If you receive an offer for an interview, you can be confident that you are a strong candidate and the interview will be an opportunity to “seal the deal.” However, a poor interview will generally put you out of the running at that school for the current year. Accordingly, it is imperative that you understand what the interview process is all about and prepare thoroughly for it. Please refer to Important Parts of the Interview Process section below for an in-depth write-up of the interview process and how to prepare for it.
It may also be useful for you to think about the “five Ps”: 1) preparation, 2) professionalism, 3) peace of mind, 4) personality, and 5) perception.
Preparation
Learn as much as you can about how interviews are conducted at individual schools (see links below). Generally, schools will offer an orientation session (gather your thoughts and relax), tour (learn as much as you can about the school; this may help you think of intelligent questions at the interview, and will help you decide where you ultimately want to go), and then the interview itself.
The format of the interview varies considerably (see Important Parts of the Interview Process below). People conducting the interview may be faculty, students, or other volunteers. Treat them all with respect. Questions are sometimes predictable and other times seem to come from nowhere. The best way to begin preparing is to seriously evaluate the following aspects of yourself: 1) a thorough self-assessment as an individual and potential doctor, especially as portrayed in your application; 2) how your priorities mesh with those of the school at which you are interviewing; 3) your knowledge of current events, especially those related to medicine; and 4) where you stand on moral and ethical issues related to medicine.
You can explore sample interview questions and think about how you might answer them, but ultimately you should participate in a videotaped mock interview and critically review the video. Repeat this process until you are comfortable with your ability to interview well. Our office will schedule videotaped mock interviews at your convenience. Pay special attention to listening carefully to the question and forming your response to answer the question clearly, concisely, and directly.
Be prepared to convey two to three central messages about yourself and do so when the opportunities arise. If they don’t arise during the interview, you may be given an opportunity at the end to add whatever you think was not covered. You may also be given a chance to ask questions about the school. Be prepared with one to two questions that could not be answered by a cursory inspection of the school’s catalog.
Professionalism
Your physical appearance will provide a first impression that can ultimately be decisive, especially if your interview is otherwise marginal. Dress appropriately (suit or blazer and tie for men; conservative dress or suit for women). Appear neat and clean, as your mother would insist. Chances are, your interviewers will have dress and hygiene standards closer to those of your mother than to yours or those of your friends. Eye contact is also especially important (see The Interview). Be polite (but not obsequious), including to orientation leaders, tour guides, and office staff. Take care to listen carefully to your interviewers’ names so that you can thank them later by name; if you do not catch their name during the introduction, ask them to please repeat it. After you return from the interview, write the school a thank-you note. It will be placed in your file and could be one of those little things that add up to make a difference.
Peace of mind
If you are being interviewed, you are a strong candidate. If you have prepared, you will have the opportunity to excel. You have every reason to feel confident and relaxed. If you keep your cool, even in the face of challenging questions or unanticipated events, you will impress the interviewer more than by any words that you say. This means that it is very important to get a good night’s sleep, arrive early, and avoid stimulants or anything else that could cause unnecessary stress. Find relaxation techniques that work for you, practice them in advance, and use them before the interview.
Personality
If you are normally a bump on a log in social situations, work on developing at least a little charm during your mock interview. If you are normally at ease in social situations, don’t be afraid to flash an extra smile and demonstrate your interpersonal skills, but only when the situation arises (i.e., don’t force it).
Perception
You know (or at least think you do) what kind of person you are. Be sure that your interviewers perceive the same person. The best way to do this is to be honest. Be yourself. Be honest in answering challenging ethical questions, and don’t be afraid to admit that you do not know the answer to any specific question. However, after admitting your ignorance, don’t be afraid to offer an informed opinion and give your line of reasoning. Do not try to anticipate what the interviewer wants to hear! These are things you can practice in your mock interview and read more about in The Interview.
After your interview, please write a short summary of the format, questions, and your reaction to the interview and send it to the Health Careers Office. We can go over your reactions with you and talk about ways to improve your skills for any upcoming interviews. We will also keep your observations on file so that we can share them with Clark students who have interviews at this school in the future. Similar feedback is available at Interview Feedback on the Student Doctor Network (SDN).
Sample Questions
The following questions are presented to help students practice preparing for health professional school interviews. They are not necessarily questions asked at a particular health professional school.
- What are your ideas about the traits that are essential for being an ideal doctor?
What keeps people from becoming ideal doctors?
What would you do to become as nearly an ideal doctor as possible? - What do you see as the pros and cons of using human beings in medical research?
Under what circumstances would you be willing to do research using humans? - What are the big issues in euthanasia?
What would be your position as a doctor?
How would you deal with the family of the patient? - What are your strengths and weaknesses?
How would these influence your medical career? - Describe your life in ten years in terms of your professional life, your personal life, and your financial situation.
- Describe yourself.
From this description indicate the traits that are most valuable to being a doctor and explain why. - Describe a difficult problem you have encountered, how you resolved it, and what you would change if you were doing it again.
- What is the most difficult decision you have ever made?
What are the pros and cons you weighed in arriving at your decision? - What do you think of premed education?
What should be changed and why? - Is the U.S. producing enough doctors?
What should be done if we have too few or a surplus of doctors?
What would be the consequences of such action? - How do you spend your spare time?
Which of these activities may still be useful when you are a doctor and why? - Would you make house calls?
Justify your answer and tell how you would explain this to your patients. - What else do you want to accomplish in life besides attending medical school?
Why are these accomplishments important to you personally?
To the medical professions?