Interviews: General Information

General Information Preparation Sample Questions Impermissible Questions

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 The Interview section for an in-depth write-up of the interview process and how to prepare for it. Another very useful resource is the booklet "Interviewing for Health Professions Schools," which can be ordered from the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions.

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. Websites may be informative, but an excellent way to learn about the process is to check with the Health Careers Advising Office. We keep files on each school, with comments by recent Clark students who have interviewed there, and we can consult the Premedical Advisor's Reference Manual. 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 The Interview). 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 videotaped mock interviews and critically review the videos. 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. You should also be aware that there are questions medical school interviews cannot legally ask (Impermissible Interview Questions). You should familiarize yourself with these questions and discuss with us how you might handle them if they arise.

Be prepared to convey 2-3 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 1-2 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 arrive early, get a good night's sleep, 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 interviews. 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 interviews 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 Medical School Interview Feedback on the Student Doctor Network (SDN).

ADDITIONAL LINKS:

Links to keep up-to-date with developments in medicine and health:

ABC News Health News
Academic Medicine
Aetna InteliHealth Health News
Alegent Health: Health News Highlights
American Medical News
Bioethics Web
Boston Globe Health News
Boston Globe Science News
Bulletin of the World Health Organization
CBS News Health News
Chicago Sun-Times Health News
CNN.com Health
Current Science and Technology Center
Daily News Central Health News
Dental Journals, Newsletters, Publications and Information Sources Online
Detroit News Health News
Digital Library for Students of Medicine
Discover Magazine
Discovery Health
The Doctor Will See You Now: Bioethics Articles
Doctor's Guide - Medical News
Dr. Koop.com
Duke Health Policy Gateway
Environmental Health News
EurekAlert! Medicine and Health News
Free Medical Journals
Global Health Reporting
Harvard Medical International Newsletter
Harvard World Health News
HeadlineSpot.com Health News Links
Health Affairs: The Policy Journal of the Health Sphere
Health and Medicine in the News
Health and Medicine Websites
Health News Digest.com
Houston Chronicle Health News
The Internet Public Library
Issues: Berkeley Medical Journal
Johns Hopkins Public Health News Center
Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of the American Osteopathic Association
Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association
KaiserNetwork.org: Health Policy As It Happens
The Lancet
Life Clinic Health News
Los Angeles Times Health News
Mayo Clinic Health Information
Medical Education Online: An Electronic Journal
Medical/Health Sciences Libraries on the Web
Medical News Today
The Medical Post
MedicineNet.com
Medline Plus News
Medscape
MedWeb
Men's Health
Miami Herald Health News
Modern Healthcare Online
MSNBC Health News
The National Academies: Science in the Headlines
National Academy for State Health Policy
National Health Policy Forum
National Institutes of Health (NIH) News
National Library of Medicine
National Women's Health Information Center
Nature
Nature Medicine
New England Journal of Medicine
The New Physician
Newsday.com Health/Science News
News-Medical.Net
Newsweek Healthbeat
New York Times Health News
The Next Generation: An Introduction to Medicine
NPR Health and Science News
Philly.com Health News
Physician's Weekly
Portsmouth Herald Health News
Public Library of Science Medicine
PubMed
Reuters Health
Review of Optometry Online
The Sacramento Bee Health/Medical News
SciCentral Health Sciences News
Science
Science Daily Health and Medicine News
Science News Online
Science Now
Scientific American Health News
The Scientist
Seattle Times Health News
Time Science and Health News
U.S. News and World Report Health News
Virtual Hospital: A Digital Library of Health Information
Virtual Mentor Ethics Journal of the American Medical Association
The Wall Street Journal Health News

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