How to answer "tell me about yourself" in secondaries

[Pandaeac]

Hi everyone,

How do you suggest approaching secondary questions that say some form of "describe yourself?" I really have no idea where to even begin thinking about this 🙁

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[rueby25]

Think about if you were on an elevator and you saw someone you wanted to meet but has never met in person. You'd have about 30 seconds to tell them about yourself. What would you say? This is a common interview question, so be sure you have this down.

 

[Pandaeac]

Think about if you were on an elevator and you saw someone you wanted to meet but has never met in person. You'd have about 30 seconds to tell them about yourself. What would you say? This is a common interview question, so be sure you have this down.

Ugh, yes, it is a common question! I need to get an answer down. Do you recommend sticking to mostly describing personal traits, or should we back them up with experiences we've had?

 

[mirimonster]

Always back anything you say with examples or anecdotes. Otherwise your descriptions will just sound like a string of platitudes.

I don't remember ever seeing this as a secondary question, but this website helped me get a hold on my interview answer: http://www.theladders.com/career-advice/how-to-answer-tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question. Even though it's about job interviews, the advice still applies.

Basically this is your chance to drive the interview in whatever direction you want to choose. I would start with your education (school, major, grad date) and then launch into your experiences with most important first. Add in a few hobbies to be a little more well rounded. Don't do chronological because often the interviewer will interrupt you for further clarification or discussion before you actually get through the whole spiel. Everything should be positive. Absolutely do not bring up weaknesses, poor grades, etc. I think it's sort of poor form to bring up scores at all. Talk about the experiences that have shaped you into the ideal candidate for medical school.

 

[eefen]

I think I said something like "I currently live in ____,__ and attend XYZ school, where I am working towards my Funscience Degree in Craziness. I've also been working as a ___ for the past couple of years, which has been a great opportunity to see (insert something interesting about medicine as a field here). Before that, I worked as a ____, which allowed me to further understand how ;slkdfjasldfjs. About twice a week, I participate in (hobby), which is actually where I met my wife a few years ago."

The point is to just hit some highlights - this is your opportunity, in an interview, to set the pace of the conversation and give your interviewer some stuff to ask about - make sure you give them stuff to ask about that will reflect well on you and demonstrate your motivation for medicine, etc. In a secondary, it provides an opportunity to summarize the highlights of your resume and bring to the reader's mind some of your more interesting accomplishments/unique personality traits/etc.

 

[Lya]

Talk about the experiences that have shaped you into the ideal candidate for medical school.

This.

Also, this one might be helpful as well, not for secondaries probably but for interview:

http://studentdoctor.net/2008/02/trick-question/

 

[circulus vitios]

The details of my life are quite inconsequential... very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking- I highly suggest you try it.

 

[rueby25]

The details of my life are quite inconsequential... very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking- I highly suggest you try it.

How very Austin Powers of you...

...or should I say "How Dr. Evil" of you?

 

[Dbate]

Hi everyone,

How do you suggest approaching secondary questions that say some form of "describe yourself?" I really have no idea where to even begin thinking about this 🙁

Some advice I received that I believe is really great is to understand what they are really asking.

They are not asking you to tell them about yourself. What they mean is: "What in your life has brought you to this point?"

aka "What experiences in your life caused you to want to become a doctor and what experiences have you had that will make you a good future physician?"