were you interview the interviewer while simultaneously inflating there ego.

To get good at this skill I recommend going to bars (if your underage try coffee shops) by yourself and starting conversations with people you don't know, I do this in spare time for fun because getting real life stories is better than fiction.....if you can get to the point with strangers in a bar, where they feel like your friend after 30 minutes and start buying you drinks you will have mastered the intangible skill I mentioned above and I guarantee you will succeed in the interview, because in the end if you can establish rapport with strangers in minutes you will be able make the interviewer in med school feel like your his/her new friend and by turning the interview around and getting him/her to talk about himself/herself you take the pressure off yourself, also you end up not revealing very much information about yourself which gives you a mysterious quality that all people find intriguing, and you will make the interviewer feel important and needed which will lead to him/her associating you with pleasant emotions, really its "MANIPULATION 101" Have fun practicing for your interviews, and just think guys, weekly interview practice mentioned above might even land you some dates.......

 

[Law2Doc]

My stats are below average for the medical school process and I am a white male so the odds were heavily against for both MD and DO schools, and I was applying in Texas so it was competitive to say the least....I also applied to a few osteopathic schools out of state and my results were as follows. Every school that interviewed me accepted me, I ranked UTHSCSA #1 in the Texas match and got in, but my interviewer told me I got accepted at UTMB via email before match because he liked me so much, also TCOM accepted me because the admissions people told my dad(hes an osteopath) at a conference in Fort Worth that my interview scored one of the highest and they really wanted me at TCOM and were disappointed I did not rank them #1. Also KCOM accepted me after my interview (complementing me on the phone about how impressed my interviewers were with me) a few weeks before the Texas match and they were the only out of state osteopathic school to interview me.

Bottom line, the interview can get you into medical school if you have really good bull**** like I do.....I was 4/4 at the schools that interviewed me and they all complemented on how great my interviews went (they told me a UTHSCSA as an MS 1 I had one of the highest interview scores of all the 2005 applicants). Bottom line, the interview matters and can get you in against the odds, then you might ask, how is my BS so good, well if you must pry, its all about reading people and getting them to talk about themselves....Any guy good at picking up women knows that getting her talking about herself is the best way to get in her pants...its the same with these interviewers and getting into medical school(which leads to getting into more girls pants an example of synergy).....You have to turn the interview from question and answer format to a conversation were you interview the interviewer while simultaneously inflating there ego.

To get good at this skill I recommend going to bars (if your underage try coffee shops) by yourself and starting conversations with people you don't know, I do this in spare time for fun because getting real life stories is better than fiction.....if you can get to the point with strangers in a bar, where they feel like your friend after 30 minutes and start buying you drinks you will have mastered the intangible skill I mentioned above and I guarantee you will succeed in the interview, because in the end if you can establish rapport with strangers in minutes you will be able make the interviewer in med school feel like your his/her new friend and by turning the interview around and getting him/her to talk about himself/herself you take the pressure off yourself, also you end up not revealing very much information about yourself which gives you a mysterious quality that all people find intriguing, and you will make the interviewer feel important and needed which will lead to him/her associating you with pleasant emotions, really its "MANIPULATION 101" Have fun practicing for your interviews, and just think guys, weekly interview practice mentioned above might even land you some dates.......

The concepts expressed in this post are age old and definitely work -- Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People", published in the '30s, is a worthwhile read and echoes the notions of this post. Not sure I would call it BS or Manipulation though -- it's just smart conversation skills.

 

[bubabugster]

I would recommend watching other people in the media interview. Look at how at ease a person is behaving and just try to be the same way and have a good time with it. There was a 30 min interview with James Blunt on You Tube (not like he's my favorite singer or anything) and you can watch how he can engage the interviewer making it look fun. That's the example I used and it got me into med school . ALSO, VERY IMPORTANT: Body language! Do not sit at the edge of your seat, with arms and legs crossed, and your eyes boggling out. Make sure to sit back in your chair, keep your hands on the side, exuding an air of assurance and confidence. Also, breathe!! Just doing this will make you feel like you're in control. Just relax, have fun with it and process the info you are asked. Remember, they truly want to see who you are as a person and being jittery will not present them with the type of person you really are. Best of luck!

 

[bubabugster]

I would recommend watching other people in the media interview. Look at how at ease a person is behaving and just try to be the same way and have a good time with it. There was a 30 min interview with James Blunt on You Tube (not like he's my favorite singer or anything) and you can watch how he can engage the interviewer making it look fun. That's the example I used and it got me into med school . ALSO, VERY IMPORTANT: Body language! Do not sit at the edge of your seat, with arms and legs crossed, and your eyes boggling out. Make sure to sit back in your chair, keep your hands on the side, exuding an air of assurance and confidence. Also, breathe!! Just doing this will make you feel like you're in control. Just relax, have fun with it and process the info you are asked. Remember, they truly want to see who you are as a person and being jittery will not present them with the type of person you really are. Best of luck!

 

[45408]

its all about reading people and getting them to talk about themselves....

Everyone's favorite topic is themself, and the sweetest sound there is would be your own voice. So, having the interviewer talking about himself = the win.

 

[Writer1985]

1) Michael Crichton of Harvard has famously said that Global Warming is a lie and that the scientists are in cahoots with eco-terrorists (this was part of the White House's policy). And then there's his book Next that has the premise of evil pharmaceutical companies using bounty hunters to get people's genes.

Well, I don't know about the global warming quote (sounds like something Bush would say, though), but I wouldn't take the premise of a work of fiction as any indication of the author's actual beliefs. Writers like Michael Crichton, Stephen King, Dan Brown, etc, are looking to turn a profit and the best way to do that is to come up with some sensationalist plot. It doesn't actually mean that the author believes in his own semi-contrived plot devices.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

My stats are below average for the medical school process and I am a white male so the odds were heavily against for both MD and DO schools, and I was applying in Texas so it was competitive to say the least....I also applied to a few osteopathic schools out of state and my results were as follows. Every school that interviewed me accepted me, I ranked UTHSCSA #1 in the Texas match and got in, but my interviewer told me I got accepted at UTMB via email before match because he liked me so much, also TCOM accepted me because the admissions people told my dad(hes an osteopath) at a conference in Fort Worth that my interview scored one of the highest and they really wanted me at TCOM and were disappointed I did not rank them #1. Also KCOM accepted me after my interview (complementing me on the phone about how impressed my interviewers were with me) a few weeks before the Texas match and they were the only out of state osteopathic school to interview me.

Bottom line, the interview can get you into medical school if you have really good bull**** like I do.....I was 4/4 at the schools that interviewed me and they all complemented on how great my interviews went (they told me a UTHSCSA as an MS 1 I had one of the highest interview scores of all the 2005 applicants). Bottom line, the interview matters and can get you in against the odds, then you might ask, how is my BS so good, well if you must pry, its all about reading people and getting them to talk about themselves....Any guy good at picking up women knows that getting her talking about herself is the best way to get in her pants...its the same with these interviewers and getting into medical school(which leads to getting into more girls pants an example of synergy).....You have to turn the interview from question and answer format to a conversation were you interview the interviewer while simultaneously inflating there ego.

To get good at this skill I recommend going to bars (if your underage try coffee shops) by yourself and starting conversations with people you don't know, I do this in spare time for fun because getting real life stories is better than fiction.....if you can get to the point with strangers in a bar, where they feel like your friend after 30 minutes and start buying you drinks you will have mastered the intangible skill I mentioned above and I guarantee you will succeed in the interview, because in the end if you can establish rapport with strangers in minutes you will be able make the interviewer in med school feel like your his/her new friend and by turning the interview around and getting him/her to talk about himself/herself you take the pressure off yourself, also you end up not revealing very much information about yourself which gives you a mysterious quality that all people find intriguing, and you will make the interviewer feel important and needed which will lead to him/her associating you with pleasant emotions, really its "MANIPULATION 101" Have fun practicing for your interviews, and just think guys, weekly interview practice mentioned above might even land you some dates.......

The fact that this post entertained me and I read it in its entirety despite its length proves that this guy can talk well.

Kudos to you sir.

 

[gary5]

Here's the simple answer: The purpose of the interview is to determine if they like you or not. If they like you, you're in. If they don't, you're not. And if they don't feel much either way, you're waitlisted, put on a list after everyone they liked.

 

[MadHopsMD]

The fact that this post entertained me and I read it in its entirety despite its length proves that this guy can talk well.

Kudos to you sir.

haha i totally agree

 

[Scottish Chap]

No, actually it doesn't. I know some medical students at various schools who have interviewed who said that even if you get the maximum amount of points or the highest recommendation possible for an interview, that it is very possible that you will still not be accepted. Interview is really a small part of the decision, maybe factors in about 15% of the total decision. The only thing that can kill you is if you are a total weirdo....then yeah interview is important.

I personally think interviews are a bunch of nonsense and a waste of time.

I disagree. As a student interviewer now, I don't need to know what the applicant's GPA or MCAT are - it's all about who they are and whether they are a sensible, compassionate, and genuine person. A school won't waste their time interviewing you if you're not qualified on paper. If you have a high GPA and MCAT and you end up on several waitlists, that's a clear sign that you don't come across well at the interview, and most likely it was not your credentials that got you into trouble.

Since most medical schools interview 4-5-fold more applicants than they accept, it's safe to say that your performance at the interview has to be superior. Also, some schools (like mine) weigh the interview performance heavier than others.