good questions to ask at interviews

[shawty ya'head]

please contribute for stupid people like me

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[Psycho Doctor]

1. what is there to do in the area?

2. do they hold you to an honor code?

3. how many classes can you miss and still pass?

4. what are the best bars?

I'm sure there are plenty of other equally as good questions...

oh you wanted mto get into this school? oh nevermind

 

[sfbear]

you can ask about the way third and fourth year rotations are set up (how many hospitals will you be exposed to, how you're protected from excessive scut, who does your evaluations, etc.), what the top three specialties are that people end up going into, what the interviewer thinks is the one thing that makes their school so great/what they're most proud of with regards to the institution (a positive version of the "what would you change" question - you can figure that out by what they don't say). be sure to ask the students about the area, support for students having trouble in class, ease of research opportunities, if the early clinical exposure is actually valuable, etc. That's what I came up with off the top of my head, but I'm pretty sure there's a whole bunch of threads dedicated to this - I'd do a search.

 

[Law2Doc]

It's also always good if you can do some research about the school (at least read their website and promo materials) and ask school specific questions related to that info.

 

[pratik7]

this is one of my favs..."do you feel like there are too many students on 3rd year rotation that it takes away from the clinical education( ie... dont get to see as much stuff)"

 

[EMTLizzy]

I've tried to be really careful not to ask a question that has already been answered by some other part of the day (ie during the tour or financial aid people).

One of my favorites is to ask the interviewer(s) what they think is one really great thing about their school and one area they feel they need to work on or grow. I've gotten really good responses both times I've asked that and the interviewers made that "wow, i'm impressed you asked that" face.

I got in to both schools, too.

 

[drguy22]

how is the basic science curriculum set up?

how much clinical exposure do you get as a first year med student?

do many student get involved in research?

 

[shawty ya'head]

i'm afraid to ask questions that you should 'already know' or 'should have read on the website or brouchure' prior to applying

the 'curriculum' questions i feel fall under these categories

most schools have on their website how their sciences are set up and how their rotations are set up.


the other ones are great questions.

keep them coming please, i'm still feeling dumb.

 

[Sarikate]

Here are some I've asked...

1) Do students have much of a say in changes in the curriculum? Are faculty receptive to student input?
2) Is there a faculty advisor system?
3) For the clinical years, is it necessary to have a car?
4) For student OR faculty interviewers: what made you decide to study/teach at this school?
5) What kind of international clinical opportunities are available in the clinical years?
6) Are there good opportunities for research during/after the first year?

 

[txguy]

I like to ask, "If you could change anything about this school, what would it be?"

Here is a good list of questions:

http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/about/31questions.htm

-tx

EDIT:

A good follow-up question to "Are faculty receptive to student input?" is "What kind of changes have been made as a result of this feedback?"--get specific examples!