I think this list could be VERY useful because I’m learning (the HARD way) that things I may have said in my 20’s, can have a very different “flavor” when your 35+.
1) I have many years of volunteer experience".
I think this statement draws attention to how old I am. I think a better statement is " I have a substatinated commitment to volunteering and serving in my community.
2) I’ve had successes and failures in my life and preservered.
I’ve preservered through challenges in my life.
3) I feel I can compete with my younger collegues.
I’m as capable as any other applicant.
Anyone care to add anything?
I wear a size 36 white coat.
Pardon me, but do you have a spare pair of depends? I think I have soiled mine.
LOL! Just kidding…
For all applicants, you should take care in how phrase things so as to emphasize your attributes and de-emphasize your shortcomings. However, when you do so, be sure to choose your wording such that you still appear natural and as “yourself”. Too careful a selection process has the danger of coming across as plastic and scripted. That will not help you either.
Honestly, if this thread is going to end up being a joke, why not just move it to the humor section?
I think it’s a pretty serious consideration, and I’m starting to realize that as a nontrad issues that apply to “all applicants”, exclude folks over 40. Just as issues that apply to female applicants (such as being asked when you plan to have children) don’t apply to male applicants. Or maybe because not many people over 40 pursue med school there’s little info on the “rules”?
Remember. In an interview your job is to confirm to the adcoms that you belong there. They already believe this because they called you in. Now it is up to you to seal the deal.
- Do not say “I don’t have any questions.” If you say this, then you have not properly prepared.
- Do not focus on past errors unless the interviewer brings it up and if they do, DO NOT make excuses. Own up to it and tell them that you learned from your mistakes and move on.
- Keep the interview focused on the here and the now. What have you been doing while doing your pre-reqs.
- Do not talk negatively about your younger counterparts. They will be your classmates.
- DO NOT TALK ABOUT ANOTHER PROGRAM
- DO NOT TALK ABOUT ANOTHER PROGRAM
- DO NOT TALK ABOUT ANOTHER PROGRAM
I was at an interview and the entire day, we were with students and the admissions director. That entire day one of the interviewees was talking about another school. Well if you talk about another program then the adcoms will believe that you do not want to go to their school and then think that you lied on the application regarding the question “why do you want to come here?”
There are no hard and fast rules for non trads because you will not be judged differently than traditional students. Whatever rules guide them will guide you. However, you really should be able to properly answer 2 questions:
- Why do you want to go to medical school?
- Why did you leave your career to go to medical school and why now?
- gabelerman Said:
There are no hard and fast rules for non trads because you will not be judged differently than traditional students. Whatever rules guide them will guide you.
GREAT reminders on what to do and what not to do because it's real easy to forget these things if you've been out of the "gotta prove myself/interview loop" for a while.
With that said, I'm going to have to disagree slightly with the quoted statement and say that I think it depends on the nontrads background. What I'm hearing is "you've got X number of years of experience doing research successfully, why not just get a PhD"? I say this is unique to nontrads because to have 10+ years of research experience you have to be a non trad, got me? In other words, it's hard to imagine a 22 year old with 1 year of research being told to just get a PhD off the bat because I don't think you get a real flavor of what research really is with just one year under your belt.
I also think as a supernontrad you have far more the prove than the traditional student for the very reason that you often are changing careers and that the older you are the harder it is for peole to comprehend in their own minds why you want to change. Furthermore, as a supernontrad your often dealing with people in your age group, which I'm finding adds an extra level of complexity to the situation.
I simply think it's prudent to know which "buzz" words to avoid during interviews.
Wow, an incredibly important question and one I’ve been asking myself lately, eventhough I’m years out from being at that place. I was wondering what you feel/think about that whole “getting better with age” thing? I was thinking that, sort of like that Just For Men commericial “my hair says energy AND experience”, how would that sort of ‘experience’ thing play with an AdCom? Here’s how I’ve sorta been imagining it: “I think my age and previous career lend themselves to meeting the burgeoning needs in the medical community: I’m bi-(soon to be tri-)lingual, being a teacher has given me a fantastic bedside manner as well as being a team player, I’ve a history of proven success both academically and professionally, I have patience that the 20somethings can’t even begin to guess at AND I’m just as competent and capable as they are. So that’s why I am the best candidate for [this] med school program.” What do you think? My only real concern is the idea, ‘so why didn’t you stay a teacher? And what on earth made you go from teaching to med school?’ That’s what I really want to ferret out.
- In reply to:
I'm bi-(soon to be tri-)lingual, being a teacher has given me a fantastic bedside manner as well as being a team player, I've a history of proven success both academically and professionally
Sounds great to me. Promise me that you won't bring up the competition in the interview and what they lack. One, they may not lack it. Two, it takes a lot of self confidence to not bring up others shortcomings. I know you have the confidence! Let's be honest, all of you who post on here appear to be brilliant with a fantastic background. You will want to emphasize your abilities along with qualities most find honorable in human beings. A level of humility (of course you have to do some horn tooting)patience, and IMHO kindness. I just can't wait to see where you all go...it's going to be very inspiring.
P.S. I want to present myself as ‘well-rounded’ with a broad basis of experience that has come not through this intern program or that school organization, but through life. How does that angle sound?
I would like to add for a great interview:
Don’t be afraid to pause after a question and take a moment to collect your thoughts.
Really listen to the question and answer THAT question. Many people speak too quickly and don’t digest the question. Or they DO NOT answer the question at all. Can you imagine?!
Heavens no! My original posting were just first thoughts. I’ve learned a few things in both education and in business, never talk smack about others, no matter who those ‘others’ are. And I’ve learned that one the hard way! So during an interview I’ve experienced that it sort of sets a default to tooting ones own horn. But again, how does one take a fundamental weakness and turn it into a strength? How does one make ‘following a dream’ sound not so flaky? Like I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up?
- cocogoldsmith Said:
........I've a history of proven success both academically and professionally, I have patience that the 20somethings can't even begin to guess at AND I'm just as competent and capable as they are.
I really, really, really hope this thread offers some good insight to folks and so far I think it's off to a GREAT start.
I'm personally going to avoid any and all comparisons to 20 somethings because honestly, I don't think it's a game we can win. They can practice longer, are usually in better health which are ideas that adcoms have indirectly said to me and of course I think that's a bunch of crap. But they are the ones making the decisions, so you gotta do the dance if you want in.
- cocogoldsmith Said:
How does one make 'following a dream' sound not so flaky? Like I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up?
Yep, I've received the "you don't appear to be focused" response from an adcom or too. The thing is, I WAS pretty all over there, up until 5 years ago, hence the 13 transcripts (which I blame on untreated ADD, but I keep that to myself, LOL!)
My response to appearing to not know what I want to do when I grow up or being unfocused because I always KNOW this one is coming, is to bring the interview up to the present by talking about my consistency over the past 5 years and back that up with specific focused RECENT examples.
And Kimberly, the tip about pausing first before speaking is priceless!
Perhaps my thoughts are more appropriate for the spouse forum, but I believe it also addresses the issue of pitfalls during interviews.
It’s been explained to me that adcoms cannot approach the subject of spouses/family unless the applicant opens the door to the topic. I know that adcoms still may want to hear “my spouse is completely on board with this” or similar statements. Advice coming my way has been mixed in terms of “start the conversation” vs “avoid the conversation.”
Any thoughts?
- pathdr2b Said:
- cocogoldsmith Said:
........I've a history of proven success both academically and professionally, I have patience that the 20somethings can't even begin to guess at AND I'm just as competent and capable as they are.
which are ideas that adcoms have indirectly said to me
OH MY GOD! ARE YOU SERIOUS!?! Sorry I'm yelling (not at you), but that's not only a bunch of crap as you say, but is totally contrary to the evidence. Kids these days are so fat that now Target is going to start carrying Juniors fashions in Plus sizes- they say it's a multi-billion dollar untapped market. Are you kidding me!?! There's something else going on if they intimated this- age discrimination, plain and simple.
- cocogoldsmith Said:
OH MY GOD! ARE YOU SERIOUS!?! Sorry I'm yelling (not at you), but that's not only a bunch of crap as you say, but is totally contrary to the evidence. Kids these days are so fat that now Target is going to start carrying Juniors fashions in Plus sizes- they say it's a multi-billion dollar untapped market. Are you kidding me!?! There's something else going on if they intimated this- age discrimination, plain and simple.
I know, right?
I definitely think there's age discrimination out there and that I've been affected by it. But I'm just gonna keep pressing on!!!
- ditchdoc Said:
Advice coming my way has been mixed in terms of "start the conversation" vs "avoid the conversation."
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
I avoid the conversation about spouses and I also don't bring up my child. The way I see it, I have enough to explain so I don't want to add any more doubt than necessary.
- pathdr2b Said:
- ditchdoc Said:
Advice coming my way has been mixed in terms of "start the conversation" vs "avoid the conversation."
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
I avoid the conversation about spouses and I also don't bring up my child. The way I see it, I have enough to explain so I don't want to add any more doubt than necessary.
Good point. I'm in the same boat.
Hey–I probably made every mistake in the book on my interviews. Interviews are not my strong suit and I learned as I went along how to present myself better, but had some doozies along the way. In the end, I really had learned something because I attribute my Columbia admission off the wait-list entirely to my second interview with the dean, which was an hour and fifteen minutes of really intense conversation. He basically told me at the end that I had a spot if he had one, which he didn’t at the time, but ended up calling me a few weeks later with one. (Best day of my life.)
What I learned:
–Listen attentively
–Breathe, relax
–Wear something that you feel really yourself in, if possible (make the suit your own somehow)
–If you have kids: if they don’t bring it up in the interview (which they probably will), bring it up yourself in the “Do you have any questions for me” part. What I would say was something like, “Several of my other interviewers have expressed concerns about how I will balance family responsibilities with medical school. How have students with families here managed in your experience?” This opens the door to a frank conversation, which acknowledges the difficulty of the task but also keeps at the forefront of the discussion the fact that you are not the first person to be in this situation, and others have made it work.
- starmoon Said:
What I would say was something like, "Several of my other interviewers have expressed concerns about how I will balance family responsibilities with medical school. How have students with families here managed in your experience?" This opens the door to a frank conversation, which acknowledges the difficulty of the task but also keeps at the forefront of the discussion the fact that you are not the first person to be in this situation, and others have made it work.
That's a GREAT comeback!! Of course, it would be just my luck to have the interviewer say "well, we did have that one student who had to withdraw due to family issues". And I think here's where doing your research on not just the school but the students as well could come in handy. It would be nice to be able to comeback with "I hadn't heard about that, but I talked to X (who has a family) and they gave me some good feedback on making it all work!
Positive spin is going to be my new name!