Ascleepius
04-18-2007, 03:43 PM
Here's what will happen if you chose to do the interview in states...
First, they'll show you a video telling you more about the school. Afterwards, your interview will begin. In front of them they'll have all your documents and will begin working their way down the line. If you have a resume or Curriculum Vitae, it may help to bring it with you (especially if it shows more info about yourself than what they already have).
Some of the questions they've asked in the past were:
1) When did you decide that you wanted to become a doctor?
2) If you had to chose today, what type of physician would you be (if you say family practice or internal medicine, it'll be a plus since those are the generally the easiest residencies to acquire coming from abroad).
3) Why have you chosen UAG? How do plan on adapting to the culture, language, barriers? (Sell them on how important learning a new language would be to not only bettering you as a person, but also would help in your career as a physician. You can also paint a story (i.e. you can see yourself coming to the rescue in an emergency setting where no other physician speaks fluent Spanish and they're forced to call on you... etc.) What you don't want to do is tell them that it's b/c it's easier to get in UAG than other schools.
4) If you have any shortcomings on your college transcript, be prepared to answer why? Try to be sincere, and honest here, without giving excuses. Most importantly they want to know that you've learned. So show them that your mistakes in undergrad isn't an accurate representation of yourself. This is where you'll want to elaborate on the times you've done well, and shined in your clinical and volunteer experiences.
5) What was your favorite science class in undergrad why?
6) What was your favorite non-science class?
7) Tell me more about your clinical, volunteer, or extracurriculars. How do you think they've influenced your decision to become a physician (if this is the case)?
8) Do you think you've grown and learned from your mistakes? How so?
9) Name three character traits that would make you a good physician.
10) If I had to chose b/w you and one another candidate for 1 remaining spot, why should I chose you?
11) Name a time when you took a leadership role.
12) What do you think defines the characteristics of a good doctor? (If I were you, I'd say compassion, understanding, a good leader, someone who is devoted to keeping current with current medical knowledge, etc. If you go online, you can butter up your language).
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Those are the ones that come to mind from what my friend told me after his interview. If I can think of more I'll post them.
Make a copy of all your documents, and place them in front of you a few days before the interview. Read over your autobiography/personal statement and know it well. They'll ask you about a few things. Think of the interview as a verification process. From what my friend told me, they seemed to want to just verify the info.
Be calm, confident, and professional. Providing you come off likable and sincere in your pursuit to study medicine, you'll be fine.
I've heard interviews being as short as 15 mins, and others being up to 1 hour and 45 mins. In both extremes, they've gotten accepted. Like most things in life, landing the interview is the toughest part.
Oh yeah, when you greet your interviewer, greet them with a bold smile. Show them that you're pleasant and cheerful. A simple, "Hola, como esta?" Will get you a long way in this situation.
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Now if you do the interview in GDL... First they'll give you a tour (which you should schedule with your interview). After the tour they'll interview you. They usually start off by telling you what to bring with you to GDL. Then they'll go through your transcripts and your personal statement. From almost everyone I know, this part of the interview usually goes fast. Be prepared to answer the questions above, just in case though.
Another thing to note is that you should have a few questions you want to ask them, just to show them that you're interested. Show them that you've done your research... Another good resource to check out is the webpage of NASA, the North American Student Association. It has tons of info for US students... Plus, it allows you to become a lil' more familiar and comfortable with the school. They print out a magazine in PDF format. Read a couple of them.
Get psyched!!! Show them you're excited, and that there no other place other than UAG you'd like to be. Read up on Guadalajara, learn a lil' about it. If you have friends there, it won't hurt to mention to them how much your friend(s) like it there, and that it'll help you adjust. If you have friends going, tell them that you're ready to join them and this interview is the final hurdle to your gaining admission.
Command your interview and head in there in there with a "Will not take no for an answer" attitude. Everything I'm telling you, although is common sense, is often forgotten by most people. The person interviewing you is a person. Thus, you should be personable. Make conversation. Put a smile on their face, and you'll walk out of there a winner. And don't forget to hand them the $1k since it's almost like slippin' a lil' dough under the table ;).
If any more questions come to mind, I'll post um up... I know my buddy's supposed to contact me today, so I'll ask him again.
First, they'll show you a video telling you more about the school. Afterwards, your interview will begin. In front of them they'll have all your documents and will begin working their way down the line. If you have a resume or Curriculum Vitae, it may help to bring it with you (especially if it shows more info about yourself than what they already have).
Some of the questions they've asked in the past were:
1) When did you decide that you wanted to become a doctor?
2) If you had to chose today, what type of physician would you be (if you say family practice or internal medicine, it'll be a plus since those are the generally the easiest residencies to acquire coming from abroad).
3) Why have you chosen UAG? How do plan on adapting to the culture, language, barriers? (Sell them on how important learning a new language would be to not only bettering you as a person, but also would help in your career as a physician. You can also paint a story (i.e. you can see yourself coming to the rescue in an emergency setting where no other physician speaks fluent Spanish and they're forced to call on you... etc.) What you don't want to do is tell them that it's b/c it's easier to get in UAG than other schools.
4) If you have any shortcomings on your college transcript, be prepared to answer why? Try to be sincere, and honest here, without giving excuses. Most importantly they want to know that you've learned. So show them that your mistakes in undergrad isn't an accurate representation of yourself. This is where you'll want to elaborate on the times you've done well, and shined in your clinical and volunteer experiences.
5) What was your favorite science class in undergrad why?
6) What was your favorite non-science class?
7) Tell me more about your clinical, volunteer, or extracurriculars. How do you think they've influenced your decision to become a physician (if this is the case)?
8) Do you think you've grown and learned from your mistakes? How so?
9) Name three character traits that would make you a good physician.
10) If I had to chose b/w you and one another candidate for 1 remaining spot, why should I chose you?
11) Name a time when you took a leadership role.
12) What do you think defines the characteristics of a good doctor? (If I were you, I'd say compassion, understanding, a good leader, someone who is devoted to keeping current with current medical knowledge, etc. If you go online, you can butter up your language).
---------
Those are the ones that come to mind from what my friend told me after his interview. If I can think of more I'll post them.
Make a copy of all your documents, and place them in front of you a few days before the interview. Read over your autobiography/personal statement and know it well. They'll ask you about a few things. Think of the interview as a verification process. From what my friend told me, they seemed to want to just verify the info.
Be calm, confident, and professional. Providing you come off likable and sincere in your pursuit to study medicine, you'll be fine.
I've heard interviews being as short as 15 mins, and others being up to 1 hour and 45 mins. In both extremes, they've gotten accepted. Like most things in life, landing the interview is the toughest part.
Oh yeah, when you greet your interviewer, greet them with a bold smile. Show them that you're pleasant and cheerful. A simple, "Hola, como esta?" Will get you a long way in this situation.
------
Now if you do the interview in GDL... First they'll give you a tour (which you should schedule with your interview). After the tour they'll interview you. They usually start off by telling you what to bring with you to GDL. Then they'll go through your transcripts and your personal statement. From almost everyone I know, this part of the interview usually goes fast. Be prepared to answer the questions above, just in case though.
Another thing to note is that you should have a few questions you want to ask them, just to show them that you're interested. Show them that you've done your research... Another good resource to check out is the webpage of NASA, the North American Student Association. It has tons of info for US students... Plus, it allows you to become a lil' more familiar and comfortable with the school. They print out a magazine in PDF format. Read a couple of them.
Get psyched!!! Show them you're excited, and that there no other place other than UAG you'd like to be. Read up on Guadalajara, learn a lil' about it. If you have friends there, it won't hurt to mention to them how much your friend(s) like it there, and that it'll help you adjust. If you have friends going, tell them that you're ready to join them and this interview is the final hurdle to your gaining admission.
Command your interview and head in there in there with a "Will not take no for an answer" attitude. Everything I'm telling you, although is common sense, is often forgotten by most people. The person interviewing you is a person. Thus, you should be personable. Make conversation. Put a smile on their face, and you'll walk out of there a winner. And don't forget to hand them the $1k since it's almost like slippin' a lil' dough under the table ;).
If any more questions come to mind, I'll post um up... I know my buddy's supposed to contact me today, so I'll ask him again.