Tell me about yourself template

For medical school and residency interviews

Answer in about 90 seconds and four parts: who you are now, what shaped you, why this path, and why this program. Fill in each part and the page writes your answer and times it.

What a strong answer does

A strong answer opens on who you are now, uses two experiences that show different strengths, and ends on one specific thing about the school.

Fill in the four parts to see your answer.

Practice it and see model answers

See one answer go from weak to strong

What goes in each part

The shape is the same for both interviews. What you put in each part changes.

1Who you are now

Medical school: Your school, your major or job, and what you're doing this year.

Residency: Your year, your specialty, and the rotation or role you're in right now.

2What shaped you

Medical school: Two experiences, often one clinical and one outside medicine, that show different strengths.

Residency: One experience from before or early in medical school and one clinical moment that pointed you to the specialty.

3Why this path

Medical school: What the experiences add up to, and why medicine and not a nearby role.

Residency: Why this specialty, and what kind of patients or problems you want to work on.

4Why this program

Medical school: One thing about the school that fits your story, named exactly.

Residency: One feature of the program, such as a clinic, track or research group, and what you would bring to it.

Five lines to cut

Each one makes the answer sound like everyone else's.

Well, I was born in Ohio and went to high school there…
Start with now: “I'm a senior studying biology and working as a scribe.”
I've always wanted to help people.
Name the moment: “I grew up translating at my grandmother's appointments.”
I'm hardworking, compassionate and a team player.
Show one trait through what you did, and let them name it.
As you can see on my application…
Pick two experiences they can ask about, not the whole list.
…and that's pretty much me.
End on why this program, so their next question is easy.

Questions people ask

How long should my answer to “Tell me about yourself” be?

About 90 seconds, and never past two minutes. At a steady pace that is roughly 150 to 210 words. The builder counts your words and shows the time.

Is the residency answer different from the medical school one?

The shape is the same. For residency, start with your year and specialty, use a clinical moment as one of your experiences, and end on a specific part of the program.

Should I memorize it?

Know the four parts and the two experiences by heart, not the exact words. Say it out loud a few times so it sounds like you talking, not reading.

Can I use the same answer at every interview?

Keep the first three parts and rewrite the last one for each school or program. That last part is what shows you know where you are.

Where can I see a model answer?

In the app. Practice the question out loud there, then compare your answer with the model answers and your feedback.