Date Me? Errr, Update Me.

As I have previously mentioned, at almost every interview you will be asked, “Do you have any updates you would like the Admissions Committee to know about?” (previously discussed here and here).

The answer to this question is YES even if you suspect the answer may be no. Undoubtedly, you have done something between when you submitted your AMCAS and your interview! Whatever this is, you want to make it sound as good as possible.

If you have major accomplishments, publications, job changes, or leadership positions to report, then your job is easy. Practice succinctly articulating these updates. Additionally, prepare a document to leave with your interviewer. This can be a letter to the Admissions Committee, an updated CV/resume, or a bulleted list of updates. If an article was published, bring a copy. The point isn’t the format – it’s that you’re leaving a hardcopy of your update with the interviewer rather than relying on his or her memory to report these updates to the Committee. Your additions will likely become part of your applicant file. Moreover, a hardcopy of your update goes a long way toward making you look prepared, enthusiastic, and thoughtful. Bring several copies to your interview, as you will often have multiple interviews.

If you don’t have any major changes to your application, then the task may be a little more difficult. For starters, you don’t need an update letter or document – don’t highlight things that aren’t important. Instead, think of one thing you can genuinely explain to the interviewer – a new class that is engaging, a new task at your job, a new experience of some kind. Simply demonstrate that you are remaining engaged as your conquer the application and interview process.

Teeter-Totter

What a week! The Northeast survived an earthquake, and now we’re facing a hurricane. As for personal triumphs, in addition to finishing my residency application, I took my final medical school clerkship “shelf” exam.

The balancing act of strengths versus weaknesses and preparing for interviews

I have mixed feelings about “preparing” for interviews. I think it’s healthy to have a balance between rehearsed answers and organic spontaneity. Interviewers will see right through trite or overly-rehearsed responses to their questions, so use some restraint as you prepare. That said, there are a few questions you simply must be ready to answer.

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Do you have any updates you would like the Admissions Committee to know about? (briefly mentioned here; more details to come)
• Do you have any questions for me (the interviewer)?

The “strengths and weaknesses” question is a toughie. It’s easy to come up with glowing strengths but much harder to assess your own weaknesses. Moreover, you do not want your weaknesses to appear so weak that they case doubt of the quality of you as an applicant. A few things to consider:

• Be humble. Interviews are like a marketing campaign. Yes, you want to shed positive light on yourself. However, if your strengths are significantly stronger than your weaknesses are weak, it will appear as though you think very highly of yourself or are unable to self-assess and discover weaknesses (an important part of being a physician!).

• Use anecdotes. Actions speak louder than words, so be ready to support your strengths and weaknesses with an example. If a strength is “leadership,” have a **very brief** story prepared regarding a time when you demonstrated leadership.

• Put a positive spin on weakness. For example, if your weakness is that you find it challenging to delegate tasks to others, then be prepared to discuss how you’re working on this. You might say, “As I have taken on more leadership responsibility in ___ group, I have recognized how challenging it is to delegate tasks to others. I have been actively working with the group to assess individuals’ strengths as well as their interests in order to appropriately delegate the tasks we need to accomplish, and I feel like I have really grown this year in my ability to do so.” Ta-da! You practically demonstrated a strength.

Certainly, if a mock interview is available to you, go for it! And, if you have the luxury of scheduling a “safety school” interview first, that’s also nice, although most applicants won’t be so lucky.

Fast Forward

It may sound premature to think about residency when you’re not even in medical school yet, but I have a quick tip, and you will thank me later.

Save, save, and resave your medical school application materials. AMCAS information, personal statement, Secondaries – all of it. This will come in very handy when you are applying to residency and trying to remember which action verbs you used to describe the organizations with which you were involved in college! The past employment history will also come in handy. Moreover, you will likely never be a better writer than you are now, and you will be amazed at how many nicely written sentences you may want to pluck right out of your personal statement for medical school and drop into your residency application.

If you’re not already familiar, dropbox.com is a great place to store things like this given that the computer you’re using now will probably not be the one you’re using 4-5+ years from now.

(And of course, saving your materials is also a good idea in the short-term in case you are a re-applicant in the future.)

Sunday Funny

This comic, featured in the New York Times a few weeks back, appropriately captures how I feel about sending personal statements, abstract drafts - even everyday emails - to professors, mentors, and advisors. Given my advice to send your personal statement to your advisor or mentor, I thought you might appreciate that you're not the only one who agonizes over every word.

Happy Sunday.

Phone a Friend

Well folks, to say I feel your pain is probably an understatement. Applying to residency is exhausting and excruciating.
 
But, my application is finished! Letters of recommendation – mailed; transcripts – submitted; USMLE scores – sent; personal statement – written, rewritten, edited, trashed, written again, and finalized.
 
It will take me another week or so to dig out from the “life” things I have been putting off. However, I have missed blogging, and I have received tremendous feedback from readers about the blog, so I wanted to say, “Howdy, I’ve missed you!”
 
One of the biggest lessons I learned in the final week of obsessing over my application is the significance of another set of eyes. Allowing other people to read your application – personal statement, Secondaries, activities lists, whatever – may make you feel extremely vulnerable, and admittedly, it’s scary. But, it’s one of the single best things you can do to improve the quality of your work.
 
Don’t go nuts. I think it’s important to select only a handful of people with certain purposes in mind. If too many people make suggestions and edit, you will lose your voice. Here are my suggestions:  

• One person with a quasi-medical or health background who can confirm that you’re saying things about medicine that make sense. We all understand that “medicine” is another language, so using it properly is important.
  

• A person who knows you really, really well and can bring out your accomplishments, strengths, etc. and also enhance your ability to use important anecdotes about personal experiences.

• Someone with a gift for the English language. Proofread, proofread, proofread. This person can make sure you aren’t missing something just because you’ve read your whole application 10,000 times.

Of course, you’ll have to make adjustments if you don’t know people who meet these categories. Also, it can’t help to have your advisor take a look if you have that kind of relationship.

Sunday Funny

I'm taking a brief hiatus from my blog this week to finish up my own residency applications, but I want to leave you with an amazing distraction for when you're procrastinating and hiding from your Secondaries.  This photo brought back so many memories from my obstetrics and gynecology clerkship, and the remaining non-medical photos will keep you laughing in pain for hours.

Enjoy!

Couch Surfing

Continuing from yesterday, more cost saving strategies:

Where to Stay

If you want to stay in hotels while traveling for interviews and have the means to do so, that’s fantastic.  For most applicants, however, such an endeavor is prohibitive.

--Their Network

Most schools will help you to find a current student with whom to stay on the night preceding your interview.  Some schools widely advertise this opportunity in their interview invitations and confirmations.  However, most schools will help you find housing if you just ask.  The trick is knowing to ask!  If you don’t find information about housing opportunities in the interview materials, I suggest calling the Admissions Office and simply asking.   

Although it may sound awkward to stay in the same room as a complete stranger, this is an incredible “insider” view into the lives of medical students at each institution, and you will find the information you gather by observing and chatting with your host (and often his or her friends) to be extraordinarily beneficial when you begin to decide where to attend.

--Your Network

If you strike out with the Admissions Office, look at your network!  Search Facebook for friends in the city to which you’ll be traveling.  Ask your parents whether they have friends in the neighborhood (you’ll be shocked to find how willing people are to support your endeavor to become a physician).  Finally, consider contacting your alma mater to see whether alums who might be willing to host you attend the school you’ll be visiting.

--Say Thank You

A sincere, handwritten note is a “must.”  Keep blank cards with you so that you can jot down a few brief thoughts before rushing out the door en route to your interview.  If you’re feeling particularly generous, you can never go wrong leaving a small gift card ($5-$10 for Starbucks, Dunkin, etc.) or an item from your home state (a small container of maple syrup if you’re from Vermont, for example).  But regardless, leave a Thank You note!

Full Disclosure: "Couch surfing" the night before your interview is a little risky.  You want a good night of sleep and a shower!