BSMS > About BSMS > News > 2020 > What is it like to be interviewed for medical school? Part one

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

We know that interviews can be both daunting and stressful, but with sufficient practice and preparation you can turn up on the day feeling ready and equipped with a strong understanding of what interviewers are looking for. To help provide some further insight and reassurance to prepare for your interview(s) we’ve asked some of our current students to reflect on their experience of interviewing for medical school and to provide their top tip to help you cinch that interview!

BACKGROUND IMAGE FOR PANEL

Joseph Langworthy – Intercalating

How was your experience of interviewing for medicine?

All of my interviews were MMIs but I think panel-style interviews wouldn't be too dissimilar. When I was preparing for my interviews, I tried to think of questions or topics that were likely to come up. Interviewers want to see that you have certain skills or experience (for example, the ability to manage stress or work in a team), so it may help to think of a few examples before your interview. This way, you have them to hand and won't feel flustered trying to think of an example on the spot. At the same time, it's worth taking a second after the question to gather your thoughts and think about what you want to say, rather than rushing in. I also wouldn't recommend trying to memorise a scripted answer. As well as personal examples, it's good to have an idea about what's going on with advances in medical science and wider challenges the NHS is facing - junior doctors' contracts was a big topic around the time of my interviews! I also made sure I knew why I wanted to go to that particular medical school over the others.

Overall, I wasn't too nervous about my interviews until the point when I was outside the room waiting to go in - I remember being particularly nervous just before my BSMS interview as it was my top choice! Generally though, you will find you feel fine once you've started and are just focusing on your answers. In any case, interviewers will be expecting candidates to be nervous as it's completely normal. Most interviewers are very friendly so try and see it as an opportunity for a chat about something you're passionate about! In addition, some MMIs have different tasks for you to do, which can be quite fun.

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

When talking about anything healthcare related, always remember the patient is at the centre of everything we do.

BACKGROUND IMAGE FOR PANEL

Ollie Pentz – Intercalating

How was your experience of interviewing for medicine?

I found the experience interviewing for medicine challenging, but in a very good way. Although it takes a lot of time and can be quite stressful, it makes you think very deeply about the reasons why you are applying, which for me gave me the motivation I needed to get through it. Being 17 at the time travelling to lots of different cities in the UK to talk at length about medicine was a really exciting prospect, but also quite frightening as I’d never done anything like it before. Forgetting the medical aspects, it was great to look around and learn more about different cities in the UK I’d really recommend checking out as much as the city as you can before or after the interview.

I took every opportunity to practice and prepare, as you don’t get many chances to show off how good a candidate you are, so I thought it so important that the few chances I did get were done to the best of my ability.

I thought the process taught me a lot about communication, particularly making your points precisely and not wasting time with waffle. Also, I felt it helps you develop ways in which you can articulate structured arguments properly. Backing up all your points with evidence is vital in every academic field, and also in interviews. Overall, the experience seemed daunting at first and took a lot of time and effort, but was 100% worth it in the end.

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

Make sure your answers to interview questions are genuine and your own. It makes your answer seem better and more organic, but more importantly if you want to be a good doctor then you should be able to answer all the questions yourself.

BACKGROUND IMAGE FOR PANEL

Nathan Anorson – Year 4

How was your experience of interviewing for medicine?

I applied to medical school twice - once in Year 13 and then on my gap year after not getting in first time round. Both times I interviewed with BSMS (using panel interview) and the second time round I also interviewed with Leeds (using MMI). I remember the first time round I was very very nervous, as I had never really had a proper interview before, and I wasn't really sure what to expect. In terms of preparation I thought I did a lot, but in reality, the preparation that I did do wasn't very good quality - I spent a lot of time reading a medical school interview book! I went into the interview not as prepared as I could have been and also wasn't feeling very confident. During the interview I struggled to articulate myself properly and didn't answer questions to the best of my ability. After receiving my rejection, I reflected on why I didn't do as well and decided to re-apply. I made sure second time round that I practiced talking in a mirror over common questions that could be asked and that gave me so much more confidence going in the second time round as I knew roughly what I was going to say if I was asked about work experience/volunteering for example. It also showed me how much I had done and was reassuring for myself as I was justifying to myself why I deserved a place a medical school, which is helpful as I could then convince the interviewers!

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

Practice, practice, practice! Out loud! Make sure you practice answering questions out loud under pressure whether that be with teachers, friends or family! Make sure you take you time to answer questions and give yourself time to think!

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