Session 91 Back again for the fourth time, Dr. Greg Polites graces today's show. Dr. Polites is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. He also volunteers his time for the Admissions Committee at the school. In today's episode, Ryan and Greg talk about preparing for the medical school interview, when to start and how to start the legwork, to help you ace your medical school interview. Here are the highlights of the conversation with Greg: Things to prepare for the medical school interview: Research about the school before you show up. Explore their website and learn more about them to show your genuine interest in the school. Be prepared for specific content areas. Know the hot topics in the news, enough to intelligently discuss them. (ex. PPACA) Be able to form an opinion and discuss it in a way that shows a respectful tone towards someone with a different opinion. Don't give the interviewer answers you think they want to hear but one based on information you've researched and understanding that. Go through some of these difficult areas and think about them enough that you won't be thrown off guard (ex. stem cell research, medical malpractice, abortion) Application picture has to look professional. Attend an event that the school offers a night before or on the day of the interview in order to learn more about the school and meet some students to see if you're a good fit for the school. Don't hesitate to ask questions during the interview. Avoid asking questions that are too analytical. It should be a effortless conversation. Do a mock interview. A mock interview is important to help you polish your interview skills. Record yourself when doing mock interviews to watch out for nervous ticks, fillers, etc. Be relatively conservative in your appearance. Dress professional and don't wear something that will raise questions. Be clean and appropriate. Male applicants have to dress with a suit and a tie and females have to wear their Sunday best. Assess your communication skills. Work on your communication skills because it is an important aspect in being a physician. Be yourself. Be affable. Let them see your personality and why you're a good fit. The admissions committee wants to know you as a person and if you're a good fit. More Do's and Don'ts During the Interview: Pose some questions at the end but not too many. Avoid one-word answers. Don’t ramble. Don’t interrupt the interviewer. Don’t blurt out answers if you don't know what you're saying. Take a minute to think about it. Know your research and activities well and be prepared to discuss these. Be honest and straightforward. Never curse. Don’t bring up inappropriate topics which could make your interview uncomfortable. Don't badmouth another professor or another school. Don’t be arrogant. Take time to listen to the other person talking. Listen to the question. Be positive and friendly. Don't cry. Don’t speak too fast. Smile. Don't be overbearing when expressing your interest in the school... Is it okay to send your interviewer a "thank you" letter? Yes. Email is fine. A thank you card is appropriate too. Links and Other Resources: Other interviews featuring Dr. Greg Polites: Session 023 - Interview with Dr. Polites of MedPrep at Wash.U. Session 035 - How to Fix a Medical School Application After Starting Premed Poorly Session 088 - Writing Personal Statements for Medical School Are you a nontraditional student? Go check out oldpremeds.org. For more great content, check out www.mededmedia.com for more of the shows produced by the Medical School Headquarters including the OldPremeds Podcast and watch out for more shows in the future! Free MCAT Gift: Free 30+ page guide with tips to help you maximize your MCAT score and which includes discount codes for MCAT prep as well. Hang out with us over at medicalschoolhq.net/group. Click join and we'll add you up to our private Facebook group. Share your successes a