The Interview Process — A Two-Way Street 🚦
My Favourite Advice That I've Been Getting From Residents
Hey everyone,
Before anyone says anything yes I spelt favourite with an -OU- I am Canadian so deal with it. Anyways, hope you’re all doing well! Already at the end of August! That mean’s it’s officially about to be ERAS submission month. Progress has been going pretty well on my application TBH. I am super excited to just submit and move on to interview season and everything that comes with it. That’s going to be the fun stuff.
So, as you all know, I’m deep into my Sub-I, got 1 week left, and there’s this piece of advice that keeps popping up from the residents here. It’s something I think we all need to keep in mind as we head into interview season: remember that the interview process is a two-way street 🚦!
I’ve been doing some interview prep with Kade and Alan, and we’ve been super focused on figuring out our own selves a lot. That being because the very usual feeling that interviews are all about us being evaluated—showing off our skills, hoping to impress, and praying we make the cut. That is true tbh…you do want to focus on showing who you are…but that’s not all there is to it. A very common reminder that I keep getting from allt he residents here is to remember that you’re interviewing them too 🎤. This process isn’t just about whether they want you; it’s about whether you want them.
I mean think about it: this is where you’re going to spend the next few years of your life. This is where you’ll grow, learn, and build the foundation for your career. So, you’ve got to make sure it’s a place where you’ll thrive 🌱 and enjoy.
Don’t be afraid to ask the real questions during your interviews. What’s the work-life balance like? How do the residents feel about the support they get from attendings 🤝? What do residents do for fun 💃? Even down to asking about if you have to pay for parking 🅿️ (maybe save this one for the open houses hahaha, important to know though). These aren’t just nice-to-knows; they’re need-to-knows. You deserve to be in a place that fits you as much as you fit them.
The residents here have been hammering this home for me: the interview is your chance to scope out whether the program really checks your boxes. ✔️ You’re not just trying to impress them—they should be impressing you too.
Carrying this mindset I think will be a game-changer for you as you gear up for interviews. Shifting focus from just “getting in” to actually finding a place where you’ll be happy and succeed 🎯 might make this whole process a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable.
So as you head into your interviews, keep this in mind: you’re not just being interviewed—you’re interviewing them too. And that’s the way it should be ✌️. Not much else from me today.
Catch you later,
Roshan Uruthirakumar
4th Year Medical Student
☕️ Weekly Coffee Count: 12 cups of coffee this past week…has anyone been noticing how much better I’ve been getting at my coffee every week??
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