Cracking The Interview: How To Ace Your Medical School Admissions Interview

Congratulations on getting an interview for a medical school in the UK! This is an exciting opportunity to showcase your skills, experiences, and motivation for pursuing a career in medicine. Here are some tips to help you have a successful med school interview:

Research the school: Before the interview, make sure you research the school and its program thoroughly. Know the mission, values, and strengths of the school, and be prepared to discuss how you align with them. This is important, as many universities will want to know why you specifically applied there They will want to know you are dedicated to the university, and that if they offer you a place it won’t be wastedReview your application: Review your application, including your personal statement to refresh your memory about your experiences and qualifications. Be prepared to answer questions about your application, and provide more details if necessary.Prepare for common questions: Practice answering common interview questions, such as why you want to become a doctor, what challenges you’ve faced, and how you’ve demonstrated your communication skills. Be authentic and honest in your answers, and provide specific examples to illustrate your points. Do as many practice interviews as you can, in order to refine your ideas, to show that you have actually reflected on why you want to become a doctorDress appropriately: Dress professionally for the interview, as you would for a job interview. This shows that you take the interview seriously and respect the process.Be personable: During the interview, be personable and engaging. Smile, make eye contact, and be enthusiastic about your experiences and motivations for pursuing medicine. This helps to build a rapport with the interviewer and show your personality.Prepare for the unexpected: Interviewers will likely throw questions at you to test your thinking ability and how you can deal with problems. To prepare for this, ask people you know to give you examples of potential interview questions (you can easily find these online) that you haven’t looked at, and ask them to assess your responses. You will only get better with time.Note down your experiences: Before your interview, make a list of things that you can talk about. Always relate these experiences to the key “buzzwords” that universities will be looking for. Try to use terms relating to medical ethics, such as autonomy or non-maleficence to show that you have taken time to research medicine as a social career, and that it is not just a science-based one.