Disclaimer: If you happen to be reading this AND you're a med school at which I've interviewed (and you may or may not even know who you are), I love you, I loved your interview day, this is all hypothetical, please admit me. And stop reading. Now. I'm serious. You should already have closed this window. Unless you're not a medical school, and then you may continue to read, but I make no guarantees that you won't have regretted wasting your time later.
The scariest thing to me about the interview process isn't so much the interviews themselves, as the way in which the interview day is scheduled. Or for that matter, the way it isn't scheduled. So far, every school that I've visited has done a good job of keeping the interviewees occupied, without making us feel overwhelmed. I'm beginning to get the sense, though, that some schools do not place as great a priority on that. But I may just have a personal bias.
Here's the way that I would think all schools would run their interview days, if at all possible:
First, while I understand why they start the interview day at 8am (okay, so I don't actually, but if I had to guess it would be to see how we handle ourselves at times of day when classes normally occur), I'd love to start an hour later.
Second, interviews should happen at the same time, and in the same place. I understand that physicians and med school students are busy. However, I've also experienced interview days where everyone was in the same place for all of their interviews. The interviewers set aside their entire day just to take care of interviews! I'm a fan.
Third... okay, there isn't really a third. Those first two take care of all of my big interview issues. Actually, forget about the first one, and focus on the second. And maybe add to that how nice it would be if schools provided coffee and granola bars or something similar in the morning for breakfast. I know, I know, it would cost them so much extra to do that, and they should just be spending that money on our education instead, but whatever. I like coffee. If that means they have to give me a plain manila envelope instead of a fancy school-decorated one, I think they should go for it. And maybe pre-printed name tags. They should feel free to use "Hello my name is..." labels, too. I just wouldn't count on my being able to remember how to spell my own name, let alone write it, when I'm sitting there trying to remember how to speak English.
That's all for today. No, wait. Okay, yes. I just had a brilliant thought that hopefully I can write about later. It involves airlines (Alex, remember, write about airlines).
I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there...
Primary applications: 16
Instant rejections: 1
Secondary applications: 15
Post-secondary rejections (i.e. without an interview) to date: 2
Interview invitations to date: 5
Interviews completed to date: 3
Post-interview rejections to date: 0
Acceptances to date: 0
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Interviewing in the Rain
If you've been reading/watching/absorbing-via-some-kind-of-strange-osmosis the news lately, you'll already be aware that the weather has been anything but bright and sunny in California this past week. Not only not-bright-nor-sunny, but with the added bonus of flooding. The kind of flooding that led the LA Times to refer to several freeways as car pools (hah!). The kind of flooding that shuts down several southland freeways, but fortunately did not affect my travel plans. At least did not affect them in a couldn't-get-places way. But did, instead, make it take more than twice the time it should have taken. This happens when people refuse to drive over 30 miles per hour. Which is probably for the best, all things considered, because driving is kind of scary when the rain is falling so hard that the car which was previously 50 feet ahead of you suddenly disappears in the deluge. This is also the kind of flooding that delays shuttle buses and leaves folks (i.e. me) standing in the rain getting steadily soaked. The interviews were good, though! At least, the parts where I wasn't focused on how the lower 2/3 of my legs were completely soaked. Or the way that my wet socks and shoes tore my feet into blistery messes. Pretty picture, right? It didn't occur to me until I got home that, having been at a hospital, I should have asked for a band-aid or two. Of course, now I'm home, and I still haven't done anything about it.
I'd just like to go ahead and throw a generalization out there about interviews: at least in my experience, just knowing what it is that I've written about in my application tends to be good enough. Sure, the interviewers occasionally throw some crazy questions, but I've found that just telling the truth, while certainly a lot less entertaining than telling outrageous stories about knights and dragons and slaying the o-chem monster, is a lot easier and usually succeeds in conveying whatever point I was trying to make. Of course, if your interviewer opens with a line about dungeons and dragons, by all means, tell some stories!
Anyway. That's my posting for the day. Yes, it wasn't much about interviewing. No, none of the interviewing actually occurred in the rain, per se. And maybe I mostly just talked about how the rain did nothing to improve my week. But you'll live. Somehow.
Where it's at --
Primary applications: 16
Instant rejections: 1
Secondary applications: 15
Post-secondary rejections (i.e. without an interview) to date: 2
Interview invitations to date: 4
Interviews completed to date: 3
Post-interview rejections to date: 0
Acceptances to date: 0
I'd just like to go ahead and throw a generalization out there about interviews: at least in my experience, just knowing what it is that I've written about in my application tends to be good enough. Sure, the interviewers occasionally throw some crazy questions, but I've found that just telling the truth, while certainly a lot less entertaining than telling outrageous stories about knights and dragons and slaying the o-chem monster, is a lot easier and usually succeeds in conveying whatever point I was trying to make. Of course, if your interviewer opens with a line about dungeons and dragons, by all means, tell some stories!
Anyway. That's my posting for the day. Yes, it wasn't much about interviewing. No, none of the interviewing actually occurred in the rain, per se. And maybe I mostly just talked about how the rain did nothing to improve my week. But you'll live. Somehow.
Where it's at --
Primary applications: 16
Instant rejections: 1
Secondary applications: 15
Post-secondary rejections (i.e. without an interview) to date: 2
Interview invitations to date: 4
Interviews completed to date: 3
Post-interview rejections to date: 0
Acceptances to date: 0
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Story Thus Far
So it occurs to me that anyone who was waiting for updates has been waiting for an awfully long time. And that's because so far, I haven't actually said any of the things that I was supposed to. The truth of the matter is that I'm actually not sure what it is that would be safe to share without endangering my chances of getting into any of the schools to which I applied. And I'm not even sure whom I should ask!
Anyway, that means what I'm going to say right now is intentionally vague, and you'll just have to forgive me for it.
First, the application process was unnecessarily painful. In this, I can point a finger at almost every single school to which I applied. The initial application, the one that is sent out to every school, is quite thorough. And it gives a chance to write a personal statement, as well as to explain a little bit about all of the important activities of the last five years. So why, then, do schools want me to list my activities again? Everyone says that one shouldn't repeat anything from the primary application in the secondary applications, but come on! What am I supposed to do? "Well, let's see, I've already talked about volunteering at hospitals... I know! I'll tell them about this new hair product I'm using! Surely they'll think my grooming habits are worth noting." I don't think so. Of course, maybe there's someone out there who has been writing about things like hair products, and they're probably the ones getting into schools.
Ah yes. Getting into schools. Hasn't happened for me, yet. Though I have gone on two interviews! Interview days, it seems to me, are more of a chance for the school to try to impress you, and see whether or not you smell bad and can keep smiling in a room full of other anxious wanna-be-students. I make no guarantee about how I smell, but smiling? That, I've got down. Most of my interviews so far have felt like discussions about... well, about something I know pretty well: me. So far, no one has thrown any curve balls, either. Or if they have, I've been blithely ignorant of them, and that would explain the lack of acceptance letters. Not that there have been many rejection letters, either. But yes, some. I'm not going to list which schools, because on the off chance that someone from an admissions office reads this (hi there! I want to go to your school!), I don't want to give them the upper hand. Except for UNLV. UNLV I can tell you all about. They rejected me. In fact, I'd be willing to guess that any other California resident who applied there also got rejected. As did any resident of any state in the mid west or on the east coast. That's because they only consider Nevada residents and residents of their catchment states, i.e. neighboring states without many med school options. California has med school options. I should know, I applied to nearly all of them.
This brings me to something... well, disturbing, I guess. Many people have already taken out loans for med school. Or at least, for med school applications. That's because in order to really be sure that you have a chance at getting in SOMEWHERE, one has to apply all over the place. For every school added to one's primary application, there's a fee. And then for every secondary application one submits, there's another fee. And then to get to interviews, if they are indeed offered, one has to pay for flights, and typically transportation from the airport, as well as a hotel room. I think, so far, only one school has cost, in terms of all of these expenses, greater than $500, but that's no laughing matter! Unless one finds it funny to already be in debt before med school has even begun. And maybe I do. A little bit.
So why am I writing again, you ask? Because I have another interview on Thursday. And right now I'm trying to find things to do to keep myself entertained instead of packing. Fortunately, I don't have to leave until tomorrow afternoon. However, if it turns out that my suit is all wrinkled when I finally get around to looking at it this evening, I'm going to be a bit annoyed. And by annoyed, I mean run around like a chicken with my head off. To any vegetarian or vegan readers who found that imagery distasteful, I apologize, it's what I've got.
If you'd like to keep track with me, here's the score:
Primary applications: 16
Instant rejections: 1
Secondary applications: 15
Post-secondary rejections (i.e. without an interview) to date: 2
Interview invitations to date: 4
Interviews completed to date: 2
Post-interview rejections to date: 0
Acceptances to date: 0
I'll update this as they happen. And then you can read more if you want.
Or not. =o)
Anyway, that means what I'm going to say right now is intentionally vague, and you'll just have to forgive me for it.
First, the application process was unnecessarily painful. In this, I can point a finger at almost every single school to which I applied. The initial application, the one that is sent out to every school, is quite thorough. And it gives a chance to write a personal statement, as well as to explain a little bit about all of the important activities of the last five years. So why, then, do schools want me to list my activities again? Everyone says that one shouldn't repeat anything from the primary application in the secondary applications, but come on! What am I supposed to do? "Well, let's see, I've already talked about volunteering at hospitals... I know! I'll tell them about this new hair product I'm using! Surely they'll think my grooming habits are worth noting." I don't think so. Of course, maybe there's someone out there who has been writing about things like hair products, and they're probably the ones getting into schools.
Ah yes. Getting into schools. Hasn't happened for me, yet. Though I have gone on two interviews! Interview days, it seems to me, are more of a chance for the school to try to impress you, and see whether or not you smell bad and can keep smiling in a room full of other anxious wanna-be-students. I make no guarantee about how I smell, but smiling? That, I've got down. Most of my interviews so far have felt like discussions about... well, about something I know pretty well: me. So far, no one has thrown any curve balls, either. Or if they have, I've been blithely ignorant of them, and that would explain the lack of acceptance letters. Not that there have been many rejection letters, either. But yes, some. I'm not going to list which schools, because on the off chance that someone from an admissions office reads this (hi there! I want to go to your school!), I don't want to give them the upper hand. Except for UNLV. UNLV I can tell you all about. They rejected me. In fact, I'd be willing to guess that any other California resident who applied there also got rejected. As did any resident of any state in the mid west or on the east coast. That's because they only consider Nevada residents and residents of their catchment states, i.e. neighboring states without many med school options. California has med school options. I should know, I applied to nearly all of them.
This brings me to something... well, disturbing, I guess. Many people have already taken out loans for med school. Or at least, for med school applications. That's because in order to really be sure that you have a chance at getting in SOMEWHERE, one has to apply all over the place. For every school added to one's primary application, there's a fee. And then for every secondary application one submits, there's another fee. And then to get to interviews, if they are indeed offered, one has to pay for flights, and typically transportation from the airport, as well as a hotel room. I think, so far, only one school has cost, in terms of all of these expenses, greater than $500, but that's no laughing matter! Unless one finds it funny to already be in debt before med school has even begun. And maybe I do. A little bit.
So why am I writing again, you ask? Because I have another interview on Thursday. And right now I'm trying to find things to do to keep myself entertained instead of packing. Fortunately, I don't have to leave until tomorrow afternoon. However, if it turns out that my suit is all wrinkled when I finally get around to looking at it this evening, I'm going to be a bit annoyed. And by annoyed, I mean run around like a chicken with my head off. To any vegetarian or vegan readers who found that imagery distasteful, I apologize, it's what I've got.
If you'd like to keep track with me, here's the score:
Primary applications: 16
Instant rejections: 1
Secondary applications: 15
Post-secondary rejections (i.e. without an interview) to date: 2
Interview invitations to date: 4
Interviews completed to date: 2
Post-interview rejections to date: 0
Acceptances to date: 0
I'll update this as they happen. And then you can read more if you want.
Or not. =o)
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