Chicago Medical School Interview: Virtual MMI and Questions

There are two statements worth knowing. The university mission, from RFU's Mission, Vision and Core Values page:

"To improve the wellness of all people through innovative, interprofessional education of health and biomedical professionals and the discovery and implementation of knowledge."

The university's vision is "to lead the nation in developing interprofessional healthcare education and biomedical discovery to advance an equitable, healthy society." Its seven core values are collaboration, excellence, innovation, integrity, justice, respect and scholarship.

The medical school mission

The medical school has its own mission, from the CMS Mission and Vision page:

"Chicago Medical School's mission is to educate a student body of dedicated individuals from a variety of backgrounds and experiences in a community-engaged, interprofessional learning environment. Our graduates become exemplary, compassionate physicians and scientists dedicated to improving the health and wellness of their patients and communities through clinical excellence, scientific discovery, service, and leadership."

Why interprofessional matters

Notice the word that shows up in both: interprofessional. RFU has six colleges and more than 30 graduate health-profession and science programs on one campus, per its interprofessionalism page.

If you have a real story about working alongside a nurse, pharmacist, therapist or social worker, it belongs in your secondaries and in any MMI station about teamwork.

CMS sends its supplemental application after AMCAS verifies your primary, and its Common Questions page sets a 150-word limit for each essay.

As of October 2026, the CMS admissions pages we checked don't post the prompts.

The two below are worded the way applicants reported them for the 2026-27 cycle. We couldn't confirm them with the school:

• "Which specific programs, opportunities, or aspects of Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University motivated you to apply, and how do they align with your career goals?"
• "What interests you about training in the Chicago/North Chicago region, and how might this environment shape your medical education and future career as a physician?"

Check the wording against your own supplemental before you write. It can change between cycles.

How to structure 150 words

At 150 words, you get room for one experience and one or two school specifics, and that's it. A structure that fits:

1. One or two sentences on a concrete experience of yours (about 40 words).
2. One or two named CMS programs and what you'd actually do in them (about 60 words).
3. One sentence connecting them to where you're headed (about 30 words).

CMS programs you can name

Here are real CMS programs you can name, all verified on rosalindfranklin.edu:

• Community clinic. The Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC), a pro bono clinic founded in 2013 by CMS students. It offers free care to uninsured patients on Thursday evenings and is housed in the RFU Health Clinics next to the North Chicago campus.
• Courses. Foundations of Interprofessional Practice, a first-year course, and the four-part Principles of Professionalism, Health Care, and Health Equity course that runs across all four years, per the curriculum page.
• Research fellowships. Summer research fellowships between M1 and M2, which can lead to an "MD with a Distinction in Research," per the CMS Common Questions page.
• Clinical sites. Clinical sites listed on the Clinical Sites page, including the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, John H. Stroger, Jr., Hospital of Cook County, Mount Sinai Hospital and Humboldt Park Health.

What a strong 150-word answer does

For the programs prompt, a strong answer ties one experience of yours to one or two named CMS programs, such as the Interprofessional Community Clinic, and says what you'd do there. For the region prompt, it links that same experience to the range of CMS clinical sites, from Stroger to the Lovell Federal Health Care Center, and to where you plan to practice.

Practice both prompts and see model answers in the app.

A 20-minute drill for any 150-word prompt

1. Set a 7-minute timer and write your answer with no word limit. Aim for 250 to 300 words.
2. Highlight the one experience that only you could have written. Everything else is a candidate for cutting.
3. Cut any sentence that would still be true if you swapped "Chicago Medical School" for another school's name.
4. Check each program you name against rosalindfranklin.edu, get under 150 words, and read it aloud.

Keep your final version. If "Why CMS?" comes up in conversation on interview day, it's your answer, already tested.

Answering Why CMS out loud

"Why CMS?" is a question applicants often prepare for, and one some secondaries ask. Written or spoken, it tests two things: whether you looked past the school's name, and whether what you found connects to something you've actually done.

Out loud, use the same three parts in 60 to 90 seconds: one experience of yours, one CMS feature it connects to, and what you'd do with it as a student. If you name the clinic, know that it's run by students from six health programs (clinic page).

Example opening, written by us: "At my clinic job, the person who changed patients' care most was a pharmacist. That's why training alongside six professions drew me to CMS."

What is the Chicago Medical School interview format?

A Multiple Mini Interview, held virtually and live. The school says interviews "will not be done asynchronously."

When does Chicago Medical School interview?

From September to mid-April. The first invitations go out in August.

How many applicants are interviewed?

In recent years about 5 to 10% of applicants have been invited to interview.

Does Chicago Medical School require Casper?

Casper isn't listed. AAMC PREview is recommended but not required.