The Ultimate Interview Question (Or, at least one of them...)

A really popular topic that all premed students are always eager to hear about is the interview questions that are usually asked. I am posting a page on the most common questions and will help you answer them in the near future (So check back soon and read it), but in the mean time i wanted to touch on one that most people will never expect. You think you are having a great interview and have had the answers to all the questions thus far... but then the Dean says to you "Name the biggest character fault that you have." Wow. I personally had had this question for a job interview a few years back for a phlebotomy position, however I was still stunned. Honestly I had no idea what to say, and I was scrambling for words to pop into my head. After making it through, and providing a decent answer (to follow), I now feel like I am prepared to help you tackle this part of your interview and nail it.

After speaking with the director of admissions at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine I was provided with some advice for next time (A little too late for me, but for you... READ UP)

OK...

1. First, think about the characteristics that a physician must posses to be successful. The point of even asking the question by the interviewer is not for just the answer per say, but they are actually looking at the bigger picture. The admissions board wants to see how you react under pressure. Throughout medical school and especially as a physician, you are required to think on your feet and provide a thorough answer to many questions or problems that may come up without any warning at a moment's notice. So first, even though you may be FREAKING OUT on the inside, whatever you do do not come across nervious, or show that you are having a tough time answering.

2. After the first few seconds of anxiety have passed think again about why they are asking this question in the first place, and once agian the point is not to see if you are messy, irresponsible, yada yada yada but to watch your reaction and see how you handle pressure situations. So from here we find the second thought to take with you. Back to desirable physician characteristics. Although doctors are required to think on their feet, they can't blurt out the first thing that comes to mind and be expected to stick with it. SO, don't be afraid to be honest, and ask for a second to answer the question. Don't say that you don't know the answer, but simply tell your interviewer "May I have a few seconds to compose a thorough answer?" BAM that's all you have to do and you have already showed your responsibility (in that you know that saying the first thing that comes to mind is no way to answer important questions, especially if you are in charge of someone else's life), and you have showed that you don't break under the pressure.

3. Once you have taken a few seconds, and I do mean a FEW SECONDS (By no means take a whole minute because in the dead quiet interview room it will seem like an eternity to the one waiting for the answer), Provide your answer. This should be the easiest because believe it or not, everyone has flaws, and the admissions board knows this. Don't say "I don't have any flaws in my character, or that you are a perfect person, because they know that you are lying and are just afraid to reveal the truth. They don't want to take the chance of finally figuring out the truth when it comes out in medical school that you are a procrastinator and they wasted your admission spot when someone else would be able to keep up with the workload. Instead, answer honestly, but I will tell you KEEP IT POSITIVE. Think about something you have that is a great quality, but others often make fun of you for it, or they resent you for it. For example, you could say that you are very detail oriented or that you freak out when given long term projects so you will often start them the night they are assigned no matter how far of the due dayte is. Whatever answer you come up with, keep it honest, and keep it positive.

4. One last note about interviews in general, and one that will greatly help you with this question: Pretend that you are already a doctor and treat your interviewer as one of your patients. I don't mean act like you are better than them and talk down to them, because that is no way that you should ever treat a patient, (that's another blog post) but have a sense of confidence about yourself. Act like you really know what you are doing and you will come across as a person ready to succeed in medical school. You would never show a patient you are scared, so why show your interviewer?

I hope this helps, again there will be more to follow on the interview as a whole coming shortly.

View Surgical Procedures

This is a great website I came across earlier. Check it out whenever you get a chance. Not really any information for premed students, but it's really interesting to look through. 

Go to  http://www.orlive.com/index.cfm 

or click the title of this post to get there.

Extracurriculars...

Does Anyone have any Advice on some great extracurriculars? Hospital work is hard to come by and sometimes volunteering just doesn't cut it. I have received a number of questions from people about a good outside of school activity to help the application stand out. Perhaps one of the most important aspect that I can offer you is to do something where patient contact occurs readily. Medical schools want to know that you are not only smart enough to make it through, but once you do they need to know that you actually like interacting with patients. Many people work in a hospital and decide that medicine is not for them. The admissions board knows this... Don't take that chance of them wondering if you have the capabilities to actually relate to people. Get out there and prove to them that this is what you want to do and erase the question of doubt from them before they even need to think about it. But How? There are many different ways that a student can obtain the necessary and valuable experiences. The easiest and the most popular is to volunteer. If you are going to take this route be sure to do one of two things: First, be able to describe that you were more than just a volunteer. The admisions board wants to know that you like working with people. Be sure to develop relationships with some of the patients and get the different ways in which you can help them. In your application and interview don't say hospital volunteer, but be sure to list all of the details, and of course make patient interaction at the top of the list. Secondly, try not to stick to the typical volunteer schedule if possible. I know that some hospitals will schedule their volunteers only once a week for a few hours. Try to make it a point to come regularly. This is also a great way to get to know many of the doctors and you may eventually be able to ask for letters of recommendation.

What are your thoughts and experiences with volunteer opportunities?

Helpful websites and links

Take a look below at the bottom of my page. I have added a section where I plan to place helpful websites and various other links that I think will be helpful for the successful admissions process. I will be adding more in the days to come. If you have any that you find helpful please post them and I will add them to the link collection at the bottom. 

First, thanks for visiting and taking a look. With the creation of this new blog I hope to provide a place where students can come with questions about their path towards medical school. I know there are many of you out there who are extremely stressed out about the process of admissions in its entirety, and many who just wish that they knew more about it. I will be the first to admit, the process is grueling. I myself have been through it and can't tell you the amount of times that I wanted to give up and join the business majors drinking beer on Wednesdays and... well... every other night too I guess. Anyways, please come with your questions. If there is one thing that I do know, asking questions is the only way to get the answers that one day might hold you back if you never asked for them. So please, compare GPA's, US schools, Caribbean schools, and anything in between. Pre-requisite course questions in addition to any advice you may have that you picked up along the way always helps. So have at it and hopefully we will create a community where students can come to find the answers that they are too afraid to ask in person.