Interview questions for non-traditionals?

[amiga]

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Finally, I got an interview invitation. I was reading the feedback on this site, but found that most were written by, not surprisingly, traditional applicants. I just wonder whether the questions directed for non-traditional applicants would be different. I can see that maybe they will focus more on the why medicine part. But would they question me about my undergrad experiences some 10 years ago?
I am getting really nervous now. Thanks for sharing any experience, and good luck for everyone.

 

[Stratus2675]

Finally, I got an interview invitation. I was reading the feedback on this site, but found that most were written by, not surprisingly, traditional applicants. I just wonder whether the questions directed for non-traditional applicants would be different. I can see that maybe they will focus more on the why medicine part. But would they question me about my undergrad experiences some 10 years ago?
I am getting really nervous now. Thanks for sharing any experience, and good luck for everyone.

I'm a non-trad and I did get questions about my undergrad degree. I was asked why I majored in Criminology, why didnt I stick with it, what made me change, and what were my favorite classes. Not too bad of questions.

 

[nikibean]

Depends on where you go. I'm a non-trad, and last year I had an interview (yes, I'm reapplying this year) which was pretty mellow- although they asked "what about a family?" which I didn't think they were supposed to. Just relax, and be prepared to answer questions about yourself. I do a lot of outdoorsy stuff, so the interviewers wanted to hear all about that. They'll ask you about your undergrad, your post-bac experience and what you can take to medicine from your experience probably.
Just relax, is my advice.
Good Luck!

 

[QofQuimica]

Finally, I got an interview invitation. I was reading the feedback on this site, but found that most were written by, not surprisingly, traditional applicants. I just wonder whether the questions directed for non-traditional applicants would be different. I can see that maybe they will focus more on the why medicine part. But would they question me about my undergrad experiences some 10 years ago?
I am getting really nervous now. Thanks for sharing any experience, and good luck for everyone.

I think you should definitely expect to be asked why medicine. I don't know if most non-trads get asked about their college experiences, but I definitely do because my college was so unusual (small, liberal arts, no grades or credit hours). So I guess I would say that if your undergrad record is unusual in any way, you will probably get asked about it. I also frequently get asked about my research, volunteering, and teaching experiences. Most schools have open interviews where the interviewer has read your app beforehand. But be aware that s/he may choose not to do so, in which case you will get a de facto closed interview where the interviewer knows very little about you. In that case, you will probably be asked a lot of questions that you answered on your app.

You might also find yourself being interviewed by a student who is considerably younger than you are at some schools. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with that; it's just an FYI. Student interviewers seem to want to hear more about my life experiences and outside interests rather than discussing academic issues. They generally do not get to see the applicant's transcripts or MCAT scores, unlike most faculty interviewers.

Good luck w/ your interview; let us know how it goes. 🙂

 

[ShyRem]

I was asked about how supportive my husband and children were of my medical school desires. At one interview, it was pointed out that more than half of all marriages don't make it through med school and residency. I fired back with more than 90% of all cop marriages don't make it past 5 years (I've been married to a cop for 13 wonderful years now). If you have a family or a husband, expect a question or two about that. They just want to see if your relationship is stable and if you've discussed it.

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
Almost every school spent most the entire interview asking me about my research (cell-cell communication in vascular smooth muscle). I didn't get a single question about my family, undergraduate experience or support at home. Most of my interviewers were pre-clinical faculty so we talked about my teaching and work.

If you do research, be prepared to discuss it in great detail. I did get a couple of questions about what I liked to read and my favorite music. I also did not get the "Why medicine now? " question.

njbmd 🙂

 

[almost_there]

Every interview that I have been at (4) has asked the "Why the switch in careers?" in one way or another -- I usually find that I spend at least 10 minutes answering some variation of this question.

The Dean of Admissions at Michigan straight out stated that, for non-traditionals, the concern is
(1) do you really want to do medicine?
(2) can you hack it academically?

His first question to me was "Why should we take a risk on you as a non-traditional applicant?"

Good luck!

 

[Law2Doc]

Every interview that I have been at (4) has asked the "Why the switch in careers?" in one way or another -- I usually find that I spend at least 10 minutes answering some variation of this question.

The Dean of Admissions at Michigan straight out stated that, for non-traditionals, the concern is
(1) do you really want to do medicine?
(2) can you hack it academically?

His first question to me was "Why should we take a risk on you as a non-traditional applicant?"

Good luck!

Usual focus is why medicine?, esp. why NOW?, what kind of support system do you have in place?, is your family/spouse supportive of this idea? Questions about giving up careers/income level, and feeling you out as to how you will deal with being one of the older students in the class, etc. Never had anyone ask about my undergrad, but probably depends on what you've done in between.

 

[medworm]

They might ask you what you did (ECs) in college. Just sum up with 2 or 3 points, and yes you can leave out the partying. Good luck!