15 minutes of fame
I was coming in to this whole interview process thinking that the interviews themselves might be deep, engaging, and possibly intimidating experiences. I had an image of getting pimped all over the office. Of course this is not the case. But to my surprise the interviews themselves are pretty superficial.
Yet I have only been on one interview so far, and they where a series of 8-10 interviews that lasted 15 min. When you take out all the formalities it only really is about 10 min. I have heard that many programs have the same basic structure but I am wondering about the ones that don’t. Is there any feedback out there about some of the different styles of interviews? I think if we can share some of the quirks that some places may have it would help going in to an interview. For me I would really want to know if any place does the group interview thing. When I say group I mean a group of two or three applicants. Also do any of the places have long interviews, like 30 minutes? It would be good to know since if they do then it would make much for sense to do more of a background on the faculty. I remember hearing about OHSU where they made you suture right in the chair! Hopefully applicants knew that going in.
For me so far it is nice to know the interviews are far less fighting then I thought. You also hear the saying by all the residents “there just to make sure you aren’t crazy or something”. But I wonder really how these interviews separate out the prospective residents. I am going on the assumption that almost all of the applicants aren’t crazy and won’t say something outlandish during an interview to get them at the bottom of the list. So with so many good applicants and so little time with each how do they come together at the end of the whole process and really rank the applicants? I know some places have a formula, would be cool if someone could share theirs???? It seems like the whole getting invites can be very random but maybe forming the list after the interviews could be just as random. If anyone feels different please share.
-UMuser
True, given the nature of the interview process, it's almost entirely a game of first impressions. But you'd be surprised how accurate a first impression can be when it comes to figuring out who'd fit into a program. Think of it like a first date; you can know in about the first 10 minutes if you'll be going on a second one.
It's been a while since I was on the trail, but from what I remember, the vast majority of programs use a variation of the 8-10 15-minute interview system. For some, it involves waiting in a room with all the other interviewees for an attending/resident to call your name. For others, it's like speed-dating, complete with a timer and rotating interviewees. No program sat you down for a long (>30 min) interview (remember: the interviewers are surgeons). OHSU was the program known for asking you to tie knots, but I think one interviewer at MGH also did it my year. The only group interview was at a program where the interviewer arrived late from a delayed flight but still wanted to meet everyone (so it was totally unplanned). For specifics happening this year (programs tend to do it the same way within any given year), share your post-interview experiences on this website, and ask the people you meet on the trail. Very likely they just came from a program you will be interviewing at and can give you a heads up, plus gossiping is a great way to pass the time.
There isn't a formula for ranking... gestalt is important. You want to be memorable (it's bad when everyone goes, "who's that?"), but not memorably irritating. You want to have appeared interested (it's easy to see through the "I'm asking a question just to ask a question" type). Note: if you are sitting in the corner yawning, thinking no one will notice because you're not in the middle of a 15-minute interview, think again. We notice. And while we know this is probably your 10th interview in 10 days, it's still not flattering to the gestalt we're putting together.
Hope this helps, good luck, and have fun!