Med School interview questions

Why do you want to be a doctor?

-Humanistic Aspect...

-Responsibility

-Love learning science

What will you do if you aren't accepted to medical school?

-Reapply

what makes you special among the other candidates?

-Experiences relating to all different types of people...a lot of exposure to different ideas

What are your 2 best points?

-Lots of global exposure (cultural)...makes it so I can understand people better in context of their background

-Work ethic

What are your 2 weakest points?

-Sometimes still prone to careless mistakes. Nothing detrimental but just want to maximize my potentialr

-Not always good at relating concepts to applications like in lab (not a lot of xperience with it being a psych major...took immunology to help)

What do you think will be your greatest challenge in completing medical school or learning how to be a doctor?

becoming familiar with all the different procedures and being able to read charts to the point where its very natural

In your view, what is the most pressing problem facing medicine today?

need more doctors...doctors seeing too many patients can't build p/d relationship impt to well-being

How will you pay for medical school?

-loans

-parents help

If you could do anything different in your education, what would you do?

-try to do a double major in biology

Where else are you applying?

- U of R

- Buffalo

- Upstate

- Stony Brook

-Albany

-Philly schools

-Chicago schools

Have you been accepted anywhere?

- maybe

What is your first choice?

- not sure

- like seeing schools

Tell me about yourself

- 2nd gen/1st born in America

- goal oriented

- faith

- diverse interests

- learn new things

What do you do in your spare time?

- weight lifting

- football

- basketball

How did you get here?

- hard work

- parents

- twin

- friends

Why would you be a good doctor?

-Caring

-Knowledgeable

-Responsible

What do you feel are the most important qualities in being a good doctor?

- compassionate

- hardworking(field changing)

- articulate( communication skills)(w/ employees & patient)

What are your hobbies?

film-making

playing guitar/piano

staying active(sports/weightlifting)

Are you a leader or follower? why?

-leader...have sought out leadership roles in my career

What exposure have you had to the medical profession?

-Teresa House

-Shadowing

Discuss your clinical experiences

Bilal Ahmed, Shakeel, McGuire (know for how long you did these and when)

Discuss your volunteer work

Dispatcher, Lose the Training Wheels, Big Brother, Volunteer Coach, Head of Youth Group

What will you like most about medicine?

-Humanistic Aspect

-Challenging (both academically initially in medical school and then always changing)r

What do you think you will like least about medicine?

- politics

- health care issues

What is your view on cloning?

- not humans

- medicinal use- YES

What is your view on abortion?

- avoid it except in certain cases

What is your view on euthanasia?

family decision, also something I would avoid, also willing to act as professional

Why our school?

- Go!

Would you perform abortions under our healtchcare system? under what conditions?

- yes, in certain cases, rape

What are three things you want to change about yourself?

- more time w/ parents & friends

- more routine with exercise

- improve, not change little things ( smile more, more time for friends, text people more)

How would you describe the relationship science and medicine?

-more from science --> more more from medicine

- compassion needs knowledge

Who has most influenced your life so far and why?

-Parents

What are the pros and cons of your healthcare system?

- Pros (high quality, well trained physician, technologically advanced

- Cons (inefficient, paper-work, not everyone gets it)

If you had the power, what changes would you make to our healthcare system?

- cover everybody

- cards with chips

What is your opinion on HMO's and PPO's

HMO(health maintenance organization) - gatekeeper, copay, limited choice

PPO(Preferred Provider organization) - can go out of network, pay premium, don't need gatekeeper to see specialist

Do doctor's make too much money?

- yes and no

- incredibly high demand

- useful service

- many years of training

- could take more out of doctor's paycheck for other use

Is it ethical for doctor's to strike?(Think about people not getting care b/c of strike)

- if unfair practices

- a doctor will find other ways-

- not put others health in jeopardy

What is the Hippocratic Oath?

oath taken by physicians to ethically practice medicine

What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?

Medicaid are for low-income

medicare for retirees above 65

Should fetal tissue be used to treat disease?

yes

Should Doctors be allowed to pull the plug on terminally ill patients?

- family talk

- patient consent

If a patient is dying from a bleed, would you transfuse blood if you knew they would not approve?

- family involved

- respect his view

- get it documented

What do you do to handle stress?

- talk to friends

- exercise

What's your cause?/ What are you passionate about?

- youth organizations

- potential

- quality health care

Why study medicine when you have so many talents?

- stars/moon

- take as much responsibility as possible

Who is your hero and why?

Dad

How can you tell if someone is truly compassionate?

- what do they do in free time

- how they treat family

- how they treat someone who can't do anything for them

What question do you have for me?

*

What would your best friends say about you?

- loyal

- hardworking

- patient

- cares about his family

Name something you are most proud of

- youth group we started

Which languages do you speak? and why?

urdu, arabic, english, spanish

Which college course interested you the most?

economics 108

- biochemistry

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

- practicing physician

- loving father/ husband

- started a clinic

What are you doing with your time off?

- youth group

- arabic studies

- film internship

Why aren't you doing EMT right now?

-youth group

- didn't want to over commit & under deliver

- starting in january

What do you have to say about your declining performance in undergrad?

-it was overcommit, underdeliver

- missed science courses

What personal experiences prepare you to live in this city and what will be your personal support system?

- lived two weeks with brother

- brother be personal support

- friends in long island/NYC

Do you have a specific reason you want to attend medical school in this city?

- brother

- best friend in long island

- there's a lot to do

- comfortable distance from home

Why did you graduate a semester early?

-money

- get more involved in groups

- MCAT

Are there any classes that you did not do well in that you would like to explain?

econometrics - overextended myself

Talk about your experience in MSA and what you gained from it?

- climbed leadership

- first e-board experience

- learned about organizing

- closer to faith

- met new people

- interfaith events

- muslim culture environment for students

What is this bhangra, tell me about it?

-south-asian dance

So you played flag football in college?

- all four years , won 3 championships

How was your experience as a microbiology lab technician at U of R?

- lab never sleeps

- label specimens

- city of rochester- high level STD testing

What did you gain as an Economics 108 TA

- teaching is learning

As a coach for inner-city youth, what did you gain, how was the experience?

- kicked off leadership experiences for me

- communicate with parents

- love kids for parents

- kids want to have fun

- disciplinarian

- Brenda Lee story

What did you gain as a Biochemistry TA?

- teaching is learning

- learn to run a workshop

- creative ways to teach- metaphors

- spent a lot of time preparing

How was your experience as a child mentor or Big?

- I love kids- so much potential

- reminded how it feels to be a kid

- realize kids need some academic professional guidance

Tell me about singing and this a capella group

- sing since child

- tried out freshman year

- perform in front of 1000

- spring breaks

- brotherhood/ friendships

Tell me about this video internship

- love for film started in 8th grade

- love use of soundtrack/visuals for feeling

- promoting youth organization

- travel over break

For how long did you do each of your clinical experiences

McGuire- Jan 2012- Feb 2012- 10 hours a week

Shakeel May 2012- June 2012 - 10 hours a week

Ahmed- June 09 to July 09 around 5 hours a week

For how long did you do your volunteer experiences

RHYBL- May 2010- September 2010 - 20 hours a week

Big Brothers- September 2010- now- 2 hours a week

YM- May 2012- Now- 10 hours a week

Lose the Training Wheels- Summer 09- now- 20 hours a week

Tell me about your personal statement and your relationship with your brother

- best friend

- like marriage

- changed

- had to find new outlets

How was your neighborhood like, the one you grew up in

upper-middle class- neighborhood

- played football

- neighborhood bbq's

-well lit

- christmas lights

If you like helping people, then why not another career

- shoot for stars, end up with moon

Why did you choose an Economics major? How has that helped you gain a perspective in medicine?

econ 108- stephen landsburg

- medicine perspective- everything based on value (time in line, health,)

- helped understand motives

How did you study for the MCAT?

Berkeley review- 6-8 hour days, questions, practice tests

Why did you take a year off? And what has this year meant to you?

- meant a lot

- medicine something I want to do

- still things I want to do for myself/community

- personal improvement

- spend time with family

- recharge batteries

What do you know about the history of our school?

*