how to manage interviewing during your senior year
via Rucha Joshi
FAQ: If you are interviewing during your senior year, how do you deal with interviews and classes at the same time?
I applied after junior year and interviewed during senior year. One of the questions I get asked a lot is how to manage interviews while taking classes. A lot of it has to do with being mentally prepared for a challenging semester and knowing that you're going to have to miss classes/do make-up work. If you've survived your premed classes, the MCAT, AMCAS, and the flood of secondaries, you can tackle interviews and classes at the same time. Here are some tips based on what I did.
1. MAKE A SEMESTER CALENDAR. I think every student should be doing this, but it's especially important if you are interviewing while enrolled in classes. Make a calendar with all the weeks of the semester on one page. Sit down with all your course syllabi and write in exam dates, paper due dates, etc. A lot of places will let you choose your interview date, so if you get an interview invite, you can pull out your calendar and see which dates work best. Scheduling an interview a day before a midterm may not be ideal. If you have a calendar made, it's super easy to figure out which interview date to sign up for. Once you pencil in your interview dates, you'll be able to visually see which weeks will be hell and which weeks are kinda chill. If you know you have an interview and a paper due in the same week then instead of binge watching House of Cards the previous weekend, you can get your paper done #timemanagement
2. TALK TO YOUR PROFESSORS. Again, every student should do this, but if you are going to be missing classes to attend interviews, you need to communicate with your professors. As soon as you have an interview scheduled, let a professor know that you will be missing class. University policy allows absences for med school interviews, so usually professors are super understanding. If any of your interviews conflict with exam dates/due dates, see if you can arrange special accommodations. Just don't go up to a prof the day before a paper is due and say "Oh I need an extension because I'm flying across the country for a med school interview tomorrow." Give them notice well in advance and you should be fine.
3. TREAT INTERVIEW PREP LIKE A CLASS. Preparing for interviews takes a lot of time and planning. I treated my interview prep like homework for a class. I gave myself assignments with due dates to make sure that I was ready for each interview. By breaking down the prep into smaller chunks, it was easier to manage that along with class assignments.
Overall, the key to being successful in interviews while still taking classes is to manage your time. If you are organized and know when things are coming up, you can be ready for them. It is a little stressful because you have to miss classes and then make up what you missed, but with a structured game plan, you can do it. If you apply early, chances are you will get an interview earlier and then you'll be able to better plan your time. I'm not going to sugarcoat it and say it's easy to balance interviews and classes, but with the right preparation and mindset, you can definitely do it. Hope this helped!
FAQ: If you are interviewing during your senior year, how do you deal with interviews and classes at the same time?
I applied after junior year and interviewed during senior year. One of the questions I get asked a lot is how to manage interviews while taking classes. A lot of it has to do with being mentally prepared for a challenging semester and knowing that you're going to have to miss classes/do make-up work. If you've survived your premed classes, the MCAT, AMCAS, and the flood of secondaries, you can tackle interviews and classes at the same time. Here are some tips based on what I did.
1. MAKE A SEMESTER CALENDAR. I think every student should be doing this, but it's especially important if you are interviewing while enrolled in classes. Make a calendar with all the weeks of the semester on one page. Sit down with all your course syllabi and write in exam dates, paper due dates, etc. A lot of places will let you choose your interview date, so if you get an interview invite, you can pull out your calendar and see which dates work best. Scheduling an interview a day before a midterm may not be ideal. If you have a calendar made, it's super easy to figure out which interview date to sign up for. Once you pencil in your interview dates, you'll be able to visually see which weeks will be hell and which weeks are kinda chill. If you know you have an interview and a paper due in the same week then instead of binge watching House of Cards the previous weekend, you can get your paper done #timemanagement
2. TALK TO YOUR PROFESSORS. Again, every student should do this, but if you are going to be missing classes to attend interviews, you need to communicate with your professors. As soon as you have an interview scheduled, let a professor know that you will be missing class. University policy allows absences for med school interviews, so usually professors are super understanding. If any of your interviews conflict with exam dates/due dates, see if you can arrange special accommodations. Just don't go up to a prof the day before a paper is due and say "Oh I need an extension because I'm flying across the country for a med school interview tomorrow." Give them notice well in advance and you should be fine.
3. TREAT INTERVIEW PREP LIKE A CLASS. Preparing for interviews takes a lot of time and planning. I treated my interview prep like homework for a class. I gave myself assignments with due dates to make sure that I was ready for each interview. By breaking down the prep into smaller chunks, it was easier to manage that along with class assignments.
Overall, the key to being successful in interviews while still taking classes is to manage your time. If you are organized and know when things are coming up, you can be ready for them. It is a little stressful because you have to miss classes and then make up what you missed, but with a structured game plan, you can do it. If you apply early, chances are you will get an interview earlier and then you'll be able to better plan your time. I'm not going to sugarcoat it and say it's easy to balance interviews and classes, but with the right preparation and mindset, you can definitely do it. Hope this helped!