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What Is the One Thing You’ve Learned…?

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I was with my children at a four year-old’s birthday party a few years ago when I met the grandfather of the birthday-boy. As it turned out, before retiring, the man had been on the admissions committee of a prestigious medical school for decades.

So, I asked him, “Looking back at all of those years of experience, what is the one thing you learned from interviewing medical students?”

The man chuckled and said, “They have no idea what they’re getting themselves into.”

In life, we never have any idea what we’re getting ourselves into, but I think of this man every time I practice the question “What will you like least about being a doctor” or “…least about being a [insert your medical specialty here]” with my medical school and residency mentees, respectively. Saying you’ll love everything about being a physician or psychiatrist or pediatrician or internist sounds disingenuous and naive. You need to show that you have some idea what you’re getting yourself into.

Having said that, I would avoid tacky topics like money. And talking about how horrible night shifts are is not going to win you many points. But a sophisticated applicant can infer what the challenges will be in medicine or in her specialty and can express them with aplomb.

…As with everything, practice your answer in advance.

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Medical School Interview Questions: How to Handle the Illegal Ones

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In the United States, a professional interview is subject to basic legal rules. Specifically, admissions officers should refrain from asking medical school interview questions that are not relevant to the position the interviewee is seeking. Questions about race, religion, sexual orientation, and marital or family status fall into this category.

If you are asked these types of questions, you can simply answer – if it’s not distasteful to you – or respond by addressing the intent of the question without revealing personal information. (“I think you’re asking if my home life will affect my ability to carry out my medical school studies or my clinical duties. I can assure you it won’t, and I’ll complete my full tenure here at your school.”)

If you have the opportunity to give feedback to the institution about your medical school interview questions or experience, you can consider doing so after the interview. When I was interviewing for residency, I was asked by a faculty member if I had a boyfriend. After the interview day, I talked to a faculty mentor at my school who reported the situation to the other institution. The faculty member who asked me the illegal question was no longer permitted to interview.

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After Your Residency or Medical School Interview: What’s the Value of the Second Look?

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After interviews – if permitted by the institution – there are several ways you can communicate with a medical school or residency. My favorites are brief thank you notes and well-written letters of interest.

But what about the “second look?” I’ve had many mentees ask me if re-visiting a school or training program after the interview day is valuable. Unfortunately, there may not be a definitive answer to this question because how a second look is perceived varies by institution.

The cons of the second look are cost and time. And perhaps even worse, there is the risk that you are imposing on the school or program. You don’t want your request for a second look to work against your candidacy. On the other hand, the pros of a second look are that demonstration of interest and enthusiasm that many schools and programs are seeking.

If you are a pre-med and are wait listed at a medical school, I would generally recommend a second look if you can swing it. After all, you have every right to visit the institution you may be attending. If you go for a second look in this scenario, make sure to do a formal visit: Let the admissions office or dean’s office know you would like to spend the day and ask if you might have an opportunity to meet with students and even an admissions officer to support your candidacy.

If you are a residency applicant, it’s hard to say if a second look will help or not. A residency director friend of mine says that a visit from someone who travels from far away might improve a candidate’s standing by a few slots on the rank list at her program. That sounds like a tepid endorsement at best… If you are considering a second-visit, make sure to speak to the program coordinator. S/he might advise you against it or, on the contrary, let you know it’s appreciated by the residency director.

As we all know, the residency and medical school interview scene is already stressful and expensive, so unless you are a wait listed pre-med – with all other things being equal – I generally would not push yourself hard to do that second look.

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Finding Balance

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This time of year, when the residency and medical school interview processes are in full swing, many of us feel overwhelmed. Here’s a brief but thoughtful piece regarding balance. As you consider your future career, it’s worth thinking about issues the author covers like clarifying what makes you happy and defining balance. In this day and age, one can choose a traditionally tough specialty but work in a practice setting that allows for some autonomy and flexibility. But you need to know what you want to guide yourself in the right direction.

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Residency and Medical School Applications: Don’t Make It Urgent

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I’m writing this blog entry from the Compton, California Jurors’ Waiting Room, having been called for duty today. We were to arrive at 7:45am. After hearing a long introduction from the orientation coordinator here, I noted a woman arriving at 8:50. She sat next to me and asked me to repeat everything the orientation coordinator had said for the last hour.

Her lack of judgment prompted this entry. When approaching your interviews, try to anticipate problem issues and ensure you complete tasks early:

Responding to interview invitations immediately helps you target a time frame you prefer. Also, since some programs do not have enough slots for all of the invitations they issue, it also assures you a slot.

Arriving at your interview early decreases stress, which allows you to perform optimally. At times it also gives you the opportunity to better acquaint yourself with the coordinator or even the residency director. (Several years ago a residency candidate told me he had a fifteen-minute one-on-one conversation with the residency director because the applicant had arrived early. He felt confident that the individualized time furthered his candidacy.)

Sending your thank you notes immediately increases the likelihood they could make a positive impact on your candidacy since faculty may speak about your candidacy earlier rather than later.

So, don’t make it urgent. Plan in advance. If nothing else, the perception of control will help reduce anxiety and improve your interview days.

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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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