Boston University SMED (BS/MD) Interview Tips

Hi, thank you for asking your question! I am currently in the seven year program at BU, in fact I finished my first three years of undergrad and am now in medical school. Congratulations on getting an interview! This is a feat in and of itself. I remember that my undergraduate interview was a lot more conversation-like; I indicated that I wanted to potentially minor in classics or latin at BU so I was paired with a classics professor and we talked on end about different classical poets and Roman history. It was interesting, and to be honest, I think she was just testing me to see if I actually wanted to pursue the minor. My medical school interview was a lot different. It was conducted by a physician who had just finished another applicant interview. She asked me why I wanted to be a doctor and I told her my, at that point, heavily memorized and crafted "why medicine" statement (although I didn't make it sound that way).

It's going to be really hard to know what to expect come interview day. But a good place to start will be to know what you put on your resume and what you wrote for your "Why BU?" essay. These are going to likely be the main talking points for the undergrad interview. I would also suggest reading about your potential interviewer ahead of time and see their interests so you can hold an academic and memorable conversation with them in their area of interest. The medical school interview will likely be more like a standard interview -- with questions like "Why BU?" "Why medicine?" "Why this program specifically?"

All in all, the interview day is relatively relaxed with a mix of presentations, tours and interviews. But my last tip for you is to try and stand out. The way I did this was getting to know the administrators of the program and asking a lot of questions during the Q&A sessions.

Hope this helps!

Hi!

I was also selected yesterday. Have you received a follow-up email with more information?

So as someone with no medical knowledge (Engineer bound) the best advice I can offer is to brush up on basic medical knowledge and while don't have cookie-cutter speeches prepared have an outline of why you want to be a doctor along with why BU and last prepare talking points if will about your ECs and your accomplishments. While Im more familiar with the interview with an alum the best advice for talking remains the same be sincere and express yourself. While cliche it is true. Id also expect for it not to be an interrogation but either a chat between friends or a serious/formal convo. Essentially ask questions back.

An interview serves for the college to be familiar with you as a person instead of a sheet with numbers and words. This allows you to differentiate yourself. So take advantage of it.

Hope this helps and good luck.