residency interview social questions and answers

Remember that there are no insignificant individuals at any institution.

Wear business shoes that allow you to walk distances in comfort. Many interview days have considerable amounts of walking associated with them. Make certain you have considered your attire before the interview. Remember that your appearance counts, will be the first thing appreciated about you and will leave a lasting impression. A refreshed mind can be your greatest asset. Try to get sufficient sleep the night before an interview. It is unwise to assume that transportation is readily available, schedules are precise or that a room will always be available in a given town – research and plan ahead. Many programs have a dinner the night before, which will require making arrangements for accommodations for that night and perhaps the evening after the interview. You should arrive well in advance of your interview, leaving yourself plenty of time to get where you need to be. It is best not to try and guess what your interviewers desired answer may be – this process is about finding a good fit for the next seven years, so be honest with yourself and with the program. Although no one expects an applicant to have made a complete decision as to their ultimate goals, some consideration should have been given by the applicant. You are likely to be asked why you chose to go into neurosurgery and what you would like to accomplish. Be direct and straightforward in your answers, but also, be succinct. You should be honest in answering questions and should not be intimidated to ask questions that you want answered. The interview is your best chance to talk about yourself and become an individual in the application process. To succeed at an interview, you must remember that it is a two-way process. Even if you decide a program is not right for you, having seen the program will give you important information that you can use to assess other programs. You can also tell a great deal about a program by the emphasis it places on various questions. Because neurosurgical residency is a long process and institutions vary in their character and opportunities, it is important that you seriously assess each institution and your ability to fit in. The interview process gives you a chance to see the institutions at which you may wish to train and allows these institutions to assess you and your qualifications. Consider sharing resources with those you meet on the trail, ask about hosting options by various AANS Medical Student Chapters and know that loans are available. Most programs will make an effort to help you schedule your date such that it fits your travel schedule.ĭepending on where you are located, and where you have applied, interviews can be a significant financial burden, something that is recognized by organized neurosurgery with strategies in process to mitigate this. This makes scheduling interviews early important. You may not be able to interview at all the programs you would like to. Fridays and Saturdays end up being popular interview days, and, as you can imagine, there are only a limited number of these days during the interview season. Scheduling your interviews will turn out to be more difficult than you expect.

It is considered good form to cancel interviews at least three weeks in advance – programs will be much more understanding if you cancel with enough time for them to fill your interview slot, and your fellow applicants will be grateful that they have three weeks to make travel arrangements. Most neurosurgery applicants plan on interviewing at 10-15 programs. If you end up receiving more offers than you plan on accepting, you can always cancel interviews. Remember, you need to interview at a variety of programs, including some mid- and less- competitive programs to maximize your chances of matching. Accept the invitations of programs at which you would be interested in training. Many programs will offer a few more invitations than they have interviews, and you may be placed on a waiting list if the slots have filled.īe appreciative of every interview offer you receive as each program usually gives out a total of only 30-45 interviews in a match season. Be sure to check your email and voice messages often, and schedule your interviews as quickly as possible, as interview spots fill up fast (sometimes within minutes of the email). Most programs will email you, but some may call. Offering an interview is the first step by which programs begin to narrow the pool of applicants, and you may not be invited for an interview at every program to which you apply. You will find out about most of your offers during the month of October.

Some programs start interviews as early as the middle of October, but most occur between early November and mid-January.

Assuming that you sent in your application in early September, you may begin receiving interview offers within a few weeks.

Residency interview social questions and answers