Do you remember your medical school interview?
False
Careers
Do you remember your medical school interview?
Discuss training, careers, and education
I stumbled across an interesting website called Life of a Dundee Medical Student: http://lifeofadundeemedstudent.wordpress.com/applying-to-medicine/interviews/ It gives quite a good overview of what t
1
Cat:BMJForum:Careers
Cat:BMJForum:CareersDiscussion:823c26cf-7b10-4742-adf7-7f1bce8d5ceb
|
Re: Do you remember your medical school interview?
posted at 18/4/2012 9:04 AM BST
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 27
First: 25/9/2011 Last: 13/2/2013 |
The only question I recall being asked in 1978 at University College London by Norman Dean was "What are you going to do when we turn you down as you don't have any other interviews do you?" I told him/them that I was going to keep coming back every year until they let me in so if they did that now at least they would be shot of me in 5 years time. It worked. I was offered a place, came in the top 3 in my first year and I recall fondly shoving that piece of paper in front of Norman's nose at the end of the first year exams. He was so pleased he invited me to sit in on future selection panels!! Good times. Thanks for believing in me Norman.
 |
|
|
Re: Do you remember your medical school interview?
posted at 3/5/2012 7:00 PM BST
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 1178
First: 19/4/2010 Last: 21/5/2013 |
In Response to Re: Do you remember your medical school interview?: The only question I recall being asked in 1978 at University College London by Norman Dean was "What are you going to do when we turn you down as you don't have any other interviews do you?" I told him/them that I was going to keep coming back every year until they let me in so if they did that now at least they would be shot of me in 5 years time. It worked. I was offered a place, came in the top 3 in my first year and I recall fondly shoving that piece of paper in front of Norman's nose at the end of the first year exams. He was so pleased he invited me to sit in on future selection panels!! Good times. Thanks for believing in me Norman. Posted by ionabottom The Shawshank Redemption approach. Nice.
|
|
|
Re: Do you remember your medical school interview?
posted at 3/5/2012 7:43 PM BST
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 339
First: 17/12/2011 Last: 15/5/2013 |
Bristol 1969, I think the usual questions of why do you want to study medicine. I think I was asked about what I did at school [Epsom] what position I played at in Rugby [wing three quarter second 15] . Literature [ Orwell] and poetry, WH Auden as I recall. Bristol in the early 70s was great. |
|
Re: Do you remember your medical school interview?
posted at 4/5/2012 12:30 AM BST
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 1
First: 4/5/2012 Last: 4/5/2012 |
Yes! I have been plodding along in London in the middle of A Level subjects at Woolwich Polytechnic. Got an interview for Medical School at last- from Cardiff, Welsh National School of Medicine in 1959, Spring I think. On the appointed day I took the train to Cardiff. All I remember is a visit to the wash room, have a face clean up and wait for the interviewee before me to come out. Then in I go to a meeting room with a long table and there were a number of what I assumed to be Medical School professors or adminstrators. I was asked to have a seat. They were very cordial. Two faces became stuck to my memory since that moment: one was that of the late Provost Trevor Jones who would write to me later to inform me I have been accepted provided.....etc...and the other was that of the late Professor Jacoby (Histology) who was asking the questions at the interview. I was asked about my hobbies orbthe like. I mentioned photography, swimming. Lone activities - No rugby, no football, no cricket unfortunately as I would find out later how strongly my welsh mates felt about these sports. Luckily and thanks to those people in that interview room I was accepted, and I feel indebted to them until this day. |
|
|
Re: Do you remember your medical school interview?
posted at 4/5/2012 12:21 PM BST
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 45
First: 18/5/2009 Last: 9/4/2013 |
In Response to Re: Do you remember your medical school interview?: Yes! I have been plodding along in London in the middle of A Level subjects at Woolwich Polytechnic. Got an interview for Medical School at last- from Cardiff, Welsh National School of Medicine in 1959, Spring I think. On the appointed day I took the train to Cardiff. All I remember is a visit to the wash room, have a face clean up and wait for the interviewee before me to come out. Then in I go to a meeting room with a long table and there were a number of what I assumed to be Medical School professors or adminstrators. I was asked to have a seat. They were very cordial. Two faces became stuck to my memory since that moment: one was that of the late Provost Trevor Jones who would write to me later to inform me I have been accepted provided.....etc...and the other was that of the late Professor Jacoby (Histology) who was asking the questions at the interview. I was asked about my hobbies orbthe like. I mentioned photography, swimming. Lone activities - No rugby, no football, no cricket unfortunately as I would find out later how strongly my welsh mates felt about these sports. Luckily and thanks to those people in that interview room I was accepted, and I feel indebted to them until this day. Posted by HassanB I wasa interviewed and accepted by the same Medical school in 1962 so reading your message and the names brought back many memories! I don't remember much about the interview except for the long table and serious looking men and that I had laryngitis and could hardly speak but being accepted was almost sure as they knew I was the daughter of the professor of Anaesthetics. Yes that's how it worked back then. Unfair I know and there was also a quota of about 10% for women so I was lucky to be included in that minority! |
|
|
Re: Do you remember your medical school interview?
posted at 6/5/2012 10:59 PM BST
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 71
First: 3/4/2012 Last: 31/5/2012 |
2007. I remember it like it was yesterday. I turned up early, sat around, and when I finally went in I choked on my first word. I had to gather myself together, apologise, then as gracefully as possible, carried on. The questions were thrown at my like daggers, some of the panel not allowing me to finish my answer. It was a 15min interview as well, with a ticker clock by my left staring at me. It was nerve-wracking, so much so, I honestly thought I wouldn't get in. I cried on the train on my way back to London!!!! A week later, my acceptance letter came through. I still to this day have no idea why they accepted me, but I am very grateful. I don't cry these days, I'm a lot tougher now hah The questions I was asked why medicine? What work experience have you done? Strengths and weaknesses... And they gave me a scenario of how the UK is becoming more and more obese, thus, do I think the media would help tackle this. I said no. |
|
|
Re: Do you remember your medical school interview?
posted at 12/5/2012 9:03 AM BST
on bmj.com
|
|
Posts: 2
First: 12/5/2012 Last: 12/5/2012 |
I interviewed at Newcastle in 1971 having already done a degree in psychology at Edinburgh. I had been working as a graduate psychologist in a long stay hospital for the mentally handicapped (1971 term). Newcastle luckily had a reputation for taking a few graduates every year so I thought I might have a chance. In my written application they had asked for sports and I had to admit "Squash - badly". At the interview they asked why I had rated Newcastle lower than Sheffield - I said that I would have changed the rating based on what I knew (I was sympathetic to Sheffield as Yorkshire born). Professor Walton said he sympathized with my squash as he played badly too!. They asked me why I wanted to do medicine and I said that I wanted to know about the content area and the skills that it taught - many of the patients I saw were receiving large amounts of tranquillizers and could not benefit from training programs. I was at this time quite passionate on the situation of people with mental handicap and this may have come across. I was accepted and I think Newcastle was and is one of the best medical training you can get and this is before it got such a great club scene! - I will always be grateful for the opportunities they gave me. I was a local and national prizewinner when I graduated so I hope that I have justified their selection. |
|
|
Re: Do you remember your medical school interview?
posted at 12/7/2012 12:28 PM BST
on bmj.com
|
|
Posts: 25
First: 11/7/2012 Last: 28/9/2012 |
My first interview was at Cambridge. Sweaty palms and a constricting tie (I didn’t have a uniform at school and had never put one on before). Good cop bad cop format, with questions on why medicine, experience, the inverse square law and on which diseases different ethnic groups are more at risk from. Bristol was very different and pleasant. Took us on a guided bus tour around the city before an interview mainly about playing chess, from what I remember. Can’t remember any questions about motivations or skills. Imperial was quite scientific, with questions about what I would contribute to the medical school as well. UCL rejected me on the basis of my written application. Then two weeks later they called me up and said they had changed their mind: not doing biology A/AS level was no longer a barrier. Again I remember it to be mostly about motivations and experience for studying medicine, but the bulk was mainly about critiquing my favourite books. |
|
|
Re: Do you remember your medical school interview?
posted at 15/10/2012 10:36 AM BST
on bmj.com
|
|
*Moderator*
Posts: 1447
First: 7/4/2011 Last: 22/5/2013 |
I saw this article over the weekend - which is about some of the questions given to Oxford University applicants: “Why do animals have stripes?” “Why do human beings have two eyes?” “Does poetry have to be difficult?” “Imagine we had no records about the past at all except everything to do with sport – how much of the past could we find out about?” “Why are strawberries and ladybirds both red?”
|
