What is it like to be interviewed for medical school? Part two

With interviews just around the corner, we know you’re running through practice questions, reading through your personal statement and reflecting on work experience you’ve undertaken to get to this point. We spoke to some of our current students to ask them to reflect on their application to medicine and how they found the interview process, and to give you some advice and reassurance.

James Slaven – Year 2

How was your experience of interviewing for medicine?

I was made aware that there would be an interview when I decided to apply to medicine but without knowing anyone who had done anything like it before, I had no idea what to expect. I had my first exposure of what the interviews could be like through my sixth form's medical society. As a member of this society, I took part in mock MMI sessions which, as it transpires, were quite ambitious regarding content. My second port of call was "The Medic Portal", which ended up making me feel wholly unprepared. I read that I needed to be well-versed in current medical affairs, how Brexit could impact the NHS, the pillars of ethics and so on. Some of these things I had heard of but with only a matter of weeks until my interviews and A-levels to revise for, I began to panic. I felt a sense of guilt that I had started my preparations far too late and if I failed, I would have only myself to blame. With my remaining time, between my studies, I would be revising the current affairs, looking at the course structure and the ongoing research at the medical school, writing down my past experiences, reviewing my personal statement and ensuring that I knew my medical ethics inside and out. Now, I cannot say what I was asked in my BSMS interview but I can say that it was far better than I had anticipated. Ultimately, I felt relaxed. The stations felt like small discussions, not like I was being quizzed or tested but more like I was having an educational conversation with the facilitator. After a few stations, I felt like myself and I felt prepared. To conclude, I think that as long as you know your "stuff", you will not be tripped up; learn the ethics of medicine, use common sense, write down a few relevant experiences you have had, keep on top of current affairs for a month before the interview and make use of online resources. If you are able to hold conversations about why an example of medical care is right or wrong, about why you want to study medicine and why you chose the university you did, you should be okay. As a final note, if you are reading this and are applying to medicine then you have my utmost respect and I offer you not only the best of luck but my sincere congratulations for coming this far.

If you could provide one piece of advice for prospective applicants being interviewed this year, what would it be?

Use 'The Medic Portal', it is an online resource and will tell you just about everything you need to do before you interviews. I would recommend having a look at least a month before the interview date if at all possible.

Anand Tathgar – Year 4

How was your experience of interviewing for medicine?

I applied 3 times for medical school, encountering both panel and MMI style interviews, and I can say without a doubt before I went into each interview it seemed like the scariest thing ever. However, it really didn't need to be, and when I was actually in the interviews the time flew by; it didn't seem scary anymore, I just shared my thoughts and they went smoothly. When applying to medical school I grossly misjudged the purpose of interviews - they are there as a way of assess how you think, how your thought process works and actually asking your opinion on topics. This is something I initially thought was a trick, but interviewers genuinely want to know how you feel and think because it show insight into the profession and a genuine interest. Medicine is a life long career so any opportunity to demonstrate your commitment, determination and interest must be taken full advantage of. Personally, I really struggled to talk about myself and my achievements. To help with this I used a book that I got on 'common medical school interview questions' - this was not to copy their answers but more an exercise for myself to compartmentalise all of my achievements by skill or help me fit these into answers so I could have a bank of examples to refer to in the interview. In my opinion, preparation shouldn't be about creating model answers it should be about knowing yourself and your motivations very well and reading or having a working knowledge of medicine as a profession and the NHS, including current and controversial topics and ethical principles. This allows you to be malleable and adapt to whatever the interviewers require of you. Practice does make perfect, and practicing answers under time pressure is a good idea.

If you could provide one piece of advice for prospective applicants being interviewed this year, what would it be?

Have a good think about all of the things you have done in your life so far and analyse what you demonstrated from these and what skills you developed, so you can be ready to show why you would make a great medical student.

Harriet Sharp – Intercalating

How was your experience of interviewing for medicine?

I had 3 interviews in total and I was nervous for every one of them. Each medical school has different structures and it is important to read all the information they give you about the interview in advance so you know what to prepare. I did a fair amount of preparation, mainly getting friends, family members and teachers asking me questions as practice so I could learn how to phrase questions. Remember you are in an interview for that particular university so prepare to answer questions about that specific medical school not just questions on why you want to study medicine generally. Other common interview questions are easily found online too.

If you could provide one piece of advice for prospective applicants being interviewed this year, what would it be?

Be yourself! There is no point in pretending you are someone you are not. The interviewers will see straight through the lies and you will end up getting more nervous when you suddenly have to come up with stories or evidence to match a false claim you made. Being yourself keeps you relaxed and allows you to be an individual, giving unique answers as opposed to the standard memorized answer everyone gives. This will help you stand out and be memorable to the interviewers.

Read more about applying to BSMS and the admissions process via the link below.