The application process is designed for medical schools to get as full a picture of you as possible.

If you receive an interview invitation you have made it through the first cut and they want to know more about who you are. While admission is not guaranteed at this point, you have certainly passed an important plateau, and your chances of admission are much better than they were before you received an interview invitation. You may be interviewed by admissions staff, admissions committee members and/or faculty, staff, and students at the medical school.

Types of Interviews:

• An open file interview means the interviewer will be knowledgeable about you and your candiacy
• A closed file interview means the interviewer likely knows nothing about you or Haverford. 
• A Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) consists of a series of short, structured interview stations used to assess candidate’s skills and abilities including: cultural sensitivity; teamwork; ethical decision making; empathy; the ability to think on your feet; and communication skills. It does not assess specific knowledge of the medical field.

Preparing for Your Interview:

• Read the medical school’s admission website, re-read your submitted application, and practice talking about yourself, your experiences, and why you want to be a physician.
  • Make an appointment with a career counselor at the Center for Career and Professional Advising (CCPA) to schedule a mock interview.
• Keep abreast of issues in the medical field. Medical schools will have an assumption that you have a basic understanding of the current hot issues in medicine and policies in the U.S.
• MD-PhD Applicants: Be sure that you know your science and research well, and have practiced talking about it, particularly with people who may not be in the same field.

After your interview, you should capture and record your impressions of the school and its programs. The medical school application process is long, and past applicants have commented that keeping an “impressions blog” helped them to draw distinctions between schools later in the process when you have to make final decisions.