What to Wear to a Medical School Interview, In Person and Virtual

A jacket with matching pants or a matching skirt, or a tailored dress with a jacket. Fit matters more than price: shoulders that sit flat, sleeves that end at the wrist, pants that just touch the shoe. A tailor can fix a store-bought suit for a small cost.

White, light blue or another light solid color, or a very small pattern. A collared shirt with a tie, or a blouse or shell under the jacket. Make sure it covers you when you lean forward or reach for a door.

A tie in a solid color or a quiet pattern. Keep jewelry small and quiet: a watch, small earrings, a ring. Nothing that jingles when you move your hands.

In-person days usually include a campus or hospital tour, and the AAMC warns against uncomfortable shoes because you will walk a lot. Wear polished, closed-toe shoes with a low heel or flats, broken in before the day. Dark socks or neutral hosiery.

Neat hair, simple makeup if you wear it, clean nails. Skip perfume and cologne, as the AAMC advises. You will spend the day in small rooms with many people.

A padfolio or small bag for a copy of your application, your questions and a pen. In winter, a dark overcoat and an umbrella. Some schools have no place to leave a suitcase, so ask ahead if you travel the same day.

Head coverings, turbans, kippot, modest dress and cultural formal wear are part of professional dress. Choose colors and fabrics that match the formality of a suit.

The AAMC's virtual tips say to dress as you would in person and avoid busy patterns. Interviewers see you from the chest up, but you may need to stand. Solid colors look best, fine stripes can shimmer on camera, and a top the color of your wall makes you fade into it.

Raise a laptop on books so the camera is level with your eyes. Frame yourself from the middle of your chest to a little above your head, and look at the camera when you talk, not at the faces on the screen.

The AAMC's tips: good natural light or a strong light behind your camera, and no bright light behind you. In a 2022 study of faculty rating mock applicants on video, backlighting lowered their ratings. Test at the same time of day as your interview, since daylight changes.

In the same study, a tidy home background was rated no differently from a conference room. Keep it plain, with nothing busy behind you and nobody walking through. A virtual background can cut off your hands and hair when you move, so use a real one if you can, and follow the school's instructions if it gives any.

Faculty in that study said audio quality, eye contact and connection shaped their impression most. Close the door, silence alerts, close other apps and plug into your router if you can. Keep the school's contact number nearby in case the call drops.

A day or two before, dress fully, open the platform the school uses, and record yourself answering two questions. Watch it back for light, framing and sound, then fix one thing at a time.

You are a guest, not a student yet. A white coat reads as presumptuous unless the school asks for one.

You want them to remember what you said, not what you wore.

You will sit, stand, walk stairs and shake hands all day. If you have to adjust it, change it.

Tours are long, and blisters by the third station are a real problem. Break in dress shoes ahead of time.

The AAMC says to skip strong perfume. Some interviewers and patients are sensitive to scent, and small interview rooms make it worse.

Bracelets that clink are distracting in a quiet room and loud on a microphone.

“Applicants should be dressed in business professional attire for their interviews.”

AAMC MSAR, Interview Procedures, entry year 2027 (virtual interviews)

“Business professional attire is required.”

UIC College of Medicine, Interview Day (virtual interviews)

“we now recommend business casual attire, such as a blouse or collared shirt. However, if you feel more comfortable wearing a suit, that is perfectly acceptable.”

Larner College of Medicine, Interview Overview (virtual interviews)

“Professional interview attire is suggested. A reliable connection should be used.”

AAMC MSAR, Interview Procedures, entry year 2027 (virtual interviews)

“Applicants should dress in professional/business attire.”

UC College of Medicine MSTP, Interview Day (virtual interviews)

“we invite you to dress comfortably, but neatly. Blazers or business jackets are optional.”

McGill Medicine, MMI information (virtual interviews)

“It's pretty simple: dress business-like and be well groomed.”

Cumming School of Medicine, MMI tips

“Be neatly and appropriately dressed in professional business attire.”

AACOM, The Admissions Interview

A suit is the safe choice and what most applicants wear. The AAMC suggests a neutral-colored suit or dress. A few schools say business casual is fine, and if yours does, a jacket with pressed pants or a skirt still works. When in doubt, wear the suit.

The same suit you would wear in person, top to bottom. Pick a solid color that stands out from your wall, sit facing a window or a lamp with the camera at eye level, and use a plain, tidy background.

Navy, charcoal, gray or black, with a white or light shirt or top. A dark neutral suit is the norm, so a bright suit stands out for the wrong reason. A little color in a tie or top is fine.

Yes. A suit with a skirt, or a tailored dress with a jacket, is as professional as a pant suit. Choose a length you can sit and walk in comfortably, and closed-toe shoes.

No. You are interviewing to earn one. Wear a suit unless the school asks for something else in writing.

Polished, closed-toe dress shoes with a low heel or flats that you have already broken in. Tours can cover a mile or more of hallways and stairs, and the AAMC warns against uncomfortable shoes for that reason.