NO MATTER HOW STUDIED YOU ARE ON A SCHOOL’S CURRICULUM AND REPUTATION, YOU MIGHT STRUGGLE
TO COME UP WITH QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL INTERVIEW... AFTER ANSWERING
YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS, TURNING THE TABLES ON YOUR INTERVIEWERS MAY SEEM INTIMIDATING...
BUT BEING AN ENGAGED INTERVIEWEE TAKES MORE THAN SIMPLY ANSWERING THEIR QUESTIONS WELL...
YOU ALSO NEED TO ASK THEM GOOD QUESTIONS TOO! THIS VIDEO WILL GO OVER FIFTEEN SOLID SAMPLE
QUESTIONS TO USE OR ADAPT FOR YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL INTERVIEWS... ALONG WITH SOME COMMENTS
TO HELP YOU BEST UTILIZE THEM… HI! I'M NATALIE STOBERMAN AND I’M AN ADMISSIONS
ASSOCIATE HERE AT BEMO. BEFORE WE GET STARTED, SUBSCRIBE ON WHATEVER SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNEL
YOU’RE WATCHING THIS FROM NOW, SO YOU DON’T MISS ANY OF OUR UPCOMING VIDEOS... IF YOU
WOULD LIKE US TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL INTERVIEW, CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE
OR BELOW TO SCHEDULE YOUR FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION… AND F-Y-I... CHECK OUT THE TIME STAMPS IN
THE DESCRIPTION OF THIS VIDEO TO NAVIGATE TO SPECIFIC SECTIONS YOU’RE INTERESTED IN…
HERE’S WHAT WE ARE GOING TO COVER: GENERAL AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS...
CURRICULUM... CLINICAL ROTATIONS...
RESEARCH... GLOBAL HEALTH...
STUDENT LEADERSHIP... VOLUNTEERING...
AND OPEN-ENDED AND GENERAL QUESTIONS BY THE WAY WE'RE GIVING AWAY $50 AMAZON GIFT
CARDS EVERY WEEK TO THE BEST COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS… SO COMMENT BELOW FOR A CHANCE
TO WIN… NOW, LET’S GET STARTED! GENERAL AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
WE OFTEN THINK OF QUESTIONS AS SIMPLY SPECIFIC OR GENERAL... AND WHILE THAT BASIC CATEGORIZATION
IS FAIRLY USEFUL, YOU CAN REST ASSURED THAT EVEN THE MOST GENERAL QUESTION CAN YIELD TONS
OF HELPFUL INFORMATION FROM YOUR INTERVIEWERS WHEN ASKED AT THE RIGHT TIME.... UTILIZING
BOTH TYPES OF QUESTIONS WELL IS CRUCIAL IN HELPING YOU OPERATE YOUR SIDE OF A MEDICAL
SCHOOL INTERVIEW. SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ARE EXACTLY THAT… QUESTIONS
SPECIFIC TO THE SCHOOL OR PROGRAM AT WHICH YOU’RE INTERVIEWING... THESE SHOW THAT YOU’VE
DONE YOUR HOMEWORK, AND WHEN POSED AT THE RIGHT TIME WITH THE RIGHT “SPIN” CAN BOTH
SHOW OFF YOUR INTEREST AND HELP YOU GAIN INSIGHTS OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE BY SIMPLY REVIEWING
PUBLIC INFORMATION... FOR INSTANCE, YOU MAY HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON MSAR AND FOUND
OUT THAT SCHOOL X HAS A UNIQUE NEW CURRICULUM... AND YOU’D LIKE TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION…
ASKING QUESTIONS LIKE THIS SHOW YOUR INTERVIEWERS THAT YOU’VE DONE YOUR HOMEWORK, AND REMAIN
ENGAGED ENOUGH TO WANT MORE INFORMATION... THIS IS ALWAYS IMPRESSIVE TO INTERVIEWERS.
ON THE OTHER HAND, GENERAL QUESTIONS, CAN BE FANTASTIC SPRINGBOARDS TO LENGTHY DISCUSSIONS...
EVERY APPLICANT SHOULD HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT BIG-PICTURE CURIOSITIES THEY HAVE, AND FIND
WAYS TO INCORPORATE THIS CURIOSITY INTO THE INTERVIEW... ASKING A FACULTY MEMBER WHY THEY
ENJOY WORKING AT THEIR COLLEGE IS A COMMON OPTION... BUT WHEN ASKED SINCERELY, IT’S
USUALLY A GREAT BASIS FOR BUILDING RAPPORT AND INDICATING YOUR INTEREST IN THEIR PERSONAL
EXPERIENCES AND THOUGHTS… LET’S GO OVER A LIST OF QUESTION CATEGORIES
THAT THAT YOU CAN USE DURING THE INTERVIEW. CURRICULUM
QUESTIONS OF THIS CATEGORY WILL HELP YOU LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SCHOOL’S CURRICULUM, PRECLINICAL
AND CLINICAL WORK… AND OTHER IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF HOW YOUR POTENTIAL MEDICAL SCHOOL OPERATES...
QUESTIONS FROM THIS CATEGORY CAN INCLUDE: HOW DO STUDENTS LIKE CERTAIN ASPECTS OF YOUR
CURRICULUM? THE POINT HERE IS TO ASK ABOUT THE OVERALL
CURRICULUM OR SOME SPECIFIC ASPECT OF IT... SUCH AS ITS STRUCTURE OR EMPHASES... SOME
SCHOOLS MAY HAVE EXTENSIVE ELECTIVE BLOCKS IN LATER YEARS… AND OTHERS MAY HAVE NOVEL
OR SCHOOL-SPECIFIC COURSES THAT MAKE THEM UNIQUE... ASKING TO FIND OUT WHAT OTHER STUDENTS
THINK WILL ALLOW YOU TO GAUGE NOT ONLY WHAT STUDENTS THINK OF THE PROGRAM BUT HOW WELL
YOUR INTERVIEWERS **UNDERSTAND THEIR STUDENTS... HOW ARE STUDENTS EVALUATED?
RELATED TO THE QUESTION ABOVE, IF YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT THE CURRICULUM ISN’T GRADED ON
A PASS/FAIL, IT CAN BE GOOD TO INQUIRE AS TO HOW EXACTLY GRADING OPERATES... LIKE WHETHER
OR NOT FACULTY UTILIZES GRADING CURVES… AGAIN, THIS SHOWS YOUR CARE ABOUT PERFORMING
WELL! HOW LONG IS THE PRECLINICAL CURRICULUM?
AS MANY SCHOOLS ARE MOVING TOWARD SHORTER PRECLINICAL PERIODS, IT’S A GREAT QUESTION
TO ASK WHETHER THIS SPECIFIC PROGRAM IS ONE YEAR, ONE-AND-A-HALF YEARS, OR TWO YEARS LONG.
CLINICAL ROTATIONS CLINICAL WORK IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF ANY
MD OR DO CURRICULUM, SO YOU WANT TO LEARN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ABOUT THIS SECTION OF
YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL JOURNEY. YOU CAN ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
IN HOW MANY HOSPITALS DO STUDENTS PERFORM ROTATIONS?
PERFORMING CLINICAL ROTATIONS IN MORE THAN ONE HOSPITAL MAY MEAN MORE COMMUTING... WHICH
CAN ADD SIGNIFICANT WEEKLY STRESS DURING AN ALREADY-STRESSFUL PERIOD... HOWEVER, IT CAN
ALSO ENRICH STUDENTS’ EDUCATION, GREATLY EXPANDING THE NUMBER AND VARIETY OF BOTH PHYSICIANS
AND PATIENTS THEY INTERACT WITH... THIS IS AN EXTREMELY HELPFUL QUESTION AND SHOWS THAT
YOU’RE ABLE TO LOOK AHEAD AND ENGAGE WITH MATTERS THAT ARE STILL YEARS AWAY...
WHAT ARE SOME UNIQUE FOURTH-YEAR ELECTIVES THAT YOUR PROGRAM OFFERS?
SOME SCHOOLS OFFER SHORT COURSES ON THE BUSINESS BEHIND OWNING A CLINIC, COURSES ON NARRATIVE
WRITING, OR EVEN OUTDOOR ROTATIONS ON WILDERNESS MEDICINE. THIS INFORMATION MAY BE AVAILABLE
ON A SCHOOL’S WEBSITE, BUT IN THE EVENT THAT IT’S NOT, IT MAY BE USEFUL TO FIND
OUT. ADDITIONALLY, ASKING THIS QUESTION MAY SERVE AS A SPRINGBOARD TO MORE GRANULAR DISCUSSION
ABOUT FACULTY INTERESTS AND PROGRAM STRENGTHS THAT AREN’T IMMEDIATELY APPARENT IN GENERAL
PROGRAM OVERVIEWS. RESEARCH
THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE APPLYING TO MD-PHD PROGRAMS!
DOES THIS SCHOOL HOST ANY CONFERENCES OR OTHER RESEARCH-ORIENTED EVENTS?
NOT ONLY CAN AN AFFIRMATIVE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION SIGNAL YOUR ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE
IN SUCH A CONFERENCE, IT WILL ALSO ALLOW YOU TO GET COMFORTABLE WITH THE STRUCTURE OF CONFERENCES
EVEN JUST BY ATTENDING AS AN AUDIENCE MEMBER. ADDITIONALLY, IF A SCHOOL HOSTS A RENOWNED
CONFERENCE OR EVENT, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO LISTEN TO SPEAKERS DISCUSS CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH
WHICH MAY EVEN MATCH YOUR PERSONAL RESEARCH INTERESTS.
DO YOU OFFER RESEARCH ELECTIVES? FINDING TIME TO UNDERTAKE RESEARCH, LET ALONE
PUBLISH ON IT, IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT AS A MEDICAL STUDENT. IF A SCHOOL STRUCTURES
TIME FOR THIS INTO THE LATER YEARS OF ITS PROGRAM, THOUGH, YOU’LL HAVE A MUCH EASIER
TIME POPULATING YOUR RESIDENCY CV. WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS
TO GET INVOLVED IN RESEARCH? A GENERAL QUESTION, BUT OFTEN A VERY NECESSARY
ONE SINCE PROGRAM WEBSITES WON’T GO INTO MUCH DEPTH ON RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES. ADDITIONALLY,
SCHOOLS OFTEN HAVE VERY SPECIFIC RESEARCH FOCI, AND HOW THIS SPECIFICALLY TRANSLATES
INTO STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES IS VERY HELPFUL TO KNOW. ADDITIONALLY, GIVEN THAT FACULTY
ARE TYPICALLY THE ONES DRIVING SAID RESEARCH THIS QUESTION IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD
RAPPORT AND LEAVE A PERSONAL IMPRESSION ON YOUR INTERVIEWERS.
WHAT BIG RESEARCH PROJECTS ARE GOING ON IN THIS SCHOOL CURRENTLY?
ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR INTERVIEWERS TO TALK ABOUT THEIR INTERESTS! THIS IS OF
COURSE HELPFUL FOR YOU AS WELL THOUGH—IF A SCHOOL IS CURRENTLY ADMINISTRATING A PROJECT
IN EPIGENETICS, FOR INSTANCE, AND THAT’S AN INTEREST YOU SHARE, IT’S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY
FOR YOU ALL TO DISCUSS THE NITTY-GRITTY OF WHY THAT PARTICULAR TOPIC EXCITES YOU.
GLOBAL HEALTH ASKING QUESTIONS FROM THIS CATEGORY DEMONSTRATES
THAT YOU ARE DEDICATED TO THE MISSION OF BECOMING A DOCTOR AND ARE TRULY INTERESTED IN HELPING
THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED TO QUALITY HEALTHCARE. DO STUDENTS HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO STUDY OR
WORK ABROAD? FINDING OUT IF A SCHOOL HAS AN ONGOING INVESTMENT
IN GLOBAL HEALTH OUTREACH CAN NOT ONLY BE EXCITING FOR YOU IF YOU SHARE THAT PASSION,
BUT IT CAN ALSO HELP YOU CONTEXTUALIZE THE WAY A SCHOOL MAY BE PERCEIVED BY THE REST
OF THE WORLD. ARE THESE GLOBAL HEALTH INITIATIVES FUNDED?
WHEN ARE THEY USUALLY UNDERTAKEN? IF A SCHOOL DOES ARRANGE FOR WORK ABROAD BUT
DOESN’T FUND IT, YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE. FINDING OUT WHEN THESE ACTIVITIES
HAPPEN AND HOW STUDENTS ARE SUPPORTED IN UNDERTAKING THEM IS INCREDIBLY VITAL INFORMATION.
STUDENT LEADERSHIP SHOW THAT YOU ARE A LEADER BY ASKING QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE AT THE SCHOOL. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN ASK:
WHAT KIND OF STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS DOES THIS SCHOOL HAVE?
IN ADDITION TO MORE ADMINISTRATIVE-ADJACENT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE A MEDICAL STUDENTS ASSOCIATION
OR STUDENT COUNCIL, MANY SCHOOLS HAVE MEDICAL STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPERS, JOURNALS, AND OTHER
CLUBS THAT GIVE STUDENTS A DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH TO BUILD CAMARADERIE AND SECONDARY
SKILLS. AFTER ALL, YOUR EXTRACURRICULARS FOR GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL ARE IMPORTANT,
BUT NON-ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES YOU PARTICIPATE IN WHILE IN MED SCHOOL WILL BE HELPFUL IN
BUFFERING YOUR ERAS OR CARMS APPLICATIONS FOR RESIDENCY AS WELL.
DOES THIS SCHOOL OFFER ANY LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAMS?
RELATED TO THE FIRST QUESTION IN THIS SECTION, SOME SCHOOLS WILL HAVE SPECIFIC PROGRAMS GEARED
TOWARD HELPING STUDENTS DEVELOP LEADERSHIP SKILLS. WHILE THESE PROGRAMS ARE UNCOMMON,
THEIR PRESENCE LIKELY SPEAKS TO A SCHOOL’S COMMITMENT TO TRAINING TRULY HIGH-PERFORMING
MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, AND IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN EVENTUALLY TAKING ON ADMINISTRATIVE ROLES
IN YOUR CAREER YOU CAN’T START DEVELOPING THOSE SKILLS EARLY ENOUGH.
ARE THERE STUDENT MENTORING PROGRAMS? MENTORING PROGRAMS SPECIFICALLY HELP THE NEWEST
STUDENTS BY PUTTING THEM IN FORMAL CONTACT WITH MORE EXPERIENCED STUDENTS, CREATING ANOTHER
SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR THESE STRESSFUL YEARS. IF A SCHOOL PRIDES ITSELF ON HAVING SUCH A
PROGRAM, YOU MAY FEEL MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE WHEN THINGS GET ESPECIALLY CHALLENGING.
VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES VOLUNTEERING IS A GREAT WAY TO LEARN NEW SKILLS
AND GET EXPOSED TO EXPERIENCES THAT CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE! SOME OF THE QUESTIONS YOU
MAY ASK INCLUDE: DO YOU OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO
VOLUNTEER IN THE COMMUNITY? IN ALMOST EVERY CASE SCHOOLS WILL HAVE SOME
SORT OF ASSISTANCE IN PLACE TO HELP STUDENTS ARRANGE VOLUNTEERING EXPERIENCES. WHILE VOLUNTEERING
EXPERIENCES AREN’T THE MOST CRUCIAL PART OF YOUR EVENTUAL APPLICATIONS FOR RESIDENCY,
THEY ARE NECESSARY TO HAVE. DOES THIS SCHOOL HAVE A FREE CLINIC?
IF THIS ISN’T IMMEDIATELY APPARENT ON A SCHOOL’S WEBSITE, YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY
ASK ABOUT ANY FREE OR LOW-COST CARE SERVICES THEY PROVIDE.
DOES THIS SCHOOL OVERSEE ANY SPECIFIC HEALTH INITIATIVES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY?
SOME SCHOOLS ARE LOCATED IN AREAS WITH NOTABLE DEMOGRAPHICS LIKE LARGE REFUGEE OR RECENT
IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, AND SO MAY HAVE HEALTH OUTREACH SERVICES GEARED SPECIFICALLY FOR
HELPING THESE COMMUNITIES. OPEN-ENDED AND GENERAL QUESTIONS
AND FINALLY, LET’S GO OVER EXAMPLES OF SOME OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS THAT MAY HELP YOU LEARN
MORE ABOUT THE SCHOOL, THE LOCATION, AND PEOPLE YOU WILL BE WORKING WITH.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT THIS INSTITUTION? WHAT DO YOU ENJOY THE LEAST?
ALTHOUGH THE SECOND PART OF THIS QUESTION IS LIKELY TO AT LEAST RAISE SOME EYEBROWS,
IT’S IMPORTANT TO APPROACH YOUR INTERVIEWERS AS FELLOW MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND HUMAN
BEINGS, AND GETTING THEIR SUBJECT OPINION ON THEIR SCHOOL CAN PROVIDE INCREDIBLY HELPFUL
INSIGHT IF THEY’RE INCLINED TO BE CANDID. WHAT IS IT LIKE LIVING IN THIS CITY?
IF YOU’RE INTERVIEWING IN A PLACE YOU’VE NEVER BEEN TO PREVIOUSLY, GETTING A LONGTIME
RESIDENT’S INPUT ON THE CITY IN A GENERAL SENSE CAN BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL IN UNDERSTANDING
HOW COMFORTABLE YOU’LL BE THERE FOR THE NEXT 4 YEARS.
WHAT IS THE PATIENT POPULATION HERE LIKE? DON’T TRY TO FORCE A CONVERSATION ABOUT
DEMOGRAPHY, BUT UNDERSTANDING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL CURRENTS IN THE SCHOOL’S SURROUNDING
ENVIRONMENT CAN BE VERY HELPFUL IN UNDERSTANDING WHO YOU’LL BE INTERACTING WITH IN CLINICAL
ROTATIONS AND VOLUNTEERING EXPERIENCES. KNOWING THE BREAKDOWN OF RURAL/SUBURBAN/URBAN POPULATIONS
CAN ALSO HELP YOU GET A SENSE OF WHAT HEALTH ISSUES YOU MAY BE TASKED WITH RESPONDING TO.
WHAT IS THE STUDENT POPULATION LIKE? HOW DIVERSE IS IT?
THIS IS ANOTHER QUESTION WHOSE ANSWER MAY BE ON THE SCHOOL’S WEBSITE, BUT IF NOT IT
MAY BE ANOTHER GREAT SPRINGBOARD TO FURTHER DISCUSSION.
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG TO READ MORE “AMCAS WORK AND ACTIVITIES MOST MEANINGFUL EXAMPLES”...
I HAVE INCLUDED A LINK IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THIS VIDEO FOR EASY ACCESS... IF YOU WOULD
LIKE US TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL INTERVIEW, CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE OR BELOW
TO SCHEDULE YOUR FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION... HOPEFULLY YOU ENJOYED THE VIDEO SO PLEASE
SUBSCRIBE, LIKE AND LEAVE A COMMENT… AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT QUESTIONS
TO ASK DURING YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL INTERVIEW THAT I DIDN’T COVER IN THIS VIDEO, LET ME
KNOW IN THE COMMENT SECTION AND I WILL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE... DON’T
FORGET THAT WE'RE GIVING AWAY $50 AMAZON GIFT CARDS EVERY WEEK TO THE BEST COMMENTS AND
QUESTIONS… SO COMMENT BELOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN! THANKS FOR WATCHING AND SEE YOU NEXT
TIME.