My experience with York St John counselling psychology PhD interview
I recently had an Counselling Psychology PhD interview with York St John University. I just wanted to say for any preparing for next year, they used a mixed style MMI interview, with 3 stations and an online survey. The process was over Zoom. It was completely demoralising and horrible experience for me.
The three stage interview was 5 questions about me and why I want to do the course, it gave me 8 minutes to answer before moving on to the next stage with a different interviewer. It was a dehumanising process, I could not even get to say "How are you?" or get to know the interviewer. None of my personality got across and I felt like a number to be ticked off in a list. After the first stage, the next two stages were roleplay interviews, with different interviewers. Same thing, I didn't get to ask how their day was or anything, straight to roleplay and punted off to the next stage.
MMI style interviews, I would seriously question the validity of them. The style orignated in Candna in 2014, University of Toronto. It has been adopted by mainly the medical field. I would like to know if its effective when it comes to people with learning difficulties. I bet the original study omitted students who were neurodiverse or have learning difficulties. Its a cheap and poor method for choosing students and its a demoralising process.
The three stage interview was 5 questions about me and why I want to do the course, it gave me 8 minutes to answer before moving on to the next stage with a different interviewer. It was a dehumanising process, I could not even get to say "How are you?" or get to know the interviewer. None of my personality got across and I felt like a number to be ticked off in a list. After the first stage, the next two stages were roleplay interviews, with different interviewers. Same thing, I didn't get to ask how their day was or anything, straight to roleplay and punted off to the next stage.
MMI style interviews, I would seriously question the validity of them. The style orignated in Candna in 2014, University of Toronto. It has been adopted by mainly the medical field. I would like to know if its effective when it comes to people with learning difficulties. I bet the original study omitted students who were neurodiverse or have learning difficulties. Its a cheap and poor method for choosing students and its a demoralising process.
(edited 3 years ago)
when you fail to prepare you prepare to fail 
So basically you bombed an interview and are looking for someone to blame?
I am warning people that this style can be dehumanising when it is done in this manner. When you cannot actually have time to even say hello without feeling pressure to move on and cannot ask simple pleasantries when you are trying to enter a mental health profession...... Does not that speak volumes to the interview system?
A lot of people search for interview tips and tricks and what PhD interviews are like, I gave my view. I did prepare and did look at scoring at these MMI style interviews. I question the disability factor in regarding this style and if it has been researched if there is a signifcant disadvantage to students with disabilities.
A lot of people search for interview tips and tricks and what PhD interviews are like, I gave my view. I did prepare and did look at scoring at these MMI style interviews. I question the disability factor in regarding this style and if it has been researched if there is a signifcant disadvantage to students with disabilities.
I mean you could've asked "how are you and other simple pleasantries" after answering the questions at a station if you had time left over
I find it hard to believe there isn't any medical students/current doctors without learning difficulties, even if its just a small percentage
Life isn't fair - from the looks of it , if I haven't read it wrong, you haven't been rejected yet so you are waiting for a reply and are probably just overthinking about how the interview went
You are going to be offended/not enjoy this sentence but you're kinda being like "its not me, it my disabilities" - going to hate to break it to you are more than your disabilities and you are not defined by them and disabilities are not a personality trait
Essentially MMIs are three interviews put into one, it makes it non biased if possible like if you had a panel with two people if both of them dislike you/don't think you're suitable then essentially you are out of the race whereas now you could a station you didn't do well in and do better in the others one and potentially still get in
Also there are more factors coming into play, like its done over zoom rather than in person due to covid-19 etc.
I find it hard to believe there isn't any medical students/current doctors without learning difficulties, even if its just a small percentage
Life isn't fair - from the looks of it , if I haven't read it wrong, you haven't been rejected yet so you are waiting for a reply and are probably just overthinking about how the interview went
You are going to be offended/not enjoy this sentence but you're kinda being like "its not me, it my disabilities" - going to hate to break it to you are more than your disabilities and you are not defined by them and disabilities are not a personality trait
Essentially MMIs are three interviews put into one, it makes it non biased if possible like if you had a panel with two people if both of them dislike you/don't think you're suitable then essentially you are out of the race whereas now you could a station you didn't do well in and do better in the others one and potentially still get in
Also there are more factors coming into play, like its done over zoom rather than in person due to covid-19 etc.
I have never asked an interviewer how they were or about their day. That's not what interviews are for...
I would find it a bit inappropriate as an interviewer to be honest
I would find it a bit inappropriate as an interviewer to be honest
Original post by hatlover45
I recently had an Counselling Psychology PhD interview with York St John University. I just wanted to say for any preparing for next year, they used a mixed style MMI interview, with 3 stations and an online survey. The process was over Zoom. It was completely demoralising and horrible experience for me.
The three stage interview was 5 questions about me and why I want to do the course, it gave me 8 minutes to answer before moving on to the next stage with a different interviewer. It was a dehumanising process, I could not even get to say "How are you?" or get to know the interviewer. None of my personality got across and I felt like a number to be ticked off in a list. After the first stage, the next two stages were roleplay interviews, with different interviewers. Same thing, I didn't get to ask how their day was or anything, straight to roleplay and punted off to the next stage.
MMI style interviews, I would seriously question the validity of them. The style orignated in Candna in 2014, University of Toronto. It has been adopted by mainly the medical field. I would like to know if its effective when it comes to people with learning difficulties. I bet the original study omitted students who were neurodiverse or have learning difficulties. Its a cheap and poor method for choosing students and its a demoralising process.
The three stage interview was 5 questions about me and why I want to do the course, it gave me 8 minutes to answer before moving on to the next stage with a different interviewer. It was a dehumanising process, I could not even get to say "How are you?" or get to know the interviewer. None of my personality got across and I felt like a number to be ticked off in a list. After the first stage, the next two stages were roleplay interviews, with different interviewers. Same thing, I didn't get to ask how their day was or anything, straight to roleplay and punted off to the next stage.
MMI style interviews, I would seriously question the validity of them. The style orignated in Candna in 2014, University of Toronto. It has been adopted by mainly the medical field. I would like to know if its effective when it comes to people with learning difficulties. I bet the original study omitted students who were neurodiverse or have learning difficulties. Its a cheap and poor method for choosing students and its a demoralising process.
Hi, I have a similar interview coming up. what do the role-plays entail? any help is very appreciated
Original post by rosielane
Hi, I have a similar interview coming up. what do the role-plays entail? any help is very appreciated
Hi Rosielane,
Good luck with your interviews, basically you have to cheese it. I had to have coaching in interviews from two different sources to pass into the doctorate programme. This university interview process is against those from different cultures and neurodiversity. Yes, I bombed in the interviews, due to answering truthfully and from my own cultural background typical answers. If you are from the UK you have a massive advantage over others, as one MMI style interview was "you're a cinema attendant, your colleague turns up drunk and is having lifestyle issues and is having a mental health crisis, what do you do?" I answered truthfully. I said in the interview I was thinking 'I do not want my colleague to get into trouble and as they have mental health issues and potentially lose their job and be at risk of sucide', I said in the interview I would take over their duties so they can sober up in the background. In my culture (my background), this is done frequently thinking of others before process, obviously in hindsight the "UK" answer is to go to the manager and tell on the coworker and send them home, which I would highly think in the real scenario the coworker would be fired for this and would be at high risk of suicide. Look at typical UK HR responses and you will be safe in these styles of interviews. Another question is " you hit another car in the parking lot and dented it, what do you do?" this one I scored well, due to the ethical response is to report it to the car park attendant. Why I have the hump on about these style of interview questions, is that sociopaths can learn the ways and cheese it and be let into mental health professional positions. Other than testing for cultural norms and practices, what value do these MMI style interviews bring? I can lie through my teeth and pass, while genuine answers will be docked down as they are not typical processes for the "UK". While some can argue I will be working in the UK, why not have diversity of thought as well?
In the end, after coaching I had to big up my ethical background and my neurodiversity to get into university, it's all a game to play. I really don't like it, once the formula is found you can get in. Also what was really weird is that universities really don't care about your research goals or agendas, it's all about practical experience and previous counselling experience. So even if you have a research goal, it's all about your experience and who you are as a person.
Hope this helps.
Original post by jonathan.lorio
Even without a leaning disability, this program is a mess. The program leader, the black guy, is a real piece of work and the program itself has bad reviews. Try the other Counselling programs that are better than this mess, it has negative reviews online from current students, you dodged a bullet. For a social justice program, they really do have their heads up their behind.
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