11. Be well rested, alert, and honest. Do not
exaggerate your scholastic achieve-
ments or extracurricular
activities.
12. If you worked on a research (or other)
project, be prepared to discuss it fluently
and concisely.
13. If you have had exposure to medicine by
working at a hospital, be prepared to
discuss it if asked, or work it into the
conversation in an appropriate manner.
14. If you can, find out the departmental
affiliation of your interviewer in advance
from an admissions office secretary, or by
checking his or her name in the
school catalog. You may then be able to raise a
topic of special mutual interest
(if being interviewed by a surgeon, you may
wish to mention that you observed
an appendectomy).
15. Do not hesitate to ask questions about the
school and its program--or about the
interviewer 's activities (such as how much
time does he or she have for
research).
16. Talk to a classmate who has had an
interview at the school. Get his or her
impressions of the school and interview.
Remember that it is unlikely that you
will get the same interviewer--but it is
possible.
17. If the school is of special interest to
you, you may wish to contact an alumnus in
attendance or a recent graduate.
18. Bear in mind that the school is trying to
get a sense of you as a person--to see
what motivates you--to understand why you want
to enter the health sciences,
and to become convinced that you are a worthy,
potential colleague.
The following steps will be of additional help
in preparing for the interview:
19. Prepare rehearsed answers to the typical
questions that may be asked at an inter-
view. You can tape record your responses and
hear how you sound.
20. See if you can appropriately fit or slip
your rehearsed answers in during the
interview in a manner that is casual and
doesn't sound canned. The latter can be
accomplished by pausing for a moment before
answering a question that you
are prepared for, acting as if you are
preparing your answers.
21. Try to sell your favorable assets by
fitting them into the interview (hospital
work, research experience, community
activities, research articles published,
etc.). Know your strengths
thoroughly.
22. Try to establish a rapport with the
interviewer from the very outset. Walk in
with a greeting, a smile on your face, and a
firm handshake. On leaving, express
your appreciation for the time the interviewer
gave you.
23. Try to avoid, where possible, "yes" or "no"
answers. Rather, give the pros and
cons of the issue and your views in a brief and
concise manner. Show that you
can be analytical while at the same time avoid
being overly talkative.
24. If you don't understand the question, ask
the interviewer to clarify it.
25. Look directly at your interviewer; act
relaxed; avoid squirming in your seat.
26. If you don't know an answer, admit it
rather than guess wildly. If pressed for a
reply, qualify it as being an "on the spur of
the moment" judgment, that is open
to change on further reflection.
27. Don't open up discussions on your own, such
as on politics or religion. If asked,
don't be defensive. Interviewers seek a sense
of confidence even on controver-
sial issues.
28. Avoid disparaging your school or specific
instructors or students. It will not
help make you look better.
User Comments Add a comment…