At the end of the interview, what questions do you ask?

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
A

aegistitan

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
336
Reaction score
136
At the end of the interview when the committee member(s) ask you what questions you have, what questions do you tend to ask?
Members don't see this ad.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
It'd be a good idea to ask how your hair looks, and if the interviewer has any plans for the evening. If they have no plans, invite them to the club.

Edit: If there are no clubs, you're rejected.
 
I'll help you with some generic questions if you are completely devoid of any good things to inquire about at the end of the interview (which is a bad sign).

Dr So and So, what has made you stay at School of Medicine for X years? (Be sure to address interviewer by name at least once in your interview)

If you're feeling really bold, you can ask the interviewer if there are any specific concerns in your profile that you could address. (Be prepared to answer)

Also, going forward what are the goals that School of Medicine is focusing on for improvement?
 
aegistitan said:
At the end of the interview when the committee member(s) ask you what questions you have, what questions do you tend to ask?
Click to expand...

The night before my interview is when I normally research the school to re-familiarize myself with the specifics of their program (curriculum, research, clinical affiliates) and from that stems many questions. I write those down in my portfolio which comes with me and I refer to it if I can't remember the questions off the top of my head.

I don't think it's a bad thing if you end up with no questions, just ask specifics about the interviewer. If s/he has a PhD then ask about their work, otherwise just ask about their medical career in general and go from there.

I didn't ask questions I wasn't genuinely interested in exploring because I feel it's easy to see through that. I always told myself that the school interviews tons of students, a great way to stand out is to actually connect with the interviewer. Asking personal questions is a way to do that, but it definitely depends on the type of person you're matched with.
 
^^This. Every interview I asked something along the lines of, "This interview day has been great, but everybody has been telling us information about the positives. Every school has it's flaws, so if there is one thing you could change about it, what would it be?" I wouldn't attribute this to my success, but I was accepted to every school I interviewed at and used this every time, so it can't be a deal breaker.
 
I always asked two questions:

"What do you like the most about this school?" Or "What in your opinion is the best thing this school offers its students?"

And then I always ask: "Do you have any questions or concerns about me that I can address?"
 
Ophthoseidon said:
^^This. Every interview I asked something along the lines of, "This interview day has been great, but everybody has been telling us information about the positives. Every school has it's flaws, so if there is one thing you could change about it, what would it be?" I wouldn't attribute this to my success, but I was accepted to every school I interviewed at and used this every time, so it can't be a deal breaker.
Click to expand...
Haha. I always ask this question, too. They usually have to think.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Ideally you spend a little time prior to the interview looking up the school's website to get some basic info and can ask questions based on things you find there. Try not to ask generic questions. They are obviously generic and you aren't fooling anyone. Ask about things you're interested in, things on the website that you're curious about, etc..
 
YogaBe@r said:
And then I always ask: "Do you have any questions or concerns about me that I can address?"
Click to expand...

As someone who has conducted professional interviews, I must say I hated when candidates used this line or variations thereof. The entire interview is for the interviewer to ask you questions and address their concerns. They don't need to be given a prompt or permission from the candidate to do this. At *best* if this came at the end of a good interview, I would say "nope!" and it wouldn't change my opinion. More often, candidates who asked questions like these were already borderline or auto-rejects, and watching them tap dance wasn't going to change that.

Obviously you've been successful and I won't make a sweeping generalization that every interviewer agrees with me. But some do. It's really not worth the risk.
 
MedNation907 said:
The night before my interview is when I normally research the school to re-familiarize myself with the specifics of their program (curriculum, research, clinical affiliates) and from that stems many questions. I write those down in my portfolio which comes with me and I refer to it if I can't remember the questions off the top of my head.
Click to expand...

Same here.

And if there's anything I cant find on their website (grading policies, etc). I would ask about that.
 
radiologyology said:
If you're feeling really bold, you can ask the interviewer if there are any specific concerns in your profile that you could address. (Be prepared to answer)
Click to expand...

I did this and phrased it more in a 'i really love this school and want to clarify any other questions/reservations you might have on my candidacy'.

I did ask the attending I interviewed with what he thought about the students and how they compared to residents from other schools and plugged then plugged in something relevant from the schools curriculum and asked him how he thought that affected the students through their careers etc.

It's not hard to show interest in the school using info they give you if you're genuinely curious.
 
Granted this was for plastic surgery residency interviews, but I striaght up asked some ridiculous stuff:

Like, can we skip the hospital tour and grab some drinks?

Or

Uhhh, no I think you guys had it covered with that 2 hour presentation.... but wait! Do you offer bagels or sandwiches for conference - it's a big deal.

Or

Hey, are the pediatric residents here cute?

Hahahah. Just gotta gauge your audience.
 
caffeinemia said:
Granted this was for plastic surgery residency interviews, but I striaght up asked some ridiculous stuff:

Like, can we skip the hospital tour and grab some drinks?

Or

Uhhh, no I think you guys had it covered with that 2 hour presentation.... but wait! Do you offer bagels or sandwiches for conference - it's a big deal.

Or

Hey, are the pediatric residents here cute?

Hahahah. Just gotta gauge your audience.
Click to expand...

you serious brah?
 
"I've got a few other acceptances. So why should I come to your school?"
Make them earn you. You're the trophy.

But really why do people say you should ask a question. It seems like such a tool move to force a question if you don't have one. All the information that you should need would be on the school website.
 
Avicenna said:
"I've got a few other acceptances. So why should I come to your school?"
Make them earn you. You're the trophy.
Click to expand...
giphy.gif
 
Avicenna said:
"I've got a few other acceptances. So why should I come to your school?"
Make them earn you. You're the trophy.

But really why do people say you should ask a question. It seems like such a tool move to force a question if you don't have one. All the information that you should need would be on the school website.
Click to expand...
You shouldn't be asking about anything that's clearly on the website, but it's a good time to ask for more information about something you saw on the website, or (more importantly) to get a feel for the school. Every school has some BS mission statement that doesn't really mean much. In the interview, you can ask how they would describe the student body, how accessible the faculty are, what could use improvement, what they think makes the school stand out.
You should ask a question so you actually seem interested in the school. Ask a question so that when you're deciding where to go, you have something more than numbers and curriculum to go off of.
 
Avicenna said:
"I've got a few other acceptances. So why should I come to your school?"
Make them earn you. You're the trophy.

But really why do people say you should ask a question. It seems like such a tool move to force a question if you don't have one. All the information that you should need would be on the school website.
Click to expand...
Did you ask that question and get in?
My advice say anything but that. 😵
 
songl4a said:
What if they bring a low GPA or MCAT or not enough hours? Something that you can't change?
Click to expand...
At least it gives you a chance to defend yourself. At least you get an extra opportunity to explain why, despite a lower gpa/mcat/hours you deserve to go to medical school. I'd rather have a chance to additionally sell myself than have the interviewer walk away with those negative thoughts anyway.
 
A question that's forced and contrived will seem forced and contrived. It's my belief that the interviewer has already formed their opinion of you by then. If you don't have a question, then it's okay to say that you really don't have one at the moment.
 
Not sure if it was just because the interview was going well, but I asked "What is your favorite aspect/thing about [medical school]?"

It helped the interview end on a positive note as you and the interviewer focus on what's awesome about the school (which can help you briefly re-state and/or show that the school has what you're into).
 
I haven't had an interview yet, (crossing my fingers that I receive some this upcoming cycle), but I plan to ask, "Have you been inspired by any of your students? If so, what were the means of inspiration?"
 
Avicenna said:
"I've got a few other acceptances. So why should I come to your school?"
Make them earn you. You're the trophy.

But really why do people say you should ask a question. It seems like such a tool move to force a question if you don't have one. All the information that you should need would be on the school website.
Click to expand...

I know you're joking but please put a disclaimer you're joking for those that are verbal reasoning challenged (what is the tone of the author) and take your statements to be serious and use it on their interview day.
 
aegistitan said:
you serious brah?
Click to expand...

Why the hell not? You think that the decision is based on you having a question at the end? Why not show them you're human and have normal concerns. Like bagels and attractive people. Clearly, I work in New York.
 
aegistitan said:
At the end of the interview when the committee member(s) ask you what questions you have, what questions do you tend to ask?
Click to expand...

At one of my schools I noticed what seemed like a change in the emphasis of some new promotional materials from previous visits and asked about it at the end of the interview. Why? It would have denoted a change of school intent which might have made me reconsider some options. I will point out that wasn't asking to fill out interview time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
Do we ask MMI interviewer questions?
Replies
3
Views
1K
pablo213
pablo213
The Deep
the end
Replies
5
Views
792
The Deep
The Deep
R
  • Question Question
is it rude to ask shadowing the day of?
Replies
5
Views
889
GoSpursGo
GoSpursGo
G
Can you apply DO and MD at the same time?
Replies
3
Views
829
Goro
Goro
S
Questions to ask PI (CRC Interview)
Replies
3
Views
1K
GoSpursGo
GoSpursGo
Top