just had my interview...

[dmband]

i had my interview this weekend and i don't know what to think about it.
my interview would have only lasted about 25-30 minutes if it weren't for me asking questions afterwards and the fact he liked to talk alot.
the interviewer only asked me 6 questions. 3 specific to my application, like grades and mcat, and then about how i was going to pay for tuition, an abortion case scenario, and then "why medicine". I just thought it was strangely short.
what's your take on this, anyone???
thanks.

[dmband]

oh, and that 25-30 minutes was including my 10 minute essay...

[JforJimmy]

Don't worry about it too much. From what I've heard, most interviews don't last that long. As for whether the interviewer was interested in you or not, I think different people just have different styles. As long as you have decent scores, I think you have a really good chance. The only thing you can do now is be patient. GL man; we've all been there.

[HocusPocus]

what do they want you to write an essay on?

[vaneleus]

If my interviewer and I would have stuck on topic, mine would have been roughly the same length. It ended up taking about an hour and a half, but it was mostly talking about the island, residency and other stuff...really just a conversation.

I'm with you though, on not knowing what to think about it. I'm in wait and see mode, which kinda sucks. I'm really hoping that I am one of those that finds out within a month...but we shall see.

[Ishie1013]

My interview was kind of long, but mostly because my interviewer was talking about the island like I was going on Fear Factor. I don't think he liked it there. I got asked a few questions, and I asked a lot of questions, but otherwise, I think it would have been very short and a lot of people have said their interviews were very short.

I'm not sure how other interviews felt to people, but until the end of my interview, I was pretty certain the interviewer *hated* me. I was getting some mixed signals (his body language and tone seemed like I was really setting him off, but he also said some things like "when you're on the island"... but in the end, he said (out of the blue) that I'd done well, and I got in.

I think a lot of them may just get kind of a feel for you, make sure there's no glaring discrepencies with your application or warning signals while clarifying weak points more to show how you resolve conflict (like saying you had a bad chem grade because your prof hated you would be a minus), and that doesn't really take a lot of time. Other than the classic questions (how are you going to pay, why do you want to be a doctor, how would you adapt to life on an island), I don't think a lot of them feel they need much more data than that.

[Brewdizawgs]

I get the impression that the interview is mostly to get a feel for you as a person. You can't necessarily tell how a person is going to deal with life on the island from a paper application. How well you're able to adjust here is a big factor in how well you're going to do in your classes. I also think they are taking a look at how you articulate yourself when you don't have the ability to reread and edit your statements.

They only have a few questions that they're required to ask, so having a short interview might not mean it went badly. Mine went longer because my interviewer and I had similar interests in medicine so we basically had a conversation about current issues. Other than that, we finished with all the questions he wanted to ask me in 10-15 minutes.

[dmband]

well, all of your comments make me feel a little better.
I got mixed signals during the interview too, but he also said stuff like "when your on the island" and told me what to try to not get on the grand anse campus and stuff... i guess i'll just have to wait....
by the way, when did ur interviewers tell you you would hear a response?
i just got a call from ross telling me i was accepted.
i was thinking about calling sgu with the news to see if they could speed up the decision making process because the deposit is due in 2 weeks.
i heard other people did this and got an acceptance like a week later.
any thoughts?

[stephew]

a couple of things.
1) dont worry if it was short.
2) Ishie, your interview can NOT say that you are in. its not his decision to make. He's probably just telling you he saw you favorably but he doesnt make the decision.
3) people often overanalyze these things. remember these are busy doctors with the same human personality quirks as you have. They dont have some magic trick they're trying to pull on you. Just go there and be sane.
4) finally your interviewer can't say when you'll get a responce. its dependent upon the committee meeting and if even then the decision may not be finalized.

My interview was kind of long, but mostly because my interviewer was talking about the island like I was going on Fear Factor. I don't think he liked it there. I got asked a few questions, and I asked a lot of questions, but otherwise, I think it would have been very short and a lot of people have said their interviews were very short.

I'm not sure how other interviews felt to people, but until the end of my interview, I was pretty certain the interviewer *hated* me. I was getting some mixed signals (his body language and tone seemed like I was really setting him off, but he also said some things like "when you're on the island"... but in the end, he said (out of the blue) that I'd done well, and I got in.

I think a lot of them may just get kind of a feel for you, make sure there's no glaring discrepencies with your application or warning signals while clarifying weak points more to show how you resolve conflict (like saying you had a bad chem grade because your prof hated you would be a minus), and that doesn't really take a lot of time. Other than the classic questions (how are you going to pay, why do you want to be a doctor, how would you adapt to life on an island), I don't think a lot of them feel they need much more data than that.

[Andrew21]

i just got a call from ross telling me i was accepted.
i was thinking about calling sgu with the news to see if they could speed up the decision making process because the deposit is due in 2 weeks.
i heard other people did this and got an acceptance like a week later.
any thoughts?

YES. Call them. I did the same thing after getting word from AUC. SGU knows you have to send a deposit, and they would like to be the ones who receive it. It defintiely helped to speed up my post-interview process. I had to fax my letter of acceptance along with proof of deposit deadlines. Call on monday!!!

Andy

[dmband]

YES. Call them. I did the same thing after getting word from AUC. SGU knows you have to send a deposit, and they would like to be the ones who receive it. It defintiely helped to speed up my post-interview process. I had to fax my letter of acceptance along with proof of deposit deadlines. Call on monday!!!

Andy

how soon did you hear from sgu after you faxed them your acceptance letter and stuff??

[Andrew21]

I don't remember exactly, but it was definitely before my deposit was due at auc. Seriously, they know the drill. I think quite a few people who apply to SGU have also applied to Ross, AUC, SMU, etc.

andy

[dmband]

I don't remember exactly, but it was definitely before my deposit was due at auc. Seriously, they know the drill. I think quite a few people who apply to SGU have also applied to Ross, AUC, SMU, etc.

andy


well, thanks for your help. i'm gonna call them here in a few minutes.

rich

[cavalletti]

i had my interview this weekend and i don't know what to think about it.
my interview would have only lasted about 25-30 minutes if it weren't for me asking questions afterwards and the fact he liked to talk alot.
the interviewer only asked me 6 questions. 3 specific to my application, like grades and mcat, and then about how i was going to pay for tuition, an abortion case scenario, and then "why medicine". I just thought it was strangely short.
what's your take on this, anyone???
thanks.

dmband...you mentioned that your interviewer asked you about an abortion scenario. Is there a right answer to that question? By that I mean, would a hospital not give an applicant a residency if they were anti-abortion? What was your interviewer hoping to hear? As a Christian I believe that abortion is wrong. Could a doctor refuse to do an abortion?

[rokshana]

dmband...you mentioned that your interviewer asked you about an abortion scenario. Is there a right answer to that question? By that I mean, would a hospital not give an applicant a residency if they were anti-abortion? What was your interviewer hoping to hear? As a Christian I believe that abortion is wrong. Could a doctor refuse to do an abortion?

i don't think there are any right or wrong answers per se, but there are particular things that they may be looking for when they ask a question like that. For example, I have a friend who used to do interveiws when he was a medical student and they used an abortion (or sometimes birth control) scenario- he said the big thing he looked for was that the interveiwee mentioned something about sexually transmitted diseases and prevention of SDIs. Other sometime look to see how you justify your point and how strong you hold to your conviction and don't let the interviewer change your mind.
as for refusing to do an abortion- you can refuse to take on a patient in your practice or refer the patient to another physician that could help them(not necessarily in getting an abortion, but someone who could do it if the patient decides that is what she wants). Most physicians aren't trained to do abortions so the issue is probably one about referral.

[Ishie1013]

2) Ishie, your interview can NOT say that you are in. its not his decision to make. He's probably just telling you he saw you favorably but he doesnt make the decision.

Oh, I know. I phrased it wrong. I more said that I thought he hated me, but at the end of the interview, he said I'd done well. Later, I got in. I probably didn't state that clearly as separate events. I know the interviewer can't guarantee anything, but if the interviewer doesn't like you at all, and/or, having interviewed multiple candidates, feels you aren't a good candidate and won't get in based on either the stuff on your application or things revealed during the interview, I imagine that wouldn't be great for your app? When the interviewer is saying stuff like "when you're on the island" though, it indicated to me that he was more optimistic about my chances versus saying stuff like "You know... St. Martin has great coffee shops".

[RussianJoo]

yeah my interview was about 30min as well and I got in. I kind of liked that it was short, no time for B.S. we just got to the point did what we had to do and left... to be honest I wish my interview took longer, my interviewer was HOT, even though she was 8 month pregnant.

[dmband]

dmband...you mentioned that your interviewer asked you about an abortion scenario. Is there a right answer to that question? By that I mean, would a hospital not give an applicant a residency if they were anti-abortion? What was your interviewer hoping to hear? As a Christian I believe that abortion is wrong. Could a doctor refuse to do an abortion?

yeah, i don't think there is a wrong answer. i told him that i was against abortion but would tell the patient she was free to go to another doctor if she really wanted an abortion. he then asked me if i would stick to my decision if she was raped instead of just accidently becoming pregnant. i figured he was seeing if i would be pressured into changing my mind, but i stuck to my guns... we'll see in about a week or so how did i guess....

[RussianJoo]

DMB you answered that question correctly.. in third term we learn all this sort of stuff, about rights and wrongs and ethics and what not.. and basically you can refuse treating a patient but the correct thing to do would be to refer them to someone who would give them what they wanted.

[dmband]

DMB you answered that question correctly.. in third term we learn all this sort of stuff, about rights and wrongs and ethics and what not.. and basically you can refuse treating a patient but the correct thing to do would be to refer them to someone who would give them what they wanted.

thanks... that's reassuring to hear. i just hope i get in now.

[cavalletti]

thanks... that's reassuring to hear. i just hope i get in now.


Good luck dmband!

[dmband]

Good luck dmband!

thanks cavalletti... i'm so nervous and anxious now. i should be hearing from them by the end of the week hopefully....