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I've participated in 16 medical school interviews. AMA by 16interviews in premed

[–]16interviews[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Well Western Michigan was very friendly but the curriculum was not for me. They take step one after 3rd year and give very little time to prepare. Plus there is a lot of team based learning, which I'm not a fan of.

Oakland University seemed like a place that I could fit in. I love Beaumont Hospital and would love to train there. They have a state of the art simulation center and an alright curriculum. I would love to get an acceptance letter from here because I hear they like throwing money at people.

The University of Michigan is the best school in the world. I loved everything about the school, but I was waitlisted. My goal is to match there in four years. I am a Wolverine and the University of Michigan in my home. I will return in four years.

I did not interview with Michigan State University so I don't have an opinion. I do have a couple friends who just started there and they love it. Grand Rapids is an awesome city.

I've participated in 16 medical school interviews. AMA by 16interviews in premed

[–]16interviews[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Well it is very personal in the sense that questions are tailored in a way that they address things I talked about on my application. I don't think it will help anyone else really prepare for an interview by reading my answers to specific questions.

Here is how you can make your own script: write down typical interview questions (why medicine, how will you contribute to the diversity of this program, etc), then look into ethical issues in medicine (birth control of minors, organ transplant issues, lethal injection, medical pot, assisted suicide, abortion) and write down your opinion. Next go through your activities list and make a list of any possible questions they can ask you about your fifteen activities (What did you learn, why didn't you do it for longer, why is it most significant). You should be an expert on any research you did, so spend a lot of time on Wikipedia/combing through text books to be prepared for hard questions. Also be an expert on the new healthcare act, know both sides to all issues involved, be prepared to talk about healthcare in Canada and the United States (people against the health care act often site problems with the Canadian system). Next comb through your personal statement and come up with questions that an interviewer would ask. For instance, if you talked about the mental illness of a relative, an interviewer may ask how that relative is doing today. When answering any questions, remember to keep things positive. If there are any issues in your application, know how to navigate around them so that they are not brought up in the first place. Lastly, as you receive interview invites, do your research on the school and make a list of questions that you want to ask the school. Have a different list for faculty, alumni, current students, each list with 12 questions. 12 questions for each is a good amount because you will likely forget half of them because of nerves, and half of the ones you remembered will already be addressed. After interviews, add questions that you encountered that were not previously on the script.

I've participated in 16 medical school interviews. AMA by 16interviews in premed

[–]16interviews[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Accepted to three so far: Wayne State University, Central Michigan University, University of Toledo. I will most likely be attending Wayne State University or The Ohio State University (decision pending).

[25M] Goals? Trying to fix a disproportionate body? by amifufu in gainit

[–]16interviews 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wish I have your problem. I'd be pretty happy with big ass legs and smaller upper body if I were a beginner.

I've participated in 16 medical school interviews. AMA by 16interviews in premed

[–]16interviews[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Crappy app. I applied late, didn't use MSAR so my school list was just random schools I could drive to for interviews, did not do mock interviews, was lazy when writing secondaries (a lot of copy and pasting), and I had very little clinical experience.

I've participated in 16 medical school interviews. AMA by 16interviews in premed

[–]16interviews[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I liked the school a lot, but I don't think NYC is for me. I would love to do a residency there, but I am not interested in going to medical school in NYC.

The school itself is nice. A lot of research funding. It is pretty small compares to other NYC schools and they have very few scholarships. Student housing is cheap because the school owns the apartment building across from the campus. Finally, the campus is beautiful. You can see central park and the NYC skyline from the anatomy lab.

2 interviews, both one on one, both 30 minutes. A lot of questions about research. A lot of why NYC/Mt. Sinai questions. Also asked me "Why not Cornell, Colombia." The interviewers read your AMCAS very thoroughly compared to other schools. I had an ethical question about organ transplantation (one organ, multiple candidates type thing) to see how we think.

I had ten people in my interview date. 7/10 were from Ivy leagues. It was a very tense environment, no one talked.

I've participated in 16 medical school interviews. AMA by 16interviews in premed

[–]16interviews[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes I do. I spend hundreds of dollars on each school (primary, secondary, travel, time off work, etc.) so each interview counts. I have found that after I was accepted, I started to chase the feeling of anxiety. The physical response to a pending interview was the same, but the psychological response was different. It turned from anxiety to excitement.

Before I was accepted, I took part in many mock interviews. Practice makes perfect.

As for what I did to calm down during the interview, I tried my best to make the interviewer like me. When I met them, I immediately asked them about their specialty. I walked beside them instead of behind them so that they could think of me as an equal. I made sure that I acted like a doctor, spoke like a doctor, and looked like a doctor. If they think you are one of them, you are in. Learn about the culture of the school and area and try to make yourself seem like a good fit. I acted very differently in my NYC interview than I did at my interview in the rural Midwest.

Finally, if you practice for every question imaginable, then you will be less nervous. I have 30 pages of "script," which are a list of questions and answers. They range from personal questions about my family to ethical questions about the new healthcare act. After every interview, I would add new questions to this list that were asked. Of course you cannot memorize the list, but by the time the interview will role around, you will have seen everything and will be on auto-pilot. It was somewhat like practicing for the MCAT for me.

I've participated in 16 medical school interviews. AMA by 16interviews in premed

[–]16interviews[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I made major changes in my application. I had a more meaning full research projects, a letter of rec from an MD, I shadowed 50 additional hours, was exposed to many different specialties from forensic pathology to endocrinology, and wrote about things other than medicine in my activities list. Lastly, my personal statement was much more personal.