By: Srika Amin
In light of the rules and regulations implemented as a result of COVID-19 at Emory University for the coming week at least interviews have shifted online.
Hey! My name is Srika and I am a first-year student from India! I had to give all my interviews online last year during the process, even though I did not get to see the campuses and visit the program at all the schools I interviewed at – it all worked out! You are not at any disadvantage if you’re interviewing online. In this post I just wanted to highlight some tips for interviewing online and about the interview and program in general.
Internet Connection and Zoom:
When I was interviewing I made sure that I had a stable internet connection and had my phone hotspot on as backup in case my WiFi failed me. The program will mail you a Zoom link for the interview, I would recommend clicking on the link they provide you to see if it works and Zoom may require you to install additional plug-ins (if you don’t already have them). Zoom allows you to check your microphone sound and checks that you are able to hear before you join the meeting room. I tried to make sure that I would not have any interruptions during the interview as well and kept a glass of water by my side before I sat down for the interview. I also opened the link 15 minutes before the actual time of the interview – so that in case there was any issues with the link I could contact the program in time.
About the interview:
I was nervous before the interview but the program leadership and faculty were very warm and welcoming, so don’t stress! I had a bunch of questions prepared to ask about the program, rotations, the focus internship and Emory in general. . There are group and individual interviews along with a writing exercise, which are not there to test your knowledge on genetics in any way. The purpose of the interviews is to get to know you and your experiences so don’t worry cause you’re the expert on you. Even though it sounds cliché – just be yourself, you made it to the interviews for a reason :).
Here are a few student perspectives on interviews from the blog.
About the program:
The program consists of classes, clinic and the focus internship. The amount of time spent in clinic increases gradually each semester. To mention a few things we find very valuable: we start observations in the second half of the first semester and that we have an innumerable specialty clinics to choose from. The focus internship is also a unique, well-structured platform for us to conduct our capstone project work. You can read the FAQ’s and the program website for more information on the program structure.
Hope everyone is safe and keeping well! Just be yourself and enjoy the interview process!
If you have any other questions regrading the program and interview, do not hesitate to reach out to me: srika [dot] amin [at] emory [dot] edu , or the program.