CHM Statement on Formal Interview Changes for the 2020-21 Cycle

Current and future applicants of the 2020-21 cycle,

The Admissions Office at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine has exceptionally high standards in implementing an interview experience that is positive and informative for everyone. After two days of online interviewing, our one-on-one interviews with a CHM medical student have (with rare exceptions) met these high standards.  For any who have experienced technological issues with this interview, we are confident that you will have a satisfying medical student interview experience in the very near future.

Unfortunately, our ability to offer an exceptional multiple mini-interview (MMI) experience has fallen short of our standard.  And after reviewing the multiple challenges involved in rectifying online MMI obstacles, we have made the difficult decision to abandon any further MMI interviewing for the current application cycle. 

Luckily, our current experiences create an opportunity for us to adjust quickly and implement a second traditional interview—with faculty—in such a way that will capture important applicant information that would otherwise have been obtained within our MMI. Despite the changes to our formal interview format, our pre-interview presentation and post-interview wrap-up programming will remain intact as parts of the process.

So, in summary, we will no longer use an MMI interview experience during this application cycle.  Our interviews will transition to two separate traditional interviews: one with faculty and one with a medical student.  Both will play an important role in the admissions committee decision-making process.  Please know that we appreciate how challenging this is for you and hope that you will continue to approach our admissions process in a spirit of understanding and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Joel Maurer, MD, FACOG

Assistant Dean for Admissions

College of Human Medicine

Michigan State University

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

So You've Been Put On The Waitlist: What's Next?

Image
You've  waited for a decision and word has finally arrived: you've been placed on the waitlist. It's okay for applicants to feel some anxiety when placed as an alternate. That's normal. More uncertainty isn't something an applicant begs to endure. But don't necessarily take it as a bad omen either. More than disappointment, you should have hope. You still have a chance, after all. Considering the sheer number of applicants across the country each year, the truth is that it's actually pretty common to be in this situation. Thousands of accepted students matriculate off the waitlist each year. With only 5-10% of students matriculating from the waitlist at some schools, others accept as high as 50-60% of their incoming class from waitlisted applicants. The question then is, "What should I do now?" Remain Positive Waitlist does not mean rejection. While this isn't ideal, getting your name onto a waitlist is an accomplishment and shows ...
Read more

After Acceptance: A User’s Guide to Preparing for Medical School

Image
The summer before I started medical school at the College of Human Medicine (CHM), I often wondered what I was getting myself into. What will med school be like? What will I learn? Will I be able to keep up? Would I still have a life? Will I embarrass myself in front of a bunch of medical professionals? What don’t I know that I need to know? With (almost) two years of medical school down, I would tell all those who are about to matriculate (along with my past-self) to calm down. Relax. You will learn all that you need to know when you need to know it. You will be able to keep up. It may be hard, but it’s doable. Sure, it can be draining at times, but med school is still incredibly rewarding. You will be pushed, but you will grow. So before you begin classes, the biggest thing you can do before starting med school is prepare while simply enjoying the process. Here are five pieces of advice to help make the transition to med school a bit easier. Relax and enjoy your last s...
Read more

New College of Human Medicine Prerequisite Models Offer A Variety of Pathway Options

Image
It doesn't take a philosophy major to understand that change is constant. Some changes are serious and life-altering; others, not so much. In the world of science, new discoveries and knowledge add foundational context from which the future of medicine must learn to incorporate and adapt.  Higher education communities have raised concerns about whether or not premedical curricula have kept up with these changes; what seemed to work yesterday may not be what works tomorrow . Many medical experts agree that an undergraduate education should not be geared towards only getting students into medical school; instead, these years should be dedicated to creativity within an intellectually stimulating liberal arts education. Congruent with this mindset is the concept that prerequisites (or for that matter any scripted course of undergraduate study) should not be so overwhelming that the applicant seems pressured to emphasize (major in) science in lieu of other academically rigorous...
Read more