Preparing for Interviews

The medical school interview is regarded as an important criterion by the admissions committee because it assesses subjective information that could not be determined by your MCAT scores or GPA. The admissions committee often looks closely at the interview if there is a deficiency or low score in your objective criterion such as test scores or grade point average. Click on the Pre-Health interviews  PDF file  for some helpful suggestions as you prepare for your medical/health-related school interview.

Understanding the Medical School Interview
Preparing for the Medical School Interview
Sample of the Possible Questions Asked at the Medical School Interview


Understanding The Medical School Interview

Role of the Interview

  • Interviews are conducted for screening and/or recruiting purposes
  • Some of the schools immediately screen out candidates who are ineligible because of their residency status
  • Many others do a first screening on numerical criteria
  • Interviews help in assessing candidates' personal traits and characteristics beyond academic abilities

How Many?

  • The most common number of interviews is two.
  • Candidates for the MD/PhD generally receive one or more additional interviews from the relevant research department.

How Long?

  • Most schools interview small numbers of applicants on several days during the week, while others tend to bring larger groups in on a single day, often Saturday
  • Most institutions have a group orientation, a session on financial aid, campus tours and lunch with medical students.
  • Students have an opportunity to attend classes if they made arrangements in advance.
  • Some schools bring students in for two days (attend classes, visit university campus, etc.)
  • Most interviews last about 30 minutes, although longer is much more common than shorter

When?

  • Most interviews are concentrated in the period from October to April, although EDP candidates usually interview in August and September
  • Most schools will attempt to accommodate requests from students to coordinate their interviews geographically
  • It is possible to reschedule interviews if needed as long as the request is presented professionally

Who is interwewed?

  • Generally, only students who meet certain academic and extracurricular requirements are granted interviews.
  • Some have specific agreements with feeder schools
  • Some show preference for faculty or alumni/ae children or other special groups although some of these interviews are often for counseling vs. admissions

Who interviews?

  • Virtually all schools use both their clinical and basic science faculty.
  • Some schools use medical students, administrators, alumni/ae, physicians and other members of the community; liberal arts faculty, etc.
  • Occasionally, alumni/ae are used to conduct regional interviews (but if you can afford it, always go to the actual campus!)

Blind or with application folder?

  • Some interviewers have access to the entire application file, some just to the personal statements, others to everything but the academic credentials

Individual or group

  • Most interviews are one-on-one, but some institutions (especially, Osteopathic and Canadian schools) prefer to have panel interviews.
  • Some schools have panels of interviewers who simultaneously interview small groups

Categories for interviewed candidates

  • Many schools notify candidates within two to four weeks after an interview (as soon as their committee convenes).
  • The practice of waiting until February or March to accept most students on a special day after reviewing the entire applicant pool is becoming increasingly popular, especially on the east coast.
  • Most state schools do not oversubscribe the entering class at all while often highly regarded private institutions do so by 100% or more.
  • Most allopathic schools follow AAMC traffic rules and require deposits of varying amounts to hold spots in the class.
  • It is acceptable to hold multiple acceptances up until May
  • Some private osteopathic schools require large non-refundable deposits ($1000 and up)
  • Waitlisted candidates are ranked order at some schools, but ranking is kept confidential
  • Some institutions welcome additional information from waitlisted candidates. If in doubt, ask!

Problems at interview

  • Immediately report the problem to see if an additional interview may be offered the same day.
  • Later notification may still yield an offer for an additional interview

Preparing for the Medical School Interview

What you will be assessed on

  • Physical bearing: appearance, neatness, confidence
  • Communication skills: ability to express ideas and opinions, verbal facility
  • Personal characteristics: friendliness, ability to relate
  • Motivation: derivation and strength of desire for medical career, goals
  • Knowledge: of self, medical profession, issues in the field
  • Maturity: commensurate to age, ability to handle responsibility, commitment
  • Interests: activities, recreational, athletic, research
  • Concern index: compassion, social service, empathy
  • Emotional stability: ability to relax, support system
  • Overall impression: subjective feeling about the applicant

Scheduling

  • Always ask for format of interview (how many, with whom, blind, length...)
  • Tour of the medical school and hospital facilities, sit in a class if you can
  • Go one day earlier and try to connect with medical students (possible housing options)
  • Try to group interviews in the same geographical area if possible

Preparation

  • Self assessment (refer to sample questions)
  • Review your application materials (primary/secondary applications and transcripts)
  • Look up school catalogs, bulletins, newsletters, and homepage on the Internet
  • Be familiar with class size, curriculum, facilities, cost, teaching style, philosophy, etc.
  • Read magazines/newspapers re current issues in the health field (i.e., New Physician)
  • See medical school interview feedback on line from students interviewing nationwide at http://www.studentdoctor.net/interview/index.asp
  • Reflect on examples to quote to support your statements
  • Rehearse on your own in front of a mirror, with a tape recorder if necessary
  • Practice with a friend, schedule a videotaped mock interview at the Career Center
  • Learn how to approach and discuss ethical and hypothetical questions
  • Analyze your list of criteria for school selection
  • Make a list of school-specific questions to ask your interviewer
  • Decide what you are going to wear
  • Consider developing your own post-interview checklist

At the interview

  • Give yourself plenty of time to get there
  • Be polite to anybody with whom you come in contact
  • Think and, if necessary, pause before answering questions
  • Answer questions briefly but exhaustively
  • Be honest!
  • Turn questions into opportunities to share a little more about you .
  • Keep your cool with "difficult" questions
  • Ask your own questions!
  • Get a timeline for a decision at the end of the interview

After the interview

  • Write your impressions when things are still fresh in your mind
  • How did the school fulfill your selection criteria?
  • Adapt your preparation for the next interview based on what you learned
  • If you feel any illegal/inappropriate questioning occurred, act immediately
  • Consider sending a thank-you letter to the Admissions Committee (usually better than a card)

Sample of Possible Questions Addressed at the Medical School Interview

Personal Background

  • Tell me about yourself.
  • How do your relax? What do you do in your spare time?
  • If I asked your peers to describe you, what do you think they would say?
  • What have you done to “stretch and grow”?
  • What motivates you?
  • How do you handle pressure?
  • Why do you think we should admit you to this school?
  • What would you like to add to your personal statement?
  • Provide an example of when you handled stress effectively.
  • What was the most difficult decision you ever had to make?
  • What is your biggest mistake/failure and what did you learn from it?
  • What have been your most remarkable accomplishments?
  • What do you consider to be your greatest asset?
  • What is your greatest weakness? What have you done so far to try to improve in this area?
  • Give me an example of how you have recently demonstrated your problem solving skills by resolving a difficult situation.
  • What book had the greatest impact on you in the past six months?
  • If you were on the admissions committee, what type of student would you look for?
  • What have you learned from patients?

Educational Background

  • What was your favorite class in college?
  • Have you ever been involved in research?
  • Why did you decide to be a ____________ major?
  • If you could change anything in your academic career, what would you do differently?
  • How would you rate the strength of your academic background?
  • How do you feel your undergraduate education prepared you for a career in medicine?
  • What type of opportunities have you pursued to develop your leadership skills?

Career Planning

  • How do you know that medicine is a good career choice for you?
  • Why are you applying to an osteopathic medical school (if applicable)?
  • What people/events/courses had the greatest influence on your decision to become a doctor?
  • What kind of internships, research projects, and volunteer experiences have you pursued to help confirm your career choice?
  • What would you do if you were not accepted to medical school?
  • Why did you apply to this school? What other schools did you apply to?
  • What do you see yourself doing ten years from now, professionally, personally, etc.?

Health Care Environment

  • What is your perception of the relationship between physicians and the other members of the health care team?
  • What do you think is the impact of insurance regulations, threats of malpractice, etc. on the medical profession?
  • Do you see a shift from solo practices to clinics and HMOs? Why/Why not?
  • In your opinion, what is the main cause for skyrocketing health care costs?
  • What suggestions do you have for bringing health education programs to underserved communities?
  • What are your views on cultural competency?

Medicine as a Profession

  • How would you describe the "ideal" physician?
  • What is your understanding of a typical day for a physician?
  • What concerns do you have about becoming a doctor?
  • How do you think you are going to combine the demands of your personal life with a career in medicine?
  • Do you think GPA and MCAT are adequate measures of a candidate's aptitude toward medicine? Why/Why not?
  • How would you feel about working for a health maintenance organization?
  • What role do you think doctors should play in the devising and implementation of a health care reform?
  • Have you ever watched anyone die?
  • Do you think that doctors' pay is equitable?
  • Do you believe doctors are viewed with as much respect as in the past?
  • What is your personal obligation to medical treatment to those in poverty-stricken areas?
  • What do you think are important attributes doctors should have when working with children? And with older patients?
  • Can you suggest ways to improve existing mechanisms to recruit underrepresented students into the medical field?

Hypothetical Situations

  • If you were a physician in an emergency room, how would you respond to individuals who could not show proof of insurance, knowing that serving them would be against your hospital's rules?
  • How would you calm down a patient who has been waiting for you for over two hours?
  • What would you tell a 13-year old patient who came to you for a birth control prescription?
  • How do you think you would respond to a bleeding patient knowing he/she was HIV positive?
  • How and when would you inform a patient that he/she had a terminal illness?
  • What kind of conversation would you have with a woman approaching you about getting an abortion?

Medical Ethics

  • Do you think it is ethical to offer monetary incentives to encourage people to donate organs?
  • Do you think it is ethical to offer monetary incentives to encourage people to donate organs?
  • Do you think that doctors should always tell the truth to their patients?
  • Do you think euthanasia is morally, socially and legally acceptable?
  • What is your position on physician-assisted suicide?
  • Do you think that HIV positive doctors should be allowed to practice?
  • Do you think that expensive medical treatment should be suspended for elderly people?
  • What ethical dilemmas do you associate with genetic screening, in-vitro fertilization and other forms of new reproductive technologies?
  • What do you see as the main moral challenges presented by stem cell research?
  • How do you feel about using animals for research purposes?
  • With the rise of HIV infection and other STD's, how do you think doctors should approach discussing sexual health and other safe sex practices with their patients, especially teenagers?
  • Do you think hypnosis is an effective/legitimate form of medical treatment?
  • What are your professional thoughts on breast implants/enlargements and other "cosmetic" types of medical interventions?
  • Do you think that all clinical trials adhere to ethical rules?

Questions for YOU to Ask!

  • In your view, what is the greatest strength of your program?
  • What kind of curriculum do you feel comfortable learning in?
  • What do you feel makes this institution unique?
  • What do you wish you had known prior to joining this institution?
  • What type of clinical exposure may I expect here?
  • How would you describe the campus atmosphere?
  • How safe is the campus environment? And the community at large?
  • Does competition or cooperation reign in your classes?
  • What can you tell me about the school's philosophy?
  • If I were to be admitted, who would be my classmates? How would you describe a typical entering class (backgrounds, age, etc.)
  • Have your programs for recruitment and retention of minority been successful?
  • How responsive is the school administration to student feedback? Can you give me an example?
  • How integrated are computers into the curriculum?
  • What kind of special support system would I find if I were to attend this institution?
  • What kind of assistance will be available to me in identifying sites for residencies?
  • Does your school allow for rotations outside of the U.S.?
  • How does your school assist students who do not pass the boards?