Dealing with the post - interview anxiety
Medical applicants are reaching the stage when the interview season is over, and they are waiting for a response from universities. When your interviews are over, the culmination of the past year or more of hard working is resurfacing, and there is nothing you can do but wait. So, how do you deal with the rut you may get in following your interview, with A-levels looming on the horizon and the anxiety you may feel, when awaiting for a decision?
Firstly, while it is difficult, it is vital to avoid ruminating over your interview, going over and over every single thing you said, whether you reflected on your work experience enough, smiled enough etc. While this isn’t to say not to reflect on how you think it went, especially if you have more interviews coming up, it is crucial to distinguish between healthy reflection and obsessive ruminations. After going over your performance perhaps once or twice, you should make a conscious effort to set your interview aside. A good way of doing this is to accept that thinking about the past does not change the past, no matter how hard you try.
Furthermore, it is far easier to notice the tiniest mistakes once you have been replaying your interview 1000 times in your head. Instead, focus on things you can change or improve, for example on A-level exams, your health and well-being, or growth in the workplace. Personally, I am reminding myself that I tried my best and answered each question to the best of my ability, which helped me to forget about my interviews.
Beyond going over your performance, a huge cause of post - interview anxiety can come from seeing other applicants receiving their offers. It can lead to doubt and self - comparison, especially if others are going out for your favorite universities. In this case, the best thing you can do is stop checking the student room, delete Reddit, and just avoid any medical applicant forums.
The valuable advice and any tips you may have gained from these sites in your application are not necessarily needed now, in the post interview time, so it’s not essential to continue to explore these sites other than to compare yourself. Speaking from my own experience, when I was scrolling through the ‘r/UCAT’ subreddit and seeing people getting offers, it definitely fed into my own anxiety, thinking whether or not I would hear back. As a result, I deleted the app, and I have seen a notable improvement in my feelings surrounding receiving a decision.
Overall, it is worth keeping in mind that even getting to the point of attending a medical school interview (or an interview for any course, for this matter) is an achievement in itself. Regardless of the post interview decision, you know that you have the academic skill to reach the interview stage, and for that, you should be incredibly proud of yourself!
Written by Amely
Moderated by Joanna
