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Advice for Interviewing

Notification of an interview indicates that you have passed a major screening. A few applicants begin hearing about interviews within a month after their applications are complete, but the interviewing season stretches over months, from September until March or April of the following year. In general, those applicants whom admissions committees consider to be the best, are notified first. Many schools send rejection notices to students whose qualifications are judged to be below the minimum for admission to that school quite early, in the hope that they will be able to make sincere commitments to graduate school or jobs at the appropriate time, rather than postponing consideration of alternatives until spring when final rejections come in.

Having an early interview is very advantageous. Reviewers of applications are less jaded early in the season, and are likely to look upon you more favorably. Interviewers will be more at ease when you are the 100th rather than the 1000th person to whom they have spoken.

When you receive an interview request from one school, it is useful to call other schools in that geographical area to see if they are willing to set up interviews at the same time so you can combine your visits in one trip from Claremont.

You can expect questions regarding: your qualifications and motivation for medical school; undergraduate curriculum, particular courses, academic problem areas; your frank assessment of your strengths and weaknesses; extracurricular activities (leadership roles, helping others, health care experience); commitment to a career in medicine (demonstrated by your knowledge of current political, social and controversial health care issues) and volunteer work in health care settings. Some of these questions may be couched in somewhat adversarial terms, and others may be in the format of a scenario: "You are the attending physician, and a patient asks you…What would you do?" Be prepared for different styles of questions. For many questions, there is no "right" or "expected" or "party-line" answer. How could there be on such issues as physician-assisted suicide, HMO's, single-payer proposals, or the situation of a 14-year-old girl who is pregnant and wants an abortion but doesn't want her parents told? Rather, interviewers are looking for evidence that you have seriously thought about such issues.

It's possible you will be asked "off the wall" questions you may deem improper or inappropriate, and which even may be illegal. For example, Pomona applicants have been asked about their marital status, sexual behavior, precautions used to guard against pregnancy, religious views, local baseball or football team preference, etc. Some of these may be legitimate questions badly phrased. Others are conspicuously improper. You cannot predict such questions. But do contemplate how you would respond in a way that will not offend the interviewer and thus jeopardize your chances of being accepted. Try to rephrase the question into something that is acceptable. In other cases, you may wish to decline to answer. Don't become either antagonistic or angry.

If you believe that you have had a poor interview, or if you regard the behavior of the interviewer as less than professional, contact the medical school's Admissions Office immediately, since they may be able to arrange a new interview for you before you leave the school. We would also very much appreciate hearing about your experience.

If you decline an invitation for an interview (for whatever reason), be sure to contact the medical school immediately. Not showing up without any contact gives a mark against you and Pomona College.

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Resources for Interviewing

In late summer start preparing for interviews. Information and advice can be found in publications available in the CDO Library (for example, Danek and Danek's, Becoming A Physician) and on-line.

One of the best resources on-line is contributed to by fellow premed interviewees. Consult the website where applicants post information about their interview experiences at The Student Doctor Network and be sure to contribute your information after interviewing. Consider the cost and time commitment of interviews (you'll likely be away from campus during class days) and make the most of your interview days to learn about the schools and communities you visit.

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Requesting Pomona Alumni Contacts

When thinking about traveling to your interviews, staying with a medical student can not only save you money, but also it can give you more information about the school. Many schools have scheduled and well-designed interview days where all information that is presented to applicants is filtered. Staying overnight with a first-year student can give you a different perspective of the school, possibly more accurate and honest information as well.

Many recent Pomona alumni would be happy to give current Pomona students information and opinions about their current medical school. Having gone through the applicant and interview process, alumni may also be able to host applicants provided their schedule allows

Contact Brenda Reynolds to request contact information for schools where you have an interview scheduled. She can put you in touch with the large Pomona network of alumni in medical school.

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Additional Advice Document

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