How to Interview for Med School Admissions

Medical school admissions is a highly competitive enterprise with 18,000 applicants vying for approximately 1700 spots in 140 U.S. medical schools. Applicants hope that GPAs, MCAT scores and essays will inspire an invitation to an interview. The interview process is given great weight in the consideration for admission.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Know the school. Do the research before the interview and be familiar with areas of specialty, renown faculty or graduates and current projects of the school's medical community.

2. Answer questions about why you prefer one school over another. Be truthful about other invitations to interview. State your strengths with confidence and humility. Be ready to discuss personal weak points.

3. Create a statement about your desire to be a physician.

4. Take along photocopies of college transcripts and MCAT scores in a file. Include any letters not included in the admissions file. Have on hand information about any past or ongoing research projects.

5. Discuss your experience and qualifications even though the information is in the file. In case, the interviewers didn't have the time to familiarize herself with the admissions file.

Tips & Warnings

• Travel the night before to schools more than a few hours drive from home. Visit the location of the meeting before the interview to avoid getting lost or arriving late.
• Follow the interview immediately with a handwritten note by mail to each of the interviewers, Dean of Admissions and staff person who arranged the interview.
• Dress appropriately in a coat and tie for men and a suit (slacks or skirt) for women. Wear a neat, conservative hairstyle, modest makeup and minimal jewelry.

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