Here are some tips from current medical students about interviewing for medical school:
WashU, University of Iowa, University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, Case Western, Kaiser Permanente, University of Michigan
SLU, California University of Science and Medicine School of Medicine
MD: Saint Louis University SOM, Dartmouth Geisel SOM, Virginia Commonwealth University SOM, Rosalind Franklin Chicago Medical School DO: Midwestern University (Chicago COM and AZ COM), KCUMB, Des Moines
Less than 1 month before the interview offer (2)
About 2 months before the interview offer (1)
Career center practice interviews & the SDN interview pages for each school have some practice questions as well as what previous interviewees’ schedules were…etc. – very helpful!
I had mock interviews with my sister, who was in medical school at the time. I looked up medical school interview questions from Princeton Review and ProspectiveDoctor.com, wrote down my answers in a Word Document and then practiced them.
The ~internet~ and career center
Know your application well! Hopefully you wrote truthfully and enthusiastically about your activities as well as why you want to do medicine. I had several interviews in which the interviewer had printed copies of my essays and would point to things and have me talk more about them. Also, I think a lot of people get nervous about research questions but to be honest most of my interviews were more interested in extracurricular things and the things I was most passionate about.
Ask as many people as you can to hold mock interviews with you or just have them ask you some questions. Get comfortable talking about your life experiences, plans for the future, and your characteristics as a person. Feedback can be harsh but don’t worry too much about it, internalize it, and just try your best!
Nail down your answers for the basic questions that every school asks, make a list of at least 5-7 anecdotes that you can have on hand to pull experiences from (try to make them as diverse as possible to you have options), use UW’s ethics in medicine for MMI prep
They asked me to describe my community and since the community I lived in for college and where I grew up were very different, I thought it was a difficult question to give a comprehensive and quick answer to.
Right off the bat, the first question an interviewer asked me was “Name three interesting diseases you saw during your clinical experience and their etiology” (the same interviewer also asked me what the percent prevalence of cleft lip in China is). An MMI question asked me to recall a time that I was dishonest and another time that I was uncompromising/unyielding. Another interviewer asked me if I think society should have to pay for what one person has done wrong and if I could change one thing about the world, how would I change it (he was a psychiatrist, go figure).
The night before my SLU interview, I asked the M1 I was staying with for any tips. She was really nice and answered all of my questions. I also refreshed my memory on the mission of each school.
Nothing, just skimmed my interview notes if I had time (which I usually didn’t the day of the interview)
The 2 interviews I had were both one on one conversations with faculty either in their office or in a clinical exam room. My SLU interviewer’s office was in a different building than where the rest of the activities were and my directions on how to get there were given to me on a small slip of paper. It took a while for me to find it, as I had to ask several people on how to get there but I made it right on time (I would suggest leaving a couple minutes early just in case). My other interview took place after all the activities ie. the tour, lunch, and research/curriculum presentations were all over. The people there grouped us interviewees all together and then assigned us to different rooms for our interview. We were free to leave right after.
I always went to the location of the interview the day before the interview to make sure I knew where I was going. For 1v1 or 2v1, the flow really varies from interviewer to interviewer. My SLU interview was very much a strict interview format, whereas other people who have interviewed at SLU had very very relaxed interviews. I would just try best to match the energy and pace of the person who is interviewing me. For those answers to basic that you have prepared, don’t sound too rehearsed or it can come off as disingenuous. I’m not the person to ask about MMI advice because I am awful, but the STAR method helps. Also, find interesting hobbies to talk about. My quickest interview turnover rate was when I talked about reading a book about a modern physician transmigrating into Ancient China, which really piqued the interviewers’ interest.
Everyone says it, but just be yourself. This process is so much more authentic than the undergrad application process. They will see you, don’t worry. Just be yourself. Also, the interview is *just* as much an interview for you to get to know the school as it is for them to know you. You want to be a perfect fit both ways!
Don’t stress too much and just be yourself with your interviewer! They want to like you and want genuine answers.
GLGL, eat some good food while you’re in whatever city you interview in