**I thought it might be a bit unprofessional to specify which school did what, so have a little fun with this guessing game. The options:
U of Nevada, Reno
U of Utah
U of Washington
Penn State
and
Oregon Health and Science U
U of Utah
U of Washington
Penn State
and
Oregon Health and Science U
Here comes the fun...
1) The fateful F*ck word. Maybe it's just me, but for some reason I grew up with the idea that saying the eff word in an interview is frowned upon. Apparently this interviewer and practicing OB/GYN didn't get the memo, because one of the questions she asked me went like this...
"So, tell me about a time that you really f*cked up."
5) Going braless? It's hot. What didn't go wrong at this interview? If you follow my blog, you already know this little tale and the school to boot so I'll just spit it out. The U of Washington has a contract with Idaho residents so my interview was hosted in Boise, Idaho. Being 4.5 hours away, I decided to road trip it. Things got off to a rocky start when I realized that I had left my interview shoes in SLC the weekend before. Luckily after a quick trip to the mall I found some new black stilettos, unfortunately in my frenzy to get on the road I also forgot another important item of clothing... a bra. You know the ending, I picked one up, and made it to my interview with the twins in check.A little disconcerting right? Maybe she was testing the waters to see if I was a flaming Utah conservative...
p.s. I got a little too comfortable after that and let a cuss word slip at my student interview (I believe I used the term "pain in the ass..."). Needless to say, it didn't go over well. Apparently profanity wasn't university policy...
2) Crazy Lady... You'd think that a school would be a little more selective with who they allow to conduct interviews seeing as the interviewers themselves are a reflection of the University. My first interviewer at this school was, to put it delicately, a bit senile. The interview was hosted in her office which looked like a room off of TLC's new show 'Hoarders.' This giggly, absent minded old girl clearly had not read my file. Thus we spent the greater part of my interview with her reminiscing on completing her PhD at Yale 50 years prior and laughingly confessing that she didn't know much about the neurobiology she was expected to teach in her physiology lectures. All this was communicated between intermittent toothy cackles and knee slaps. Perhaps not the most professional interview, but fun regardless.
3) Getting Grilled... Overall this interview went relatively smooth minus the fact that I got GRILLED. Every school has their own interview style. Some are more personal, a simple get to know you and make sure you're not a social retard, others bombard you with ethical role-plays, and still others test you by pushing you to defend yourself and your application. This school followed the last criterion...
4) Cry Baby! While the interviews at this school were probably the most professional and organized of my five, there were a few mishaps. My major faux pas? Water works... In all actuality my tears probably conveyed a certain sense of passion for what I was speaking about and perhaps even made me seem more human, but it wasn't exactly something I planned on doing in an interview and it was something I stressed about having done after it was over.
p.s. I got a little too comfortable after that and let a cuss word slip at my student interview (I believe I used the term "pain in the ass..."). Needless to say, it didn't go over well. Apparently profanity wasn't university policy...
2) Crazy Lady... You'd think that a school would be a little more selective with who they allow to conduct interviews seeing as the interviewers themselves are a reflection of the University. My first interviewer at this school was, to put it delicately, a bit senile. The interview was hosted in her office which looked like a room off of TLC's new show 'Hoarders.' This giggly, absent minded old girl clearly had not read my file. Thus we spent the greater part of my interview with her reminiscing on completing her PhD at Yale 50 years prior and laughingly confessing that she didn't know much about the neurobiology she was expected to teach in her physiology lectures. All this was communicated between intermittent toothy cackles and knee slaps. Perhaps not the most professional interview, but fun regardless.
(**Also fun to note I ripped my nylons before this interview... just peachy.**)
3) Getting Grilled... Overall this interview went relatively smooth minus the fact that I got GRILLED. Every school has their own interview style. Some are more personal, a simple get to know you and make sure you're not a social retard, others bombard you with ethical role-plays, and still others test you by pushing you to defend yourself and your application. This school followed the last criterion...
-"Utah State isn't Harvard or Stanford, how do you think you can compete with other students?"
-"You're young for our school, how do you think your (limited) life experience qualifies you to be prepared for med school?"
-"What's the weakest part of your application?" ...Clinical experience... "I agree."
-"What's the weakest part of your application?" ...Clinical experience... "I agree."
This interview was emotionally exhausting. It may have been with one of the #1 ranked schools in the nation, but I knew I didn't want to attend there which made it hard not to say 'No Thanks' when things started heating up in my interview.
4) Cry Baby! While the interviews at this school were probably the most professional and organized of my five, there were a few mishaps. My major faux pas? Water works... In all actuality my tears probably conveyed a certain sense of passion for what I was speaking about and perhaps even made me seem more human, but it wasn't exactly something I planned on doing in an interview and it was something I stressed about having done after it was over.
**5 interviews over the span of 5 months.**
A few stories, a lot of travel, even more stress, and a little fun. An application process that started with primaries in June, MCAT in July, secondaries in October, interviews from November to April, months of waiting, and lots of pain. Maybe I'm a masochist... But hey, I got accepted.
Still feel like applying to med school?
A few stories, a lot of travel, even more stress, and a little fun. An application process that started with primaries in June, MCAT in July, secondaries in October, interviews from November to April, months of waiting, and lots of pain. Maybe I'm a masochist... But hey, I got accepted.
Still feel like applying to med school?
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