Interview Style

So, my roommate just got back from an serious set of interviews for a summer internship, and we were discussing some of the questions she was asked in those interviews or in her mock interviews (fake practice interviews) through CMU. Having been thinking about myself, in terms of being a leader, and understanding who I am, which will last me much longer and have more of an impact than what I do, I decided to compile a list of some interview-style questions and my answers.

Q. What are your strengths?

• I work well under pressure/deadline/full schedule
• I am organized - I love calendars, lists, etc. But it's to an extent - only things that need that, such as school. My room is a mess.
• I'm big on the details
• I am pretty good at multi-tasking
• I am a leader. I'm not afraid of stepping up if the situation calls for it and taking the lead on projects and in life - planning, making decisions, finding out information, etc.
• I'm not afraid to seek help when I need it and to admit when I'm wrong.

Q. What areas are you working on improving (aka, what are your weaknesses)?

• Being more outgoing and welcoming and more open, an honest; interdependence.
• I have some perfectionist tendencies
• I am quite critical of myself, and set high expectations for myself which are sometimes unnecessary or even hurtful to myself.
• Trying to escape the schedule and be more flexible, patient, and gracious.
• Being confident in myself and my abilities and being bold in those things, both in class and in life.
• Stepping back from the details and having a more global, big picture viewpoint. My classes have really helped me improve this lately.

Q. What characteristics do you want to define you?

• Humility
• Compassion
• Patience
• Justice
• Kindness

> It turns out these are a combo of Colossians 3:12 and Micah 6:8!

Q. What would you define as your learning style?

• visual - a combination of pictures and visualized words
• White - not lined - paper -> free style, great for biology pictures and math/chem
• many colored pens - this goes along with the visual aspect
• teaching others
• reviewing daily

Q. Which classes have been some of your favorites and why?

• I have some favorite professors, some favorite topics
• Music & Mind - it was so cool to take an in-depth look at music from a biological and psychological standpoint, and yet to still see how amazing it is that all cultures have music, and humans have such an appreciation for music. Even the rocks cry out :)
• I really love my developmental biology class. I find the topic so interesting, and I love the lab that goes along with it - we got to make teeny baby tadpoles from just egg and sperm! I would also like to take developmental psychology to complete my developmental kick and round out my knowledge.

Q. What motivates you?

• I am motivated by the desire to succeed, to be better, and to not fail. I am also motivated by a desire to help others succeed.

Q. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

• In 5 years, I hope to be in my fourth year of medical school, hopefully going through the match process to find a residency program. I want to be involved in my church, wherever that is, teaching others and continuing to be taught. I want to be content with all aspects of my life - friendships, relationships, family. I will own a cat. :)

I'm sure there will be more on this after med school interviews, but those are a very long time away.