Mocking Optimally

This time of year I'm commonly asked when the best time to set up a mock interview with me is.

I would recommend arranging your practice session(s) with me in the month prior to your first interview. Whether you complete the mock interview(s) weeks in advance or the day before depends on how you best retain information.

More important than when you practice is that you simply do. The NRMP Program Directors' Survey, my experience at Harvard, and my work with hundreds of Insider clients all reinforce the critical nature of the interview in assessing an applicant's candidacy.

If you are planning to hire me, please do so as soon as you get that first interview invitation. My slots go very quickly, and although I try to accommodate everyone I can, I am currently scheduling several weeks in advance because of high demand.

Here is a link to my services page.

Acceptances

It's early in the season, but some of my clients have already been accepted to

UCSD
University of Chicago
Vanderbilt
Case Western
USC (Keck)
Mayo
UCI
Rosalind Franklin and
Wake Forest!

Most medical school applicants are still early in the interview process. Consider hiring me for mock interviews to improve your chances of success.

Thank You Notes: A Plug for the US Postal Service

I was recently asked by a client about the best way to send post-interview thank you notes - email versus snail mail. This client said he had read conflicting advice online.

As a former Harvard admissions decision-maker who used to receive thank you notes, I can tell you that I strongly advise sending your thank you notes by good old USPS. The reasons are twofold:

1) Email may be viewed as lazy. Hand-written thank you notes take more time, which shows.
2) To put an email thank you note in your file, the receiver needs to take the time to print out your email. You don’t want any barriers between you and your good impression.

I do recommend getting those handwritten thank you notes in quickly. The night after you’ve completed your interview or the next day is a good time to write and send.

You Never Get a Second Chance to Blow a First Impression

I receive a lot of questions about interview attire; I have two rules to guide applicants:

1. Do not be noticed for your clothes. You want to be remembered for your accomplishments, not your attire. Years later, I still remember the applicant who arrived in a Bugs Bunny tie. (This might fly for a pediatrics interview, but even then, I wouldn't recommend it.) I also recall the applicant who arrived in jeans. (He packed his interview clothes, checked his luggage, his bags were lost, and he had nothing else to wear for his early morning interview.)

2. Be comfortable. No heels that are so high you are in too much pain to take the tour. No coat so light - but stylish! - that you can't walk out of the building.

What you wear is really much less important than how you present yourself in interviews. For help, contact me. I've recently added some mock interview slots to my online calendar because of high demand.