Health Professional School Interview Workshop
MSU Preprofessional Advising TeamNatalie Clark, M.Ed.Janae Currington, M.Ed.Mo Gerhardt, M.S.Heidi Purdy, M.A.
Purpose of the Interview To get to know you beyond the numbers To assess your ability to interact with people To evaluate your maturity and motivation To set you apart from the rest To assess your fit with the program To answer your questions about the program
Remember: YOU are interviewing the schools as well!
Interviewing Styles
1:1 Panel Blind Partial Blind Open Behavior-Based Multiple Mini Interview (WMU Homer Stryker School of
Medicine, MSU College of Human Medicine, CMU College of Medicine & U of Michigan Dental School)
“Typical” Interview Questions Tell me about yourself. Why do you want to be a _______? Why is our school a good fit for you? What are some concerns you have about this
program? Name three strengths and three weaknesses.
Healthcare Interview Questions What are some of the issues presently
confronting the field? Choose any ethical topic (abortion, genetics,
etc) and tell me what you think about it? What do you hope to gain from your education? What are some disadvantages to becoming a
_________? If you had a patient addicted to narcotics what
would you do? What about this profession does not agree with
your personality?
Specific Questions to Application Why this school, when you live in _____? You don’t have a significant science background, how do you
think you’ll handle pharmacy school? How did you become interested in culinary arts/food and wine? You have a busy life, what do you do to relax? You’ve done a lot of volunteering, can you explain a difficult
situation you encountered while volunteering at _____ hospital? You were a restaurant manager, describe a particularly difficult
customer encounter? Do you see a connection between restaurant management and
being an occupational therapist? In your personal statement, you mentioned ________. Could you
tell me more about that?
Non-Traditional Applicant Questions You’ve been out of school for awhile, why
physical therapy school now? How do you know?
How do you know you won’t grow bored with optometry as you have with other jobs?
What triggered the change of careers?
“Random” Interview Questions If someone came in to the ER with ______
condition, what would be the first steps you would consider taking?
What interests do you have outside of school? How do you handle disappointment? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? If you could invite three people to dinner, (living or
dead) who would they be? If you don’t get in to your chosen field, what else
would you do? What does integrity mean to you? What is the last non-academic book you read?
Behavior-Based Interview Questions Give an example of a situation in which you have
developed and maintained a relationship with someone else in spite of a differing point of view.
Tell me about a time when you set your sights too high, or too low.
Tell me about a time when you were creative in solving a problem.
Tell me about at time when you had to balance competing priorities and did so successfully.
Describe a time in which you were forced to make an unpopular decision.
Behavior-Based Interview Questions Give an example of a time when you were unable to
complete a project on time. Describe a time when you may have been
disappointed in your behavior. Tell me about a goal that you set that took a long
time to achieve, or one that you are still working towards.
Give an example of a time you anticipated potential problems and developed preventative measures.
Tell me about a situation where you had to be persuasive and sell your ideas to someone else.
Topics to Know “Something” About Healthcare System (HMO, PPO, Single Payer, etc) Current events related to healthcare Government efforts/reforms of healthcare Euthanasia Abortion AIDS Stem cell transplants/research Universal Healthcare Current Healthcare Legislation Current Events
Your Evaluation Criteria
Curriculum Facilities Student Body Interdisciplinary/Extracurricular Activities Financial Aid Support & Administrative Services
Their Evaluation Criteria Motivation Professionalism Knowledge of health care field Adaptability Maturity Communication skills Consistency
Your interview begins when you drive on campus & ends when you drive off!!
Proper Interview AttireMen
Suit and tie Dress shoes Conservative colors Well-groomed Minimal or no cologne
Women Suit (skirt or pants) Pantyhose/stockings Button-down shirt Conservative dress shoes (not open-toed) Appropriate Makeup/ Jewelry Minimal or no cologne/perfume Professional bag/coat
Reminders Ask questions Re-read your personal statement and supplemental
application Make eye contact Turn your cell phone off Take a minute to think about your answer Answer the question that was asked Be honest and upfront about your knowledge (or lack of
knowledge) Be yourself Be on time, if not early Write thank-you notes
Preparing for the Interview Have “real” conversations with others List your strengths & weaknesses on paper. Get familiar with the school
Prepare a list of questions that are not blatantly obvious on the website
Day of Interview
Eat breakfast Plan extra time to get to the school, have a
campus map to be sure you get to the correct building
Aspects of the Day typically include: Actual Interview Financial Aid information Campus Tour by current students
Day of Interview – MI Medical School Specifics
MSU COM *Typically NO interview*Opportunity to come visit & attend financial aid
presentation – GO if invited!*A select few applicants will be invited to
participate in an MMI. Those invited must attend, but those not invited to not have decreased chances of acceptance.
Day of Interview – MI Medical School Specifics - continued MSU CHM
*1:1 with a med student – 20 minutes *Multiple Mini Interviews – 8 minutes at each of 8 stations*Partial blind – Have access to personal statement, AMCAS experiences, and secondary essays but NO numbers.
Day of Interview – MI Medical School Specifics - continued OU – William Beaumont
*2 interviews – 25-30 minutes each*1:1 with faculty/staff member & a physician*Partial blind – Have access to personal statement, AMCAS experiences, and secondary essays but NO numbers.
Day of Interview – MI Medical School Specifics - continued U of M
*6 MMI – 1 hour total*2 long form interviews – 30 minutes each*1:1 with faculty members and med students*Open – have access to entire file
Day of Interview – MI Medical School Specifics - continued WSU
*1interview – 30-60 minutes each*1:1 with admission committee member, may also have med student participate*Open – have access to entire file
Day of Interview – MI Medical School Specifics - continued CMU -
*Multiple Mini Interviews – 8-10 stations 10 minutes each, one station is an expanded 30 minute interview*Blind – Have NO access to personal statement, AMCAS experiences, secondary essays or numbers.
Day of Interview – MI Medical School Specifics - continued WMU-
*Multiple Mini Interviews – 6-8 stations for 8 minutes each*1:1 Interview with committee member
*Open 1:1 Interview-Have access to entire file*Blind MMI-Have NO access to personal statement, AMCAS experiences, secondary essays or numbers.
Day of Interview – MI Dental School Specifics U of M
*Multiple Mini Interviews – 5 minutes at each of 10 stations*Blind – no prior info available to interviewer
U of Detroit Mercy*1 interview – 60 minutes*1:1 – notified in advance who interviewer will be*Open – have access to entire file
Interview Tips for the Future Budgeting, start saving now
Clothes, travel expenses Schedule enough travel time
Be aware you might be missing classes to attend interviews, communicate with professors
Take advantage of orientation programs at schools
Other Considerations
Letter Writers – Keep them updated on your progress --- they WANT to know!
Oct 15th – earliest acceptance date for MD schools
May 15th – last date to hold multiple acceptances
Deposits – typically refundable but check deadline dates
Questions? Seek us out!
CNS Preprofessional Advisors Natalie Clark, M.Ed., [email protected] Janae Currington, M.Ed., [email protected] Mo Gerhardt, M.S., [email protected] Heidi Purdy, M.A., [email protected]
Compliments to Candice Eisenhauer, University of Illinois –Chicago, for sharing the framework for this presentation at CAAHP Conference, April 2009.