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anybody feel they had a poor interview but still was accepted..or thought they did terrible.
anybody feel they had a poor interview but still was accepted..
- Thread starter theDr.
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I completely fumbled through my Ohio State interview. It my first one and I froze on so many questions. It was really obvious I was not only nervous, but ill-prepared to answer his questions (though I had spent much time practicing).
I got in the the first day possible.
I also had a horrible interview at MCO (check out the "most awkward interview moment" thread) and I got in.
I got listed at GW/Tulane/Wake, all schools where I felt I had great interviews.
I think its hard for us to judge from our side how well our interviews went. We also don't know how important the interview is in respect to our specific applicants before committee. I think you should just relax and see what happens, after all, there isnt much you can do now.
I got in the the first day possible.
I also had a horrible interview at MCO (check out the "most awkward interview moment" thread) and I got in.
I got listed at GW/Tulane/Wake, all schools where I felt I had great interviews.
I think its hard for us to judge from our side how well our interviews went. We also don't know how important the interview is in respect to our specific applicants before committee. I think you should just relax and see what happens, after all, there isnt much you can do now.
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Well I for one thought I had a bad interview last month during my first interview. I arrived 30mins late to start and I was being interviewed by the Dean of Admissions herself...what a nightmare it all was...I completely lost hope for receiving any acceptance from her.
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well i thought my faculty one at MSU wasnt that great....
but i got in so sweet.
the davis one i had on wed was AWESOME!!!
damn i feel like it went so well, that i feel an acceptance coming next month via email of course haha.
i hope i dont get listed...
but i got in so sweet.
the davis one i had on wed was AWESOME!!!
damn i feel like it went so well, that i feel an acceptance coming next month via email of course haha.
i hope i dont get listed...
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A few comments:
1. It's hard to know how the interviewer thinks of you. He/she can be smiling the whole time but thinks that you suck. He/she can be serious and confrontational but actually likes you.
2. I think at most school, the interview is just one part of your app. And your whole app is looked at before a decision is made.
3. You're not the only one who is nervous or felt screwed up in interview, that happens to other interviewees as well
1. It's hard to know how the interviewer thinks of you. He/she can be smiling the whole time but thinks that you suck. He/she can be serious and confrontational but actually likes you.
2. I think at most school, the interview is just one part of your app. And your whole app is looked at before a decision is made.
3. You're not the only one who is nervous or felt screwed up in interview, that happens to other interviewees as well
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I had a group interview that didnt go so well, but I got in on the first day possible so I guess it worked out OK.
I agree that interviews are only a part of the whole application, and that as long as you arent arrogant or completely and absolutely inarticulate, its no biggie.
I agree that interviews are only a part of the whole application, and that as long as you arent arrogant or completely and absolutely inarticulate, its no biggie.
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Last year, my faculty interviewer at UCLA started out the interview with:
"Why would UCLA EVER accept you? don't you know we're one of the best medical schools in the world?" And it just went downhill from there. He managed to bash my mom (she's in public health), my undergrad (Brown) and the other medical schools I had already been accepted to.
I was so disheartened that I wrote a letter to the director of admissions saying basically, I know that I won't get in now, but do you really want this guy interviewing? She called me and we talked briefly about the interview and imagine my surprise when I was accepted a week later. I almost felt like sending my interviewer my admissions letter with a big F**K OFF written on it. Definetly turned me off from UCLA.
Just goes to show that you never know 1. what your interviewer really thought of you and 2. how much the interview plays into the process. just remember, it's not over till classes start in the fall.
--PittMed2007--
"Why would UCLA EVER accept you? don't you know we're one of the best medical schools in the world?" And it just went downhill from there. He managed to bash my mom (she's in public health), my undergrad (Brown) and the other medical schools I had already been accepted to.
I was so disheartened that I wrote a letter to the director of admissions saying basically, I know that I won't get in now, but do you really want this guy interviewing? She called me and we talked briefly about the interview and imagine my surprise when I was accepted a week later. I almost felt like sending my interviewer my admissions letter with a big F**K OFF written on it. Definetly turned me off from UCLA.
Just goes to show that you never know 1. what your interviewer really thought of you and 2. how much the interview plays into the process. just remember, it's not over till classes start in the fall.
--PittMed2007--
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I thought my hardest interview was at one of my state schools. I had been on about 6-7 interviews before I interviewed at my other state school, and kinda slacked on the preparation. I proceeded to get grilled about hypotheticals and "what would you do" questions--which I never had gotten in other interviews. I think what sorta saved me in that interview was my Economics background, so I could show this dude that I could think about the realistic choices doctors/management face, versus the ideal save-everyone-at-all-cost choice. But even when I said something, he would basically repeat what I said in a different manner as to his "view", and made me sound like I said something else! It was kinda frustrating... I was reduced to just nodding and agreeing at that point.
Anyway it's really important to me for tuition reasons to get accepted to my state school so I have some choices, so I wrote a letter of interest when I got back home..... 2 weeks later the dean called and said I was in!
Anyway it's really important to me for tuition reasons to get accepted to my state school so I have some choices, so I wrote a letter of interest when I got back home..... 2 weeks later the dean called and said I was in!
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I thought my SLU interview went pretty badly. The interviewer sat behind his laptop typing the whole time I was talking. All I could see were his eyes peering over the laptop screen from time to time. The questions weren't tough (typical run-of-the-mill "why medicine?," "tell me about your family," etc), but my interviewer seemed so detached and uninterested in what I was saying. And his facial expression didn't change either. It made me really nervous, and my mouth started to get dry and my palms started to sweat. And absolutely no feedback. But despite what I felt, I received an acceptance letter 10/20.
On the flipside, at UMiami's interview, I thought I was eloquent, confident, comfortable...the way you hope an interview will go. My interviewer told me I was perfect for the school and that I was exactly what they were looking for, etc...but I got the waitlist letter, rather than the anticipated acceptance. I don't get it.
On the flipside, at UMiami's interview, I thought I was eloquent, confident, comfortable...the way you hope an interview will go. My interviewer told me I was perfect for the school and that I was exactly what they were looking for, etc...but I got the waitlist letter, rather than the anticipated acceptance. I don't get it.
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This happened to me twice in my interview experience. There were other places where I thought I interviewed well and ended up with a waitlist or rejection.
Now that I'm a student interviewer I feel like I have pretty good perspective on why this is. When I get an applicant in front of me who I absolutely love, has tons of ECs, etc, I go after them to see if I can find some inconsistencies or problems in their app. These applicants may think I'm being hard on them and they may even fumble their words or not give the best responses. That's alright, as long as you're consistant with your app and there's no red flags, it's not an issue.
I may come down harder on some applicants as opposed to others just due to pure random chance. I don't think it affects their scores as looking back, as whenever I think I've given the applicant the hardest time I tend to have given them the highest score. I'm not sure why this is, though I have a few theories in my head.
Reagrdless of all this, at most schools the interviews are the least important part of your application. They do the interviews to confirm what's in your application and to make sure that you aren't a psycho/tool/jerk. Unless you get some seriously negative mark on your review sheet, the decision is made from all the other factors. At Penn we review all applicants on a scale of 1 (best) - 6 (worst), and we write about a half page of comments about the itnerview. 90 - 95% of the applicants will score a 1 - 3 from both faculty and students. The admissions committee isn't really going to care about those sorts of differences. It's only a half hour. How do you know who's having the best vs. the worst half hour of conversation in their life?
You can say also that student interviews matter the least. I'm not sure that I agree. For one thing, the administration here denies it--they claim that both interviews are typically equally meaningless. The second reason I think this is because I've seen the reviews that faculty interviewers write and I can say with certainty that there are both good and bad faculty interviewers. Just because you're higher in your career, doesn't mean you make a better interviewer than someone who's just starting medical school.
I hope this sheds some light on the process for some of you. About the botched UCLA interview, it happens, and it happens everywhere simply because tools exist at every school and you can't really screen them out a priori. I don't think any medical school wants applicants to have bad interview experiences, as the school really wants the students they accept to come to their school. Most interviews include time for the faculty/student to take questions and try to sell their school. I bet that person who give the awful interview is no longer an interviewer.
Now that I'm a student interviewer I feel like I have pretty good perspective on why this is. When I get an applicant in front of me who I absolutely love, has tons of ECs, etc, I go after them to see if I can find some inconsistencies or problems in their app. These applicants may think I'm being hard on them and they may even fumble their words or not give the best responses. That's alright, as long as you're consistant with your app and there's no red flags, it's not an issue.
I may come down harder on some applicants as opposed to others just due to pure random chance. I don't think it affects their scores as looking back, as whenever I think I've given the applicant the hardest time I tend to have given them the highest score. I'm not sure why this is, though I have a few theories in my head.
Reagrdless of all this, at most schools the interviews are the least important part of your application. They do the interviews to confirm what's in your application and to make sure that you aren't a psycho/tool/jerk. Unless you get some seriously negative mark on your review sheet, the decision is made from all the other factors. At Penn we review all applicants on a scale of 1 (best) - 6 (worst), and we write about a half page of comments about the itnerview. 90 - 95% of the applicants will score a 1 - 3 from both faculty and students. The admissions committee isn't really going to care about those sorts of differences. It's only a half hour. How do you know who's having the best vs. the worst half hour of conversation in their life?
You can say also that student interviews matter the least. I'm not sure that I agree. For one thing, the administration here denies it--they claim that both interviews are typically equally meaningless. The second reason I think this is because I've seen the reviews that faculty interviewers write and I can say with certainty that there are both good and bad faculty interviewers. Just because you're higher in your career, doesn't mean you make a better interviewer than someone who's just starting medical school.
I hope this sheds some light on the process for some of you. About the botched UCLA interview, it happens, and it happens everywhere simply because tools exist at every school and you can't really screen them out a priori. I don't think any medical school wants applicants to have bad interview experiences, as the school really wants the students they accept to come to their school. Most interviews include time for the faculty/student to take questions and try to sell their school. I bet that person who give the awful interview is no longer an interviewer.
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i do think for some of the rolling schools, the interview process is important.
i know at one school they basically told us that we are there because there are slots for us, however if we blow the interview then basically forget about it. somewhat pressuring but at least we know that we are interviewing for reasons other than for the school to see if we are crazy. we can actually pretty much control our "destiny."
i know at one school they basically told us that we are there because there are slots for us, however if we blow the interview then basically forget about it. somewhat pressuring but at least we know that we are interviewing for reasons other than for the school to see if we are crazy. we can actually pretty much control our "destiny."
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At my first interview, when the interviewer asked me, "What is the biggest problem facing medicine today?" I was like "uuuuh, um, mumbawah, well, uuuh..." I got in anyway (I think he really liked the rest of my application), and afterwards I came up with a coherent argument about universal healthcare... which no one in any interview since has asked me about.
The Dean of Admissions at Tufts had a really interesting take on interviews. He said that soemtimes and interviewer just knows that they really like an applicant, they're perfect for the school, etc. After 5 minutes or so, they don't need to talk to the prospective student any more, but the students aren't satisfied with that, they are expecting a 30 min interview, so the interviewer has two choices: (1) the Camp Minihaha option, which basically entails finding something you two have in common (you both went to camp minihaha, you both think puppies are cute, whatever) and talking about things you have in common for the rest of the interview time, and everyone leaves happy, or (2) to play around with the applicant, like a fish on a fishing line, trying (as Neuronix mentioned) to find inconsistencies in their application, or just pushing buttons - they know they like you, but they want to have a little fun with you to kill the time. I thought his speech was pretty funny anyway.
The Dean of Admissions at Tufts had a really interesting take on interviews. He said that soemtimes and interviewer just knows that they really like an applicant, they're perfect for the school, etc. After 5 minutes or so, they don't need to talk to the prospective student any more, but the students aren't satisfied with that, they are expecting a 30 min interview, so the interviewer has two choices: (1) the Camp Minihaha option, which basically entails finding something you two have in common (you both went to camp minihaha, you both think puppies are cute, whatever) and talking about things you have in common for the rest of the interview time, and everyone leaves happy, or (2) to play around with the applicant, like a fish on a fishing line, trying (as Neuronix mentioned) to find inconsistencies in their application, or just pushing buttons - they know they like you, but they want to have a little fun with you to kill the time. I thought his speech was pretty funny anyway.
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At my SUNY Upstate interview, I was asked the dreaded question, "How would you fix the health care system?"
I had this interview after acceptances to two other schools, so I was able to calmly answer, "If I know the answer, I won't be sitting here in this room!" And my interviewer was like, "You made a good point!"
Sometimes it's not so much what you say, but how you present yourself, that matters. Don't feel pressured to give a brilliant answer to each question (Well unless you already got published three times in Science or won an olympic gold, or was a candidate for the Nobel Prize).
I had this interview after acceptances to two other schools, so I was able to calmly answer, "If I know the answer, I won't be sitting here in this room!" And my interviewer was like, "You made a good point!"
Sometimes it's not so much what you say, but how you present yourself, that matters. Don't feel pressured to give a brilliant answer to each question (Well unless you already got published three times in Science or won an olympic gold, or was a candidate for the Nobel Prize).
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At Einstein, my interviewer said, "You know, I'm not that impressed by your file." ... likewise, I was put off after that. Half of me wanted to melt into the floor, the other half wanted to slug the interviewer across the jaw. Ah well, time will only tell if the adcom likes me or not.
TF
... likewise, I was put off after that. Half of me wanted to melt into the floor, the other half wanted to slug the interviewer across the jaw. Ah well, time will only tell if the adcom likes me or not.TF
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Originally posted by TheFlash
At Einstein, my interviewer said, "You know, I'm not that impressed by your file."
TF
One response would be, "Obviously you do not know greatness when you see it" with a smile.
A better response would be, "Hopefully after this interview, you'll feel differently" with a smile.
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Yeah, in retrospect, those would have been great responses, Alexander. At my interview, I just said, "That's not what my friends tell me." It's strange, since only at Einstein did I have a continually antagonistic interview. He questioned not only my qualifications, but also my background, my parents' background, and my future aptness as a doc. I hope that he was just being a jerk on purpose to try and "break" me, because it would really suck to go to school with a guy like that as one of my professors.
TF
It's strange, since only at Einstein did I have a continually antagonistic interview. He questioned not only my qualifications, but also my background, my parents' background, and my future aptness as a doc. I hope that he was just being a jerk on purpose to try and "break" me, because it would really suck to go to school with a guy like that as one of my professors.TF
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Originally posted by TheFlash
Yeah, in retrospect, those would have been great responses, Alexander. At my interview, I just said, "That's not what my friends tell me."
TF
He sounds like an obvious griller. The key to doing well in the griller interview is identifying it as such from the start. Basically any obviously discouraging comment or a sequence of ridiculously hard questions should raise a flag. Once you know it's a pressure interview, just relax in the knowledge that it's all a game. I'm glad I applied to Einstein (which seems to have a reputation for those type of interviewers) and am looking forward to having at least one of those type of interviews. It should be fun.
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I love this thread.
I feel like I had the crappiest interview ever at UMD. My interviewer was so weird. The interview began like this:
Me: Hi, Dr. Cicci, it's pleasure to meet you.
Dr: [deadpan look]
So, I started off the interview a little uncomfortable. She started asking about what classes I was taking, etc. I explained that I was a post-bac and had finished my coursework last semester. I told her I was a French major, graduated 4 yrs ago, and had been working full time. I explained I decided to pursue medicine two yrs ago and started doing all the science coures.
Dr.: Are you glad that you took the time off?
Me: [thinking: what the hell does she mean by 'taking time off' - this would imply that I was on the med track all along]: Yes [described what I was doing and what I had gained, then explained again that this was a new path for me
Dr: So, when do you graduate?
Me: [explain again that I graduated five years ago]
Dr: Who's your best friend?
Me: My mom is my best friend
Dr: That's it? You don't have friends?!
Anyway, interview went on and I talked about the homeless children I tutor.
Dr: So, do the kids you tutor go to public school?
Me: [slight chuckle] Well, they don't go to private school
I think I really offended her by chuckling...I was just getting sick of the redundant questions. I really hope that I haven't messed everything up for myself!!!
Please keep the bad interview stories going...It's making me feel much better!!
I feel like I had the crappiest interview ever at UMD. My interviewer was so weird. The interview began like this:
Me: Hi, Dr. Cicci, it's pleasure to meet you.
Dr: [deadpan look]
So, I started off the interview a little uncomfortable. She started asking about what classes I was taking, etc. I explained that I was a post-bac and had finished my coursework last semester. I told her I was a French major, graduated 4 yrs ago, and had been working full time. I explained I decided to pursue medicine two yrs ago and started doing all the science coures.
Dr.: Are you glad that you took the time off?
Me: [thinking: what the hell does she mean by 'taking time off' - this would imply that I was on the med track all along]: Yes [described what I was doing and what I had gained, then explained again that this was a new path for me
Dr: So, when do you graduate?
Me: [explain again that I graduated five years ago]
Dr: Who's your best friend?
Me: My mom is my best friend
Dr: That's it? You don't have friends?!
Anyway, interview went on and I talked about the homeless children I tutor.
Dr: So, do the kids you tutor go to public school?
Me: [slight chuckle] Well, they don't go to private school
I think I really offended her by chuckling...I was just getting sick of the redundant questions. I really hope that I haven't messed everything up for myself!!!
Please keep the bad interview stories going...It's making me feel much better!!
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i thought my northwestern interview was pretty much my most craptastic one (gawd i couldn't stop repeating myself! ) and i ended up getting in there.
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Here's a bad interview experience i had which i had put in a separate thread:
I just had my interview at UNC a couple of days ago. It turned out to be a complete shock; everyone i had talked to who had interviewed at unc told me it was stress free and laid back. My interviewer completely screwed me up. i mean, as i walk in the first question he asks is " Do you believe there is politics that goes in science and research" ? i had no clue what he was expecting me to say; then he goes on and starts asking me about why galileo was persecuted by society, and if i believed there are still people like that in society today. Then he turns the whole discussion about cloning and asks me how we should stop other countries' govt from allowing reproductive cloning. This goes on, he kept asking me these kinds of questions for about 3/4th of the interview, when he gets some sense and decides to ask some questions about my research. Oh, and did i mention he asks me why i want to be a doctor; i gave my usual answer about my childhood experiences and later added i want to interact with people and also learn and apply my knowldge about human body. He replies " how is this different from being an anatomy teacher?" ....wtf? I mean i gave answer to every single question w/o getting too excited...but this was just exhausting.. he ends the interview by saying " i hope things work out for you"... yeah right!
Anyone else had similar experiences anywhere? I can see interviewers asking a few ethical questions; but not a series of them lasting the entire interview...
'
I haven't heard from them yet...so I don't know what will happen; but its my top choice so I am so praying...
chintu
I just had my interview at UNC a couple of days ago. It turned out to be a complete shock; everyone i had talked to who had interviewed at unc told me it was stress free and laid back. My interviewer completely screwed me up. i mean, as i walk in the first question he asks is " Do you believe there is politics that goes in science and research" ? i had no clue what he was expecting me to say; then he goes on and starts asking me about why galileo was persecuted by society, and if i believed there are still people like that in society today. Then he turns the whole discussion about cloning and asks me how we should stop other countries' govt from allowing reproductive cloning. This goes on, he kept asking me these kinds of questions for about 3/4th of the interview, when he gets some sense and decides to ask some questions about my research. Oh, and did i mention he asks me why i want to be a doctor; i gave my usual answer about my childhood experiences and later added i want to interact with people and also learn and apply my knowldge about human body. He replies " how is this different from being an anatomy teacher?" ....wtf? I mean i gave answer to every single question w/o getting too excited...but this was just exhausting.. he ends the interview by saying " i hope things work out for you"... yeah right!
Anyone else had similar experiences anywhere? I can see interviewers asking a few ethical questions; but not a series of them lasting the entire interview...
'
I haven't heard from them yet...so I don't know what will happen; but its my top choice so I am so praying...
chintu
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It's interesting that Einstein has a reputation for pressure interviews, because I had a completely different experience there: My interviewer was an hour late for the interview (I sat with his secretary in his office), and then when he did show up, we walked around outside and through the hospital while he interviewed me, and he even walked me to catch my bus! The interview was really conversational and enjoyable....I don't know whether I just got lucky with this interviewer, or whether the waiting was supposed to stress me out. Either way, I'll be waiting anxiously for my letter this week!
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