How to Answer the Medical School Interview Question: Tell Me About Yourself

When you wish to enter a medical school, the specific interview question always comes, "tell me about yourself". It is a common question for all students, so how can your answer be outstanding and impressive among all the others' ? How can your answer show your characteristics and your enthusiasm for the medical school? In this blog, you will learn how to prepare for this seemingly normal but important question.

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Preparing the answer for this question, it should include several contents which are listed below. It should be well-structured and that’s why you need to make a draft for it and try to conclude the following contents using clear and beautiful words. 

Now let’s see what parts we should include in the answer for this question!

Part 1: Personal life     

    Make a simple introduction about your background and family like where did you grow up and who raised and influenced you in some way? Is there someone in your family or other people that you know has most influenced you and why? 

    Introduce your interests. What are your interests? Do you like reading? If you do, which book or author do you like best and why? Or if you like watching films, say something about your favorite film can also work.

• Why: It gives a direct and general description about yourself to let the interview know you and build connection with you. It will shorten distance between you and the interview and make the atmosphere of following conversion more comfortable.
• Note: You don’t need to say all these things to introduce yourself, just some points, especially some unique experience from each column is enough.

Part 2: Academic Background        

         

   Say something about your class/ course work, especially the courses which are relevant to your application for the medical school. You can introduce your favorite subject (if relevant) and or some course that you think is difficult to learn. Make an example about some challenges that you met or took during course study. You can say something about what is your greatest academic achievement or failure till now. Have you ever done some relevant research or experiment?

• Why: Introducing your favorite course shows your interest for medical school does not come from nowhere. A specific example about the challenge that you meet shows your efforts and interest in relevant study and it can also make the story more vivid and convincible. 
• Note: Don’t mention all courses which you think are relevant, just some courses or even one which you can provide an example. 

Part 3: Extracurricular Activities and Work Experience ⚽

    Share stories about your extra-academic activities, like sports, community service, arts, hobbies and student government. You can introduce your work experience if it is relevant or show what you have put efforts in during your gap year.

• Why: It is a great way to show that you are a person of many interests and would like to contribute for the community and the society. Someone who volunteers to do something for the society is the student that the medical school prefer. It is a way to show the true personality of yourself, increasing interview’s interest in you.
• Note: You don’t need to list all extra-academic activities in this part, just some activities with short explanations and one or two activities or work which is distinguished if it can show your competence in a field or your characteristics.

Part 4: Present Passion and Future Goals

    Say something about what you are doing at present and what your future goals are. You should show why you want to enter medical school and what you want to do after you obtained the knowledge and the degree from the school. And maybe you can also tell the interview why you choose this medical school if you have specific reasons or good explanations.

• Why: It is a way to show your passion for the career and the specific medical school. This may be the final and the most decisive answer for why you want to learn in the medical school and why should the interview choose you from a bunch of candidates. 
• Note: Your present passion and goals do not all need to be related to the medical school study but at least some of them should be.

Now we have all these contents in our draft. We know why we include these parts and have chosen what to say from a pile of materials. Now we come to the final step. Let’s make it into a structured and clear answer. You need to make every word count and organize the whole response into a coherent one. Then you will get the perfect answer for this question!