5 Interviews — anxiety
Hi everyone!
I’ve been lucky enough to receive interviews from Dugoni, Nova, Touro, NYU, and UNC so far, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities. However, a lot of the interview dates fall on school days, and I’m starting to feel nervous about missing class so often, especially since I’ll be taking anatomy and physics this semester. I’m wondering how other applicants have balanced interviews with a heavy course load.
I’m also really nervous about the interviews themselves. I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot on paper, but I’m scared that I won’t be able to effectively convey my experiences and the work I’ve put in during an interview. I tend to have a mini panic attack beforehand, which causes me to blank or struggle to articulate my thoughts.
Public speaking has never been my strongest skill, even though i’ve done it so much, and sometimes I genuinely feel like I can’t speak to people well at all. I also worry that the things I’m saying aren’t impactful enough, even when I know I’ve had meaningful experiences.
My sister keeps telling me it sounds like imposter syndrome, but it feels very real in the moment. I’m not sure how to practice effectively without making myself even more anxious before interviews.
For those who have gone through the dental school interview process, how did you get better at speaking confidently and managing interview anxiety? Did you have any specific ways of practicing that actually helped? And how did you balance interviews with missing classes?
I’d really appreciate any advice or reassurance because I’m honestly feeling pretty overwhelmed right now. 😭