Interviewing Applicants for
Medical School, Internship
and Graduate School
Gary J. Balady, MD
Assistant Dean of Admissions
Professor of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine
Preparing for an Interview
• Know your Institution
– Who are you and whom do you represent
• Know your program
• Application Review
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
MISSION STATEMENT
Boston University School of Medicine is dedicated
to the educational, intellectual, professional, and
personal development of a diverse group of exceptional
students, trainees, and faculty who are deeply
committed to the study and to the practice of medicine,
to biomedical research, and to the health of the public.
We, as a community, place great value on excellence,
integrity, service, social justice, collegiality, equality of
opportunity, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Boston Medical Center
Established 1996
Biosquare
Preparing for an Interview
• Know your Institution
– Who are you and whom do you represent
• Know your program
• Application Review
White Coat Ceremony
• Summer research
– Stipends through the Office of
Student Affairs
– ~30 students/year participate
Boston University Medical Campus
Medical Student Residence Hall
Preparing for an Interview
• Know your Institution
– Who are you and whom do you represent
• Know your program
• Application Review
HOLISTIC REVIEW
A flexible, highly individualized process
by which balanced consideration is given to
the multiple ways in which applicants may
prepare for and demonstrate preparation
for a career in medicine.
Candidates are evaluated by criteria that
are institution-specific, broad-based,
mission-driven, and that are applied
equitably across the entire candidate pool.
Courtesy of Robert Witzburg, MD
Preparing for an Interview
• Application Review
– Applicant background
• Academics
– Undergraduate/graduate/post graduate training
– GPA/ standardized test scores
– Awards/honors
• Home/family/personal interests
• “Distance traveled”
– Experiences
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Clinical
Research/publications
Volunteer work
Other – travel/ arts/ sports teams/student groups
Preparing for an Interview
• Application Review
– Personal Statements and Essays
• Tells a story about the individual
– Why medical school? Why internal medicine?
Why neurobiology research?
– Well written/cohesive/ grammatical and spelling
errors
– Letters
– Knowledge of the applicant
– Intelligence/competence
– Personal attributes
» Professionalism
» Interpersonal skills
» Work ethic
The Interview
• “Every encounter is an opportunity”
• “ We are always selecting and recruiting”
– R. Witzburg
• Environment
– Reflects the professionalism that we
desire in our applicants
– Start on time
– Avoid phone calls and interruptions
The Interview
• First Impressions
– Put the applicant at ease ( if possible)
– Find common ground
• “ I’m from New Jersey too!”
– Have a conversation
• Explore items in the application
– Waived right of access to letters/confidentiality
• Knowledge of research
• Discuss experiences/activities/interests
• Clarify items and issues
– Unexplained time gaps
The Interview
• Specific Question Areas
– Ethical issues
– Professionalism
– Why Boston University?
– What are you seeking in a training
program?
• Time for Questions to the Interviewer
– Any areas which the applicant wants to
discuss?
– Other questions
• Resources for the applicant
– The Exit
Sample question
• One of your established patients asks you to
write her a prescription for an antibiotic. She
is not having any symptoms but tells you
that it is for her brother, who does not have
health insurance and cannot afford the
medications.
– What issues do you consider important in
coming to a decision about what to do?
The Interview
• Specific Question Areas
– Ethical issues
– Professionalism
– Why Boston University?
– What are you seeking in a training
program?
• Time for Questions to the Interviewer
– Any areas which the applicant wants to
discuss?
– Other questions
• Resources for the applicant
– The Exit
The Interview Report
• Customized Report for the Position
• Summarize applicant history
– Who is this person?
• Academics
• Experiences as relevant to the position
– Clinical
– Research
– Leadership
– Interests
The Interview Report
• Letters
– Author/ Brief synthesis
• Red Flags
• Summary