Interview Day For Smarties: What To Expect

It's that time of year again: medical school interview time.

Every year a group of lucky medical school applicants are invited to their dream (or safety) schools to demonstrate how qualified they are. I had to do it, so do you.

When I was applying for medical school in 2008, I concurrently worked as a career adviser who gave mock interviews to other students--- some of whom were applying to my application cycle. It was an interesting (and slightly awkward) time. However, despite how stressful interviewing can be. Be sure it wont be like the interview below:

Now it's time I bestow a few interview tips to the next generation of applicants:

• First of all, if you get an interview to medical school, consider yourself lucky. An interview is a very good indication that the school is seriously considering you as an applicant. 
• Beyond academic excellence, however, medical schools are generally looking for maturity, passion about medicine, altruism, exposure to the medical field, and strong interpersonal skills.
• For most schools, an interview day usually includes two or three interviews with a campus tour, information session, and possibly breakfast and/or lunch.
• Make sure to treat the whole day as an "interview," as if you are being watched closely by everyone--- including the secretary. 
• Try to avoid intimidation from other applicants. You will encounter the "what scores did you get?" guy and the "I interviewed in x y and z." girl.  Just focus on you and keep your head level. It never hurts to make friends as well.
• Make friends with the secretaries. They can be your best friends. Strike a friendly conversation with them about the weather, where you're from, the latest celebrity gossip, etc. Not only will this give you good marks in the admissions office. It can distract you from your nervousness. I often made an effort to talk about Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt.
• Do:
• Read and populate SDN's Interview Feedback Page: A comprehensive list of school-specific interview experiences--- written by interviewees. It even includes sample school-specific questions.
• Ask Smart Questions: Yes, the school wants to learn more about you, but you should use the opportunity to learn more about the school. Many interviewers judge your interest in their school by the quality of your questions. What's a smart question? A question that isn't easily answerable on the school's website. (i.e. Does your school's curriculum include LGBTQ issues?). I prepared my questions the night before my interview. It's always safe to ask the interviewer his/her opinion on the school or field of medicine. (Why did you choose surgery? What's it like to live in Colorado? What did you like about going to Hopkins?) You can also steal some of these questions.
• Practice: I always recommended practice interviewing with two groups of people: those who know you well and those who don't. The people who know you well can suggest left-out stories or explanations. The people who don't know you well can give you feedback on how well you were able to describe yourself.
• Dress Smartly: This includes wearing a suit. You'd be surprised. On some of my interviews, I saw a male colleague wear a shirt and a sweater vest with no tie--- he was the most under-dressed interviewee there. Wearing proper attire shows respect for the school who invited you to come, so please make sure you do.When choosing what to wear, keep in mind that medicine is a mostly conservative institution filled with Brooks-Brother's-Wearing older white men. I'm not saying that's a bad thing; I'm just sayin'.
• Read SDN's dressing tips for men
• Read SDN's dressing tips for women 

• Don't:
• Be Shy: I know interview day is intimidating; however, working with new patients who are angry or annoyed is even more intimidating. You have to convey confidence. One tip that worked for me (because I'm a shy guy): remember that the school wouldn't have invited you to interview if they didn't like you.
• Brag: This is a huge no-no. You should sound confident in your responses, but bragging goes overboard and shows that you lack maturity. Many interviewers (including myself) look down upon that and value modesty. Please be modest. For example, one my mock interviewees spent a long time talking about how much he loved his life and how he scored a 3.9 GPA, which made his physician father very proud. I had to stop him in mid-sentence and tell him that he sounded insincere. 

Some question formats to expect:

• "Tell me about yourself." --- Though it may seem innocent. This is a vague and difficult question that is easy to mess up without practice. In another post, I will show you how to tackle this question.
• Self Description Questions: Very hard to tackle for those who hate talking about themselves (like me). I prepared for these questions by reviewing my extracurricular activities and personal statement. However, during the mock interviews, I got many applicants who LOVED talking about themselves and ended up sounding arrogant--- for the love of God, avoid that too. Strike a balance.
• "What three adjectives describe you?"
• "Tell me about a leadership experience you've had."
• "How has college changed you?"
• "Why did you select your major?"
• "What's the most difficult thing you've ever done?"
• Medical School Questions: Similar to the above category, but more focused on the future than the past.
• "Why did you want to go into medicine?"
• "What are some challenges you anticipate in medical school?"
• "Why are you applying to our school?"
• "Tell me about your medical experiences."
• Ethical Questions in Medicine: I honestly didn't encounter these questions that often, but they're good to know about. At one Boston school, I received an ethical scenario, with a follow up question. Student Doctor has a great article on how to answer these questions. In your answer, you don't have to take a side per se. It's best to approach your question in a neutral and thoughtful manner that allows you to see both sides of the issue. (Think of how you answered your MCAT essays) Your ethics question may include issues like:
• End of life care (including allowing patients to pass away by their own hand)
• Abortion (including the right of a physician to avoid giving an abortion)
• Health Care Reform (I got many questions about the Obama/McCain election, expect some Obama/Romney questions)
•  Stem Cell Research

That's all for now. I will add tips for tackling tough interview questions later. Good Luck!