Congratulations! You have been invited to an interview! =)
The interview invitations can come in different forms, most are sent directly from the AAMC site, but some can be sent via calenders (e.g., Thalamus, 3rd Friday…) where you can set up the dates directly on the websites. It all depends on the programs so make sure you add those to your email in case they go into your junk mail.
Different programs do their interviews differently, some programs invite students for a pre-interview dinner so you can meet senior residents, it is also the best time for you to ask all your questions about the program, learn about the residents, their daily schedule, and learn about their work-life balance.
During the day of the interview, you can have a panel or one-on-one interview:
Panel: It may be a group of 3-6 people conducting the interview all at once. In my case, there were the program director, 3 faculty members, program coordinator, and the chief resident. The interview typically last 20-30 minutes.
One-on-one: Interviews are conducted individually with different faculty members, you will also interview with the program director. Each interview typically last 15-20 minutes.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
Different programs may ask different questions, some of the programs asked about my goals in medicine, and some gave me hypothetical cases, I have included a list of common interview questions that you can prepare yourself before an interview. Again, this list may or may not include all the questions that you may get in an interview, so just use this as a place to start.
Note:
- Prepare your interview questions
- Do your homework, learn about the program, and learn about the city (why do you want to move into this city?)
- NEVER be late to an interview
- Try to attend to all pre-interview dinners/receptions
- Be active and talk with the residents and other students during the pre-interview dinner
- Be able to ask your questions at the end of the interview (may be a question that you were not able to find on the program website)