New York, NY
Allopathic Medical Schools | Private Non-Profit
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 16% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview mixed with a moderate stress level, and felt they did okay.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
Most respondents rank this school above other schools they applied to.
0 = Below, 10 = Above
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools encompass a wide range of topics, including reasons for pursuing medicine, personal background, academic interests, extracurricular activities, career aspirations, views on healthcare, and reflections on experiences. While the responses varied, there were no explicit mentions of an MMI format or nondisclosure agreements, suggesting a diverse array of questions in traditional interview settings.
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Why do you want to come to NYC?
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If you have been successful in your career so far, why not stay on that field instead of going to medical school?
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Plenty about my research.
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Tell me about your family.
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What is one skill you would like improve upon?
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Is there anything we haven't talked about that you wanted to tell me?
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Lots of questions about my research.
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What are some of your weaknesses?
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Do you know how you can locate a big object in the ocean?
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What was your favorite history course? (I was a history major).
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Why are you mentoring?
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Tell me about yourself.
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What do you think you've accomplished so far in your life/studies/career?
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Why China? (I've visited a few times to study medicine/public health and tour)
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My first interviewer was very nice. The conversation flowed naturally and he asked typical questions (e.g. what are you looking for in a medical school).
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My second interview was incredibly unpleasant and categorically disagreed with everything I said. He asked most of the typical questions: why Cornell, why you, why medicine?
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What has been your exposure to medicine?
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Have you done community service?
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Tell me about this activity.
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What do you do for fun?
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Did your recommender propose to you?
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Do you want to go to Harvard?
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What will be the biggest challenge you'll face in medical school?
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Fill in any gaps in your application...
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Why Cornell?
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What is your passion?
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What was your favorite thing about this course?
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Why Weill Cornell?
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Do you play a musical instrument?
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Tell me about someone you admire.
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What are you looking for in a medical school?
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What changes do you think need to be made to the U.S. Healthcare system?
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What was the outcome of the formation of your student group?
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Why did you do nursing assistant training?
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Tell me about xx activity.
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What do you think about current health care debate? What is the most important thing about it?
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Where are your parents from?
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Tell me about your experience abroad.
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Why did you decide to participate in ___ activity?
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Why Cornell? Tell me about (activity). Very conversational, talked about my application.
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first interviewer was really conversational. It made me more relaxed about being there, which was nice. the questions are really specific to your application so they vary. but the obvious ones were "when did you decide to go into medicine?" "do you have any physicians in your family" What will you do between graduation and medical school? etc
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the other interview was a trip. the guy seemed to be on a mission to disprove anything i could possibly say. I don't know what his purpose was but i think i did a good job of defending my positions, but he was really persistent. What do you think of the current healthcare debate? why Cornell? Why did your grades drop this one semester?
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If your friends could describe you in three bullet points, what would they say?
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What do you think of Obama's proposed health care reform?
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Why did you take time off after college?
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Both started with: so tell me about yourself. Why Weill? What do you do on your free time.
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Interviewer A: So tell me about yourself, followed by why medicine, and do you have any questions for me?
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Interviewer B: Do you like your college? What do you do there? Tell me what you meant by this line in your essay?
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Interviewer A: Tell me about your life, starting from the beginning. Why did you go to your undergraduate institution? Why are you so different from other students in HS? Can you tell me about some of your volunteering experiences? Did any of these affect your decision to go into medicine? What do you do for fun? What do you know about PBL? Do you have any questions for me?
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Interviewer B: Tell me a little bit about yourself. What are you doing during this year? Can you tell me about your research? Why should we accept you to this medical school? What are the strengths that you have? Do you have any questions for me?
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Tell me about your research.
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What is your favorite non-science class?
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Why not do MD/PhD?
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How do you react to antagonism? Are you ok when people disagree with you? Do you think that you could handle a problem-based learning format?
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What is the difference between Medicine and Music? Music and Art? Art and Medicine? (I have a very strong art and music background)
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What is your favorite genre of art?
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what is your passion
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why cornell
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Why did you choose to go to the University of South Florida for an exchange program
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Discussed my views on global medicine and public policy hurdels abroad (related to an internship experience)
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What is your biggest failure? What did you learn from it?
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Tell me about your childhood, brother family etc.
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Why didn't you go straight to medical school after college?
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Do you have any idea what specialty interests you?
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Tell me about your research?
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Why medicine?
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tell me about your research
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Why do you want to be a doctor?
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How did you get into bioethics?
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What type of medicine are you interested in?
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Do you have any idea what field you're thinking of going into?
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Was there a defining moment when you realized medicine was right for you?
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Where do you see your career taking you? (I took it to mean long-term)
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How do you feel about New York?
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Tell me about yourself?
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Why did you go to this summer program?
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Details about shadowing experiences.
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Why I majored in a humanity.
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where do u see yourself in 10 years?
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why should we pick you?
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Tell me about your community service involvement.
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Describe your research. Describe your volunteer work.
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How did you choose medicine?
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How did you choose your undergraduate major?
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can't remember...
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Do you have any questions for me?
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Tell us about your home town?
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Tell us about yourself?
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tell me what you think about PBL
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what is something you regret
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who is someone you respect
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Haven't you done enough for others? Why do you want to help people so much? (This was the stressful interviewer.)
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tell me about your experience abroad
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tell me your most interesting non science related class
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How did you arrive at your decision to pursue a career in medicine?
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What are you thinking of specializing in?
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What is your biggest regret?
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What would your family and friends say about you?
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Who is someone you respect and why?
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Describe your research
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how were you raised
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why do you want to be a doctor
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Books?
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Movies?
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Sports?
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Describe your time abroad
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Pick one activity you did in college and explain why you became involved.
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Why did you choose your undergrad?
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How would you rate yourself as a singer?
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Tell me about your interest in neurosurgery.
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Why did you choose your undergraduate institution?
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Is there anything else on your application you want to tell me about?
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Biggest health care prob?
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Tell me 3 strengths...3 weaknesses.
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What book are you reading now?
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Do you have an idea of what specialty you want to go into?
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What made you want to go into medicine?
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At your funeral, what would you want people to say about you?
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Describe your perfect day in which you could go anywhere, with anyone, and do anything.
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So what else did you do (to prepare for med school I guess)? Yeah, and what else? What else?
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Why did you take time off?
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Talk about leadership?
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Why Cornell and NYC?
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How do you know you can handle the rigors of medical school?
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Why are you leaving such a cushy job to go into medicine?
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Tell me about how your teaching experiences related to your aspirations for medicine
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Why medicine
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Do you want to continue to do neuroscience, or would you like to try something else? What other specialties are you interested in (besides neurology)?
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What can I tell you about NYC and Cornell?
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Why do you want to do research?
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Can you handle living in NYC?
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Just basic questions about different activities I've done (tutoring, running a program house, etc.) Also question about my history as an unschooler.
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Tell me about discovering and solidifying why you want to be a doctor (just the story of my personal statement)
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Question about activities
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Question about being a doctor
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Question about PBL
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Healthcare problem (but I was an economics major).
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How do you feel about New York City?
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What are you looking for in a school?
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tell me about yourself
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What can I answer about Cornell for you?
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What is it about medicine that excites you?
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see above
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whats the most interesting book you've read in the past year
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who do you most admire
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Describe some experiences working in small groups?
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Tell me about such and such class from college? Who did you read?
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About research I had done.
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More stuff straight off of my application.
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Questions about my honors thesis
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Tell me about your travels in ...
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What do you have to offer Cornell?
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Why did you choose your undergrad. school?
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Why should we accept you, what makes you unique?
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What do you do outside of work?
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What did you find in your research?
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What was your favorite class?
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So tell me a little about yourself.
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Why medicine vs some other great profession that also helps people?
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Is there anything you would like to ask me.
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Why did you do that
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Why did you do this
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Tell me your story.
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What will you add to PBL groups?
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Why did you not apply to Harvard? (see above)
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Tell me about your background.
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Tell me what your friends would say about you. (asked in a really round about way)
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What do you like about NYC?
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Why do you want to come to Cornell?
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Tell me about your lab experience...
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What was your favorite class?
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Why Cornell?
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"How did 9/11 affect you and your class at Columbia?"
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"What do you like about NYC?"
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"What is your greatest challenge?"
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Question about photography (we got to talking about things I do for fun).
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So you spent some time at [undergraduate institution]?
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Who are your favorite directors (as part of a discussion about movies I had recently seen).
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how did you find your undergraduate experience. and what were some of your motivations for taking time off?
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tell me about your family. i see you come from a family of doctors.
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are there any questions that you would like me to ask that I haven't asked already?
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when did you realize you wanted to be a doctor?
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Why biology (my major)?
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What do you do for fun outside of school?
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What is the most interesting thing that has happened to you in the National Guard?
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What would you do if you were called up to Iraq? How does school work with your commitment? (a LARGE portion of both interviews focused on what I would do if I was asked to serve--I enjoyed talking about it!)
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what motivated you to become a doctor
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why do you enjoy mentoring/ teaching
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why do you want to come to nyc
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Tell me about this experience? What exactly were your reponsibilities?
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tell me about your family
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Why Medicine? When did you start thinking of a career in medicine? Tell me about how you are where you are now.
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Tell me about your reseach?
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What are your goals as a physician?
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when did you become seriously interested in medicine?
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Research related questions...
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What do you propose we do about the 40 million people that do not have health insurance?
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Why medicine especially with the all the negative changes in administration?
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Do you ever have any fun?
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How do you manage stress?
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What can you contribute to our school?
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all of the questions were specific to my application
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What do you think about the US healthcare system, its strengths and weaknesses?
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What do you think Cornell should look for in deciding who to accept and why do you think you have what it takes?
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Who do you respect and why?
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WHat extracurriculars have taken up the most time?
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Why is there a significant disparity between your MCAT and grades?
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Do you have any questions about Cornell?
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Tell me hope you ended at the college where you received your BS degree.
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What led you on the path toward medicine?
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Explain your research.
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Why were you attracted to Cornell?
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How are you going to choose a school?
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What is most important to you?
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What values have you gotten from your family that will make you a good physician?
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I suppose you're familar with the curriculum?
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Where do you see your self in 15 years?
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std issue.
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Is there anything about Cornell I could tell you about?
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You sound like you were quite involved in music. Tell me about them.
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what do you want out of cornell
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why should cornell accept you?
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Tell me about your extracurricular experiences.
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What do you want in a medical school.
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what was your favorite non-science class?
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why are you interested in medicine?
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Relate a story when something funny happened to you?
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Tell me about your failures.
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What would your friends say about you if they were gossiping behind your back?
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?'s related to my EC's
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what do you foresee as some of challenges docs will face; ie.why would anyone want to enter medicine in the state that it is in today?
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I was pretty much doing all the questioning?
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Give the Reader's Digest description of your research.
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Which extracurricular activity has had the most meaning for you?
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Tell me about your extracurricular activities/research/college experience...
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What are you doing during your year off? (and lots of follow-up questions about the job)
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Why did you major in ...? How does it relate to medicine?
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I was asked to explain each of my bad grades from college
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They asked me to talk about the research I am currently doing
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What was the path that lead to my wanting to become a doctor?
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What will you bring to the class and some group discussions?
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How do you learn?
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What do you do in your free time?
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What is genomic imprinting?
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how can one use signal processing theory to remove noise from an epileptics EEG (wasn't quite related to me research, but a common statistical technique is used)
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how do you see your professional career in a few years?
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One interviewer concentrated on my family background a lot.
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Why are you interested in endocrinology?
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Are you a PBL or traditional lecture type of learner?
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How will you balance the time to do research and see patients?
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Why do you want to do MD/PhD?
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at Weill Cornell Medical College discussed a wide range of topics including personal achievements, ethical dilemmas, future healthcare challenges, and unique life experiences. The interview format may have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview), potentially involving a nondisclosure agreement based on some responses mentioning non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements.
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What are you most proud of?
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How would you adjust to life in NYC?
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Do you think the Higgs Boson exists? (I was a physics tutor and mentioned I liked the subject)
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Not a question, but one of my interviewers stated that he believed most medical research was useless.
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What doctor that you've shadowed, met, or know of do you see yourself as being most similar to, or most wish to emulate?
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How has having 2 doctor parents influenced your decision to go into medicine?
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Why weren't you a postdoc? (Absolutely stupid question since I don't have a PhD. I'm really shocked I was asked this since the interviewer, a MD, should know better.)
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Where is the HIV epidemic going in the next 10 years and will we see a vaccine?
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Tell me about your family
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It looks like you only did public health research, did you even get published? Why didn’t you join a lab?
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My parents...described in detail about their upbringing and immigration
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What efforts do you take to be unbiased?
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Nothing was interesting - it seemed like they were just reading off a sheet. The second interviewer did not seem to know my application well and asked redundant questions.
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What do you think of that pillow? What do you think of that plaque? (I'm so dead serious.)
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Talk to me about an interesting research paper you have read recently (we were talking about a seminar I'm taking where we only read cool neuro research papers)
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When the interviewer quoted my essay and asked for what I had been feeling when I wrote that.
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Interviewer A: S/he asked me about my HS rank and SAT scores! Seriously? S/he asked me if I had been accepted anywhere, and then specifically in my home state. S/he assured me that my answer to both questions would not affect my final decision from Cornell, but I highly doubt that.
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Tell me about your hometown (and other more specific questions about my childhood)
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What is the difference between Medicine and Music? Music and Art? Art and Medicine?
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the basics nothing really interesting
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none
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Pretty standard questions from my experience. Mostly about extracirricular activities written in my app/essay.
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nothing out of the ordinary
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Who is your favorite artist? What galleries do you visit in the city? (I was an art major)
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None really, they were mostly about my extracurricular activities..
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They had me describe a leadership role that I hold.
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Why do doctors need compassion?
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What relevant lessons I had learned from my current job (as a non-traditional applicant).
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what is your mom's (who is sick) responsibility to medicine
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So far, how do you think Cornell compares to NYU?
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What will be the most serious challenge to the field of medicine in the coming years?
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Once a colleague of mine asked me to come volunteer in Haiti. I said ''no, let them die'', what do you think about that?
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Nothing really. My first interview was very short (< 5 minutes), but the guy was cool though. My second interview was less than 10 minutes but no complaints.
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what would people say about you at your funeral
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Why are there so many homeless youth? (In regards to my work with the homeless)
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pretty general questions, same as always
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Describe the positive and negative aspects of each place you have lived.
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If you could have one day to do anything, what would you do?
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What is your Learning Style?
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How were you raised?
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What books have you read recently?
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So, you're involved in church and choir...would you consider yourself religious?
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Each question seemed germane to my particular application, so expect something off-the-wall from your file.
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Doctors aren't a bad people, how did this disparity come to exist?
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Nothing, specific... just q's about my application.
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If I was at a party with your family and friends, what stories would they tell me about you?
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What was your most interesting course in school?
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Tell me about why you choose to send a certain letter of rec?
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none really
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Where do doctors find the inspiration to continue in their professions? (more of a rhetorical question)
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Talking about unschooling with my faculty interviewer. Apparently he's considering it for his kids!
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Standard questions, the interviewers sincerely wanted to get to know you rather than to stress and test you.
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Why Cornell?
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Given the current state of the health care system and its impact on physicians, why do you still want to be a doctor?
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If you died today, what would people say at your funeral?
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Questions about my family.
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What about a doctor's job will feel most natural to you? What will feel most unnatural?
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Questions from my student interviewer about my travels & research.
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Do you ever get angry? (My innately bubbly and cheerful personality had apparently deceived them)
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How did your upbringing prepare you for medicine in terms of ethics?
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Do you think it was easier teaching older students or younger ones when you were a teacher?
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What do you think should be done about emerging viral infections? (We were talking about a virology class I had taken, so this wasn't out of the blue)
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Are you worried about the changes occuring in healthcare.
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What should your 'sound bite' be? (the succint reason we should want you to come to Cornell)
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Why NYC for medical school?
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Tell me about a rewarding experience you had that shows me what kind of person you are.
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How do issues considered in sociology (I am a sociology and biology double major) impact the way that people perceive and receive medicine?
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Does Chinese music use the 5-tone Chinese scale or does it use the Western scale?
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Where in [very small home town] do you live? (the interviewer knew the town).
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are there any questions that you'd like to ask me that you haven't found anywhere else.
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what do you think about race relations at your current undergraduate institution?
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What would you do if you were called up for Iraq (I am in the National Guard)?
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what current issues involving the medical field will most likely effect those in the profession?
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Standard questions. Why Medicine? Tell me about this experience in your application...
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Ask about my research (not clinical but very interesting)
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Nothing specific, just get-to-know-you type questions.
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What do you propose we do about the 40 million people that do not have health insurance?
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If you had to tell a child that he was terminally ill, how would you do it?
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some personal questions about my family
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Since enter medicine is a change of career for me, he wanted to know how he could be sure I would not decide to change careers again once I become a doctor.
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What values does your family have and how has that influenced your decision to pursue medicine?
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Why do you think Indians place such prestige on becoming doctors?
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See most difficult
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How did you become interested in medicine? (I was a computer science major)
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What makes you happy? also What's most important to you?
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You know the question everyone is going to ask you don't you?
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std issue.
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Tell me how you could think Math is elegant and beautiful when there are so many discrepancies and disagreement among the mathematicians (I'm a math major).
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do you know what the tuition was when i attended medical school?
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Nothing very interesting. Just the standard questions.
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none...standard issue. why cornell, what are u interested in, basic get to know you questions.
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None!
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nothin really
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How has medicine changed in terms of how much input a doctor has in deciding the course of action for their patients' health concerns(pretty much a HMO question)?
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Do you think that volunteer work should be mandatory for high school students? (It was based on something I brought up.)
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None--very straightforward questions.
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Considering the state of medicine today (with HMO's and malpractice insurance) why would someone of my generation want to enter the field of medicine?
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I was asked to tell a story of something funny that happened to me.
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Nothing too difficult, but be prepared to convince them why the Cornell system is right for you.
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asked to use the board to explain a complex computational biology concept (not in an intimidating way)
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Got asked a lot of specific questions about my research
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How do you know you are right for the PBL curriculum?
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at Weill Cornell Medical College discussed various topics, including ethics, patient care, personal background, and healthcare policies. Some mentioned MMI format and potential nondisclosure agreements due to sensitive questions asked, while others highlighted specific inquiries about research, personal experiences, and ethical dilemmas in healthcare.
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What did you hate most about [my undergraduate school]? (one of the first questions - not sure why this was asked...)
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Nothing super difficult... Very low key interviews. Was very lucky not to get heir famous stress interviewer.
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How would you allocate the money given to Alzheimer's disease research? (I was working in AD clinical research)
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Do you know how you can locate a big object in the ocean? (Don't think he expected me to know though)
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Specific questions about medical programs during Mao's China -- I've been to China a few times and studied its history and health care, but I wasn't prepared to go into such a deep discussion about different aspects of it with my interviewer, who was very knowledgable
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My second interviewer asked some ridiculous question supposedly related to my research on lung cancer in smokers about why people living in Pittsburgh in the 70s were not warned about the hazards of the poor air quality from steel industry pollution (I grew up in Pittsburgh). N.B. I'm not even sure if his claim is true.
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Should we mandate HIV testing?
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What do you see your day like as a doctor?
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What is your passion? (Can't choose anything medical related)
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When I worked on a Native American reservations, many patients did not have electricity or running water. How do you expect patients to comply with treatments if they don’t have these basic needs? Do you think you’ll actually make a difference as a doctor?
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Health care debate question, as it was a stress interview and the interviewer kept questioning me and did not like any of my answers.
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Honestly, both interviews were more conversations than interrogations. I was immediately put at ease - I didn't feel like they were trying to trap me or challenge my knowledge or interest in the medical field. They were simply genuinely interested in knowing more about me and my experiences. It was easy to talk about.
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How has being a humanities major better prepared you for becoming a physician? (shouldn't have been hard, not sure why I blanked suddenly)
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Why do you think hope is a good thing? (he then went on to tell me how silly i was for being hopeful)
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What do you think of that pillow? What do you think of that plaque? (I mean, how do you answer these?)
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None. Interviews were very conversational, not stressful, subjects flowed naturally.
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Tell me about yourself just because it was so broad and the interviewer gave me absolutely NO feedback, not even facial expressions.
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Interviewer B: What is the basis of the physician-patient relationship? In another instance, s/he gave me a hypothetical scenario and asked me what I thought was wrong with the patient?
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none
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Why you over all the other equally academically qualified applicants?
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Tell me about your life, starting with your earliest memory.
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why werent you involved more in your school.
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Why do I fit at Cornell?
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Why did you not take more advanced science courses?
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No difficult questions really - just standard ''why do you want to be a doctor''
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Why do you want to be a doctor?? Pretty standard.
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How will you handle academic challenges while in medical school?
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Do pathologists need to show compassion toward their patients?
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why should we pick you
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What complaints does your friend who goes to Cornell have?
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What life experiences have been most influential in forming your character?
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Where were we? (after the interviewer took a phone call during the interview)
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Are you dismissing me?
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Just tell me a little about yourself and your journey towards med school?
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what would your parents say about you if i met them at a party? your friends? your siblings? your grandparents? your dog?
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Do you have any questions for me? This should not have been a difficult question, but my interviewer was basically toying with me and his other interviewees, and contradicting everything we said, so I had to think really carefully before coming up with an answer.
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How would your friends describe you?
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Besides EVERYTHING we talked about, tell me what how you would want me to present you to the admissions committee in one sentence?
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No difficult or interesting questions, just standard fare, tell me about activity X or why medicine or why Cornell.
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None. All standard questions.
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what is the best and worst thing that you would bring to our class
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Why NY being from Texas?
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If I were to follow you, what would I find you doing in the next ten years?
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(see most interesting...I'm Christian, my first interviewer was Jewish)
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What kind of medicine do you think you'd like to practice?
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Why should we admit you?
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What can you contribute/how are you unique type question...
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See above
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None particularly difficult.
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why do you tink you can handle the rigors of medical later in life? (I'm a non-trad)
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Something specific about my research
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Did your mother's breast cancer diagnosis affect your decision to be a doctor? Where you directly involved in her care?
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Nothing difficult at all.
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Same
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To explain a poor grade in my chemistry class.
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Nothing tricky.
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Hard to say, I suppose some of the nasty rhetorical questions from my faculty interviewer to which there was no correct response.
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Tell me about your family... I have a shaky past with my family-but the interviewer was really receptive even though at first I was reserved with what I was saying. He really wanted to understand me from my past until present-and I didn't feel judged at all.
-
What makes you laugh? What makes you cry? Also, disuss the good and bad concerning health care today.
-
Nothing at Cornell really stuck out as a difficult question, except for perhaps the dreaded "what if you don't get into med school?" deal.
-
Nothing in particular.
-
What do you think should be done about emerging viral infections? (We were talking about a virology class I had taken, so this wasn't out of the blue)
-
What else should we know about you?
-
Why not Harvard? They excel in many of the areas that Cornell does- also has PBL.
-
Do you think that you can handle death? (Based upon a comment I had made regarding my clinical experiences)
-
In a non-academic setting, what action or inaction do you regret the most?
-
What is the biggest problem in health care, and how would you suggest ameliorating this?
-
Why do you think people tend to give blood when tragedy strikes? (we were talking about 9/11 and the response in nyc)
-
All my questions were pretty easy, but the hardest for me was "what makes you unique?". I talked about my non-traditional background, but given that Cornell has many non-trads, I didn't feel like this made me really stand out.
-
what might be your biggest misgivings that may have prevented you from going into medicine, if any? ( talked about wrestling with the potential of making a genuine, but unintentional medical error on my part, and how i had to really come to grips with this possibility before i proceeded with the pre-med-prep during and after college).
-
none...
-
What does it mean to be Virginian?
-
is there anything else I should know about you?
-
Everything was straightforward... They did not try to stump you. Just wanted to get to know you/ make a case for you in front of the admissions commitee.
-
Why I went to the undergrad I went to?
-
What do you propose we do about the 40 million people that do not have health insurance?
-
A question relating to my research work, which I should've known, but just couldn't remember at the time.
-
(see above)
-
If you had one day to do anything at all, without restrictions, what would you do? (This one stumped for about five minutes)
-
Being from a different country, what insights can you give me on Health care in the US?
-
To do what you want, you don't need an MD! Why do you want an MD?
-
What makes you different from all the other candidates who apply to this type of school?
-
nothing
-
why should cornell accept you?
-
Tell me about your life. Not a trick question but difficult to answer because it is so broad.
-
Many bizzare questions...I felt like I was getting a psychiatric evaluation!
-
standard
-
None--very straightforward questions.
-
Anything else I should let the committee know about you? (this was the third time she asked me this question)
-
none really
-
The questions were pretty standard, and dealt mostly with my application
-
Nothing too bad. Pretty standard.
-
Questions about how I felt about 9/11 and living in NYC. Each interviewer had a different opinion on the issue, so I had to gauge that.
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of 20 - 30 minutes.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 2 people.
What was the style of the interview?
Most respondents had a one-on-one interview.
What type of interview was it?
Most respondents had an open file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at the school.
📍 On-Site Experience ▼
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents rank the facilities as below average.
What were your total hours spent traveling?
Most respondents spent 4-6 hours traveling to the interview.
What was your primary mode of travel?
Most respondents traveled by airplane to the interview.
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
Most respondents spent less than $100.
What airport did you fly into?
Respondents who flew to the interview generally used LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
-
La Guardia
-
LGA/JFK
-
LGA
-
JFK/LGA
-
JFK
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either with friends or family or with students at the school.
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
-
best western plaza long island city
-
Westin Time Square
-
N/A
-
Milford Plaza - Lower Manhattan
-
Gracie Inn
-
Edison Hotel
-
Airbnb
How would you rate the hotel?
Most respondents rated their hotel as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
Most respondents would recommend their hotel.
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What are your comments on where you stayed?
No responses
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by reviewing their application materials, researching the school, reading interview feedback on Student Doctor Network (SDN), and practicing with mock interviews. Suggestions include familiarizing oneself with the school's curriculum and philosophy, engaging with current students, and preparing specific questions to ask during the interview.
-
Mock interviews with advisors and friends who are current medical students
-
Practice
-
Reviewed my application over and over again.
-
Read about the school and read through my application and research.
-
Secondary essay, interview feedback.
-
Reading up on SDN, mock interviews.
-
Go over AMCAS, supplemental, school site.
-
SDN, reviewing application, making notes on different aspects of my biography, writing notes on common interview question; I did NOT rehearse enough though
-
reviewed my application, read feedback on SDN
-
student doctor, thought about myself
-
Re-read my app. Read a bit about the school.
-
SDN, Website, MSAR
-
Read NYT, NEJM, Med school's website, SD interview feedback, Understanding health policy.
-
Looked on Google Maps to figure out which subways to take. Put on my suit at a local McDonalds (after eating breakfast there of course).
-
Reviewed personal statement, read up on current events in medicine, browsed through school's website.
-
Website/SDN/read over app
-
school website, sdn, prayed,
-
SDN, school website.
-
Website, SDN
-
SDN and school website
-
Nothing. Just talked to students while I was there, and used what I had learned from other interviews.
-
SDN, school website, AMCAS application
-
read over my secondary application and AMCAS application, read SDF, looked at cornell's website
-
basics,AMCAS, interview questions
-
sdn, cornell literature, etc
-
SDN, friends, reviewed app
-
SDN, website, spoke with students, AMCAS, secondary
-
SDN, website, good night's sleep
-
researched the website, talked to current students, thought about how i might phrase discussion of my interests and background
-
SDN, Mock Interviews, Read School Website, reviewed my application.
-
Going over AMCAS application and essay
-
SDN, reread my essays
-
sdn website, amcas application, cornell webiste
-
sdn, website, amcas
-
AAMCAS, website, MSAR
-
my AMCAS, Cornell's website
-
Reread my application, SDN, read Cornell's website
-
Interviewed elsewhere, fought with my parents and siblings
-
SDN. Cornell website. Student host.
-
none
-
This website.
-
went on the schools webite, read feedback on sdn
-
SDN, reread all of my application materials, read over the Weill Cornell website several times.
-
sdn, med school website, reviewed app
-
Website, stayed with MS2, so got some info from him.
-
Review School information, AMCAS, secondary and standard questions
-
read the app and the website and SDN
-
SDN
-
SDN, reading over app
-
Read the school's website
-
I read over my file and look at some of the questions posted here. Honestly, it seemed that the interviewers were sincerely trying to understand me as an applicant.
-
SDN, school interview feedback, previous experience
-
same ol
-
SDN, read over my app
-
SDN, MSAR, Cornell Weill Website, reviewed application
-
SDN interview feedback, Supplemental application, school website.
-
SDN, AMCAS Application, mock interviews, Secondary and school website.
-
standard stuff
-
sdn, cornell website, reviewed amcas file
-
Read about school, read my app, read SDN
-
Mentally thought of questions and key points I would bring up in my response.
-
read SDN feedback, re-read all my applications, read Cornell website and thought about the ways that it and I fit together
-
Read about Cornell's program, thought about why it fits me
-
read amcas sdn feedback
-
SDN website, Cornell website
-
SDN, read app
-
I re-read my application and this website as well.
-
Read over my application. Read about their program on the website. Read this website.
-
Read through my secondary, read the school web site
-
Deep breathing, thought about how if they didn't REALLY want to meet me-I would not be interviewing (I'm not big [enough] on that whole confidence thing--but I felt absolutely great there), read up on HMOs/PPOs/POSs and other managed healthcare issues, reviewed my AMCAS, my secondary, and thought about how to really share myself and my experiences with them.
-
Read up on school.
-
Read my application/AMCAS and the school's website
-
Read the med school web-site, went over my AMCAS app, spoke to students about what was unique about the school
-
Just read over my secondary and looked at SDN interview feedback.
-
Read website, read feedbacks
-
Review AMCAS, extracurriculars, Website, SDN; practice answers to general questions.
-
Read my AMCAS, secondary, looked at their website, SDN, interview feedback, etc.
-
Familiarize yourself with the curriculum and the philosophy behind the medical education at Cornell. The website is extremely helpful.
-
Read SDN Interview feedback, searched the school's website, read brochure, reviewed application
-
read about the school online, SDN interview feedback
-
I read the Cornell website and the interview feedback on this site.
-
read the website(s) found at the school. get a gist of the philosophy that the school tries hard to write into their brochures. talk to as many students as you can while there, before the interview if possible (they have lunch where lots of current students drop by to say hello. this i felt gave a good feel for the varied folks at the school. old, young. straight. gay. former profressionals from other fields, etc.
-
sdn, my app, school website
-
SDN interview feedback, Talked to other students about Weill, Discussion board on SDN, read my application again, just relax and be myself
-
this site, cornell website, I have interview at nyu the day before
-
Read their online site and sdn network. All the questions I was asked already appeared on this site.
-
read file and website and SDN
-
Read website
-
SDN, ask friends
-
Cornell website, read over primary and secondary apps, SDN, other medical school guides from Princeton/Kaplan
-
read interview feedback/surveys, read about school
-
website, spoke with students, mock interview
-
read this website, read my application, talked to current students
-
Spoke to a Cornell prof about the curriculum, webiste, SDN, re-read my research submission & application
-
School's website, SDN, AMCAS application, secondary applications (for all schools applied to)
-
Read over my research, my interviewers research.
-
Read my application and research materials, and the Cornell MD and MSTP websites.
-
Surfed the web.
-
sdn, msar, princeton review, ps, amcas, etc.
-
reviewed primary app, sec essays, read sdn interview feedback, etc
-
read SDN, AMCAS, Cornell website
-
sdn, practiced questions, and, read my application
-
looked through their website, read over my amcas app and cornell secondary...msar, princeton review, etc.
-
I looked over my secondary application and just tried to be myself during the interview.
-
sdn, friends that go there
-
read the school's brochure, listened to Bob Marley and Lauren Hill
-
Looked over web page
-
Re-read my application, read the school's website, read SDN, thought of answers to questions that would probably be asked, and reviewed my research.
-
Read the website Reviewed my application and research
-
Read their brochure and website.
-
Looked at school website and brochure and reviewed AMCAS application.
-
read my reserach - read their reserach (got a list of interviewers before)
-
read their website, sdn
-
Read the website and reviewed my AMCAS and other material
-
Read through the website, re-read my application.
-
Read faculty research, some papers, prepared specific questions to ask different people (faculty, students, etc.)
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the state-of-the-art facilities, the positive and friendly atmosphere among students, faculty, and staff, the innovative and well-rounded curriculum, the ideal location in New York City, and the emphasis on opportunities for international experiences and research. Many also highlighted the supportive and welcoming nature of the school, the diverse student body, the financial aid options, and the ease of conversation during interviews.
-
They thoroughly read your whole application and know you very well. It was easy to hold a conversation because I didn't feel like I needed to impress them.
-
Great location in UES, affiliated hospitals (NYP, MSKCC, HSS) are amazing, Tri-I for MD-PhD is top-notch, and the school is debt-free! (though, this seems to be based on parental income, so if your parents make a lot, your package may be not what you expect)
-
Despite being virtual, I still got to learn so much about the school within 2 hours. Love the institution.
-
Everything!
-
Gah. Everything. The opportunities were limitless and the people were amazing.
-
Everything. The location is unbeatable. The facilities are sparkling. Curriculum is cutting edge (they are free at 1pm every day). The resources and programs they offer in research and global health are unparalleled. My interviewers were truly invested in getting to know me.
-
The curriculum was amazing, and the students are extremely friendly.
-
great facilities and tour (I saw my first cadaver, and very intimately, during the tour); friendly medical students, interviewers, admissions staff; diverse group of people being interviewed on my day (reflects well on quality of student body)
-
Most of the faculty I met were very nice and all of the students I met seemed happy. I really like the PBL and early clinical exposure offered. The location is great.
-
Friendliness of the admissions staff. Location.
-
interviewer, NY!
-
Students, location, 8am-1pm classes, PBL
-
Great Facilities, Great Hospital, Dorm seems good for friendships
-
the rotations abroad
-
One of my interviewers was very nice and let me explain myself thoroughly.
-
First interviewer was super nice and chill. Beautiful day.
-
Very nice facilities; absurdly cheap housing; happy, positive students, who seemed very tight knit and collaborative; supportive administration; opportunities for studying abroad.
-
Students, facilities, location, funding for international projects
-
The students we met were super chill and normal. they did not have their heads stuck up in an ivy league cloud.
-
Location
-
Location! The hospital looks like a hotel. The sim lab was awesome. M2-4 housing was baller.
-
The sense of community. I stayed with a host and was impressed by how many people knocked on her door in one night to hang out or study. Students seem very very relaxed and happy. Also the diversity is incredible, a lot of nontraditionals and 25% URM. The curriculum is perfect to prepare the best clinicians. The facilities are amaxing too.
-
Everyone in the staff was absolutely amazing. I loved my second interviewer, the first years who we met were incredibly friendly and helpful! It doesn't hurt that the facilities are great.
-
The facilities, opportunities for international health work, students, and some of the faculty. The financial aid seems pretty good, but we will see if the economy affects it in the future. The area is pretty nice, and the subsidized housing is cheap and decent looking considering the alternatives. PBL definitely has its merits.
-
everything: facilities, students, the curriculum, the location of the school
-
students, facilities, location, curriculum
-
How friendly and happy the students were, the beautiful and modern facilities for 1st year students, how laid-back the interviewers were, the fact that both interviewers were heads of their departments, how Cornell is dedicated to diversity, internationalism, and supporting minority students
-
facilities, nice people on admissions,
-
facilities, people, the hospital, and the happy students
-
cirriculum, facilities, location, EVERYTHING
-
The facilities were incredible
-
The facilities are AMAZING.
-
Facilities were unreal, people were friendly and very happy, PBL, location
-
everyone was very friendly, students seemed really enthusiastic and happy, facilities were impressive and new, faculty was very involved in encouraging students and allowing them engage in observation or research not necessarily affiliated with the formal curriculum
-
The curriculum, the facilities, the location!
-
How happy the students are.
-
Cornell has the most resources available to their students than any other school I have visited.
-
The enthusiasm and candidness of the medical students that led our tours and spoke with us.
-
everything. they really explain the curriculum well, touring the facilities was amazing. also, they have constant waves of first year students coming in to greet you and answer questions. no other school did that.
-
good facilities, PBL seems cool
-
the facilities were nice, the area of NYC seemed great, the students were incredibly friendly
-
How nice and friendly the enrolled students are.
-
My first interview was the most fun interview I ever had, very difficult, very rapid-fire, fairly agressive, but very funny and interesting as well. The teaching facilities were great, dorms incredible.
-
Scholarships are need based. Great residency match. Campus accomodation is heavily subsidized by the school.
-
facilities are outstanding.
-
New York is amazing. The classrooms and hospital were beautiful, and the students seem really happy. The first year living is small but CHEAP! There is a Shabbat Elevator at the hospital, so that observant Jews can get to the top floors while observing Jewish law on Saturdays. It sounds like pretty much every department at Cornell is awesome. Some previous poster on this site said that Cornell doesn't have a good neuro program, but I was told that the neuro program was awesome. In fact, there is a whole Brain and Mind class in the second year, which accompanies a very long anatomy section on head and neck. The PBL-based curriculum is great, and almost all lectures are webcast.
-
nyc, so obviously amazing location/lifestyle, only in class until 1 each day then there are a million opportunities to do medical/nonmedical related things in/around nyc
-
The facilities are wonderful and everything was very compact, locationwise. The atmosphere at Weill Cornell seemed very positive and supportive. Throughout the day, I had quite a bit of time to interact with current students and ask questions.
-
The facilities are great. They have a lot of money up there. The students are very happy. The curriculum is great and is set up to allow you a lot of free time. Dorms are nice and an incredible deal for that part of Manhattan (or anywhere for that matter)
-
Location, Location, Location. Upper East Side, this place has bling blinging! Also facilities were new and shiny.
-
The school and facilities are amazing, mostly all new. Dorms are nice also for only 450$ in Manhattan right at the medical school.
-
the facilities and the students
-
How friendly the students, admissions staff, and people were. I expected that an air of superiority would exist but was not the case. Really liked the people
-
Students and their enthusiasm for their school
-
The facilities, the students' zeal for the curriculum and the school, the location, the opportunities for experiences abroad and research.
-
The students were enthusiastic; they love the school and everything about it. Plus, the school is right there on the Upper East Side, so the location is incredible.
-
PBL curriculum (classes only till 1 on every day except Thurs), awesome hospital and teaching facilities, subsidized housing in Upper East Side, international opportunities, affiliation with Memo Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Rockerfeller U., and Hospital for Special Surgery, abundance of affiliated teaching hospitals for rotations
-
facilities were state of the art, the hospital is extremely prestigious and attractive
-
Facilities, NYC, MS2-4 apartments, my interviewers(!), students
-
Facilities are beautiful, students are happy
-
the students, the facilities, opportunities to do rotations in outer boroughs, supportive faculty, small class size, mix of PBL and lectures
-
Curriculum. I had my doubts about the emphasized PBL but now that I understand it better I think it is superior. I was also happy to know that the curriculum is not 100% PBL like I thought. There is actually lecture everyday. Just not too much time is spent in lecture.
-
Anatomy lab was impressive.
-
I like how self-contained everything is at Cornell. You basically go to school over a two block stretch in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Everything is right there.
-
professionalism of school, facilities are extremely nice and newly renovated, nyc area
-
Location, students, talk from member of admissions committee
-
The students were great. They seemed happy and there was a good diversity in terms of age and background. I was impressed by a women's group that was recently started by second year MD/PhD students to address women's issues. Support for women having kids seems to be changing at least at Cornell. I was also impressed by how they try to speed the process along and integrate the program.
-
Everything: Dr. Bardes, the dean of admissions, is friendly and funny. About 8 students showed up to have lunch with us, and were all extremely warm and friendly. They say they are the least stressed out of all their friends at other med schools, and that Cornell is very laid back. I love PBL--I think it's the ideal way to train to be an effective, resourceful physician. The facilities are beautiful. My faculty interviewer was warm and friendly and GENUINELY interested in having a conversation with me. So yeah, basically, it was great.
-
Everything. This school is amazing. The facilities, faculty, and students are all top notch. A cut above most other schools. And you can't complain about dorms in Upper East Side NY for 500 bux a month
-
Facilities and area were fantastic even for NY. Class ends at 12 most days. Students were happy.
-
I stayed with a host who I had known previously, and she seemed to really enjoy herself. Everyone I talked to seemed to be happy and content. REALLY nice, state-of-the-art facilities--anatomy lab with plasma screen TVs, PBL room with large apple monitor computers . . .
-
facilities, PBL format, well-rounded and enthusiastic students
-
The students were really great. They seemed friendly and happy with the program. The facilities are all brand new, including the anatomy lab. One of the lecture halls was just renovated. There are training opportunities all over the place in NYC.
-
The students. They seemed really laid back and quite a few showed up. I liked that they were enthusiastic. Also that they can rotate through hospitals all over the city.
-
The staff in the admissions office were very friendly.
-
The facilities are immaculate and state-of-the-art, the people (admin. and students) were not a bunch of Ivy-League eggheads, but rather intelligent, social, eclectic people who I really felt connected to.
-
Excellent facilities, great students. The curriculum seems fantastic.
-
Happy students, innovative curriculum, lots of technology integrated, school appears to be building a lot in the area, nice location. People will also try to tell you that Cornell students don't get a lot of exposure to "real" patients because of the school's location on the upper east side, but they have a preceptor program where students shadow physicians in all boroughs of NYC for four semesters, and your physician changes every semester. I also liked that it seemed they get out of class earlier.
-
The tenor of the school really shown through when there were about 20 students from all different years who showed up to talk to us and answer our questions during lunch. The tour was also given by a first year, a 2nd and a third and i really felt I got a good feel for the school based on their down-to-earth approach to why they chose Cornell. The facility were bar none. Nice 24inch flat sreen monitors, Plasma screen tv's in a beautifully new anatomy lab. Awesome hospital too (very new) with lots of other different choices in the network (I think someone mentioned Lincoln in the South Bronx is esp. busy). The thing that really impressed me most was the quality of the people (and age: many older students) I met there, and I think they really try to make it a system where everyone tries to work together versus look out for themselves.
-
The facilities, really nice interviewers, dean of admissions talked to us.
-
Interviewers and Dean were very personable, down to earth, and welcoming.
-
Everything. From PBL (not for everyone), to the atmosphere, to the attitude of the students, to the medical facilities and opportunities for travel and research- Cornell stands out amongst elite institutions.
-
Everything! Great facilities, nice neighborhood, mature and sincere students. I also liked how everything is geographically close, like within a block (med school, hospital, Rockefeller, Sloan-Kettering, housing, etc)
-
The school breeds this atmosphere of positivity - you see it in the students, the administrative staff, and the faculty. The interviews were very conversational, and it seems they really want to help you in the process of showing them who you are. The medical students are very enthusiasitic, and extremely engaging.
-
The students seemed laid back and confident instead of stressed and competitive. Moreover, the fact that the associate dean of admissions gave a welcome address and got to know each applicant was impressive. The hospital is beautiful, and according to several students, does not just cater to the Upper East Side elite.
-
the students were all happy, friendly, and smiling.
-
The students seemed pretty laid back and happy, especially the first-years. Cornell seems to take an "ease you into it" approach, and this along with the heavy emphasis on PBL and the afternoons free seems to create a pretty relaxed atmosphere. I also really like the international program, and Cornell seems to be great with financial aid.
-
the facilities, both med school and hospital. the hospital is beautiful and the other rotations possibilities sound great (in the bronx, brooklyn, queens). they are in the process of building another new facility = state of the art out-patient 14-15 story building. students actually seem to really enjoy it there. that includes all the years (1-3) whom i talked to. they are getting mac G5 supercomputers next year for each individual station. the pbl curric seemed to be positively a central part of their experience.
-
the curriculum, the dean, the format of the final exam (called the triple-jumper...i think), the low stress level
-
Everything. The school is in a remarkable area. The hospital is gorgeous, the curriculum is second to none, and the students are very involved. The match list is pretty solid. I was felt especially welcomed by their openness to non trad students, married students and commitment to diversity. Interviewers were very friendly. Cathy (the interview coordinator) really makes you feel at ease once you arrive at Weill--good conversationalist while I waited for interviews... Financial aid is pretty solid too. The PBL rooms are like a four sided whiteboard box (on the inside) with a floor and overhead lights. There are four large screen Macs in there as well with internet access.
-
the staff is extremely helpful and friendly, the facilities are beautiful, the school is on the upper east side ($$$) though to live in the dorms its like 480 a month.
-
Incredible facilities, NYC as a great city for both medicine and other interests, laid back students, progessive curriculum, sky is the limit for the motivated.
-
The facilities were on point, beautiful hospital, price of the dorms.
-
The curriculum is innovative and the students seem very happy to be at Cornell.
-
How cool the students were. They are sooo laid back and really look like the enjoy the Tri-I program. The faculty was very attentive and helpful!
-
Everything is very close by and together, so its easy to build tight relationships with classmates. The environment seems very relaxed, though filled with people who kno what they are talking about.
-
school facilities are very high-tech, location in midtown manhattan, the problem-based learning groups are quite small
-
not much
-
the facilities, the Dean's speech in the beginning, the tour, above all the happiness of the students
-
Caring displayed by the professors, facilities, housing, integration of the campus.
-
The PBL curriculum, the international rotation, the connection to places like Sloan-Kettering, the 24 hour rooms for viewing slides and problem solving, etc. The students were nice and pretty helpful. The Dean of Admissions was very cool.
-
Everything. This place is unbelievable.
-
The students are so nice and chill, it's amazing. They're all obviously brilliant, but largely avoid the stereotypes of being neurotic and/or socially inept. They also wine and dine you, even though it's just the interview, not the revisit. Interviews were pretty laid back, though they varied widely based on interviewer.
-
I had forgotten the massive opportunities that New York City presents. Cornell is in one of the better neighboroods in NYC.
-
happy students, awesome pbl curriculum, state of the art gross anatomy lab, teaching hospital, funded international program, the location, the other research centers that cornell is affiliated with.
-
great facilities, awesome student body, great location (upper east side of manhattan), cheap housing, etc
-
the amount of money the school has for sponsoring research abroad. that, and NYC.
-
Cornell seems great. Money appears to be flowing out of every orifice at that place...hallways might as well have been paved in gold. They also house their med students in subsidized housing!
-
The facilities are impressive. Especially the link to Rockefeller Univ. and Sloan Kettering. The curriculum is wonderful: PBL, the students are finished by 1pm, lots of patient contact, and no long term cumulative tests.
-
the hospital was awesome, the schedule is great, the students seem really happy, the neighborhood is amazing...cornell has now become my no. 1 choice.
-
The PBL rooms were pretty nice.
-
rockafeller, NYP hospital, sloan-Kettering = AMAZING institutions, quality of life for students, prime locale
-
The students were really down to earth; they weren't trying to sell their school as was the case at some other schools I interviewed at. The sorta merger between Sloan Kettering ( no. 1 cancer research center) and Rockerfellar (making Cornell tri-institutional) also impressed me. Honestly, I think Cornell is underated. It looks like a nice place to be for four years. The Dean seems like cool guy. Overall, I was feeling Cornell ( I am happy that I got in there!)
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The facilities are great -- not only the hospital, but also the lecture hall and small classroom.
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The problem-based curriculum seems great (active learning, etc) and leaves students with lots of free time (first years are done by 1pm every day). The facilities were very nice, and the students seemed to be pretty happy about their school, though I was also impressed that they were very honest in saying that we would probably be happy at most medical schools. They said they really enjoyed Cornell, but honestly couldn't say that their school was so unique that we would ONLY be happy there. The honesty was refreshing.
-
The facilities
-
The school is beautiful and is very well equipped technologically. The options at Rockefeller University, the Sloan Cancer Center, and the Special Services Hospital is awesome.
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location and facilities
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Teaching hospitals in the area are fantastic. The upper east side is a great place to live. New York, you either love it or hate it.
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How much free time you have during your first year.
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the city, the students, the facilities, rockefeller and ski. this place is unbelievable. the tri-institutional program is run amazingly well - and it offers resources and faciulty that are the best in the world. think about this - rockefeller for example has 75 faculty - 30 are national academy of science members, 12 lasker award winners, and 8 nobelists. chances are if you do you phd there - you will get an awesome person. this goes for cornell grad and sloan kettering cancer institute as well. just fantastic.
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the curriculum, how little time they spend in lecture, the cheap housing in a great part of NYC
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The cheap housing, the new facilities, and the curriculum
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The classroom facilities are awesome, and the hospital is great. The PBL curriculum sounds fantastic, too.
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The faculty I met, the students' happiness, the location and housing.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly shared negative feedback about various aspects of the interview day experience, including unenthusiastic interviewers, competitive or snooty students, lack of campus life, and the small size of the first-year dorm rooms. Suggestions included improving interviewer attitudes, fostering a more welcoming and supportive student environment, and enhancing the overall campus experience for prospective students.
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One of the interviewers was really cold, students seemed kinda snooty/competitive, AOA pre-residency apps.
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Super unorganized. The students don’t seem happy at all. Overall had a horrible experience
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The dorms at Olin hall are not the great.
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Olin was a little stark, but that's a super minor complaint in the grand scheme of things.
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I guess the dorm-like MS1 apartments. Bathroom shared with neighbor, kitchen shared with floor. But for $600 a month that's a bargain for the location, and I suppose it builds class camaraderie...
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Nothing.
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nothing really
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Without a doubt my second interviewer (Dr. Leslie Saint Louis). He is pointedly disagreeable, antagonistic, and confrontational. After asking me questions he would cut me off half way through my first sentence to tell me why he thought I was wrong and then go on a long rant about something obscurely related to what I had started to say. He was also sarcastic and insulting. I can't imagine why he is on the admissions committee as he reflects very negatively on the school.
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lack of campus life
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2 year pre-clinical, lack of non-science research
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competitive students
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One of my interviewers seemed really rushed, impatient and annoyed.
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Student-led tour Stress interview Lack of student host (they couldn't find me one) H/P/F curriculum A med student at lunch seemed more interested in talking to a college friend (interviewee) rather than to everyone
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kinda far from the subway - although that might just be because I was spoiled being only two blocks from the subway when I lived in NYC before.
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Weird financial aid policies, H/P/F grading
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Not anybody - the students, the interviewers, etc - not one seemed truly excited about the school. It felt like there was a lot of, "It was the best place I got in, or "It has a great location."
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Dorms for M1s. Slight (very slight) pretentious air (although that might have been the interviewees, not the students!).
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The first year dorms are very very small, they are cheap though! Also I think the admissions office doesn't make a huge effort to impress students, but I guess excellent schools can afford to do that.
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The type of interviews that I got here. I think because of PBL, students have less class time, but spend a considerable amount of time studying on their own here. I don't think that NYC is for everyone, even if Cornell is located in a nicer area of Manhattan.
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nothing
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The other interviewees were stuck-up, not necessarily people that I would want to attend classes with
-
stress interview, on one of my interviews i was told nothing stood out on my application, and that this interview would be short. On another he asked my why I was not more involved, and really I just felt as I was being grilled. Everyone else on the other hand had great interviewers so I guess I just lucked out. They werent responsive to my answers either. again dont know if id fit in here, some of the students seemed very nerdy. They had 1st years giving us the tour, because 2nd years were unavailable. Showed how much they cared i thought. They did not even give us a tour of the damn hospital, library or anything.
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The students were not overly enthusiastic
-
The attitude of entitlement, the wealth patient population, the students didn't seem all that happy...
-
absoultely nothing
-
one of the tour guides seemed overbearing and trying to sell the school to hard - it doesn't need to be sold; one of the tour guides expressed concern over pbl and its balance with other forms of learning; during lunch a bunch of first-years came in and while some were quite friendly and informative, others just awkwardly stood in the back or simply talked to each other
-
Some of the students seemed to be quite nerdy.
-
Some of the students seemed a bit stuck up.
-
The lack of diversity of the patient population at the central Cornell hospital.
-
I had to leave the tour early due to the scheduling of my interview so I didn't get to see the student housing or the hospital
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Small class size, kids seem more serious than at other schools
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There isn't much of a campus.
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It's not a very diverse campus... and it lives up to it's reputation of not having a very hands-on curriculum.
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Cost of living in New York City is through the roof. It looked as if there would be too many distractions.
-
faculty interviewer seemed slightly pretentious.
-
One of my interviewers grilled myself and the other kids he interviewed like crazy, and seemed to just want to make us defend ourselves. It was exhausting.
-
the rain, not really related to the school but it sucked, and i had an interview the next day and only brought one suit
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Manhattan is expensive.
-
The tour guides seemed to love the school, but weren't the most talkative people.
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No undergrad institution near by, the medical college itself is pretty tiny if you don't count the NY hospital and MSKCC and HSS
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Nothing, would absolutely love to go to school there if given the opportunity.
-
the length of the interviews each was only 10-15 minutes
-
Nothing...price maybe...
-
Interviewing with a psychiatrist....
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There is no undergrad campus there
-
not extremely friendly, bad traffic, but 'tis New York.
-
my first interviewer didn't seem interested in me as a person
-
well I noticed noone placed in neurology this year, and a student candidly relayed that you can tell a lot about the strengths of a schools clerkship programs based on what specialties students match to - in other words, their neuro rotation isn't the best...hoping i could do it at another nyc hospital if i were to go there
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Lots of down time but I didn't really mind it because I got to speak with other people interviewing.
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None of the students I met seemed like cool or interesting people to hange out with. The studentst seemed a little nerdy/uninteresting. Also, wayyyyyy too much downtime on interview day. They could have let us sit in on a class or something to fill the time. Oh, and they didn't feed us breakfast so by the time lunch came at noon everyone was starving.
-
The subsidized housing is great, but they are dorm rooms. Nothing more. You'll need that as a medical student, but as someone who is used to really good housing, I was disappointed to see that you get a 70's style place that is small.
-
ny presbyterian hospital (cornell's primary teaching hopsital) is a private tiertiary hospital and primary care offerings may have to found in outside boroughs
-
Interviews were just so-so.
-
One of my PhD interviewers seemed a little antagonistic. He wouldn't ask me a question directly but would try to infer what my answer would be. Kinda annoying.
-
Nada.
-
Metro stop is a little far away
-
There is a little too much PBL and too many quizes/tests. Far from subway stop.
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The dorm style living. I guess you can get used to it. Oh, and they take way too many tests and quizzes--at least one every two weeks. They also have problem sets.
-
as with all east coast schools, the kids are more intense
-
not much.
-
Shared kitchens in the first year dorms. That's a bummer.
-
My faculty interviewer was moody and mean to me, and it gave me a negative overall impression of the school. My interview also started early and ended late, which seemed unprofessional.
-
Nothing really about Cornell--just a few of the uptight, cutthroat people in my interview group (just 2 though).
-
Nothing really...I would miss having a more suburban-city setting but it IS NYC. Also, there seemed to be some hostility towards Columbia (and vice versa)--both schools just need to chill and start to get along for the love of god!
-
nothing really. Lots of construction though as they are building a 140million dollar outpatient / education center next door to admissions which will be ready in 2006.
-
Students were a little strange.
-
The students I met were friendly, but in an awkward way. I couldn't imagine being friends with most of them. They tried but didn't convince me that they were happy at Cornell.
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Gym facilities are lacking- but you'd be in NYC- where you can get anything you can ever want.
-
Nothing. Well, the dorms suck, but I will have family housing anyway.
-
The campus is under a great deal of construction, and no matter where you are it seems there's a lot of commotion outside - try to tune out all the distractions around you.
-
There was a slight time pressure since my first interview started before the tour ended-- I wasn't able to see the dorm rooms.
-
the status of the computer network at Cornell - seemed like everyone complained of it!
-
I'm not sure about the dorm thing. On the one hand, it seems like freshman year all over again, but on the other hand I can see the advantages of living with all your classmates. Also, there was a lot of construction going on while I was there, complete with periodic massive, earth-shaking explosions from dynamiting. If this happens when you interview, try to keep in mind that you are probably not being bombed.
-
small dorm rooms for the 1st year only, though 2nd-4th you move into newly renovated real apartments. (still the rent is really cheap for upper east side for both of them).
-
Not much--maybe lack of merit based scholarships??
-
honors, pass, fail grading, ivy league arrogance in the air, although they will swear to you the clinical experience is early and great (which it is becaue its in nyc) it is better at columbia and nyu because at those schools you deal with patients of all back grounds not just upper east side ballers. lunch blew, the students we had as tour guides looked like they were in pain giving us the tour.
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Not a big fan of "high pass" other than that, totally impressed. Great people, great facilities, great education. Would be very happy here.
-
size of the dorms
-
Dorms
-
I was told that because the MD/PhDs are a small percent of the total M1 class, they don't have as much say with changes and whatnot.
-
The interview set up . . I got lost searching for one of my interviewers room and it turned out to be in the most obscure location. I had to ask three people to help me find my way there. Also, they had promised to find me a student to house with, but left me hanging till the very last day. The "cheapest" hotel was a mile away and had shared bathrooms.
-
personally, i think there is a very strong emphasis on problem-based learning--1.5 hours 3x/week.
-
the lunch wasn't very satisfying, I had to wait about an hour and a half between interviews, the amount of early clinical experience
-
Very little.
-
The tour wasn't great (novice students) and the housing for single 1st year students is an extremely small dorm room where you share a bathroom with one other person and one kitchen per floor. As an older student, I was appalled. The building that holds these dorms is very old with an icky common room and a gross work out room in the basement but it's cheap. If you can stand it for a year, you can move into an apartment as a 2nd year.
-
No attached undergraduate school could be a bit of a problem.
-
Um, nothing? The location's awesome (if you like NY), the people are great, and the program is extremely well organized. Oh, maybe the first-year housing? It's a dorm (you share a bathroom with 1 person, you share a kitchen with your whole floor of ~20 people), but it's also reeeally cheap for the Upper East Side.
-
Living situation, while good for New York City is still, rather cramped. Professors give weekly quizzes on material.
-
nothing really. the students who gave the tour were dorks, but all of the other students i met were really cool.
-
none
-
everything else.
-
Housing was good....but not great.
-
some of the student tour guides tried to hard to sell the school, which was lame cuz the school sells itself.
-
The students, the buildings, my interviewers hadn't even read my file although they were supposed to.
-
their hospital is amazing!! (but that a prob too = too wealthy patients that don;t let u get 10 ft. within them and so clinical training isn't that great) ; students have to cross the borough into other hospitals to get some mid-low income patient practice
-
dorm life (Olin Hall) seems like a step back but it could be nice to sorta re-live freshman and sophomore year)
-
The tour guides were very nice and answered questions well, but they were a bit too low-key at times.
-
Basic science courses are graded Honors/Pass/Fail, advanced science courses are Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail, and clinical electives are Pass/Fail--I wish there were more pass/fail courses. First years are given weekly quizzes and final exams--I am not sure whether I think of this as negative or positive.
-
The size of the dorm rooms
-
housing. I also felt the admissions office attempted to sell the school. I felt like they thought they didn't need to
-
The dorms are cheap, but its like going back to first and second year of undergrad.
-
the dorm rooms are small for 1st years (but the housing is subsizided - you pay 460 bucks for a room in a location that would cost 2000 a month - not a bad deal).
-
nothing really, i loved this school
-
Nothing too much. You have to want to live in a big city, though - it's pretty busy and noisy because the campus is really just part of the city.
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Can't think of anything.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Most applicants wished they had known ahead of time about the short duration of the interviews and the importance of being concise, as well as the emphasis on stress interviews and the unique aspects of the school such as subsidized housing and PBL curriculum. Many also mentioned experiencing stress due to unexpected factors like cold weather, transportation challenges, and the need for thorough research about the school.
-
30 minutes is a short time, and with the questions that I asked them, it felt even shorter. Do your best not to ramble and prattle on, as time is precious.
-
How stressful the interview was going to be
-
That I would fall in love with the school so that I would've made it my first choice to begin with.
-
How brilliant this school was.
-
That I had buttoned only the 2nd button on my blazer on accident...
-
I would have a med student interviewer.
-
how much I would sweat without even feeling that nervous (I sweat easily) -- I'll have to address this in the future...
-
That my second interview was going to be an unpleasant waste of time.
-
to chill out and have fun with your interviewers
-
n/a
-
I wish I had known more about New York Hospital.
-
Ways to cheer up my annoyed interviewer.
-
That the interview would be so laid back. I spent far too much unnecessary time preparing for it.
-
How it wouldn't be stressful at all
-
That there was a good chunk of free time in the middle of the day.
-
That I would have one interviewer who deliberately tried to stress me out with rapid fire questions.
-
That my last interview of the season would be my worst one.
-
the interviewers were very nice
-
What a positive and relaxed experience the interview would be
-
nothing
-
more specifics of the cirriculum
-
It was going to be a stress interview
-
nothing really - already knew quite a bit about the school
-
The dorms (Olin Hall) aren't that bad.
-
That the residence hall has a basketball court in the basement, awesome.
-
The connection to the Hospital for Special Surgery--which is a great benefit for potential orthopods.
-
that it had subsidized housing in upper east side manhattan!
-
I wish I had known that the interviews would be so short.
-
that the only questions my interviewer asked were about my personal life.
-
That housing is subsidized at Cornell, and I could live in New York for $500-700 per month!
-
its heavily pbl based..not sure if thats what i want
-
I was under the impression that they only had wealthy patients up there, but most departments have up to 40% medicaid patients. Much more diverse patient population than I thought.
-
Emphasis on PBL by faculty members.
-
Just how great the school is
-
How cool PBL is
-
Most of the questions you have about the school will be answered by the students, so preparing questions for the interview is only beneficial if you have it in the morning.
-
nothing.
-
that we wouldn't get to see the dorms
-
I'm on the fence about their reliance on PBL; I talked to a resident there that also went to Cornell med and he told me it can be a waste of time and that years 1-2 seemed horrible to him, but when he got to rotations he fell in love with the school; just don't know how to interpret the strengths of the PBL...
-
Cornell is not purely PBL as it had been made out to me before, there is also significant lecture time
-
That the curriculum consisted of about 50% lecture. That they place a huge emphasis on international clinical experiences. Also, that you could live in Manhattan for about 500 dollars a month (subsidized apartment style dorm rooms).
-
Cornell is PBL, if I did my homework I would have known. :(
-
Traffic in NYC is horrendous--I almost missed by bus.
-
How cold it was going to be
-
That it would be freezing cold! I brought a skirt suit to wear when it was around 15 degrees outside.
-
It's a bit of a walk from the subway if you have bags with you.
-
That you really do get to see all of new york as a student there, not just the neighborhood surrounding the hospital.
-
Students are essentially housed in tiny dorm rooms, you don't get to see married student housing or second year housing (apartments) during the tour.
-
How it would not be a stressful, intense, and traumatic experience. Also, I knew about PBL and that it was important to their curriculum-but not the the extent that it is there--it's a huge deal there.
-
The preceptor program
-
The great choices of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Cnter, The Hospital fo Special Surgery, and Rockefeller University are all located across the street from each other from the Main hosptial, The New York Presbyterian Hosptial.
-
That they are SUPER into PBL.
-
The school is a 10 minute walk from the subway ( a local stop) on the far east side of the city so the school isn't as centrally located as they would have you believe.
-
Be aware- this is not a school to just pass the boards and 'practice'. Try to have an idea of how you want to take advantage of their curriculum
-
They are doing construction next door which makes the whole day feel like you are in a war zone. Seriously, like bombs are being dropped.
-
Its REALLY nothing to be worried or stressed-out about. Relax.
-
Honors/pass/fail for all years-- this apparently helps the students to learn without the added pressure of grades.
-
Nothing comes to mind.
-
call a cab rather than waving one down...I hear it's cheaper for you when you call them and have them pick you up
-
Nothing. I think I researched the school pretty thoroughly. Everything is MAC there too ... so you better have love for apple.
-
problem based learning dominates here , although there are lectures too, so if your not sure thats what you wanna do you might want to look at other schools.
-
I thought it'd be too cold in January to bring an umbrella... surprisingly mild. Got soaked.
-
the extent to which they stress PBL
-
memorial sloan-kettering cancer research center
-
That the wait might be long between the two interviews, and it's very easy to lose steam and concentration in that time.
-
That taxis are difficult to get when it's really cold following a warm day. It took me over 30 mins to get one and with traffic, another 30 minutes to get to the school from Penn Station.
-
Nothing; I'm from NY.
-
Parking is INSANELY expensive. Park somewhere else (anywhere else, lower east side for example) or take the train in so you don't have to pay $40 a day (it's only $25 a day at the Helmsley garage, so try to find that if you'll be staying over and you refuse to park far away and take the subway up).
-
What the living situation was like.
-
that cornell was going to be my #1 choice. wish i had prepared a little better.
-
that you could pretty much get anywhere in manhattan by public transportation
-
morning interviews might be better - you'd get more time to go on the tour, instead of rushing off to your 2.00 interview.
-
Subsidized housing at midtown madhattan is a big deal...the fact that they provide it is a major selling point.
-
I wish I had known how unprofessionally Cornell treats their applicants...that way I wouldn't have wasted my money to apply here!
-
How great Cornell really is?
-
That I would have to miss the last couple minutes of my tour because of my first interview.
-
Some of the interviews required a fair amount of walking in order to get there, and most of it was outside in the cold.
-
parking cost me 50 bucks cause i didn't realize that 2 nights in manhatten was that expensive!
-
the housing is DIRT cheap for the upper east side
-
Living at Cornell is CHEAP (for Manhattan). The dorms and apartments are pretty small, but in New York their rent is a true bargain.
-
None.
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally provided positive feedback about Weill Cornell, praising its location, facilities, and resources. They appreciated the conversational and low-stress nature of the interviews, but some expressed concerns about certain interviewers and the lack of emphasis on selling the school. Many applicants also noted the friendliness of the students and faculty, as well as the appeal of the PBL curriculum.
-
Weill Cornell has a great location with strong facilities and resources to help students succeed (especially MD-PhD students and those interested in Ortho or Heme/Onc - will make it easier to match into HSS as a resident or MSKCC as a fellow). I was kinda put off by their admin/student body, but everything else about Weill is great.
-
The first was a stress interview (you know it when you feel the adrenaline rush). The interviewer was digging in and asking so many questions (KNOW YOUR APP REALLY WELL!), but just prepare well and you should be able to respond without much difficulty. Then, the second was conversational, in which you have the "power" to take the helm of the interview. Overall, I really enjoyed it.
-
The interview day was a great experience. Even though one of my interviews was a "stress interview", I felt very comfortable and I didn't realize the intensity of the questions until I was traveling back home that night. They made me feel very comfortable the whole time and I felt that I connected with both of my interviewers.
-
People have commented that Cornell does not really "sell" itself, but I left with Cornell sitting firmly as my top choice. The students were the funniest and friendliest I have encountered so far.
-
Fantastic school. Would love to live in NYC.
-
It was a great dat overall. One of my interviewers was "non-traditional" but one of the woman in admissions warned me beforehand. That helped de-stress me a bit when I actually met him.
-
great school and good interview experience! i really hope i get in!
-
Overall I did like Cornell. Their program has a lot of nice features and the students I met seemed normal and happy. I'm sure there are jerks everywhere and I just happened to encounter one at Cornell on my interview day (see above).
-
Great program!
-
Very nice place!
-
I had to walk to various places, sometimes outside the hospital to go to my interviews. Make sure you are on time/early! No one will prompt you.
-
The 2nd interview left a very sour taste in my mouth
-
Really liked the school, despite the fact that it was pouring rain all morning.
-
First interview with a 4th year was very conversational and seemed to flow pretty easily. Second one with a faculty member was slightly tougher but still pretty conversational. Amazing school! I'd go here in a heartbeat.
-
I really liked the school more after my interview day, i liked how chill the students were and how the faculty seemed to care for the students needs. I thought we would see the actual hospital during the tour which we did not see. At the end of the tour the tour guide made a pass at me which was super awkward because I was not even expecting it.
-
I came in expecting to love this place and I left thoroughly disappointed (I was not alone in this sentiment that day).
-
Wonderful school. Love the PBL emphasis. Didn't seem like the most nurturing kind of place, though... but that's not important to everyone.
-
I was told by several people that I would have a great time interviewing at Cornell. Up until my interviews, they could not have been more correct. I was impressed by the facilities, faculty, students, and opportunities at this school. The fact that it was also located in Upper East Manhattan did not hurt, although those looking for a more diverse patient population may not like this posh area of NYC as much. Although most of my day went well, I had the worst interviewing experience here. Considering that this was my last stop of many schools, I think that I am a good judge of what is fair and good about an interview. One interviewer had the strangest and most discomforting way of conducting an interview. S/he asked many questions, got bored at literally every answer, would cut me off to ask another unrelated question, and then even point to random objects in the room and ask how they were related to medicine. The interview was discontinuous and s/he gave no feedback whatsoever. The other interviewer straight up told me that s/he never read my file and we basically had a closed file interview from there. This other interviewer was also bad at hiding how much s/he wanted the interviewing day to end. I understand that the interviewers are not indicative of the type of education that you will receive at an institution, but nonetheless an unpleasant interviewing experience leaves a sour taste in your mouth. I was impressed with what Cornell had to offer, along with its PBL approach, but I wonder if I would choose to attend a place that gave me the worst interviewing experience on my last trip of a very long application season. Your interviewers will most likely interview multiple candidates in one day, so I hope that you get better ones than I did. Good luck to all of you!
-
Take the afternoon interviews. That way, you are fed lunch and given an hour-long tour of the campus before your interview. You are much more knowledgeable of the school at that point, and in a better position to be asking educated questions
-
great school, but dont know if id fit in well. Loved what it had to offer, but who I go to school with is huge. Everyone seems to get caught up on the name cornell brings and it being an ivy. its got some good stuff dont get me wrong, but there is more to school than that.
-
great interview day overall
-
It went pretty well for me. This was my 5th interview so I had the hang of things by then. Cornell REALLY impressed me. It went from one of my top schools to THE top school.
-
I was impressed by the place itself (and the cheap housing!!), but not by the philosophy of the school or hospital.
-
Very, very positive. One of my interviewers was a bit cold at first, but warmed up considerably throughout the interview. I thought that the students seemed very happy with their school, NYC, their living arrangements, etc. They love PBL and they seem to do it well. Everyone is very enthusiastic about the curriculum here, and they have reason to be. It is a phenomenal school in a great location.
-
conversational interviews, interviewers seemed friendly and accepting - no one challenged any of my answers which i had semi-expected; interviewing schedule was a bit disorganized but they handled conflicts well
-
It was extremely low stress. They didn't really try to sell us the school, as the institution really sells itself.
-
My first interview seemed like a pressure interview. The inteviewer constantly challenged my answers. The second interview was more laid back and it seemed like that interviewer was really trying to sell Cornell to me.
-
i had morning interviews, so i had to be there at 8:15. then my 2 interviews were back to back, each an hour long. the first one was with a four year student, who was really really nice. she basically said ''what do u want to talk about?'' and the interview just went from there..very conversational my faculty interview was a little unconventional. i think the guy was trying to shake me. he kept saying the exact opposites of my responses and also acted like it was a chore for him to listen to me. he just seemed like a no b.s. guy that didn't want any flowery answers. i'm not sure how i did, i tried to defend my answers without sounding frustrated. we shall see.
-
My interviews were in the afternoon, so my day started with a brief talk by the Dean, followed by lunch with a bunch of very talkative, super nice med students. My tour was truncated due to my first interview. My first interview was with a really cool M4, so it was relaxed and conversational. My second interview was with a very nice, busy clinician who basically read off a list of questions, meaning the interview was over in 20 minutes max! Overall, it was a well-organized, pleasant interview day.
-
The interviews were conversational. Not too stressful
-
The school was great, the students seem happy.
-
I felt that almost all the interviewees had the same background. A very great, interesting background, but very similar. I had my two interviews back to back, each lasting more than the allotted 45 minutes. The tour was fantastic - the best tour I've been on yet. The lunch was good and many students came to talk to us during lunch.
-
Generally a very relaxed day. Fellow apllicants had very interesting backgrounds and were all well accomplished. Loved the diversity of applicants and I felt at home as a non-traditional student.
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i was very impressed with cornell's facilities. the hospital and research buildings are outstanding, and the dorms are CHEAP for upper east side. my faculty interview was not conversational and very difficult.
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The interview day is very short. I arrived at 9:30 and was done by 2:30, leaving plenty of time for exploring the city. I had a great, but short, first interview, and a really stressful second interview with a guy who put me on the defensive with every activity, and even pretended to be bored with my responses at one point. The best defense was to joke back, which I did frequently, and I'm hoping that was the right choice. It was a relief to know that he had done this to other interviewees as well. Don't let it scare you though, everyone else said they had a very relaxed experience. The lunch and tour were great. The tour was actually very thorough. The anatomy room doesn't smell at all, and there are flatscreen TVs everywhere so that if someone finds something interesting on a cadaver, everyone can see. Overall, an amazing school!
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admissions office was really friendly, first interview went fine/on time, second one the guy never showed (he called saying he prob couldnt make it) so i had a substitute interveiw with somebody else (who also interviewed other people that day), lots of downtime with nothing to do, lunch was good, tour was good (minus having to walk in the rain)
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I had a really positive experience at Weill Cornell. I think its where I'd like to be next year, provided I am fortunate enough to get in.
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I gave a high stress rating to this interview only because I really want to go there and it was my first interview where they actually asked those hard questions. It was also hard to get a read on the interviwers. They didn't give away whether they liked your answers or not.
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Cornell is a good school, the one thing I am hesitant about is that their first year seems really relaxed. Call me crazy, but I pay $60,000 a year to learn medicine and there seems something fishy about getting off at 1pm and then spending the rest of the day laying in central park.
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Great Experience, relatively short interview day (very good). Positive enthuiastic students and great faculty. Facilities are wonderful with most lots of new buildings and areas.
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It was great. The students were all super enthusiastic. The facilities were amazing. PBL seems like a great way to learn. My interviews were very short. One was barely 15 minutes and one was about 12 minutes
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I really liked Cornell...it is by far a great school and has a lot to offer students. I can only hope to receive a chance to attend!
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Came away really impressed with the school, but a little shaky about how the psychiatrist interview ( kind of seemed like a mental health evaluation). All in all, would probably be a great place to go to school.
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Arrived at the school in time for a brief group talk with the Dean of Admissions, ate lunch with some students, got a tour from 1st and 2nd years, two separate interviews (one w/ a dean, one w/ a faculty member). Interviews were conversational and relaxed.
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Both interviews were very conversational and focused on explaining my experiences, etc. Everyone there was very friendly and the students were particularly helpful.
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A bit disorganized (first years ended up not being able to have lunch with us), but the school is very impressive overall.
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I arrived 11am, and met the other interviewees. After a greeting from the Assistant Dean of Admissions, we had an info session with the Assoc. Dean for Admissions. He told us about what makes Cornell different from other schools (huge emphasis on PBL) and answered any questions we had. We were served lunch in the admissions office and ate with one 3rd and one 4th year student. Then about 20 eager first-years suddenly descended on us to chat and answer questions (not too helpful as they just started here last week). After about 20 minutes we began a tour with 4 first years. We saw the library, gym, a first year dorm, lecture hall, PBL room, and anatomy lab. I went to my 2 afternoon interviews. My first interviewer, an MD, had a very disconcerting manner. He asked very open-ended questions, and I could not tell if he was listening until he challenged my answers. I also could not tell if he had read my file or not. He took two phone calls during the interview, which lasted about 45 minutes. The interview got better once we started having a conversation about his research, which was very interesting. My second interview, with a 4th year student, was much less-stressful. It lasted 30 minutes and was held at the admissions office. She asked standard questions and was engaged and friendly when I replied. Overall, I was very impressed by the school's facilities and students.
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my first interview with clinical faculty was literally 2 seconds. my second interview with a 4th year med student went very well.
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Great day, great interviewers, I left feeling overall enthusiastic about the school (and of course NYC)
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Very enjoyable and relaxed. One interview was a bit stoic but overall day a good experience.
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interviews were very laid back, non-threatening my interviewers asked very fun and unusual questions
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Overall I was impressed with the school. The facilities were very nice and you certainly get the feel of a prestigious school. The interview day started a little early for me but at least I got my both interviews done early and was able to relax for the rest of the day. There was a lot of waiting around after the interviews (about two hours). Lunch was good. Great school and the curriculum is great.
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My two interviewers were both MD's and they really tried to examine my reasons for going into medicine. I didn't feel that I gave satisfactory answers (which is a problem because I should have at least nailed that down.) But I do like that they didn't just ask the standard questions, they had read my application thoroughly and asked poignant questions. I felt like they really wanted to get to know me despite the fact that I wasn't satisfied with the way I answered some questions. Regarding the university, Cornell is cool. I didn't realize how much traffic there is around there, and how many people are on the streets. It's definitely not residential (like I thought it was.) The students were cool and I could see myself being with them. I didn't get the impression that Cornell was all that stuffy but it is a little stuffy because they have the Ivy League umbrella over them. Nevertheless it's a good name.
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I loved the school. Dozens of students came to speak with the interviewees at lunch, and it was great to speak with them and ask them questions.
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The MD/PhD interview was a busy one, but a lot of fun. On Thursday night we went out to dinner with the first years. They were great and answered a lot of questions that we had. Friday began with breakfast and a talk by the MSTP coordinator. Then we had four interviews in a row, each about 30-45 minutes. After that we had lunch with students and faculty. Then a tour and another interview. We met up again to go to a lecture at Rockefeller and had dinner at the faculty club afterwards. Then a crazy night of halloween parties and a bar in Manhattan. It was tons of fun, and the interviews we for the most part very relaxed and pleasant.
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It was great. My interview with the associate dean of admissions was friendly, easy and pretty uneventful--only very standard questions. My faculty interview was fabulous; we really clicked and I had a wonderful time talking with him.
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Very positive, interviewers were very friendly and did not do anything to make you feel stressed or pressured
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I really liked the school. One interviewer emphasized that Cornell was looking for a good "fit" for their program.
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Good. I really liked the clean and new facilities. New York is an awesome place.
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My first interviewer asked my lots of tough but interesting questions. All personal stuff, such "if i overheard your friends at a coffee shop talking about you, what would they be saying?" questions that made you think about yourself...it was my most interesting interview by far. the second interviewer just talked about my file. both were very friendly. overall, i really liked cornell, and would probably choose it over other NYC schools if i were lucky enough to get into multiple places.
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Overall a great day. I really hope I get in. It seems like a good fit for me, I hope they feel the same way about me. It was a relatively stress-free day. My interviewers had read my file and seemed to want to know how they could help me out in front of the committee.
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I stayed over with a student host in the dorms, I really didn't have any trouble arranging that. Cathy was very helpful in setting it up. Also I wonder why anyone should feel guilty about choosing a program in New York - it seems to offer a wide variety of experiences for training. Seems like a good reason to choose a place. It does seem like other city schools do a good job of rotating through commmunity and borough hospitals as well. Cornell seems a little easier since classes are over in the early afternoon for the first two years. Anyway, good luck everyone!
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I wasn't very impressed by Cornell both because of my negative interview experience and because over half of the students to whom I spoke indicated that they chose Cornell because they wanted to live in New York. The day was relatively unstructured compared to other schools that I have visited and there was no offer of student hosting, which I guess is because the students live in dorms and haven't got room for anyone else. One girl who needed a place to stay the night before the interview was charged $60 to stay in a vacant dorm room. I thought that was sort of tacky. I just didn't get the impression that they were trying that hard to appeal to interviewees.
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As my first interview I think it was awesome. I hope all the schools I interview at are as welcoming as Cornell-wishful thinking.
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very nice
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Very laid back....just know your application and WHY Cornell is good for you, because you WILL be asked this
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Nice and chill. I think it went well. Let the chips fall where they may.
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All in all, a good, easy day. My interviewers didn't really ask many questions and they gave me lots of time to ask questions and learn more about the school. I'd consider going there if I got in, but I think I liked Columbia better.
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Good faculty, great opportunities, slightly weird students (at least the ones I met)
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Very interactive interviewers interested in working as your advocate for the ultimate decision. Terrific experience.
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I was so impressed with Cornell. All of the key features I am looking for in med school were there, as well as a great students and faculty community. Several other personal features clicked for me there, like the neighborhood, research interests, schools for little ones, etc.
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I walked away from my interviews feeling like I had a good conversation. They're not shy about emphasizing how happy their students are, and it shows. If PBL is your thing, this is your school.
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Most of the interview addressed specific points from my application. The interviewers were obviously not trying to stump me, and they really gave me the impression that they were trying to find out information that they could use to convince the admissions committee to admit me-- it was very reassuring that they seemed on my side in the whole process. Also, my student interviewer said that they report to the committee if a student seems too uptight or not personable, so keep that in mind as well.
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Overall, it was a great day, if only slightly warm out. I was completely sweating in my long-sleeved shirt and suit jacket! I would recommend that you do the morning session if you can; the afternoon ones tend to drag on after the info session, lunch, tour, etc. Questions were definitely really relaxed, especially my interview with the Dean of Admissions - the interview seemed more of a conversation.
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You can relax about the interviews - mine were very low-stress and conversational. They're obviously not interested in grilling you, but just want to get to know you as a person. I left very impressed with Cornell. The students seem genuinely happy, the cirriculum is progressive and interesting, the clinical opportunities in New York are incredible, etc. etc.
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pretty chill. ended up talking with the interviewer about his childhood experiences seeing joe dimaggio play baseball. mostly basic interview fare: why cornell? talked about my life experiences as written in my personal statement.
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I was really impressed by Cornell...more so than I expected. I came away from the experience feeling that I could see myself there as a student and being really happy. The interview day wasn't stressful at all. The dean himself interviewed some of the students and his welcome speech/talk didn't feel like it was scripted. He was really talking to us from the heart. I was very impressed by this school
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Awesome place. Definitely one of my top choices for med school, if I am lucky enough to get in.
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over all it was a good day, dragged out for no reason, and the kids that go there were a lil stale, probably because they had there first test of the semester that day... the people that go there are on the average a little older than the average matriculant, and many studnets said they loved the pbl even if they originally didn't think they would. the financial aid from what i hear is amazing
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It deserves its reputation as a premier medical school in the world. Fully impressed.
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This was not on the top of my list when I got there but I was afterwards. Cornell is often dogged by other med schools for not having the best clinical experiences due to its location (upper east side) however, they have numerous hospitals across new york (in the Bronx etc) so they have a very diverse clientele. It a great place to learn to be aroud different types of people b/c in the as a physician in New York you will have diverse patients.
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The interviews were laid back. I had late afternoon interviews, however, and it was hard to really get into a good discussion with the interviewers.
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Everything was great!
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Not at all stressful interms of the questions they ask- pretty mcuh straight out of your application. Makes sure you know about their unique style of curriculum, since they were one of the first schools to adopt it. Also, make sure you ask to know where you are going before you head to interviewer offices. I got lost. Besides that it wasn;t to bad, but i came away with a bland feeling . . . not that amazing, but certainly not bad at all.
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overall good.
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I was impressed by almost everything at Cornell, especially the students' attitudes toward the school and the international opportunities that everyone gets. All-in-all it was a very well-organized day and I was very happy with almost everything I saw. I was surprised by the friendly atmosphere, even among the other interviewees. Cornell has everything I want, except adequate clinical experience. It starts in the first week of school, but they mostly shadow doctors and don't get many opportunities to do things themselves. They thought it was exciting that they sometimes get to give flu shots, which I don't think is that big a deal.
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I was interviewed by two faculty members, both MDs. It was a slow interview day, so even the Dean of Admission conducted interviews. Both doctors were probing and asked very specific questions about my activities on campus as well as my interests. My first interview centred a lot on my extracurriculars and my research, and we ended up speaking about the value of diversity in education. The second interview was even more fun - we spoke at length about my interest in music, my research, and used that as a springboard to momentarily speak about my drive to enter medicine. BOth were truly enjoyable and interesting interviews.
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Cornell was wonderful. Except for the single student living quarters I would choose it in an instant.
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A great experience. I knew I'd love the place, I was even more impressed by fellow applicants, most of whom seemed to be laid-back, sociable, nice, and obviously very smart.
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Five interviews is intense, but they're each only 30 minutes, and they're pretty laid back. The Medical College interview varies widely based on interviewer, but it's the most random
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Fairly laid back, second interview, the guy was gruff but in a way that a new yorker might actually consider polite.
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awesome school. i'd love to spend 4 years here.
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PBL might suit some people, but the amount of emphasis that cornell placed on the program and the grading policy (very subjective, 30% of final) were very unappealing to me. there are "quizzes" every 2 weeks, which are essentially 45min tests. housing is subsidized and cheap, but not very nice. the students in general were not overly positive about the school - several complained about courses, and it seemed like few people did much outside of studying. the interviews themselves were very odd. the first one went very slowly (i got the impression that the person was very bitter for some reason). the second one was more confrontational and not very friendly. the whole atmosphere seemed very cold and competitive.
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Very relaxed interview that was low stress. I was really impressed with Cornell and it is now on the top of my list.
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i loved cornell. the 3rd year who interviewed me was great and the students there seem really happy. the schedules are really chill and their hospitals and PBL rooms are amazing. great place.
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NEGATIVE experience, all the way!
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I had a blast - the students were real cool - I went out in the city w/ them the night before my interview. At this point, my 12th interview, I'm more relaxed + stress free so I didn't mind losing some sleep the night before. The students are lots of fun and the city life, atmosphere is totally my scene. too bad they are soooo selective, i;d love to go here
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Great! Awesome place and the Adcom does an awesome job of picking really easy going, interesting future doctors.
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PBL, PBL, PBL. That's what makes Cornell unique, particularly among the other NYC schools. I'm not sure if it's right for me, though. My interview with Dean Bardes went well.
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I was asked to arrive at 11:15am for the afternoon session. Both morning and afternoon session interviewees meet for the dean's welcome from 11:30-12:00, and lunch with 3rd and 4th year students from 12:00-1:00. There were some 1st year students at the lunch as well, but they didn't speak much. The tour is scheduled from 1:00-2:00. The interviews are supposed to be roughly 30 minutes (mine were 25 and 45 minutes). Both interviews were very casual, low stress experiences. I think their curriculum is very impressive, and it sounds like a great way to learn, but it isn't for everyone. However, since I wasn't able to sit in on a problem-based learning class (they are from 8:00-9:30am), it is hard to tell whether I would benefit from PBL. Overall the day is very low stress.
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Overall it was a good experience, although one of the interviewers was pretty harsh both to me and the guy who went after me. I felt as if I had to defend myself instead of "sell myself" which was a bit nerve racking.
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Very good school and a great place for a medical education. Ranks very high on my list.
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Cornell is all about the PBL, which isn't a good match for everyone. Overall, its a great place with great students and resources. Everyone I talked to had total confidence in their PBL approach. I would be happy to go there.
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The interviews were very laid back and conversational. I really enjoyed them. Basically they just want to get to know you as a person so that they can be a strong advocate for you to the admissions committee.
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the applicants were fantastic - very ivy heavy interview day - but almost everyone was very friendly and down to earth. they will be your classmates, so pay attention to 'em!
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It was a great interview, very low stress. i would suggest trying to schedule your interview for the afternoon so you can go to a problem based learning session. it will give you great insight to the school and provide some interview fodder
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This was a really great interview experience. Having worked here over the previous summer I was pretty sure Cornell was where I wanted to go, and the interview just reaffirmed that decision.
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Really awesome school. If I'm accepted (won't know till March, that is kind of lame), I may very well go here. I didn't feel that the interviewers really asked anything that would supplement my application, though.
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Great overall. Very long day but fun to meet other MSTP applicants, dicuss research and interact with renown investigators.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants suggested improvements in the efficiency of the admissions process by reducing wait times and better coordinating interview schedules. They also recommended more thorough training for student tour guides to ensure all areas are covered and time constraints are respected.
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N/A
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Woldine, one of the admissions staff, was very helpful and accommodating!
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Loved that they responded to my in-the-area email. They let me choose an interview date to my liking as well.
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Student tour guides kind of blew off certain places (library) saying if we've seen one, we've seen t
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there were huge chunks of time which should be eliminated maybe by starting interviews later.
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I would recommend choosing tour guides carefully, and making sure to inform them of time constraints
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Cathy is one of the nicest Admissions Office people that I have met!
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