Guide to Nailing Interviews

Congratulations! Being invited to interview for a health professional school is an achievement in itself. You’ve done your part in the written application describing your healthcare involvement and interests. Now you have the opportunity to showcase your personality, discuss your passions with current students and faculty, and learn more about the program from their experiences. There are a variety of interview experiences that you may come across as you go through application season. Some schools may ask you to simulate patient-provider interactions, or perform group tasks to gauge your interactions within a team setting, but the most common types tend to be the 1-on-1 interview, a panel interview, and the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI).

It’s completely normal to be nervous for your interview, especially your first one, and I think that’s where a little preparation beforehand can help you feel a bit at ease when it comes to your scheduled day. Here are some things that helped me prep for my interviews during application season and leave interview day feeling like I was able to genuinely connect with the faculty and students I met that day.

1. Read about the school’s interview process. Most programs will provide information about what to expect during interview day and even sometimes include details about the specific type of interview you may come across on that day. If not, there are several online forums through which you may gather additional insight about what students may have encountered in the past. While your experience may not be 100% the same, it may help give you some comfort in reading about interview experiences that may seem to be repeated year after year for a specific program.

2. Be ready to start off your interview by answering the question “So tell us a little about yourself”. I was asked this question as soon as I took a seat at every interview I attended. Think about this question as if you’re on a first date (I’m being completely serious). Where are you from? What are a few things that describe who you are? What are your favorite hobbies? What have you been up to this past year? What did you study in undergrad? This answer does not have to be related to medicine at all. By painting a picture of what makes you unique, you open up opportunities for the committee to learn more about you past your application and invite them to connect with common experiences or activities that both of you may share and enjoy. Some of best conversations I had during my interviews stemmed from a mutual love of tennis, fresh cuisine, and even photography!

3. Review your application. Anything you wrote about is fair game for questions during the interview. This is also an opportunity for you to share more about anything you may have wanted to include in your application but didn’t have the chance to due to a particular word limit.

4. Talk to other applicants attending your interview day to help ease the nerves. Trust me, this one really works. Turn to the person next to you and introduce yourself. Even a simple conversation helps you get warmed up for the ones you’ll have with the admissions committee later that day.

5. Read more about the program to help you come up with a list of questions you would like to ask to students and faculty, NOT to seem as if you know everything about it already. Every interview day allots time for students to ask questions and learn more about the program. After all, this could be the school you matriculate into for your professional studies. Use this chance to share what you might find interesting but also clarify things you may want more information about.

6. Be professional, be punctual, and travel light. Dress well for your interview day, start your conversations with a firm handshake, maintain eye contact while you speak, and remember to smile. Make sure you arrive not just on time, but at least 15 minutes early to the location of your interview. And bring only what you absolutely need. In addition to a driver’s license which also serves as a form of ID, water bottle, pen, and lip balm, I also had a copy of my resume on hand just in case. Your interviewers will either have your application materials open in front of them, or in the case of a closed file interview, will have no prior information about you. I just personally found it comforting knowing that I have my resume with me in the event I may be asked for it but never came across a situation where I was asked for it.

7. Make sure you are able to speak about your experiences in a way that others will be able to understand. This is especially true for your research involvement. As someone who worked in a Cancer Biology lab in undergrad, learning how to present scientific information and complex biochemical pathways in a condensed and simple way to others across diverse academic backgrounds was something I had to learn how to do. This is important to keep in mind during your interviews and can easily be practiced by describing your research commitments to a family member or friend and asking them what they gathered from your explanation.

8. While reviewing your application, start forming connections between your activities, coursework that was impactful, and experiences that were especially important in shaping your desire to become involved in healthcare. Doing this allows to bring together the interview conversation seamlessly as you become comfortable smoothly transitioning from discussing one activity to the next.

9. Follow up the interview with a thank you letter/email. Your interviewers, whether faculty or students, took time out of their day to meet you, share their experiences, and answer any questions you may have had. Try your best to remember their name to personally thank them in your letter/email. Also, sending a thank you note to the Admissions Office for arranging your interview day experience and asking if they could forward your message to your interviewers works too!

10. Last but not least and my #1 tip for nailing interviews is to be confident in yourself. You have made it this far because of everything you have accomplished! Be proud of the things you have done, take pride in your passions, and showcase your personality during your interview!