Help Predicting What Questions I May Be Asked During The Interview?

[Confused 20]

Once again any input on what difficult questions I may be asked on my above credentials will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


https://student.studentadmin.uconn.edu/cs/CSPR/cache/PT_PIXEL_1.gif


https://student.studentadmin.uconn.edu/cs/CSPR/cache/PT_PIXEL_1.gif

[Experienced]

Appropriate handle. Why in the name of G-d/Allah/Govinda/Zoroasterman/Buddha/Neptune, etc do you think that anyone on this planet would be remotely interested in reading your entire resume? And then commenting on it?

(long long long pause)

My issue is that there are entirely too many people like this gentleman (DSM-IV peoples, quick! Hint: PD) at medical schools.

E.

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[wolfvgang22]

Ok, I deleted my last message, because I was going to be too nice and not very helpful to you. See comments below in red, hopefully more helpful to you. I'm going to be honest, straight up, no sugar coating.

If you submitted this stuff with the same wording you did here, I would expect you will be rejected, no matter how well you interview, so I hope you didn't. The good news is that Saba won't black list you if you need to try again, persisitance is usually a good thing.
Good Luck,
~W
I have an interview in the near future and I was wondering if anyone would be so kind as to view my application materials and help me predict what questions I may be asked regarding my resume (especially my clinical experience) and my personal statement. I am tremendously nervous about the interview so any input will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance to anyone who is kind enough to reply. My credentials that I sent Saba are as follows:
Resume
OBJECTIVE: To gain entrance in to Saba University School of Medicine.
Poor statement. We know you applied and want in. What do you want to do with your life? Do you want to be a family doctor in your home community, or challenge yourself to become the first MD in your family, or hope to help alleviate the coming shortage of cardiothoracic surgeons? Tell us how you want to serve. Be specific, be more original, be yourself here. Or run the risk of being ignored among a sea of applicants.


EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, December 2009
University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
Graduating Summa Cum Laude with an overall GPA of 3.833 on a 4.0 scale
Major GPA: 3.914
Science GPA: 3.810
Very good. No problems here.
But...why are you applying to a caribbean school? Have you every failed a class? Made a bunch of C's in college in anything? Drop some classes? I did, did you? If so, those could be red flags and you'd need to explain what happened, what you learned from past mistakes if asked in your interview.


EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Volunteer at Local Hospital, Same Day Surgery Department - 934.5 hours
Research Assistant at the University of Connecticut Health Center Genetics Lab - 213 hours
Research Assistant for Poeciliine Gonopodium Length and Size Dependence of Mating Strategies: A Comparative Analysis Research Project - 1 semester
Research Assistant for Multi-Component Evaluation to Minimize the Spread of Aquatic Invasive
Seaweeds, Harmful Algal Bloom Microalgae, and Invertebrates via the Live Bait Vector in Long Island SoundResearch Project - 2 summers
Research Assistant for The Asian red seaweed Grateloupia turuturu (Rhodophyta) invades the Gulf of Maine Research Project - 1 summer
Biology Tutor - 1 semester
Member of the University of Connecticut Pre-Medical Society - 8/08 - present
Volunteer at Local Soup Kitchen - 11/07 - present

Good work here, nice research stuff and volunteering. But what do you do for fun? Don't leave out your hobbies. Being a poli sci major, do you still follow politics? Do you play an instrument, watch indie art movies, hike, cook, barbeque, or just a big computer geek like me? Give us a good, clean reason it might be fun to hang out with you, or at least interview you on the phone. It's important, even in residency interviews, to show you may have a personality with interests outside medicine.

ACCOLADES/ACHIEVEMENTS
Winner of Capital Scholarship What is this? Might be asked.
Named to the Dean's List - 7 occasions Give exact dates or grade level.
Awarded an Honor's Credit - Economics
Named a New England Scholar - 3 occasions I like, sounds good. What is it, who gives this out? Might be asked.
Member of the Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society
Member of the Golden Key International Honour Society
Member of The Phi Kappa Phi Honor Club
Received Excellence in Biology Award – 2007
Awarded Certificate of Appreciation – Local Hospital



EMPLOYMENT
1/07-present Certified Nursing Assistant, Local Hospital
Duties include:


Communicating with patients and health care professionals
Discharging patients out of the hospital
Setting up and storing medical equipment
Taking vital signs-pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and respiration
Providing patients with nutrition
Changing bed linens
Cleaning patients’ roomsAnswering patients’ calls and delivering messages

We all know what CNA's do, of course. Rather than just give this list, it would be more compelling if you gave a very brief paragraph under the heading, showing what you learned and can bring to the table. Here's a very rough example:
"As a CNA XXXX Memorial Hospital, I learned how to communicate effectively with patients, families, and other health care professionals in a variety of settings. I learned how to collect clinical data and provide basic daily care in an efficient, caring manner while protecting patient confidentiality. I learned the importance of cleanliness, stewardship of expensive medical equipment and infection control at the point of patient contact. I assisted the staff nutritionist in helping patients reach their treatment goals, and followed them throughout their hospital stay until discharge. In recognition of my hard work, I was fortunate to receive a certificate of appreciation from the hospital in 2007."
NO MCAT
This might be important, it's getting harder and harder to get by without this.
NO Physics
You might strongly consider doing some physics. Some Universities offer physics without trigonometry for non-science majors, and might be an option. You are trying to enter a big competition called med school. Get used to it, only the determined make it.
2 Letters of Recommendation From Biology Professors
Will Be Taking Organic Chemistry II as I complete My Degree This Fall
Good.
Personal Statement
“What’s wrong with your voice?” This question haunted me for eleven years. When I was first confronted with it at the age of thirteen, it greatly perplexed me because I did not realize there was anything unusual about my voice. However, I quickly learned that I had a very high-pitched and hoarse voice, and I was very often mimicked, ridiculed, and ostracized by my peers. Possessing such an awkward voice resulted in a multitude of painful and embarrassing experiences. I would sweat profusely while I was in school in fear that I would be called upon to read or participate: I knew a round of laughter would soon follow. My confidence and self-esteem suffered, and I seldom spoke or engaged in social activity.
Ok, you got my interest. I feel concerned. Good opening.
My misfortune would continue as I unexpectedly began to suffer from androgenetic alopecia early in my undergraduate career. Ok, now that made me laugh. Maybe I'm just a balding jerk with a bad sense of humor and a lumpy head? Balding doesn't seem a big deal compared to some who were raised in the ghetto, or shot, or faced other adversity. Are you female - if so, say so for sure, because it would make more sense to people. I'm not saying it wasn't tough for you, but maybe you should word it differently? Just my opinion.Dealing with the psychological strain of premature aging coupled with my speech malady was overwhelming. I regretfully decided to take a sabbatical (how about "time off" instead of this big word?")from school because I felt that I needed to resolve my speech problem before I continued to work towards a career. During my hiatus I became engulfed in learning about the subject of androgenetic alopecia with the hope that I would find a treatment for my hair loss. Unfortunately, I was surprised to confront the lack of knowledge, treatment, and concern for individuals experiencing this disease. Learning of this knowledge gap caused me to experience an epiphany: why couldn’t I join in the fight against hair loss and guide and assist individuals in their attempts to resolve their issues with androgenetic alopecia? I could see no more honorable way to spend the rest of my life than to assist in fighting this disease. Things further improved when a meeting with a psychologist to discuss my voice problem resulted in him recommending that I see a speech pathologist. The speech pathologist quickly diagnosed me as having mutational falsetto, a speech malady in which one speaks in the wrong register of voice. I inadvertently had been speaking in my high register and he taught me how to speak in my normal register. I was elated with a sense of freedom; I now felt reinvigorated and ready to return to school to pursue a career path in which I knew I would immensely enjoy.
Going bald is tough, particularly as a youngster. Losing hair happens to a lot of us guys (unless you are female, and it's a bigger deal then, of course), and particularly to lots of older doctors on admissions committees. So, no disrespect here, but others might think you're being overly dramatic. Might want to briefly acknowledge that fact in here...seems to me that it's not so much the hair loss itself but the loss of a positive body image at a critical time in life with inconsiderate peers, or lack of role models to teach you and help you deal with it in a positive way were the real issue. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's how it seems from here. Spend more time telling us what you learned, less on how tough it was. Just my opinion. Try for a more positive tone overall. Plus, don't use "androgenic alopecia" more than once here. Doctors know what it means, and once you've proved you do too you don't need to use the big words again. Then you can use the real person lay words like "going bald" to prevent sounding pretentious.

Since returning to school I have made tremendous progress in both social and academic respects. The extracurricular activities I have engaged in have exposed me to a multitude of interesting people and fascinating experiences that have removed the nervousness I once possessed when around large groups of individuals. Furthermore, I have shown that I am an exceptional student, as I have earned flawless grades in every course since my sabbatical while simultaneously working full-time as a certified nursing assistant. I have learned a plethora of lessons from the maladies in which I have suffered from.(never use a big word where a regular one would do. How about "many lessons" and instead of "maladies" write "problems". Consider simplifying your writing style to sound more down to earth and show you are sincere. Most people don't talk about personal sensitive issues in big words.) The most important of these lessons are a newfound appreciation of not taking anything for granted in life as well as the ability to be empathetic, kind, and caring towards individuals who are suffering. Moreover, overcoming my struggles gave me the opportunity to showcase my full academic potential, and I believe I have found my true calling in life. The opportunity will not be wasted as I am determined to do everything in my power to assist individuals who suffer from androgenetic alopecia. I believe the ideal environment to study medicine for my personality entails an intimate setting with a small class size, a dedicated and caring faculty, and a proven history of success. Saba University captures these qualities, and a student of my character and caliber would be most suitable at such an exceptional institution.

Once again any input on what difficult questions I may be asked on my above credentials will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I guess my main criticism of the essay above is the tone...be quick to sprinkle in what you learned in a positive way, because the first two paragraphs are one long downer, and didn't make me want to help you. Just my initial read.

Finally, don't let me keep you from succeeding, either!
Take the criticism we offer, call me a jerk under your breath, thicken your skin, change some stuff in your application, hone your skills. That's how med school works.

[tieubao81]

Wow excellent critique wolfvgang22. Very honest and real. I wish I had someone to help me with my "Why I want to be a doctor" paper :)

[wolfvgang22]

Wow excellent critique wolfvgang22. Very honest and real. I wish I had someone to help me with my "Why I want to be a doctor" paper :)
PM it to me if you like, I'd be happy to do what I can to help, as I'm not on call tomorrow.