interviews

[stwei]

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Could someone provide some insight about how long and how hard he/she has prepared for the med school interviews? What works and what doesn't? I am looking to prepare for schools that are serving the urban poor and minorities (ie. Thomas Jefferson Medical College, Meharry College, Stanford). Please point me towards some helpful sources (books on healthcare, internet websites, etc.) A list of questions would also be great 😀 Thanks so much in advance.

 

[bewitched1081]

try the interview feedback link on the sdn homepage. have some experienced interviewers give you interviews and some pointers.

 

[Zweihander]

I think the single most important thing you can do as an interviewee is know yourself as an applicant and be comfortable with who you are. If you can accomplish these two things, the rest will follow. Being able to carry a rational and intelligent conversation with an interviewer is what will make a good impression, and being able to convey to them accurately and effectively what sort of a person you are (and therefore, by extension, what sort of a professional you will make) should be your primary objective.

Knowledge of yourself and comfort in that knowledge will also go a long ways towards keeping you from being rattled by surprise questions or weird situations, and that sort of self-confidence will go a long way too.

Be introspective, know who you are and know what you want to say BEFORE you walk in that door.

good luck!

 

[Spitting Camel]

A mock interview is an absolute MUST! Don't just say... I'll go in there and wing it. You will fumble around and be unprepared. I had 2 mock interviews given by two experienced people and there was a major difference between my first one and my second one.

Do you want to know the most difficult question to answer cold? Here:


"So, Spitting Camel, tell me a little bit about yourself."

When I got that question from my mock interviewer, I freaked out and couldn't say anything! Where do I start? Do you want to know personal stuff? Academic stuff? My hobbies? My family life? What the HELL?

Needless to say, people who have been on many interviews can give you a pretty realistic mock interview.


Oh, one comment I got: Be comfortable in your own skin. Have confidence in yourself and your abilities. You we invited because they already like your application - live up to the expectation your application ceates. Know your app inside out and what you gained as a result of your experiences. Know why you want to do medicine, your strengths and weakness, your greatest failure, who you admire most in the world.

Good luck!!!

 

[stwei]

What specifically should I look for when visiting the school website? E.g. there is very little about Jefferson medical college on their website, and I had to dig hard to find info about their faculty members. Also, one student wrote to come prepared with questions. What type of questions? I don't want to come across sounding like an idiot by asking general info that's already covered by their brochure.

 

[Spitting Camel]

What specifically should I look for when visiting the school website? E.g. there is very little about Jefferson medical college on their website, and I had to dig hard to find info about their faculty members. Also, one student wrote to come prepared with questions. What type of questions? I don't want to come across sounding like an idiot by asking general info that's already covered by their brochure.

Ask what 3rd and 4th year are stuctured like. Is it mostly shadowing? Hands on? You don't want to go through two years of looking on so that you have no clinical skills when you graduate!

 

[uclacrewdude]

Could someone provide some insight about how long and how hard he/she has prepared for the med school interviews? What works and what doesn't? I am looking to prepare for schools that are serving the urban poor and minorities (ie. Thomas Jefferson Medical College, Meharry College, Stanford). Please point me towards some helpful sources (books on healthcare, internet websites, etc.) A list of questions would also be great 😀 Thanks so much in advance.

1) youre fairly ******ed if you think stanford is angled more towards serving the underserved than other universities. if youre going for the bay area, ucsf is way more targeted that way, otherwise usc is your best bet. cmon, you and i both know that A) if theres an underserved part of the country, palo alto CA is not it, and B) stanford is well renowned for its research, not its commitment to service and social change.

2) reread your PoS and remember those are gonna be your point youll come back to.

3) like the week prior to the interview, look at the website and the brochures and come up with some questions that you can ask the interviewer. this may help you refine your thought process more in the direction that the school may like.

 

[mikedc813]

Be prepared for common questions like "why do you want to be a doctor". Also, there are common questions regarding healthcare and abortion and ethics. It's ok to say you don't know to questions where the answer is a straight fact (say you dont' know the difference between Medicaid and Medicare), but it's NOT ok on questions on which you have an opinion (do you prefer universal health care or American health care). Practice talking in front of people. It's a MUST and it really works.

 

[cytotech27]

Here is a link to aamc 31 questions people wished they asked at an interview. Hope it helps.

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

 

[mooklyster]

Quite honestly, I did almost nothing to prepare for my interviews. I think fairly fast on my feet, and I did not want any answer to sound canned. Since I did not embellish any part of my application, I did not have to read over my personal statement to make sure I knew what I said. Before the interview, I took a cursory glance at any schools website, to make sure that there was nothing there that was imperative for the interview day. Then I just winged (wung? hahaha) it. This was not a callous attitude, but knowing how I do best. I think the key is to just relax and be yourself. Do not lie, and do not be afraid to admit that you are not sure about something. Just a side note. I do not know if this is legend or not, but I love the story I heard from my undergraduate pre med advisor about a girl who went to an interview and told the people that in her spare tiem she had enjoyed playing classical piano for about ten years. They invited her to play during lunch. Needless to say she did not, according to legend, get in.

Just be yourself, know yourself. If you would feel better doing a ton of preparation, then do so. but as I said, I think it is better just to go in and be conversant.

 

[felipe5]

I did many things to prepare for my interviews, including reading up on current health care issues, rereading my apps, etc. I found cnn.com's health section to be good, as well as some other sites you can find around SDN for info on HMO's, PPO's, and other stuff that might be a bit hazy in your head. But, the thing that I found most helpful (and fun) was to get together with other interview-bound friends of mine and asking each other interview type questions (ie, why medicine? tell me about your research, etc). This type of activity was great b/c it got me to think and discuss about myself, my goals, and my past accomplishments.

I think that interviews are the best (or should I say least ****ty) part of the whole application process. Remember that the interviews primarily concentrate ON YOU....and who's a better expert on you than you???? The latin quote from the Matrix works well....."Nosce te Ipsum".....know thyself and you'll be just fine 👍

 

[stwei]

Is there a difference when the interviewer asks you
"Why should I let you in?" versus "Why should I even let you in?" Are your responses same or different in these two situations?

 

[Medikit]

Who should I ask for mock interviews besides my pre-med advisors and another MD?

 

[sunflower79]

fyi, if you are interested in care for the underserved you should look at Pitt. They have a great clinical program running free clinics and med students can opt to do an "area of concentration" in this topic. PM me with any questions.

 

[sunflower79]

re interview prep: like someone else said, know what you want to say before going in, i.e. what things you want to leave the interviewer with. Sometimes ppl ask do you have anything else to add, so take this as an opportunity to make sure those things are said. e.g. if you're reapplying or if a school is your top choice you might wanna mention that.

 

[chapinsita]

Here are some websites that I checked out before going to interviews:

http://www.publicagenda.org/
http://www.ananova.com/news/
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/WorldNewsTonight/health_care_subindex.html
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/

I didn't do the mock interviews because I thought they were a waste of time and just felt fake. I say the best prep is to be sure you know your application, read your PS over, and look up interview feedback.

 

[Alexander99]

A mock interview is an absolute MUST! Don't just say... I'll go in there and wing it. You will fumble around and be unprepared. I had 2 mock interviews given by two experienced people and there was a major difference between my first one and my second one.

I wouldn't say it's a must. It depends on the person. I went to my interviews having thought about the answers to a few questions I anticipated but that was about it. I think all my interviews went totally smoothly and I didn't find myself fumbling one bit. I think if you're the type of person that's outgoing and enjoys talking to people, interviews are the easiest part of the process.

 

[Alexander99]

Is there a difference when the interviewer asks you
"Why should I let you in?" versus "Why should I even let you in?" Are your responses same or different in these two situations?

No difference. I'd respond to either question by saying, "You obviously haven't read my application." 😎

 

[Ryan]

Know yourself, know your application.....and check out interviewfeedback...practice a few interviews and RELAX.