Learning medicine. Interviews and offers.

Opinion differs widely and deeply on the value and fairness of an interview as part of the process for selecting medical students. Two thirds of medical schools interview the strongest applicants and use the interview to decide among them; the remainder interview only a small number of applicants, such as mature students, in an attempt to assess more fully their motivation and circumstances. Applicants who object to interviews, who doubt their ability to speak up for themselves, or who think that in speaking up they may prejudice their chances of admission can confine their applications to schools which normally do not interview (see table).