Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 21% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview mixed with a low stress level, and felt they did okay.
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as low 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 cover a range of topics including personal reflections, motivations for pursuing medicine, experiences in healthcare, ethical dilemmas, future career goals, and specific details from the applicant's application. Some interviews were structured as Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) and may have involved a nondisclosure agreement due to the format's confidentiality requirements.
Tell me about the timeline and motivations behind the activities that you haven taken part in. (basically, asking me to give context to the choices that I made in terms of which experiences I sought)
Why have you not had more international or multicultural experience? [Apparently, multicultural does not actually mean experiencing a non-American culture. It is code for underserved or poor.]
Do you have any questions for me? These interviews are conversational so just relax and enjoy the process. One of my inteviewers was really into research.
Is there anything else you'd like me to know? (closed-file interviewers fully read your application, but after the interview instead of before. Both of the interviewers I had said they preferred closed-file because they like to get first impressions from the people, not the paper.)
What about false positives in cancer screening? (this was an example of an interviewer asking in depth question after carefully reading an application, so be prepared with outside knowledge about any topics you mention in your application)
What two elements are liquid at STP? (the interviewer stressed how noone ever gets it right, but I came pretty damn close...Answer: Bromine and Mercury)
So you have a publication? Describe your research as if you were speaking to an 8 year old. If you currently are or was a research fellow, be prepared to explain - piece of cake really.
none of my questions were really anything out of the ordinary. several questions about my amcas app, several more about background and family, and one about where i'd want to be in 10/20 years.
explain this score on the physical science section of the mcat (i was not asked in any malicious way, it was just a very low score compared to my other sections and my gpa)
Why Dartmouth? My student host advised me that if you can't survive in a rural environment, this is probably not the school for you. Most of the students here are married/in serious relationships and their mean age is pretty high for med schools. If you are a non-trad, married, love the outdoors, interesting in having kids/raising kids during medical school, this is probably a good fit for you.
Strengths/weaknesses; what do you feel will be the greatest challenge in medical school; what do you do for fun; where does your family live and would you be able to visit them often if you went to DMS
What do you see yourself doing in medicine ten years from now.(Not in the sense of what kind of specialty. Rather aimed to see what sort of medicine; rural, teaching, big city, etc.)
Given how much you love your present work (i'm a field organizer for gay and lesbian activism), what are you gonna do when you get to this school, and barely have any time to engage in this type of work?
do you have any questions for me? (this was a big part of both my interviews, so have some questions ready - mostly i asked general stuff like what does dartmouth have that makes it special etc.)
Students said most interesting question asked at Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics including personal stories, political views shaping medicine, cultural competency, ethical dilemmas, and the impact of diverse patient populations on school choice. The interview format appears to be diverse, with some respondents mentioning casual conversations while others alluded to specific and background-specific questions, indicating a mix of standard and personalized inquiries.
You seem to be passionate about politics, how has this shaped your view on medicine?
Given your interest in working with a diverse population, would Dartmouth's relatively homogenous patient population factor into your final decision of which school to attend?
The interviews are very casual....really was like a general conversation (see my comments under general info). They asked clarification questions about certain expereinces and we just talked about whatever the convo rolled in to....at one point we were talking about moose.
None really. I interviewed with a PhD and a second year medical student on the admissions committee. Some of my interviewers had two doctors however. My PhD interviewer seemed to lack the social prowess as most people in lab research do, and it was really up to me to take direction of the interview and ask questions. We ended up talking about her research, her children, my community work. The only question she asked was why I wanted to go into medicine (which followed up my question to why she wanted to do research. My MSII interview was very chill and it was more or less a conversation on common experiences (non-medicine and medicine related). We didn't really talk about anything on my applications in either interview, but my interviewer did compliment me on my personal essay.
What was the airport like in Ouagadougou? (I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Burkina Faso; my interviewer runs a plane to Ghana yearly to do cataract surgeries.) The question kind of took me by surprise and broke the ice.
I wasn't asked any difficult or interesting question. They were all straight-forward, pretty much off of my application (so I'm not sure how much more they actually learned about me other than that I can repeat what I've written).
some studies related to alcholism and neurology were done in the past (interviewer gave more details), do you think they were ethical? how would you change it?
Say you were to set up a free clinic in San Diego as a medical student along with a few of your med student friends and some medical interns, after sometime the clinic becomes exceedingly busy and eventually you exceed capacity. What about the San Diego healthcare system would cause this?
People today are saying the medical field is going downhill (ie malpractice, less compensation, lower public opinion), what do you think of this and why do you still want to be a physician?
pretty basic questions. about my activities, my plans for medicine, etc. although one of my interviewers did ask me what i thought of the med school app process as a whole and how valid/effective i thought the various components (amcas, secondaries, mcats, gpa's, 15 activities, interviews, etc) were
you overexteneded yourself in college.... will that be a problem here? (right after he told me that passing the premed courses at my school meant i wouldnt find med school hard)
"There have been a lot of medical discoveries made using very deplorable research techniques (ie. Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments and Dr. Mengelev's Holocaust Studies)...what should we do with the information gained from these experiments?"
Students said the most difficult question asked at Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine discussed a variety of topics, including ethical dilemmas, personal experiences, motivations for medicine, and healthcare reform. Some respondents mentioned MMI format, indicating scenarios like healthcare allocation decisions and ethical inquiries, possibly subject to a nondisclosure agreement.
No difficult questions, very conversational and the questions they did ask were either about my experiences or were the standard questions like why medicine, why Geisel.
You are in complete control over finances and care allocation at small hospital. You have a heroin addict who wants heart valve replacement surgery. You have already established with him that continued heroin use would lead to continued need for valve replacement, but he doesn't care and wants the surgery. If you do the surgery, the maternity ward would become short on funds and a baby is likely to die. Do you do the surgery?
Why did you choose your undergrad college? This was hard because I have been out of college for a long time and I haven't thought about why I choose my college. Also, my reasons were not very good when I was 17 years old!
(first question, after they already asked it on the supplemental application) What can you tell me that I don't already know about you from your application?
Why Dartmouth from the MSII. Not a very hard question in general but Dartmouth is unique and it takes a certain type of student to go there. It is a small campus
There were not a ton of difficult questions, we basically just had a conversation that flowed smoothly. Neither of my interviewers had read my file, so we went over the basics.
So what are some of the changes you would make to the healthcare system (dreaded question, but only after I told her about my interest in health policy).
if the grand-daughter of a subject in the above study, who died because of complications from the study, found out about it and was extremely upset, how would you counsel her?
Would you test a child for Huntington's, knowing that there is no cure and it would change the way he lived life and the way his parents cared for him (the question was much shorter, but that was the ethical dilemma)?
Why did you come back to medicine after switching to thinking of majoring in religion? (I couldn't figure out how to explain that a religion major hadn't meant that I wasn't going to do medicine)
None really, one interviewer asked me if I had any questions immediately, so I was worried I wouldn't have 30 minutes worth of questions to ask, but we just talked about life and medicine in general.
I've been active in a christian organization and was asked how my faith would affect practicing medicine. (The interviewer was super nice and it was asked in a very nonconfrontational way).
She asked me for an anecdote of a particular facet of hospital experience I didn't really have, and even when I told her that, she still pushed it and it kinda threw me off.
One of my interviewers' policy was to not read a person's file before interviewing them, so the most difficult question was: "Tell me about yourself."
to convince a Caucassian faculty member that health disparities are an important problem in health care, and that while are associated with poverty, it's NOT the main leading cause of health disparities
"You've probably heard about me (from the tour guide). I don't look at the interviewees applications beforehand because I want to meet them without any biases. So, tell me about yourself."
nothing, all pretty basic and predictable. It was more of a conversation than anything. They just wanted to talk and get to know you outside of essays/GPA/MCAT
Do you have questions for me? (Everyone had been so good about answering my questions that I didn't really have any by the time I got to the interview. I just repeated some I had already had answered.)
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as average.
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 through its website and supplemental materials, reading feedback on Student Doctor Network (SDN), practicing with mock interviews, and watching the school's DVD. Many also mentioned discussing the school with current students or alumni, focusing on their personal statements and secondary essays, and staying up-to-date on healthcare topics.
Mock interview, SDN, practice with friends, typing out answers to specific questions, review primary and secondary
I didn't really need to prepare at all since nothing was asked from my AMCAS. I read my PhD's resume but the only part of it I used was to talk about her home town and my hometown. I also read my interviewers research poster which was posted outside her door. That sparked her up and got her in a good mood for the rest of the interview.
Badgered my student hosts with an endless stream of questions, one of them introduced me to studentdoctor.net and I sat up with the computer for the rest of the night. I also checked out the DVD Dartmouth sent as well as spoke with a contact who had attended the school a million years earlier.
Watched DVD, read brochure, reviewed specific programs on website (ex. CECS), skimmed over interviewers' resumes (made available in the admissions office waiting room).
Read briefly on SDN.... watched their DVD.... and decided that too much prep will make me more nervous so I just went in there being myself... It's honestly more relaxing than prepping for it!
Watched their enclosed DVD (very impressive), read their handbook and alumni magazine, SDN, viewed their website and checked-out several bioethic websites.
Read AMCAS, read secondary, read their brochure, watched the dvd. Depending on who your interviewer is they may or may not have read through your file before you interview. However, each interviewer has a copy of your complete file. Some just choose to read through it after you interview so they aren't biased by anything when they do meet you.
read website, read brochure, talked with best friend who is a first-year at the school, called the admissions office to talk with a student in a club that interested me.
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the welcoming and positive atmosphere at Dartmouth, including the friendly faculty, supportive staff, and happy students. The beautiful and innovative hospital design, small class sizes, emphasis on student well-being, and unique opportunities for research and electives were highlighted as significant positives by multiple applicants.
All the faculty and interviewers were great, positive, and welcoming. Great culture at this school. Left feeling like I would love to attend.
It was incredibly laid back, it was more of a conversation instead of an interview. Both interviews went over by 20+ minutes because we were having such fun in our conversations.
Personalized attention due to small class size, lots of research/elective/dual degree options, lots of use of technology in classes (every student gets an iPad), so many positives to this school
i usually cannot stand - and utterly LOATHE - college towns like hanover (Chapel Hill comes to mind). Hanover was nice on the other hand and I could see myself living there. The school was beautiful, as was the medical center.
Enthusiasm of students, beautiful location, pass/fail grading, significant amount of need-based scholarship aid available, dedicated student on-call rooms that come with housekeeping
Everyone is really friendly in Hanover. There are lots of outdoor activities such as skiing, hiking, canoeing, etc...
DHMC is a very nice hospital; in fact, all the buildings at Dartmouth look new.
Very kind and enthusiastic staff.
Very warm and friendly faculty interviewer.
Beautiful, inovative hospital design.
Opportunity for away rotations (but not required for those with families!).
Beautiful NH landscape.
The beauty of the area and the students. The students are so happy, and they love their school, and it really seems like a non competitive environment. Curriculum is pass/fail, and there are only about 70 students in the class. I stayed with student host and learned about the student atmosphere....... they celebrate each persons birthday as a class and go celebrate with dinner or camping or something fun. Thats awesome. The hospital is pretty amazing as well......looks like a mall. Very colorful, warm, inviting, full of art and plants, open windows, very patient-friendly.
The school and the great fin. aid program. It really does boil down to the money.
Btw, a really really great school, small class size and excellent profs. Really chill, laidback and relational atmosphere, and everyone is out for your benefit. Its great!
The hospital is really beautiful and the students on clinical rotations seemed really happy. They even have a place for students to sleep at the hospital (though this probably shows how much they are there).
Despite some people's concerns that the school is located in the middle of nowhere, Hanover is in a gorgeous area and the Dartmouth campus is beautiful. The students were so welcoming and friendly and truly seemed happy and confident.
Everyone was EXTREMELY nice and everyone seemed really happy to be at Dartmouth. Curriculum seeks to overcome the isolated environment by allowing clerkships to be taken in a large number of other locations. Huge ratio of faculty to students. Administration very interested in improving curriculum every year. 4 students per cadaver in anatomy; students do all the dissecting. Huge number of int'l opportunities. Hospital is beautiful and relaxing. Town is very bicycle-friendly and picturesque. Large number of non-traditional students. Students are very collegiate and collaborative with each other; very tight-knit class. Faculty I interviewed with were friendly and kind.
The hospital is amazing. It is not a traditional dark drabby place. It is well lit with big windows and open spaces. It is more or less like a mall. There are no intercoms at the hospital, and there is art work hanging on the wall. Someone also started to play some jazz standards on the piano which could be heard throughout most of the hospital. I was also impressed by the attention that the staff and admissions people paid to us. It seemed as if they wanted us there as much as we wanted to get in.
Dartmouth school spirit, med students seem very well cared for and supported. The medical center was lovely, and there is recreation-a-plenty in the area.
absolutely beautiful facilities, Hanover area is really picturesque, my first interviewer was smart as a whip and someone I could see as a role model, the third-year clerkship sites are really varied.
Definitely the enthusiasm and friendliness of the students. They were very down-to-earth, mature, and patient people. The dedication towards the best clinical care possible and the faculty-student rapport is unmatched anywhere else.
How well rounded and genuinely friendly the students and faculty were. The level of satisfaction from everybody I met was extremely high, and what better testament to the quality of a given school could you ask for? The rural setting will either work for you or it won't - I loved it, personally.
The hospital is fabulous - big open spaces, lots of light, windows, plants - it felt more like a mall than a hospital. Also, the small class size - it will be 70-ish starting next year with the elimination of the Dartmouth-Brown program.
The people. They were so accomodating and caring. The minority affairs director found me a place to stay on short notice, picked me up from the bus station personally and continued to check on me throughout the day. The students I stayed with were awesome too!! Shot out to the Red Light Ladies!
The hospital is really nice, it looks like a shopping mall, so it is much brighter and more inviting than any other hospital I've ever seen. Hanover is remote, but it is wonderful. Everybody was clearly happy, and even random medical students who weren't part of the tour seemed perfectly happy and well prepared.
The friendliness of the staff and students, and the kinda new hospital. The personal attention was pretty good . This is one of those rarer schools where calling the admissions office won't result in getting a crabby person on the other line. The higher-ups in admissions are also accessable.
Organization and execution of overall interview day. Director of admissions kicked off the morning with an impressive overview of the school and MD program (including having all candidates introduce themselves).
The students seemed super happy, the staff was friendly and the hospital was very impressive. The class is small and it really seems like the students were cooperative and noncompetitive
Everyone I met seemed genuinely nice, even the fellow interviewees. The interviewers were really laid back, the admissions staff was very helpful and nice. Dartmouth is a beautiful school.
The friendliness of everyone we met throughout the day. By far the most warm and receptive interview I've attended. Also, the caliber of a DMS education; I think it's really underrated.
Host Students were great, interviewers seemed interested in getting to know me, DHMC is new and fantastic, small town, Dartmouth owns ski resort (discounted student prices), all the lakes and rivers! (I'm from AZ)
Students - they are by far the happiest medical students I have met so far. It seems like everyone at Dartmouth is really interested in helping their classmates - from joint studying to sharing notes. It really seemed like a great place to spend four years at.
the school has a feeling of warmth and openness that i have only seen at one or two other institutions. the admissions staff, as well as seemingly the students and facutly, truly care about the community dartmouth med school fosters. everyone is very excited about working/learning there, and it results in a tight-knit community that seems to function extremely well. the research is cutting edge, and the hospital far outshines anything i've ever seen. when they say it looks like a shopping mall, they're being quite literal.
The campus is beautiful. The area seems like it has a ton of outdoor activities. The students seem really nice. I also like the way they structure their exams (Every second monday, they take a bunch of large quizzes).
Dartmouth is in a beautiful place--the hills of New Hampshire are amazing, especially in the fall. And the best thing about Dartmouth is the community feeling I promise you'll get there. Most people at Dartmouth are really nice and outgoing, and students are generally happy. It's small-town, friendly and safe.
The students, faculty, and admissions officers all are very friendly and seem to be quite intelligent. The hospital is AMAZING. It is about ten years old, but it looks like a shopping mall and it is still being added on to.
Hanover is one of the most beautiful towns in the Northeast. Hospital was brand new and beautiful as well. People seemed nice, and the students do well in the match.
The students. The students were by far the MOST friendly med students I've ever met! They seemed like they LOVED going to school there. It was an impression that I haven't gotten quite as intensely anywhere else. Also, they have a very nice hospital.
The area. Amazing place. Dartmouth OWNS a ski lodge. The hosptial, it's a mall. Yea that's right, it's build off a mall design and it contains a small mall inside. Most impressive hosptial I've seen. There's sky lights and natural sun light in every nook and crany of the building. The students were possibly the happiest and funniest people I've ever met. You want to go back to college, go here. The faculty and secretaties make you feel like family.
Dartmouth has a collegial environment fostered by the tight-knit student community. The faculty tries to remember everyone's names by posting their pictures on the bulletin board. They do an excellent job in teaching.
New England was beautiful! I interviewed during the change of seasons, but ahead of the snow. Furthermore, the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center--while in the middle of nowhere--is the nicest hospital I have probably seen in my life.
So many things, the students, the faculty, and also the facilities. Also the possibilities to do rotations in so many places, which are Darthmouth programs (Means you don’t have to setup the rotation).
the students were incredibly happy and the environment seemed positively non-competitive. the hospital was beautiful and the area surrounding campus is just awesome if you like the outdoors, which i do.
the hospital is amazing. Based on a mall design with plenty of spaces to interact and converse. People (both patients and staff) seemed happier to be there than any other hospital I've seen.
Everything! I absolutely loved the hospital, people, Dartmouth Green, nature... The whole campus (even outside) has wireless internet. Everyone seemed real happy to be there.
The students were very nice, laid back. The facilities were pretty modern even for an old school like Dartmouth. The small class sizes and how much student-faculty interaction there is (they'll invite you to dinner at their house)
pretty much everything. the setting - this school really is in the middle of nowhere as the whole upper valley area only has a population of about 30,000; dartmouth-hitchcock medical center is a beatiful, state-of-the art teaching hospital; there is definately an emphasis on ambulatory medicine; grading scheme and curriculum also suit my tastes
The campus was beautiful, beautiful. The students were incredibly friendly, really laid-back, and seemed to genuinely like each other. I stayed with a 1st year student, who took me to a party (they had just had exams and were getting together to blow off steam)...not a rager, just a bunch of 1st years getting together to hang out. Gave me a great feel. The medical center is great-- the on-call rooms for medical students are a nice touch. Food wasn't bad. Interviews were really laid-back and conversational.
the people--students, faculty and admissions staff, they all seemed vey nice and supportive, and willing to go out of their way to help the students. i also liked the curicullum, and the hospital---it is amazing.
The students, faculty, doctors and admission staff were extremely nice, approachable and helpful, beautiful area, and the school promotes clerkships at many off site locations around the US and world
my interviewers were both very interesting people, which made conversation easy. the facilities were nice, other students interviewing seemed really bright and interesting.
everyone was very warm and welcoming. the admissions office was beautiful. they provided a lot of information about both the admissions process and financial aid.
The supportiveness of the faculty and administration. Students frequently go to professor's houses for dinner. The class size is small. The medical center seems to strive for a holistic approach to healing(One of the reasons it was designed to be like a mall). In fact, the main rotunda even has a baby steinway that echoes down each hall, much like Nordstrom. The opportunity to do clerkships in other hospitals across the nation. I could go to Children's Hospital of Orange County for my peds rotation. The access to the skiway that essentially has no lines to the lift. Access to occom pond(free ice skating in the winter). Dartmouth is a great place to be if you are interested in rural medicine. However, even if you are not it is still a great place to learn since a lot of cases in the New England area end up there. The hospital's student areas/lounge/sleeping quarters.
I was EXTREMELY impressed by the students I met, very nice and relaxed, not in a hurry, good sense of humor. They had very positive feelings about the student community and felt the profs were really going out of their way to help them learn. Beautiful location.
Hanover. A very pretty area, quaint and homey. The Dartmouth-Hitchock med center--I've
never seen anything like it before, and I don't know how to describe it -- it's like a carpeted mall with a lot of medical
professionals walking around.
Students, faculty, and Admissions office staff. They were all incredibly nice, and it was well-organized. The students were amazing; my host did a fabulous job of including me in what his daily life was like.
Applicants were commonly concerned about the lack of diversity in both the patient population and student body, the remote and rural location of the school, the outdated facilities, and the limited social scene in Hanover. Suggestions included improving diversity initiatives, updating facilities, and enhancing opportunities for student interaction and engagement.
The group activity included a lot of information to sift through in such a short time.
Had to take a 3-hour shuttle from the Boston airport to get there; terrible food options in the town; no diversity in terms of patient population, or Geisel faculty
We only had the opportunity to interact with two medical students the entire day (and it was a long day). We saw many other medical students, but they were very disinterested in speaking with us.
My second interviewer (a professor) was the only person I met that day who was not extremely pleasant. He was kind of grumpy and made the interview a little unpleasant
A large percentage of the students that I met were pretty unfriendly. I felt that the social environment and the personality of the students was the most negative thing about the school.
Lots of lecture/class time - 7 hrs per day in first year is not unusual - and tests every 2 weeks. DHMC is beautiful, but sometimes seems more like a shopping mall than a hospital
Hanover is just Dartmouth ( wch is pretty but seriously nothing else there)and I expected the facilities to POP like OMG..but they are good but I didnt see great..maybe i held them to to high of a standard, the facilities are still pretty good.
Nothing really. The way the curriculum set up is kind of scary...... the 2nd year you don't have any tests, just a final for each class. Kind of scary thing to think about, but they do a good job of leading you into it in the first year by giving you "quizes" every two weeks which lead up to the big test. They kind of wean you off of the quizzes so that you can get used to the one big test. THis isn't a big deal and isn't really a negative, but thought i'd put it in here.
The facilities are pretty old and run-down. Also, the first year students seem incredibly stressed. Since they have tests every other week, there really is never a break and they said every other weekend is spent in the library.
Hospital has fewer patients than urban ones. Administration asks you to bring a car with you when you matriculate. Travel to other less remote locations is logistically difficult. I imagine there would be a limit to the number of new people one could meet in such an isolated location.
Weather (cold), lack of parking/requirement for a car as a student, hard to travel to, lack of things to do in area, lack of diversity, one crazy interviewer
There is lack of ethnic diversity in the hanover area. However, they say there is socioeconomic diversity. Also, the clerkships in the 3rd and 4th years allow you to go to various places throughout the country and internationally so you can still see a diverse patient population by going to DMS.
The location of the school...they don't really have a very diverse patient population at the hospital so they send you all over the US and the world for experience(which isn't very negative).
Interview was also too short and my first interviewer very abrupt..
The location = not a very diverse patient population. There are few enough cases that they do not have an emergency medicine residency. One interviewer didn't seem very interested. It was *really* cold and I nearly crashed my car cuz of the ice on the road. Most other interviewees had their flights cancelled.
Not a lot of excitement in the area. Overall, I just felt like they weren't doing anything to sell the school besides telling where their students go to residency.
The student tour wasnt so great, one of my interviewers was 15 minutes late...the other was 30 minutes late (they still both interviewed for 30 mins though)
the second interviewer was horrible, walked out of the room, interrupted me, looked like he was falling asleep or having a stroke at times. first interviewer was good though.
Umm...not much. Like I said, it is remote, but that can be good or bad depending on your preference. You have the opportunity to do internships all over the world/country, so this really isn't such a big deal.
the location is pretty terrible for anyone that wants to work with a patient population of any signficant diversity. something like 99% (literally) white people. many rural poor, but at their own admission, not a very interesting/diverse population. they do make efforts to have a number of off-site clinical locations (at indian reservations, in new zealand, tanzania, etc, but all in all, its still in the middle of nowhere.
ppl arent lying when they say this place is in the middle of nowhere. supposedly its frigid too, and for months on end--probably inconvenient. car is a must. social scene seems dead--kinda a big deal to me, being from the city
it's in the middle of nowhere. on the one hand, this offers a beautiful rural new hampshire town with plenty of great outdoors activities. but the realy upshot of this is a very undiverse patient base. i was told 98.9 percent of the patient base is white (that's a quote). they did say there was a fair deal of economic diversity, but in the end the hospital serves a pretty homogenous catchment area.
I think it would be hard to get a complete education in such a rural part of New Hampshire. From personal experience, as well as the tour, the medical center has little patient diversity, and there isn't much to do in Hanover. If you don't get along with your classmates (although I loved my undergrad ones!), there aren't many other people around to spend time with.
Nothing, but a word of caution. 1. You NEED a car. 2. If you're not outdoorsy (fishing, hiking, running, skiiing, hunting, etc.) you will not like it here. 3. The nearest major city is Boston, which is about 1.5 hours away. 4. It gets COLD. It was 8 degrees F when I was there, but the good news is there is no wind, so it doesn't feel nearly as cold as it is. The selection process is pretty tough, ~5k applicants for 80 seats.
I visited during the coldest time of the year. The place looks very isolated. A good car is a must because stores are quite a distance away and weather conditions aren't great. First-year students seem to have drowned from their studies.
The palpable ivy league elitism. Unwillingness of the students to discuss any of Dartmouth's shortcomings given that it is in a rural and homogeneously white area. My student interviewer was cold, spoke very little, and seemed to try to intimidate me. Hello, you are representing the school as well as interviewing me! It was my eighth interview so I was otherwise pretty comfortable talking about my interest in medicine and more excited than nervous to do so. In the initial meeting with the Dean of admissions, she seemed to emphasize again and again how difficult (using words like imposing, hard, pressure etc) the curriculum is, as if they had a way of teaching med material that was harder than everyone elses. And who would want to sign up for that?
Darthmouth is in the middle of nowhere, and I am not exactly sure what population base the medical center targets. New England, in general, is cold, so I can't complain too much about the weather. Furthermore, New Hamshire and Vermont are the "whitest" states in the nation, according to one of my faculty interviewers.
The cold, it started snowing when I got there. However you can spend your time indoors. Also the need of a car, I don’t like to drive.
The student leading the tour seemed distracted. I think as a busy medical student this is understandable, but I was a little put off in how timid he was in taking us to some of the wards.
could take on a "summer camp" feeling because of the extreme isolation of medical students... also, patient population is homogenous (although their problems are not)
Perhaps 30 minutes were not enough for an interview. I did not get much time to ask questions. I wished we could talk more, but there were other candidates waiting.
How rural it was. I don't mind terribly, but I worried a little about diversity of patient population. Interviewers and students assured me that although the patients are racially homogenous (white), their problems are not. They are a tertiary care center so they get plenty of Zebras.
We met only two students the entire day, one of whom seemed very bothered that he had to give us a tour. Both my interviewers and the admissions director talked at length about how great DMS students are, and I was disappointed that I didn't get to meet many of them and find out whether I'd fit in here. Also, the medical school itself is a dump. Old facilities, feels like you're in a basement.
distance from everything....not that bad, I would be thrilled if I was accepted there, but I would probably be a little bored at the end of 4 years. Also, some of the medical school buildings on campus are not as pleasing to the eye as the rest of the campus.
Nothing. Maybe that it gets cold, but there's so much to do outside (skiing, skating, etc.) that it doesn't strike me as a real detractor. Of course, I'm from the south so I don't know what winter's really like.
I didn't like either of my interviewers. The first seemed really distracted and literally stared at me for a full two minutes before I started asking questions and trying to have an interview. She was definitely a little batty.
The other said out right that the time I had taken off after graduating from college seemed like wasted time. Also while waiting for an interview, a student pulled me aside and said that I should not go to Dartmouth. This was the only school where a student warned me not to go there. And, my student host wouldn't meet me until 11:00 at night even though I arrived during the afternoon because she had to study. That seemed a little weird to me.
we only met two students really, so there wasn't a whole range of experiences. Hanover is tiny...for non-family types, the social scene would be limited.
Well...I wasn't negatively impressed at all. Whether you like it at Dartmouth or not is gonna depend on how well you'd adapt to the area. The area is predominantly white, very rural, cold and snowy winters(great for snowboarding and pond hockey), very outdoorsy activities in the summer. If you don't care for that kind of stuff then this isn't the place for you.
My first interview consisted of me reciting my AMCAS activities while my "interviewer" wrote them down. He asked me to tell him everything I'd done starting with freshmen year of college. Everytime I tried to elaborate on anything he cut me off and asked, "what did you do after that." It was ridiculuous. My lips did not utter a single subjective phrase for the entire 30 minutes.
the place is boring. nothing to do. if you're a person of color, gay or anything else outside of the white, outdoorsey, chrunchy type...you will be bored and have a hard time finding people with similar interests/experiences.
Hanover. Not a whole lot to do around here. The med students
talk about driving down to Boston on weekends for serious hangouts.
But you have your restaurants, your movie theaters, and ski slopes nearby,
so it's enough to sustain the average person.
The bleak medical campus at Dartmouth (there are two "campuses" -- one at Dartmouth, another at the hospital), the small medical library, and the remote location of the school.
Applicants commonly expressed a desire to have known more about the rural and isolated location of Dartmouth, the short duration of interviews, the importance of comfortable footwear, the benefits of speaking with current students, and the convenience of staying near the campus. Many also mentioned the unique Dartmouth-Brown program as a key consideration.
Nothing. The whole process was incredibly laid back, there was proper communication from the committee about interview day, and they responded to every email promptly and with tremendous amounts of information.
I greatly value speaking with current medical students when I'm evaluating these schools as potential places I might attend, so I wish I would have known how few medical students I would end up getting to speak with.
DO NOT wear heels to the hospital tour. pack them if you want to wear them during your interview and change right before. all the girls with heels had blisters.
Don't schedule your favorite school as your first interview! I was nervous, awkward and didn't have good questions to ask my interviewers. After interviews at just one other school, I feel much more confident and comfortable. I wish I could interview at Dartmouth now!
I wish I stayed at the Hanover Inn right across from campus. That would have been much more convenient due to the long distance I had to travel from CA.
It's cold in NH, seriously (but I guess I already knew that) Also, I wish I had brought along my snow boarding gear as my student host invited me out to the Dartmouth ski place. I also wish I had know that the last tour of the day was optional and had planned my travel according to that. Instead of leaving after my interview, I had to wait until the next morning.
That I could get nervous! One of my interviewers asked very open-ended questions that sort of threw me off, and I got terribly nervous. A short break, some water, and taking my jacket off seemed to help.
Dartmouth admissions is rolling and acceptances are offered as early as October 16, contrary to what is on the MSAR (November) and their brochure (January)
Getting to town is a little tough, but I would say fly into Boston, take the shuttle, and stay with students that live near campus or who can get you to your interview. Or consider renting a car...
by 6 pm its pitch black outside, youd think it were midnight. dont miss exits or get lost, or there could be trouble. poor highway lighting, basically none
almost no students live on campus. that said, no one really seemed to think this had any bad effects upon their ability to all become incredibly close and work together at all hours of the night.
Nothing. Safety and Security stopped and offered me a ride from my dorm room because it was snowing and they saw I was dressed up and in heels--typical Dartmouth. =)
Dartmouth sees itself as an all around medical powerhouse of the likes of the other ivy league schools, rather than a unique school with a unique (and valuable) perspective on medicine. The latter was how I viewed the school.
It is incredibly difficult to get to NH, and that Dartmouth is as isolated of medical school you will find. Furthermore, your interviews are scheduled to be only half an hour each. This is way too little time, and I felt incredibly rushed and unable to talk about important aspects of my application.
More about the Dartmouth-brown program, I showed a little interest and they set me up with an interview with a brown rep. I didn’t want to do the program after the day, because to having to leave my classmates and be introduced into a class which many have been together for 6 years. However, admissions said it didn’t effect my consideration to the 4yr Darthmouth program.
That you can get a good map of the hospital from the help desk if you interview at DHMC. Also, I would recommend asking the lady at the help desk for directions as well. I got lost.
Nothing really. However if you are staying at Hanover Inn, make sure to ask for a special rate for DMS candidates.
Oh yea, I expected an open-file interview, however one of my interviewers did a closed-file. No big deal though - he is a great fellow who seemed genuinely interested to get to know me.
That they had cookies in the cafeteria. They give you a decent amount of money in your cash voucher; be sure to get a cookie! The food in the cafeteria is pretty good; something I wouldn't mind eating for a few years.
I wish the Vermont transit and Advance Transit schedules were easier to understand. In fact, I wish the interview packets sent to us included information on how to get from Manchester Airport to Hanover.
the brown/dartmouth program made the place that much more impressive and enticing. i couldn't do 4 years in hanover. but spending the first two years in hanover and then getting to go to providence (rated as the mose livable city in the US) for my clinical years....now that's a nice deal!
The Dartmouth-Brown program. I heard about it before the visit, but it wasn't
until I talked with my host that I realized this was the option for me. Doing your
clerkships in Brown will expose you to medical practice in a diverse urban setting, which
clerkships Dartmouth can't offer.
I wish I had known more about the difference between the Dartmouth program (all 4 years at Dartmouth) and the Dartmouth-Brown program (2 years at Dartmouth, then 2 years at Brown - you get a Brown diploma)
Applicants generally found Dartmouth to have a welcoming and friendly environment, with a strong emphasis on outdoor activities and a sense of community among students. The interview day was described as laid-back and conversational, with interviews varying in style but overall being a positive experience.
Phenomenal program. I left the interview day not only more impressed, but it became my number one choice after interview day.
i stayed at residence inn and really enjoyed it. They have a shuttle that picked me up from the lebanon airport and took me to my interview. The hotel also offers a great complimentary breakfast everyday and complimentary dinner on weekdays
DMS is a great school in a wonderful, quiet location. Their students are very friendly and match to top programs in their field. If you enjoy the backwoods location, outdoor/winter activities and the small cohort, it will be a wonderful place to study medicine.
Looking through the SDN feedback the one thing i read many time was how rural the location was. Yes this is true, but people failed to mention how breath-takingly beautiful the area is. Holy moly. Its amazing. I went when the leaves were turning colors and....wow... The place is so serene. I grew up in a large CA city and go to school in an even larger CA city, but i can see myself living here no doubt.
Another thing is that there is ALWAYS something to do during every season of the year. Mountain bike, white water kayak, snowboard, ski, run, etc. etc.
THere are two interviews..each is 30 min. THe day is pretty typical. You start off with presentation from associate dean of admissions (who also interviews) and then financiial aid and general stuff like that. THen you go on bus to the hospital (which is amazing), then you come back or stay there depending on where your interview location is.
After interviews is an optional tour of the campus, which is one thing I wish they did differently. They wait for all interviewers to be done at like 345 or so to give one tour of the school. They should have multiple tour guides that way those who are leaving early to catch a flight can still go on the tour. I had to leave and would have liked to seen more of the campus.
The interview day as a whole is VERY laid back and chill. The interviews reflect this as well.......it reallly was just a casual conversation between two people. We talked about the weather, the wildlife, sports, etc etc. Basically anything that came to mind. Of course there was medical related talk as well, they were just clarification questions about my app and/or they wanted to hear more about experience X. They are really just interested in getting to know each individual to make sure that you fit at their school.
I arrived at 8:45 am and met the group of student interviewees. Everyone was really nice and I thought this was my funnest interview day. We had a lively talk about the school and then got to visit the hospital (DHMC), which was wonderful and did not feel hospital-like. Then, I had two interviews and got a tour with a very nice, enthusiastic tour guide. Everyone seems very happy and there are wonderful cultural outlets/opps in this place. Dartmouth is awesome!
Dartmouth is a really cool school. They really put a lot of effort into making you feel like they want you. If I can get over being in Hanover, Dartmouth would be perfect. Interestingly enough, no one every asked me 'why Dartmouth?'.
Overall, fine. The admissions people are really nice and friendly. The interviews were laid-back and casual. There was one annoying applicant there who kept asking off the wall questions, but that's not the school's fault. Nice place--too rural for me.
Generic pre-interview stuff - financial aid, classes, etc. then on to the hospital for a nice tour and a decent hot lunch, then either stay at the hospital or go back to admissions for two short, laid-back interviews, then a short tour of the student facilities.
There were two half-hour interviews; the first with a student in year 2 and the second with the chair of admissions. The student's interview was more structured and he wrote down responses; the other interview was free and conversational, which I preferred.
Most interviews at Dartmouth seem to be open-file, but there are some who prefer closed-file, and by the luck of the draw both of mine were closed-file. However they were both very easy-going and friendly interviews; one of them in particular flowed very easily and left me with a very positive feeling. There are two tours; one of the medical center and one of the school. Unless you happen to get a student interviewer (seems to be a small percentage of the interviewers), the tour guides will be the only students you meet unless you go out of your way to find others to talk with, or you stay with a student (which I'm really glad I did). One of my tour guides was neutral, the other was really enthusiastic and happy.
We started off the day with a presentation about the school and financial aid, then a tour and lunch at the medical center, followed by interviews back at the admissions office. My interviewers were nice, and they were both low-stress.
In the morning you go to the admissions office at 3 Rope Ferry Road. If you are hungry, you can grab a bite to eat across the parking lot at a tiny cafeteria. Come a bit early so you have time to look up information about your interviewers in the white binder they have in the room. They have a nice big room with comfy couches and a fire place. This is very conducive to a friendly environment, and everyone will be talking/getting to know each other. They give you a folder with your two interviewers, who may be at the hospital (doctors) or at the admissions office. You then go to a big board room where there is a Q/A session and Financial Aid session. Next you jump on the shuttle to the DHMC hospital, where you get a tour and lunch. People with interviews there will stay there, otherwise, some may come back to the admissions office for their two interviews. Afterwards, you may get some time to get to know your fellow interviewees even more back at the admissions waiting room. It is at this time that you may choose to leave if you want. If not, feel free to grab a cup of coffee or make yourself a cup of hot chocolate. Then two students come to give you a tour of the local facilities for medical students (ie classroom/labs). However, they do not show you the anatomy labs. I am wondering why. Overall, it was a good experience.
Overall, DMS is a great school and I got a very good gut impression from it. The major pluses are the stunning ''House-MD-like'' hospital facilities (new, big, mall like space concept), the small class size about 80 or so, and the very nice and collegial people there. The negatives are the lack of diversity in the lebanon area and you have to be able to find things to do at DMS because it is a small town. Other that, it is a great place to go to school and if I get accepted, I'd probably go.
I really like the school and the facilities. The students I met were very positive about Dartmouth and had great things to say about it. The interview went well and was pretty straightforward. The first interviewer I was scheduled with turned out to be on vacation, so they sent over someone from admissions to interview me. She was very nice and flexible about it, so it worked out fine. I really had a good connection with the second interviewer (the surgeon in opthamology), who tried to get to know me and learn about my experiences. All in all, a very good day.
They are a small country-like community. For those who like clubbing and frequenting pubs this isn't your place. However, if you like skiing, riding your bike, running and staying physically and spiritually healthy, this is a jackpot. It's certainly a place my grandfather would love ...very slow paced life indeed!! You also need a car, unless you want to rely on the small shuttles that are funded by the community! My experience here was just very interesting!!!
You arrive to the admissions office, which is in the historical med school, before 9 in the morning. They had a nice warm fire, and coffee and tea available. After a thorough orientation and financial aid presentation, you take a bus over to the hospital where you have a tour and lunch with a med student. Interviews are after lunch. Some interviews are at the hospital and some are back at the main campus. There are two interviews with faculty committee members, and they may or may not have read your application. You re-group at the admissions office, and takle a short tour of the med school, and then the day is over. Be sure to check out the fitness center if that sort of thing interests you- it's beautiful. Also, stay with a student if you have the chance. Dartmouth attracts really interesting, diverse students.
day starts w/ admissions overview, a 3rd year student led tour of the hospital, lunch at the hospital (which was very good), interview w/ 2 faculty, an optional tour of the hanover campus led by 1st year student. pretty relaxing experience. except that my 1st interviewer forgot that she had to interview students that day and never showed up, so they had to re-schedule a bunch of us with someone else.
The day started early but there was very little downtime. There were about 20 of us and we all met in the admissions office followed by a very long presentation from the dean of admissions about the school. The two interviews were both low stress and there weren't any ethical or ''fix healthcare'' type questions. Overall, it was a very positive experience.
Both faculty interviewers have access to all application materials, but one of my interviewers chose not to read anything beforehand while another seemed very familiar with my file. As a result, the first interviewer asked general questions and offered little feedback. My second interview was fantastic. I don't know if the school specifically picked my interviewer, but the doctor and I had lots of interests in common so we had a great conversation. I wish we could have chatted for more than 30 minutes.
Interviews were after lunch, and both of mine were with physicians. I was pretty anxious going into the first one, but the guy was easy-going and he set the tone right away. It was a pleasure after that, and I came out at the end of the day feeling like I had really been able to express myself.
We started at the admissions office with an overview and a talk by financial aid, then took a shuttle to the hospital where we had a tour and lunch. I stayed at the hospital for my two interviews (some people went back to campus); one of my interviewers preferred closed-file interviews so handn't looked at my file yet. After a shuttle back to the medical school, we had a brief tour there.
I had an awesome interview experience. Drove up the day of the interview from NY starting at 4am, so I wasn't exactly rested. Had a hard time staying awake during the financial aid talk. Great group of interviewees, conversation was not especially akward, people seemed to get along.
It was a very nice, relaxed experience. I left feeling very, very impressed. Everybody was comfortable about the school, and they were all very happy to sell Dartmouth to interviewees.
The school is located in a picturesque region of Hanover, and the entire campus is impressive because of the architecture and what not. Small introduction to the school and financial aid. Then shuttle to the hospital, which is like a giant mall, and lunch with students. Everyone I talked to likes the school and is happy. At the same time, I just didn't feel a great deal of excitement. Interviews were very relaxed and conversational, so don't stress about that. Just use the interview to gauge if you'd actually like to go to the school.
I enjoyed my interview day. It began as usual - with a group of about 12 students assembled in the admissions office. I was impressed by the friendliness of the staff. There's a group session on admissions and financial aid - sort of Dartmouth's chance to sell themselves to you. Watch your coffee intake before, it's a couple hours without a break. After that, the students take the bus over to the medical complex. It's surprisingly large for basically being in the woods, and beautifully designed. There was a short tour by a medical student, although it amounted to standing outside of several elevators. Lunch follows, and then interviews at either the medical campus or back at the medical school. I spent a lot of time walking around the medical complex before my interviews, and I'm glad I did. There's a great medical library, and just exploring the outpatient departments was a lot of fun. Everyone I stopped to talk to seemed sincerely happy. As far as interviews go, they were pretty informal, basically just coversations. The whole day is nothing to worry about - use it as a chance to figure out if Dartmouth would work for you. Also, I enjoyed hearing my interviewers reasons for ending up there themselves.
Great day, with a very informative Q&A by the Director of Admissions, and two separate tours by students (the hospital and the campus). Interviews were generally laid back conversations.
The whole day was very laidback. It was well organized, splitting the tour up so that if you needed to leave right after your interviews you could. Neither of my interviewers were closed-file (which I was expecting), both were really just interested in getting to know me.
The MD/PhD interview day was a lot more intense than the MD interview day. As soon as I found out I got into Dartmouth, I dropped all of my other interviews (Duke, Yale, etc.) So, it was a favorable interview experience.
It was pretty standard. One interview is closed file and the other is open. Everybody is very very nice. If you are coming for an interview, just sit back and enjoy yourself, its a very nice school.
The school was nice enough with decent facilities. The interviewers weren't the nicest people (they were faking the being nice part and you could tell). About half the interviewees felt that way about their interviewer on that day. Interviews were too short so I couldn't ask any questions. The hospital is really nice, but the spectrum of disease/injury was quite limited.
Best interview process of any school I visited. A lot of thought went into organizing the day. Left with a feeling that DMS program is very complete and addresses all the needs of today's med school student.
I had a great time, both the tour guides at the hospital and at the med school were very positive. I think Dartmouth would be a great place to go to school.
Overall, my experience here was quite nice. Everyone, including my host student was very friendly. If you are invited for an interview, you are truely being highly considered for this school for they have a rigorous selection process. After some finacial aid info, we toured the hospital. We then had lunch which they pay for with the tour guide. They are very open and make it comfortable for people to ask any question. My interview with the physician went okay. He seemed like a nice guy but was glancing at his watch every 5 mins, which was rather distracting. The interview with the med student went a lot better. It was a fairly conversational interview.
It was a well-structured day, with a lot of great information. One thing lacking was a serious discussion about the DMS cirriculum. It seems like they're kind of relying on Dartmouth's image to help sell the school, because although people in the field that I've talked to speak highly of a DMS education, the admissions officers weren't going over many specifics of their educational program. Also, the Brown-Dartmouth program sounds cool, too bad it's ending.
I stayed with host students, attended class with them before interview (out of 20 interviewers, I think I was the only one to do so-recommend it). Students seem nice, one was unhappy/homesick. Interviewers are nice and interested.
a pretty good presentation of the school. i was lucky enough to be there on a day when a rep from brown med came to discuss the brown/dartmouth program (which im applying to....but note that you can only choose one of the dms or bms/dms programs and cant apply to both.....they ask you at the end of your interview), so i learned a lot about that program. and all in all, i found the admissions people to be pretty candid and honest about the school. they were very willing to discuss their lack of a diverse patient population and other problems that other students brought up. a good day all together.
I had two one-on-one interviews, one 30 min long, the other slightly longer. Both were very much down-to-earth, laid back experiences. The interviewers seemed more interested in getting to know me as a person than in intimidating me.
pros and cons. city folk beware, its very different. winters must require serious accomodations. quizzes every 2 weeks here. the most prominent feature is the location. schools old, seems good though and supposedly faculty are caring. this place is way northeast
my first interviewer was more excited than i was - she was great. she knew my application, but instead of simply asking me about the experiences, she really probed me about their meanings to my overall goals and life experience. she offered a very interesting and rather unique interview experience. it was much more of a conversation than an interview. the second interview was more by the book - standard questions about my research and other experiences. a bit stone-faced, but still very nice and welcoming. overall i was very at ease, as was everyone else that day (as we all sat in a big welcoming room and compared notes throughout the day). unfortunately the interviews seemed very short and you won't have a lot of time to ask questions about the school. there's an info session, and other time to talk with faculty and students though, so if you have questions there's plenty of opportunities to ask them.
A very good experience, a friendly staff and tour guides, a well-informed talk at the beginning of the day, and one so-so interview and one AWESOME interview
Interviewers were very nice and tried to be conversational. They were tough but fair, very low stress. NO questions about healthcare or national issues, just kept it about me.
I went to Dartmouth as an undergraduate and loved it! Most everyone in the school (and town) is kind, friendly, and happy. The location is absolutely gorgeous and a lot of fun if you like being outdoors. Unfortunately, if you don't, and aren't a fan of drinking/partying, there isn't much else to do (although I guess you'd study more!). The other downside to the rural location is lack of diversity in both the general population, and in the patients. The DHMC (med center) is high-tech, and the best in the upper-New England area, but you wouldn't get to see a wide range of cases or patients.
So I applied to the Dartmouth-Brown program (only such two-school program in the country!), which allows you to spend the first two academic years at Dartmouth and the second two clinical years at Brown. As for the interviews themselves, my Brown interviewer was nice, and had a list of questions prepared for me that took the whole half-hour. My Dartmouth interviewer was the microbiology professor (teaching a number of my friends that term), and basically spent 15 minutes trying to convince me that I needed to spend the next four years somewhere completely different before sending me on my way. I think he was right.
The day started off with a presentation by an admissions officer and then a financial aid presentation. Then there was a tour of the hospital followed by two thirty-minute interviews. My first interviewer didn't really ask questions. He just listed stuff off of my AMCAS. The second interview was with a second-year student and went much smoother.
Overall the day was very pleasent and as relaxed as could be expected. The admissions and financial aid presentations in the morning were a bit tedious but the hospital tour was great and the interviews were very relaxed and more like a conversation than most other interviews I have been a part of.
The interview day was typical, talks about the school/financial aid, then a tour of the hospital and lunch. Interviews were after lunch, with the option of touring the med school at the end.
Most laid back interview I have ever had. Questions focused mainly talking about myself. If you can call them questions. Very conversational. My 1st interviewew wanted me to talk about lacrosse (I played in college), my research, and my summer landscaping job. Oh she also had a history degree so when talking research I had to make sure she understood what I was talking about. The second interviewer talked a little about himself, then asked about me, and then about the area.
I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Dartmouth better. I stayed with a student host whom was extremely nice. All the students I've spoken to loved Dartmouth. The interview itself was very low stress.
I was disappointed to see my #1 or #2 school slip to near the bottom of my list because I found the attitutes of the people to be so unfriendly or false. I just got the feeling that Dartmouth is trying to be something that it is not (emperor's new ivy clothes). It is small, rural, with an excellent clinical and public health perspective though CECS and runs the largest and most import health care system in northern New England. It is not Hopkins, Harvard, or Penn all of which wield serious research resources and medical influence. I guess I expected more humility or at least ability to articulate their particular strengths.
I had a great time, stayed with 4 first years and they were all very cool and went out of their way to be helpful. They were interested in me and got to know me. The school is very nice too. It has caring people who believe that all of the people interviewing are great candidates. The school is rural and is in the small town of Hanover. In the town of Hanover there is also the undergrad campus of Darthmouth, and a business school. The hospital is awesome, it’s large, new, and looks like a mall/airport. The setting may be a problem for some people, but I loved it, you can do so many outdoor activities and chill out. The students play four square and basketball during their breaks/recess, similar to elementary school. It is a tight knit community which is very welcoming and loving. The interviews were relaxed and went smoothly. The interviewers wanted to get to know you and know your motivations and passions.
This was my first interview and I was extremely nervous. I think it probably was apparent and affected the interview. My best advice is to relax as much as possible and use the opportunity to have a discussion with the interviewer. I felt that I was in the mode of answering specific questions followed by awkward pauses. My first interviewer was very nice - I didn't realize how nice until I met me second interviewer. Not that the second guy was mean, maybe a little pompous, it is just that he would look through papers as I was answering his questions.
The day began at 9:00 a.m. with orientation followed by a tour of the medical center and a complimentary lunch. Then there were two 30 minute interviews followed by a quick campus tour. The two interviews are equally weighted. I was interviewed by a 2nd year medical school student and a Ph.D. medical school and undergrad lecturer. The interview with the medical school student went well (she even said so) but the other interview was a disaster. It was awkward and only lasted 15 minutes instead of 30 because he could not think of anything else to ask me and it seemed he wanted to get back to his computer.
great school, amazing location, extremely happy students... the catch is that hanover is very isolated and that promotes a kind of tightness between the students that could become claustrophobic OR could make them the best friends you've ever had... depends on you. also, outdoor recreation is a must there... that's about all there is to do in that area
my first interview was with a student - vevry relaxed and fun. my second interviewer just wanted to talk about himself and about how his kids ended up at dartmouth medical school after doing other things first, etc. for example, he said - i see you studied abroad in ireland. I went to ireland. and proceeded to tell me about his whole trip.
i had a great time on interview day. both of my interviewers were very friendly, one was a pediatrician and the other was the director of admissions. the interviews were layed back. it seemed as though they just wanted to get a sense of who i was. the campus is beautiful, the people are friendly. if you are headed to an interiew at this school just relax and enjoy the day.
We met at 9 in the morning at the admissions office for a (long) talk about the Dartmouth program, the Dartmouth-Brown program, and financial aid stuff. Then it was off to the hospital via shuttle to get our tour by a fourth-year student who snagged a couple classmates to join us for lunch. They were very helpful in telling both the positives and drawbacks of the school (location and isolation) as well as giving a bit of insight into our interviewers. Then it was wander around a bit before the interviews with a free half hour between. Afterwards a bunch of us caught the shuttle back to the admissions office and got a tour by a first or second year. Finished up around 4:30.
There was one panel interview in the morning, which I didn't like because different people were interested in different aspects of my application and the questioning was not coordinated well. A question about research was followed by a question about cooking, and then it bounced back to a follow up question about research again. It was definitely NOT conversational. Three people asked questions and the rest of the panel were just staring at you. Then I met with 8 different researchers. It was a long day. The morning of the second day was spent in a conference room at the medical school, and we had two more interviews with MDs at the hospital.
The first part of the day was SOOOOOOO BORING with talks of financial aid... The hospital tours were cool... Lunch was nice... grab a cookie there if u can! The first interviewer was a BIT stern....he's 70 years old! But a nice chap... and the second guy was really really awesome! Everyone there is so nice, though I felt like it was time for Christopher Columbus to arrive any moment to the New World...
The day was well planned and everyone I met was extremely friendly and happy about the school. The medical center is very nice and completely wireless (internet access). Both physicians I interviewed with had attended Dartmouth Medical School and had returned after years of being away. That gave me a good feeling about the school, to know that people had experienced something else (both went to Harvard) and decided to return to Dartmouth. Overall the interviews are VERY relaxed, actually I didn't get a chance to talk as much as I would have liked as the interviewers both really enjoyed talking about the school. Although Dartmouth is definitely rural, there are many opportunities to go away. In fact, they required that you take at least one clerkship away from the school and that can be in places as far as Key West or as close as Concord, NH.
The interviews were more conversational than I had anticipated. The first interviewer did not ask any of your standared "why medicine" questions. The interviewer allowed me to more-or-less select the topic and pace our conversation. The lack of straight-forward questioning gave me the impression that my interviewer had reached some sort of a decision about me prior to the interview.
Pretty laid back. My first interviewer was very friendly and he spent part of the time trying to sell the school to me (I'm not a superstar). My second interviewer was less impressed with me and grilled me a little on a few classes that I had taken.
I was very impressed with the school, faculty, students, curic., and opportunities but not with the town. You need to come see it to see if it is a fit for you.
a very good experience overall. the interviews were very laid back and friendly, and the people there were genuinely nice. lack of patient diversity seemed to be a problem, but the students there said they were adequately prepared for rotations in high volume hospitals. dartmouth is a little isolated - sort of in its own world - so if you're used to big cities it might not appeal to you. but otherwise, it's a great institution - open to feedback, good research and physicians, very family and community oriented place.
DMS was everything I'd expected from my research on the school. It is a small New England medical school, to use their words. It is a rural setting, with a patient population representative of the varying socioeconomic statuses of the people living there. I had two interviewers, one a professor and one a second-year student. Both had read my file before the interview and asked questions relating to things I'd written about. Neither grilled me or did anything unpleasant; they just wanted to convserve with me and get to know me a little better. The admissions staff is very open about how the admission process works, and they're also very nice in general. In large part because of the ruralness and intamacy of the whole place, DMS is my clear-cut top choice.
great! very relaxing day, met a lot of great people who were there being interviewed as well. really try to get to know the other people who are interviewing with you because they might be your classmate and they might have some good insight into schools where they have already interviewed and you are about to interview. Dartmouth does a great job of selling itself as a collaborative and competition-free school.
The two interviewers had very different styles. One interviewed open-file and asked specific questions relating to my application followed by ethical questions. The second interview was closed-file and told me to just talk about myself.
I had a great experience and i really liked the place. The students are nice and they seemed pretty happy there. There were two interviews, both were pretty conversational. One was given by a student, and the other, by a faculty member. Both interviewers were members of the adcom, and i thought that was cool too. Overall the school is cool and pretty laid back.
Overall I had a wonderful visit. The interviews were not stressful at all. The students made it abundantly clear that it is not a cut-throat environment and the class is very close. Professors are very accessible and willing to help and most days the lecture runs from 8-12. Besides the weather (snow from Oct.-Apr.) and the location...I can't see any other down-sides to this school.
Relaxed, informative day overall. Was asked repeatedly if I like to do outdoor activities. I think they are definitely looking in that sense at the whole applicant, not necessarily just grades etc. They seemed very conscious of their rural, removed setting which is an attractant to some and the opposite for others.
The interviews were laid back. I applied to the Brown-Dartmouth program so I interviewed with a Brown representative. She was very sweet. Both were just conversational.
Great place to be. Only reason they aren't ranked higher is because their research dollars don't stack up to big city hospitals. Eliminate the dollar amount and they are top 10. Oh ya...if you have Dr. Bzelik interview you make sure you know your amcas. As someone pointed out earlier he is the interviewer that basically asks you to regurgitate your amcas experiences in chronological order. Thankfully I did not have him but a couple of others there did. After the interview you will be presented at the next adcom meeting and voted on by a committee of 24(which includes the people who interview you). Its not a yes or no vote. Each person gives you a score which is tallied for a total score at the end from what I understand.
Both of my interviewers were very nice, but the interview in general was not as relaxed as the other interviews I have had. In addition to selling their school to me, they are seriously selecting the students who fit their school.
One interview was by an MD who asked standard questions. A couple ethical questions regarding what you would do with results of unethical experiments (Tuskagee exp etc). Asked about my experiences etc.
The second was by a PhD who focused much more on my research, including a couple tough specific questions. He also asked me "What is the biggest problem in the world today" at the end of the interview. This was my first interview day and I was a little extra nervous, but the interviews really were not so bad.
My first interviewer had about as much personality as prokaryotes that he did research on. It was a total waste of my time. My second interview was great. It was laid back and conversational, and my interviewer seemed genuinely interested in me and my goals. Overall, Dartmouth is a great place. I think it comes down to whether or not you want to go to med school in the middle of nowhere, which may be appealing to some, including myself, for several reasons.
great interview. very nice people. my first interview was open file...the second one was closed file. in the first interview i had a great rapport with the guy because his son went to my undergraduate school. he kept saying how impressed he is with folks that come from "X" school. that definately helped. he asked what i'm doing now. and then he threw some ethical questions at me. no problem.
Orientation with about 20 other applicants. Financial aid program.
Tour of Dartmouth-Hitchcock med. center led by cool med students,
lunch w/ cool med students, 2 30-35 min interviews between 1 and 3.
One was with an admissions staff, who was very conversational; and another with an MD, who
just asked me 2 questions and then let me ask him mine.
The day at Dartmouth was pleasant - although fairly long. There were about 20 other interviewees there: a very large group! We started off with an information session at the school and then were bused over to the medical center (about 5 minutes away). There were had a tour and then lunch with medical students. (Very informative). Half of us had the two interviews at the hospital, then other half headed back over to the school. At the end of the day, we had a tour by a 1st year of the facilities in Hanover. Very, very relaxed atmosphere.
two interviews, both with doctors. one doctor just let me aks him questions mostly - we talked a bunch about the experiences abroad that dartmouth offers and about some experiences (non-school) that i'd had, what i'm doing now, etc. he was really nice and we had a great conversation. the second interviewer talked a lot, so i didn't say that much, but he was also really nice and the interview wasn't stressful.
The interview day was excellent and very comprehensive. They addressed all aspects of a Dartmouth medical education: medical, personal, and financial questions. They also provided a very detailed tour of the hospital. The admissions staff was one of the friendlier and more organized ones that I encountered throughout the application process.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants suggested that the admissions office should offer small incentives for virtual interviews, shorten lengthy interview days, ensure engaged student hosts, provide more opportunities to meet current students, enhance the efficiency of paperwork processes, and transition to electronic systems.
Should interviews continue to be virtual, offering students a small gift card for lunch would be a great way to ease some of the stress of the day.
Shorten the interview day! 9 hours was the longest out of my 5 interview days and my whole interview group agreed that it was unnecessary and exhausting.
I had a negative experience with my student hosts, who were not interested in talking to me & were only minimally hospitable. I think the school should make sure that student hosts are actually interested in hosting.