Now, let’s move to the spicy part of the interview....your application. So, you and the interviewer have already passed the awkward part of your “blind date” and now your interviewer will ask you about the black and white pages that you electronically sent to them awhile back. 

This is the trippy part of the interview where you have to give the interviewer an genuine explanation for some things that he/she noticed that you talked about. For some schools like RSO, their interviews are closed file, meaning this part of the interview won’t be present. However, for you guys applying to schools that have open file interviews, they could ask you good things like “I noticed that you are a tutor. So, can you tell me what’s your method of teaching your students?” Or, they could ask you bad things in your application like, “So, I noticed in your application that you had to retake a few classes. Can you tell me about that?” 

So make sure to be careful on how you respond to them, especially if you have a few weak points in your application. If you do have some weaknesses like a blip in your grades and your interviewer asks, give them a valid explanation like,

“When I first took that class, it was a challenge for me because I didn’t know how to study for it until after the second exam, but it was already too late for my grade. So, I was required to retake that class, but I used the study skills that I picked up from my first try, allowing me to achieve better marks during that time.”

DO NOT TELL THEM, 

“The reason I didn’t do well in this class is because my professor was hard and mean. So, I had to retake it with an easier professor.” 

Nobody wants a doctor who will take the easy route. They want someone who’ll be up for the challenge and adapt and learn! Saying something like that will not only make you look like a whiner to the interviewers, but your chances of admission will go down the drain as well.

So, before you even step on campus, make sure you know your application and think before you speak. Be honest if there were circumstances in your life that you just couldn’t control. 

If you made it with me this far, then celebrate because the hardest part is over. You just answered your interviewer’s toughest questions. Now, before your interview comes to an end, it’s your turn to ask the questions. So… I’d recommend putting together a list of questions about the school beforehand and jotting down any questions that you may want to ask your interviewer specifically during the interview so that you’re ready to learn a bit more about them.

We’ll go over this in a bit more detail in next time in Part 3 of the “The Interview” series where we breakdown everything you’ll need to know to crack the interview process. But, until then, I wish y’all luck in preparing for your interviews this cycle.

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