College of Arts and
Sciences
Pre-Health Professions Advising Center
The Interview
If you
make it to the interview stage of the application process, it
means that you are among a very select group of students out
of all the applicants.
Schools interview
students:
You are expected
to be dressed in business attire. That means suits and ties
for the men, and suits for the women. Women may wear pant
suits, and skirts should not be short. You should dress as
conservatively as possible. You should avoid excessive
jewelry. It is critical that you arrive early for the
interview, so that you have time to calm down after you
arrive.
Interviews
typically last 30 minutes to one hour. This may be the most
important one hour of your entire life! You have been invited
to interview, so the Committee is already inclined to accept
you, provided you have the personality that fits into their
program. It is here that you must not do anything to
jeopardize your chances for acceptance.
Below is a list
of typical questions organized by characteristics that the
interviewers are trying to access. These are by no means the
only questions that you may be asked, as it is up to each
individual interviewer to come up with his or her own
questions.
It is extremely
important that besides answering the interviewers' questions,
you have your own questions to ask of the interviewers. It is
critical that you have done your research on the school and
program to which you are applying. If the application
procedures, curriculum, etc. are unclear to you, now is the
time to ask. Although you may have had all of your questions
answered during your research and your visit prior to your
interview, you must indicate to your interviewers that you
have been thinking about their program.
A great place to
see what questions have been asked at specific schools, is studentdoctor.net.
Here students return from interviews and post their interview
questions.
Make sure you
check out Bioethics
Resources on the Web so that you are aware of ethical
issues in research and medicine.
Questions
to ask interviewers:
- Any questions
that you may have regarding the institution, curriculum,
housing, city, etc.
- During my tour
I had questions regarding ____. The students informed me
of____. What is your opinion of this?
- What do you
like about working at ____ or in the school of _____?
- If you could,
what would you change about the curriculum?
- How do you
think your curriculum compares with other
institutions?
Motivation:
- When and how
did you decide to apply to the program?
- Was there
anything in particular that helped you reach the decision to
apply to this program?
- Why did you
choose this school over other schools?
- In the event
you are not selected as a candidate, what are your secondary
career pursuits?
- If you are not
selected this year, will you apply again next year?
- What
personality trait do you believe would help you succeed in
this program?
- What would be
your greatest impediment to succeeding in this
program?
- What are your
goals 7-10 years from now?
Energy:
- What has
motivated you to become a _____?
- What is your
perception of the time and energy necessary to be successful
in the program?
- In what other
settings have such sustained requirements of your time and
energy been made?
- How do you
catch up on work or study if you take time off from such
responsibilities?
Tolerance
for Stress:
- How would you
describe any support system you have adopted or relied upon
to handle stress?
- How do you
cope with people who do not live up to your
expectations?
- Describe how
you functioned in a prior situation where you had to work
under an extremely stressful situation.
- Do you believe
you are capable of handling this academic challenge and
career role?
- What makes you
angry?
- What do you do
for relaxation?
Time
Management:
- If you have
two exams on the same day, how do you prepare for
this?
- How would you
manage your time with a heavy load of classes?
- Do you do your
homework right after you get an assignment or do you do your
homework at a later time?
Problem
Solving:
- If you do not
understand an assignment, how would you handle this
situation?
- What
significant problem have you come across in your life? What
strategies did you use to resolve this situation?
- You are
assigned a group project from a professor. The professor
will give you a group grade. A member of the group does not
do his share of the work. How do you handle this
situation?
- Give us an
example of a problem that you faced and how you solved
it.
General
- Do you believe
your academic record accurately reflects your
abilities?
- If you were
selecting a student for this program, what qualities would
you look for?
- In what type
of environment do you enjoy working best?
- What courses
do you like the best? The least? Explain.
- Give me three
words that best describe yourself, and explain why you chose
these words.
- What book have
you read recently that has had a profound effect on your
life?
- Do you have a
favorite book or author? Why do you enjoy that particular
one?
- Who would you
identify as a contemporary hero?
- Do you have
any heroes? What do you admire most about these people and
why?
- Is there
anyone in your life who has influenced you a great deal? In
what ways has this person influenced you?
- How would you
describe your ideal profession?
- Describe what
you learned from your favorite course
- What has been
your greatest accomplishment?
- What is your
greatest strength?
- What is your
greatest weakness?
- What is the
greatest challenge you have had to face and how did you
handle the situation?
- what things
would you like to do at some point in your life?
- If you could
reach any goal, what would it be?
- What do you
believe sets you apart as an individual?
- If you could
have a day of your own without any academic work, how would
you plan your time and what would you do?
- What are your
thoughts about the current educational system?
- If you could
change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
- If you are
accepted to multiple schools, how will you make your
decision?
Academics
and Self Awareness:
- What would you
say makes you stand out from other individuals who might be
entering our program?
- Describe your
study habits
- What area or
topic of study has required your most intense effort?
- Do you have a
preference for group or individual study, and why?
- How would a
friend describe your strengths?
- How would you
like to improve yourself?
- How do you
handle stress?
- If you could
wave a magic wand and instantly change something about
yourself, what would it be?
- If you could
spend an afternoon with anyone, who would it be and
why?
- Would you say
you are most like your father or mother, and why?
- What was your
most demoralizing experience?
Related
to the Profession
- Why did you
select this profession as a potential career?
- Describe for
me the perfect role model in this field.
- If you could
change one thing about the profession, what would it
be?
- What do you
like least about the profession, and why?
- What
contribution do you see yourself making to the profession in
the next 10 years?
- Imagine that
you are in your 20th year reunion from school. Describe
yourself.
- What do you
like best about this profession?
- What do you
like least about this profession?
- How would you
assess your skills in dealing with the public?
- What do you
see yourself doing after your graduate?
- If you are
accepted into the program, how do you envision your
lifestyle will change?
- Have you ever
worked in a health care setting? What did you like the most?
What did you like the least?
- Have you
thought about how you are going to get your patients to
comply with the advice/directions/medications you are going
to give them?
- What do you
think will be the most difficult part of
practicing____?
Related
to Medical Professions:
The following
topics relate to health care and medical ethics:
- Recent events
in health care delivery
- health care
legislation
- malpractice
insurance
- Managed health
care: HMO's, PPO's
- rights of the
terminally ill
- euthanasia
- rights of
defective newborns
- abortion
- organ
donation
- children's
rights
- stem cell
research
- cloning
- care of the
mentally handicapped
- care of the
elderly
- determination
of death
- patients'
right to privacy
- physician's
responsibility for societal health
