SECTION II
The Questions
CHAPTER 12
OPENING QUESTIONS
The opening of your interview can make or break you. The interviewer can start from a thousand different places, but listed here are a few of the more common places to start.
Remember that first impressions are made very quickly. Some business texts quote that a first impression is made within the first 7 seconds, while a psychology journal said it happens even faster than thatāin 1/10th of a second11! Go in smiling, confident and ready to have a genuine conversation.
The goal with the opening question is to get through it and get to the next question. The goal of the next question is to get to the next. Take each question one at a time.
ā¢ Tell me about your early life.
ā¢ Assume that all of the information in your application is nonexistent (grades, activities, etc.). Tell me about yourself.
ā¢ Tell me your story.
ā¢ Why are you interested in this school?
ā¢ What have you enjoyed the most about today?
ā¢ Why medicine?
ā¢ Why do you want to be a doctor?
CHAPTER 13
GRADES AND MCAT SCORE QUESTIONS
As noted in Section I, the interviewer may or may not have access to your academic records. In an open interview, although they will have access to this information, they may not look at it prior to the interview. In a closed (blind) or partially-blind interview, the interviewer wonāt have access to your scores beforehand.
The goal with these types of questions, as with every question, is to be honest and accept your shortcomings. If you did poorly, accept it. Own it. Donāt place blame. Talk about what you learned and how you will move forward in the future, so you donāt repeat the same mistakes.
ā¢ What was your GPA?
ā¢ What was your MCAT score?
ā¢ What do you think of your MCAT score?
ā¢ How did you go from a D to an A? What was your strategy? (assuming you repeated a class)
ā¢ Why are your two MCAT scores so different? (assuming you retook it)
ā¢ Your GPA is outstanding. Why is your MCAT score just average/below average?
ā¢ Why did you perform so poorly on [pick a section] of the MCAT?
ā¢ Explain the trends in your transcript.
ā¢ Explain this dip in your grades.
ā¢ Did you take an MCAT prep course?
ā¢ Did you have any academic difficulties in college?
ā¢ How did you overcome your academic difficulties?
ā¢ How much did you prepare for the MCAT?
ā¢ Why do you think you did so well on the MCAT?
ā¢ Why do you think you did poorly on the MCAT the first time you took it?
ā¢ Why did you take the MCAT so many times?
ā¢ Explain the grade you got in this class. (assuming it was less than stellar)
ā¢ Tell me about this [unusual] class that you took.
ā¢ Why did you choose to graduate from college in three years?
ā¢ Why did you do poorly during your first semester/year of college?
ā¢ What did you learn from doing poorly in that class?
ā¢ Medical school is much harder than undergrad. How are you going to avoid the academic difficulties that you struggled with previously?
ā¢ I see you struggled during your [pick a year/semester] in college. How can you reassure me that you are ready to handle medical school?
ā¢ Did you study for the MCAT (or a specific class) with a group of other students?
ā¢ Do you think doing well in undergrad will prepare you for medical school?
CHAPTER 14
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES QUESTIONS
One of the biggest mistakes students make going into the interview is not reviewing every part of their application. This includes the extracurricular activities and the descriptions you wrote for each one, and which ones you labeled as most meaningful.
It is important to know your application inside and out. You need to understand your research and what was learned from it. You need to be able to talk about each of the experiences you included in your application. This is why itās important to only include the most meaningful experiences, instead of filling the space with items that donāt add value or highlight your strengths.
ā¢ What was your most significant non-medically related volunteer activity?
ā¢ What was your most rewarding extracurricular activity?
ā¢ Why donāt you have much shadowing experience?
ā¢ Describe your research to me as if I were a four-year-old.
ā¢ Describe your involvement in the [extracurricular activity].
ā¢ Describe your favorite patient interaction.
ā¢ What was your most memorable experience with [insert volunteer experience or travel]?
ā¢ Describe a time when you became close with a patient during your volunteer experiences.
ā¢ Describe a research experience that left a profound impression on you, and tell me what you learned from it.
ā¢ What activities do you participate in that are not work or school related?
ā¢ What has been your biggest leadership role?
ā¢ What has been your experience with the underserved population?
ā¢ Tell me about your ability to speak multiple languages.
ā¢ What sort of clinical experience have you received?
ā¢ How have your experiences made you want to pursue medicine?
ā¢ What is the hardest situation that you have encountered as a volunteer?
ā¢ Tell me about your mentoring experiences.
ā¢ Tell me about your travel experiences.
ā¢ Tell me about the music you play.
ā¢ How did your research change your outlook on medicine?
ā¢ How did you get involved in shadowing?
ā¢ What research/clinical experiences do you have?
ā¢ Tell me about a leadership experience.
ā¢ Tell me about your research.
ā¢ Why was your [insert extracurricular experience] so valua...