NJMS REFERENCE 2025 QUESTIONS WITH 100%
SOLUTIONS!!
Why do you want to study medicine? What made you switch from your previous career? -
SOLUTION-1. I want an intellectually challenging career that that is rooted in science my
interest in science
As a physician, I will be exposed to a variety of work and involved in a process of lifelong
learning (both academically and clinically). This will allow me to continue to better myself and
my knowledge in a field that is constantly changing due to advancements in research and
innovations
*EACH INTERACTION WITH PATIENT IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE - observing how
treatments align with outcomes/research*
2. Communications: Enjoying close contact with people, and making a difference to their lives
via service
3. Experiences with family members during their illnesses exposed me to various roles that the
individual members of a medical team play.
4. SPECIFICALLY Doctor: Responsibility devise patient care plan
** "The human body is extremely complex - as a doctor you're not just executing one aspect of
the plan - it is a holistic approach to getting the patient better" ... drive the decision making
process **
,IMPORTANT: Emphasize that it is not a matter of one being better than the other, but of people
with different levels of responsibility and skills working TOGETHER towards ONE GOAL.
What are your greatest strengths? - SOLUTION-1. I think RESILIENCE is one of my greatest
strengths. When I have a goal in mind I fully commit myself to it, and do not get deterred from
achieving my vision regardless of the obstacles that come my way. I have learned to be very
adaptive and flexible in how I achieve my goals due to some of the unpredictable hurdles that
have arisen in my personal life. During my time at CU I balanced a challenging course load, e-
boards, volunteer, clinical, also managing family health issues that arose. Although this required
restructuring my academic plans to fit my new responsibilities, such as requiring me to
postpone my MCAT, I was not deterred but rather used extra time to study and perform well. I
believe this drive will carry me through med school - continue to ensure that I succeed.
2. COMMUNICATION is another strong point of mine. From me professional experiences prior
to pursuing medicine I served as a manager of complex advertising campaigns for a
multiplatform media company. It was my responsibility to coordinate between the client and
other internal teams within our company - understanding different stakeholder needs and
how to make everyone happy. The ability to clearly communicate and understand the needs
are others are skills have carried over into my medical career.
3. EMPATHY/UNDERSTANDING for patient PERSPECTIVE - *PATIENT IS #1 FOCUS*:
empathetic; patient's perspective is important - since 10 years old seen perspective of mom;
seen frustrations of healthcare system even with great insurance it was difficult to navigate -
important as a doctor to understand those challenges - different vantage point ---
Exposure/understanding - different patient perspectives, family, clinical, diversity of NY
populations, adaptable - as well as understanding of medical professional // scribe
4. INVOLVEMENT both on-campus and
What are your weaknesses? - SOLUTION-ONLY GIVE 1 (unless otherwise asked for)
1. DWELL ON MISTAKES: working to move past shortcomings, applying criticism in
constructive way to better myself; explicitly what I've done to prove it - MCAT technique, low
scores in beginning --> improved when moved past
2. Not vocal about advocating for myself - hope actions can speak on my behalf and this
usually works in long term but does not allow for recognition of accomplishments in short term
, 3. Extremely thorough but approach to studying is time and resource intensive. Need to be
better at alloting hours in the day - medical school and residency is a long path and need a
more sustainable approach.
Why NJMS? Why Early Decision? - SOLUTION-1. Curriculum
"When I learn new material, I love to dive deep into it and develop a strong foundation in the
content and then zoom out to figure out how it fits into larger picture - the systems based
approach allows me to do this"
- Foundations then systems
- Block curriculum, focus on one subject at a time, exams every 2 weeks, then done.
- This will also ensure I do not fall behind since frequent testing
- Nice not to have "final exam period" where cramming information - Capstone = piece it all
together
2. Early clinical exposure = CONFIDENCE
• Hands-on Clinical: importance of having confidence in your ABILITIES and DECISION
MAKING while practicing medicine. Developing my skills early will reinforce my mastery of
practice
• University hospital is also a teaching hospital
NJMS gives students autonomy ..... My experiences in academic teaching hospital during time
at Columbia/NYPresbyterian and I know
• Med school/Uni Hospital integration, the fact both buildings are connected would make
involvement in the Hospital easy.
• Student Family Health Care Center will allow me to apply knowledge from classroom in real
time under the supervision of an attending physician ++++ ADDED BONUS: dedication to
serving surrounding community; 1st student run clinic that provides free healthcare to
medically underserved
3. Variety of clinical settings to practice:
- academic in Newark
- VA hospital in east orange
SOLUTIONS!!
Why do you want to study medicine? What made you switch from your previous career? -
SOLUTION-1. I want an intellectually challenging career that that is rooted in science my
interest in science
As a physician, I will be exposed to a variety of work and involved in a process of lifelong
learning (both academically and clinically). This will allow me to continue to better myself and
my knowledge in a field that is constantly changing due to advancements in research and
innovations
*EACH INTERACTION WITH PATIENT IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE - observing how
treatments align with outcomes/research*
2. Communications: Enjoying close contact with people, and making a difference to their lives
via service
3. Experiences with family members during their illnesses exposed me to various roles that the
individual members of a medical team play.
4. SPECIFICALLY Doctor: Responsibility devise patient care plan
** "The human body is extremely complex - as a doctor you're not just executing one aspect of
the plan - it is a holistic approach to getting the patient better" ... drive the decision making
process **
,IMPORTANT: Emphasize that it is not a matter of one being better than the other, but of people
with different levels of responsibility and skills working TOGETHER towards ONE GOAL.
What are your greatest strengths? - SOLUTION-1. I think RESILIENCE is one of my greatest
strengths. When I have a goal in mind I fully commit myself to it, and do not get deterred from
achieving my vision regardless of the obstacles that come my way. I have learned to be very
adaptive and flexible in how I achieve my goals due to some of the unpredictable hurdles that
have arisen in my personal life. During my time at CU I balanced a challenging course load, e-
boards, volunteer, clinical, also managing family health issues that arose. Although this required
restructuring my academic plans to fit my new responsibilities, such as requiring me to
postpone my MCAT, I was not deterred but rather used extra time to study and perform well. I
believe this drive will carry me through med school - continue to ensure that I succeed.
2. COMMUNICATION is another strong point of mine. From me professional experiences prior
to pursuing medicine I served as a manager of complex advertising campaigns for a
multiplatform media company. It was my responsibility to coordinate between the client and
other internal teams within our company - understanding different stakeholder needs and
how to make everyone happy. The ability to clearly communicate and understand the needs
are others are skills have carried over into my medical career.
3. EMPATHY/UNDERSTANDING for patient PERSPECTIVE - *PATIENT IS #1 FOCUS*:
empathetic; patient's perspective is important - since 10 years old seen perspective of mom;
seen frustrations of healthcare system even with great insurance it was difficult to navigate -
important as a doctor to understand those challenges - different vantage point ---
Exposure/understanding - different patient perspectives, family, clinical, diversity of NY
populations, adaptable - as well as understanding of medical professional // scribe
4. INVOLVEMENT both on-campus and
What are your weaknesses? - SOLUTION-ONLY GIVE 1 (unless otherwise asked for)
1. DWELL ON MISTAKES: working to move past shortcomings, applying criticism in
constructive way to better myself; explicitly what I've done to prove it - MCAT technique, low
scores in beginning --> improved when moved past
2. Not vocal about advocating for myself - hope actions can speak on my behalf and this
usually works in long term but does not allow for recognition of accomplishments in short term
, 3. Extremely thorough but approach to studying is time and resource intensive. Need to be
better at alloting hours in the day - medical school and residency is a long path and need a
more sustainable approach.
Why NJMS? Why Early Decision? - SOLUTION-1. Curriculum
"When I learn new material, I love to dive deep into it and develop a strong foundation in the
content and then zoom out to figure out how it fits into larger picture - the systems based
approach allows me to do this"
- Foundations then systems
- Block curriculum, focus on one subject at a time, exams every 2 weeks, then done.
- This will also ensure I do not fall behind since frequent testing
- Nice not to have "final exam period" where cramming information - Capstone = piece it all
together
2. Early clinical exposure = CONFIDENCE
• Hands-on Clinical: importance of having confidence in your ABILITIES and DECISION
MAKING while practicing medicine. Developing my skills early will reinforce my mastery of
practice
• University hospital is also a teaching hospital
NJMS gives students autonomy ..... My experiences in academic teaching hospital during time
at Columbia/NYPresbyterian and I know
• Med school/Uni Hospital integration, the fact both buildings are connected would make
involvement in the Hospital easy.
• Student Family Health Care Center will allow me to apply knowledge from classroom in real
time under the supervision of an attending physician ++++ ADDED BONUS: dedication to
serving surrounding community; 1st student run clinic that provides free healthcare to
medically underserved
3. Variety of clinical settings to practice:
- academic in Newark
- VA hospital in east orange
