How I Answered "Any Questions?" in my Medicine interview
Hello, future doctors.
Your answer to "Any Questions?" will set you apart from other applicants. Every panel asks this question, but most students do not plan for it. As a result, those with a tactical answer have an enormous competitive advantage.
In this article, I will walk you through my guiding principle for handling this question. I will also present two tactical strategies that are proven winners. The second strategy is one I have never revealed publicly before.
The guiding principle
If you have a genuine question you are really interested in, ask it. But if you do not, do not feel pressured to make one up on the spot. You run the risk of looking silly.
That said, I strongly recommend preparing in advance. Below are the two strategies I beg you to consider.
Strategy 1: Ask a question that you are genuinely interested in
This reflects your understanding of the university or the city. It also shows you have done your research and that you have initiative.
For instance, at my AUSoM interview I asked about the Erasmus program and the other international exchanges offered by my university.
Strategy 2: The question I have never revealed publicly
The following is incredibly powerful:
"If this interview went well and I ultimately get accepted, what should I do over the next year for you to look back and think that was a good choice accepting me?"
There are four reasons this question is so great.
1. Frame hijack
The framing of the situation is no longer you being interviewed. The framing is now the interviewer picturing a future with you. Mentally, they have already overcome the decision. In their mind, they are no longer interviewing you — they are already accepting you, and they are thinking about what great things you might do.
2. Mental commitment
By entertaining the question and going down the train of thought, the interviewer is making a mental commitment. They are imagining "I have accepted you. You are in medical school. You have done these cool things." If they later have to reject you, they disagree with themselves on some level. Consistency bias is thereby in your favour.
3. The interviewer becomes a teammate
The interviewer is no longer a judge — they become an author in your story. They are on your team. And like in La Casa Nostra, one for all and all for one!
4. Subtle reciprocity
Underneath the surface, you are striking a deal. "You, the interviewer, accept me — what should I do in exchange?" It is not verbal, but it is there, and it is something to think about.
Concluding thoughts
I do not think this question, or the answer to it, is going to make your entire interview. It is not going to take you from a fail to a pass. But it might just push your application over the edge.
This is the first article in a medical school interview prep series. I am currently a first-year medical student at AUSoM in Thessaloniki. My content aims to get you into European medical school. The target audience is the full student arc: from high school student, to medical school applicant, to university optimisation. Upcoming articles will include similar breakdowns of "Why Medicine?" and "Why Our University?"
Got an interview coming up? Get the Free Interview Prep Guide I'll respond to every one of you with my Free Interview Prep Guide. If you reply with your unviersity, I'll also include specific tips and tricks to your institution (if I know any). (This offer stands so long as my channel is active/ the link is valid.)
Michael First-year AUSoM medical student, Thessaloniki Future Swiss doctor
