Photo courtesy of the University of Michigan School of Medicine
Congratulations! You’ve landed the interview! Now what? It’s time to prepare. What’s the best way to prepare for a medical school interview? Hopefully, you will practice with someone who is very familiar with the medical school interview process, whether your premedical advisor or some other knowledgeable individual. At the very least, you should review typical questions you might get asked and think about how you would answer them. Medical schools offer a range of interview types: traditional (one on one), group interviews (panels of either applicants or interviewers, and sometimes both), or multiple-mini interviews in which hypothetical scenarios are posed.
Here are some typical interview questions for the traditional interview. Review these to get a good idea as to the types of questions you might be asked:
- Where do you see yourself in 15-20 years?
- Who are your role models in medicine and why?
- Tell me about your clinical work and what you learned from it.
- In your future evaluations what might your attending physician rate you negatively on?
- What will be your greatest weakness as a medical student?
- What accomplishment are you proudest of, and why?
- Tell me about a time when you took initiative to make something happen.
- Describe a situation when you had difficulty working with a group and how you handled it.
- How will you contribute to the diversity of our incoming class?
- Outside of your immediate family, who has been the most inspirational person in your life?
- Why medicine and not public health given your past experiences?
- Describe a patient who has influenced you, and why.
- Tell me about a time recently when you tried something new: why did you try it and what did you learn?
- Is it ever appropriate for a physician to lie?
- Why should we admit you to our medical school?
- Why are you interested in our school?
And finally…
- Why do you want to be a doctor?
This is only a random sampling of typical questions. There are many more that you will likely encounter but this will give you a good idea as to the types of questions you’ll be asked. If you want help preparing for interviews please contact me at liza@thompsonadvising.com Good luck!
–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consultant