UERM med school interview

Three days ago, I took the train to UERM for my very first med school interview.

I was not as nervous as I thought I'd be. My hands weren't shaking, my heart wasn't racing, and I wasn't sweating like a bag of ice cubes in the summer sun. Perhaps it was because I had spent a good amount of time that morning reading up on med school interview tips (link here) and watching videos (click here).

I even dressed up in my best interpretation of a corporate outfit: a crisp polo, a black pencil skirt, and my old pair of flats. Other people didn't come in as formal-looking as I did. The girl who came before me in the interviews was wearing a blouse, khaki jeans, and closed shoes. I feel the need to point out these details because even though UERM didn't specify a dress code for the interviews, I feel like dressing up was a good idea. I learned from this YouTube video that interviewers actually like it when you look more formal. Also, I was dressed the same way as the doctor who interviewed me (in business attire), and that helped boost my confidence. Bottom line is: No need to wear corporate, but I personally think it's a good idea.

Anyway, I'll just skip ahead to the part where I'm in the office of my interviewer. It was already 1:20 by that time, and my interview was scheduled at 1:30. There was another girl waiting with me whose interview was supposed to be at 1:00. Our schedules got pushed back a lot for some reason I don't understand.

So I was in some sort of doctor's lounge, where there was a big dining table, a soft couch, and residents and doctors milling about eating their lunch. The interviewer asked 1:00 girl, whom I later discovered was from UST Med Tech, to come into the office.

Then something weird happened. He handed me a blank sheet of paper and told me to write a very short essay on any topic of my choice. I don't know if the essay had an actual bearing on my chances of admission, or if it was just his way of keeping me occupied while I waited for my turn. Or perhaps he just wanted to check my spelling and grammar, in which case my heavy reliance on Microsoft Word's Spell Check may have caused me a couple of errors. Either way, I chose to write an essay on health. I figured that picking a med-related topic would be the safest choice given my situation.

I ended up writing a two-paragraph ramble about how health should not just be seen as the absence of disease, but the interplay of large-scale forces such as politics, economy, and culture. I ended it by saying that the task of bringing about positive, sustainable change in healthcare for the marginalized can be achieved through collaboration of different sectors of society. Typical Atenean bola. I don't know what that will do for me and my chances of getting in. (Update, 10/10/2014: Apparently one of my friends was asked to write about their first love. And another friend didn't even submit anything.)

Anyway, when I had just wrapped up my "essay," it was time for my own interview. The doctor-interviewer guy glanced at my paper and said, "Naku, ang haba naman. Pinahirapan mo talaga ako!" Of course he said this jokingly.

When we stepped into his office (okay it probably wasn't an office, it looked like some locker room where residents dumped their bags and stuff), he sat at a desk, and I sat opposite him. "Make yourself comfortable," he said. I squirmed in my seat, remembering what the YouTube video people said about keeping a good posture.

Are you relaxed? I nodded. Good, then let's start. He introduced himself after that, and then proceeded with what I assumed was the typical pre-interview disclaimer: Since this is an interview, I'm going to be writing down notes while you speak. Okay? He smiled, and I exhaled. Okay, sir. He then proceeded to ask me a bunch of questions, which I tried my best to answer.

So, tell me about your family.
Describe a typical day in your family. 
What's your role in the family?
What was the biggest crisis that you and your family faced?
How did you handle the crisis?

Now tell me about your school. Do you have a regular study schedule?
What is your grade in college?
What did you do to earn this grade?
Are you a member of any organization?
What is your role in the organization?
Do you derive a sense of fulfillment from your work in the organization?
Describe the time when you worked hardest in college. 
What was the biggest challenge for you in college?
How did you overcome this challenge?

Do you have a role model? 
Why is she your role model?

Those are the questions that I remember him asking. I think the interview took around 10 to 15 minutes. It was relatively peaceful in that I didn't feel like I was taking an oral exam. Some friends confirmed later on that UERM interviews are usually just a getting-to-know-you, not a full-on grilling (like in ASMPH, supposedly). 

After the formal interview part, he asked me if I had any questions, and I asked about scholarships. Apparently UERM only gives first-year scholarships to those graduating with honors. Oh well.

Then he gave me a practical tip that, he assured me, was not part of the formal interview but something he just wanted to say himself. He asked, How much do you want to be a doctor? I said, 100 percent, sir! Then if you really want it, you should work hard for it. This all sort of tied back to my answer a few questions ago. When he asked me if I had a regular study schedule, I did the honest thing and told him I didn't, that I studied only when exams or homework came up. While that may have worked for you in college, he said, it's not going to work in med school. You really have to read every day. You can still go watch movies, hang out with friends, and get 7 hours of sleep. The important thing is you read every day. You can't cram. 

I thanked him for his advice, thinking in the back of my mind about next week's Physio exam and how I hadn't started reading a single chapter. 

He then told me what I think are his typical closing remarks. Thank you again for your interest in UERM. If you are lucky enough to be accepted by UE, and if UE is lucky enough that you confirm a slot here, then we shall see each other in the future.

We left the small interview room together. Out in the lounge, UST girl was still in the process of writing her essay. I excused myself and left the room, crossed the street to the main building, and then submitted this paper thingy to the registrar. The results will come out in February, I was told.

. . . 

And that's it for my interview. The next day, I submitted my ASMPH financial aid application to Mr. Peabody, and he talked to me about all of my options for getting me through the expensive tuition fees. ("We could ask BPI for more help, you could live with your aunt in Pasig to save on expenses, get your boyfriend to give you food and transpo...") He's a really helpful guy, and I'm really thankful that he's the one in charge of the scholarships.

He also told me that I had no chance in passing UPCM. Which was totally not surprising. But what was shocking to me was when he said that I would have passed for sure if only I had applied for regionalization! As in, if only I had declared myself as coming from Region X, then I would have been in for sure because of this whole quota system per region. Gahhhh. Regrets. So this I say to you, future UPCM applicants: Even though it takes a lot of time and paperwork, get regionalized!!! 

"ASMPH is better anyway," Mr. Peabody said to console me. And I laughed, not because I thought it was true, but because I was inclined to agree.