How to answer “Tell me about yourself” in a medical school interview

When a medical school interview opens with "tell me about yourself," answer with a two-minute story that connects who you are, what you've done and why it has led you to medicine. Pick three or four experiences that link together, tell them in order, and end on where you're headed.

What the interviewer is assessing

• Communication
• Self-reflection and growth

This question usually comes first, and it sets the tone for the rest of the interview. The interviewer wants to see whether you can organize your thoughts and speak clearly without a script. They also want to learn what you choose to emphasize, because that choice shows what you value. In a panel interview, your answer often supplies the follow-up questions, so you're partly choosing what the next twenty minutes cover. In an MMI, a version of this question can appear as a short warm-up station.

How to structure your answer

1. Open with one or two sentences on where you are now, such as what you study or the work you do.
2. Describe two or three experiences that shaped you, and say what each one taught you or changed in you.
3. Connect those experiences to your interest in medicine without turning the answer into a full "why medicine" response.
4. Close with a sentence about what you hope to do next, which hands the conversation back to the interviewer.

Aim for 90 seconds to two minutes. A strong answer to "tell me about yourself" in a medical school interview sounds prepared but not memorized, so practice the order of your points rather than every word.

Common mistakes

• Reciting your resume in date order turns the answer into a list the panel has already read.
• Opening with a story about wanting to be a doctor since age five tells the interviewer little about who you are now.
• Talking for five minutes leaves the interviewer waiting for a gap to interrupt you.
• Listing traits such as "hardworking" and "compassionate" without an example gives the panel no story to remember.
• Sharing personal details you aren't ready to discuss invites follow-up questions you may not want.

Follow-up questions to prepare for

• Why did you choose those experiences and leave out the rest of your application?
• What would your closest friend say about you that you didn't mention?
• What do you do with your time when you aren't studying or working?
• Which of the experiences you mentioned do you plan to continue in medical school?
• What have you changed your mind about in the last few years?