Question 1

Tell me about yourself.

Accepted Answer

This is the ice-breaker the associate dean describes. The interviewer has read your application and wants to hear how you tell your own story. Keep it to about a minute: where you come from, what you do now, and the two or three experiences that pulled you toward medicine. Applicants say BU asks this conversationally, so end on something the interviewer will want to follow up on.

Question 2

Who are you outside of class? What do you do for fun?

Accepted Answer

A light question that shows whether you have a life and interests beyond your resume. Give one or two real interests with a specific detail. A Reddit MMEDIC applicant (2026) suggests having three fun facts about yourself ready.

Question 3

Why did you choose your undergraduate school?

Accepted Answer

An easy opener drawn from your file; in a 2023 example, the interviewer asked what made the applicant choose Princeton. A short honest answer about what you were looking for and what you got from it. Link it to how you learn or what you did there.

Question 4

How did you come to medicine as a career? What drives you?

Accepted Answer

Clarifying your motivation is a stated goal of the interview. One applicant reports this question opened a long talk about medicine as service and advocacy. Use one or two concrete moments from clinical or service work and say what they showed you about the physician's role. Expect follow-ups like "what do you mean by that?" and "give me an example."

Question 5

Why medicine now? (for non-traditional applicants)

Accepted Answer

Applicants report (2009) being asked this as significantly non-traditional candidates, and others report being asked to explain a non-traditional undergraduate path. Explain the turning point clearly and show the steps you took after it. Tie your earlier career to what you will bring as a physician.

Question 6

Why BU? What do you want to get out of your education here?

Accepted Answer

Fit with the school is a stated interview goal. One applicant was asked why BU when cheaper state schools were available. Name two or three specifics and tie each to your own history: LEADS, the two-year health equity course with a scholarly project; clinical experience from the first week; training at Boston Medical Center and community health centers such as Codman Square or East Boston Neighborhood Health Center. If cost comes up, give a real reason, not flattery.

Question 7

What kind of medicine interests you? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Accepted Answer

The interviewer wants to see you have thought about what being a doctor looks like for you. Name a direction or two based on real experience, and say you are open to change. If you mention a field, add the kind of patients or setting you want to serve.

Question 8

Tell me about this specific activity. How did it affect the way you think?

Accepted Answer

Applicants report many questions about one particular extracurricular. The interviewer is checking what you actually did and what you learned. Re-read your activities before the day. For any entry, be ready to say your role, one specific moment, and what changed in you. Treat it as a conversation and let the interviewer follow up.

Question 9

Talk to me about your research.

Accepted Answer

Several reports mention it, and applicants advise brushing up on your research and publications. State the question in one sentence, your part in plain words, what you found or what went wrong, and what you would do next. Be ready for basic questions on the methods.

Question 10

What were your three most meaningful experiences? What has been your biggest growing experience?

Accepted Answer

The interviewer wants to see what you value and how you reflect, not your list. Pick experiences that show different sides of you, such as clinical, service and something personal. For each, give one line on what happened and one on why it mattered.

Question 11

During your shadowing, was there a patient case that particularly affected you?

Accepted Answer

It tests whether you watched closely and thought about what you saw in clinic. Describe one patient (without identifying details), what the physician did, and what you took from it about care or communication.

Question 12

Describe your leadership roles.

Accepted Answer

The interviewer wants to see how you lead and work with others, not your titles. Pick one role and one hard moment, such as a conflict or a project that stalled. Say what you did and what the team achieved.

Question 13

A pregnant woman is on life support, the baby needs to be delivered, and her husband won't agree. What do you do?

Accepted Answer

The associate dean says the ethical question is not a test of your morals. It tests whether you see multiple perspectives, show empathy, offer a first solution and ask for more information. Name each party and what they want, say what else you would need to know, then give a reasonable first step and who you would involve (ethics team, family meeting). Other reported versions include parents refusing a child's vaccines and a family weighing ending life support for a new mother (applicants report, 2010).

Question 14

Tell me about an ethical dilemma you have faced yourself and how you handled it.

Accepted Answer

Several reports describe a real ethical situation from the applicant's own life; it tests judgment and honesty. Choose a real situation with competing duties and no easy answer. Explain both sides, what you did, and what you would do differently.

Question 15

You are chief of orthopedics and management will cut funding unless you switch to a cheaper hip prosthesis for elderly patients. Do you switch?

Accepted Answer

Applicants report (2010) this cost question, and others report talking about cost versus risk. It tests reasoning on limited resources. Ask what the evidence says on outcomes for the cheaper device, who would be harmed by either choice, and how you could involve patients and colleagues. Then give a position.

Question 16

How have your interactions with different cultures and communities affected how you see them?

Accepted Answer

Applicants report (2009) this question, and another reports a long talk about multicultural topics. Use one specific community you worked with and one view you changed. Show what you learned by listening, not what you taught.

Question 17

Tell me about this weaker semester (or your MCAT). Do you plan to retake?

Accepted Answer

The associate dean says the interview probes weaknesses or open questions in the application, and checks how ready you are to succeed in medical school. Own the facts in a sentence, explain the cause without excuses, and show the evidence that you have since improved. Keep it calm and brief.

Question 18

What is your greatest failure?

Accepted Answer

It tests self-awareness and whether you learn from mistakes. Pick a real failure that mattered, say what you did wrong, and show what you changed afterward with a later example.

Question 19

How have you shown resilience?

Accepted Answer

The interviewer wants evidence you can get through the stress of medical school. Tell one specific setback, how you coped, and who you leaned on. Mention what you do now to stay well.

Question 20

What is the biggest problem in health care today? What policy would you change?

Accepted Answer

It tests whether you follow health care beyond your own experiences. The associate dean's favourite questions include fixing one medical problem with a magic wand. Pick one problem you know well, explain its effect on patients with a concrete example, and propose one realistic change. Applicants report (2024) that safe, "too nice" answers can get challenged, so be specific.

Question 21

Tell me about your commitment to social justice and serving underserved communities.

Accepted Answer

Applicants report BU values social justice and service to marginalized communities, and BU expects graduates to advance health equity for all patients. Show what you have actually done over time, with which community, and what you learned. Connect it to LEADS, where students design a scholarly project on a health equity intervention.

Question 22

What are the risks of private practice compared with a collaborative setting?

Accepted Answer

It tests whether you understand how medicine is practised and how teams affect care. Weigh both sides briefly: independence and business pressure against shared support and team-based care. Say which suits you and why.

Question 23

What is the most interesting thing you have learned recently?

Accepted Answer

One of the associate dean's favourite questions; it shows curiosity and how you explain ideas. Pick something real, from any field, and explain it simply in under a minute. Say why it stuck with you.

Question 24

What will be the hardest part of medical school for you?

Accepted Answer

A favourite of the associate dean; applicants also report being asked about anticipated challenges. Name a real challenge and the specific plan you have for it. You can mention BU supports such as the faculty advisor every student keeps for all four years.

Question 25

Is there anything else we didn't talk about?

Accepted Answer

It gives you room to add something important; one applicant was asked what they would want the interviewer to ask. Have one experience or quality ready that didn't come up, and say it in a few sentences. Tie it back to BU.

Question 26

Do you have any questions for me?

Accepted Answer

A fixed part of the interview, and applicants advise having 2-3 genuine questions ready. Ask about your interviewer's own work or experience at BU, or about something you can't find online. A notepad helps you jot down topics during the talk.

Questions BU applicants report

Opening

Why medicine and why BU

Your experiences

Ethics, character and the weak spots

Health care, equity and current issues

Closing