Congratulations on receiving an Albany BS MD Interview Invite! We are super excited for you, and our BS MD Admissions interview team is happy to help you out. In this blog post, we want to give you step-by-step tips on how you can prepare for your Albany BS MD Interview. Our goal is to help you STAND OUT!
In this post, we will cover:
- What does the Albany BS MD program look for in applicants?
- How to prepare for Albany’s Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)
- Research unique opportunities at Albany
- Read about healthcare issues that affect Albany’s community (Upstate New York)
- Common Albany BS MD interview questions and how to prepare
- Schedule a mock interview with our Cracking BS MD Admissions team!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Dr. Rishi Mediratta and Dr. Rachel Rizal below!
What does the Albany BS MD Admissions Committee look for?
You’ve been working hard throughout high school and you’ve finally received the coveted BS MD interview to Albany! So obviously, you had a strong academic track record including good grades and good standardized test scores. You also had patient care and clinical opportunities throughout your time as a high school premedical student.
Given that every Albany BS MD interviewee is going to have strong academics + clinical experience … and likely research too, how will you stand out?
It is important to the note unique traits that Albany looks for in its applicants.
Highlight the following qualities in your Albany BS MD Interview:
What you highlight in your Albany interview depends on the BS/MD program you are specifically interviewing for.
Biomedical Program (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) + Albany Medical College)
- Academic Strength – Like we already said above, the UMKC 6-year BA MD program is super fast. Therefore, students need a very strong academic record so they can keep up with the fast pace! Be able to give examples of how you thrived academically in your UMKC BS MD interview.
- Research – RPI loves students who pursue research. The school gives undergraduates and medical students ample opportunity, funding, and resources to pursue research. Be able to talk about your prior research experience during your medical school interview.
- Problem Solving – Give examples both in the classroom and in your extracurricular activities where you had to problem solve. You can give examples of problem solving using your research too!
- Critical Thinking – Know healthcare current events and be able to give ideas on how to improve healthcare issues our society faces today. The Mastering the Multiple Mini Interview course created by Dr. Rachel Rizal has an entire module on healthcare current events!
Leadership in Medicine Program (Union College + Albany Medical College)
- Leadership – Give instances of times you displayed leadership. Be able to discuss what you learned about leading organizations or teams and how that translates to what you will do as a physician leader.
- Teamwork – The Leadership in Medicine program at Albany is based on a lot of team learning. As a leader, you’ll have to work and lead a lot of teams. As a physician, you will also be leading a lot of medical teams. Be able to discuss times when you worked on teams in your Albany BS MD interview.
- Community Service – Albany is committed to improving its local community. Have ideas about community service opportunities you want to pursue in upstate New York. These community service opportunities can be both healthcare-related and non-healthcare-related.
- Critical Thinking – Know healthcare current events and be able to give ideas on how to improve healthcare issues our society faces today. The Mastering the Multiple Mini Interview course created by Dr. Rachel Rizal has enter module on healthcare current events!
Science Humanities & Medicine Program (Siena College + Albany Medical College)
- Community Service – Albany is committed to improving its local community. Have ideas about community service opportunities you want to pursue in upstate New York. These community service opportunities can be both healthcare-related and non-healthcare-related.
- Well-roundedness – The Albany Science Humanities & Medicine program loves students who are passionate about other things aside from academics. If you have outside academic interests like dance or sports or the arts or journalism, you should highlight them in your interview.
- Teamwork – The Leadership in Medicine program at Albany is based on a lot of team learning. As a leader, you’ll have to work and lead a lot of teams. As a physician, you will also be leading a lot of medical teams. Be able to discuss times when you worked on teams in your Albany BS MD interview.
- Ethical situations – Albany’s Multiple Mini Interview incorporates some questions related to ethical scenarios. Know your medical ethics! You can read our helpful medical ethics blog post: Medical School Interview Ethical Questions
- The Mastering the Multiple Mini Interview course also covers medical ethics + how to answer medical ethics questions during interviews.
How To Prepare For Albany's Multiple Mini Interview
The absolute best way to prepare for Albany’s BS MD interview is through our Mastering the Multiple Mini Interview course created by Dr. Rachel Rizal herself! It’s the first MMI course in the United States and she uses her experiences from being an applicant who did MMIs herself and her insights from being a Stanford MMI interviewer.
Albany’s Multiple Mini Interview emphasizes leadership and teamwork. Therefore, it’s important to think about examples from your high school experiences that reflect leadership, teamwork, and challenges. As stated in the Mastering the Multiple Mini Interview course, it’s important to incorporate STORIES into your MMI responses. Therefore, you should have stories that reflect your leadership & teamwork ready to go!
Research Unique Opportunities at Albany
We like to give Albany BS MD applicants very specific opportunities to look up at Albany. You need to mention these in your interview!
Research Opportunities at and around Albany
- 2 clinical opportunities: First and foremost, you are applying to a BS MD program. Therefore, you should look for clinical opportunities you want to pursue at Albany Medical College! We know it’s hard to navigate medical school websites, so here’s a good starting point!
- 2 community opportunities: As we mentioned above, Albany loves to serve its local Upstate New York community. Find public health or community service opportunities around Albany, New York! Here are some service learning opportunities at Albany Med.
- Think about causes you care about and find community service work around Albany that you want to engage with as a college student!
- 1-2 other non-academic extracurricular activities: Leadership is important for all Albany BS MD programs. Therefore, find two organizations you want to lead or think about two organizations you want to create at Albany.
- 2 academic opportunities: Have an idea of 1 or 2 majors you’re interested in. Be able to discuss why you are interested in those majors. Then, think about how those academic opportunities link with the type of physician you want to be in 20 years.
- 1 research opportunity: Pursuing research is a cornerstone for Albany’s BS MD programs, especially at RPI. Here is a good starting point to find research opportunities at Albany.
Mock Interviews: Refine Your Interview Skills With Us 1-On-1
Rachel Rizal, MD
Changing the trajectory of people’s lives
Undergraduate
Princeton
Medical School
Stanford
Awards & Scholarships
Fulbright Scholar
USA Today Academic First Team
Tylenol Scholarship
RISHI MEDIRATTA, MD, MSc, MA
Advising students to attend their dream schools
Undergraduate
Johns Hopkins
Medical School
Stanford
Awards & Scholarships
Marshall Scholar
Tylenol Scholarship
Global Health Scholar
Read About Current Event Issues That Affect Albany's Community
Read about healthcare issues that affect the Philadelphia community
- Look up the Albany County Department of Health’s website and/or local newspapers to see the most recent pertinent healthcare issues
- Some popular healthcare issues that our BSMD Admissions team regularly hears about are the following:
- Access to care issues, especially among rural communities
- Tobacco Use
- Opioid overdose
Common Albany BS MD Interview Questions
While the Albany BS MD Interview is a Multiple Mini Interview, it does not mean it won’t weave in traditional questions. In the past, there has often been 1 traditional interview station at Albany. Typically, applicants who prepare with us through mock interviews do the Mastering the Multiple Mini Interview course + at least 1 mock interview for traditional questions only. That way, they can get as well prepared as possible for both types of interview questions!
It’s important to prepare STRONG answers for the following questions:
- Why do you want to go to Albany’s BS/MD program?
- Tell me about a time when you led a team.
- Tell me about a time when you led a team and faced a challenge.
- Tell me about your research experiences during high school. What motivated you to pursue that research? What did you learn?
- Where do you see yourself in 15 or 20 years?
Scheduling a Mock Interview
Work with Dr. Rachel Rizal to practice for your upcoming Albany BS MD interview!
How to schedule a mock Albany MMI interview:
- Purchase the Mastering the Multiple Mini Interview course on this page and click “Enroll today.” Make the payment at the checkout.
- After purchasing the course, you will receive an automatic email that allows you to upload your application materials, including your Common Application and Albany BS/MD supplemental essays. Additionally, you will be asked for more information like your name, contact information, interview date, time zone, and availability. Please fill out the form thoroughly.
- Dr. Rachel Rizal or Dr. Rishi Mediratta will reach out to you to schedule a mock MMI!
- Do the Mastering the Multiple Mini Interview course before your mock interview. You’ll receive feedback on how to improve and then we want you to keep practicing using our MMI practice questions!
- If you want more mock interviews, you can purchase additional mock Albany interviews or mock MMIs for other 4-year colleges / BS MD programs. The additional mock interviews can be purchased here.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. I have an interview soon, can I still purchase the course? Will I have time?
Yes! The course takes 4 hours to complete and we can schedule a mock interview right when you finish the course. Typically, the shortest lead time to schedule a mock Multiple Mini Interview with our team is 3 days before your interview. Please contact us if you want to schedule a mock interview ASAP.
Q. How far in advance should I schedule a mock interview?
We typically tell high school students to take the Mastering the Multiple Mini Interview course as early in the interview cycle as possible, because it helps them even for traditional interviews! The ideal time to schedule a mock MMI interview with our team is 1-2 weeks prior to the interview date. That way, you will still be able to practice using the feedback from the mock interview.
Q. I have other questions. How can I contact you?
If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out to Dr. Rachel Rizal and Dr. Rishi Mediratta through the contact form below. Or, you can email us directly at he***@bs*******.com.
Mock Interviews: Refine Your Interview Skills With Us 1-On-1
Rachel Rizal, MD
Changing the trajectory of people’s lives
Undergraduate
Princeton
Medical School
Stanford
Awards & Scholarships
Fulbright Scholar
USA Today Academic First Team
Tylenol Scholarship
RISHI MEDIRATTA, MD, MSc, MA
Advising students to attend their dream schools
Undergraduate
Johns Hopkins
Medical School
Stanford
Awards & Scholarships
Marshall Scholar
Tylenol Scholarship
Global Health Scholar