Why do you want to study at our university?
This is a very important question and could be the deciphering factor between you and another candidate.
You could have answered other questions well however not sounding passionate enough about wanting to study at that particular university (even if you really want to) is a turn-off
Make sure you research the university and course structure! University websites are excellent resources and should provide you with most of the information you need.
You may well be asked about the university’s course structure. Some things to think about are:
- The teaching style: is it PBL?
- Clinical exposure / Patient contact
- Self directed learning time
- Anatomy
- When do you undertake your elective and where can you undertake it?
- Are there opportunities to intercalate?
Other reasons to think about when answering this question are societies the university has (academic and non academic), research opportunities, location/ campus.
Mediteach top tips:
- If you are in the fortunate position to have multiple interviews, treat each interview as a gift and give it your all! Remember interviewers are very good at sensing your energy so make sure it is always a positive one.
- Avoid generalised statements about the University like saying you want to study there because it is a good reputation.
- Try to go into detail about why you want to study at that University – for example, if you know it has a great course structure and great teaching facilities, you can strengthen your answer by saying where you sourced this information- do you know anyone who has studied at that university/ course.
- Remember to think about any talents you have eg. sports/ debating. You can use this opportunity to talk about what you feel you can bring to the University for example wanting to be a part of student societies and using your talent to help them grow or you can talk about wanting to bring a new club/society to the university that doesn’t already exist.
- Just be honest about why you want to study there! Is it your dream university? Is it the beauty of the campus?
- Some points to avoid are saying that you want to study there because you want to stay at home.
Please note all our answer guides are our views/opinions only 🙂
