Interview Strategies: Why Did You Interview at this Time?

Most medical school, residency and fellowship applicants schedule their interviews according to convenience and cost, but you may be asked why you arranged your interview so early or so late in the season. The real concern behind this question is that you are interviewing early because you are using the institution for a practice session or that you are interviewing late because you had considered leaving the institution to the end in case you wanted to cancel.

Reassure the interviewer that you are serious about the program. If you are interviewing early you might say, “As soon as I was offered an invitation I took the opportunity to visit because I am very enthused about this institution.” If late, you might say, “I wanted to maximally prepare for this interview because I am very interested in being here.”

Contact me soon for mock interview assistance. I am scheduling two to three weeks in advance.

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What is the Scramble?

The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP ®) Scramble is an oftentimes confusing process that tends to generate a lot of questions. The Scramble is a system used to fill unfilled residency positions. Some medical residency programs will have available residency slots even after the NRMP has completed the Match; these positions become available during the Scramble period so that those applicants who did not get a residency position can vie for them.

The Scramble calendar (for 2010) is as follows: Read more ›

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Updated Web Site

Please take a look at the latest updates to my testimonials page. As usual, for help with your medical school, residency, fellowship or post bacc application contact me here or email me at insidermedical@gmail.com .

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Secondary Essays: A Blessing and a Curse

The number of secondaries some medical school applicants receive can be overwhelming. Some institutions send out secondaries to almost all of their applicants; remember that the process is a money-maker for schools. To lessen the time sink, try to use the same essay for several secondaries. With some small changes an essay may be used for multiple purposes.

Contact me for editing help.

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Scheduling Mock Interviews

For those of you who will be seeking mock interviews please email me as soon as you receive your first invitation so that we can schedule a slot. Although it is early in the season, I am already booking two to three weeks in advance. Giving me as much notice as possible is really helpful. My email: insidermedical@gmail.com .

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital. She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on The Visible Voices podcast: 

 

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast: