Spend part of your preparation before the interview focusing on giving your best sales pitch on yourself. This may seem like a very open-ended question, but you want to focus your six to eight-minute response on showcasing who you are, what your values are, and the type of hardworking student you will be.

"It's great to meet you; I am excited to be here today! My name is Jennifer, and being accepted into medical school has been a dream of mine from a very young age. My career goal is to become a community pediatrician in my hometown, where I can work with families in a similar situation to mine growing up. I'm a very driven individual, which was instilled in me by my parents. My father was an electrician and small business owner who always worked his tail off to make ends meet for our family. He was a man who made sacrifices, working long hours and taking jobs many miles away from home to support his family. My mother has been a full-time nurse her entire career and inspired me to pursue a career as a physician. I loved to hear her stories from her shifts working in both a birth center and a NICU. Through my school years and into my undergraduate program, being active in as many things as possible was always my way of life. I have always been involved with sports like basketball, track, and volleyball. My passion for volleyball continues to this day; I still play in a few different indoor and outdoor leagues. I also volunteered with a local food bank and at the hospital where my mom worked. This passion for helping others is something I look forward to bringing to medical school and into my career. If I were to be accepted into your program, you will be getting a fun, hard-working, and curious student whose excitement would be hard-pressed and outmatched by my fellow student colleagues. I look forward to the opportunity to become a graduate of this esteemed medical school."

You have the time to walk briefly through your upbringing, your school years, and your college years. Speak openly and honestly about your hobbies and interests so your interviewer gets a good feel for what drives you, motivates you, and even helps relax you when times get tough. This will also give them insight into how you will fit with other more senior students in their program. Discuss your core values and highlight how they match the mission and values of the program you are interviewing with.