Here's My Thoughts...
1) On manners. Holy crap, I have seen some DOOZIES! For Christ's sake! Mind your manners. Do I sound like your mom? I'm guessing some applicant's mom's didn't spend much time on this topic... so lets do a quick recap. Most schools have a "no assholes" rule... and these things will definitely disqualify you.
-Elevators... these work better if you let people OUT before you try to get IN. Yes, we know your excited, but don't trample the faculty
-Cussing- So I have the mouth of a sailor under normal circumstances... but not on my interview day. Not to staff, faculty, nor to students. Don't get too comfortable. Everyone can hear you
-No complaining! For god's sake I don't care if you only eat omega-3 grass fed beef. Shut up and eat the bun and the pickle. No one wants to hear it on an interview.... not to mention you come off like a giant asshole.
-Bragging to other applicants about your Yale interview and 42 MCAT? Tacky.
-So you hate this school and the city and it's your last choice and you are hoping to GOD that you get into Mt. Sinai instead? By talking about it you are breaking the "no assholes" rule.
2) On outfits. Oh, the horror. Almost every applicant (guy or girl) is wearing a black suit and a white shirt. Every guy wears a red "power tie". Yes, I got the memo that you are supposed to dress conservative. That means take out your tongue ring, cover up your tattoos, and leave your zoot suit at home. It DOES NOT mean that you have to dress for a funeral. My friends and I talked about this before our interviews and we vowed to be conservative yet to be ourselves and stand out. And guess what? We all got complimented for dressing DIFFERENTLY. I wore a charcoal Tahari pantsuit (conservative, yes?) with a blue and purple embroidered tunic underneath. On another interview I wore the same suit with a pink silk shirt and a chunky shell necklace. My friend "T" wore a beautiful grey suit with a medium blue shirt and yellow tie. My friend "K" wore ivory dress pants with dark red patent leather heels and a beautiful sweater. Everyone looked professional and conservative, but we all stood out from the other applicants. Think about it. What would YOU want to see after interviewing 128 penguin college grads in black suits and white shirts?
While I'm on the subject, please make sure your outfit "fits". As in, your interviewer isn't staring at your pink bra through your gaping blouse buttons, and your lateral malleolus isn't visible because your pants are too short.
3) On TALKING - so we all know your going to get questions from your interviewer... but that's not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about the questions YOU are going to ask your interviewer. Because you better. You better act interested and involved and so thrilled to be there that you just can't stand it. Your goal is to make your interviewer excited about talking to you. You need them to remember you when it's time for them to write their review about you. You don't want some professor scratching his head trying to remember which penguin you were and what the hell he should write about you. I've found that the best way to be remembered is to make the interviewer feel GOOD. If they are having fun, they will remember you. I don't care if you have the most crotchety old geezer interviewing you... you can turn the situation around. Start asking them questions. About THEM! For instance, "So what brought you to this school?" or "What made you decide to go into oncology?". Best option, look around for something to comment on. Pictures of grandkids? Ask about them. A Navaho blanket on the office wall? Mention how you saw one just like it on the Antiques Road Show that appraised for $40k. Anything. Make conversation and make it authentic. Remember, everyone's favorite subject is themselves. Get them talking. They'll remember you, and that's less time that YOU will be in the hotseat answering questions about that C+ you got in O-Chem.
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