Medical schools with two interviews?

[virtuoso735]

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I don't mean schools that make you fly out twice (I don't think those exist) for interviews. I'm talking about having two interview sessions on a medical school interview date. Why do some schools only have one 30 minute session but some have two? Do the two interviewers work with each other so that the same questions won't be repeated? Do they just ask the same questions?

 

[darkjedi]

I don't mean schools that make you fly out twice (I don't think those exist) for interviews. I'm talking about having two interview sessions on a medical school interview date. Why do some schools only have one 30 minute session but some have two? Do the two interviewers work with each other so that the same questions won't be repeated? Do they just ask the same questions?

Some schools even have 3. It's just to get different opinions/feedback on an applicant. Some schools also have student interviewers so you can potentially interview with any combination of a faculty member, admissions committee member, or a student. They might have similar questions, but the point I believe is to have multiple opinions on the same applicant. It will vary on the school and how involved the faculty is with admissions.

 

[TxResident]

Some schools even have 3. It's just to get different opinions/feedback on an applicant. Some schools also have student interviewers so you can potentially interview with any combination of a faculty member, admissions committee member, or a student. They might have similar questions, but the point I believe is to have multiple opinions on the same applicant. It will vary on the school and how involved the faculty is with admissions.

+1 👍. Thats what I would think. They could also be looking for discrepancies in your answers b/t similar questions. I just had an interview and the two interviewers asked me similar (if not the same) questions, so it was a bit concerning if I should give the same answer or a different approach (same answer in the end).

 

[CliveStaples]

I don't mean schools that make you fly out twice (I don't think those exist) for interviews. I'm talking about having two interview sessions on a medical school interview date. Why do some schools only have one 30 minute session but some have two? Do the two interviewers work with each other so that the same questions won't be repeated? Do they just ask the same questions?

I've had two interviews this cycle so far and they both consisted of two thirty minute interviews.

In the first case, I had an interview with a faculty member and with an M4 and they were both pretty conversational and they ended up having some overlap of information (but not a lot - the faculty member ended up being a bit more organized, asking more specific questions from based on my application). Neither of these interviewers had my GPA or MCAT score. The director of the Adcom told us that our interviews would each receive a separate score that or interviewer would give us, and that when our file was reviewed both of our interviewers would present our "case" to the entire admissions committee

In the second case, both interviews were conducted by alumni physicians and while they were also conversational, clearly my first interviewer inquired about my ECs while the second one addressed my academics. They both, however, asked me about my interest in medicine and what specialty I would pursue, and this definitely dominated my second (academic) interview. Both interviewers had access to my GPA and MCAT, although like I said only the second interviewer addressed it and it's clear that he was supposed to. In these interviews, both of the interviewers had a standardized sheet they were filling out for me and all the other interviewees and I'm not sure how much more say they get to make besides these reports.

So as you can see, different schools are going to use the two-interview system in different ways.

 

[Bangersandmash]

They probably do it to get a broader understanding of you. I had two interview sessions and they were strikingly different.

One didn't really ask much about my extracurriculars and focused more on current event health issues and why I wanted to be a doctor. The other was much more interested in my extracurriculars and politics in general.

I think both gleaned a lot about me though from their different interview styles.

 

[sommerwing]

3 of my 5 interviews consisted of two sessions, so obviously its extremely common (if not the predominant format).

1 was just 2 faculty members. Nothing brilliant or organized about the format. They just interviewed me twice, asked a lot of the same questions as usual. 2 separate opinions are better than one i suppose.

But the others were more interesting. They had an informal student interview, and a more formal faculty interview. But again, the same questions, just seeing how you interact with different groups.

There is hardly any "conspiring between the interviewers" OP. Usually they just choose 2 interviewers at random.
If you get different questions, thats just because you had different styles of interviewers, not because the adcoms purposely set up an elaborate questioning schematic to evaluate you.

 

[ClemsonFirst]

I had two interviews my interview day and one the weekend prior with an affiliated physician. All three asked the basic questions without any major differences in questions. It is just to get a better opinion on the person applying to the school. Each interviewer was a different role: one physician, one teacher, and one medical student. It just gives a good all around view of the applicant as to whether the school thinks this person will they succeed as a doctor and will they fit into the school's atmosphere.

 

[Frazier]

There's all flavors...

1 interview per applicant
2 interviews per applicant
3 interviews per applicant

one-on-one interviews
two-on-one interviews
panel interviews
small group interviews
MMI

I'm sure the list goes on...just depends on the school.

I prefer one-on-one. Also, I feel more interviews per session, the better. If I flew/drove all that distance, I want to talk to as many people as I can.

Two, lengthy [one-on-one] interviews would be AWESOME!