Tips for your Interview when Applying for a Medical School
Hey guys,
I have been getting lots of requests through email and on my message/chat board about giving tips on the medical school interview. Well, I can't really do an extensive one since I'm on a strict structured board review schedule, but for the sake of the new year, here's a basic tip. Hope it helps! And, hopefully when I pass the boards by March (please please please, please Oh God.), I can start writing in full again.
For now, bear with me. Please and Thank you.
I have gathered and compiled the following from various internet sources:
- Be “well lopsided.” Try to be very strong in a few areas, rather than superficially involved in many. You should have experiences in leadership, research, and service, but certain cornerstones – such as being a varsity athlete or leading a major campus organization – will stand out, and could even make up for lower MCAT scores or GPA.
- Be specific in your secondary. Be sure to tailor your secondary to the school you are applying to, mentioning specific attributes and why those make you a good fit. A generic secondary shows a lack of effort.
- Get prestigious and/or superlative letters of recommendation. It helps if your letter writer is well known, particularly if he/she is from the institution to which you are applying; however, a more personal letter with superlatives (“…among the most intelligent,” “…one of the best students to come through my lab,” etc.) trumps an impersonal letter from an academic celebrity.
- Avoid lying and arrogance. Perhaps this seems obvious, but your written application should be a truthful representation of you and is subject to scrutiny in interviews. For example, if you list cooking as one of your activities, then your interviewer may ask you what you like to cook and how you prepare it. The activities you designate “most important” will likely be covered. Walk the line between being humble and confident when discussing any part of your application.
- Be excited. It is easier for the interviewer to connect with someone that is passionate about something and can talk about it at length. Your passion does not have to be strictly academic – it can be ballroom dancing or writing short stories, provided you are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about it. Be sure that you can articulate the things that you really care about.
- Lifted from The Prospective Doctor
With that said: Kaplan, KevinMD, and TheCompleteUniversityGuide have also written some tips. You can check and click on the links.
For Philippines setting, there are only 5 things you need to know
and I dare say, jot these down:
1. Why do you want to become a doctor? Why Medicine?
2. Are you prepared for the emotional, and mental turmoil it brings? Prove yourself and why.
3. For women: What are your views on pre-marital sex and teenage pregnancy? SERIOUSLY. (Thumbs up: They don't like female candidates who will take a leave of absence at any phase of the medicine years, so you know what to answer. Key word: Ambition)
4. What inspires you? What drives you? When the going gets rough, what will propel you to finish what you have started? Are you a quitter?
5. Give one Doctor you emulate (better if from their institution, so if from UERM, search for a prominent UERM alumnus, etc).
So reflect on those questions. I will try my best to find my award winning ASMPH (Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health) Essay... my forever dream school! Go to ASMPH! It's really a good program! :) But UERM is where my heart is. :)
Wish me luck guys, and I hope you get into medical school too! :) Chow! :)
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