u/PearlsandPitfalls

Following up on my General Interview Pearls & Pitfalls post from earlier this month, here's a breakdown of the questions that show up in nearly every traditional interview, with my take on how to approach each of them. Please note that every interviewer has different preferences, so what I say may be different or controversial from other recommendations you've heard.

That said, I've interviewed hundreds and mock interviewed over a thousand applicants over the course of my career. Here are my thoughts:

1. Tell me about yourself

Length: generally 1-3 minutes.

Give an overview of who you are, where you're from, the main characteristics and values that make you who you are, and the experiences that got you here. Most people do best going chronologically; it's also easier for the interviewer to follow.

Close with a memorable line: "...and now I'm applying to medical school, specifically [School], because my ultimate goal is to be the type of physician who [ties to that school's values or mission]."

Should you talk about "why medicine" here? If you ask 10 interviewers, you'll get 10 answers. My take is to give a 30,000-ft overview if it fits naturally, but save the real stories and anecdotes for the Why Medicine question.

2. Why medicine?

If you weren't already tired of this question, you might be by the end of interview season.

• Tell specific, compelling stories
• Show real insight into why medicine is the career for you
• Align your experiences, goals, and values with the school

3. Why this school?

Be specific. I recommending including at least one thing from each of these three buckets:

1. Something general about the school location, reputation, mission statement, motto, values
2. Something about the curriculum PBL? Flipped classroom? Ultrasound training? In-person cadaveric anatomy? Which hospital systems you'd rotate through?
3. Something extracurricular specific research opportunities, student groups, outreach clinics, intramural sports

Ideally, tie each point back to your own experience, then talk about what the school offers, and how it will move you toward the physician you want to become.

4. What questions do you have for me?

Come with 2-3 questions minimum (reusing the same ones across interviews is fine).

Others may disagree here, but in my opinion, this is your last real chance to connect with that interviewer, so ask questions that get them talking about themselves. People remember you more when they've shared something of their own. A few that work well:

• What resource on campus do you think is invaluable to first-year med students here?
• What are you most proud of from graduates of this program?
• What would you add or change about the curriculum, and how long do you think that would take?
• What characteristics have you seen in the most successful students here?
• What did your favorite day working here look like?
• What's your favorite thing to teach medical students?

Save pure logistics questions ("Do students need a car?" "How do students pick 3rd-year rotations?") for the general info session rather than your 1:1 interviewer.

Which of these (or others!) is stumping you most right now? Happy to dig into any of them in the comments. Good luck!

Interview Invitations have officially started being offered for the 2026-2027 cycle. If you've received one already: congratulations! If you haven't yet: it is way too early to be concerned. Given that interview season is upon us, here are a few Pearls and Pitfalls I've gathered from my own interviews, performing hundreds of interviews as an admissions committee member, and mock interviewing well into the thousands of applicants.

Pearls ✅

• Strategically, there are three main things you want to focus on during preparation and execution of each interview:
  • 1️⃣ Content - this is your ability to tell your story in a unique, compelling way that is captivating and memorable to the listener; tell stories, be specific, show that person who you are
  • 2️⃣ Connection - medicine is inherently interpersonal, and your interview essentially tests your ability to connect with another human; let them lead (ie - if they're being stand-off-ish, it's probably best to not try to be super buddy-buddy with them; but if they're warm and inviting, it's reasonable to mirror that warmth)
  • 3️⃣ Incorporate Why That School - Being reasonable, find ways to talk about why you're interested in that school in more than just the "Why This School" question. For example, if you're asked what your favorite extra-curricular experience has been, you can talk about it, and then tie that into something that specific school offers. Schools know you want to be a doctor. You're being interviewed so they can determine how much you want to be a doctor who trains there. Tell them!
• Wear professional attire. Even in a virtual interview, wear the whole outfit (no sweat pants or shorts under a suit jacket)
• Your interview begins the moment you turn on your camera, or if your interview is in person, your interview begins the moment you leave your house. This includes travel! I once heard about an applicant whose flight to an interview got canceled. They made a scene at the Help Desk, totally unaware an Adcom member was in line behind them. Reminder to be kind, even when stressed.
• Go in with confidence. Take a deep breath and remember, once you get to the interview stage, the school believes you're qualified, now show them you want to be there
• Look at your interviewer as a potential future mentor rather than a gate-keeper a majority of the people who serve on Admissions Committees are passionate about med student education and will likely be integral in some aspect of your education. You've done the work, they're there to guide you
• Introduce yourself and lead with gratitude and excitement. When the interview starts say your name, say the interviewer's name (by their professional title), thank them for their time and the opportunity to interview at that institution (say the school's name!). If in person, shake their hand and look them in the eye.

Pitfalls ❌

• Speaking generally or in single word answers. Interviews are supposed to be a conversation. Provide context, anecdotes, reflections, and insights
• Too many "likes" or "ums". This one is tough to recognize if you don't often listen to yourself speak. Practice by recording your responses to common questions in your voice notes app and play it back. We all hate the way we sound, but it's important to recognize how often you use certain vocal tics and the triggers you have for them
• Avoid slag. Slightly controversial, and I'm guilty of this one as well: older AdCom members have lamented the word "vibes", so rein that one in a bit if you can
• Not making eye contact. Virtual interviews make this hard; a trick I've found helpful is to make the screen you're using for the interview (Zoom, Web browser, etc) small and move that window to the center and upper 1/3 of your screen. That way, your eyes will be drawn to the person, and you don't have to try to talk and connect with a green dot or a camera lens
• Ending "tell me about yourself" with "and...yeah" or "that's a little bit about me" I absolutely did this and I'd say 90-95% of applicants do. You know this question is highly likely to be asked first, be prepared for the entire response, including the conclusion
• Not having questions prepared. The only true stupid question is not asking one.

Remember, getting an interview invitation is a huge accomplishment! Take advantage by preparing well, showcasing who you are, and elaborating on why you're interested in that school.

What resonated or surprised you in this list? What questions have been stumping you? Happy to address them below!

I'm a former admissions committee member who has read thousands of applications and mentored hundreds of applicants. I'll be honest, I generally advise mentees to stay off Reddit, but there's plenty of advice floating around here. Some of it is excellent while some is worth questioning, so I figured I'd make myself available to provide some insights.

What specific questions do you have before you hit submit on your primary next week?

Good luck!

As a former AdCom member and practicing surgeon who has reviewed hundreds of applications over the years, here are a few of the patterns I see: specifically, what works and what may hurt applicants in AMCAS/AACOMAS applications (TMDSAS has different requirements for the Work and Activities Section, so while a lot of these may still be helpful for TMDSAS, this list is specifically geared toward AMCAS/AACOMAS):

Pearls

• Choose different experiences to be your Most Meaningful than what you highlight in your personal statement, this is your chance to show more breadth. If that's not possible, make sure you highlight a different story and varied competencies than you did in your personal statement
• Each activity should map to at least one of the AAMC Core Competencies
• Aim for at least 250 hours in each of the following experience types - AdComs are looking for commitment
  • Clinical experience – can be paid or unpaid
  • Non-clinical volunteering - some people refer to this as community service, but the application calls it Non-clinical volunteering
  • Research
  • Combination of Leadership and Teaching
• Fill at least 13 of the 15 available slots
• Activity Description – should answer the question WHAT
  • What is the experience or organization?
  • What is your role?
  • What insights or skills did you gain?
• Most Meaningful Description – should answer the question WHY
  • Why was this experience meaningful for your growth?
• Use action verbs and write succinctly - every word counts given the strict character limit

 Pitfalls

• Conflating the Activity Description and the Most Meaningful Description - these are two separate entires for the same activity; the first is factual and the second is reflective
• Writing your Most Meaningful Description like an extension of your Activity Description - use the Most Meaningful to bring in a vignette/story/anecdote and really dive into and reflect on why this experience prepared you to become a physician and provided you with the tools and skills to be a great one
• Listing shadowing activities in separate slots - instead, consolidate all shadowing experiences in one slot. You can do this either with a bulleted list of physicians and specialties, as a narrative about what you learned generally, or you can do a hybrid of those two. For the contact - choose the physician you shadowed most or had the strongest relationship with
• Omitting context on the organization or your role - reviewers don't know about your specific lab, campus organization, or nonprofit; briefly orient them before describing your contributions
• Filling out less than 10 of the activity slots
• Not varying your use of the Activity Types - if you have multiple nonclinical volunteering experiences and one of them could also be classified as Social Justice, classify it as Social Justice

I recently founded a medical admissions advising company, but my goal with posts like this is to help as many applicants as possible, so I wanted to share this openly. Which activity or description are you most uncertain about how to frame? Happy to dig into your questions below.

Good luck!

One of my research interns, a 2025 grad applying this 2026-2027, cycle asked me point-blank which applicants get the most out of formal application review and advising. It sparked a good debate, so I figured I'd share my take here since AMCAS submission is around the corner.

Quick background on my: I'm a practicing orthopedic surgeon and former admissions committee member who has mentored hundreds of pre-med and medical school applicants both formally and informally. I spent time with one of the larger medical admissions advising companies, working with applicants across the full spectrum of MCAT scores, GPA, dream schools, and career goals.

Here's who, in my experience, tends to benefit most:

• Reapplicants - this one may sting, but I've found it to be true: if your application didn't work the first time, submitting essentially the same one with different hours rarely leads to a different outcome. An outside perspective can identify what actually needs to change.
• Applicants with Borderline Objective Stats - MCAT below 510 (honestly, maybe even 512 given recent cycle competitiveness) or GPA below 3.7? Your written material needs to carry some serious weight. A strong advisor can help you make the most of the materials you can control.
• Applicants with Low Objective Stats Targeting MD - MCAT below 500 and/or GPA below 3.3 is not an automatic dealbreaker, but it requires someone who knows how to strategically position those applications from framing your narrative to thoughtful school list planning
• High Stats Applicants with T20 Aspirations - Counterintuitively, this group is often underserved. When everyone applying to top schools has strong objective numbers, the differentiators are strategy and narrative-focused and an experienced advisor can genuinely move the needle here.
• NonTraditional Applicants without access to their undergrad pre-health advising services - The application process has changed significantly (Casper, PREview, MMI-format interviews, evolving school policies). If you don't have a pre-health office to lean on, having a knowledgeable point of contact can save you from costly, avoidable mistakes.

Happy to answer questions or expand on any of these! Good luck!

As a former admissions committee member, currently practicing surgeon, and mentor/advisor to hundreds of medical applicants over my career, I wanted to share a couple Pearls and Pitfalls for the Personal Statement I've seen over the years since AMCAS opens tomorrow (May 5) for submission May 28.

Your PS is one of the few areas of your application where you showcase your qualities, insights, and experiences in your own voice. Even though the prompt is: “use the space provided to explain why you want to go to medical school,” you want to ensure your PS answers the following questions:

1.     Why do you want to be a physician? (And not another career in medicine, research, social work, advocacy work)

2.     Why will you be a successful medical student and physician?

Pearls

• Utilize vignettes, anecdotes, and very specific stories to illustrate the competencies you want to emphasize
• Construct a clear theme or thesis statement that is then carried throughout the statement
• Use names in your stories; you can change them for privacy
• Strive to utilize formal vocabulary while also maintaining your authentic voice
• Transition well – this may be one of the toughest things to do, which is why outlining your statement first is massively beneficial
• Put yourself in the mind of the reader – these are mostly practicing physicians who are volunteering their time to read applications and be part of admissions committees
• Be transparent and clear in your writing rather than opaque and theoretical
• Ensure your grammar and spelling are on point - candidly, I would stop reading an application if I saw more than two easy mistakes like messing up their//there or affect//effect
• Insightful reflections of your experiences are necessary
• Adhere to the character count limit (5300 characters AMCAS/AACOMAS and 5,000 TMDSAS)

Pitfalls

• Crafting a timeline and simply reiterating your resume or CV
• Being overly negative about medicine, physicians, or experiences. While there are certainly some places in the application to discuss hardships, it’s important to remember to discuss the hardships and then focus on your growth through them, rather than the hardship on its own
• Using your personal statement as a platform to sell religious or political beliefs
• Discussing shadowing experiences without talking about what you have done with those same skills – the doctor you shadowed already made it through medical school, the admissions committee doesn’t care what they did, they want to know what you can do
• Using colloquial, conversational language including slang, abbreviations, contractions, and idioms
• Making sentences too long and convoluted
• Starting the majority of sentences with “I”; vary your sentence structure
• The savior complex
• The phrase, “medicine is not only X, but also Y and Z” or any iteration of that

Please remember, there is no "one size fits all" formula. Similarly, no singular particular aspect of your application is going to be weighed the same at every institution. I'm also sharing this as an educator and advisor to provide general insights rather than individualized advice. This is not medical or clinical advice. In full disclosure, I just launched my own advising company called Pearls and Pitfalls and I'm happy to answer questions here.

TL;DR - Your personal statement should answer why you specifically want to go to medical school, and the skills/characteristics you have that will make you a great physician. Lead with specific vignettes, carry a clear theme, and avoid timelines, AI-generated language, and generic reflections.

Let me know what resonates and what questions you have!

Good luck!