Why do you want to come to our school?

[choolMed]

Has anyone bombed this interview question and still been accepted?

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[chad5871]

You should have a solid answer to this prepared before you interview at ANY school. You're asked this question at pretty much every interview. Just be honest with them - why did you apply? If nothing else, figure out what they emphasize on their website and in the admissions presentation before your interview (i.e. what are they proud of?) and focus on that in your interview.

 

[JackInTheBox]

This question is probably the most commonly asked question after "why medicine?" They might also phrase it in a different way, like "so how did you hear about our school?" if it's a lesser known or state school.

 

[stixx]

Define "bomb." If everyone comes in with a canned answer prepared, it may actually seem refreshing if you're caught off guard and end up giving a more honest, but still coherent and comprehensive, answer.

 

[glsser]

Define "bomb." If everyone comes in with a canned answer prepared, it may actually seem refreshing if you're caught off guard and end up giving a more honest, but still coherent and comprehensive, answer.

I second that. i think, there is nothing worse than a student who is almost reading the answer from his/her previously-prepared-might be asked-questions notebook.

 

[Doc Andy]

This question is probably the most commonly asked question after "why medicine?"

I'd say that "Why do you want to come here?" is the most common question by far. I was asked this at every single interview, but was only asked "why medicine?" once out of 9 interviews.

I feel like "why medicine" is much less common than people think.

 

[chad5871]

I second that. i think, there is nothing worse than a student who is almost reading the answer from his/her previously-prepared-might be asked-questions notebook.

Right. I'm not suggesting you prepare a memorized answer for this question, but at least think about why you are applying there and have a few good reasons that you can express honestly and confidently in your own, spontaneous words.

 

[Bibbed]

Right. I'm not suggesting you prepare a memorized answer for this question, but at least think about why you are applying there and have a few good reasons that you can express honestly and confidently in your own, spontaneous words.

City. Class format. Patient contact. Unique classes offered. There's really no way to spin your answer so that it sounds different than everyone else's. You just need to reason why the school is a good match for you.

 

[turkeyjerky]

If I were you, I'd expect to hear this at every interview and have a canned response ready. A pattern I noticed was that I was accepted at schools for which I had a very specific answer for why I wanted to go there.

As for possible reasons (because if you were like me, you just applied to a bunch of random schools which you felt gave you a resonable chance of being accepted), some might be a specific specialty the school is known for (ex: UCinc is known for pediatrics and em) or what the school's mission is (ex: turning out family medicine docs for the state's rural areas, or superspecialits).

You might also want to peruse the schools website and look for some buzzwords it uses to describe itself. For example, my school is constantly harping about "learner-centered education". I have no idea what that means, but it's a safe bet that they'd like to hear that that's why you want to come here.

I wouldn't fall into thinking that giving a non-canned, "refreshing" answer will help you. From what I've seen of my school's admissions people, I'd say the more canned, the better.

 

[Anatidae]

If I were you, I'd expect to hear this at every interview and have a canned response ready. A pattern I noticed was that I was accepted at schools for which I had a very specific answer for why I wanted to go there.

As for possible reasons (because if you were like me, you just applied to a bunch of random schools which you felt gave you a resonable chance of being accepted), some might be a specific specialty the school is known for (ex: UCinc is known for pediatrics and em) or what the school's mission is (ex: turning out family medicine docs for the state's rural areas, or superspecialits).

You might also want to peruse the schools website and look for some buzzwords it uses to describe itself. For example, my school is constantly harping about "learner-centered education". I have no idea what that means, but it's a safe bet that they'd like to hear that that's why you want to come here.

I wouldn't fall into thinking that giving a non-canned, "refreshing" answer will help you. From what I've seen of my school's admissions people, I'd say the more canned, the better.

I agree with this. For the most part, they just want to make sure you've done your homework on the school. Giving them a canned response won't hurt you. Giving them something special will help you. Giving them nothing will probably kill your and your children's chances of ever stepping foot on that school's campus ever again (maybe...).