Today, we have our very first guest post from Ryan Nguyen, a first-year osteopathic medical student at WesternU COMP who blogs at WhiteCoatDO. If you’re interested in guest posting, go ahead and contact me!
As an admissions ambassador for my medical school, I get the chance to give tour guides to medical school interviewees every few weeks. It’s a great chance to help out premeds in a nerve-filled situation I found myself in just a year ago.
At least at WesternU, medical student tour guides have absolutely zero input to your admissions decision (unless you do something ridiculous in front of us- like punch a puppy or something along those lines). We’re debriefed with a few talking points before we meet you, but besides that we have no contact with the admissions office. While the actual interview is the school’s opportunity to gauge their interest in you, the tour and medical students are there to help you gauge your interest in the school. In other words, be prepared to ask your student tour guides some questions! That’s why we signed up (often as volunteers) in the first place.
What kind of questions should you ask your medical student tour guides?
Generally, good questions are ones you couldn’t find the answer to on the school’s website. Also, those super witty and thoughtful questions you have prepared for your interview? Keep those for the end of your interview with a faculty member. Remember, we generally have no input into your decision. No need to impress us, we’re just here to help you.
The following is a list of questions whose answers are generally not found on a school’s website but are highly valuable things to know when choosing between schools. Additionally, these questions are best answered by medical students who live the day-to-day life of what you’d be experiencing as a student.
Go-To Questions To Ask Your Medical Student Tour Guides
- Is the curriculum flexible enough to accommodate a variety of learning styles? Do students have the option to either attend class in person or watch online recordings if needed? (Bottom line: how mandatory is class attendance?)
- How receptive is administration to student input? Are there existing channels for students to address any concerns they may have?
- How often do you have standardized patient encounters in the first year to learn basic interviewing skills?
- Why did you choose this school over others you were accepted to?
- Obviously medical school demands a lot of time for studying, but do you feel like there is enough flexibility to pursue outside the classroom activities?
- What does your class do to relax after big exams?
- Does the main campus building have enough study spots? Do you ever feel like your competing for study rooms with other students? Where do you study at?
- How do students find clinical/research/shadowing opportunities?
Are there any other questions you’d recommend? Let us know in the comments!
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
