How long to prepare for interview? Are you bad at interviewing?

[sindee1984]

I submitted my secondaries in September so I haven't heard back from any schools about interviews, but I'm in the process of preparing for them. How long did you spend preparing for your interview(s)? Anyone bad at interviewing and is as nervous as I am? Ideally I would have at least 1.5 months to prepare before I feel confident. I would compile questions from SDN and come up with responses for them, look at the school's website, etc... I'm actually kind of glad I applied a little late because then I won't hear from the schools for a while and will have time to prepare.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[doinmybest5840]

I only started preparing about a week or so before my first interview. I read the entire previous year's worth of interview feedback on SDN for the school, and tried to verbalize an answer for each question. I also reviewed my primary and secondary applications for each school the night before, as well as made notecards with answers to common questions such as "Why medicine?" or "Why DO? (only for DO schools, obviously)" or "Why our school?" I answered the last one by researching the school online or in the MSAR if it was an MD school. Last, I also wrote out questions to ask during the interview so I wouldn't forget. I reviewed all of these notecards the night before and morning of, so they were fresh in my mind. I was really nervous before my first interview as well, but I was pretty much fine after that. I would say the best advice I've gotten is to relax and be yourself. You don't have any interviews yet, so until you get one, it's not really worth freaking out about. I would suggest formulating a coherent response for basic topics, though. For example, make sure you know how you feel about things like abortion, assisted suicide, healthcare, cheating, etc.

Good luck! I hope you get lots of interviews. 🙂

 

[nick_carraway]

I've only had one interview before I heard back from med schools. It was for my committee letter but it wasn't as stressful as I made it out to be. I'm sure that my interview in Maryland in a week and a half won't be as stressful either.

It's hard to believe, but interviews aren't that bad. They're fun if you can get a conversation going and as long as you're confident in what you say, the interview will go well. Most of your studying should be about the school and about any health care policy that you don't know about.

In terms of your answers about yourself during the interview, they should be natural so studying should only consist of organizing your thoughts. Believe it or not, you already know why you want to be a doctor or why you chose the internships that you did or why you want to go to ____ school. As long as you're genuine and half-way articulate, you'll do fine. For most of the interview, it's not so much what you say but whether your eyes light up when you say it and whether you're sincere.

 

[se2131]

I submitted my secondaries in September so I haven't heard back from any schools about interviews, but I'm in the process of preparing for them. How long did you spend preparing for your interview(s)? Anyone bad at interviewing and is as nervous as I am? Ideally I would have at least 1.5 months to prepare before I feel confident. I would compile questions from SDN and come up with responses for them, look at the school's website, etc... I'm actually kind of glad I applied a little late because then I won't hear from the schools for a while and will have time to prepare.

I just spent an hour reading up on current healthcare issues, and reviewed my application the night before my first interview.

Other than that, I'm a big proponent of winging it. Be enthusiastic about the EC's that they ask you about. Carry on a conversation. Show that you really want to be at that school for the next four years.

I feel like scripting answers to all possible potential questions really limits the potential for the interview: there's little room for open-endedness that could lead to a conversation that can be much more revealing about your character. Plus, if scripted, you may have to deliver very nicely for it to sound genuine.

There are a few key questions that you must be prepared for though:

1) Why this school
2) Problems with healthcare
3) Any explanation of poor grades, gaps, whatever
4) Why medicine

But each person is different, and I'm sure many people have had great success with preparing for all possible questions. It all depends on your own style.

 

[se2131]

As long as you're genuine and half-way articulate, you'll do fine. For most of the interview, it's not so much what you say but whether your eyes light up when you say it and whether you're sincere.

Precisely. Style over substance (as long as the substance isn't poor).

 

[mints of b]

If it makes you feel any better, I'm horrible at interviews as well.

 

[sindee1984]

Good luck! I hope you get lots of interviews. 🙂

Thanks! I hope you get lots of interviews too!

 

[doinmybest5840]

Thanks! I hope you get lots of interviews too!

Thanks!

 

[UCDavisISokay]

smooth talkers that always get girls also happen to be awesome interviewers 😉

 

[howdy2u]

My friend interviewed at 14 MD schools last year...she was accepted at 12! She told me to read Fearless Interviewing by Marky Stein. I just bought it...hopefully it will work?!?

 

[87138]

My friend interviewed at 14 MD schools last year...she was accepted at 12! She told me to read Fearless Interviewing by Marky Stein. I just bought it...hopefully it will work?!?

Hmmm, sounds interesting. Maybe I'll check that out.

 

[nycfella]

My friend interviewed at 14 MD schools last year...she was accepted at 12! She told me to read Fearless Interviewing by Marky Stein. I just bought it...hopefully it will work?!?

What were her stats?

 

[greg1184]

Some simple things to remember:
1) High yield
2) Be yourself

There is no way in hell you can prepare for every type of question an inteviewer can ask. But there are certain high-yield questions you SHOULD know what you are going to say. Not I am not saying memorize anything. DONT. Interviewers aren't stupid and can tell if you are scripted.

Examples:
1. Tell me about yourself
2. What are the problems in the health care system
3. Why do you want to be a doctor?
4. Why _________ School of Medicine?

Also be sure to know your application WELL. ANYTHING is fair game on the application. It is common for interviewers (including my interviewer) to quiz you on what you put on your application to make sure you are the one that put the info there.

If you want, read "Medical School Interview: Secrets and a system for success".

Finally, be yourself. Use your personality. This isn't a public speech. You have to be conversational with your interviewer, add some anecdotes, etc.

 

[IHeartNerds]

I also endorse winging it. Taking too long to prepare will make your answers seem rehearsed and not truthful, even if they are. Figure out why the school is cool/unique and make sure you know a thing or two about any research you did (ie if someone asks you a basic question about JAK-STAT signaling and you spent 3 years doing research on Stat3 and you can't answer it, that looks pretty bad), and most of all remember to THINK BEFORE YOU START TALKING.

 

[stellastarr]

I didn't write anything out, but I did practice verbalizing my answers to some of the common questions such as "why medicine", "tell me about yourself", "tell me about your path towards med school" etc. I was really nervous but my interviews went well. You shouldn't need to practice that much if you have actual, solid reasons to the above questions.

Think before you answer the questions, you don't need to start blabbering right away. It also makes you appear thoughtful. If someone asks you a question and you don't even need to pause to answer it, then it's a pretty big indicator that your responses are canned and rehearsed.

I read one of the healthcare books that were recommended on SDN, and while the book was overall a big waste of time (the main points could have been summed up in about five pages), it helped me feel more confident. You might also want to read one of the medical ethics texts out there, too.

 

[Bartelby]

I did the baseline preparation of writing out my personal statement and application, which allowed me to think about what I have done and why a medical school would care. Then I read Understanding Health Policy, which I strongly recommend. As for individual interviews, I usually spend 1-3 hours browsing through their website, MSAR entry, and literature. I also listen closely during their presentations to see what they choose to emphasize about themselves. When it comes time for the interview I try to relax, quiet my mind, and let the conversation go where it will. Don't spend a lot of time working the interview up in your mind. Just think about some of the basics as other posters have suggested above and then go in calm and confident.

 

[Boogsie]

I found about 20 "common" questions from the prehealth office and online and typed out the answers to them. I take the questions and answers to all my interviews becuase I get really nervous, so I like to go over them right before I go in for the interviews. This way you have everything already so preparing just takes about a half hour the night before.

I have not been asked any ethics/moral questions so far, even though I have prepared for them.

Most common for me:
Tell me about your research.
Tell me about this volunteer experience.
Why medicine?
Why this school? (This is great if asked after the tour)

Hardest so far...
Your GPA and MCAT are below our averages, how do I know you can cut it at our medical school....
Where do you see yourself as a physician in twenty years?

Ask your friends about your strengths and weakness....you might be surprised by what they say. (Things you have never thought about).

Good Luck!

 

[nick_carraway]

I found about 20 "common" questions from the prehealth office and online and typed out the answers to them. I take the questions and answers to all my interviews becuase I get really nervous, so I like to go over them right before I go in for the interviews. This way you have everything already so preparing just takes about a half hour the night before.

I have not been asked any ethics/moral questions so far, even though I have prepared for them.

Most common for me:
Tell me about your research.
Tell me about this volunteer experience.
Why medicine?
Why this school? (This is great if asked after the tour)

Hardest so far...
Your GPA and MCAT are below our averages, how do I know you can cut it at our medical school....
Where do you see yourself as a physician in twenty years?

Ask your friends about your strengths and weakness....you might be surprised by what they say. (Things you have never thought about).

Good Luck!

For me, just bullet points work. I put them in a book that I'm bringing on interviews with trivia about the schools, things I'd like to remind myself about, questions to ask, etc.

For the most common questions listed above, I wrote down the points that I'd like to hit. I don't like to script the whole response since you never know what they'll ask exactly but you want organized thoughts when you finally start talking.

I agree with your knowing your experiences too. If you did things a while ago, you might've forgotten details. Look at old papers, old protocols, look up the research online, or at the organization's website and try to remind yourself of anecdotes or details that can convince the interviewer that you really did do what you said you did.