Interview Prep for med school

[Dr. Stalker]

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HIIII everyone, been mostly silent/avoiding SDN the past few weeks. Was fortunate enough to get my first interview invite (and potentially...my only interview invite, got rejections non-stop this entire cycle...really a few more schools left I haven't heard from). I was wondering if there's any good resources to practice interview questions or get a general idea of how to do well in a medical school interview?

I ask because my pre-med advising center offers a mock-interview, I went in cold (no-prep or anything) and it was disastrous. Complete diarrhea of the mouth. The adviser gave me some great feedback and help, but I'd still like to practice and rehearse answers more...I know the goal is to "not sound like a record player/giving a rehearsed answer" but I certainly do want to hone in on the proper way to answer some questions and have a general idea of what topics/items I want to discuss for particular questions.

Any good resources (PDF, website, podcase, youtube vids, etc.) that y'all could suggest?

 

[carpediem22]

Congrats on your first interview!

The problem with interview prep for me is that most of the traditional interviewers ask questions you might not expect, or that are related to your personal statement / application.

I would have answers to the basic questions -- Why medicine, time you've failed, challenge overcome, what you would bring to a med school class, etc. -- and otherwise, just know your application and YOURSELF inside and out. Also, know the school and be able to give specific "Why School X" answers.

I've had 8 interviews so far and have been successful with the schools that have rolling admission. The only way I really prepared was by doing the above, especially the school specific research.

For MMI things are a bit different. For that I would google MMI sample videos and problems to get an idea for the STYLE of questions and good responses. You likely won't be able to prepare for the topics as they change them often. Also, read up on the tenets of medical ethics.

 

[ChillDawg]

Besides why medicine, why this school, and explaining your activities (And what you learned) just think of scenarios where you've had to work with difficult people, where you had to take charge, where you flt you didn't get what you deserved, etc, etc, and practice talking about them, focusing on how you dealt with the problem and how you improved/grew.
The scenarios are endless, unfortunately, but there are some that seem to pop up more than others.
Try to be introspective, thoughtful, and gracious when applicable.

 

[Roseyyy]

do you have any friends that are in MS now?

 

[babyelephant]

There are plenty of resources online... even on youtube...

Best tip I can give you is pausing to thing about what question is being asked, and pausing to quickly think of the best answer you can give.

Mouth diarrhea happens when u don't take time to think about the question + u are trying too hard to say the most...


Its quality > quantity..

 

[Commile]

yes agree with above, mouth diarrhea can be bad!

 

[Medinging]

congrats on your first interview! just go over all the standard questions

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

This is a total Eminem moment for you. I will assume you only have this one II to stand on, so I want to make sure you nail this. If you have premed peers, ask them to drill common interview Qs with you until you get over the initial sluggishness. Talk to yourself in the shower and warm up to improvising various answers without tripping over your own words. Extensively research the med school and send out emails to M1-4 soliciting insider information on the interview format, scope and other tips. Dont drive, fly if you can and reduce all sources of stress on game day. Know 2-3 good questions to ask adcoms after the interview. Make sure you are nice to EVERYBODY on interview day.

HIIII everyone, been mostly silent/avoiding SDN the past few weeks. Was fortunate enough to get my first interview invite (and potentially...my only interview invite, got rejections non-stop this entire cycle...really a few more schools left I haven't heard from). I was wondering if there's any good resources to practice interview questions or get a general idea of how to do well in a medical school interview?

I ask because my pre-med advising center offers a mock-interview, I went in cold (no-prep or anything) and it was disastrous. Complete diarrhea of the mouth. The adviser gave me some great feedback and help, but I'd still like to practice and rehearse answers more...I know the goal is to "not sound like a record player/giving a rehearsed answer" but I certainly do want to hone in on the proper way to answer some questions and have a general idea of what topics/items I want to discuss for particular questions.

Any good resources (PDF, website, podcase, youtube vids, etc.) that y'all could suggest?

 

[Bruskie_77]

Congratulations on the interview. If you're doing a MMI I would look into the moral deliberation process. Do a few ethical prompts so you get the structure down and it can be very helpful. The following is a great resource for ethical cases (http://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/site/cases.html). PM me if you're interested in a slide set which explains the process.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Thanks for the awesome feedback everyone, definitely doing everything you guys suggested. Keeping it anonymous, but the school does a "traditional" interview (so NOT MMI). 1 v 1 with a faculty member.

A bigger issue I'm realizing that's bothering me is that this is my only interview; its psyching me out, because this could make/break me! Any tips on overcoming this anxiety? Goal is to give a great interview and land that acceptance...all it takes is 1 med school to accept you after ll =)

 

[little2000sister]

Thanks for the awesome feedback everyone, definitely doing everything you guys suggested. Keeping it anonymous, but the school does a "traditional" interview (so NOT MMI). 1 v 1 with a faculty member.

A bigger issue I'm realizing that's bothering me is that this is my only interview; its psyching me out, because this could make/break me! Any tips on overcoming this anxiety? Goal is to give a great interview and land that acceptance...all it takes is 1 med school to accept you after ll =)

Aside from the others' advice, be enthusiastic, not negative, and CONFIDENT. Maintain good eye contact, be professional but real. Try your best to reduce nerves.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

bump @Goro @LizzyM @gyngyn

 

[BluMist]

@Goro wrote a giant post on this: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/goro’s-guide-to-interviews.1097033/

 

[Medials]

i second the above link. pretty helpful

 

[RollScanner]

find the list of gen questions on the internet and have answers ready for all of them