Shhh...Interview Tips from a Medical School Insider
Dr. Michelle Finkel
Medical school interview tips: You've read the handout from your college's advising office created by an alumnus circa 1979, surfed the web only to find conflicting advice from supposed experts, and suffered silently as your physician-uncle gave you unsolicited help at the last few family reunions. You’ve heard it all before, right? Think again. After going through interviews myself as a pre-med, I next found myself across the table conducting interviews as a Harvard faculty member. This insider's perspective, which I've shared while assisting applicants as a professional medical admissions advisor for six years, taught me firsthand that knowing how the system works from the inside can mean the difference between acceptance and rejection at you dream school.
Everyone agrees on the importance of arriving on time and dressing professionally. But those who understand what is going on behind the scenes at elite institutions are in the best position to leverage that information to their advantage. The following are some tips to get you started:
Are you the one who worked with Mother Theresa?
Most interviewers take the medical school admissions process seriously. They understand you have spent a lot of time, effort and money to show up on your interview day. But these same faculty members – as earnest as they are – are interviewing scores of other applicants.
Treat every interview as though it were a “blind” one. It’s your responsibility to distinguish yourself from all of the other candidates, and the best way to do that is by showcasing your achievements.
Remember: The interview process is a persuasive one. Your role is to convince medical schools that you deserve a slot at their institutions. The best way to persuade is with facts, just like a lawyer does when s/he is trying a case in front of a judge. Saying you are compassionate or hardworking is not convincing, and it doesn’t distinguish you from the scores of other people the interviewer is meeting. You need to prove your value and your distinctiveness with your academic, clinical, research, community service, leadership, international, and teaching achievements.
If you think that being understated about your accomplishments in an interview can’t hurt you, consider Google. According to a 2012 New York Times article, Google realized that part of the reason they had so few women employees was that they were overlooking women who tended to be more modest about their accomplishments in interviews. The interviewers judged the women applicants less accomplished, and the candidates did not get hired. (Google now asks interviewers to report applicants’ answers in more detail in an attempt to reverse the problem.)
The bottom line is that you are not special unless you make yourself special, and not distinguishing yourself with your achievements in a medical school interview is a lost opportunity that will hurt your candidacy.
Schools are people too. (And they want to be liked.)
When I was at Harvard, we had a strong residency applicant about whom I was very enthused, But when we sat down to talk about the candidate’s credentials, one of my colleagues put the kibosh on the applicant’s prospects. As it turned out, the candidate had made it clear that he did not want to leave California. “If he’s not interested in us, why should we be interested in him?” my colleague asked.
Throughout the medical school application process, although you hope that schools will like you, keep in mind that institutions want to see that you are serious about them as well. There is a psychological principle: People tend to like those who like them. Apply this idea to schools when you interview.
But how? You can’t send the school a Valentine’s Day card, but you can be so familiar with the institution that you convey to the interviewer that you are enthused and sincere about spending the next four years at that institution. Know details about the school’s curriculum, extra curricular opportunities, location, associated hospitals, and students. Have very specific questions to ask your interviewer that demonstrate your intimate knowledge of the school and your belief that you could be a contributing member of the class.
Dine but Don’t Whine.
In an effort to attract desirable applicants, some medical schools invite candidates to social events immediately before or during the interview day. These events may include dinner, lunch, or an optional hospital tour with students.
It's in your interest to attend these events: They show schools that you are serious about their programs, afford you the opportunity to score social points, and allow you to gain valuable information about students' satisfaction.
The trick here: Ensure you act professionally even if you are told that what you say will not affect your candidacy or get back to admissions. Even if everyone has good intentions, information garnered from these events can make its way to decision-makers. If you had a bad experience at the interview day, have a significant other who doesn't want to move, or know your first choice is a different school, these social events are not the time to reveal that information to current medical students.
Importantly, this rule is especially true for those applicants who choose to stay at students’ houses or dorms. Be friendly, but don’t blab.
But he promised he'd call.
In the heat of the moment, interviewers may make commitments they can’t keep. Although flattery is nice, don’t assume that any comments about your prospects are accurate, and certainly don’t make decisions (like foregoing an interview at another institution) based on what you have been told about the strength of your candidacy. In most institutions, one interviewer does not have the power to change the course of a candidate’s application.
The squeaky wheel often really does get the grease.
A few years ago I was advising a very strong applicant. He had been rejected from a top medical school he was very interested in, and he felt that he would have been a good fit at the institution. He called the medical school and convinced the person he spoke with that he deserved to be reconsidered. The school offered him an interview, and once he interviewed, he was offered a position at the elite school!
In six years of professional advising, I have only seen this happen once, so this is very far from typical. However, the story reinforces the value of being assertive. After your interview, showing strong interest with well-crafted thank you notes and a letter of intent reinforcing the distinguishing characteristics of your candidacy can help. And if you are wait listed, a second look may also assist you (although it depends on the school).
In any case, being passive about your candidacy is not strategic.
Stars are made, not born.
When I was applying to medical school, I was graduating from Stanford with strong grades. I approached the interview process with confidence. But when I encountered faculty members asking me aggressive questions, I fumbled, doing the best I could. Although I had studied for months for the MCAT, I hadn’t practiced interview skills even once before I went to visit medical schools.
You would never take the MCAT without preparing, but the interview can be equally – if not more – important to your medical school candidacy. Once you get your foot in the door of your dream school, why would you risk interviewing without preparation?
Ensure you find a trusted advisor who has medical interview experience. Sit down with the person for one or two hours both to review how to answer bread and butter questions and to confidently formulate responses when you’re thrown a curveball. Learn to comfortably respond to questions about potential weaknesses in your application so that your lasting impression is one of polish.
You only have one chance to make a first impression.
In summary, the interview process is important and less standardized than you might think. Now that you know how the sausage is made, keep in mind:
Dr. Michelle Finkel is the founder of Insider Medical Admissions. For help with your med school candidacy, contact Dr. Finkel directly at InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com. “Like” her at Facebook.com/InsiderMedical.
Are you the one who worked with Mother Theresa?
Most interviewers take the medical school admissions process seriously. They understand you have spent a lot of time, effort and money to show up on your interview day. But these same faculty members – as earnest as they are – are interviewing scores of other applicants.
Treat every interview as though it were a “blind” one. It’s your responsibility to distinguish yourself from all of the other candidates, and the best way to do that is by showcasing your achievements.
Remember: The interview process is a persuasive one. Your role is to convince medical schools that you deserve a slot at their institutions. The best way to persuade is with facts, just like a lawyer does when s/he is trying a case in front of a judge. Saying you are compassionate or hardworking is not convincing, and it doesn’t distinguish you from the scores of other people the interviewer is meeting. You need to prove your value and your distinctiveness with your academic, clinical, research, community service, leadership, international, and teaching achievements.
If you think that being understated about your accomplishments in an interview can’t hurt you, consider Google. According to a 2012 New York Times article, Google realized that part of the reason they had so few women employees was that they were overlooking women who tended to be more modest about their accomplishments in interviews. The interviewers judged the women applicants less accomplished, and the candidates did not get hired. (Google now asks interviewers to report applicants’ answers in more detail in an attempt to reverse the problem.)
The bottom line is that you are not special unless you make yourself special, and not distinguishing yourself with your achievements in a medical school interview is a lost opportunity that will hurt your candidacy.
Schools are people too. (And they want to be liked.)
When I was at Harvard, we had a strong residency applicant about whom I was very enthused, But when we sat down to talk about the candidate’s credentials, one of my colleagues put the kibosh on the applicant’s prospects. As it turned out, the candidate had made it clear that he did not want to leave California. “If he’s not interested in us, why should we be interested in him?” my colleague asked.
Throughout the medical school application process, although you hope that schools will like you, keep in mind that institutions want to see that you are serious about them as well. There is a psychological principle: People tend to like those who like them. Apply this idea to schools when you interview.
But how? You can’t send the school a Valentine’s Day card, but you can be so familiar with the institution that you convey to the interviewer that you are enthused and sincere about spending the next four years at that institution. Know details about the school’s curriculum, extra curricular opportunities, location, associated hospitals, and students. Have very specific questions to ask your interviewer that demonstrate your intimate knowledge of the school and your belief that you could be a contributing member of the class.
Dine but Don’t Whine.
In an effort to attract desirable applicants, some medical schools invite candidates to social events immediately before or during the interview day. These events may include dinner, lunch, or an optional hospital tour with students.
It's in your interest to attend these events: They show schools that you are serious about their programs, afford you the opportunity to score social points, and allow you to gain valuable information about students' satisfaction.
The trick here: Ensure you act professionally even if you are told that what you say will not affect your candidacy or get back to admissions. Even if everyone has good intentions, information garnered from these events can make its way to decision-makers. If you had a bad experience at the interview day, have a significant other who doesn't want to move, or know your first choice is a different school, these social events are not the time to reveal that information to current medical students.
Importantly, this rule is especially true for those applicants who choose to stay at students’ houses or dorms. Be friendly, but don’t blab.
But he promised he'd call.
In the heat of the moment, interviewers may make commitments they can’t keep. Although flattery is nice, don’t assume that any comments about your prospects are accurate, and certainly don’t make decisions (like foregoing an interview at another institution) based on what you have been told about the strength of your candidacy. In most institutions, one interviewer does not have the power to change the course of a candidate’s application.
The squeaky wheel often really does get the grease.
A few years ago I was advising a very strong applicant. He had been rejected from a top medical school he was very interested in, and he felt that he would have been a good fit at the institution. He called the medical school and convinced the person he spoke with that he deserved to be reconsidered. The school offered him an interview, and once he interviewed, he was offered a position at the elite school!
In six years of professional advising, I have only seen this happen once, so this is very far from typical. However, the story reinforces the value of being assertive. After your interview, showing strong interest with well-crafted thank you notes and a letter of intent reinforcing the distinguishing characteristics of your candidacy can help. And if you are wait listed, a second look may also assist you (although it depends on the school).
In any case, being passive about your candidacy is not strategic.
Stars are made, not born.
When I was applying to medical school, I was graduating from Stanford with strong grades. I approached the interview process with confidence. But when I encountered faculty members asking me aggressive questions, I fumbled, doing the best I could. Although I had studied for months for the MCAT, I hadn’t practiced interview skills even once before I went to visit medical schools.
You would never take the MCAT without preparing, but the interview can be equally – if not more – important to your medical school candidacy. Once you get your foot in the door of your dream school, why would you risk interviewing without preparation?
Ensure you find a trusted advisor who has medical interview experience. Sit down with the person for one or two hours both to review how to answer bread and butter questions and to confidently formulate responses when you’re thrown a curveball. Learn to comfortably respond to questions about potential weaknesses in your application so that your lasting impression is one of polish.
You only have one chance to make a first impression.
In summary, the interview process is important and less standardized than you might think. Now that you know how the sausage is made, keep in mind:
- Let your story show your glory.
- Show them some love.
- Assume what you say over a beer will get back to the nutty professor.
- No ring, no thing. (Take guarantees of admission with a grain of salt.)
- It's okay to be a shy person, just not a shy applicant.
- Sweat now to be cool later. (Practice, practice, practice.)
Dr. Michelle Finkel is the founder of Insider Medical Admissions. For help with your med school candidacy, contact Dr. Finkel directly at InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com. “Like” her at Facebook.com/InsiderMedical.
Photo credit: Depositphotos.com ©zetwe
RSS Feed