Tips on Crushing Your MD/PhD Interviews - Some Unsolicited Advice from the Other Side of the Zoom Call

[VaultArmitage]

I’ve seen several guides on MD/DO Interviews but nothing geared towards MD/PhD applicants, especially in the zoom era. I had the chance to interview 9 applicants over the last bit (so keep in mind n=9) and saw some general trends that may be helpful as you prepare for your interviews.

I’ve broken it down into a couple sections:

Brief overview of the interview evaluation process
General Advice
Specific things that make your score better
Specific things that make your score worse


The process:

Our school, like most programs, uses a numeric rating scale to evaluate applicants. Each interviewer submits a score with written feedback for each subsection. The admissions committee uses the average score, along with the primary app to make the final decision on each applicant. When calculating the average score, there are no weights. Each interviewer, from student to PD, has an equal effect on the final score the applicant receives. So each interview is important, no matter who the interviewer is. Schools differ on how much the interviewer knows about each specific applicant, but in general (and in my interviews as an applicant) everyone had full access to my AMCAS app.

General Advice:

1. Answer the question that was asked. As an applicant I felt the overwhelming need to spin each question into “Why MD/PhD” or “Why this program.” As an interviewer, I see how this attitude limits my ability to get to know you. Remember, you want the person interviewing you to have enough information to advocate for you in their report. Answering each question with a long-winded spiel on why you love science and medicine hampers this process.
2. KNOW YOUR RESEARCH. This was a biggie. You’re applying to a research intensive career with the end goal of (hopefully) doing more research than clinical medicine. Any research mentioned on your app is fair game and you should know it extremely well. If you just acted as a research technician on a project, be honest about that, but have a broad understanding of why you were doing the experiments you were doing. We all know that first research experiences are mostly grunt work and will understand you not having an in-depth understanding of that project. For projects that you took a more active role in, you should know it like the back of your hand. This includes the motivation for the project, any hypotheses tested, methods, results, previous work, etc. This especially goes for any research experiences that are classified as “most meaningful.”
3. Figure out technical glitches before the interview. It sounds dumb, but before your interview jump on a zoom call with a friend and have them tell you if your connection is stable, any weird echos, etc. You have limited time with each interviewer and wasting it trying to figure out connection issues isn’t beneficial. I interviewed someone who I’m sure was a great candidate but they spend 15 of our 20 mins wandering from room to room trying to improve their wifi signal so I couldn’t write about much.

Specific things that make your score better:

1. Having specific questions about the program. This shows that you’ve researched our program and actually want to attend. At the bare minimum please know what city you’re signing up to live in for 8 years. Genuine questions convey interest! The best resource you have at your disposal is honestly the program website, there’s a ton of information on there. Ask your premed advisor if any alumni are attending the school, they can be a great resource if available.
2. Do a little bit of research on the individual interviewing you. Don’t be creepy, but especially if the interviewer is faculty you should have a general idea of their research interests.
3. Asking me questions about my experience as a medical student at the program. If your interviewer is a medical student, it’s a great opportunity to ask things like “What support does XYZ program have to help you chose a lab?” This lets me know that you have an understanding of the steps you’ll be taking as an MD/PhD applicant.
4. Having a comprehensive knowledge of where your past research fits into the body of science. One of the things that most impresses me is someone that not only understands the details of their research but the macro view. Understanding why the research you do is important and being able to convey that is very impressive.

Specific things that make your score worse:

1. Coming across as uncommitted to the MD/PhD pathway. Schools are looking to invest some serious time and money into your education. If you jump ship after the M2 year, that reflects poorly on the program when they go to renew their MSTP grant. I can usually tell this from how the applicant talks about their research. The ones who are truly stoked about this career tend to have a lot of passion and excitement when talking about their research, and can usually get me excited about their field. You don’t have to be skipping around the room, but passion is something we notice.
2. Not knowing your research. An easy question for an interviewer to ask is “What was the hypothesis you were testing?” or “Why did you use this method?” It’s a bad look when you write a beautiful paragraph about how meaningful a research experience is and then can’t cohesively tell me what the hypothesis was. I personally think the most high yield thing you can do right before an interview (besides a meditation) is quickly review your research experiences so that it’s fresh in your mind.

Here’s the last and most important piece of advice: Remember that they CHOSE to interview YOU. Don’t doubt yourself, prepare well, and you’ll do absolutely amazing. Welcome to the beginning of the best career in medicine!

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