writing pad in interview, etiquette or not?

[shawty ya'head]

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it is proper to bring a writing pad with you into an interview so you can write things down while the interviewer is telling you stuff.

also, you can have your questions written down and make sure they are all remembered and answered.

good idea or am i going to get laughed at or talked about?

 

[BGGA]

I would say save the pad for the informational session that you will likely get at some point during the day, don't use it during the actual interview.

 

[Brain]

I took one in. It came in handy when an interviewer recommended a book for me to read. However, I wouldn't recommend writing questions on it and referring to it, just think it might look bad.

 

[Law2Doc]

it is proper to bring a writing pad with you into an interview so you can write things down while the interviewer is telling you stuff.

also, you can have your questions written down and make sure they are all remembered and answered.

good idea or am i going to get laughed at or talked about?

You can carry anything businesslike into the room with you, but it is certainly bad form to take notes or refer to notes during the interview. I keep a note pad inside a leather bound folder and use it to jot down names of interviewers and things we discussed (for use in thank u notes and future correspondence) AFTER I leave the interview room, but would never dream of opening it up during the meeting.
I agree with the prior poster who indicated that it is fine to take notes during the information session, financial aid discussions and the like (and I suppose even the tour) should you so desire. But I would think that for other than keeping track of names, your head should really be adequate information storage.

 

[monopolova]

Sorry. This sounds way over the top. Just relax and listen intently to what your interviewer has to say (if anything; some just let you ramble on). Interviewers aren't going to tell you anything remotely so important that you'd have to physically record it before leaving the interview. Although you are simply trying to cover all your bases, which is admirable, I suggest you go into your interview with empty hands and an open mind. Besides, I think it would be better to be looking at your interviewer's face rather than your pad.

Best of luck!!!

 

[beep]

i had a group interview at one school where we were asked to take 10 minutes to come up with a ranked list, working together. i was the only one who'd brought paper, and boy was i glad i had. it made the project much easier.

i don't think anyone should spend an interview writing, but having the means just makes you more prepared. and, of course, more prepared = more likely to do well = more likely to get in.

 

[wisteria318]

i wouldn't recommend taking notes during the interview unless they're telling you something specific you need to remember. a med school admissions committee member at an info session i attended (with university of maryland, george washington university and johns hopkins) said it's fine to have a list of questions.

 

[UCLAstudent]

Paper is good for things like the financial aid session and for writing down contact information for anyone you meet during the day. However, I wouldn't use it during the actual interview.

 

[stoic]

I took a leather folio that had some paper in it. It was really useful during the info talks (financial aid, etc). I hadn't planned on using it during the actual interview, but I turned out needed to write down some contact information for a project one of the interviews was interested in. So it was nice to have the paper handy.

I'd say take some paper, don't plan on using it during your interview BUT have it available.

Oh yea, and don't write questions down. That's lame.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

i wish this was a poll

i would have voted for :laughed at and talked about

hun memorize your 3 questions, you dont want to look like u made a project to grill the poor interviewer. although if you did it insistingly and voraciously i would pay to see the vidwo clip "shawty grills medical interviewer: interviewer stumped, figity, rejected."

 

[shawty ya'head]

hahaha, that headline would be money on the onion


but see, my memory is so weak. i'm very primitive in though. i see food, i think, man, i'm hungry. and i have a lot of trouble holding back or not verbalizing what i think. people think i have a mild case of teret's..

so i was thinkin' of writing down my questions, but i might have to spend some time memorizing.

 

[liverotcod]

I took my briefcase with me, and had the school's admission folder handy - sometimes I used something from it to illustrate a question. Also a notebook. It was useful in almost every interview for taking notes on the responses to my questions - I didn't have the questions written down, but they were important questions, and typically led to writing down someone's name, or a student organization to look into. In most cases, I asked things like "What kind of resources does your school make available to older students with children?"

I don't see how it would be inappropriate. They're trying to get to know you, so if you are the type that takes and uses written notes, that's how you should present yourself. Taking a medical history (something we'll all be doing quite a bit of, eh?) is a note-taking procedure. Why not show that you are already oriented to having a notebook handy?

Another point - I expect my employees to always have handy something to write on when they come see me, so they can write down my instructions and I don't have to repeat myself.

 

[Law2Doc]

I took my briefcase with me, and had the school's admission folder handy - sometimes I used something from it to illustrate a question. Also a notebook. It was useful in almost every interview for taking notes on the responses to my questions - I didn't have the questions written down, but they were important questions, and typically led to writing down someone's name, or a student organization to look into. In most cases, I asked things like "What kind of resources does your school make available to older students with children?"

I don't see how it would be inappropriate. They're trying to get to know you, so if you are the type that takes and uses written notes, that's how you should present yourself. Taking a medical history (something we'll all be doing quite a bit of, eh?) is a note-taking procedure. Why not show that you are already oriented to having a notebook handy?

Another point - I expect my employees to always have handy something to write on when they come see me, so they can write down my instructions and I don't have to repeat myself.

Perhaps in your case you pulled it off. However I'm afraid I disagree with your post. The best interviews are always those where the dynamic is that of a friendly conversation. The interviewee needs simply to be bright, enthusiastic and inquisitive. It really throws off a conversation if someone is taking or referring to notes. Try having a conversation with a friend and take or ask questions from notes and see how it works out. And the importance of maintaining eye contact shouldn't be underemphasized - this is something that will fall short if you are looking at notes.
Finally, I don't think taking a medical history, or being an employee is a comparable situation (and you certainly don't want to replicate the informality and detachment of a doctor patient, or employee-employer relationship).

 

[liverotcod]

Perhaps in your case you pulled it off. However I'm afraid I disagree with your post. The best interviews are always those where the dynamic is that of a friendly conversation. The interviewee needs simply to be bright, enthusiastic and inquisitive. It really throws off a conversation if someone is taking or referring to notes. Try having a conversation with a friend and take or ask questions from notes and see how it works out. And the importance of maintaining eye contact shouldn't be underemphasized - this is something that will fall short if you are looking at notes.
Finally, I don't think taking a medical history, or being an employee is a comparable situation (and you certainly don't want to replicate the informality and detachment of a doctor patient, or employee-employer relationship).

I'm not suggesting reading off of notes when asking questions or otherwise using the notepad except in the specific instance of 1) getting a response to a question, and 2) showing interest in the response by writing it down. I actually would needed to ask for pen and paper at the end of practically every interview, because it would have been disrespectful to have my question answered and then not take a note on the response. I don't think the interviewer would have believed that I was going to remember the exact spelling of a name I was supposed to email, or other specific details like that.

Obviously, taking a history is a different situation. But showing that you write down important things is valuable. The similarity to history-taking is that in both cases you have been told something important that you choose not to entrust to memory alone - you write it down.

Edited to add: I guess I really meant that a notepad is handy during the portion of the interview where you get to be the interviewer, and ask the questions. If you don't have questions that require specific answers (but you should) then there would be no call for it.

 

[Law2Doc]

I'm not suggesting reading off of notes when asking questions or otherwise using the notepad except in the specific instance of 1) getting a response to a question, and 2) showing interest in the response by writing it down. I actually would needed to ask for pen and paper at the end of practically every interview, because it would have been disrespectful to have my question answered and then not take a note on the response. I don't think the interviewer would have believed that I was going to remember the exact spelling of a name I was supposed to email, or other specific details like that.

Obviously, taking a history is a different situation. But showing that you write down important things is valuable. The similarity to history-taking is that in both cases you have been told something important that you choose not to entrust to memory alone - you write it down.

Okay, but I think it would be the exceptional case -- eg. if they told you someone's email address or contact info to follow up with -- where I would break the stream of conversation to jot something down. This really didn't occur in my interviews. In all other cases I still think taking notes is a mistake.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

I took my briefcase with me, and had the school's admission folder handy - sometimes I used something from it to illustrate a question. Also a notebook. It was useful in almost every interview for taking notes on the responses to my questions - I didn't have the questions written down, but they were important questions, and typically led to writing down someone's name, or a student organization to look into. In most cases, I asked things like "What kind of resources does your school make available to older students with children?"

I don't see how it would be inappropriate. They're trying to get to know you, so if you are the type that takes and uses written notes, that's how you should present yourself. Taking a medical history (something we'll all be doing quite a bit of, eh?) is a note-taking procedure. Why not show that you are already oriented to having a notebook handy?

Another point - I expect my employees to always have handy something to write on when they come see me, so they can write down my instructions and I don't have to repeat myself.

It is so my goal to be a interviewer someday
..id ask you “ is there a nade’ or a sammywich in there sonny?” all while poking ur ribs and laughing maliciously!
What can you do? You have to humor me and put on a good front bwauahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaa

 

[aar239]

well..just recently on my NYU interview I had my questions written down on a pad and my interviewer said that she was impressed that I wrote my questions down. She said that it showed I had done some research and was really interested in the school. I don't see whats wrong with having a pad during the interview. I've written down my questions and answers that I've gotten at every interview I've been to and I've been accepted to every school i've intervied at so far. Just remember to still listen to the interviewer and look at them when they're talking.

 

[drguy22]

well..just recently on my NYU interview I had my questions written down on a pad and my interviewer said that she was impressed that I wrote my questions down. She said that it showed I had done some research and was really interested in the school. I don't see whats wrong with having a pad during the interview. I've written down my questions and answers that I've gotten at every interview I've been to and I've been accepted to every school i've intervied at so far. Just remember to still listen to the interviewer and look at them when they're talking.

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