SO you have got the interview call, and now what? Here are some amazing REAL LiFE Experiences 10 TIPS for Success in a dental school interview.
So you have your interview tomorrow, but before you reach there, you would decide what to wear. Of course, formal is what everybody says. Formals every one suggests but your dress should not only be formal but crisp and give you a nice sharp look. If you do not have a VERY nice suit or Skirt (for ladies), then BUY it. It is worth all the investment!!
TIP #1: MINIMAL IS MAXIMAL
TIP #1: Wear minimalistic and nice not-so-strong Perfume. If you dont wear one, make sure you dont smell bad, if not too good. (I can write a whole article on perfume, but let google help you with that :))
So you are all set to leave for the interview, all neat and crisp. And you get late.. because the Cab you are in, is stuck in a jam or your Metro train has delayed due to a signal problem. (Very Common in NY). SO, reaching late for the interview is the big NO NO. I am sure you know about that. At the same time, reaching too early also wont be very beneficial. It just does not give you a big advantage either. Just be on time, a little in advance is really good. If you are new to the place, make sure you visit that place a day in advance.
TIP #2:OBSERVE
TIP #2: If possible, go inside and try to feel the place of interview. OBSERVE, what people are wearing, how are they talking, how are they interacting.. in short get a feel of the place of interview. When you come next day you wont feel out of the world, but relaxed!!Now you are waiting there in the waiting hall.Sitting, idling, fiddling your thumb, anxious because You know how important the interview really is.
And you are thinking what should I have done before coming? You are looking better than the rest, but is this what they are actually looking for?
TIP #3: RESEARCH, RESEARCH and RESEARCH
so RESEARCH, RESEARCH and RESEARCH
ABOUT? School, ABOUT the interviewer(s) and ABOUT the department, everything that you can get your hand on. If the school has a need of your talent and you represent that area of expertise, you will be matched (most of the time for interview) with somebody from your area of expertise. If that is the case, you know that you DON'T BLUFF
TIP #4:NEVER BLUFF
TIP #4: JUST can't bluff, they would immediately catch you. If your talent, is not an area of expertise but a general experience of everything included in dentistry then you will be matched accordingly.
RESEARCH on the kind of experience the school is looking for!!(Anyways this thing should already be there in your SOP's and Recomendation Letters.. (stick on to it in answering your questions!!)
For eg, your amazing experience in endodontics, may be an asset to a school, but not in surgery esp if they have a general dentistry protocol to refer everything to a specialist, an Oral Surgeon!!
TIP #5: AURA
I remember when I was being interviewed at UCSF, I gave this advice to a friend that you need to know what the school's general thought process is. The school may be sophisticated with people and doctors living a calm life and yet full of enthusiasm while the school in NY will have a fast paced life. You might need to show your caliber of multi tasking and walking (or (almost running) with that fast paced life.
Talk to people, FEEL THE AURA .. Talk to REAL People, with REAL EXPERIENCES, and REAL INFO to know what the school is all about (that's exactly what our website is all about..REAL). So by making a mental note of the school's mentality, you come in for the interview AND I am expecting that you are crispy-dressed, smelling nice, and with all the research in hand and AURA seeping in your mind, you are sitting at the
interview table.
and your phone rings!!!! BLUNDER!!
TIP #6:DISTANCE
TIP #6: Keep your cell switched off. Tell your mom that your phone is dead for that day, if you have to :).. You will be simply considered inappropriate for the post after this blunder. DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM PERSONAL LIFE for those 2 hours, you deserve that for the ONCE in a lifetime opportunity!!
TIP #7: BE CONVINCED
The whole idea of the interview is, "to SELL yourself". BUT how would you sell yourself? You need to understand and be CONVINCED of your capabilities before you can convince interviewing authorities. As someone said, "you cannot convince anybody, if you are not convinced yourself!!"
If you have done what I have said above, you will be relaxed and will seem to be adequately prepared, mentally at least.
SO you all start talking confidently and your interviewer says "I am sorry, I forgot to take a print out of your CV, can I have another one?"
What do you do then?
TIP #8: BE PREPARED
TIP #8: ALWAYS keep an extra copy of the required docs sent to the admission committee arranged in a nice-neat-easy to carry-in a not so flashy professional folder.
Did you carry a nice pen? I love Black Pen, Precise V5 is my favorite.
TIP #9: SPEAK OPTIMUM
Interviewers are experts in their field. You are called to the interview...TO SPEAK and not sit silently. So speak. But are you chatting too much? What is the optimum talk?
There can be a whole article on this but the TIP is "Take your time", "Speak the way you do", Dont put an accent to imitate anybody, is what I would say!!
TIP #9: I would frame my first sentence in 2-3 seconds (delayed start) and take it from there. FOCUSSING will do the trick. They are there to select you, thats why you are sitting there in the first place. Why do you think I am not sitting in that chair ?
The art of talking cannot be developed soon after reading this article. You cannot be transformed in a moment. Work on the way you talk during the whole 6 months of application.
If you lose FOCUS (what happens with me sometimes) while talking, then develop your focus gradually.
BUT if you have your interview next week, FOCUSING to what the interviewer says and replying honestly always does the TRICK.
TIP #10: SPEAK PERFECT
Many students ask me, what should I answer for this question? so , what is the perfect answer?
The perfect answer or close to it is what your interviewer wants to hear..
Which is????
It is a mixture of what you are + how your experiences fit in schools' policies + mixture of TIPS from # 1 to 9 in the RIGHT mix.
Your research will actually guide you, what kind of replies you need to give for a particular question. You can substantiate whatever you say either with your experience, your grades, or simply your interest.
Read the TIPS again and make a mental picture of what am trying to say, YOUR mind will ACTUALLY know what is the Perfect Answer and no one else knows whats best for you!!
I hope you enjoyed the article but if you have any other TIP, I will love to add to it? Please do so in the comments section above
MedA
Help N Be Helped !!
Sincere People · Real Experiences · Authentic Info
So you have your interview tomorrow, but before you reach there, you would decide what to wear. Of course, formal is what everybody says. Formals every one suggests but your dress should not only be formal but crisp and give you a nice sharp look. If you do not have a VERY nice suit or Skirt (for ladies), then BUY it. It is worth all the investment!!
TIP #1: MINIMAL IS MAXIMAL
TIP #1: Wear minimalistic and nice not-so-strong Perfume. If you dont wear one, make sure you dont smell bad, if not too good. (I can write a whole article on perfume, but let google help you with that :))
So you are all set to leave for the interview, all neat and crisp. And you get late.. because the Cab you are in, is stuck in a jam or your Metro train has delayed due to a signal problem. (Very Common in NY). SO, reaching late for the interview is the big NO NO. I am sure you know about that. At the same time, reaching too early also wont be very beneficial. It just does not give you a big advantage either. Just be on time, a little in advance is really good. If you are new to the place, make sure you visit that place a day in advance.
TIP #2:OBSERVE
TIP #2: If possible, go inside and try to feel the place of interview. OBSERVE, what people are wearing, how are they talking, how are they interacting.. in short get a feel of the place of interview. When you come next day you wont feel out of the world, but relaxed!!Now you are waiting there in the waiting hall.Sitting, idling, fiddling your thumb, anxious because You know how important the interview really is.
And you are thinking what should I have done before coming? You are looking better than the rest, but is this what they are actually looking for?
TIP #3: RESEARCH, RESEARCH and RESEARCH
so RESEARCH, RESEARCH and RESEARCH
ABOUT? School, ABOUT the interviewer(s) and ABOUT the department, everything that you can get your hand on. If the school has a need of your talent and you represent that area of expertise, you will be matched (most of the time for interview) with somebody from your area of expertise. If that is the case, you know that you DON'T BLUFF
TIP #4:NEVER BLUFF
TIP #4: JUST can't bluff, they would immediately catch you. If your talent, is not an area of expertise but a general experience of everything included in dentistry then you will be matched accordingly.
RESEARCH on the kind of experience the school is looking for!!(Anyways this thing should already be there in your SOP's and Recomendation Letters.. (stick on to it in answering your questions!!)
For eg, your amazing experience in endodontics, may be an asset to a school, but not in surgery esp if they have a general dentistry protocol to refer everything to a specialist, an Oral Surgeon!!
TIP #5: AURA
I remember when I was being interviewed at UCSF, I gave this advice to a friend that you need to know what the school's general thought process is. The school may be sophisticated with people and doctors living a calm life and yet full of enthusiasm while the school in NY will have a fast paced life. You might need to show your caliber of multi tasking and walking (or (almost running) with that fast paced life.
Talk to people, FEEL THE AURA .. Talk to REAL People, with REAL EXPERIENCES, and REAL INFO to know what the school is all about (that's exactly what our website is all about..REAL). So by making a mental note of the school's mentality, you come in for the interview AND I am expecting that you are crispy-dressed, smelling nice, and with all the research in hand and AURA seeping in your mind, you are sitting at the
interview table.
and your phone rings!!!! BLUNDER!!
TIP #6:DISTANCE
TIP #6: Keep your cell switched off. Tell your mom that your phone is dead for that day, if you have to :).. You will be simply considered inappropriate for the post after this blunder. DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM PERSONAL LIFE for those 2 hours, you deserve that for the ONCE in a lifetime opportunity!!
TIP #7: BE CONVINCED
The whole idea of the interview is, "to SELL yourself". BUT how would you sell yourself? You need to understand and be CONVINCED of your capabilities before you can convince interviewing authorities. As someone said, "you cannot convince anybody, if you are not convinced yourself!!"
If you have done what I have said above, you will be relaxed and will seem to be adequately prepared, mentally at least.
SO you all start talking confidently and your interviewer says "I am sorry, I forgot to take a print out of your CV, can I have another one?"
What do you do then?
TIP #8: BE PREPARED
TIP #8: ALWAYS keep an extra copy of the required docs sent to the admission committee arranged in a nice-neat-easy to carry-in a not so flashy professional folder.
Did you carry a nice pen? I love Black Pen, Precise V5 is my favorite.
TIP #9: SPEAK OPTIMUM
Interviewers are experts in their field. You are called to the interview...TO SPEAK and not sit silently. So speak. But are you chatting too much? What is the optimum talk?
There can be a whole article on this but the TIP is "Take your time", "Speak the way you do", Dont put an accent to imitate anybody, is what I would say!!
TIP #9: I would frame my first sentence in 2-3 seconds (delayed start) and take it from there. FOCUSSING will do the trick. They are there to select you, thats why you are sitting there in the first place. Why do you think I am not sitting in that chair ?
The art of talking cannot be developed soon after reading this article. You cannot be transformed in a moment. Work on the way you talk during the whole 6 months of application.
If you lose FOCUS (what happens with me sometimes) while talking, then develop your focus gradually.
BUT if you have your interview next week, FOCUSING to what the interviewer says and replying honestly always does the TRICK.
TIP #10: SPEAK PERFECT
Many students ask me, what should I answer for this question? so , what is the perfect answer?
The perfect answer or close to it is what your interviewer wants to hear..
Which is????
It is a mixture of what you are + how your experiences fit in schools' policies + mixture of TIPS from # 1 to 9 in the RIGHT mix.
Your research will actually guide you, what kind of replies you need to give for a particular question. You can substantiate whatever you say either with your experience, your grades, or simply your interest.
Read the TIPS again and make a mental picture of what am trying to say, YOUR mind will ACTUALLY know what is the Perfect Answer and no one else knows whats best for you!!
I hope you enjoyed the article but if you have any other TIP, I will love to add to it? Please do so in the comments section above
MedA
Help N Be Helped !!
Sincere People · Real Experiences · Authentic Info
