Similarities between "Tell Me About Yourself" and "Why Medicine" answers

[deleted988786]

When I answer the "Tell Me About Yourself", I will discuss my background, where I was raised etc, but I also really want to discuss how I discovered my interest in studying medicine. However, I fear that later in the interview I will be asked " why medicine" and feeling like I already discussed the topic/repeating things that I already talked about.

Are my concerns valid? Advice is appreciated

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[Deltasidearm]

Don't try to answer more than what's asked. If an interviewer questions why you want to into medicine then they will ask. When they ask you about yourself it's just to get the interview rolling with what should be an easy, quick answer that may give some additional talking points later on.

 

[deleted1079620]

If you were on a first date and they said, “So, tell me about you.” What would your answer be? It wouldn’t involve your future career plans or your academic achievements (that would be weird).

Instead, you’d talk about your interests, hobbies, maybe where you grew up and a little about your family, depending on the circumstances.

Med school interviews are a little like dating…they don’t want to know everything about you in the first sentence, and you should be asking yourself if you like them, not just if they like you.

 

[Goro]

When I answer the "Tell Me About Yourself", I will discuss my background, where I was raised etc, but I also really want to discuss how I discovered my interest in studying medicine. However, I fear that later in the interview I will be asked " why medicine" and feeling like I already discussed the topic/repeating things that I already talked about.

Are my concerns valid? Advice is appreciated

Imagine a relative who you haven't seen since you were five years old coming to visit you. On arrival, he asks you "Cupcake, you've grown!! Tell me about yourself"

Would you really give him a verbal essay of why you want to be a doctor, yada yada yada?

People who mistake "Tell me about yourself" with "Why Medicine?" are telegraphing that they have poor listening skills, or are under the delusion that everything one does has to be about Medicine.

 

[BeMoConsulting]

Hi there!
The answers to these two questions are related for sure but definitely not the same. The best way of approaching these common personal questions is having a specific structure for each one.
For the ‘Tell us about yourself’ question, this is a good structure you can follow:
1. Provide a brief synopsis of your life’s journey: Highlight up to 3 influential events in your life, either chronologically or thematically.
2. Discuss what you learned from each experience: Highlight the key skills/qualities/values you gained or refined in your experiences.
3. Application: Discuss how these life events/skills/qualities will benefit you and/or others in your education and/or profession.

As for the ‘Why medicine’ question, this structure may help you:
1. Highlight up to 3 qualities you admire about the profession: You really need to know what it is that interests you about medicine.
2. Reference your experiences and what you learned: To support your understanding of each quality, draw on the experiences that gave you exposure to it.
3. Application: Connect your life events and takeaways to the profession you have chosen and discuss how you will contribute to it.

Once you brainstorm a little, you will come up with meaningful experiences to discuss, you will be able to reflect on the main takeaways from each experience, and you will find that the two answers are actually pretty different. Hope this helps!

 

[deleted1080380]

I answered both of these questions in sequence in my first interview this cycle and had no overlap. My answer for tell me about yourself was maybe 2 minutes long and included me talking about a lego I just bought, where me/my family was from, my favorite sport, and stuff I did in my collegetown for fun. I figured my interviewer could care less about academics since they could literally just look at my app so I didn't mention anything.

Maybe I took an L by being informal/unprofessional but we'll see in a month or two I guess.