My Joy and My Song: August 2019

It's mid-August and almost time for the medical school interview season to begin.

I always enjoy visiting Joe at the medical school hospital this time of year. We see gaggles of well-dressed men and women touring the city, wearing white name tags that are as good as beacons.

Last year, Joe walked us past the admissions office where we saw nervous interviewees sitting in folding chairs. I tried not to stare as I wondered which of these anxious applicants would be part of the UPSOM class of 2023.

So, how does a hopeful applicant get to the interview?

After a medical school applicant completes their initial application through AMCAS (the service that processes applications), they receive and complete secondaries from each school. Once those are completed and returned, the applicant is eligible to receive interview invitations.

These interviews are intense and can be grueling. The length and depth of interviews will differ by program but it isn't unusual for an interview to be forty minutes long.

The interviews are intended to stretch the applicant while also testing to see if the person will be a good fit in a particular program.

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My husband is currently a first-year resident with the UPMC hospital network. After his preliminary year ends, we will move to New Haven, CT to finish Joe's radiology residency at Yale.

Our entire family has worked together to support Joe through medical school and now residency. Though the road has been hard, life has been so good to our little family.

As we've continued through our medical school journeys, Joe and I have picked up on insights and realizations that would have been advantageous had we known them five years ago as we applied.

My goal is to pass on this information as best I can to the many hopeful premeds out there. If only one of you benefits from our experience, we will be delighted and satisfied.

If I Could Lean Back Through Time...

Let's pretend I've got that time machine from Napolean Dynamite. The crystals are in, the headband is on, and I'm going to fly backward through the years, just in time to give ourselves advice as we prepared for those medical school interviews.

Here's what I would say.

1. Assume that you're always being evaluated.

Not only will you be evaluated during the interview, you will also likely be evaluated during the more casual parts of the day, including during lunch and on the campus tour.

Be on your most professional behavior during the whole interview day (and be sure to arrive on time or early!).

2. Be thoroughly familiar with your personal statement and your secondaries.

Many (if not all) of your interviewers are going to ask questions directly from your personal statement and secondaries. Please review these essays until you are prepared to discuss each idea that you've written and submitted.

3. Do your research on each school

When the interviewer asks, "Why are you interested in our program?" what will you say?

I recommend that when you sit down with an interviewer, you already know the school's background: what they are and what they're doing.

One way to do this is to look at the research being conducted by each school. Is there any research going on that you are particularly interested in or to which you could contribute?

4. Make a list of common interview questions

Go online or use past interviewing experience to make a list of 30 or so common interviewing questions.

Think about each question and write down the answer you would give. You actually don't need to memorize your responses word-for-word; you don't want to sound mechanical.

Instead, have your general responses ready so that you can discuss each topic without having to pause and think or say, 'Um.'

Here's a few questions to consider:

-Why do you want to be a doctor?

-Why are you interested in our program?

-What do you consider to be one of your greatest strengths?

-What do you consider to be one of your greatest weaknesses?

-Tell me about a time when you failed.

And on and on. There are lists of these online.

5. "Do you have any questions for me?"

During your interviews, you will likely have the opportunity to ask questions. This is a good opportunity to express some interest in a subject and it also allows the interviewer to display some of the school's achievements. It's a good idea to have some of these questions ready to pull out of your hat when the opportunity arises.

My husband is going into radiology and so his questions were radiology-centered. During residency interviews, he asked his interviewers what the program was doing with AI in radiology.

This will differ for you based on your interests. Think of some questions that you would like to ask. These questions can range from interest in medicine to fun things to see in the city.

6. Be Genuine

At this point, interviewers are not only looking for applicants who will be able to keep up with the rigorous coursework, they are also looking for applicants who will be a good fit in their programs. They want to get a feel for who you are as a person. Don't be afraid to be yourself.

On another note, avoid inflating yourself or inflating the school. Don't gush or stretch out credentials to make them seem bigger than they actually are. Your interviewers are smart men and women who can see through any fluff that applicants try to pass for steel.

6. God's help

We couldn't have gotten where we are without God's grace and help. Every sacrifice we've made for Him, every crust we've given Him, has yielded loaves upon loaves in return.

Why have we succeeded these past years? Not because we're smart (we're not). Not because we work hard (though we do).

The secret to our success is no secret at all. We've kept God's commandments and He has prospered us in return. I don't even feel honest taking credit for what we've done. It was all because of God's grace and because He is so unbelievably, incredibly kind.

And so, my final advice to you is to pause and consider your life.

Is there anything you've been holding on to that God wants you to release?

Is there anything that you think He would like you to start doing?

If anything comes to mind, now is the time to change, and change permanently.

Medical school is tough, guys. It's long. And life is hard. We need Heavenly Father and He's eager to help us if we clear away the clutter that keeps Him from drawing close.

Heavenly Father wants to reach down and bless you (and us, too) but there are laws that He must keep. He can't bless us unless we give up the things that keep Him away.

Please think seriously on this.

The point in my life where Heavenly Father began pouring out blessings was when I cleared up the clutter, threw out the trash, and slammed the door. It was when I finally had the courage to make those important changes, to stop doing some things and start doing others.

Heavenly Father saw and He responded.

And that response changed my entire life.

We need Him and you need Him. Now is the time to make those important changes, even if they're hard.

I promise, you won't regret it.

Advice from Others

Not long ago, I put out a query on Facebook asking for collaborating ideas and advice for medical school interviewing since different people have different experiences.

Benjamin wrote:

"I did several mock interviews with the career services at my university, and that helped a lot to practice answering common questions, talking about yourself. And at the end of the day just be yourself, the interviewers want to get to know you!"

Shannon wrote:

1) Have quick and articulate responses to “why medicine?” and “why this school?” Practice these with someone.

2) Be able to discuss everything on your application.

3) Come up with a couple of questions about the program/area to ask your interviewers. Make sure it’s not something readily available on the website. I often asked why they chose to come there and where they recommended I go for dinner.

4) Use student hosts if available. It saves hotel costs and you can get information on the school from someone not on the admissions committee. They are poor students though, so the accommodations may not be fantastic. Consider if that will mess with your ability to interview well the next day.

5) Be yourself. Usually at this stage you’ve made the number cut offs and they just want to see if you’ll fit into the class they’re trying to build.

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As always, if you have questions about interviewing at medical school, leave a comment and we'll answer.

If you have some experience with medical school interviewing and would like to add your input to this discussion, please comment and share!

Good luck out there--

-Jenna

Chantelle decided that she wanted a birthday cake with two elements:

1. Elsa

2. Hedgehogs.

She came up with all sorts of ideas of how this could be accomplished.

Elsa could be holding a hedgehog.

She could be wearing a hedgehog dress.

Or, I could simply make a hedgehog cake and a seperate Elsa cake.

Or an Elsa cake with hedgehog cupcakes.

And to each one I said, "Well that's a good idea! ..."

I ultimately decided that Elsa should have her own icy menagerie with a few different animal friends.

(And a dragon, of course. Because Elsa does what she wants!)

So, this cake is Elsa kneeling on the ice with some of her menagerie animals.

I really like this cake and I hope you do too!