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Med School Blogger Interview: Danielle’s Journey

October 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Danielle Jones

Danielle Jones

Next up in our series of featured med school bloggers is Danielle Jones, a fourth year med student at the Texas Tech School of Medicine and the author of the blog, Mind On Medicine. Enjoy reading Danielle’s views on life, medicine, and the future here in our interview and on her blog!

Accepted: First, can you tell us a little about yourself – where are you from, where did you go to school and when did you graduate? 

Danielle: I grew up in the Texas Panhandle and went to college at Texas A&M in College Station, TX. I graduated in 2008 with a bachelor of science in Psychology and spent the next year working as an allergy technician doing allergy testing for patients.

Accepted: I see you applied to med school twice. What do you think went wrong the first time and how did you improve your candidacy for the second time around? 

Danielle: I decided later than average in college that I wanted to go to medical school and really was unprepared the first time I applied. I wasn’t sure what the process entailed and didn’t understand the importance of getting your applications in early. I took the MCAT that year without having completed Physics 2 or any upper level Bios and really just didn’t put myself in a very competitive position.

The second time I applied I had taken more science classes, re-taken the MCAT and gotten a bit higher score, gained significantly more clinical experience through shadowing and my job as an allergy technician and received stronger letters of recommendation. Another huge improvement to my application was getting it turned in early – at least for the Texas application system this is HUGE and always one of my biggest pieces of advice to pre-meds.

Accepted: How many med schools did you apply to? Why did you choose the Texas Tech School of Medicine? 

Danielle: I only applied to Texas medical schools, mostly because we’re on a separate application system and it just made things easier that way…I think that ended up being 8-10 schools. I was drawn to my current school mostly because of the atmosphere I encountered at interviews. The students seemed to truly enjoy both their program and their classmates. The camaraderie was obvious during my interviews and I just really enjoyed the fact that it seemed very laid back. Another huge point for me was the block curriculum. I liked that the students were in one class at a time, rather than having a full systems-based approach where each class covers a lot of different subjects on one system. I felt like I would thrive in the environment here.

Accepted: Has the program lived up to your expectations? Are there any surprises? 

Danielle: Absolutely! I think the first and second year curriculum layout was pivotal in my success during pre-clinical years. The students and our camaraderie was exactly what I expected and the administration and staff is wholly supportive. Overall, I feel like I attend a school that truly cares about its students and does everything possible to decrease stress and increase learning.

Accepted: Have you chosen a specialty field yet? I see you completed a clerkship in surgery — what was that like? 

Danielle: I will be applying to residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in September. I am so excited to embark on this new journey and can’t wait to see what lies ahead. My surgery rotation was…in a word…busy! It was very interesting and I learned a lot, but it’s definitely not the field for me. You can read more about my surgery rotation here. 

Accepted: Why did you decide to blog about your experience? 

Danielle: The blog wasn’t initially started to document my experiences in medical school, but more as a way for me to document what was going on in my life and challenge myself to get back to something I loved – writing. This is why I still tend to blog more than some other medical bloggers about my personal life and I’m proud to share both sides of my journey. However, Mind On Med has definitely evolved into a great way for me to share my medical school experiences with others and encourage those who are interested in pursuing a career in medicine to go for it! I hope to convey a sense of work-life balance through the blog and I fully intend to eventually continue sharing with others my struggles (and hopefully triumphs!!) as a mother in medicine. I want to share my experiences with people who may be apprehensive to choose this career due to family concerns, which is one of the main worries I had when choosing this life for myself.

Do you want to be featured in Accepted.com’s blog, Accepted Admissions Blog? If you want to share your med school journey with the world (or at least with our readers), email us at bloggers@accepted.com.

Working on your medical school or residency application? Learn how Accepted.com can help you polish your application so it shines!

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Med School Blogger Interview: Ryan’s Journey

September 10, 2012 by 1 Comment
Ryan Nguyen

Ryan Nguyen

Next up in our series of featured med school bloggers is Ryan Nguyen, a medical student at the Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. He blogs about his medical school experiences at WhiteCoatDO and also ran PracticalPremed from 2010-2012 to document his application journey and strategies. Enjoy Ryan’s thoughtful answers and use them to help you make your way through the med school admissions process.

Accepted: First, can you tell us a little about yourself – where are you from, where did you go to school and when did you graduate; and what prior degrees do you hold?

Ryan: My name is Ryan Nguyen and I grew up in Huntington Beach, California. In 2012, I graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.S. in microbiology.

Accepted: How many med schools did you apply to? Why did you choose the Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific?

Ryan: I applied broadly to 30 schools all across the country. WesternU COMP was one of my top choices from the very beginning due to its location and history of placing graduates in strong residency programs. On my interview day, I got a strong sense that WesternU students were well supported but also challenged to realize their full potential as future healthcare leaders. This pushed me to choose WesternU over the other programs where I had acceptances.

Accepted: What is the major difference between osteopathic medicine (a DO) and allopathic medicine (an MD)? Did you only consider osteopathic programs?

Ryan: According to the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, osteopathic medicine “provides all of the benefits of modern medicine including prescription drugs, surgery, and the use of technology to diagnose disease and evaluate injury. It also offers the added benefit of hands-on diagnosis and treatment through a system of therapy known as osteopathic manipulative medicine. Osteopathic medicine emphasizes helping each person achieve a high level of wellness by focusing on health promotion and disease prevention.”

Additionally, Harrison’s Principles Of Internal Medicine states that “the training, practice, credentialing, licensure, and reimbursement of osteopathic physicians is virtually indistinguishable from those of allopathic (MD) physicians, with 4 years of osteopathic medical school followed by specialty and subspecialty training and [board] certification.” The major difference in curriculum is that DO schools teach 300-500 hours of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM).

Applying to both MD and DO schools was an easy choice for me as I had both incredible allopathic and osteopathic physician mentors through my premed years.

Accepted: What do you think is the smartest move you made during the med school application process? What do you think you could have done better?

Ryan: I knew my stats weren’t going to wow any admission committees, so I put a lot of effort into interview preparation. For each interview, I’d spend a couple hours researching the school’s specific SDN Interview Feedback site as well as the school’s official website. This gave me a feel for the type of questions they asked and what they were looking for in applicants. Did they focus on being at the forefront of the research field, producing the next generation of healthcare leaders, or bolstering the nation’s primary care workforce?  From this, I tailored my experiences into specific talking points I could strategically bring up during the interview. For example, if a school’s website said they were looking to produce healthcare leaders, I’d make sure to bring up a specific example of a time when I took initiative and was a leader.

Another strategy that helped for interview prep was doing mock interviews with a couple different people, all with different personalities. I’d give them a cup of coffee and a list of commonly asked interview questions, but also told them to ask any other question they felt was appropriate. These mock interviews were where I really developed my interviewing style, as I could get instant feedback on answers and mannerisms. For example, when I briefly mentioned in passing that I’d like to get involved in healthcare policy in the future, one of my mock interviewers grilled me for five minutes to expose that I didn’t really know much about the topic. After that experience, I worked on becoming a more disciplined interviewer and sticking to my strong points (and also reading more about healthcare policy). Over time, these sessions allowed me to “warm-up” and walk into my real interviews with confidence.

I think something I definitely could have done better during the application process was managing my nerves and mental state while waiting to hear back from schools. Especially while waiting post-interview, I became a nervous wreck and a bit of a pain to be around (just ask my girlfriend). The thought that a decision could come through email/phone/mail at any moment was nearly always lurking in the back of my mind, and it was definitely a mental distraction I could have managed better.

Accepted: Have you had any exposure to the medical/healthcare field or clinical experience? How important do you think it is to experience the world of medicine before deciding to become a doctor?

Ryan: The summer before college I worked the front desk of a medical clinic and I also spent a year volunteering in the Emergency Department of the local hospital next to my school. However, the best clinical experience I had, by far, was volunteering and interning for a local non-profit, Doctors Without Walls-Santa Barbara Street Medicine. The doctors, nurses, and other professionals volunteering for the non-profit would go out of their way to help students, and the experience was incredibly rewarding. If you find yourself stuck in a rut in a typical medical experience, I’d highly recommend getting involved with a non-profit in your area!

Accepted: Can you tell us about your two websites? Who is your target audience? Why did you decide to blog about your experience?

Ryan: Bored and frustrated by the “typical” premed experiences I was getting in college, I started PracticalPremed in 2010 to engage with other premeds online. For some reason, people actually enjoyed reading my blog, and so I started posting more articles about the strategies I used during the application process. PracticalPremed is ideally for medical school applicants, and the thank you emails I get from readers make all the work put into the website worth it.

WhiteCoatDO is a brand new website I launched to document my journey through medical school. With the number of osteopathic medical students growing every year, I wanted to create a resource for future DO students to read. I’ve found blogging to be a fantastic creative outlet, and hopefully one day I’ll be able to parlay these experiences into a book.

Do you want to be featured in Accepted.com’s blog, Accepted Admissions Blog? If you want to share your med school journey with the world (or at least with our readers), email us at bloggers@accepted.com.

Working on your medical school or residency application? Learn how Accepted.com can help you polish your application so it shines!

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5 Personal Statement Tips for Residency Applicants

July 26, 2012 by 1 Comment
Proofread Your Personal Statement

Proofread!

1.       Focus on what attracts you to this particular specialty. This isn’t the place to tell your full life story, or to rehash the story of why you decided to become a doctor. Instead, explain how you became interested in your specialty, and show you have the skills and personal qualities to succeed in the residency you’re seeking.

2.       Be specific. Draw on concrete examples from your experiences to illustrate your points. Was there a particular experience during a rotation that made you realize this specialty was for you? Did you have an especially memorable interaction with a patient or a mentor? What skills have you developed that will help you succeed?

3.       …But don’t just put your CV into prose! Your residency personal statement is not the place to simply list accomplishments from your CV. (Let your CV do that job!) This is your opportunity to tell a coherent story about your experience and goals—a story that provides context for the rest of your application.

4.       Be alert to your tone. You don’t want to sound arrogant (after all, your readers are considering you as a potential colleague). Describe your skills confidently, but be aware of the line between confidence and arrogance. For example, it can be very off-putting to a reader if you talk about how work was too easy for you (in a way that makes it sound like you think you’re more accomplished than everyone you worked with!) or if you claim to be the “best” or the “only.” Likewise, be careful of presenting your chosen specialty as the BEST one, or the only one a really smart or accomplished person would pursue– it’s the best choice for you! It’s a good idea to ask someone else to read your essay—ask them if you sound enthusiastic and confident, or if you’ve crossed the line into arrogance.

5.       Proofread! Make sure you avoid careless mistakes. One way to catch errors: take a step back and then return to your essay after a short break. You’ll be more likely to see things that you might miss when you’re tired. Another tip: read your essay aloud. This forces you to slow down, and you’re more likely to catch awkward phrases, typos, etc. Your ear will pick up what your eye previously missed on the screen.

Interested in more residency personal statement tips? Visit our Residency Personal Statement 101 page for additional insights and advice.

 
Rebecca BlusteinBy Dr. Rebecca Blustein, author of Financing Your Future: Winning Fellowships, Scholarships and Awards for Grad School. Rebecca will be happy to assist you with your residency and/or fellowship personal statements.


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Medical School Admissions Navigation Tips: Your Interview

June 21, 2012 by 4 Comments
Tips for your med school interview

Tips for your med school interview

If you have an upcoming interview, you are one of the lucky ones.  Only a small percentage of applicants are interviewed. So if you have made it to this select applicant pool, then your admission chances have definitely increased.  Knowing this – what should you do to be best prepared?

Travel Plans

Make sure you arrive well in advance of your scheduled interview time.  Most schools offer a day-long interview schedule, therefore it is recommended that you arrive the evening before so you can get settled and relax.

What to Wear

Applicants should not wear a lot of make-up or jewelry and they should definitely wear shoes that are comfortable.  The key is to wear something you feel comfortable in and even more importantly something you feel confident wearing.  Be professional.  Remember you have been selected based on your credentials on paper.  The interview is your chance to present yourself personally.  You want to look and act like a physician, someone that will be treating future patients.

Interview Preparation

Individualized preparation for each and every school you interview at is very important.  Spend time reviewing the curriculum, the school’s mission, the facilities, the hospitals you will be completing your clinical rotations at, available community opportunities – everything that defines the institution.  Try to figure out why you are a good match for this particular school so you can honestly state why you want to go there.

First and foremost on the preparation list: know what you have written in your AMCAS application.  It’s been months since you completed your application so review what you wrote.  Don’t be caught off guard.

Secondly, think about what has changed since your AMCAS and secondary application submission so that you know what other information you want to make sure you share with your interviewer.  Include anything that may have changed in your application, such as your plans for the current year, a recent publication etc., so you can update your interviewer if necessary.

There are so many potential directions an interviewer could take so here are some of the general topics often discussed.

Standard Questions:

  • Why do you want to go to medical school?
  • Describe your clinical exposure – Significant patient contact.
  • Describe the activities you had during your gap year?
  • Why did you enroll in a Post-Baccalaureate program?

Personal Questions

  • What qualities do you possess that make you confident you can be a physician?
  • What are your strengths?  Your weaknesses?

More Thought Provoking Questions:

  • Interviewers often challenge applicants with an ethical question which may be related to any number of controversial areas such as abortion, right to life, assisted suicide, Medicare, DNR….
  • Where do you envision yourself 10 years from now professionally?
  • Do you feel the US is moving to managed care?  Is this best?

In closing, an interviewer will almost always ask you for questions.  Try to have a couple good questions prepared.  Don’t just ask a question to ask one, but do ask one that is relevant to your background, one that shows your serious interest in the school and your knowledge of the institution.

What to Do During the Interview

  • Maintain eye contact throughout the interview.
  • Take notes if it seems relevant – this shows that you are truly interested.
  • Be yourself.  You can’t reinvent yourself, but rather try to shine during the interview with your best qualities.  That means
    • If you are animated and outgoing go right ahead and show it.
    • If you are shy that’s fine, but still try to find a connection with your interviewer.
  • Present yourself honestly.
    • If you are discussing a weak part of your record, own up to your mistakes and then stress your improvements.  Don’t minimize your past, but try to move on to future positives.
    • If you are one of the lucky ones who has not had many struggles in your life, then still think how to answer an adversity question.  Adversity comes in many shades – physical, financial, personal and/or emotional. Each of us has had some degree of struggle.

What to Do After the Interview

In closing, make sure you follow-up your interview day with a personal thank you note to your interviewer.  If you had a special experience with a student or student group and/or a non-interview faculty include that experience also in your note.

This post is part of an ongoing series, Navigate the Med School Maze, that offers applicants must-know advice on every aspect of the medical school admissions process. Join us as we navigate the med school maze!

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Interview Tip: Prepare Questions

May 24, 2012 by
Admissions tip: An interview is a two-way street

Admissions tip: An interview is a two-way street

Usually when applicants prepare for their admissions interviews, they spend their time trying to figure out what questions will be asked and how they can best answer them. This is important and a good idea. But it’s not the only step to prepping for an admissions interview.

An interview is a two-way street.

Your interviewer will ask you questions and listen your answers, and then will turn the asking over to you. When your interviewer says, “Do you have any questions?” you don’t want to shut the interview down by saying, “Nope, I’m set” but want to keep the flow of the conversation going by taking the reins of the interview into your hands and asking some questions of your own.

There are two things you can do before your interview to help you come up with intelligent questions:

  1. Familiarize yourself with the program’s website and other literature. Never ask a question that can be answered easily online.
  2. Review your application. Your questions should be specific to your unique situation – your skills, interests, and goals. Questions about the faculty or clubs, for example, should relate to your own education, career, and goals.

Since your goal should be to come up with questions that are specific to your situation, I can’t give you a list of must-ask questions without knowing who YOU are. But here are a few sample questions that you can review and tweak so that the questions are more appropriate for YOU:

  • How difficult is it to enroll in a popular class like XYZ? (Insert a class that appeals to you. Not a required course.)
  • Do recruiters from XYZ (a company or a particular field that interests you) visit the school? How do students get interviews with recruiters?
  • Are business plan competitions (or something else that’s relevant to you) open to all students, or are there certain requirements to qualify?

If you are interviewing with school alum or a second-year student, then you should ask questions about their experiences, for example:

  • Who were some of your favorite professors? Favorite classes?
  • What is/was a typical day like for you?
  • Are there clubs or activities that you would recommend for someone interested in XYZ? What clubs are you involved in? How important do you think it is to be involved in extracurricular activities?
  • If you could change anything about your experience at this program, what would it be?

You get the idea. You want to come up with questions that personalize you and that show you have an interest in your interviewer’s experience (if relevant). Be specific, show that you’ve done your research, and most importantly, relax!

Good luck and let us know how we can further help you prepare for your interviews!

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Filed Under: Admissions, College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions Tagged With: ,

3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Worry about Your Med School Interview Invite

November 18, 2011 by

Yes, it’s November and some of your fellow applicants may have already been invited to their medical school interviews. But that doesn’t give you due cause to throw a fit and assume you’re as good as dinged.

Don’t worry. There’s still hope for you.

Consider the following:

  1. When did you submit your application? Did you send it in early August, or just a few weeks ago? The later you send it in, the later the admissions committee will review it and get back to you with an interview decision. In fact, the adcoms are only NOW reviewing and interviewing for those applications submitted in July and August.
  2. Keep in touch! Unlike most other admissions categories (like college admissions or MBA admissions), med school adcom sometimes allow applicants to keep in touch after they’ve submitted their applications but before any decisions have been made. If you submitted your application 8 or more weeks ago, then you may want to drop the admissions office a note (or call, depending on their preference) and ask if/when you might expect an interview invite. If you know you’ll be in the vicinity of the school over the holidays, you may want to mention that and ask if you can schedule an interview during that time. (This is a particularly good idea if you’ve applied to more than one school in a given city.)
  3. Send new info. If your target program allows you to send new/updated information, you should definitely do so, but please make sure that it is really new and that it will enhance your application. This would include any recent achievements (either at school, in the workplace, or in a volunteer position), improved test scores, a new med school recommendation, or something else of that sort. You should send this med school admissions updated information in the form of a brief – not more than one page – letter with important documents attached.

Did you already score that coveted interview invite? Prep with the best when you purchase Accepted.com’s med school interview services.

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Do Not Bring Your Parents or Significant Other With You to Your Interview

February 3, 2011 by

So you are thinking, “No kidding!” I wish I could say that it never happens, but it does!  Moms, dads, girlfriends, and boyfriends should all be left at home.  The interview process should demonstrate your independence and maturity.  You do not want to stand out among the other applicants and be remembered as the applicant who brought his or her mom along to the medical school interview.  They are more than welcome to attend most “Second Look” or “Second Visit” days, if you really want them to see the medical schools that you are considering.  But on interview day, their presence is just not appropriate. 

This post is excerpted from 101 Tips on Getting Into Medical School by Jennifer C. Welch, who has served as the Director of Admissions at SUNY Upstate Medical School since 2001.

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Practice Your Interviews

January 6, 2011 by

Try doing some mock interviews with someone at your career center or with someone you do not know very well. It will be very important that you do these tin a setting similar to that in which you will be interviewing. Wear a suit, shake hands, sit across from your interviewer, have your interviewer prepare questions similar to those that may be asked. You will want to make this scenario as realistic as possible – and a little uncomfortable for you.

It is important that you interview well, but it is equally important not to sound rehearsed. If you do not know the answer to a particular question, it is okay to say that you do not know, but do your best to answer the question.  The interviewer may not be looking for the “right” answer, but may instead be interested in seeing how you handle yourself or how you think.

You need to be able to answer basic questions. For instance, if you are asked what your three greatest strengths are, you need three, not two. You can find examples of frequently asked medical school interview questions online. You can also visit www.studentdoctor.net to view questions that other applicants were asked during their interviews. This preparation will help you to anticipate some of the questions that you many be asked. 

This post is excerpted from 101 Tips on Getting Into Medical School by Jennifer C. Welch, who has served as the Director of Admissions at SUNY Upstate Medical School since 2001.


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The Medical School Interview. Part 3 of 3: The Interview Itself and Afterwards.

October 2, 2009 by

What To Do During The Interview

  • Make sure you smile.
  • Maintain eye contact throughout the interview.
  • Relax as best as you can.  A good interviewer will work to help you relax during those initial questions.  Ideally you and your interviewer will have a conversation that flows rather than a disjointed and strained Q &A session.
  • Definitely don’t bring a cup of coffee with you.
  • Try not to fidget. 
  • Take notes if it seems relevant – this shows that you are truly interested.
  • Be yourself.  You can’t reinvent yourself, but rather try to shine during the interview with your best qualities.  That means
    • If you are animated and outgoing go right ahead and show it. 
    • If you are describing an experience that was particularly important to you, do show your passion.
    • If you are shy that’s fine, but still try to find a connection with your interviewer.
  •   Present yourself honestly.
    • If you are discussing a weak part of your record, own up to your mistakes and then stress your improvements.  Don’t minimize your past, but try to move on to future positives.
  • Present yourself honestly
    • Be sincere, especially when talking about strengths and weaknesses.  Confidence is fine but make sure you include a touch of humility.
    • When answering questions about yourself think about what you really want the interviewer to know about you.  What defines you?  Make sure you share those traits.   Show some level of self-reflection demonstrating a clear understanding of how you’ve gotten to this point.
    • If you have had to come back from adversity share the experience.  If you are one of the lucky ones who has not had many struggles in your life, then still think how to answer an adversity question.  Adversity comes in many shades – physical, financial, personal and/or emotional. Each of us has had some degree of struggle.

Most importantly go into the interview with a clear vision of what you want the interviewer to know about you and do your very best to get those particular key points across. 

What To Do After The Interview

As the interview day is nearing its end, you may find yourself with other applicants.  Try not to engage in discussion about your interview in detail.  These conversations only serve to increase anxiety and often lead to self doubt.  Talking about the school or topics you may have discussed with current students is great, but steer clear of discussing the actual interview content with your fellow applicants.

In closing, make sure you follow-up your interview day with a personal thank you note to your interviewer.  If you had a special experience with a student or student group and/or a non-interview faculty include that experience also in your note.

As you walk away from your interview day, take stock of all you’ve heard.  Think about whether this school felt like home to you.  Did it feel as if you could blend in with the current students? Did you connect with the faculty?  Did you feel like there was a place waiting for you there – a place where you could grow both personally and professionally?  If so, then all that’s left for you to do is wait patiently for an acceptance.

By guest blogger Theresa Davies-Heerema, Ph.D., who has advised many medical and dental school applicants during her career in post-graduate education.

 

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The Medical School Interview: Interview Preparation (Part 2 of 3)

September 27, 2009 by

Individualized preparation for each and every school you interview at is very important.  Spend time reviewing the curriculum, the school’s mission, the facilities, the hospitals you will be completing your clinical rotations at, available community opportunities – everything that defines the institution.  Look also at what the school is known for such as having an international or public health focus, a strong mission of treating the underserved and/or the underinsured, a strong program in primary care or a strong research component to education.  Try to figure out why you are a good match for this particular school so you can honestly state why you want to go there. Go in to interview day ready to share what you feel you can contribute to the entering class and why you are confident you are a good match for this particular program. 

In addition, there are many standard questions that are asked by all medical schools and again you should prepare your answers in advance so that under the stressful interview circumstances you are still able to maintain your focus and speak confidently.

First and foremost on the preparation list: know what you have written in your AMCAS application.  It’s been months since you completed your application so review what you wrote.  Don’t be caught off guard. If you performed research, especially if it was a few years ago, make sure you know the science of the project, what your part in the project was and where the project is today. 

Secondly, think about what has changed since your AMCAS and secondary application submission so that you know what other information you want to make sure you share with your interviewer.  Include anything that may have changed in your application, such as your plans for the current year, a recent publication etc., so you can update your interviewer if necessary.

There are so many potential directions an interviewer could take so here are some of the general topics often discussed.

Initial Questions to Help You Relax

A good interviewer will work hard to help you relax initially so that you both settle and have a conversation, rather than a Q &A.  Questions such as:

  • Please tell me about your parents?  Your siblings?
  • How was your trip here?  Is this your first trip to our city?
  • Sports teams?  The weather?
  • What are your hobbies?

Standard Questions:

  • Why do you want to go to medical school? 
  • Explain your transcript discrepancies from your undergraduate record.
  • Share your most meaningful extracurricular activity.
  • Describe a time when you were in a caring role.
  • Describe your clinical exposure –  Significant patient contact.
  • What was your most rewarding volunteer position?
  • Describe your research exposure?  What it bench or clinical?
  • Describe the activities you had during your Gap year?
  • Why did you enroll in a Post-Baccalaureate program?

Personal Questions

  • Have you ever had to come back from adversity?
  • What qualities do you possess that make you confident you can be a physician?
  • What are your strengths?  Your weaknesses?
  • What are you most proud of?
  • Who has had the greatest impact on your life and where you are today?

More Thought Provoking Questions:

  • Interviewers often challenge applicants with an ethical question  which may be related to any number of controversial areas such as abortion, right to life, assisted suicide, Medicare, DNR….
  • Where do you envision yourself 10 years from now professionally?
  • How do you envision the field of health care in 10 years? 
  • Do you feel the US is moving to managed care?  Is this best? 
  • Will physicians have lost all autonomy?

In closing, an interviewer will almost always ask you for questions.  Try to have a couple good questions prepared.  Don’t just ask a question to ask one, but do ask one that is relevant to your background, one that shows your serious interest in the school and your knowledge of the institution.

Stay tuned for Medical School Interviews. Part 3:  The Interview Itself and Afterwards

By guest blogger Theresa Davies-Heerema, Ph.D., who has advised many medical and dental school applicants during her career in post-graduate education


Filed Under: Medical School Admissions Tagged With: ,
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