questions at the end

[Sutler]

I know that they give you time at the end for you to ask the interview committee questions...but what type of questions should you ask? I hear don't ask any questions that other med students can answer...doesn't that eliminate everything?

 

Can anyone give some examples?

[Med Guru]

Here are a few suggestions of questions to ask regarding the school you are being interviewed at. They can help you demonstrate your willingness to attend the school, as well as, give members of the board a chance to "brag" about their college. In any case, I would definitely recommend having a few q's in mind before entering your interview.

 

-Are there special programs for which this school is noted?

 

-Can you tell me about the school’s curriculum in the pre-clinical and clinical years?

 

-Has this school, or any of its clinical departments, been on probation or had its accreditation revoked?

 

-Are there opportunities for students to design, conduct, and publish their own research studies?

 

-Is there a note-taking service for students?

 

-How do students from this school normally perform on the National Board Examinations?

 

[Madz25]

Don't ask questions that can be answered from the school's website. Most schools have something about their curriculum on their website. If you ask something that's on the website - it looks like you couldn't even bother to spend 5 mins reading about the school you're supposedly interested in attending.

 

Instead, I suggest asking about questions that come to your mind WHILE you're reading the site. For example..."I've read that your curriculum has ____, can you tell me a little more about what that entails/is there an opportunity for doing _____" etc etc

 

That way, they see that you ARE interested in their school and you've taken the initiative to learn about them and their program.

[Sutler]

Like I said, most of those questions can be answered either by the website or by med students at the orientation.

 

 

-Has this school, or any of its clinical departments, been on probation or had its accreditation revoked?

 

 

lol...i think asking this question is a sure way to get rejected (especially if you ask that at UofT)

[Med Guru]

just examples.... not necessarily a list to use.

 

asking about past student's performance on licensing exams, etc. can be useful though, as most applicants won't actually be thinking that far ahead as they are concentrated on gaining admission first. Any positive thing that you can do to separate yourself from the pack is good!

[Dr.Cave]

Where's the closest bar?

 

It's pass/fail right?

 

Do we get mornings off?

 

Is attendance at lectures or small groups mandatory?

 

What happens if I flunk out of first year?

 

Do we get to practice DRE and genital exams on our classmates?

 

Do I have to do a drug test every year? No. Oh thank god!

 

[Sutler]

Do you take bribes? If so, how much?

[flying kumquat]

So this thread has degenerated a bit, but I'd like to add that you should try to ask a question of each person on your panel. At Queen's, this includes a community member. From doing interviews in the past, you can tell they feel a bit ignored/brushed off during interviews, but their interview marks have equal weight as those of other panel members. If you have a community member on your panel and you're stuck for a question for them (although asking them what they like about their city is a decent one), you could ask them how they got involved in the interview process. Chances are, there's a reason why they've volunteered to interview potential medical students.

 

Other than that, for the med students, try asking their opinion on an aspect of their school that you're interested in - PBL, some longitudinal community-based course, clinical skills, etc. You might be surprised at the answer you get (I was when I asked), and it's not just asking the student to regurgitate information that you probably already heard in the info session (unlike "tell me how clinical skills works here.")

[mbene085]

I took the opportunity to find out information that I wouldn't have otherwise, as well as to "show off" the interest I had taken in the school.

 

I noted that I had heard about how the school's curriculum was changing (announced the day before my interview), and asked the panel for their opinions on how the new curriculum will help to better prepare students for a career in medicine.

 

If you just ask them for info you could have read on the website/in a pamphlet, it won't look good. Show them that you've looked closely at their program and ask a question that you'd actually like answered.

[ballofnerves]

How does this work for MMI fomat? Do you still get an opportunity to ask questions at the end? Do you only get to ask one interviewer?

[mbene085]

How does this work for MMI fomat? Do you still get an opportunity to ask questions at the end? Do you only get to ask one interviewer?

 

I didn't find that there were any opportunities for this at the MMI I did (McMaster). The closest thing was the "rest" station with our two med student chaperones sitting there. You could ask them anything you wanted, but they weren't involved in assessing you in any way.

 

It's generally the more traditional interviews that present you with this opportunity. I did have some extra time at one of the MMI stations, but the interviewer just chatted with me a bit (turned out we were from the same neighbourhood in Montreal). I probably could have asked something there, but the conversation was going well so I just went with it, hehe.

[Kuantum]

If you don't have any questions you are actually curious about, there is really nothing wrong with saying I don't have any questions. A lot of people say you should always have questions, but a question that the interviewers think is obviously asked just for the sake of asking one is worse than asking nothing at all.

 

Remember, you want to try to be yourself in interviews and if you start saying/doing things you don't want to do then you really aren't being yourself, right?

 

Also, someone suggested asking the community member at Queen's about how they got involved in the interview process. To be honest, I would stray away from questions about the interviewers. They are interviewing you and not the other way around. Nothing wrong with being nice and asking how it's going, but if given the opportunity to ask questions at the end, do you really care how they got involved in the process? Are you planning on telling someone else how they can get involved? I know it's just an example and you don't actually have to ask that question, but just as a thought.

 

K

[flying kumquat]

I just suggested that because, having sat on interview committees at Queen's, it's awkward when the med student gets asked questions, then the faculty member gets asked questions, and then the community member gets....nothing.

 

Of course, if you really have no questions to ask, then don't worry about it. Asking a question of any panel member is not mission critical. Chances are, the med student will have most relevant answers to your questions about the school. I just found that there is a tendency to ignore the community member, which you have to watch out for when their interview score is weighted the same as the neurosurgeon who is also interviewing you.

[rogerroger]

Ok, I disagree with NOT asking questions. If you don't ask questions you won't damage your chances but you are turning up a good opportunity to get some easy bonus points.

 

Asking questions is most likely the very last thing you shall do in an interview. Thus, it is your chance to help solidify that lasting impression which is so vital for a good interview. Therefore, asking some good solid questions about the particular school displays interest in their program. It also demonstrates that you took the time to research the school on your own initiative.

 

I have a golden interview rule which is to always ask yourself the following for any interview question...

 

What does this interview question REALLY mean?

 

When the interviewer asks if you have any questions for the panel interpret the real meaning as...

 

How interested is this applicant in our program?

 

The interview is all about proving you are like the interviewers. Asking some good well informed questions is a great way to solidify this impression. eg. You are a medical student at X university who is a future doctor in Z community.