Optometry school - Interview preparation tips

Maybe it's too early to write about this; maybe it's too late. But I'm going to write about it anyway, because if you were like me and got your American school applications in later than all the other keeners who submitted theirs back in August, then you're probably not going to hear back from them until November or December anyway. And if you're applying to Waterloo, you are definitely not going to hear back from them until December (interviews are in January).

Let's first start by saying the interview is not a huge thing to be worried about. Unless you're going to Waterloo, but I'll get to that later. But, a little preparation wouldn't hurt. You don't want to be surprised on an already stressful day!

via GIPHY

1. Find out what the interview process for your schools are; this way, you'll know how to prepare. The schools will probably tell you the format of your interviews, but you could also ask around or do some research online. I applied to three schools, got interviews to all three, and each school's interview process was different. NECO, for example, was the most simplest interview in my opinion - an interview with a faculty member with pretty straight-forward questions about who you are, your interests, why NECO, why optometry. ICO's is a bit more complicated (so I've heard - I never ended up going to that interview) with an impromptu essay component as well. And Waterloo has the MMI...

(Please keep in mind that what I've mentioned could be different! The schools could always change their interview formats.)

2. Prepare answers for potential questions. I Googled "optometry interview questions", copy & pasted the common questions into Word, and answered them in point form. This was crucial for me because I know that I always get rattled when asked about certain things (ex. my interests. ALWAYS) on the spot and my answers come out as me blubbering and talking in circles. This helped me organize my answers and lay out what I wanted to mention.

As for Waterloo's MMI, it's a little bit harder to prepare for because you can't really predict the questions that you'll be asked. What I did to prepare as much as I could was Google "sample MMI questions" to see what types of questions are asked in a typical MMI.

3. Mock interviews! Practice orally answering your questions. Get a friend to ask you some questions and practice answering them. Remember to ask for feedback in the end - especially about any habits they've noticed (ex. excessive use of 'like', 'umm', or any other words/phrases/noises, hand gestures, eye contact, posture); and accept the criticism gracefully. Sometimes it's hard to hear about your weaknesses or what people don't like about what you do, but do not be discouraged!

Alternatively if you're on your own (or prefer to be on your own, like me), practice in front of a mirror, or better yet, a camera so you can review and see what you'd need to improve.

You'll want to practice for the MMI by replicating it as closely as you can. I don't remember exactly, but for Waterloo's MMI, you have two or three minutes to read a question and prepare your answer, then six or seven minutes to answer. So in preparation, select a couple of the questions you Googled, and sit down with a timer. Train yourself to mentally organize your thoughts and prepare your answer (because you aren't given scrap paper and a pen to do so!) and then practice answering your question aloud.

*** With number 2 and 3 being said, interviews will know when you've rehearsed and/or memorized your answers; so don't do that. Your prepared answers from step 2 should just give you a bare minimum to work with - this is why I suggest writing out your answers in point form; when you have your interview, these points should just be a "map" of how you're going to answer the questions.

4. Prepare your interview outfit! Or maybe you already have something in your closet, but it took me a while to find a suit I a) liked and b) was comfortable in. You'll want to wear something you can move around or sit in as you'll be sitting around for some time, and walking around on school tours. And of course, you'll want to wear something you like and look good in, just to give yourself an extra boost of confidence.

I hope this was helpful. Leave a comment if you have any questions, or want to see a blog post about something else optometry school-related.

Good luck; have fun!

via GIPHY

P.S. here are two links to resources that helped me prepare for the MMI:
University of Toronto Scarborough - they have tips at the end too.
University of British Columbia - this is a resource for medical school MMIs. Please trust me when I say that the questions for the Waterloo MMI are not this intense!