 Guys, this confidence thing is really breaking my heart. I just got finished doing a mock interview with someone who got four interview invites. That's pretty huge. PA schools don't invite that many people to interview, so getting four of them in one year, and this is a first time applicant, by the way, four in one year, that's a huge deal. And so they came to me because they said they don't feel confident doing their interviews. They stutter, they get nervous, they freeze up, they just don't feel confident about themselves presenting to the interviewer, you know, why they should accept them, why they're going to be a good student, why they deserve a spot in the PA school class that they're applying for. And I just, I kind of get it. And I also kind of don't because this particular person is an amazing applicant. They got great experience. They've got really good grades. They've taken really hard courses. They have really, really good patient care experience, all different kinds with leadership roles and all kinds of good stuff in there. They've got volunteer experience. They're from a different country, speak a different language just like me. They, they're extremely passionate about healthcare and had an amazing essay that I did not help them with, something they wrote completely on their own. And it was really, it was an incredible essay. So I can see why they got so many interview invites, but now when it comes down to the interview, they freeze up, they get nervous. And they just don't see themselves as this incredible, amazing applicant that the PA schools saw on paper. And they were like, wow, look at this, we got to give this person an interview. And I mean, they're going to be a shoe in, they're an incredible applicant, but this person doesn't see themselves that way. And it's breaking my heart. They're a way better applicant than I was. They're probably way better than like your average applicant that actually gets into school. And the only thing keeping them from living their dream and being that incredible provider I know they're going to be is just the fact that they get nervous. And the reason they get nervous is they don't see themselves to be as good as they are, literally as good as they are, not better than they are, not as good as they wish they were, no, literally as good as they already are, as good as they already are on paper. Because if they weren't that good, they probably wouldn't have gotten as many interview invites as they did, but they are that good. And that's why they got so many invites. So it's just, I mean, like trying to teach someone to be more confident than they should be based on their stats. Okay, you could, but like what's really difficult to me is trying to get somebody who is already really amazing just to get them to see that they're amazing. Because if you don't see that, if you think that you don't deserve to be there, if you think that for some reason you're not good enough, even though you are, then you're going to act as such. You're going to act that way. You're going to be awkward. You're not going to know what to say. You're going to focus on the negatives. And you're just not going to present yourself well. And then the amazing provider that you can be and make that difference that you want to make in your community, you're never going to get to do it because you're just not going to present yourself well in the interview. So you're never going to get into school. And like, that's just, that's really breaking my heart right now. I don't really know what else to say. This isn't a planned scripted video. You know, I just got done doing this mock interview. And I knew what I wanted to say generally. I even started trying to take down some notes, but I'm not really trying to communicate, you know, like my normal videos where it's just like a list of things and it's all organized in A, B and C. Like this is what I want to say. This isn't one of those videos. This is more just like me literally speaking from the heart and just saying, if you're a good applicant, you got to see yourself that way. And so like most of our mock interview, like when I do a mock interview, I usually do 15 to 20 minutes of just questions, like questions I think they're going to get asked, things similar to what I think they're going to get asked. I do my research on their school about them as an applicant. I ask specific questions, you know, based on their application. And so 15 to 20 minutes of that, and then 15 to 20, maybe 30 minutes of feedback. Like how did you present? How did you answer this question? How did you answer that question? Here's what I think you could have done better. And then, you know, I gather my thoughts later and kind of write up a report because I don't think of everything in the moment that I want to say. But so basically it's that. And basically the entire feedback of this person, I don't want to give out too many details about them, but basically the entire feedback that I gave this person wasn't really even focusing specifically on their answers to the questions. It was more just focusing on, you need to see yourself as good as you actually are. You're amazing. You're a freaking amazing applicant. That's why you got invited to interview. PA schools get thousands of applications. They might send out maybe a couple hundred interviews and you got one of those at four schools. You are an incredible applicant way above average. So now the trick is how are we going to get you to believe that? How are we going to get you to see that? And what I told this person and what I have actually gathered my thoughts and written up the report, I'm actually making this video first just because I feel so strongly about this. And I really want this person out in the community doing amazing work, you know, practicing medicine, making a good difference in their community, being a very empathic, smart, driven PA. But before they get there, they have to see themselves that way. And so that's just, that's just what I really want to help that person and anybody watching this video do. And so the only way you're going to be confident, present yourself confidently, calmly, not stutter, not be super awkward, but actually feel like you belong in that seat when you're doing the interview. And I know it's all Zoom, but you belong in this seat with those people from that school talking to you, offering you a spot in their class because they see that you're good, you belong there because you're a great applicant. And so one interesting thing about this person, every time somebody orders a mock interview for me, I asked them some specific questions. I asked them to send me their CASP application so I could see their, you know, their GPA, their classes, where they went to school, their answers to supplementals, their essay, all that good stuff just so I can get a really good idea of them as an applicant. And so one other thing that I do is I ask them, what do you think, in terms of interviewing, what do you think are your biggest strengths and your biggest weaknesses? This person answered very specifically about their weaknesses. This person told me I tend to get nervous, I tend to stutter, I tend to freeze up and not say anything for a long time. I tend to just not be comfortable in the interview. Guess what? They didn't answer one strength. This person did not answer half the question. They did not say, these are my strengths, these are my weaknesses. They only said, here's a bunch of weaknesses. So can you imagine how they see themselves? They don't see themselves as a strong applicant. They see all the weaknesses, all the criticisms. And that's the issue. If you're asked a question and it's something you're not ready for and all that's in your head is criticisms of why you're not good enough, how do you think you're going to answer? If something happens that's unexpected, let's say the person interviewing you is late or something's weird, or you get stumped by a question or there's like a minor emergency and then you have to go right into your interview right after that. These things happen. I see them happen all the time. And guess what happens? If like you get thrown out of your rhythm, you get thrown for a loop, you're not expecting something and then you're constantly criticizing yourself, you're going to focus on that criticism and you're going to be nervous, awkward, you're not going to present well in your interview. So what I told this person to do is to focus only on the positives. Go home. I mean, I think they were at home when we were talking, but go home. Make a list. Pen and paper. I don't mean literally just like sit there and think. I mean, write it down. Write it down so it's real, tangible. You can feel it. You can see it. Pen, paper. Write down. Why am I a good applicant? Why do you think or why do I think this school gave me an interview? Why do I think I got a bunch of interview invites? Why do I think I'm a good applicant? And I actually asked this. And once I asked that question, this person had no problem coming up with things. I have a lot of good experiences. I'm empathic. I listen. I'm really good under pressure. I'm very organized. All these good things, but they only started coming out when I asked the question. So what I'm asking you to do is ask yourself the question. Why are you a good applicant? Why do you deserve to be in that seat, getting an interview? Why do you deserve a spot in the class? Why do you deserve to be a PA? Doctor, nurse, whatever you're interviewing for, why are you a good applicant? Literally write it down. If you think that you're being cocky, if you think that you're being annoying, overconfident, like whatever your view is of people who are confident maybe, or of thinking good about yourself, stop it. Think good about yourself. Don't like overdo it. Don't be like, yeah, I'm better than everyone. Like, no, okay, you're not. No one is. I'm sure as heck not. But like, why are you good? Why are you a good applicant? I'm going to keep saying this over and over again. I sound like a broken record and I don't care because this is something that nobody focuses on apparently. Everyone focuses on what's wrong. How can I do better? Why am I this way? Why am I what's wrong with me? But no one focuses on what's right with me. Why am I a good applicant? And the thing is in this case, like confidence generally, okay, generally in life, it's kind of hard to pin that down. But as far as this very specific situation, it's actually really easy. You got an invite. So you're already in the top 10% at least. Just like that. Top 10% of everybody who sent their application to that school. Top 10% already immediately. Just the fact that you got an interview. Okay, that's pretty good. That's already an A. Top 10%. That's an A. That's above 90. Okay, so you already got an A for people who like grades. You already got your A. Now you need that A plus. And guess what? You can do it. You deserve it. Now just tell me why. And the thing is it's already been proven that you're an amazing applicant. People who are literally paid to sift through applications and based on their experience and professional opinion, they are literally paid a lot of money actually to sit there and determine based on what's on paper, what's in your CASP application, who might be a good fit, who they think can handle the program, who they're excited to bring out to interview, and who they maybe aren't feeling so good about. So the fact that you got the interview invite means that they felt good about you. They already like you. They already think that you're a good applicant. They already think you're smart enough. They already think you're driven enough. They already think you're organized and good enough in every way. If they didn't, they wouldn't have gotten you the invite. If they didn't, you wouldn't be in the situation anyway. So it's already literally proven to you that you're a really good applicant. So get your list. Get your paper. Get your pen. Write out why are you a good applicant as many reasons as you can. And just read that back to yourself over and over and over and over and over and over again. And maybe think of some situations that illustrate that. I'm a good applicant because I'm organized. Why are you organized? Well, I worked as a scribe and I came in early and I knew all the different doctors' preferences and there was like 13 of them. So that was hard to learn, but I did it. And I have very good attention to detail and that and the other. And here's exactly why. And these are by the way things that can come up in your interview. So you're actually doing interview prep by doing this, by making yourself feel good and by making yourself a stronger applicant just by making yourself more confident but you're also gathering stories and gathering proof of why you're a good applicant to yourself. And if you prove it to yourself, it's going to be really easy to prove it to the people interviewing you. To whoever's interviewing you. So that's what I need you to do. Confidence. Confidence comes from doing something you've done before and doing it well. Well, becoming a good applicant is something you've already done. It's already done. It's in the bag. You're a good applicant. Just believe that right now because it's been proven. Otherwise, you wouldn't have an interview invite. So that's already proven. It's in the bag. No arguing. You can't argue with me on that. You're a good applicant. That's it. Oh, and just one more thing about this mock interview. The person had to run off they had class, I think. And then they were also working. And so doing interview prep was just another thing that this person was kind of jamming into their really crazy schedule. One more thing that I told this person was take some time for you. I know you got to make money. I don't know if you have rent or if you're living with family. But I know you got to make money. I know you got to do your job. But I mean, you already have enough hours to get into PA school. So can you maybe limit the hours? I know jobs like to hold on to you and get the most out of you. Obviously, you're an employee, but for you personally, can you maybe take some time off? Can you maybe work some fewer hours? And also class. You're taking classes. You're trying to get your GPA up. I understand. And it's a lot. And just like adding this to just your to-do list, like you're going to do like anything else and say interview prep. Okay, interview prep. I'm going to do these questions and I'm going to get perfect answers for them. Well, you're going to sound like a robot. Take some time for you. What do you like to do? What makes you feel good? What makes you feel just at peace and good about yourself? That's the main thing. Good about yourself. Is it taking a walk, taking a jog, going, skiing, hiking, biking, driving, riding a motorcycle, making a really, really good meal, like going to the grocery store, picking everything out for your recipe, making a good meal, going to the movies. I don't know if you could do that with COVID. I think you can. But going to the movies, going to a theme park, going for a hike, unless I already said that, hanging out with friends, talking to family. I don't know. What else? Just laying in the grass, going to the mall and just walking around, window shopping if you don't have money. Like whatever, just whatever makes you feel good about you. And a lot of times it's like our hobbies, it's stuff that we've done. So like maybe playing music or singing or going to the gym. Like that's my favorite thing and the world makes me feel amazing about myself. Is like because it's something I've been doing for 10 years and I just I know where everything is. I know what to do. It makes me feel good. Even if I'm not getting results, it's just like it's something I know how to do and do well. And that's confidence. It comes from doing what you know how to do and doing it well. And that's confidence. And by the way, confidence can carry over. If you feel confident at the gym or wherever hobby you're in, playing music and you're just like you're doing your thing, you're in the zone, you're feeling good about yourself because you're doing what you know how to do. If you do that on the same day, every interview or like the day before, you're just going to be going into that interview feeling naturally confident like you know what you're doing. Go do that. Go do more of that. Less interview prep on like standardized questions and just memorizing robotic responses and more stuff that you already know how to do and makes you feel good about yourself. They're both important. You want to practice questions, but you also want to practice feeling good about yourself. That's all I can really say. Like I said, this video was not planned at all. I had no idea how I was going to make it. I actually have like a whole to-do list of stuff to do today. And I think I was supposed to be eating right now. I'm not sure, but it's on my to-do list and this video is not. But this mock interview that I just got done doing just like it really motivated me to try to make a difference in helping people get more confident in their interviews because I see that as probably the biggest problem. Everybody I mock interview with is prepared. They've memorized responses to a bunch of questions. They're obviously crazy good applicants because they already got interviews. The one thing a lot of people struggle with is just seeing themselves in the mirror as the good applicant that they already are. You're already good. Just recognize it. Believe it for yourself. And then other people will believe it too. And then they'll let you in. All right, guys. I don't think I even did an intro. I was so motivated to just get going. But what's my intro? Oh, yeah. I'm Boris. I'm a second-year physician assistant student. I'm graduating in a few months and hopefully will actually be a real physician assistant soon. But anyway, if you guys want my help personally with your application, your CASPA essay, dual mock interview with me, anything like that, just go to BorisThePA.com and book one of my services. If you want to follow me, my kind of day-to-day, week-to-week life, follow me on Instagram at BorisThePA. Otherwise, I'll see you in the next video. Thank you for watching my channel. Please subscribe if you haven't already. It really helps me. Click like on the video, share the video with somebody you know needs it, and I know people need this one. So please share and I'll see you in the next one.