Interview

Yesterday I had my first interview for admission to medical school.  Due to the weakness in my application regarding clinical experience (i.e. I have almost none) I applied to a single school this year, which is the closest school to where I live, my first choice school overall and what I believe is the most likely school to accept me.  I received an interview so early due to applying through the Early Decision Program.

The program is for applicants who have a certain school as their first choice, and they are relatively confident that they will be admitted there.  The program guarantees that a student will receive an answer, yes or no (or waitlist) by October 1st.  If accepted, the student must attend the school, but if rejected or waitlisted, the student may apply to other schools, though they will be applying late.

I applied EDP because I did not think I was that likely to get in this year due to my lack of clinical experience.  I figured it was worth the time and money to apply to a single school this year, my first choice, on the off chance that I am accepted this year.  The fact that I quickly received a secondary and that I received an interview invitation has me questioning whether my application is that strong, or whether they simply treat everyone who meets the minimal EDP criteria like this.  The simple fact that only around 1/4 applicants are offered an interview makes me confident that I at least have a shot this year, and if I don't get in this year an excellent chance next cycle.  Meanwhile, I am building my clinical experience by volunteering and having shadowed at my son's pediatrician's office, and will add more specialties to shadow if I am not accepted.  Since October 1st is a Saturday this year, I will receive an e-mail on Friday, September 30th which will give me my answer.

The interview itself was a lot less stressful than I thought it would be.  I arrived at the admissions office early and was told I would be interviewing with one of the school's academic advisers.  At the scheduled time of the interview, I was brought back to his office and he went over my application with me.  He did not ask any of the traditional questions, such as "Why do you want to be a doctor?" "Why this school?" or "What are your strengths and weaknesses?"  Instead, he asked for elaboration on certain points of my application, such as my current job, my family's occupations, etc.  He spent more time talking with me about the school than asking me questions.  The interview was very laid-back.

Some interviewers ask very challenging ethical questions, then argue with the applicant or tell them they are wrong.  This may tell the interviewer a little about how the applicant handles stress and conflict, but probably does little to reveal how the person reacts in day-to-day dealings with others.  Other interviews are very formal even though they are not intentionally confrontational, asking many of the standard questions in addition to some more esoteric questions ("What kind of cookie would you be?"  Really?).  Anyway, to anyone who is interviewing or will be in the future, the best thing you can do is be ready for the standard questions, know your application forward and backward so you know what the interviewer is talking about if they reference some obscure comment you made somewhere, and relax because being tense and uptight will not make you look like a strong candidate in the interview.