Interview with a Medical School Admissions Expert

Session 19

In today’s episode, I talk with Dr. Norma Wagoner. With almost 30 years of experience in the admissions process, she has served as the Dean of Admissions for multiple medical schools, such as Rush University, University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine, and the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Today, she shares a ton of valuable information about the interview process, what medical schools are looking for in an application to get an interview, and what the admissions committee is looking for during the interview process.

Dr. Wagoner’s path to medicine:

Graduating with a PhD from WashU in Anatomy
Taking her first job at Rush Medical College in Chicago, teaching anatomy
Becoming Dean of Admissions after one year out of graduate school
Being recruited to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and serving for 10 years
Becoming the National Chair of Student Affairs
Being on the National Board of Medical Examiners
Writing the electronic residency application process
Becoming Dean of Students at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine for 14 years (also doing admissions)
Becoming Dean of Admissions at University of Colorado School of Medicine

What admissions committees are looking for in your med school application:

Meeting the criteria and competencies the school is looking for
Understanding the mission of the institution
Good critical thinking skills
Excellence in quantitative reasoning
Strong scientific inquiry (especially if the school has a big research component)
Communication skills
Residency competencies
Knowledge of yourself and others
Cultural competence
Teamwork and reliability
Ethical responsibilities
Ability to cope well and adapt

“Demystifying the process” at the University of Colorado School of Medicine:

Posting all the criteria they use online for applicants to see
Handing out the interview form to applicants as she seeks to “demystify” the process.
Making students as comfortable as they can be to allow them to do their best
The more information given out, the more comfortable students feel

Predictors of Medical School Success:

Undergrad GPA and MCAT: Gives an indication of how well a student might do in the first two years of medical school and on the Step 1 exam.
Knowledge and professionalism will help in the third year

The medical school applicant pool:

In 2012, there were 45, 266 applicants
A student submits an average of 14 applications
This means medicals schools wade through well over half a million applications
Under 20,000 people are matriculating to medical school
Roughly only half will be interviewed
Ratio of 2.3 applications to each position
About 54 medical schools get between 5,000 and 15,000 applications

In 2012, there were 45,266 applicants to medical school. Under 20,000 matriculate.Click To Tweet

Narrowing the group of applications:

Grades and MCAT as the only standard measure across the board for all applicants
Inviting the top students first and working down from there
Tremendous grade inflation as an issue (for GPA)

How to prepare for your medical school interviews:

You may have a standard interview or a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI); 15 schools in the US are now participating in MMIs.

Ask yourself why you applied to the school.
What are your strongest attributes that would allow you to do well as a student there?
Go the school’s website and read all the materials.
Think of questions you want to ask the interviewer.
Look at the time of the interview, where to go, where to park, etc.
Build a little portfolio about each of the schools you’re applying to.
Identify whether it’s an open or closed interview (blind or partially blind).
Review your application, goals, and experiences.

Be careful if you wrote in your application that you speak fluent Spanish but you really don’t. They might conduct the entire interview in Spanish!

The University of Colorado uses partially blind interviews to focus on their criteria, looking at the student’s passions and goals, avoiding bias from grades and MCAT scores that pre-direct them to certain questions confirming why they should or shouldn’t take the students.

Build a little portfolio about each of the medical schools you're applying to, to help in your interview prep.Click To Tweet

More on the MMI:

Not about connecting with the interviewer but how the applicant responds to a series of standardized situations
Looking for communication, social interaction, compassion, problem-solving, and teamwork
Strengths, weaknesses, and some issues around it
Students need to practice flexibility in facing new situations with confidence