med school interview help

[jwalker12]

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My friend was preparing for his medical school interview and he was preparing for the question what is your greatest accomplishment? He felt that an acceptable answer would be that he quit smoking. Do you think that this would be an acceptable answer considering the stigma associated with smoking? Should he find another accomplishment?

 

[koan]

My friend was preparing for his medical school interview and he was preparing for the question what is your greatest accomplishment? He felt that an acceptable answer would be that he quit smoking. Do you think that this would be an acceptable answer considering the stigma associated with smoking? Should he find another accomplishment?

Like most things you end up talking about during an interview, the way you frame something can be more important than the content. Chances are your friend hasn't discovered a cure for cancer... having quit smoking is potentially a great answer if it's phrased properly (e.g. a realization that a doctor is a role model for their patients, self-improvement, etc.)

 

[Bravetown]

Definitely agree with above, phasing his answer is going to be way more influential then the actual content, not trying to diminish quitting smoking that still is an awesome thing.

 

[kuanileqa]

My friend was preparing for his medical school interview and he was preparing for the question what is your greatest accomplishment? He felt that an acceptable answer would be that he quit smoking. Do you think that this would be an acceptable answer considering the stigma associated with smoking? Should he find another accomplishment?

Not to take away from that accomplishment, but does your friend have any other accomplishment that does not have a negative origin? I don't think anyone would say that they overcame video games, or overcame sleeping in until noon. I would err on the side of constructive behavior rather than inhibitory behavior.

 

[bige11]

Every question an interviewer asks has one purpose, to see how you will respond. Your job is to mold that question into an opportunity to tell them why you will be a great doctor. You do this by showing you understand what the profession is all about, proving to them you are capable, and showing you understand macro issues like the healthcare debate. Note that they may never ask you these questions, but expect you to answer them conscientiously or unconscientiously. With that in mind, why would you want to give them a weakness or a blemish in your past? Even if they ask for a weakness you find a way to make it your strength: sometimes I work too hard and don't balance the other areas of my life for instance. Here would be my answer to the accomplishment question. Note that this is my life experience but you get the idea: I had the opportunity to coach underprivileged athletes on a basketball team that I formed for them. I learned immediately that finding ways to provide for underserved populations taught me resourcefulness, etc........ After years of hard work, 3 of those boys received scholarships to college and all graduated high school. This lesson taught me perseverance and the satisfaction I get from helping others. I also came to realize that helping others is hard work and comes without thanks many times. However, this desire to help others is what drives me to want to become a physician. (please note that this would be more thorough and well articulated if not for writing on a broken iPhone! Anyways, you could even slide in a comment about the school to open up questions about that.(which hopefully you prepared for) for instance: this experience organizing a basketball team required the coordination of parents, gyms, tournament directors, and players among others as well ad the ability to raise financial resources for the team. I learned invaluable leadership skills through this opportunity that I hope to continue to enhance at your institution. (of course that school would have in it's mission statement leadership)

Hope that helps!

 

[jdsargen]

Every question an interviewer asks has one purpose, to see how you will respond. Your job is to mold that question into an opportunity to tell them why you will be a great doctor. You do this by showing you understand what the profession is all about, proving to them you are capable, and showing you understand macro issues like the healthcare debate. Note that they may never ask you these questions, but expect you to answer them conscientiously or unconscientiously. With that in mind, why would you want to give them a weakness or a blemish in your past? Even if they ask for a weakness you find a way to make it your strength: sometimes I work too hard and don't balance the other areas of my life for instance. Here would be my answer to the accomplishment question. Note that this is my life experience but you get the idea: I had the opportunity to coach underprivileged athletes on a basketball team that I formed for them. I learned immediately that finding ways to provide for underserved populations taught me resourcefulness, etc........ After years of hard work, 3 of those boys received scholarships to college and all graduated high school. This lesson taught me perseverance and the satisfaction I get from helping others. I also came to realize that helping others is hard work and comes without thanks many times. However, this desire to help others is what drives me to want to become a physician. (please note that this would be more thorough and well articulated if not for writing on a broken iPhone! Anyways, you could even slide in a comment about the school to open up questions about that.(which hopefully you prepared for) for instance: this experience organizing a basketball team required the coordination of parents, gyms, tournament directors, and players among others as well ad the ability to raise financial resources for the team. I learned invaluable leadership skills through this opportunity that I hope to continue to enhance at your institution. (of course that school would have in it's mission statement leadership)

Hope that helps!

Disagree...

First off everyone has weaknesses and the interviewers know this. You come off sounding extremely rehearsed and fake when you try to make weaknesses sound good like saying "I work too hard". That just sounds stupid. How can someone work too hard..... you work so hard that you die?

My suggestion is to simply be yourself, don't spend time rehearsing answers. Just have some sort of idea what may be asked and some sort of idea what you want to say. If you cannot hold a conversation about yourself with someone else then you should work on that. Interviewers have been doing what they do for a long time and can see through the rehearsed BS that many candidates tell them very fast.

 

[koan]

interviewers have been doing what they do for a long time and can see through the rehearsed bs that many candidates tell them very fast.

+1

 

[bige11]

Disagree...

First off everyone has weaknesses and the interviewers know this. You come off sounding extremely rehearsed and fake when you try to make weaknesses sound good like saying "I work too hard". That just sounds stupid. How can someone work too hard..... you work so hard that you die?

My suggestion is to simply be yourself, don't spend time rehearsing answers. Just have some sort of idea what may be asked and some sort of idea what you want to say. If you cannot hold a conversation about yourself with someone else then you should work on that. Interviewers have been doing what they do for a long time and can see through the rehearsed BS that many candidates tell them very fast.

I know you are attacking my post, but I actually agree with you. My point is that you need to use every question, if possible, to tell the admissions committee the story they need to hear. Simultaneously, you need to be yourself and show them that YOU are a doctor.