Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Eastern Virginia Interview Invite
Eastern Virginia invited me to interview as well. My interview with them is scheduled for November 14. They won't interview out-of-state applicants until November, which is why it won't be until November 14. My interview day with them will be from 10:00am until around 4:30pm. The drive to EVa is about ten hours. I'm hoping to be able to schedule my other Virginia (University of Virginia) interview around that same date to save some driving time.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Penn State Interview Recap
My day at Penn State went well. The campus was absolutely beautiful. The medical school and hospital complex is set on 550 acres of land. A large portion of that land is grassy area and the complex is situated in the middle of the Pennsylvania mountains. The drive to campus was really pretty as well. The town itself is a small town with the infamous chocolate factory and theme park. Considering just the campus aspect, Penn State is my favorite that I have seen to this point.
I checked in to the admissions office around 10:30am. The format was similar to Wright State where there was a morning interview group and an afternoon interview group. The morning group of five applicants had already done their interviews when I arrived on campus. Both groups were given a presentation about the school around 11:00am.
Following the presentation, the eight applicants ate lunch with five medical students. Four of the students were first-year students and one was a second-year student. As usual, we asked them lots of questions about the school, housing, student life, etc.
After lunch, around 1:00pm, we were led on a tour of the facilities. The medical school and hospital share a building, which is convenient. The building itself is nice, and the area is constantly being improved and added to. Penn State is currently completing a brand new cancer center and the next project is to build a brand new pediatric hospital which is expected to be completed around 2012. There is housing on campus specifically for medical students. The location is extremely convenient and the price is reasonable. There is also a brand new fitness center that is available free of charge for students.
After the tour, the afternoon group of three applicants had their interviews scheduled from 2-4pm. For some reason though, my first interview wasn’t until 2:45 so I had some time to sit around and talk with some medical students. I was impressed that as the medical students passed us in the hall, at least twenty of them wished us good luck (we were all dressed up so they knew we were interviewing). A few of the students stopped what they were doing and talked with me for roughly twenty minutes about anything I wanted to know. All of the students I ran into at PSU were extremely friendly and helpful.
My first interview was around 2:45 and was with a doctor in the complex. He was a nice guy, but it was extremely hard to read him and get a sense for what he was thinking. The interview was somewhat awkward because of the way he was acting, but I think it went well overall. The strangest question he asked me was what my opinion was on the Wall Street bailout. Shortly after he asked me, he got a phone call (which he answered) telling him the bill had been turned down. This interview lasted around thirty or forty minutes.
My second interview was at 3:30pm and was with an extremely nice and enthusiastic doctor. This interviewer said he was impressed with my application and that he didn’t really know anything else he wanted to know about me. He asked a few questions, but most of the time I was just asking him questions about the school. This interview went really well and only lasted about fifteen minutes and he couldn’t think of anything else he needed to know about me.
Around 3:45, I was basically done. I had a short survey to fill out asking for feedback on my day then I was free to go. Because the school is in Hershey, PA I was also given a Hershey’s kiss on my way out. (The school itself was largely funded by Milton Hershey’s foundation at its start).
Strengths:
Located in a beautiful area
Small town feel, extremely safe area
Connected to a good hospital
Good reputation
Friendly atmosphere
Good class size
Reasonable cost of living
Weaknesses:
Cost (much higher than anywhere else I’m looking)
Distance from home
At this point, based on what I know – I think Wake Forest would be my top choice of the three interviews I’ve had so far. Although I loved the setting of PSU, the cost seems unrealistic. Those decisions will come later though, when I see who I will actually receive acceptances from. PSU told me I could expect to hear from them in 6-8 weeks.
I checked in to the admissions office around 10:30am. The format was similar to Wright State where there was a morning interview group and an afternoon interview group. The morning group of five applicants had already done their interviews when I arrived on campus. Both groups were given a presentation about the school around 11:00am.
Following the presentation, the eight applicants ate lunch with five medical students. Four of the students were first-year students and one was a second-year student. As usual, we asked them lots of questions about the school, housing, student life, etc.
After lunch, around 1:00pm, we were led on a tour of the facilities. The medical school and hospital share a building, which is convenient. The building itself is nice, and the area is constantly being improved and added to. Penn State is currently completing a brand new cancer center and the next project is to build a brand new pediatric hospital which is expected to be completed around 2012. There is housing on campus specifically for medical students. The location is extremely convenient and the price is reasonable. There is also a brand new fitness center that is available free of charge for students.
After the tour, the afternoon group of three applicants had their interviews scheduled from 2-4pm. For some reason though, my first interview wasn’t until 2:45 so I had some time to sit around and talk with some medical students. I was impressed that as the medical students passed us in the hall, at least twenty of them wished us good luck (we were all dressed up so they knew we were interviewing). A few of the students stopped what they were doing and talked with me for roughly twenty minutes about anything I wanted to know. All of the students I ran into at PSU were extremely friendly and helpful.
My first interview was around 2:45 and was with a doctor in the complex. He was a nice guy, but it was extremely hard to read him and get a sense for what he was thinking. The interview was somewhat awkward because of the way he was acting, but I think it went well overall. The strangest question he asked me was what my opinion was on the Wall Street bailout. Shortly after he asked me, he got a phone call (which he answered) telling him the bill had been turned down. This interview lasted around thirty or forty minutes.
My second interview was at 3:30pm and was with an extremely nice and enthusiastic doctor. This interviewer said he was impressed with my application and that he didn’t really know anything else he wanted to know about me. He asked a few questions, but most of the time I was just asking him questions about the school. This interview went really well and only lasted about fifteen minutes and he couldn’t think of anything else he needed to know about me.
Around 3:45, I was basically done. I had a short survey to fill out asking for feedback on my day then I was free to go. Because the school is in Hershey, PA I was also given a Hershey’s kiss on my way out. (The school itself was largely funded by Milton Hershey’s foundation at its start).
Strengths:
Located in a beautiful area
Small town feel, extremely safe area
Connected to a good hospital
Good reputation
Friendly atmosphere
Good class size
Reasonable cost of living
Weaknesses:
Cost (much higher than anywhere else I’m looking)
Distance from home
At this point, based on what I know – I think Wake Forest would be my top choice of the three interviews I’ve had so far. Although I loved the setting of PSU, the cost seems unrealistic. Those decisions will come later though, when I see who I will actually receive acceptances from. PSU told me I could expect to hear from them in 6-8 weeks.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Wake Forest Interview Recap
I was extremely impressed with Wake Forest. The area is absolutely beautiful. The medical school/hospital area is set in a residential area so it does not have a bit city feel at all. The city itself isn't big anyway.
I had to be at the admissions office by 10:00am. We then had "hospitality" until 10:30, where there were cookies out and we just chatted with the other applicants - there were six of us total. We then had a welcome/orientation presentation which gave us an overview of the school itself. Around 11:00, we had a presentation from financial aid - which was extremely informative, but somewhat overwhelming. The costs associated with going to medical school (especially out of state or a private school) are daunting.
At 11:45am, the six of us joined two second-year medical students for lunch where we could ask them anything we wanted. All of the students I talked to throughout the day seemed to really love WF (which is probably why they are chosen to talk to applicants!).
At 1:00pm, the six of us were split in two groups. Three of us went on a tour first, while the other three did interviews first. I was in the first tour group. My tour was led by a 4th year medical student. This was the first time that I had been able to talk to a student that was almost done with the process. She brought a different perspective than the 2nd year students - and we took advantage of being able to ask her lots of questions. The hospital that is part of the complex is big and pretty. There is some interesting architecture, and the buildings are taken care of well. The technology that is used at WF is impressive. Everything is based on computers - so much so that they provide all incoming students with a brand new nice laptop computer.
At 2:00pm, the groups switched and it was time for my interview. The format of WF's interviews were a little interesting. We had three 15min one-on-one interviews. We would go into an interview with a faculty member, and when it had been 15 minutes, there would be a knock on the door signifying that time was up. We would then wrap up the interview and the interviewer would spend a few minutes writing notes, then the three applicants rotated to the next interviewer.
The interviews were also a semi-closed file interview - meaning the interviewers did not know the applicant's scores, GPA, or other credentials. All the interviewers knew about us was what we had written in our essays. This format is designed to remove some bias that is associated with the scoring. Interviewers opinions could be impacted by scores alone, and WF was trying to evaluate us on a personal level without the impact of our scores. When the committee votes on our admission, they will factor in our scores as well as the interviewers' decision. The three interviewers had a vote at the end of the day for each applicant on whether they thought they should be admitted - majority rules.
Because the interviews were so short, there wasn't much time to really get in too much conversation with my interviewers. Unfortunately, I was not really given time to ask them any questions. They did manage to ask me a few really interesting/difficult questions. One interviewer asked me to "name a famous physician from more than 100 years ago that made a significant contribution." When I was able to come up with a good answer he said, "Ok - now name another one." That guy was tough - but I think I did pretty well! I was also asked to name "some things that are easier for you than they are for others" and likewise to name "some things that are harder for you than they are for others." Those were somewhat difficult to come up with a good answer for. Overall, I think I did well in the interviews.
By 3:00pm, the day was done and I wad back in the car for the long drive back. (I figured out that between my last two interviews, I've spent 26 hours of the past six days in the car - and I'll be heading to Penn State next weekend!)
Strengths:
Beautiful, safe area
Small, cooperative class
Case-based learning
Small town feel
Friendly atmosphere
Amazing technology
Low cost of living
Excellent reputation
Weather!
Weaknesses:
Tuition cost
Distance from home
So far, I am extremely impressed with WF. The only big negative I can think of is the cost of attendance. Tuition there is roughly $38,000/year. If I go to a state school tuition is closer to $25,000/year. That difference is hard to justify - but at this point I'm just waiting to see how things come together. It's still too early in the process to know what will happen.
I should hear a decision from WF on or around October 15.
I had to be at the admissions office by 10:00am. We then had "hospitality" until 10:30, where there were cookies out and we just chatted with the other applicants - there were six of us total. We then had a welcome/orientation presentation which gave us an overview of the school itself. Around 11:00, we had a presentation from financial aid - which was extremely informative, but somewhat overwhelming. The costs associated with going to medical school (especially out of state or a private school) are daunting.
At 11:45am, the six of us joined two second-year medical students for lunch where we could ask them anything we wanted. All of the students I talked to throughout the day seemed to really love WF (which is probably why they are chosen to talk to applicants!).
At 1:00pm, the six of us were split in two groups. Three of us went on a tour first, while the other three did interviews first. I was in the first tour group. My tour was led by a 4th year medical student. This was the first time that I had been able to talk to a student that was almost done with the process. She brought a different perspective than the 2nd year students - and we took advantage of being able to ask her lots of questions. The hospital that is part of the complex is big and pretty. There is some interesting architecture, and the buildings are taken care of well. The technology that is used at WF is impressive. Everything is based on computers - so much so that they provide all incoming students with a brand new nice laptop computer.
At 2:00pm, the groups switched and it was time for my interview. The format of WF's interviews were a little interesting. We had three 15min one-on-one interviews. We would go into an interview with a faculty member, and when it had been 15 minutes, there would be a knock on the door signifying that time was up. We would then wrap up the interview and the interviewer would spend a few minutes writing notes, then the three applicants rotated to the next interviewer.
The interviews were also a semi-closed file interview - meaning the interviewers did not know the applicant's scores, GPA, or other credentials. All the interviewers knew about us was what we had written in our essays. This format is designed to remove some bias that is associated with the scoring. Interviewers opinions could be impacted by scores alone, and WF was trying to evaluate us on a personal level without the impact of our scores. When the committee votes on our admission, they will factor in our scores as well as the interviewers' decision. The three interviewers had a vote at the end of the day for each applicant on whether they thought they should be admitted - majority rules.
Because the interviews were so short, there wasn't much time to really get in too much conversation with my interviewers. Unfortunately, I was not really given time to ask them any questions. They did manage to ask me a few really interesting/difficult questions. One interviewer asked me to "name a famous physician from more than 100 years ago that made a significant contribution." When I was able to come up with a good answer he said, "Ok - now name another one." That guy was tough - but I think I did pretty well! I was also asked to name "some things that are easier for you than they are for others" and likewise to name "some things that are harder for you than they are for others." Those were somewhat difficult to come up with a good answer for. Overall, I think I did well in the interviews.
By 3:00pm, the day was done and I wad back in the car for the long drive back. (I figured out that between my last two interviews, I've spent 26 hours of the past six days in the car - and I'll be heading to Penn State next weekend!)
Strengths:
Beautiful, safe area
Small, cooperative class
Case-based learning
Small town feel
Friendly atmosphere
Amazing technology
Low cost of living
Excellent reputation
Weather!
Weaknesses:
Tuition cost
Distance from home
So far, I am extremely impressed with WF. The only big negative I can think of is the cost of attendance. Tuition there is roughly $38,000/year. If I go to a state school tuition is closer to $25,000/year. That difference is hard to justify - but at this point I'm just waiting to see how things come together. It's still too early in the process to know what will happen.
I should hear a decision from WF on or around October 15.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Wright State Interview Recap
Thank you to everyone who was supportive of me for this interview. I really appreciate it!
Overall, my interview went well with Wright State. I like that the school is not in a big city, but is still close enough to a big city to have access to a variety of hospitals.
The day started at 11:30am with an introduction and short video about the school. There were four other applicants in this intro.
At noon, lunch was brought in and two second-year medical students joined us. Applicants that had morning interviews also joined us - for a total of eight applicants including myself. The ten of us ate lunch and we asked the med students lots of questions about medical school and about Wright State.
After lunch, the ten of us took a tour of the medical school campus. The medical building is brand new - as in, was completed within the last year. The facilities are really nice and up to date with technology. The campus itself is pretty as well.
Next we had a meeting with a financial aid adviser. She covered some basic information and showed us the estimated budget. After that meeting, they fitted us for a white coat. They wanted to get our sizes so that if we chose to go there, they would know what to order us. It was a cool feeling to put a white coat on.
Then, starting at 2pm, I had my interviews.
My first interview was with a second-year medical student. He was really friendly and laid back. The interview was very low pressure and conversational. It felt more like talking to a friend than being drilled by an admissions person. He asked straight forward questions such as, "Your application says you shadowed a physician at St. Jude - tell me more about that." When I asked him what he would consider a weakness of the school, he had a really hard time coming up with anything - which is a good sign. The interview lasted about 30 minutes.
My second interview was with a faculty member. The impression that I got from him was that he didn't really want to be there and he was in an extremely bad mood. His questions were a little harder, but the hardest part of the interview was that he was not friendly or conversational at all. He wouldn't respond to much of anything that I was saying, except to go on tangents about how his son went to the same college I did. The strangest question he asked me was, "If I cornered your boyfriend at McDonalds and asked him what he thought of you, what would he say?" Although that, and a few other questions, caught me a little off guard none of them were extremely difficult or puzzling. Mostly his demeanor just made the interview difficult. His interview lasted 45 minutes.
By 3:30, I was done and heading back home.
Strengths:
Facilities
Campus
Location - not a big city, low cost of living, etc
Students all seemed extremely happy and not stressed out
No University Hospital (more community-based, real life medicine)
Small class size
99-100% board passing rate
Focus on team learning
Highly computer based
Research is optional, not required
Weaknesses:
Location (southern Ohio - not close to family, etc)
No University Hospital (no specialized teaching hospital)
Mediocre reputation
Relatively young medical school (30 years)
I was told that I should hear a decision from them in 4-6 weeks. Overall, I would say that I was impressed with Wright State, but I'm not sure if they would move up on my list much. I need to wait until I have more interviews and get a better feel for how they vary. At this point, I will probably accept any acceptances I receive to keep my options open. Multiple acceptances are allowed to be held until May 15.
Overall, my interview went well with Wright State. I like that the school is not in a big city, but is still close enough to a big city to have access to a variety of hospitals.
The day started at 11:30am with an introduction and short video about the school. There were four other applicants in this intro.
At noon, lunch was brought in and two second-year medical students joined us. Applicants that had morning interviews also joined us - for a total of eight applicants including myself. The ten of us ate lunch and we asked the med students lots of questions about medical school and about Wright State.
After lunch, the ten of us took a tour of the medical school campus. The medical building is brand new - as in, was completed within the last year. The facilities are really nice and up to date with technology. The campus itself is pretty as well.
Next we had a meeting with a financial aid adviser. She covered some basic information and showed us the estimated budget. After that meeting, they fitted us for a white coat. They wanted to get our sizes so that if we chose to go there, they would know what to order us. It was a cool feeling to put a white coat on.
Then, starting at 2pm, I had my interviews.
My first interview was with a second-year medical student. He was really friendly and laid back. The interview was very low pressure and conversational. It felt more like talking to a friend than being drilled by an admissions person. He asked straight forward questions such as, "Your application says you shadowed a physician at St. Jude - tell me more about that." When I asked him what he would consider a weakness of the school, he had a really hard time coming up with anything - which is a good sign. The interview lasted about 30 minutes.
My second interview was with a faculty member. The impression that I got from him was that he didn't really want to be there and he was in an extremely bad mood. His questions were a little harder, but the hardest part of the interview was that he was not friendly or conversational at all. He wouldn't respond to much of anything that I was saying, except to go on tangents about how his son went to the same college I did. The strangest question he asked me was, "If I cornered your boyfriend at McDonalds and asked him what he thought of you, what would he say?" Although that, and a few other questions, caught me a little off guard none of them were extremely difficult or puzzling. Mostly his demeanor just made the interview difficult. His interview lasted 45 minutes.
By 3:30, I was done and heading back home.
Strengths:
Facilities
Campus
Location - not a big city, low cost of living, etc
Students all seemed extremely happy and not stressed out
No University Hospital (more community-based, real life medicine)
Small class size
99-100% board passing rate
Focus on team learning
Highly computer based
Research is optional, not required
Weaknesses:
Location (southern Ohio - not close to family, etc)
No University Hospital (no specialized teaching hospital)
Mediocre reputation
Relatively young medical school (30 years)
I was told that I should hear a decision from them in 4-6 weeks. Overall, I would say that I was impressed with Wright State, but I'm not sure if they would move up on my list much. I need to wait until I have more interviews and get a better feel for how they vary. At this point, I will probably accept any acceptances I receive to keep my options open. Multiple acceptances are allowed to be held until May 15.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Wright State Interview Invite
Wright State called me today, and I scheduled an interview with them for next Wednesday (9/17). Their interview day goes from 11:30am - 4:00pm. They only do interviews on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so I couldn't do it with a weekend as I have been trying to do for the other interviews - but since it isn't very far away the scheduling shouldn't be a problem.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Toledo Interview Invite
I now also have an interview with Toledo which is scheduled for 10/13. I'm up to four Mondays in a row! I don't know any details about the Toledo interview yet - I believe they are mailing me more information.
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