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 include scenarios about handling stress, setbacks, conflict, and ethical dilemmas, as well as inquiries about motivations for pursuing osteopathic medicine, future goals, and personal attributes. Additionally, a significant number of respondents mentioned an MMI format interview, indicating a structured approach with questions tailored to assess various skills, and potential nondisclosure agreements regarding the specific questions asked during the interview.
If you were given $50 million tomorrow with no strings attached, what would you do with it?
"I see you got a "C" in this course. Were there any extenuating circumstances that caused you to get that grade and how will you prevent that in medical school?"
Idaho is very different than X. You'll probably need a car to get around and in certain cases it can be a tough transition. Can you tell me about how you would transition to Idaho?
Ethics question regarding an HIV-positive patient (question was a real situation that the doctor had experienced, and was clearly testing to see if I would break HIPPA).
Students said the most interesting questions asked at Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine discussed a wide range of topics including research aspirations, motivation for pursuing osteopathic medicine, patient interactions, handling criticism, favorite superpower, and personal interests. Some responses mentioned questions related to specific extracurricular activities and personal achievements. Please note that the interview format may have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) based on responses, potentially involving a nondisclosure agreement.
If you had unlimited funding for research, what would you do with it?
Students said the most difficult question asked at Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine discussed various topics including reasons for choosing medical school over PhD programs, biases in patient care, strengths, facing COVID-19 patients, healthcare system challenges, and ethical scenarios like responding to a cheating roommate. Some responses indicated the interview format may have been an MMI with potential nondisclosure agreements in place.
Why did you decide to apply to medical schools instead of PhD programs?
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 conducting mock interviews, reviewing their application materials, researching the school's website, and practicing common interview questions. They also sought guidance from resources like Student Doctor Network (SDN) and spoke to current students for insight.
Practice interviews with a few different people that I trusted. Practiced answering common medical school questions.
I reread my whole application and kind of rehearsed how I would describe certain things that would enhance my attractiveness as an applicant, such as clinical experience, volunteering, why medicine, etc.
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the welcoming and supportive atmosphere at the school, with high praise for the faculty, staff, and students who showed genuine care and passion. The conversational and relaxed interview process, along with the emphasis on student well-being and the advanced facilities, were highlighted as key positive aspects that left a lasting impression.
It felt like everyone there, the president and dean, the interviewers, and the student panel, wanted me there. It didn't feel like they were looking for reasons to reject me, but for reasons to accept me. They also gave me a ton of advice for starting med school.
To help ease nerves for an interview, they also had a recruiter come in ahead of the interviewers to ask me what I did for fun and start a fun conversation
Everyone seems really passionate about ICOM. The Dean and President seem fantastic and genuine, and the admissions staff and interviewers were equally a excellent.
This was the most conversational interview I had! My first interview started with talking about my trip to Idaho and what I had done since I got to Boise (I arrived on Saturday for my Monday interview). My second interviewer was a huge dog lover so we spent a lot time talking about our dogs. It was a very pleasant day.
Super nice brand new anatomy lab!! Each student gets to do each dissection. Open access all hours, plus open access to a VR anatomy lab as well.
All the staff seemed to really care about the students and really want them to succeed. All the students seemed down to earth. The new dean from Wales is awesome! They seem really receptive to feedback from students and are willing to change things that aren't working. Good location too.
If this school had been around longer and had more of a proven track record, it would be higher on my list.
The warm, inclusive, and receptive atmosphere. They were completely transparent with everything and strive to constantly improve the school and student experience.
The campus and faculty are amazing. With a newly built campus, it is astounding to see the technological advancement of medical education. The faculty members and administration are very caring and willing to answer any questions you have.
How extremely friendly and funny everyone was; the staff was very excited about the school, engaging and the interview itself was so easily- like talking to friends
The friendliness of the faculty and staff, the cutting edge nature of the facility, and the ability of the Dean to answer the questions/concerns about a new program.
The campus is absolutely stunning. I love the area. And all the faculty are so positive and motivated to make this school amazing. I have a great feeling about the school ends think it will really make a name for itself.
Applicants were most commonly concerned about the lack of accreditation, track record for board exam performance, residency match history, and clinical rotations at the new school. They also expressed worries about federal loan eligibility, limited research opportunities, small rural clinical rotation sites, and the absence of government-subsidized loans.
Not much. The school felt warm and welcoming, and I believed that they were really sincere in wanting to train good doctors
Honestly my main worries just come from it being a new school. No accreditation yet, no track record for board exam performance, no residency match history, not even any clinical rotations yet. They also have a 1st year repeat rate higher than the national average, however I think that stat is slightly skewed just due to on average lower stat students that attend here.
Also no federal loan eligibility, which means you have to be able to get private loans which do not qualify for tax credits, and you can't defer any previous undergraduate loans. They said they are optimistically hoping to qualify for federal loans by 2021.
There seems to be very minimal research here. I asked a lot of questions about it and got pretty vague answers most the time. They just finished building a research lab that will open this year, so hopefully things might pick up, but I'm not sure how much funding there is. One of my interviewers seemed to be pretty upset that he hadn't been able to continue any of his research yet when I asked him about it, and another interviewer just told me that there are opportunities for research at places outside the school.
Most the affiliated sites for clinical rotations seem to be pretty small rural hospitals or clinics. This is fine if you're very interested in rural medicine, but I worry about being able to get broad enough exposure to things to build a solid enough training.
Honestly, there was nothing overtly negative about my interview experience. Some aspects of the school curriculum, like mandatory attendance and professional dress code, were not my favorite thing but that had nothing to do with the interview.
Obviously, having not even a first class finishing a year, I did not get to talk to any current students. However, this is expected for any new school.
Applicants commonly wished they had known ahead of time to bring something to write down advice, to ask about interview rules, and to not stress as the interviews are low-stress and friendly. They also emphasized the importance of knowing their application well, being themselves, and not stressing about the process.
I wished I'd brought something to write down advice that I was given. Definitely ask if you can though, I don't know if that's allowed or not
Applicants generally found the school to be welcoming and friendly, with a relaxed interview environment. They appreciated the holistic review process, but some had concerns about specific aspects like clerkships.
One thing I really liked is that 5mins before the interview, they had a student as "tech support" join the meeting early and have small talk, helped to decrease nerves.
Everyone was warm! It was a comfortable environment and the Q&A with current students didn't have any admin in it which I think helped make it more comfortable and gather good feedback. The students were very helpful as well.
ICOM sucks. It’s clerkships are a disaster. After interviewing I heard SO many horror stories from students and I’m sad I even spent the money to apply there.
This school is so awesome and I think people don't give it enough credit for their interest in the holistic review of the applicant. It's not just about GPA and MCAT score here - I guess we'll find out exactly how much that matters when I get my admissions decision in a couple days!
Overall very low stress interview day. Had a quick talk from the dean, then presentations on curriculum, financial aid, and student affairs, then tour of the new anatomy lab. Then had the interviews, tour of clinical simulations, lunch with the med students, and quick tour of the rest of the building.
Had three 30-min interviews, one with the Executive Director for Undergraduate Medical Education (dean's husband), a learning specialist (like a tutor or academic assistance type person), and a physiology prof (other interviewees got med students, MDs, DOs, other staff, and really all kinds of people as interviewers). All of them were very conversational and just seemed like they wanted to get to know me; I really enjoyed speaking with them all, and there was probably 10 min in each where I was the one asking all the questions. Another interviewee who had the same prof as me said he was very standoffish and intense though and asked him questions he thought were difficult, so stay on your toes just in case.
This school had me within the first few hours. The facilities are amazing and every single person I met, including the security guards, were so genuinely friendly.
I have been accepted to 7 schools already and ICOM is still my top choice. This is because I loved the area, the faculty, and had a very good gut feeling about the school during my interview.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggest improving the interview process, extending the deposit deadline, and maintaining the efficient and timely communication and decision-making practices.
Honestly nothing - the admissions office gets back to you super quick through emails and also makes an admission decision by the end of the week you interview (this is SO nice!). I'm really hoping I get into this school because this is somewhere I want to attend being my first choice school so I hope I get that A!!!!
I wish I didn't have to give them a deposit to hold my seat by November 15, because I have other interviews scheduled in December and January and would hate to forfeit a seat and then not get another acceptance. Don't know if they can change the date though.
Make deposit deadline later -- it significantly complicates the selection process and may make students relinquish their acceptance offer simply because the deposit is required so early in the cycle, depending on when you interview.