The Interview Experience in 2024-25;
What to Expect
This year’s interview season will launch in mid-September 2024; Washington University School of Medicine (WashU Medicine) expects to conduct admissions interviews through mid-February 2025. The goal of the interview process is for invited applicants and members of the WashU Medicine community to get to know each other. The process is designed to bring interviewees into contact with as many current students and faculty as feasible. Before interviewing, think about what you want to know about WashU Medicine so that your questions are answered.
WashU Medicine will continue a “Virtual Interview Experience” (VIE) format. Those invited will have three (3) interviews in total. These include two live Zoom interviews, each with a faculty member from our Committee on Admissions (COA), scheduled for the same day. There will also be a Kira standardized video interview (Kira SVI) that we ask you to complete in advance of the scheduled virtual interview day. The week of your interview you are also invited to attend (i) a small group discussion with faculty admissions leadership, (ii) an informal small group discussion with current students, and (iii) a self-guided, virtual tour of the medical campus.
Interview Invitations
Interview invitations are delivered individually by email upon the recommendation of the WashU Medicine Committee on Admissions (COA). An applicant is expected to schedule an interview soon after the invitation is issued. As part of the invitation, invitees will be provided videos featuring (i) an overview of the Virtual Interview Experience from Valerie Ratts, MD, Professor and Associate Dean for Admissions (ii) our Gateway Curriculum and (iii) an enthusiastic student welcome to WashU.
Live Virtual Interviews
Each interviewee will have two live virtual (Zoom) interviews, both scheduled on the same day. One is a 40-60 minute standard interview, where the COA member has the opportunity to review your full application. The other is 20-30 minute closed file interview, where the COA member has only reviewed your name. In each case, the interviewer will inform you which type of interview is being conducted, so you have context on how much information the interviewer has on hand and how much background information you may need to provide in the conversation. If you encounter technology issues on your interview day, please contact the Office of Admissions to reschedule. AAMC provides Virtual Interviews: Tips for Medical School Applicants to assist in preparation.
Asynchronous Virtual Interviews (Kira Standardized Video Interviews)
Before your live interview day, we will ask you to complete a WashU Med-designed asynchronous, or one-way virtual interview. This is also referred to as the Kira Standard Video Interview, or Kira SVI. Note that the Kira SVI is different from the AAMC’s PREview professional readiness exam and the Casper assessment, which are not part of the WashU Medicine admissions process. Here, you will be recording responses via your computer’s webcam and audio, and using your keyboard for written responses. You can expect both situational and behavioral interview questions to be presented in the Kira SVI.
Note that articulating the thinking behind your answer is particularly important to us in the Kira SVI: strive to describe as comprehensively as possible, in the short time format, the steps in your thinking that would lead you to a particular course of action. Our preference is for interviewees to complete the Kira SVI prior to one’s live interviews, though applicants may also complete it the day of their live interviews.
Once started, the Kira SVI should take 30 minutes or less. Scoring may influence final admissions decisions, but will not impact who is invited to participate in interviews with faculty.
AAMC provides Virtual Interviews: Tips for Medical School Applicants for interviewee preparation.
“Why WashU Wednesday” Sessions
Beginning in late October, optional “Why WashU Wednesday” sessions are offered virtually on select Wednesdays at 5 p.m. CT. These sessions are optional opportunities to learn in greater detail what distinguishes WashU Medicine from our peers. Applicants invited to interview are welcome to register to attend any or all of these sessions. Attendance at these sessions is optional and does not impact final admissions decisions.
We anticipate sessions featuring current medical student panels, research, our Gateway Curriculum, diversity themes and initiatives, coaching within the medical education experience, the city of Saint Louis, and other topics. Why WashU Wednesday sessions enable prospective students to continue to make connections with and gain more information about WashU Medicine. Additional details will be provided as they become available.
“Meet Our Students” Sessions
Beginning in mid-September, optional “Meet Our Students” sessions are offered virtually on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. CT for those applicants scheduled to interview or who have recently interviewed. We recommend that you attend one of these sessions in the week of your interview. Attendance at these sessions is optional and does not impact final admissions decisions.
In-Person Visits
No in-person interviews are being scheduled for the 2024-25 cycle. All MD interviews will be conducted virtually. Some suggestions on how to experience the medical campus if you happen to be in St. Louis or wish to explore it virtually are available here. The Office of Admissions will be organizing optional visit days for applicants who are offered admission. More information will be communicated with your admission offer.
Our Expectations
Interviews are critical interactions and opportunities for applicant evaluation for the COA. We hope you can relax and utilize the virtual interview experience to learn more about WashU Medicine and whether it is the right fit for your education. We would emphasize that your professional appearance and timeliness should be a high priority as you prepare for interviews with faculty; the virtual context will not change the typical expectations of a medical school interview. On the other hand, please note that there are no specific attire expectations for our other virtual programming such as the Why WashU Wednesday and Meet Our Students sessions.
Factors Considered in the Interview and Admissions Evaluation
• Accomplishments: work, research, volunteerism, leadership
• Avocations and interests
• Capacity for improvement
• Communication skills (oral and written)
• Cultural competence/humility
• Empathy
• Ethical responsibility to self and others
• Initiative and productivity
• Insight into the practice of medicine
• Maturity
• Motivation for the study of medicine
• Professional bearing and communication
• Resilience and adaptability
• Social skills