Colorado interview summary

I flew into Denver on Saturday morning for a Monday interview. My intention was to give myself a couple days to explore a bit, since I could potentially be living here next year. But I also discovered that arriving a few days early was advantageous because it gave me time to acclimate to the altitude. I had headaches for the first day - not debilitating, but bad enough so I wasn't at the top of my game. A little rest and a lot of water, and I was good to go on Monday morning.

I stayed at the Crystal Inn, which is conveniently located midway between the School of Medicine and the airport. They also partner with the School of Medicine, offering free shuttle service to and from the airport, and also to and from the campus on interview day. Very convenient and reasonably priced.

Introduction
Interview day started at 8:00 am. There were about 30 applicants, the majority of us from out of state. We fidgeted nervously in the small auditorium, a life-size cardboard cutout of Barack Obama standing at the podium, waiting for the program to start. We first got a brief introduction on the history of the Anschutz Medical Campus from the Dean of Admissions. This is a brand new medical school, so new that the University of Colorado only moved in last January. They bought the land from the Army for $1 under the condition that the Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center be preserved. This was where Eisenhower received treatment when he had a heart attack; apparently, Fitzsimmons was known as the "White House of the West."

Pre-Interviews
We were given a five-minute break after the introduction. A couple current medical students passed me as a group of us applicants walked down the hall to go to the bathroom: "Hang in there, guys, you're almost there!" It was a small gesture, but it made me feel better. A group of faculty interviewers were waiting for us when we returned from the bathroom. My first interviewer actually approached me and introduced herself, no doubt recognizing me by the photo included in my application. I was impressed by their friendly welcome and genuine excitement, not just on the part of my own interviewer but by all of the faculty.

Interview #1
Dr. XXX is a pleasant woman in her mid-50's, a pediatrician and geneticist. She started the interview with a relaxed, conversational tone, remarking how unlikely it was for a student from California to hear of a small East Coast liberal arts college, much less go there. The interview progressed with get-to-know-you questions with a decidedly friendly tone. I didn't let that lull me into a false sense of security, though: I was still "on," or as my friend calls it, frontal lobe inhibited.

Dr. XXX did ask me if I have given thought to what kind of medicine I want to specialize in. When I gave her my standard response ("Neurology or neuroradiology would be a natural extension of my career, but I'm keeping my mind open to all possibilities."), she suggested neurology with a sub-specialty in pediatrics. An interesting idea... I told her I would keep it in mind.

Before ending the interview, Dr. XXX gave me an opportunity to mention anything that isn't reflected in the application. Naturally, I brought up my recent medical relief mission to Honduras. This seemed to impress her as she asked a lot of follow up questions about my experience. How did I get connected with that organization? What did I actually do down there? What about the experience was most rewarding to me? Then the interview ended rather suddenly since we were out of time.

I left with a very, very good feeling. I knew that my first interview went well.

Interview #2
I was a little bit worried about my second interview, going into it. The Dean of Admissions, during her introductory talk to the entire group of applicants, lauded the accomplishments, rankings, and awards of her medical school. She specifically mentioned Dr. YYY, a retired neurologist who was involved in ground-breaking fetal stem cell research in Parkinson's disease in the early 1990's, and noted that two applicants would be interviewing with him. Given that my essays discussed my Grandpa Don and his Parkinson's disease, it's likely that the admissions office matched us based on similar interests.

Dr. YYY started the interview with a disclaimer: "Now, we have a limited amount of time and a lot of ground to cover. We're going to jump around a lot. I want you to know that I am not your adversary, rather your advocate to the admissions committee." He then added in a less crisp tone of voice: "Also, if we have time, please remind me to tell the story I have for you." This was rather cryptic, but I acknowledged him and waited for the interview to begin.

As I soon discovered, this was the type of medical school interview that my family-friends who are doctors prepared me for. Throughout the interview, Dr. YYY sometimes cut me off in the middle of an answer after he was satisfied (or not) with my response, often to a completely unrelated topic. I didn't let the brisk pace of the interview faze me, and I tried to maintain a respectful, humble, and confident tone.

How did you become interested in medicine?
I talked about my grandfather who had Parkinson's disease, watching his deterioration as I grew up, and wanting, in a general sense, to do something to help him.
Is this the first time you have applied to medical school?
Yes, sir.
You have never applied to medical school before?
No, sir. My response seemed to have surprised him.
Why not?
A lot of reasons. It wasn't the right time in my life, right after college. I wasn't ready emotionally. This was a reference to one of the essays that I wrote for Colorado's secondary application. He didn't follow up on it since, from my essay, it's clear that I am ready for medical school now.
So you decided instead to go to graduate school. Why?
I explained that, being exposed for the first time to biology research, and with my grandfather's continued decline, I saw that a major breakthrough in treating - or even curing - Parkinson's disease would come by way of knowledge gained from research. I downplayed this as somewhat idealistic, hoping to avoid coming across as naive. "Don't underestimate the influence of grandfathers," Dr. YYY replied, to my surprise. He then told me a story of a good friend of his, whose grandfather died of cancer. She went on to become a chemist - a remarkable achievement for a woman in the post-WWII era, and eventually won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for her contribution to drug research, including development of the AIDS drug AZT. The moral, Dr. YYY said, is that grandfathers matter. When I got home, after doing a little research, I found that his friend is Gertrude Elion, who shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in Medicine. The interview then jumped back into its original pace.
What do you think is the best way to improve our health care system? Did you read Atul Gawande's article in The New Yorker, "Getting There From Here"?
This article examines the predicament that Americans face with our health care system and discuss precedents in other countries such as Great Britain, France, and Canada, for enacting universal health coverage. Each country arrived at universal health care in different ways, due to the vagaries of history, resulting in disparate health care systems with their own idiosyncrasies - yet all providing universal coverage. The moral of the story is that sweeping changes are made incrementally within the framework of pre-existing systems, and that approach is likely the one that we must take here in America.
In college, do you think that running ever got in the way of your academics?
No sir, quite the opposite. The coach and team culture were very supportive of academics. Running injected a routine to college life that helped me academically.
What was the best thing that ever happened to you?
The question took me by surprise. I took what seemed to me like a very long time, but was in reality probably only about 15-20 seconds, to think about such an all-encompassing question. Finally, I answered: When my parents had my little sister.
Why?
I took another 15-20 seconds to think. Because through my little sister, taking care of her and being a role model for her, I learned what it means to love. In retrospect, I realize that this was an impossible question designed less to discover a meaningful turning point in my life and more to test my character and insight.
What was the worst thing that ever happened to you?
Leaving my graduate program. This, too, was a loaded question, designed to see how I handle the challenges that life throws at us and what I have learned from them. Dr. YYY and I explored the circumstances of my situation, and the motivations behind my decisions. I stressed that, as difficult as that experience was, it led me to where I am today. "I'm glad it worked out for you," Dr. YYY remarked before moving on.
What diversity will you bring here?
Another loaded question! This is a common-enough question that some of the other schools even asked on their secondary application. I have diversity of experience but not much else. I fumbled my way through a response to that effect. Dr. YYY pressed a little bit more, but I hesitated.
Would you like to move on?
Yes, please. I was grateful that Dr. YYY gave me a pass on that question but wondered in the back of my mind whether I had wounded myself by taking it. There's no time for second-guessing yourself in the middle of an interview, though, and we continued.
I see you have presented several times at scientific meetings and have a publication from graduate school. Do you have any more publications on the way?
Yes, I'm working on several publications right now.
Will you be first-author on any of them?
Yes, on two papers. I was surprised, though, that Dr. YYY did not inquire into the nature of those papers.
Is there anything else you want to tell me that will help me better understand your application?
I took this as my opportunity to re-frame a few poor undergraduate grades. Dr. YYY looked at me wryly and said, "If that's it then you have nothing to be worried about. I got a C in calculus, and I turned out fine." What a relief!
Is there anything else that you want to add to your application?
Like with Dr. XXX, here I told Dr. YYY about my medical relief mission to Honduras.
Do you speak Spanish?
Fluently enough, conversational. The indigenous people of the Miskito Coast speak a local dialect, I explained, but I did help translate between the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking members of the team. As I read on the School of Medicine website, immigration is a major issue in Colorado. Illegal immigrants from Mexico tend to pass through Arizona into Colorado, since Arizona's immigrant laws are much more strict than Colorado's. So, I imagine that speaking Spanish is quite an asset for practicing medicine in Colorado and that my answer served me well.

The interview with Dr. YYY ended quickly just as my interview with Dr. XXX had ended. I left the room feeling good about the experience, for the most part. I'm unsure about how my answers to some of the questions (like diversity and health care) came across, but I am also confident that I presented myself in the best possible light, highlighting my strengths, and giving it my best effort.