Interview Strategies: Why Did You Interview at this Time?

Most medical school, residency and fellowship applicants schedule their interviews according to convenience and cost, but you may be asked why you arranged your interview so early or so late in the season. The real concern behind this question is that you are interviewing early because you are using the institution for a practice session or that you are interviewing late because you had considered leaving the institution to the end in case you wanted to cancel.

Reassure the interviewer that you are serious about the program. If you are interviewing early you might say, “As soon as I was offered an invitation I took the opportunity to visit because I am very enthused about this institution.” If late, you might say, “I wanted to maximally prepare for this interview because I am very interested in being here.”

Contact me soon for mock interview assistance. I am scheduling two to three weeks in advance.

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast: