MSUCOM interview

[thesterlinggirl]

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I just got invited to interview at MSUCOM and was wondering if anyone who has already been there has any advice for me. I'm kind of nervous since it is my first interview (I'm an August MCATer), and any help would be appreciated.

 

[Ratch]

its laid back, don't stress, understand why you want to go into osteopathic medicine and be able to ask some questions you actually care about regarding the school. pretty much the same thing you can expect from any med school interview.
ask them to explain the statewide campus system and how that works for third and fourth year placement into clinical rotations, ask about the cadaver lab and students feelings on having prosected anatomy course instead of self-dissection (best thing ever in my opinion), ask about taking classes with the MD kids across the railroad tracks. if you want to be advanced, ask about changes to the number of out rotations for third and fourth year, as they should be going up from 4 to 6 for the class you hope to be entering, which would be pretty darn nice, wish i was gonna have that.
good luck

 

[wisconsinmilf]

thesterlinggirl,

First things first...congratulations on your interview!

Second, do not be nervous...be prepared.

While this may or may not work for you, I approached the medical school interview process like an employment interview. I had a strong desire to attend MSUCOM (e.g., my future workplace) and as such, I learned as much about Osteopathic medicine and MSUCOM's program (e.g., my future vocation/employer) as possible. I found SDN, AOA, & MSUCOM's websites full of useful information. From this information, I formulated questions specific to MSUCOM's program and diversity of class, as well as the practice of Osteopathic medicine in/out of the state of Michigan.

Moreover, I tried to maintain a sense of calm reflection during the interview process; i.e., I realized that being invited to an interview was a huge step in the medical school process, an accomplishment of which I should be humbly proud. I also brought this calm reflection into my interview. While I prepared for the "why D.O.?", "tell me about yourself.", "why MSUCOM?", and "why do you want do be a doctor?" questions, I also tried to anticipate the myriad of ethical / moral questions which may or may not be asked. What I realized during this preparatory stage was that I did not want to 'script' my answers nor did I want to provide rote/regurgitated information. This was my opportunity for the interviewer to get to know who I am and not my representative. I keep my answers succinct, candid, and sincere; yet conversational.

Remind yourself of why you have chosen this path (vocation) in life. This was very easy for me, as the culmination of my life's threads have been woven through the common fabric of helping my fellow man. Albeit clich?, it is the simple truth.

Perhaps the best advice I can provide is...remain calm and humble. This is only one part of your 'applicant profile' and I am sure that if you remain true to yourself you will do wonderfully. In all honesty, my interview was a very stress-free and pleasant experience.


Again, congratulations and best wishes during your interview.

 

[medic170]

3 words....just be yourself! Good Luck.

 

[marie337]

My interivew was very laid back and only lasted a half hour. He asked me some questions regarding information on my application. There were no deep thought questions about odd topics. I was a little afraid of getting one of those questions. Everyone in the admissions office is very nice and will try their best to make you comfortable. While we were waiting several faculty members and current students stopped in to talk with us and to try to relax us. It was really quite helpful. Anyway, good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[thesterlinggirl]

Thanks for all the great avice everyone. This website is awesome during the whole process.

 

[Ypo.]

Hey Sterling Girl. My interview was so laidback I wondered if he was completely uninterested in me as a possible matriculant, and just wanted to have an interesting conversation. I knew it was either that, or he was genuinely impressed with my app. I was literally asked two serious questions one of them being "what would you do if you couldn't do medicine?" and "what are your contigency plans if not accepted?"

The rest of the time he spent asking me interesting questions on my app. I didn't feel "grilled" at all, in fact I felt like he was so incredibly nice that I couldn't believe it was real. Which is a good thing. 😀