Medical School Interviews – Practice, Practice, Practice Questions

Whether you are preparing for your first medical school interview or your tenth, practice is the key to a successful interview experience. Practice the most typical questions asked in medical school interviews. There are many lists out there on the internet.

Practice answering questions out loud in front of a mirror. You will be surprised by the habits you will discover, such as playing with a ring, wrying hands, or foot tapping. Practice limiting such distracting movements. Practice by tape recording your answers. Isn’t it amazing how many times your say “like” and “um.” Practice not using those nonprofessional, filler words.

Ideally, you should arrange for a mock interview with an admissions consultant or medical school counselor. This mock interview should be as close to real as possible – do everything you will do on interview day including wearing your suit, using an office setting, and answering each question to the best of your ability.

Want more practice? Medical school mock interview sessions are filling quickly. E-mail info@MDadmit.com for a one-on-one practice session with a Harvard/Stanford MD and medical school admissions expert!

Check out www.MDadmit.com for more information.

Medical School Interviews – Review AMCAS and Secondary Applications

Everything on the AMCAS and secondary applications is fair game in the medical school interview. This includes every course and activity listed. You may have taken some of those classes four years ago (or, for some of you, 10 years ago). Review each class and activity to ensure that you recall enough details to answer any question on the topic. Also be sure to read over the personal statement and secondary essays to remember how you specifically spun yourself to a particular school.

Want to practice your medical school interview answers? Mock interview sessions are filling quickly. E-mail info@MDadmit.com for a one-on-one practice session with a Harvard/Stanford MD and medical school admissions expert!

Check out www.MDadmit.com for more information.

Medical School Interviews – Why Do You Want to Be a Doctor?

Many premeds worry about the content of the medical school interview. The most important content to conquer is about you. You already know all about yourself but the key is figuring out how to present that to the interviewer.

Start your interview prep by answering this question:

“Why do you want to be a doctor?”

Simple, huh? Go ahead and try to answer it right now.

Harder than it seems, isn’t it?

This question will be asked in some form in every interview. You answered it in the AMCAS primary essay, but interviewers want to hear it again. It is the essential question, right?

Your goal is to answer the question clearly and concisely with no more than three talking points. Tying these three reasons to brief anecdotes will help the interviewer remember your reasons. If you find yourself saying, “I want to be a doctor because I want to work with people and like science,” start again and be much more specific.

Want to practice your medical school interview answers? Mock interview sessions are filling quickly. E-mail info@MDadmit.com for a one-on-one practice session with a Harvard/Stanford MD and medical school admissions expert!

Check out www.MDadmit.com for more information.

Medical School Interviews – The First Twelve Inches

To help you pull it all together on your interview day, etiquette experts have a simple rule to ensure you are looking your best. It’s the first 12 inches that matter most (head, hands, feet):

Head
• Keep the cowlick under control
• Be clean-shaven
• Check the teeth for errant vegetable matter and lipstick

Hands
• Groom the nails short and clean
• Chipped nail polish is worse than none at all

Feet
• Polish the shoes (yes, I actually mean go out and buy real shoe polish and scrub those puppies ‘til they shine)
• For those color-blind guys out there – be sure your socks match☺
• For the ladies – be sure the panty hose or stockings don’t have runs

Mock interview sessions are filling quickly. E-mail info@MDadmit.com for a one-on-one practice session with a Harvard/Stanford MD and medical school admissions expert!

Check out www.MDadmit.com for more information.

Medical School Interviews – Hair and Accessories

The medical school interview season is not the time to experiment with that mohawk you always wanted. Keep the hair clean and simple. If you are a man with long hair, you do not need to cut it. Just ensure it is clean and out of your face (same rules apply to women).

As for jewelry, earrings in men are always a point of controversy. If your earring is an important part of who you are, leave it in. But if it’s just a piece of jewelry, I would take it out. There are certainly still old school docs out there who don’t want to accept an applicant that seems like a “punk.” Yes, I know this is incredibly out of date – but your interviewer may just be one of those people. Do you really want to throw away your entire application on a piece of jewelry? If you want to make a statement, make sure you get into medical school first.

Body piercings that show (nose ring, tongue ring, eyebrow ring, etc) fall under the same general guidelines as earrings. Wear it if it is a huge part of who you are. Lose it for a day if it isn’t.

Mock interview sessions are filling quickly. E-mail info@MDadmit.com for a one-on-one practice session with a Harvard/Stanford MD and medical school admissions expert!

Check out www.MDadmit.com for more information.