What is the real point of interviews

[Ismet]

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Besides that, I really wish people would stop rehearsing their answers word for word. Genuinely reflect on the important points you'd want to touch on for each question. When time comes, you will be ready to discuss them and not sound like a nervous 8th grader reciting Shakespeare.

Haha this. It's incredibly obvious, especially when you start answering the question before I have a chance to finish asking it...

I get that people get nervous, but take a deep breath and relax if you find yourself about to spew out an overly rehearsed answer. You can take a few seconds to consider your response.

 

[Testosterone]

I'd say more than 10% of interviews are on the "bombing" or "meh" side, but that's a rough estimate from what I've seen so far.

I interviewed at Pitt last wednesday. From your previous posts it looks like you were also an interviewer that day too. My student interviewer was a girl. And you're a girl too.....

Oh God, I hope you weren't my student interviewer.

I've interviewed a couple applicants this year who obviously were very confident and had all the "right answers" to my questions, but they were extremely difficult to talk to and they left me with a bad impression of their social skills (can't really go into specifics here).

Coming off as a uber-competitive gunner and/or not letting the interviewer get a word in edgewise (aka dominating the conversation or giving 5+ minute responses to questions) is also not a good thing.

Now I'm really scared that you might have interviewed me. I ramble when I'm nervous and interviewing, and I'll venture to say that many other interviewees do as well. However, that doesn't mean that I have bad interpersonal skills, it just means I'm not sure whether or not you want to input your thoughts or simply want to hear more. That's what separates an interview from a normal conversation - there is no ambiguity involved in how much the interviewer is going to contribute to a conversation.

Reading this thread after doing a lot of interviews was a mistake. Now I'm paranoid and irrational and trying to replay every one of my interviews all over again.

 

[Ismet]

I interviewed at Pitt last wednesday. From your previous posts it looks like you were also an interviewer that day too. My student interviewer was a girl. And you're a girl too.....

Oh God, I hope you weren't my student interviewer.

Now I'm really scared that you might have interviewed me. I ramble when I'm nervous and interviewing, and I'll venture to say that many other interviewees do as well. However, that doesn't mean that I have bad interpersonal skills, it just means I'm not sure whether or not you want to input your thoughts or simply want to hear more. That's what separates an interview from a normal conversation - there is no ambiguity involved in how much the interviewer is going to contribute to a conversation.

Reading this thread after doing a lot of interviews was a mistake. Now I'm paranoid and irrational and trying to replay every one of my interviews all over again.

I can safely say that I did not interview you!

Being nervous and rambling is completely normal and somewhat expected. Remember that we were interviewing just like you just a couple years ago! There's usually a difference between nervous rambling and someone who just likes to hear themselves talk, though 😉 The things I've been saying in this thread are true for a small minority of interviewees (what OP referred to as 10%, and I think is a bit more than that). The majority of my interviews have been excellent! You're definitely not penalized for being nervous, but just take a deep breath and compose yourself before an interview so it's less nerve-wracking.

 

[RocDiva4040]

Being able to interact with people and make a good impression is the way that life works. Stop whining and get used to it.

This.

 

[pyrrion89]

I can safely say that I did not interview you!

Being nervous and rambling is completely normal and somewhat expected. Remember that we were interviewing just like you just a couple years ago! There's usually a difference between nervous rambling and someone who just likes to hear themselves talk, though 😉 The things I've been saying in this thread are true for a small minority of interviewees (what OP referred to as 10%, and I think is a bit more than that). The majority of my interviews have been excellent! You're definitely not penalized for being nervous, but just take a deep breath and compose yourself before an interview so it's less nerve-wracking.

I know for a fact Ismet showed up and met us for our interview day, and I also interviewed with a female student that day, so I always wonder if it was her! Then again, my interviewer said she "usually doesn't do the interviews," so maybe not.

 

[volcomx]

I know for a fact Ismet showed up and met us for our interview day, and I also interviewed with a female student that day, so I always wonder if it was her! Then again, my interviewer said she "usually doesn't do the interviews," so maybe not.

Yup...Ismet said she came in to meet us for lunch...and on my interview day there were only 3 girl med students there.....hmmm

Anyways, results of my first interview/app just came in...andddddd waitlist at Buffalo 🙁
It was my first, so hopefully I've improved since then.

 

[yehhhboiii]

I know for a fact Ismet showed up and met us for our interview day, and I also interviewed with a female student that day, so I always wonder if it was her! Then again, my interviewer said she "usually doesn't do the interviews," so maybe not.

nice mdapps
love it when people put interview impressions

 

[pre med 2014]

However, it's a great opportunity for us to check out the school, faculty, and students.

yea real great opportunity to check out the school at the cost of lost income to take off work plus paying for plane ticket/hotel/car.

 

[volcomx]

yea real great opportunity to check out the school at the cost of lost income to take off work plus paying for plane ticket/hotel/car.

You are going to pay $100,000-250,000 to attend med school. A 2 day, $200-$500 trip to check out the school won't kill you.

 

[mcloaf]

yea real great opportunity to check out the school at the cost of lost income to take off work plus paying for plane ticket/hotel/car.

As with anything, your attitude can make the experience awesome or terrible.

 

[Ismet]

I know for a fact Ismet showed up and met us for our interview day, and I also interviewed with a female student that day, so I always wonder if it was her! Then again, my interviewer said she "usually doesn't do the interviews," so maybe not.

Definitely wasn't me!

Yup...Ismet said she came in to meet us for lunch...and on my interview day there were only 3 girl med students there.....hmmm.

Haha yeah I do go to the applicant lunch a lot 🙂

nice mdapps
love it when people put interview impressions

pyrrion, just read through your impression of Pitt...Oakland is not a ghetto!!!

and decisions come out Jan 31. feel free to ask on the SSD thread if you have any more questions from your interview day.

 

[askamsky51]

Most tourers are extremely outgoing, and I'd say it's about 50/50 extroverts vs. introverts.

Keep in mind that fields like radiology and dermatology, among others, don't require a tremendous amount of patient interaction, and in surgery, much of your time is spent digging a tool into a sleeping person's body.The possibilities after medical school for a shy person are enormous.

Also keep in mind that being in a position of relative power might make it easier to come out of your shell. Your other interviewees might have been acting "shy" because they perceive it as more polite to be quiet and demure at an interview and basically just attempt not to rock the boat. I don't necessarily agree with them, but that's how some people think.

While I agree there is room in medicine for introverts--as my class definitely has a good mix, i still disagree with the old adages about derm, rad, and surgery.

Firstly, as a culture surgeons by and large are huge personalities. There are more "quiet" ones but having worked with literally hundreds of them I can tell you the less talkative ones are still very loud and confrontational.

Radiology: do you see many patients? No. But you do speak on the phone or into a microphone pretty much non stop all day.

My experiences with derm have been nothing but patient interaction. I would almost even say "more so" than FM--for the sheer fact that patients want to constantly show you something different in a different spot on themselves.

Maybe path is introvert friendly, but those others require quite the interaction and leadership

 

[pre med 2014]

You are going to pay $100,000-250,000 to attend med school. A 2 day, $200-$500 trip to check out the school won't kill you.

The fact that I am going into 250K+ debt is precisely why I am less inclined to spend thousands on mostly 'make myself feel important' events. Maybe if the interview is in a neighboring state AND it happens to be on a day you don't work maybe you will get away with a $300 net loss. But if you are flying out for an interview you can easily get into a $1000 net loss. If your job doesn't give you vacation days you can easily go into $500 loss from missing work, plane ticket will be $250 MINIMUM, plus hotel and transportation and you are easily seeing a $1000 net loss for one fly out interview.

That's a down payment on a new car when you get to med school, or 4-5 monthly payments on said car (If you need a car that $1000 will go a long way in getting you set up with a car). What about a big credit card bill? I'd much rather knock out some bills for the month than 'look at the medical school' that almost certainly has shiny facilities, great teachers and an entering class composed of your generic hard working pre-meds.

 

[terp720]

The fact that I am going into 250K+ debt is precisely why I am less inclined to spend thousands on mostly 'make myself feel important' events. Maybe if the interview is in a neighboring state AND it happens to be on a day you don't work maybe you will get away with a $300 net loss. But if you are flying out for an interview you can easily get into a $1000 net loss. If your job doesn't give you vacation days you can easily go into $500 loss from missing work, plane ticket will be $250 MINIMUM, plus hotel and transportation and you are easily seeing a $1000 net loss for one fly out interview.

i would love to have a job that missing a day or two of work means a loss of $500. with my lowly research position, that would mean missing over a week of work. And I just bought a flight to an interview last night to an interview that cost less than $200 (to Charleston from DC, so not that far), but still -- let's not generalize everything to everyone.
I don't see the point in complaining about it when we all knew that this was how it works when we got into the process.

 

[volcomx]

The fact that I am going into 250K+ debt is precisely why I am less inclined to spend thousands on mostly 'make myself feel important' events. Maybe if the interview is in a neighboring state AND it happens to be on a day you don't work maybe you will get away with a $300 net loss. But if you are flying out for an interview you can easily get into a $1000 net loss. If your job doesn't give you vacation days you can easily go into $500 loss from missing work, plane ticket will be $250 MINIMUM, plus hotel and transportation and you are easily seeing a $1000 net loss for one fly out interview.

That's a down payment on a new car when you get to med school, or 4-5 monthly payments on said car (If you need a car that $1000 will go a long way in getting you set up with a car). What about a big credit card bill? I'd much rather knock out some bills for the month than 'look at the medical school' that almost certainly has shiny facilities, great teachers and an entering class composed of your generic hard working pre-meds.

It's expensive, no doubt, but you still need to keep the big picture in mind. That debt will be repaid in 10 years.

Almost all the people I've met have not been "generic" at all. If you think every med school is the same, then just apply to your state school and be done with it.

 

[circulus vitios]

I would also like to know why phone/video interviews aren't an option.

 

[Kinch]

Didn't this exact same thread happen like a month ago?

These always run the same course: premeds sick of the interview cycle argue that interviews are meaningless, and people involved in admissions disagree.

👍

 

[Kinch]

I would also like to know why phone/video interviews aren't an option.

Western Michigan does a phone interview... followed by an in-person interview

 

[random1234]

The fact that I am going into 250K+ debt is precisely why I am less inclined to spend thousands on mostly 'make myself feel important' events. Maybe if the interview is in a neighboring state AND it happens to be on a day you don't work maybe you will get away with a $300 net loss. But if you are flying out for an interview you can easily get into a $1000 net loss. If your job doesn't give you vacation days you can easily go into $500 loss from missing work, plane ticket will be $250 MINIMUM, plus hotel and transportation and you are easily seeing a $1000 net loss for one fly out interview.

That's a down payment on a new car when you get to med school, or 4-5 monthly payments on said car (If you need a car that $1000 will go a long way in getting you set up with a car). What about a big credit card bill? I'd much rather knock out some bills for the month than 'look at the medical school' that almost certainly has shiny facilities, great teachers and an entering class composed of your generic hard working pre-meds.

Actually, I fully agree. It is a lot of, in my opinion, unnecessary fanfare. And I hope more people speak out instead of being acting like sheep so that change may be made. My work asked me if I could do phone interviews, and when I informed them that wasn't an option and I only found 2 places with Sat interviews, I was given the choice to voluntarily leave or be fired...or just not go to my interviews, which obv, after all of this money spent, isn't a choice.

 

[mcloaf]

Actually, I fully agree. It is a lot of, in my opinion, unnecessary fanfare. And I hope more people speak out instead of being acting like sheep so that change may be made. My work asked me if I could do phone interviews, and when I informed them that wasn't an option and I only found 2 places with Sat interviews, I was given the choice to voluntarily leave or be fired...or just not go to my interviews, which obv, after all of this money spent, isn't a choice.

Always nice to get in the obligatory "sheep" jab when not everyone agrees with you.

 

[Dbate]

Actually, I fully agree. It is a lot of, in my opinion, unnecessary fanfare. And I hope more people speak out instead of being acting like sheep so that change may be made. My work asked me if I could do phone interviews, and when I informed them that wasn't an option and I only found 2 places with Sat interviews, I was given the choice to voluntarily leave or be fired...or just not go to my interviews, which obv, after all of this money spent, isn't a choice.

Always nice to get in the obligatory "sheep" jab when not everyone agrees with you.

I totally agree that the whole dog and pony show of attending these interviews is a huge financial hassle that--for all intents and purposes--is unnecessary.

A skype or phone interview should be sufficient.

And getting waitlisted or rejected at a school after wasting all that additional money on a flight is ridiculous.

In alot of ways, I feel that med schools don't care about the financial burden that applicants have to endure. Dropping hundreds of dollars to just apply and then sometimes be rejected within a week of a secondary is inexcusable (UChicago looking at you).

And for schools to only accept 50% of interviewees!?!?! So half the people are just wasting their time. The process should be more considerate of the applicants.

Even with FAP, the process has cost well north of $2000 and I still have three interviews left 🙁

 

[circulus vitios]

i would love to have a job that missing a day or two of work means a loss of $500. with my lowly research position, that would mean missing over a week of work. And I just bought a flight to an interview last night to an interview that cost less than $200 (to Charleston from DC, so not that far), but still -- let's not generalize everything to everyone.
I don't see the point in complaining about it when we all knew that this was how it works when we got into the process.

I've had to miss 3 days for every interview that requires a flight. When I add up lost income, the gas spent driving to/from the airport, airport parking, flight tickets, meals, car rentals or taxis, and hotels, it's $800-1000. Thank god I live with my parents because I couldn't stand losing that much money per month, multiplied by however many interviews I have, while still trying to pay my bills.

Not to mention it's a hassle taking that time off work. My bosses are somewhat understanding, although it's still unpaid time off. I was expecting to be fired and I imagine other bosses aren't as understanding.

 

[14app91]

I think we should keep in mind that, at the end of the day, med school is a privilege and not a right. So if it's that much of a hassle for you, here's a crazy idea: don't apply. In life you have to sacrifice. I'd hate to see how some people here would react if they actually had to sacrifice some sh$t.

 

[BlueLabel]

I've had to miss 3 days for every interview that requires a flight. When I add up lost income, the gas spent driving to/from the airport, airport parking, flight tickets, meals, car rentals or taxis, and hotels, it's $800-1000. Thank god I live with my parents because I couldn't stand losing that much money per month, multiplied by however many interviews I have, while still trying to pay my bills.

Not to mention it's a hassle taking that time off work. My bosses are somewhat understanding, although it's still unpaid time off. I was expecting to be fired and I imagine other bosses aren't as understanding.

You're saying $800-1000 per interview right? I saw on someone's MDApps they've spent nearly $10,000 applying, which is staggering - it wasn't even that many schools. I'm lucky that I live in Texas because I'm not sure how I would have financed an application cycle that expensive.

 

[circulus vitios]

You're saying $800-1000 per interview right? I saw on someone's MDApps they've spent nearly $10,000 applying, which is staggering - it wasn't even that many schools. I'm lucky that I live in Texas because I'm not sure how I would have financed an application cycle that expensive.

$350 lost income from taking off 3 days
$250 plane ticket
$50 gas to drive to/from airport (airport is 3.5 hours away, each way)
$20 parking at airport
$100 for 1.5-2 nights in a hotel
$75 for a cab or $125 to rent a car
$50 for meals and miscellaneous things

🙁

 

[volcomx]

You're saying $800-1000 per interview right? I saw on someone's MDApps they've spent nearly $10,000 applying, which is staggering - it wasn't even that many schools. I'm lucky that I live in Texas because I'm not sure how I would have financed an application cycle that expensive.

I'm easily going to hit 15k. Maybe 20k. Just hoping it's not all for nothing...2 waitlists so far.

 

[Hipocrates]

$350 lost income from taking off 3 days
$250 plane ticket
$50 gas to drive to/from airport (airport is 3.5 hours away, each way)
$20 parking at airport
$100 for 1.5-2 nights in a hotel
$75 for a cab or $125 to rent a car
$50 for meals and miscellaneous things

🙁

Getting accepted to medical school: priceless

 

[BlueLabel]

$350 lost income from taking off 3 days
$250 plane ticket
$50 gas to drive to/from airport (airport is 3.5 hours away, each way)
$20 parking at airport
$100 for 1.5-2 nights in a hotel
$75 for a cab or $125 to rent a car
$50 for meals and miscellaneous things

🙁

Is Paid Time Off not an option in your line of work? That's what I've been using but I'm getting close to having to start taking Leave W/o Pay. Also when possible staying with a student host or friend in the area... Just some ideas. Sorry to hear how much this is costing you.

I'm easily going to hit 15k. Maybe 20k. Just hoping it's not all for nothing...2 waitlists so far.

That's stunning. But I'm sure it will all be worth it looking back years from now. Best of luck to you man.

 

[pre med 2014]

I think we should keep in mind that, at the end of the day, med school is a privilege and not a right. So if it's that much of a hassle for you, here's a crazy idea: don't apply. In life you have to sacrifice. I'd hate to see how some people here would react if they actually had to sacrifice some sh$t.

Don't sound too foolish. Sacrifice is necessary but part of success is being as efficient as possible. There are only 7 days in a week, each week of work is cash flow you can save towards med school and money you don't have to use from loans.

If you are still in college and your parents are paying for plane tickets/hotels for interview and You're missing a 4 hour $9/hour shift at work no problem. But when you're working full time these trips don't make much sense.

 

[Narmerguy]

I think people are starting to forget that you're interviewing for a professional school program, not an online tutoring company. These schools will invest 4, 5, sometimes six years of money and resources into you, and you will basically acquire one of the most prestigious degrees available in this country. Are people seriously complaining because schools want applicants to interview in person? If there were any profession where in person interaction was important, it would certainly be medicine.

I say this as someone who had to apply and do all his interviews while living abroad. No one is entitled to a medical school spot.

 

[solitarius]

I think people are starting to forget that you're interviewing for a professional school program, not an online tutoring company. These schools will invest 4, 5, sometimes six years of money and resources into you, and you will basically acquire one of the most prestigious degrees available in this country. Are people seriously complaining because schools want applicants to interview in person? If there were any profession where in person interaction was important, it would certainly be medicine.

I say this as someone who had to apply and do all his interviews while living abroad. No one is entitled to a medical school spot.

Namerguy,

I think the situation is far more complicated than this.

I can see where there are issues of contention. Some people feel that they interviewed well, but their fate was decided beforehand due to their weaker application. This would cause some to question whether the interview really makes or breaks your application as some claim, or whether it's just another data point. And if it's another data point, it's an expensive hurdle at that. Others question whether the interview process is fair due to random selection of interviewers. And then there's just the uncertainty that many are dealing with about II's and getting accepted. Many would feel more at ease if they were crushing this app cycle like you.

On the other hand, I completely agree with your assessment.

- The schools invest a large amount of their resources and time to interview applicants. So it's obviously important to them. That senior faculty agree to read apps and interview applicants says a lot about how it is important to the school.
- You're going to have to "interview" for anything that is truly desirable and many things less desirable. That includes any job, a nicer job, your spouse/girlfriend, residency, and all Attending positions in the future. The better the gig, the more rigorous the selection process and the odder the interview.
- I think a lot of people aren't used to interviewing at this level. When my friends and I applied to colleges, the ones who went to Ivy League schools or scholarships for prestigious schools had to do interviews. The folks who went to the local state U or community college did not.

I think it's just the frustration with the process, the uncertainty of it, the reality that people may go home empty handed and having invested a lot of money and much of their lives over the past few years is what is drawing out the frustration. Can't expect everyone to be calm and mature when so much emotions are being laid out on the line here.

 

[random1234]

Namerguy,

I think the situation is far more complicated than this.

I can see where there are issues of contention. Some people feel that they interviewed well, but their fate was decided beforehand due to their weaker application. This would cause some to question whether the interview really makes or breaks your application as some claim, or whether it's just another data point. And if it's another data point, it's an expensive hurdle at that. Others question whether the interview process is fair due to random selection of interviewers. And then there's just the uncertainty that many are dealing with about II's and getting accepted. Many would feel more at ease if they were crushing this app cycle like you.

On the other hand, I completely agree with your assessment.

- The schools invest a large amount of their resources and time to interview applicants. So it's obviously important to them. That senior faculty agree to read apps and interview applicants says a lot about how it is important to the school.
- You're going to have to "interview" for anything that is truly desirable and many things less desirable. That includes any job, a nicer job, your spouse/girlfriend, residency, and all Attending positions in the future. The better the gig, the more rigorous the selection process and the odder the interview.
- I think a lot of people aren't used to interviewing at this level. When my friends and I applied to colleges, the ones who went to Ivy League schools or scholarships for prestigious schools had to do interviews. The folks who went to the local state U or community college did not.

I think it's just the frustration with the process, the uncertainty of it, the reality that people may go home empty handed and having invested a lot of money and much of their lives over the past few years is what is drawing out the frustration. Can't expect everyone to be calm and mature when so much emotions are being laid out on the line here.

Thank you. This is a very fair assessment. There are many working physicians in the U.S. whose first interview was a residency interview...I'm not saying we should emulate other countries but fiscally speaking, a conservative approach to interviews (whether by phone, skype, etc) is not necessarily a bad idea. I also know someone who has received many ivy league/top interviews and is simply going to stop going after a certain point because this person has research to do... and MD/PhD interviews are 2 days, plus added travel, is easily half a week spent on the process. Multiply that by 10 and that is a lot of time just for the interview phase of the application!

 

[random1234]

Always nice to get in the obligatory "sheep" jab when not everyone agrees with you.

That's not what I meant at all. If you love interviewing and love spending money going to interviews, more power to you. However, some of us have jobs and other financial obligations and the process has become quite involved and it may not have made a difference to that person's file anyway. Furthermore, many are in a vulnerable state where they are so desperate to get an acceptance that they may be afraid to speak out against the current status quo. So I think some dialogue, even anonymously on an internet board, is good...

 

[mcloaf]

In alot of ways, I feel that med schools don't care about the financial burden that applicants have to endure. Dropping hundreds of dollars to just apply and then sometimes be rejected within a week of a secondary is inexcusable (UChicago looking at you).

And for schools to only accept 50% of interviewees!?!?! So half the people are just wasting their time. The process should be more considerate of the applicants.

I have my own issues with UChicago: they strung me along under "continued' status for like 4 months and then rejected me within a day of me finally sending an update letter. Really? Just reject me in the first place so I don't have to waste my time with you.

That being said, they don't owe anybody anything just because you applied. If they're going to reject you either way it doesn't matter if they do it fast or slow, and TBH I'd rather have it done fast and get it over with. You should be evaluating your own competitiveness for these schools before you apply anyway. If you misjudge or overshoot and get quickly rejected that's not the school's fault at all. What are you hoping for, a pity interview? Then you'd just have to waste more money before getting rejected.

I do agree that schools should try to interview fewer people and accept more of those they interview. My school accepts more than 50% early in the cycle, but there were places I interviewed that only accept like 20-30%, which I think is bull**** if you're flying across the country to get there.

I think people are starting to forget that you're interviewing for a professional school program, not an online tutoring company. These schools will invest 4, 5, sometimes six years of money and resources into you, and you will basically acquire one of the most prestigious degrees available in this country. Are people seriously complaining because schools want applicants to interview in person? If there were any profession where in person interaction was important, it would certainly be medicine.

I say this as someone who had to apply and do all his interviews while living abroad. No one is entitled to a medical school spot.

👍

 

[deleted393595]

I think people are starting to forget that you're interviewing for a professional school program, not an online tutoring company. These schools will invest 4, 5, sometimes six years of money and resources into you, and you will basically acquire one of the most prestigious degrees available in this country. Are people seriously complaining because schools want applicants to interview in person? If there were any profession where in person interaction was important, it would certainly be medicine.

I say this as someone who had to apply and do all his interviews while living abroad. No one is entitled to a medical school spot.

Except for me right?

I mean, my mom told me that when I grew up I could have anything I could ever want.



Btw, be thankful you'll do have to do interviews Wall Street style where you go through multiple rounds of interviews starting with phone screens, get asked technical questions about case studies, and end up having superday interviews for 6-7 hours straight with 30 minute sessions with people at various levels of a firm who are willing to throw cruel mind trick questions at you just to see how well you perform after several hours of fatigue.

 

[Grom]

I have my own issues with UChicago: they strung me along under "continued' status for like 4 months and then rejected me within a day of me finally sending an update letter. Really? Just reject me in the first place so I don't have to waste my time with you.

That being said, they don't owe anybody anything just because you applied. If they're going to reject you either way it doesn't matter if they do it fast or slow, and TBH I'd rather have it done fast and get it over with. You should be evaluating your own competitiveness for these schools before you apply anyway. If you misjudge or overshoot and get quickly rejected that's not the school's fault at all. What are you hoping for, a pity interview? Then you'd just have to waste more money before getting rejected.

I do agree that schools should try to interview fewer people and accept more of those they interview. My school accepts more than 50% early in the cycle, but there were places I interviewed that only accept like 20-30%, which I think is bull**** if you're flying across the country to get there.

It stings if a school rejects you quickly, but I too prefer if they just get it over with than take forever with it, and eventually reject you anyway. If they have an efficient evaluation process, and can update your status really, I say all the better, no matter what the status is.

Except for me right?

I mean, my mom told me that when I grew up I could have anything I could ever want.



Btw, be thankful you'll do have to do interviews Wall Street style where you go through multiple rounds of interviews starting with phone screens, get asked technical questions about case studies, and end up having superday interviews for 6-7 hours straight with 30 minute sessions with people at various levels of a firm who are willing to throw cruel mind trick questions at you just to see how well you perform after several hours of fatigue.

Although it'd probably be better if it wasn't quite so resource and time intensive, I'd actually prefer that kind of thing to med school interviews, the latter of which I feel do a poor job of evaluating anything, and are usually just a wasteful ritual. See how you handle yourself when dealing with technical questions, mind tricks, and fatigue are much more useful.

 

[Leoz M Jiliums]

I think we should keep in mind that, at the end of the day, med school is a privilege and not a right. So if it's that much of a hassle for you, here's a crazy idea: don't apply. In life you have to sacrifice. I'd hate to see how some people here would react if they actually had to sacrifice some sh$t.

Let me just tell my daughter that we have to "sacrifice" dinner for a week so I can get into medical school. Stop being so short sighted.

 

[14app91]

Let me just tell my daughter that we have to "sacrifice" dinner for a week so I can get into medical school. Stop being so short sighted.

You know I think we all knew going into this process that interviews existed. So if you're at the point that your daughter is starving so you can attend a med school interview then I'm sorry buddy but you should've thought ahead, and maybe get your priorities straight. I hope everything works out as well as possible for you, I really do, but don't try and pull that crap.

 

[Starry]

I think there are a big differences between me and my friends who are recruiting big companies.

1) They don't travel much. Many interviews are held on campus. When they do, it's paid for.

2) They hear back within a few days, usually within a couple of weeks. The disparity in efficiency btwn HR depts and med school admissions amazes me. However, I'm also sure med schools have farrrr more applicants.

3) Many of them have 1-5 interviews A WEEK (and do this over a month or two) and also attend all sorts of networking events/info sessions pre-interview. The timesuck is...wow.

4) There are multiple rounds of interviews. Very useful in narrowing down applicants quickly. And they count for a lot. GPA matters only as a threshold. After that, they don't care.

Too many differences.

 

[ZtetNb]

I think we should keep in mind that, at the end of the day, med school is a privilege and not a right. So if it's that much of a hassle for you, here's a crazy idea: don't apply. In life you have to sacrifice. I'd hate to see how some people here would react if they actually had to sacrifice some sh$t.

You know I think we all knew going into this process that interviews existed. So if you're at the point that your daughter is starving so you can attend a med school interview then I'm sorry buddy but you should've thought ahead, and maybe get your priorities straight. I hope everything works out as well as possible for you, I really do, but don't try and pull that crap.

Of course people should be ready to make sacrifices if necessary, but we should also be trying to avoid placing financial barriers in front of people of less affluent backgrounds. Ideally, the "best" candidates should be the ones successful in this process, regardless of the finances available to them.

 

[14app91]

I agree with you. I should've probably made my point clearer haha. I'm not necessarily against Skype interviews and am in no way arguing that changes shouldn't be made. I think we can all agree that the whole process is very expensive and excludes many people from playing on an even playing field. My point was simply that, for now, this is how it is, and I don't think it's as big of an injustice as some people may have made it to be. It's just one we have to deal with. I don't like giving my money away more than anyone else.

 

[Dbate]

I have my own issues with UChicago: they strung me along under "continued' status for like 4 months and then rejected me within a day of me finally sending an update letter. Really? Just reject me in the first place so I don't have to waste my time with you.

That being said, they don't owe anybody anything just because you applied. If they're going to reject you either way it doesn't matter if they do it fast or slow, and TBH I'd rather have it done fast and get it over with. You should be evaluating your own competitiveness for these schools before you apply anyway. If you misjudge or overshoot and get quickly rejected that's not the school's fault at all. What are you hoping for, a pity interview? Then you'd just have to waste more money before getting rejected.

I was actually under review for like a month before I got rejected. But I saw others getting rejected extremely fast, to the point that it was obvious they didn't even read their secondary essays.

And, as far as stats go, these were people who should have been applying to UChicago (if I remember correctly), so you can't just look at stats and say whether you should or shoudn't apply to schools.

Schools SHOULD do you the courtesy of at least reading all your information before rejecting you. Otherwise, what is the point of the secondary application fee.....

 

[Dbate]

I think people are starting to forget that you're interviewing for a professional school program, not an online tutoring company. These schools will take 100K-200K from you, and you will basically acquire one of the most prestigious degrees available in this country. Are people seriously complaining because schools want applicants to interview in person? If there were any profession where in person interaction was important, it would certainly be medicine.

I say this as someone who had to apply and do all his interviews while living abroad. No one is entitled to a medical school spot.

Fixed that for you.

Let's not pretend we're not paying for this "privilege"--which we actually had to work to earn.

So I don't think describing it as a "privilege" is even right. Unless the "privilege" was busting our asses for four years and studying hard for an admissions test.

 

[Dbate]

I think people are starting to forget that you're interviewing for a professional school program, not an online tutoring company. These schools will invest 4, 5, sometimes six years of money and resources into you, and you will basically acquire one of the most prestigious degrees available in this country. Are people seriously complaining because schools want applicants to interview in person? If there were any profession where in person interaction was important, it would certainly be medicine.

I say this as someone who had to apply and do all his interviews while living abroad. No one is entitled to a medical school spot.

And then there's just the uncertainty that many are dealing with about II's and getting accepted. Many would feel more at ease if they were crushing this app cycle like you.
.

Yeah, it's easy to be happy about the admissions process when you're sitting on a ton of interview invites to top schools.

People have a tendency to defend systems that favor them.

 

[Dbate]

Except for me right?

I mean, my mom told me that when I grew up I could have anything I could ever want.



Btw, be thankful you'll do have to do interviews Wall Street style where you go through multiple rounds of interviews starting with phone screens, get asked technical questions about case studies, and end up having superday interviews for 6-7 hours straight with 30 minute sessions with people at various levels of a firm who are willing to throw cruel mind trick questions at you just to see how well you perform after several hours of fatigue.

I went through the interview process for consulting firms.

The difference is that Wall street firms pay for all your travel/flights there and back, pay for your lodging in a hotel, and pay for all your meals the entire time you are there to interview. That is for all applicants regardless of whether or not you are hired.

So when I went to the final round in Dallas with Oliver Wyman, they flew me from CT to TX, put me in a nice hotel, and paid for expensive meals.

I wonder what the acceptance rate would be post-interview, if med schools had to cover all that for all interviewees.

 

[mcloaf]

I went through the interview process for consulting firms.

The difference is that Wall street firms pay for all your travel/flights there and back, pay for your lodging in a hotel, and pay for all your meals the entire time you are there to interview. That is for all applicants regardless of whether or not you are hired.

So when I went to the final round in Dallas with Oliver Wyman, they flew me from CT to TX, put me in a nice hotel, and paid for expensive meals.

I wonder what the acceptance rate would be post-interview, if med schools had to cover all that for all interviewees.

Right, because medical schools should allocate their limited funding in similar ways to wall street firms...

😕

 

[Dbate]

Right, because medical schools should allocate their limited funding in similar ways to wall street firms...

😕

Right, because that was the point of the post....

👎

 

[Leoz M Jiliums]

You know I think we all knew going into this process that interviews existed. So if you're at the point that your daughter is starving so you can attend a med school interview then I'm sorry buddy but you should've thought ahead, and maybe get your priorities straight. I hope everything works out as well as possible for you, I really do, but don't try and pull that crap.

You're right, my example was extreme, but the point I was trying to make is sometimes you don't have a choice of where to spend your money, especially if you don't have much to start with.

 

[darklabel]

I think its a lot more than 10% that bomb their interviews. I remember doing a mock interview with someone on an adcom and he was saying how we are terrible judges of ourselves and he sees quite a few people give just a run of the mill interview when they were really looking for an excellent interview to help them. I've walked out of interviews where the interviewer visibly liked me and others where he just wished me luck. I think conversational is nice and all and you can BS certain stuff, but there was an SDN article I rather enjoyed about how crafting a "story" as to why you should do medicine and what inspired you is important. Just saying how you're interested in primary care but have no personal experience, aside from shadowing with the standard LoR, or engaging reason as to why may not convince the interviewer as much as you'd think. Maybe I'm being naive, but I don't believe that med schools interview people they don't intend on ever accepting.

Look thru an SDN class thread and see the number of 3.8+/30+ people who don't get an interview, get rejected or just never hear from the school again while people with lower stats do. If they really didn't care, why not just interview a bunch of high stats people with mediocre ECs?

 

[GoPelicans]

Got accepted today to the school where I had BY FAR my worst interview (6 currently), but my stats were high for the school. My take away is that for ORM stats will always be king.