Individualized preparation for each and every school you interview at is very important. Spend time reviewing the curriculum, the school’s mission, the facilities, the hospitals you will be completing your clinical rotations at, available community opportunities – everything that defines the institution. Look also at what the school is known for such as having an international or public health focus, a strong mission of treating the underserved and/or the underinsured, a strong program in primary care or a strong research component to education. Try to figure out why you are a good match for this particular school so you can honestly state why you want to go there. Go in to interview day ready to share what you feel you can contribute to the entering class and why you are confident you are a good match for this particular program.
In addition, there are many standard questions that are asked by all medical schools and again you should prepare your answers in advance so that under the stressful interview circumstances you are still able to maintain your focus and speak confidently.
First and foremost on the preparation list: know what you have written in your AMCAS application. It’s been months since you completed your application so review what you wrote. Don’t be caught off guard. If you performed research, especially if it was a few years ago, make sure you know the science of the project, what your part in the project was and where the project is today.
Secondly, think about what has changed since your AMCAS and secondary application submission so that you know what other information you want to make sure you share with your interviewer. Include anything that may have changed in your application, such as your plans for the current year, a recent publication etc., so you can update your interviewer if necessary.
There are so many potential directions an interviewer could take so here are some of the general topics often discussed.
Initial Questions to Help You Relax
A good interviewer will work hard to help you relax initially so that you both settle and have a conversation, rather than a Q &A. Questions such as:
- Please tell me about your parents? Your siblings?
- How was your trip here? Is this your first trip to our city?
- Sports teams? The weather?
- What are your hobbies?
Standard Questions:
- Why do you want to go to medical school?
- Explain your transcript discrepancies from your undergraduate record.
- Share your most meaningful extracurricular activity.
- Describe a time when you were in a caring role.
- Describe your clinical exposure – Significant patient contact.
- What was your most rewarding volunteer position?
- Describe your research exposure? What it bench or clinical?
- Describe the activities you had during your Gap year?
- Why did you enroll in a Post-Baccalaureate program?
Personal Questions
- Have you ever had to come back from adversity?
- What qualities do you possess that make you confident you can be a physician?
- What are your strengths? Your weaknesses?
- What are you most proud of?
- Who has had the greatest impact on your life and where you are today?
More Thought Provoking Questions:
- Interviewers often challenge applicants with an ethical question which may be related to any number of controversial areas such as abortion, right to life, assisted suicide, Medicare, DNR….
- Where do you envision yourself 10 years from now professionally?
- How do you envision the field of health care in 10 years?
- Do you feel the US is moving to managed care? Is this best?
- Will physicians have lost all autonomy?
In closing, an interviewer will almost always ask you for questions. Try to have a couple good questions prepared. Don’t just ask a question to ask one, but do ask one that is relevant to your background, one that shows your serious interest in the school and your knowledge of the institution.
Stay tuned for Medical School Interviews. Part 3: The Interview Itself and Afterwards
By guest blogger Theresa Davies-Heerema, Ph.D., who has advised many medical and dental school applicants during her career in post-graduate education
Read the full article: The Medical School Interview: Interview Preparation (Part 2 of 3)