The perfect interview - a true story

[MeowMix]

The admissions staff were nice and friendly, the dean came and talked to us for an hour, everyone was absolutely positive, and they made us feel like they were glad that we were considering their school. To top it off, I sat down for the interview and they said, you are a fantastic candidate, we want you to come here, how can we convince you to do so?

Now I know you are thinking, there must be a catch, and there was: this was one of 3 interviews I had this week, and it was the one at a D.O. school. The M.D. interviews were the usual cattle-call (we had 40 applicants at one), treat you like ****, feel like you're lucky we even let you interview here; at one school, my interviewer hadn't bothered to read my file and knew nothing about me.

After this experience I thought, maybe I can go to a school where they actually appreciate their students and treat them well!

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[exmike]

perhaps since you have MD interviews you are a stellar applicant at the DO school, and thus the reason they are enamoured of you.

 

[SarahGM]

My perfect interview was at UNC...

Me: Oh, and did I mention this is my number one choice?

Interviewer #1: Really? Good. Because I'd really like to see you here. You'd be a good match.

Me (inner monologue): Yesssss!

Turns out he also goes to my church (I live near UNC).

My *second* interviewer actually worked in the same lab I work in now, at Duke, several years ago. Small world eh?

 

[Kashue]

Originally posted by MeowMix
The admissions staff were nice and friendly, the dean came and talked to us for an hour, everyone was absolutely positive, and they made us feel like they were glad that we were considering their school. To top it off, I sat down for the interview and they said, you are a fantastic candidate, we want you to come here, how can we convince you to do so?

Now I know you are thinking, there must be a catch, and there was: this was one of 3 interviews I had this week, and it was the one at a D.O. school. The M.D. interviews were the usual cattle-call (we had 40 applicants at one), treat you like ****, feel like you're lucky we even let you interview here; at one school, my interviewer hadn't bothered to read my file and knew nothing about me.

After this experience I thought, maybe I can go to a school where they actually appreciate their students and treat them well!

Same thing happened to me at one of the schools.

Currently, waitlisted there.

 

[idq1i]

Originally posted by Kashue
Same thing happened to me at one of the schools.

Currently, waitlisted there.

Same here. All my self-assessed "great interviews led to rejection/waitlists.

 

[LaurieB]

I had an incredible interview at UIC. In fact, I couldn't have chosen a better interview panel myself. I never would have expected this from the largest med program in the country, especially a state school where I'm out of state. Just goes to show that you can't really stereotype schools.

 

[exmike]

I think there is a consensus amongst many of us here that how well you feel an interview is inversely proportional to your chances of getting in.. *sigh*

 

[calcrew14]

I have had only three interviews so far, all pleasant. The only one MD interviewer was so nice. He fragrantly ignored my bad MCAT score to kid that if it wasn't for the C+ in Orgo, my GPA could have been 4.0. I felt so good that I spent all the $10 meal allowance at McDonald across the street. There were two other interviewees who didn't feel as lucky as I was. The interviewer really pressed them hard about their low MCAT scores. I was so elated until they told me that they were in-state applicants. More power to them.

All interviewers at two DO schools didn't seem to mind my all MD background and LOR at all. No single question about OD-MD nonsenses was asked! Not even "why DO?" Every question was appropriate. The real things are very much more pro than any pre here. I was so happy that I took home the only tuna sandwitch left from one school. Yum yum! That may be the reason why I haven't heard from that school yet. Some more sandwitch next year?

Wondering if most adcoms at other places knew how to offer interviews though!

 

[Harps]

Originally posted by exmike
I think there is a consensus amongst many of us here that how well you feel an interview is inversely proportional to your chances of getting in.. *sigh*

Exactly exmike. I've closely followed this strange phenomenon on SDN and seems to hold true.

-Harps

 

[LaurieB]

I got into UIC, but maybe I'm just an outlier.

PS I'm a WA resident so there had to be something in my favor to get in out of state.

 

[DannGee]

in my (limited) experience, its been easier telling how unstructured interviews REALLY went than structured ones, because i think it's a lot easier to tell what the interviewer might be thinking, based on the kinds of question's he/she asks, etc. in some structured interviews, interviewers are instructed to limit the amount of verbal and non-verbal feedback they give interviewees.

 

[Megalofyia]

Originally posted by exmike
I think there is a consensus amongst many of us here that how well you feel an interview is inversely proportional to your chances of getting in.. *sigh*

Well... I guess there is hope for me yet. I am still waiting to hear from 3 schools post interview. Two of the interviews I thought went pretty well and one of the interviews was absolutly horrible - illegal questions and all. Hopefully that might mean 2 rejections but the all important 1 acceptance.

 

[Kashue]

Originally posted by Harps
Exactly exmike. I've closely followed this strange phenomenon on SDN and seems to hold true.

-Harps

This is what I've found true, well for me anyway:

Bad Interview = waitlist
ok interview = acceptance
Good interview = acceptance
AWESOME INTERVIEW = waitlist

I feel like I fit in the bell curve somehow.

 

[exmike]

For me...

Awesome interview: 1 accept 2 waitlist

Good Interview: 2 accept, 1 waitlist

Poor interview: 1 accept, 1 waitlist

Bombed interview: 1 accept

It appears that for me my chances of acceptance are even across the spectrum of interviews, but the likelihood of a waitlist increases with how well I *felt* the interview went!

IT MAKES NO SENSE!! DIE ADMISSIONS PROCESS DIE!

 

[idq1i]

Originally posted by exmike
IT MAKES NO SENSE!! DIE ADMISSIONS PROCESS DIE!

Remember this quote when you are checking SDN a year from now, as an MS

 

[NYCheartlMD]

Originally posted by MeowMix
The admissions staff were nice and friendly, the dean came and talked to us for an hour, everyone was absolutely positive, and they made us feel like they were glad that we were considering their school. To top it off, I sat down for the interview and they said, you are a fantastic candidate, we want you to come here, how can we convince you to do so?

Now I know you are thinking, there must be a catch, and there was: this was one of 3 interviews I had this week, and it was the one at a D.O. school. The M.D. interviews were the usual cattle-call (we had 40 applicants at one), treat you like ****, feel like you're lucky we even let you interview here; at one school, my interviewer hadn't bothered to read my file and knew nothing about me.

After this experience I thought, maybe I can go to a school where they actually appreciate their students and treat them well!

was that NJ???