Essay editing

Medical School Interviews

Medical School Interview Feedback Forum: post and read feedback from students interviewing at medical schools across the country.

For students completing their undergraduate degrees and applying to medical school, one of the most stressful obstacles will be the medical school interview. Interviews come near the end of the application process, and they are a crucial factor in determining whether a student is accepted or not. The information below can provide some basic information about the medical school interview.

Example medical school interview scenarios:

Sample 1: Role models
Sample 2: Why this medical school?
Sample 3: Volunteering

Full videos available through ZoomInterviews.

Premed forum has discussions on interview experiences at a variety of medical schools.

Your job in the medical school interview

Once you're at the interview, your more than half-way home. It usually means the competition has been whittled down, and your job is to show why you're more than just an MCAT score and GPA. This is the where show the person you are, not the stats you have.

An interview is like any other interpersonal interaction - both sides need to be interested and engaged. This is not a time for you to sit back and avoid questions. This is a chance to engange your interviewer.

Your job is to show why you are unique, and why you would be a good physician. Not because you shadowed a physician, not because you did a semester of research, and not because you have 38 MCAT. Your job is to know yourself. If you can't explain why you should be a doc to your roommate, you won't be able to explain it in the interview.

Preparing for your medical school interview

Preparation is always important, but before a medical school interview it is critical. Part of preparation is appearance. In general, err on the side of dressing conservatively. A professional appearance can only help in an interview. Be neatly groomed, cover tattoos and remove visible body piercings, but don't pretend to be someone you are not.

Most often interviews are not about numbers or test scores, but be ready to discuss any irregularities or unusual aspects of your application. The closest thing to medical school interview is theinterview you may have with your premed committee during the application process.

Common questions in a medical school interview

As with a job interview, a medical school interview is a two-way street. Interviewers are there to find out about the applicants' personality and goals, but they are also there to answer questions the students have, and to recruit students to their school.

In fact, the biggest mistake a student can make is to not ask questions. That demonstrates to the interviewer that the student has not given a lot of thought to his or her choice of medical schools or that the student is not passionate about the field. Neither would be good for the student.

To get some idea about what to ask during a medical school interview, students may want to read "35 Questions I Wish I Had Asked". The page includes a list of questions that medical students wish they had asked during their own medical school interviews.

For More Information

Students wishing to learn more about what to expect during a medical school interview may want to read "The Interview Process" or "My Advice to MedSchool Applicants" by Dr. Michael Greger.

Additionally, students may want to visit the Medical School Interview Feedback forum.

Some recent posts on interviews at: University of Iowa - Carver College of Medicine
University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)
East Carolina University - Brody School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Interview Question Thread