Your Medical School Interview: Ways to Wing It

If you're doing interviews with multiple schools, you'll inevitably encounter an interviewer who has gone rogue. They might ask something completely bizarre because they're new at this or (and this is rare) in a terrible mood that you must ignore and overcome. Try not to visibly react to either. Instead, try this:

"Can you repeat that?"

If you're unclear on what they are talking about, ask for a repetition. Often, they won't just repeat what they've said but explain it differently, more clearly. If they repeat it verbatim, at least you'll have had 20 seconds to absorb it. If you did understand the question, you can ask for a repeat to give yourself that 20 seconds. Travel back to that childhood spelling bee. Sometimes you asked for the judges to use the word in a sentence because you were looking for contextual clues. Other times, you were buying yourself some think-time. Revisit that strategy.

You could also respond with: “That's an interesting question. I want to think about that for a moment.": Slight flattery, followed by a second to gather yourself. We had a client who was asked what she would do if she did not become a doctor. She took a beat and confidently answered a question she had not seen coming.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Interviewing is a nerve-wracking process. Ninety-nine percent of interviewers will encourage you to relax. They want to know you, not grill you. Then there is that one percent…

An interrogative interviewer might be testing your ability to maintain your composure. Or they might be a jerk who loves being a jerk. It doesn't matter. What matters is your focus on why you'd be an excellent addition to their school and a top-notch physician.

Once, an interviewer interjected as a client shared a college experience to say: "I've never even heard of where you went to college." Without displaying any negative emotion or slamming another school to praise her own, she explained that it was the college that offered her the most academic scholarship money and that she'd had so many hands-on experiences there. She was even credited on a professor's academic paper. Her response was calm and detailed because she'd utilized her brainstorm notes about her formative experiences so often when preparing her application. She nailed it: She was able to naturally remind this guy of her academic scholarship, prove her practicality, and mention a noteworthy accomplishment. Even her interview adversary had nothing negative to say about this response.

Related:

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Wildcard Questions

The Medical School Interview: Don’t Forget, You’re Interviewing Them Too.

Your Medical School Group Interview: A Team Sport

The Medical School Interview: Don’t Forget, You’re Interviewing Them Too.

As your interview wraps up, your interviewers will ask if you have any questions. You must have them. Being interested and thoughtful demonstrates your commitment to the program. Perhaps you've visited this school before your interview day or spoken to current or past students. Terrific. But if everything you know about a program came from their website, this is your chance to find out more. You should be open to every school you're applying to—so this is about engaging, not interrogating. This Q&A flip is also a chance to show that you've done your due diligence. Be precise instead of broad. A weak question such as "What research opportunities are currently available?" will require your interviewer to launch into 1,000 things, most of which won't apply to you—oh, and that you could have read about on their website.

You should also keep your focus on the program. Asking an interviewing physician: "What made you choose your field?" is something you do at a lunch mixer. The questions you ask during an interview session should relate to how you and the school will fit together. If you're going to ask three questions, ask at least two meaty ones. You want to include details in your questions that show that you've done your homework on the school. After your third program-related question, close out by asking if you can contact them with other questions in the future. And if the school is your top choice, tell them right now. As we cover elsewhere in this guide, schools want to accept students who will definitely attend.

Some questions you might ask a faculty or admissions committee member include:

• I read about X clinical opportunity currently offered to medical students in their second year. Is that going to be available in the future? Can you tell me more about that opportunity?

• I worked on a Y study as a research coordinator, and I'm very interested in the Y research happening here. Are there plans to expand that?

• How diverse is the student body? Are there support services for minority students?

• I have not lived in an urban setting, but I have worked with underserved patients in a small town. About how many patients does the student-run clinic see a year?

With student interviewers, your questions can be more personal, but you still want to show that you know something about the school. It's also a good idea to ask a question that relates to something you've just discussed or about a commonality that you two share, or that you share with the school:

• You mentioned that you're involved in researching X. I, too, have a background in researching X. Or, if you’re into completely different areas of research: I’m very interested in pursuing research at Specific Lab. Can you tell me more about your work at Specific Lab?

• My grandfather was in the Army, and I value our veterans. I know that the medical school has partnered with the local VA center to address both chronic pain and mental health issues. Have you worked there? What is it like?

• I’ve read about X, Y, and Z organizations here. What clubs and student organizations do you belong to? Have they proven valuable to you?