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The interview season at Pritzker has concluded, and I thought I would share my thoughts and tips for future applicants regarding your AMCAS, interview, and how to connect the two to best further your application. A couple of caveats:
-As a student interviewer, I don't have full access to the application of those that I interview (i.e., I don't see the grades, MCAT score, and secondary of interviewees). Consequently, my viewpoint is more narrow than that of the typical adcom member.
-These suggestions and tips are obviously colored by the things I'm supposed to be "looking for" in the interview. In other words, other schools may emphasize different values, be looking for different things, etc., rendering my suggestions useless. The point here is that I provide only one perspective from one school, and you probably shouldn't universally apply these things. Nonetheless, I've tried to write things that are fairly general and should be applicable to most if not all schools.
-These tips are based on a relatively large number of interviews, but by no means am I as experienced as some of the older medical students you might hear from or dedicated adcom members. My tips and suggestions should be secondary to theirs.
AMCAS Tips
-Use a narrative rather than bulletpoint format when describing your activities. I found the couple of applications that I read that used an abbreviated format to be inferior to those that used a narrative format when it came to describing what they did, why it was important, and (perhaps) how it applies to their interest in medicine. I also thought that an abbreviated format tends to be a little formal and impersonal. Some of you may know that LizzyM promotes a bulletpoint format (or at least used to), so there's obviously some degree of personal preference. If you're going to use that format, though, be sure to elaborate on your experiences so that the person reading your application gleams from the description what you want them to.
-When talking about anything in your application, view what you've written from the perspective of someone that has no idea who you are. Descriptions that don't provide enough information will sink you. There have actually been a few applications where my notes on the person (which usually take a whole page) are a few lines. To me, that's indicative of providing an inadequate amount of information in your AMCAS. Even though your responsibilities, what you did, and what you learned might be obvious to you, they aren't to the interviewer. If you have to choose between being overly descriptive and not descriptive enough, I would choose the former. As I've mentioned previously on SDN, I think the activities section provides a great opportunity to reveal something about your character and what makes you, you. If you provide poorly written descriptions or a lacking amount of information, you miss out on an incredible opportunity to let the adcom "get to know you" (at least as much as they can through a paper application).
-In your descriptions, be personal but not melodramatic. It's perfectly acceptable to talk about why an activity was meaningful to you which might include an anecdote or two. However, I would strongly recommend against using those descriptions as continuations of your dramatic personal statement. Especially in the limited amount of space you're provided, it will likely come across as trite and forced.
-Choose your "most significant" experiences carefully. Because I have a limited amount of time to read through your application, I'll focus on (and draw my questions from) the experiences that you consider to be the most significant to your development. Be sure to choose activities that are actually "most significant" rather than trying to play a metagame with the application process. For example, I was a little confused as to why some applications listed shadowing experiences as one of their most significant activities, especially when their description of the activity seemed relatively brand. Don't overthink this: your three significant activities DO NOT have to consist of a research experience, a service experience, and a clinical experience in order to satisfy the "medical triumvirate," ESPECIALLY if one of those activities really isn't significant to you.
-In general, choose your words carefully - both in your personal statement and in your activity descriptions. Especially in your PS, it can be easy to include dramatic buzz phrases that sound good but may have little to no meaning. If, for example, you talk about "the humanity of medicine" as something that as drawn you into the field, you better have an explanation of what that phrase means. I'm drawn to cliche-like phrases like a moth to a light, and asking for an explanation of something like that is a great way to get a feel for your understanding of the medical profession. A few applicants that I've interviewed really didn't have good explanations for phrases like that and it hurt them from my perspective. A good rule to keep in mind is that ANYTHING you include in your AMCAS is available for discussion. If you can't talk about it, don't include it. There are some exceptions: awards and accolades, for example, should be included even though you likely can't say much about them.
Interview Tips
-Be familiar with your application. For some, this may require reviewing your application before each interview to make sure you're familiar with everything. Referring to the scenario above, there were definitely a few applicants that seemed caught off guard when I asked them about something on their application. That's a vibe you really, really don't want to give off, as it brings into question the importance of the activity and/or your general trustworthiness as an interviewee.
-The applicants that I've been most impressed by are those that have clear goals and can clearly demonstrate why training at X school is critical to what they want to achieve as a physician. Not everyone has this strong of a forward-thinking approach, but it's certainly something you should consider. If, for example, your application and interview leads me to believe that you want to be a researcher and I'm interviewing you for admission to a school that primarily trains primary care physicians, I'll likely be confused as to why you're applying here and doubt that you would consider coming here. The same is somewhat true (but less so IMO because of many schools' stated desire to train community-minded physicians) if you're interested in primary care but are interviewing at a research-based institution. In short, try and make it clear - either explicitly or implicitly - why X school is important to achieving your goals as a physician. If you can effectively do that, the school will likely have little question about your interest in the school and you will generally be perceived as someone that has clearly thought out why they want to get into medicine and is mature. To do this, your goals as a physician should be as specific and clear as possible. Again, I've found that the strongest applications both enumerate these goals and "back them up" using their experiences and activities.
-Be enthusiastic and appear interested in the interview, but don't overdo it. I can usually tell pretty easily if an applicant is "faking it." It's also a pretty big negative if you seem like you're not paying attention (e.g., looking around throughout the interview, giving short, superficial responses to questions, etc.). Strike a balance: be yourself but don't appear disinteresed. Frankly, you should question whether or not you'd want to attend that school if you aren't excited to be there and aren't interested in what the staff and interviewers are saying.
-Make sure your responses in the interview are consistent when compared to your paper application. It's a big red flag if you said certain things in your AMCAS but said different (or even contradictory) things in the interview. Once again, I'm forced to question your authenticity and are led to distrust you to a certain extent. That's obviously not something you want. In many cases, this can be resolved by simply being familiar with your application.
-Don't be overly assertive in the interview. The applicant definitely has significant discretion with respect to what's going to be discussed and, in that way, can lead the interviewer down certain paths, but the interviewer has the reins and is leading the horse. Let them ask questions and, unless prompted, don't simply start spouting off things. Doing so is a little awkward and you might come across as somewhat arrogant. A prepared interviewer has read your application and has things that he/she wants to discuss and has certain goals for the interview. Not responding to his/her questions ultimately hurts you.
That's all I can think of for now. This certainly is a complete list of suggestions, but these are a few things that I hope will be helpful from the perspective of the other side of the fence, especially if you're applying this upcoming cycle and are starting to get your application together.
Good luck!
-As a student interviewer, I don't have full access to the application of those that I interview (i.e., I don't see the grades, MCAT score, and secondary of interviewees). Consequently, my viewpoint is more narrow than that of the typical adcom member.
-These suggestions and tips are obviously colored by the things I'm supposed to be "looking for" in the interview. In other words, other schools may emphasize different values, be looking for different things, etc., rendering my suggestions useless. The point here is that I provide only one perspective from one school, and you probably shouldn't universally apply these things. Nonetheless, I've tried to write things that are fairly general and should be applicable to most if not all schools.
-These tips are based on a relatively large number of interviews, but by no means am I as experienced as some of the older medical students you might hear from or dedicated adcom members. My tips and suggestions should be secondary to theirs.
AMCAS Tips
-Use a narrative rather than bulletpoint format when describing your activities. I found the couple of applications that I read that used an abbreviated format to be inferior to those that used a narrative format when it came to describing what they did, why it was important, and (perhaps) how it applies to their interest in medicine. I also thought that an abbreviated format tends to be a little formal and impersonal. Some of you may know that LizzyM promotes a bulletpoint format (or at least used to), so there's obviously some degree of personal preference. If you're going to use that format, though, be sure to elaborate on your experiences so that the person reading your application gleams from the description what you want them to.
-When talking about anything in your application, view what you've written from the perspective of someone that has no idea who you are. Descriptions that don't provide enough information will sink you. There have actually been a few applications where my notes on the person (which usually take a whole page) are a few lines. To me, that's indicative of providing an inadequate amount of information in your AMCAS. Even though your responsibilities, what you did, and what you learned might be obvious to you, they aren't to the interviewer. If you have to choose between being overly descriptive and not descriptive enough, I would choose the former. As I've mentioned previously on SDN, I think the activities section provides a great opportunity to reveal something about your character and what makes you, you. If you provide poorly written descriptions or a lacking amount of information, you miss out on an incredible opportunity to let the adcom "get to know you" (at least as much as they can through a paper application).
-In your descriptions, be personal but not melodramatic. It's perfectly acceptable to talk about why an activity was meaningful to you which might include an anecdote or two. However, I would strongly recommend against using those descriptions as continuations of your dramatic personal statement. Especially in the limited amount of space you're provided, it will likely come across as trite and forced.
-Choose your "most significant" experiences carefully. Because I have a limited amount of time to read through your application, I'll focus on (and draw my questions from) the experiences that you consider to be the most significant to your development. Be sure to choose activities that are actually "most significant" rather than trying to play a metagame with the application process. For example, I was a little confused as to why some applications listed shadowing experiences as one of their most significant activities, especially when their description of the activity seemed relatively brand. Don't overthink this: your three significant activities DO NOT have to consist of a research experience, a service experience, and a clinical experience in order to satisfy the "medical triumvirate," ESPECIALLY if one of those activities really isn't significant to you.
-In general, choose your words carefully - both in your personal statement and in your activity descriptions. Especially in your PS, it can be easy to include dramatic buzz phrases that sound good but may have little to no meaning. If, for example, you talk about "the humanity of medicine" as something that as drawn you into the field, you better have an explanation of what that phrase means. I'm drawn to cliche-like phrases like a moth to a light, and asking for an explanation of something like that is a great way to get a feel for your understanding of the medical profession. A few applicants that I've interviewed really didn't have good explanations for phrases like that and it hurt them from my perspective. A good rule to keep in mind is that ANYTHING you include in your AMCAS is available for discussion. If you can't talk about it, don't include it. There are some exceptions: awards and accolades, for example, should be included even though you likely can't say much about them.
Interview Tips
-Be familiar with your application. For some, this may require reviewing your application before each interview to make sure you're familiar with everything. Referring to the scenario above, there were definitely a few applicants that seemed caught off guard when I asked them about something on their application. That's a vibe you really, really don't want to give off, as it brings into question the importance of the activity and/or your general trustworthiness as an interviewee.
-The applicants that I've been most impressed by are those that have clear goals and can clearly demonstrate why training at X school is critical to what they want to achieve as a physician. Not everyone has this strong of a forward-thinking approach, but it's certainly something you should consider. If, for example, your application and interview leads me to believe that you want to be a researcher and I'm interviewing you for admission to a school that primarily trains primary care physicians, I'll likely be confused as to why you're applying here and doubt that you would consider coming here. The same is somewhat true (but less so IMO because of many schools' stated desire to train community-minded physicians) if you're interested in primary care but are interviewing at a research-based institution. In short, try and make it clear - either explicitly or implicitly - why X school is important to achieving your goals as a physician. If you can effectively do that, the school will likely have little question about your interest in the school and you will generally be perceived as someone that has clearly thought out why they want to get into medicine and is mature. To do this, your goals as a physician should be as specific and clear as possible. Again, I've found that the strongest applications both enumerate these goals and "back them up" using their experiences and activities.
-Be enthusiastic and appear interested in the interview, but don't overdo it. I can usually tell pretty easily if an applicant is "faking it." It's also a pretty big negative if you seem like you're not paying attention (e.g., looking around throughout the interview, giving short, superficial responses to questions, etc.). Strike a balance: be yourself but don't appear disinteresed. Frankly, you should question whether or not you'd want to attend that school if you aren't excited to be there and aren't interested in what the staff and interviewers are saying.
-Make sure your responses in the interview are consistent when compared to your paper application. It's a big red flag if you said certain things in your AMCAS but said different (or even contradictory) things in the interview. Once again, I'm forced to question your authenticity and are led to distrust you to a certain extent. That's obviously not something you want. In many cases, this can be resolved by simply being familiar with your application.
-Don't be overly assertive in the interview. The applicant definitely has significant discretion with respect to what's going to be discussed and, in that way, can lead the interviewer down certain paths, but the interviewer has the reins and is leading the horse. Let them ask questions and, unless prompted, don't simply start spouting off things. Doing so is a little awkward and you might come across as somewhat arrogant. A prepared interviewer has read your application and has things that he/she wants to discuss and has certain goals for the interview. Not responding to his/her questions ultimately hurts you.
That's all I can think of for now. This certainly is a complete list of suggestions, but these are a few things that I hope will be helpful from the perspective of the other side of the fence, especially if you're applying this upcoming cycle and are starting to get your application together.
Good luck!
