Medical school admission officers make use of the interview process to identify candidates who are mature enough to be admitted to the medical school. Likewise, the same procedure is done to determine an applicant’s ability to empathize as well as if they possess superior interpersonal skills. The facilitators of the interview are very much familiar with your credentials. Now they are interested to know how you well you relate to others.
It’s no secret that the interview is a crucial process in your application. Therefore, we recommend that you read further as we are going to share the 7 important tips in handling your medical school admissions interview properly and increase your chance of being admitted to your medical school of choice.
The Interview Format And Policies May Vary, But Regardless Of The Type Of Interview You Will Encounter We Advise That You Follow These Essential Tips:
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Come Prepared
When it comes to interviews in general, it pays to be prepared. After all, you can’t predict the questions that will be thrown at you. So we recommend that you review the probable topics that will be asked to you. Aside from that, you should also be prepared to discuss these details to the interviewer(s):
- Your academic background
- Your employment experience
- Your leisure and extracurricular activities
- Your views and opinions regarding the prevailing medical issues
- Why you desire to become a physician/doctor
In order to be fully prepared for the med school admissions interview, we recommend that you seek help from an admissions consultant as they have the skills and experience to get you ready for the interview. To be specific, they will cover all the aspects all that you need to be prepared from your documents to the emotional and physical areas of your preparation.
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Don’t Over Prepare
Now we have already stressed out the importance of being prepared for the admissions interview, but that doesn’t mean that you have to overdo yourself to the extent that you are being over prepared already. The reason for this is that the interview(s) would also like to see your “soft” skills particularly, on how well you carry a conversation.
If you’re going to answer the panel in a verbatim manner (or your answers would appear as ‘scripted’) then they will detect this immediately. And chances are, you are likely to be ditched rather than being admitted just because they see your lack of “bedside manner” skills and that you’re having a hard time expressing yourself during the interview process.
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The Best Interview Is In A Form Of A Dialogue
Don’t be afraid to ask questions if necessary to avoid the interview into becoming a Q and A process. So as another tip in handling your medical school admissions interview, we suggest that you try to get to know more about the school’s faculty, access to internships, and research opportunities to show how interested you are in being admitted in their institution.
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Take Your Time
Some medical schools try to see how well you handle the interview process under pressure. In other words, they will purposely put you under stress to see how well you handle the situation.
If such pressure-packed situation is likely to occur, we advise that you remain calm and composed. And if you are caught off guard by a particular question, don’t be scared to pause for a moment and gather your thoughts so you can come up with an answer that is satisfactory to the panel of interviewers.
In doing so, you are giving an impression of being thoughtful and articulate. And these qualities are essential to be a good doctor.
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Show Your Preparedness Through Your Body Language And By Dressing Up Properly
It’s also very obvious that the way you present yourself in the medical school admissions interview will affect the decision of the interviewers. And by properly presenting yourself, we mean you have to dress for the occasion and show proper body language in front of them.
Like in any other situations where you have to meet other people for the first time, the panel will usually look into your body language first. In other words, if you bow down your head and don’t even bother to look at them, the interviewer(s) will perceive it as lack of confidence in your part. So we suggest you work on your physical demeanor, gestures, and mannerisms in such a way that would make an impact on the panel the moment you step in.
And as far as dress is concerned, we recommend that you wear conservative or professional outfits for the interview. Don’t hesitate to search online to have an idea about what you have to wear during a medical school admissions interview. You can also make an inquiry to the med school beforehand to know if they have a dress code or you are not sure about certain specifics about what type of clothes you have to wear for this day.
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First Impressions Lasts
Try to set the tone of the interview in such a way that you are giving a strong impression to the interviewer(s). You can do this by dressing properly, making eye contact, smiling and showing a positive attitude, and giving a firm handshake once the interview process is finished.
In case you are interviewed with other applicants, try to show your interest and be on alert at all times so the panel will notice you right away from the rest of the candidates.
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What You Should Do After The Interview
And the last tip in handling your medical school admissions interview has something to do with making a lasting impression. Now it’s more likely that you’ve already made a strong first impression, so what you can do to boost your application is by writing a thank you letter to the interviewer(s). You can either individual letters to each of the members of the panel or write a letter that addresses them entirely.
Don’t forget to include some of the topics you have covered in the interview to give an idea to the committee that you have been thoroughly engaged and are really interested in being admitted to their esteemed institution.
To make sure that you ace your interview, you can ask the help from AcceptMed’s medical school admission advisors. Visit their website to learn more about their medical school consulting services.
