- Today, I'm going to go over key strategies
to help you ace your medical school interview.
First off, if you've received an interview invitation,
congratulations!
A medical school interview invitation
validates all of the hard work
you put in throughout college
to complete your medical school requirements, ace the MCAT,
and gain the necessary extracurricular experiences.
So, what's the best way to prepare?
I'm Dr. Shirag Shemmassian,
medical school admissions expert
and founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting.
In this video I'm going to share
key preparation strategies so you can
impress admissions committees on interview day.
And towards the end of the video
I'll share some bonus psychology tips
that you can use to get accepted to your dream school.
Let's get started.
It's important to understand
why medical schools interview you,
so you can present yourself in a way that's consistent
with what they're looking for in applicants.
Medical schools learn a lot about you
from your application.
Your GPA and MCAT scores are indicators
of academic readiness.
Your personal statement details
your reasons for wanting to become a physician.
Your research and clinical experiences demonstrate
your understanding of what being a physician entails.
And your secondary essays communicate
your fit with a particular school.
So, what else is left for them to figure out?
Medical schools interview candidates primarily
to ensure that they have good interpersonal skills.
After all, medicine is not a job
performed in isolation.
Doctors need to interact with patients,
families, colleagues, and hospital staff
on a routine basis to deliver care.
So for medical schools, the interview is the best way
to assess whether you have the requisite skills.
This means that what you say
during your interview is important,
but how you say it matters just as much, if not more.
Make sure that you prepare for interview day
by studying every detail of your AMCAS application.
Be prepared to talk in depth about
the various experiences you've listed.
Then, review each school's website
and be on the lookout for a certain themes.
Do they emphasis research funding and accolades?
Is part of their mission statement
dedicated to serving a specific patient population?
Keep the school's unique aspects in mind
as you converse with your interviewer.
You can circle back to them to emphasize
your fit with the school when talking about
your experiences and interests.
Also, if a school provides you with the names
of the people you'll be interviewing with,
be sure to look them up online
and get familiar with their research and clinical interests.
As one of my favorite authors Dale Carnegie once said,
being genuinely curious about others
is a great way to get people to like you.
You'll want to practice some responses
to common questions with someone
who is knowledgeable about the admissions process.
Some examples of good mock interview partners are:
a premed advisor, your school's premed committee,
a friend who has had success
with the med school admissions process,
or a medical school admissions consultant.
Also, practicing under conditions
that replicate those of the actual interview experience
will help you better prepare for interview day.
But be sure not to practice too much.
You want your interview to resemble a conversation,
not a series of robotic answers to question prompts.
How do you answer the question,
tell me about yourself?
Many students believe they should
immediately begin discussing experiences
related to medicine when asked this question.
However, the best way to respond to this question
is to describe your background first
and then transition to medically relevant experiences.
That way, you'll come across as a real person
and not just another medical school applicant.
Here's an example of an effective response
to this question:
"I was born in Seattle but grew up in Tempe, Arizona.
My father was a high school chemistry teacher
so I've always had an interest in science,
and even considered a career in teaching.
But instead of following in his footsteps,
I started volunteering at the local hospital
at the urging of my high school mentor."
Here, the applicant would transition
to their desire to pursue medicine as a career,
but only after sharing some personal details
that lend to the interviewer's understanding
of the applicant's journey.
How to Answer the "Why Medicine?" Question
Understand that most people who aspire to become doctors,
A) want to help people and B) enjoy the sciences
and its application to clinical medicine.
Many students fear that by mentioning
these thing to interviewers, they'll sound cliche.
However, this is what medicine is all about.
The application of science to help people
who are suffering from disease.
The best way to handle this question
is to respond honestly and supplement
your answer with information about the experiences
you discussed in your personal statement.
How to Answer the Question
"Why do you want to attend this school?"
or the "Why Us?" Question
A pitfall to avoid when responding to this question
is complimenting the school in a general way.
For example, talking about the great reputation
of the hospital or how the school is focused
on producing innovative research.
Instead, you want to communicate a mutual fit,
just as you did in your secondary essays.
What are your specific interests
and how do they align with what the school has to offer?
And most importantly, how are you going to
make an impact while you're there?
Here's a sample response:
"Attending VCU has always been a dream of mine
since I'm a Virginia native,
but I'm especially attracted to your mission
to deliver high quality care to underserved populations.
I grew up in a poor, single parent household
just 20 minutes away from Richmond,
so serving low-income communities
is something that's personally meaningful to me
and has been a top priority for me as an undergraduate.
If admitted, I plan to apply for the I2CRP program
so I can gain clinical experience early-on
and prepare myself for a career as a primary care physician
treating Virginia's underserved communities.
At the end of the interview
you'll have a chance to ask your interviewer questions.
Make sure your questions about the school
can't be answered by doing a quick search online
and try to make them open-ended.
And for extra brownie points, ask your interviewer
for advice on what it takes to have
a successful first year as a medical student.
For example, you could ask, "What advice do you have
for a first year medical student
that wants to balance school with research pursuits?"
Trust me, interviewers love it
when students solicit their advice.
Thank Your Interviewers
You should plan to send a thank you note
to each of your interviewers,
including medical students,
within 48 hours of meeting them.
And the good news is that sending an email
is a perfectly appropriate way to do so.
Here's a sample medical school interview thank you email:
"Dear Dr. Wu,
I want to thank you once more
for taking the time interview me for admission
to Weill Cornel Medical School on Tuesday.
Throughout my interview day, I was impressed
with the emphasis on collaborative research,
which aligns with my goal to publish
more research on the link between
cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
In addition, I appreciate your candid advice
about balancing school with research pursuits.
My already strong interests in Cornell
was only confirmed by the interview day
and I would be honored to attend there.
If you would like any other information from me
please reach my by phone at 310-555-5555
or email at shirag@ucla.edu.
Otherwise, I look forward to hearing your decision.
Sincerely, Shirag Shemmassian."
Now, let's go over some bonus
psychology tips for interview day.
What to Wear: The Von Restorff Effect
Being memorable--in a good way--
on interview day can be difficult.
Medical schools interview hundreds of applicants.
So why not wear a piece of clothing that gets you noticed?
The Von Restorff effect, also know as the isolation effect,
predicts that anything or anyone
that stands out is more likely to be remembered.
So how about donning a green tie
or striped blue dress socks?
This doesn't mean you need to wear
a polka dot blazer--you should still wear
appropriate, formal interview attire--
but don't be afraid to incorporate
a touch of flair in your interview outfit.
The Halo Effect
Smiling and having good posture
are simple ways to leave a good impression
on everyone you encounter during your interview.
But why is this so effective?
The answer lies in the Halo Effect:
A type of cognitive bias in which
your overall impression influences your appraisal
of their personal qualities.
For example, many studies have shown
that people tend to rate attractive people
as being more intelligent, funny, and well-spoken.
So leaving a good impression on one person
can also create a domino effect.
After the interview is over,
admissions officers will meet behind the scenes
to share their feedback about you with each other.
If one person has great things to say about you,
you can bet that their positive appraisal
has the potential to influence others.
Mirroring
If a close friend told you they won
a special award would you quietly congratulate them
with a somber expression on your face? No!
To help them feel validated and understood
you'd probably exclaim excitedly
and smile to express your delight.
If your interviewer shows enthusiasm
about a particular aspect of the school,
be sure to respond enthusiastically.
If their demeanor appears to be more quiet and reserved
you should also project a calm energy.
The need to feel understood and accepted
is a fundamental human desire.
If you can successfully make your interviewer
feel like you understand exactly where their coming from,
they'll be more likely to recommend you for admission.
If you found this video helpful
give it a thumbs up and subscribe
so you don't miss out on new videos.
And if you'd like to learn more
about the med school admissions process,
including a whole section
on how to develop a school list
that maximizes your admission odds,
click the link in the description
to get my free comprehensive guide,
"How to Get Into Medical School".
The strategies in the guide are the same ones
my team and I use to routinely help students
get into schools on Johns Hopkins,
MAYO, and UCSF.
Alright, thanks for watching! See you next time.