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Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 22% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a low stress level and felt they did well.
Higher scores indicate a smoother, more positive interview experience with professional staff, organized logistics, and a supportive environment.
Based on 126 responses
Score Reference:
9–10 Exceptional8–8.9 Very Good7–7.9 Good6–6.9 Mixed< 6 Needs Improvement
The SDN Interview Experience Score (SIES) is a composite metric that represents applicants overall impressions of their interview experience, based on multiple factors such as professionalism, facilities, responsiveness, and stress levels.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as low stress.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
Positively (100%)
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
Great (33%)
Good (52%)
Average (14%)
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally found the interview experience at the school to be low-stress, friendly, and well-organized. They appreciated the approachable staff, the focus on technology in education, and the unique mission of the dental school.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
Don't stress! they make you feel comfortable and are genuinely interested about you as not only an applicant but also a person
Absolutely great experience. Low stress, very friendly environment, beautiful facilities, and really well organized. Good luck to future interviewees! :)
The school has a respectable mission and a truly unique approach to dental education. I was most impressed with the way the staff genuinely cares about the applicants/ students.
Already said before, but very very friendly, faculty and staff. a serious, but not super intensive interview.
group activity - everyone wants to know about this. you play with ipads and macbook for an hour or so. they are going to really integrate technology and classroom activities, which could be interesting
Overall I was impressed with ECU's dental school. However, they are taking a different approach to dental education. This may work or may not. They spoke a good game but it has yet to be seen.
It was a very good experience. Chris does an excellent job playing host. Just stay relaxed, and talk to them as if you were talking to your best friend about football.
ECU-DENT-COMP interviews are an average of 31 minutes, with an average of 3.3 interviews. 100% of interviews are one-on-one, 100% are in-person, and 0% are closed-file. Of the in-person interviews, 100% are held at the school.
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools revolve around the candidate's motivations for pursuing dentistry, their ability to overcome challenges, community involvement, strengths and weaknesses, future goals, and unique qualities that set them apart from other candidates. Some respondents mentioned being asked about specific aspects of their academic or personal background, as well as scenarios related to equality and good deeds. No mention of MMI format or nondisclosure agreements was provided in the responses.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
On a scale from deeply integrated to not involved at all, how much do you think dentists should be involved in their community outside of their profession?
Students said most interesting questions asked at East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine discussed personal strengths, leadership experiences, community involvement as a dentist, and hypothetical scenarios like winning the lottery. The interviews were focused on getting to know the candidates personally and assessing their qualities, with a mix of situational, reflective, and character-based inquiries.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
What do you think will be easy for you in dental school?
They were all pretty straightforward, but they did ask a lot of questions about me personally (hobbies, what I do in my free time, my study abroad trip, my job) which was nice! They really want to get to know you as a person.
Applicants commonly prepared for the interview by engaging in mock interviews, reviewing SDN interview feedback, practicing potential questions, and researching the school's website and mission statement. They emphasized the importance of being genuine in their responses rather than memorizing answers.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
I didn't really prepare other than reading some interview feedback here on SDN and reviewing my own application and what I said in my supplemental essays.
Researched the school extensively, I had a friend ask me the questions here on SDN interview feedback without practice and then went back and formulated a rough outline for what I would want to get across on each.
Students said the most difficult question asked at East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine discussed various topics, including reasons for choosing the school, crisis management, experiences of unfair treatment, unique qualities, and comparisons with other applicants. Some responses hinted at an MMI format or nondisclosure agreement due to the nature of the questions and the need to maintain confidentiality.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
What made you apply to ECU? What stood out to you?
There really wasn't one, but for the sake of giving everyone more feedback: What is something unique about you that you specifically would bring to the Inaugural Class?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendliness and welcoming atmosphere of the school, with a focus on genuine interactions and a low-stress interview environment. Additionally, the state-of-the-art facilities and technology, as well as the passionate and supportive faculty and staff, left a positive impression on applicants.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
How everyone is so friendly, you can tell they select genuinely good people. Even the other interviewees were amazing group of students and nice and supportive.
The school's team-based learning approach is ahead of the curve: systems-based curriculum was specifically designed in preparation for changes to the national board exams. Students, staff seemed very enthusiastic about their program and their passion to serve the under-served is very well portrayed by the upper administration. Lack of specialties means D3 and D4 students will get the tougher cases.
EVERYTHING. Everyone is so genuinely friendly - students, interviewers, other faculty and staff - all so welcoming and just really wanting to get to know you as a person. I loved that each interviewer really knew my application and brought up specific things from my essays, it felt like they really cared about getting to know their applicants. Also, the school is BEAUTIFUL (practically brand new) with amazing technology (all Apple everything). They also do a great job at making you feel comfortable and welcomed and it is a really low stress environment. The whole day was really well done.
The staff!! Everyone is extremely friendly. Once the school is built it will be state of the art. The curriculum seems to be a great new approach. The price is in the lower quintile for all schools in the country.
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about the availability of clinical experience, waiting times during the application process, and the delayed completion of the dental school building. Some applicants also mentioned dissatisfaction with the current facilities and the location. Suggestions include improving clinical opportunities, reducing waiting times, and enhancing the overall facilities and environment to create a more positive impression for prospective students.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
We were supposed to meet the dean but he had other things to attend to
I'm a bit concerned about the volume of clinical experience available: current students said that many in the first graduating class were scrambling to find crown cases; however, this seems to be subsiding and ECU now has a waiting list of patients (according to current students).
It was sad to find out the new dental building wont be done until 2013 and the first 2 yrs for the inaugural class will be spent in the ECU med school. school tour seems to be anticlimactic since you mostly just tour the med school/hospital. but, the dental building will be really nice when it is complete.
Many applicants wished they had known ahead of time about the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere of the interviews, the short duration of the interviews, and the importance of checking the weather and parking situation before the interview day. Some also mentioned wanting more information on the interview format and schedule, such as the number of interviews and who they would be with.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
The one on one student interview is first and it truly makes you comfortable and more prepared for the one on ones with the professors/doctors
Where to park. lots of construction going on in the area and the map they send isn't 100% accurate. i drove around the night before to get a feel for the area, so i was prepared in the morning. 2 others in my interview group were late because they got lost trying to find the parking lot, which is kind of hidden in the back.
How truly relaxed the atmosphere was, and that none of the interviewers threw out any tricky questions and didn't grill me on any questions about my application.
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
How would you rate the Location and Cultural Life?
0 = Low, 10 = High
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.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggested that the admissions office should streamline the admissions process by speeding up the tour and lunch, providing more specific and detailed information in the information packet, and possibly cutting out unnecessary elements like lunch. Some also mentioned a desire for all relevant materials to be printed out for them, especially in the case of newer schools.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
Speed up the tour and lunch. No need to drag out the day after the interviews are over.
Cut out lunch and perhaps streamline the interview process. holding the interview till 2 pm seems a little long, especially concerning that the actual interview portion only takes an hour or so. also, minor detail, but parking passes should be emailed/mailed to applicants, that way there isn't the awkward walk up to the building, grab a parking pass, walk back to your car, and then back up to the building again. not so fun when its raining.
100% interviewees used Charlotte Douglas Airport -- I flew from school and drove to (ECU).
What was your primary mode of transportation?
Most interviewees traveled by automobile to the interview.
✈️
0% Airplane
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100% Automobile
🚆
0% Train or Subway
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0% Other
Hotels Recommended by Other Interviewees
Most interviewees stayed at the Microtel Inn and Suites (average ranking 9.3/10), with some staying at Microtel (average rating 8/10). (Top 3 displayed)
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Microtel Inn and Suites
9.3/10
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Microtel
8/10
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Jameson Inn
6/10
What was the cost and time spent traveling?
Cost: Low Cost to High Cost
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents are in state students.
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Hotel or at a hotel.
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by Admissions staff personnel
Admissions staff (60%)
Faculty member (30%)
Student (10%)
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
Discouraging (5%)
Enthusiastic (90%)
Neutral (5%)
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