Northwestern HPME Part 2

<p>dsk123, when did you receive the email notification?</p>

<p>They will stop sending interview invitation till 45 spots filled. it will be late February.</p>

<p>does an earlier interview (as in notification) indicate better chances at admission?</p>

<p>I am also wondering about the earlier notification question too.</p>

<p>DSK123, are you a real human or the AVATAR creature? Damn!!!</p>

<p>"does an earlier interview (as in notification) indicate better chances at admission? "
Not necessary, once you get interview, it is a brand new game now.</p>

<p>zd:</p>

<p>I do not think interview process will reset your scorebaord to 0-0. Whatever you accomplished still has significant weight as long as you do not blow up in the interview. Trust me, no one will work their back off for cleaning the slate once the interview is called for.</p>

<p>Satacer is incorrect. For all intents and purposes, treat the interview as a whole new ball game. Even if you have stellar scores-ECs-whatever and don’t do well on the interview, then no dice. If you have mediocre scores-whatever, get an interview, and do amazingly; then you’re in. Good luck to all the applicants. Hope to meet some of you during your interviews.</p>

<p>Is it a rolling request as they review applications or are the first interviews granted preferentially?</p>

<p>From my understanding, it’s rolling (however, do not quote me as a fact). Thinking back to my own interview, I had it late in February, as one of the last groups. Furthermore, talking with some of my fellow M2 peers, it seems like there have already been flat-out rejected interviewees and others who are solid-locks. I would put that percentage at around 20% and 10%, respectively. If you have not gotten an interview or got a later date, don’t freak out. You’ll still be under consideration. </p>

<p>At this point, everyone who is interviewing has the baseline credentials (or an “other” factor) to get in, and Northwestern would be proud to call him or her a student in their program. If you want more, from my perspective, on the program and application process, look at back at my posted messages. I think I left one a little less than a year ago quickly detailing some of my thoughts.</p>

<p>If anyone has more specific questions, do ask. Got done with an exam, and am relatively bored.</p>

<p>“I do not think interview process will reset your scorebaord to 0-0. Whatever you accomplished still has significant weight as long as you do not blow up in the interview. Trust me, no one will work their back off for cleaning the slate once the interview is called for.”
All got interviewed have good grade, score and EC, now Northwestern want find out the applicant is not only look good on the paper, from the face to face interview to know the applicants more.</p>

<p>has anyone had their HPME interview? how did it go?</p>

<p>I had mine. It went well. there are 3 real interviews + a lunch with a few current med school HPME students who might write a few things down about you</p>

<p>Does that mean there are 4 interviews?</p>

<p>What kind of questions did they ask you?</p>

<p>When is everything officially over? I have to catch a flight shortly after.</p>

<p>Thanks for input.</p>

<p>its over by about 1-1:30pm latest</p>

<p>there are only 3 real interviews (the talk during lunch is very informal, and you talk with not only the current students but all the applicants there that day). 2 interviews last for about half an hour, and one is 15 min</p>

<p>i’m not going to write the specific questions but I’m just going to say that if you know you want to be a doctor then all the interviews will be easy - don’t stress and be natural</p>

<p>Aznjunior’s assessment of the interview process is very accurate. I will not reiterate the format as he/she has done, but elaborate on some finer details. </p>

<p>First, do not take the “informal” lunch talk too informally. Many medical school programs will have an “informal” portion in order to evaluate the interviewees. This is when the applicants are unaware of how important the situation is and will let their guard down around non-administrative people. For example, at a different school (REMS when I interviewed), they had a “dance” and anyone being overly social and rambunctious was sent home. Likewise, it is the same for HPME. Your interviewers are M2s who have arguably the hardest year in medical school. Moreover, this is the latter half of the year that means we are studying for 4 hours worth of lectures AND the Step 1 examination. We are not wasting our time simply to have a mediocre lunch paid for by the school: We will be evaluating you, determining your maturity, and to see how well you adjust to new environments/situations. We were once exactly in the same shoes as you (there are no interviewers who were not HPME), so we know how kids act and pretend. One of my interviewees, to say the least, was very professional when I first met h**, but by the end of the meal, relaxed way too much. Yes, we will report these in our write-ups; and no, we will not be arguing in your behalf. Finally, on this topic, we all have a vested interest in the interview. Beyond simply the same alma mater, you (the accept applicants) will be the next face of HPME. As our program undergoes more scrutiny and criticism, we expect nothing less than the best academically, emotionally, and personally.</p>

<p>Second, EXPECT CURVEBALL QUESTIONS. It’s easy to predict the core type of questions that all interviewers ask you (who are you, why medicine, strength, weakness, hobbies, etc.), but this is medical school NOT simply college. All the information you say prior to the “trick” questions (1 or 2, at most) has been presented numerous times in your essay and resume. If we really wanted to know your hobbies, it’s not hard to look in your file (that is photocopied, date-stamped, and within our hands). Tell us something we don’t know that you didn’t have the opportunity to cram in the first three E.C.s you listed. We want to see you think quickly, on the spot, and show maturity. If the question is, “What was your biggest failure, and what did you do?” PLEASE stop answering that it was some small test in 9th grade you got a (omg) 95 on and you locked yourself in your closet, crying and playing a sad CD repeatedly. </p>

<p>Lastly, come confident but not cocky. Thinking back to my class, majority of the students were already accepted early action to HYS along with other offers lined up (Duke, Princeton, etc). Moreover, many of the students did their rounds at other interviews and received rave reviews (Rice/Baylor, BU7, NEUCOM). This shows you the type of students you will be in competition with. Furthermore, they come knowing that if they do not get into HPME they still have a darn good back up. They are there either because 1) medicine is their passion and are willing to give up full-ride to Yale to get a guaranteed spot to Feinberg or 2) why not (they’re not sure, but it’s a program and might as well interview, get accepted, and turn it down)? So, come like you mean it and it’s the only thing in the world that matters. WHY is medicine your passion? WHY do you want to come HPME? WHAT about Northwestern and FSoM is so enticing you’re willing to write your life off for 7-years? Do you ACTUALLY know anything about Feinberg, Northwestern, the program; rather than simply applying to all the good programs/schools and reading our website? An interview is not an impromptu speech. It should be a well-choreographed and well-rehearsed play to blow everyone’s mind away. And, if you don’t, somebody else will.</p>

<p>Some last points of advice: Come dressed well (Boys suits and tie, girls suits or skirts; if you don’t know, ask college kids applying to medical school), Bring copies of your resume/notable awards to present or update files (we want to know/record if you easily pulled 150 on AMC or got 1st place at USABO), Relate and empathize with your student interviewer (We’re tired and disheartened with medical school. Plus, we’re arguing on your behalf so that you can get in, or lack thereof), and Be scared of and HONEST with Dr. Marianne Green (She has the final say with everything, can tell liars from a mile away, and truly is a great lady).</p>

<p>^(we want to know/record if you easily pulled 150 on AMC or got 1st place at USABO)</p>

<p>If we really produce something similar of this calibre, does it count as a “blowing-away” in the academic aspect? Thx in advance.</p>

<p>Whether or not those types of competitions (USAMO, USABO, ISEF, Intel, etc) or scholarships (Bausch+Lomb, CocaCola) would be counted as an academic hook is debatable. I’d personally, from my experiences, say they are not guarantees. But, nevertheless, they do help your chances. There is no single “hook” for any college, let alone a medical program. Rest assured, anything you have done, someone in the past has done it: Founding a club/emt service, saving lives in a 3rd world country, ranking top 10 in a science/math competition, etc. So, thread lightly and don’t get too reliant on those activities; you have to be sound in all regards.</p>

<p>What I meant by that statement (referring to the awards) is that many people will win or hear back from competitions during the Mid Dec-Mid Feb. However, a lot of kids assume that, “Oh! My application is in. Why bother updating the file?” But, it is still important to do so. Moreover, having an ISEF certificate and your abstract on file will help especially if a question of research comes up during the interview. Thus you can talk with passion about the research and convey the importance of conducting it. The same counts for any extracurricular.</p>

<p>Hmmm… I had no idea that I could have brought more paperwork. </p>

<p>By the way wldcats2012, what would you judge to be overly relaxed?</p>

<p>The biggest no-no for me (along with some others) is when applicants start to complain to me about the interview process. We know you are tired; we understand you might be sick and weary. But, that’s life. You have to simply pull it together for 4 or 5 interviews, each lasting a few hours, and then you’ll be set for life. Don’t talk to your student interviewer as if you two are longtime buddies, but instead, thread with caution. Anything you say could be reported to a higher official. If you talk about how exhausted you are, recently got the flu and don’t want to be there, and how nervous you are for the previous/following interviews; it just seems that you cannot rough it out for half a day. If you seem like you don’t want to be there, we don’t want you here. Medical school (more so than college) is that tension and pressure everyday. We gauge if your existing ability to handle yourself and maturity to adapt to situations.</p>

<p>Other things to consider: Sit as if you are in front of an admissions officer (don’t slouch and kick back), mind your manners during lunch (in the past, I’ve heard of kids using/texting on their cell and burping), normal eating etiquette (look up interviews WHILE eating tips, such as what you should not eat [spagetti, sandwhiches, etc] and what you should eat [I always love chicken entries you can cut up, etc], napkin placement, etc.). Every little detail matters on your end: If the interviewer doesn’t notice, it’s not a big deal, but if he or she is a stickler and does notice something amiss, that is worse for you.</p>

<p>In the end of the day, do the best you can and be you. A more-polished, but still genuine, YOU is key.</p>