East Lansing, MI
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
AI Advisor
Ask questions about this school. Answers use aggregated data and are subject to error.
👋
Hi there! How can I help?
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 27% of interviews, indicating it is moderately regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a low stress level and felt they did well.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
SDN Interview Experience Score
8.2
Above Average
Higher scores indicate a smoother, more positive interview experience with professional staff, organized logistics, and a supportive environment.
Based on 586 responses
Score Reference:
9–10 Exceptional
8–8.9 Very Good
7–7.9 Good
6–6.9 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 (90%)
Negatively (3%)
No change (7%)
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
Great (42%)
Good (40%)
Average (17%)
Poor (1%)
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally provided positive feedback about the interview experience at MSU CHM, highlighting the welcoming atmosphere, relaxed nature of the interviews, and the genuine interest shown by interviewers in getting to know them. Many applicants emphasized the importance of being themselves, understanding the school's mission, and enjoying the process. Some mentioned specific details like the structure of the interviews, the quality of interactions with interviewers, and the overall organization of the day.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
MMI was sucky, one-on-one was fun.
-
Great interview day! I only wish that there had been some presentation sessions accompanied with the interview
-
MSU CHM hosted a wonderful interview day and their MMI was really fun, in my opinion. It's absolutely essential that you understand their mission and values and are able to relate that to your personal aspirations. Have fun during your MMI and present yourself in the most genuine way possible. The interviewers aren't there to trick you or stress you out, they really do want the opportunity to learn more about YOU!
-
I was really nervous but MSU CHM did an amazing job! I left the Zoom definitely feeling tired but the questions were thought-provoking and the faculty were great.
-
This really positively impacted my opinion of the school, it went from lower on my list to one of ,y top choices.
-
Loved the experience!
-
Very, very nice school
-
Great day overall, really felt connected to the school by the end. The students seem really enthusiastic and open. The faculty who lectured made the admissions process and feel super personal
-
Enjoy it! This was a super fun interview day.
-
I really really hope I get in. I didn't think I would like MSU as much as I did after hearing about the curriculum firsthand. It went from being a "safety" school to one of my top choices.
-
Best interview experience by far. If you have the honor of receiving an invitation then be sure to make the most of it! Have fun and enjoy the moment.
-
Great school, low-stress and fun interview day! Just be yourself and you will do great!
-
Overall, a great day. Would be honored to have the opportunity to attend here!
-
It was a long but good day.
-
Great interview day. Felt welcome. They do a lot to put you at ease.
-
Great interview day and wonderful school!
-
They were really good at destressing you before the actual interview, but the interview questions were TOUGH
-
You have two interviews during the day, 30 minutes each. Each interview is one-on-one with either a student or faculty member (one interview you will have a student and one interview you will have a faculty member). It is very relaxed, much more than I thought it would be, because the interviewers are so personable and really interested in getting to know you, not trying to stump you with questions.
-
Relax. All the questions you will encounter are all here on SDN. Make sure you know your personal statements and activitied inside and out. One of my interviews went down the list of my activities/accomplishments and asked me a question about EACH ONE (15 to be exact)!
-
Go in with confidence, be relaxed, and you'll do absolutely fine.
-
Interviews are semi-open/semi-closed file... They have access to everything but your grades and MCAT score (AMCAS activities, personal secondaries, major, degrees, institution). Also, stay with a student host (if you don't mind sleeping on a couch/ air mattress, or the awkwardness of using a total stranger's bathroom). I stayed with a student host (two M1 roommates), and it was great. They actually had three of their classmates come over, and after meeting 5 of the students in a non-academic setting, I definitely feel like I have a good understanding of what their student body is like. Overall, great school, and I truly would be happy to attend here!
-
Quality interview day....other schools should take note.....
-
The interview day is really relaxed...the admissions staff does a really great job of making you feel welcome and at ease. also, the interviewers are really friendly and laid back. they ask the required questions (what you see on SDN) so it really shouldn't be that stressful.
-
The comaraderie among the faculty and students trumps all of the negative aspects of the school.
-
You have two interviews- one with faculty, and one with a med student. Each has 3 standard questions that they ask you (6 total), that I think they ask everyone. <p> I stayed at the Quality Inn University. It looks a little shady when you drive up, but it's pretty nice inside, they have a pool, and it's just down the road from MSU. Just ask for a room that's far from the pool!
-
2 separate 30 min interviews. One with student, one with a faculty member.
-
I felt welcome at the interveiws, and actually enjoyed the experience. My interviewers really looked like they had read my file carefully. I only interveiwed with 2 other people, so it was a more personal experience, and was less assembly-lined than I have heard that interveiws can be. Interviewing in Marquette, Michigan is something I would recommend to people not only from the UP, but also northern Wisconsin and even Minnesota.
-
Everyone was super nice.
-
The campus is beautiful-lots of trees. there are students everyone since this is such a large campus.
-
Overall MSU is underrated if you are interested in attending a school that treat its students well and genuinely cares about providing care for the medically underserved, this is the school.
-
Positive and look forward to hearing back from the school.
-
I had a great experience and will definitely consider attending if accepted
-
Overall the interviewers were very friendly. We all had one student interview and one faculty interview. For me the faculty interview was more of a conversation intended to get to know me, while the student interview was more of an attempt to figure out if I knew my stuff.
-
Overall it went well. I didn't like how we had to find the way to our interviews on our own. I was almost late for one because I was confused about where the building I had to go to was located. I also found it slightly odd that all of the student interviewers (but not the student tour guide or the faculty interviewers) were in jeans/tshirts. Everyone else was dressed more business style.
-
The experience in a whole was wonderful. Everyone was very friendly and ensured you felt comfortable. The info session at the beginning was very detailed and informative. All the students loved the place. Great diversity.
-
A great opportunity to learn about the school. The interviews were relaxed yet professional while the interviewers were genuinely interested about who you were. They did a great job explaining the admissions process and did their best to assist you in any way possible.
-
It was a great interview, my faculty interviewer talked more than i did but he was very interesting, the student interviewer was really cool, they really make you feel welcome and wanted!
-
The interviewers are required to ask 3 set questions and then they ask you anything they want. Many questions are ethical questions and about why you want to go to MSU.
-
The interviews are only supposed to last 30 minutes, but my first one lasted 45-50 minutes. The faculty member didn't ask me the three equired questions, we just had a conversation about my background, future goals, and why the school is a good fit for me.
-
Low stress enjoyable interview day.
-
Positive impression on the people at the school, negative impression on the facilities, costs, and what the school really has to offer students.
-
Morning meeting with the deans, tour, lunch with students, interviews
-
The staff was extremely accomodating. Directions made it easy to find. Interviews went smooth. Students convinced me to come. I'll be coming in the fall.
-
I had a great interview experience. My first interview was with a medical student who was very nice, and very laid back. MSUCHM goes out of their way to make you feel relaxed before you interview. You have lunch with the med-students and go on a tour before you interview. My second interview was with a doctor, and he was very nice as well. However, he was a huge advocate of socialized medicine, which I wasn't really prepared for, since I have only heard bad things about it.
-
First off, one of the admissions people highlight the program offered at the school to all the interviewers for the day.Then all the interviewers told each other about them selves. Then we are told how to get to our interviews, either by shuttle or by foot. I chatted with the other people till my first interview. My first interview was with a med student (year 2 also called M2), it went very nice and we had a nice conversation that lasted 20 min after our interview. I then went and interviewed with a doc for 30 min. After that, it was lunch time!! The food was great! Then the day was capped with the tour of the campus. The day went very well.
-
Overall, my interview experience was laid-back and pleasant. I think MSU's M.D. school is overshadowed by its neighboring D.O. school and U of M in Ann Arbor. I love the holistic mission of this school and find its PBL curriculum to be ideal for me as I enjoy small group learning.
-
This was probably the best ''interview experience'' that I have had. I've read some really negative reviews on SDN but was shocked at how nice everyone was and how they were straightforward and honest about their experiences. My interviewer was very professional, as one should expect, but the students giving the tour were dressed normally. I thought that was fine, as they are not involved in the admissions process and are volunteering to do it. This school boasts friendship and camaraderie, and that is all that I saw throughout the day. I'm impressed.
-
The day was very organized. There was a well prepared introducation to the school by the dean of admissions. A tour, and a really great lunch, and then we went to our interviews that were all over campus. Overall I had a very positive day and felt very comfortable.
-
The people ( staff/ students) were impressive the clinical exposure wasnt. the admissions office did a good job of keeping the day very organized and structured.
-
Two interviews. Both 30 minutes. Student and Faculty. Casual, but they have 3 questions they are obligated to ask. Ethics, Drive, Motivation.
-
Overall, I was not that impressed with the curriculum or the facilities. My faculty interviewer was wonderful and incredibly nice. My student interviewer was a first year, couldn't really answer many of my questions, acted like she didn't want to be there and kept giving me weird facial expressions when she didn't agree with my opinions. She kept telling me how if she'd had more time she could have come up with better questions than the ones they were required to ask and that those questions were stupid.
-
All of the questions are on this site. The student interview was first, followed directly by the faculty member's. They are over before you know it!
-
I went in very neutral, but left absolutely hating it. I almost cannot beileive I have such strong feeelings as I rarely do. The students all seemed very unprofessional, including my M1 student interviewer who was both clueless and socially awkward (I couldn't imagine how he got in, let alone why he's interviewing applicants). He showed up late in a dirty sweatshirt with backpack in tow. Would have been nice had he and other interviewers had shown some respect for the dozen applicants there in suits. The other students kept bragging about how often they skip class and just watch the videotaped lectures. The facilities were adequate, however the campus is in the middle of nowhere. Also, first year classes are with the Osteopathic school, which I think would create some awkwardness. All in all, the students and faculty seemed sub-par and not at the same calibur as the other schools I've interviewed at.
-
Overall, it was good. interview day was good. it gave you a great picture of the school. the hours leading to the interview made the whole day seem less stressful. they were there for you.
-
Went really well with my physician interviewer. First one was with student and it won't well too. Nice to do the student interview first.
-
Quick Snack, introductions, interview with student and faculty, and lunch with students. The school is beautiful but HUUUUUUGGEEE. I was wondering why they didn't offer a tour, but one of the students took me on a driving tour and the place is tooooooo large for that. It would be chaotic!
-
The interviews were more of a conversation. There is one with a faculty member and one with a student. They make you feel very comfortable, so it isn't too stressful. They have three questions they are required to ask you and then they just focused on specific activities that I have done and am doing now. It seemed that they really want to give you every opportunity to do your best at the interview and to really get to know you beyond your GPA and MCAT scores (which interviewers do not have access to).
-
It was great, the people are so nice and welcoming and relaxed, it felt conversational and not stressful.
-
I was impressed by how comfortable they try to make everyone and how much importance they put on making sure you think about whether you and the school fit together.
-
The interview is conversational. They just want to get to know you. They also want to know that you have a genuine interest in their school. Know WHY you are considering Michigan State. It was a good experience overall.
-
I had a student interviewer, a first year that was more interested in getting to know me as a person more than anything. She asked me the three main questions already listed on this site (why medicine, why chm, why is being a physician different than other professions). My second interviewer was an extremely nice MD, Phd who asked me the same 3 questions.
-
I drove down from the Upper Peninsula the day before my interview and stayed the night with family that lived ½ hour away from the campus. The staff was really friendly. It is a unique atmosphere; there is a push towards group success rather than individual achievement. Neither of the interviewers was aggressive in asking questions. It was more of an attempt to get to know me rather than know what I have done. CHM seems to be committed to giving you the best chance possible.
-
Overall the interview experience was positive. We arrived around 10:30 in the morning and listened to a short presentation covering general information. Then we ate and proceeded on to interviews. After the interviews we had a social hour with current CHM students.
-
The school is overall very progessive in every aspect including the interview. They even offered a 3rd interview (you do 2 that day) if you felt you did badly. They really want see the best of you. The faculty interview was awesome and student interview was very informative about the school. I felt student interview was less of interview and more of oppurtunity to learn about the school.
-
Overall the interview experience was positive but because there was no tour and not a lot of interaction with students it was hard to get a real feel for the school.
-
Very relaxed and friendly. Great faculty interview, uninspired student interview. Some students seemed very happy to be there. Others were a little indifferent.
-
This is the worst school I've seen. If you fit the mission of this school, apply heavy DO. State's DO school itself is a thousand times better not to mention other DO schools. The mission of this school parallels that of DO schools, and they do a much better job with it.
-
Loved it.
-
I arrived in Lansing a day early to get to know the area a little better and meet students. That was a good idea because a lot of students left for a big conference on the day of the interview. The first thing I noticed about the students was that they were very friendly and seemed very close-knit. The administration also cares a lot about the students. They go to great measures to make them feel comfortable by providing resources in abundance. The school is also well equipped. One of the school's founding father is, I believe, the inventor of the CT Scan and MRI imaging machines (though I'm not exactly sure). As a result, the school’s imaging equipment is top of the line. Though the school is not a wireless campus, there are ethernet outlets everywhere. The school is a community based school so clinical skills are strongly emphasized. Students are given opportunities to shadow doctors, work in community clinics – even travel around the world. All of this is financially supported by the school (if you ask). One thing I noticed about this school is that it is not highly ranked. Despite a board score average congruent with national averages (214 last year), a high passing rate (97% of the students “passed†USMLE with 165 or greater), and great matching rates, the school has low research and endowment funding and does not have a major hospital which lowers its national rank. Nevertheless, opportunities to do research and access to major hospitals abound – all you have to do is ask. As for my interview that was cool. My first interviewer was a student. He asked me basic questions but he was much more interested in talking about my experiences. My second interview was with an old school physician. She was very warm and made the interview very comfortable. Both interviews were excellent. I hope I get into this school, it was a pleasure to visit and I think it’ll be a good fit for me.
-
The morning was orientation and it dragged. it did give us a chance to get to know one another and gather thoughts before the actual interviews. we ate, toured, and then sat down to talk with a student and then faculty. students looked genuinely happy and seemed to connect with the professors on a personal level.
-
It was a great experience. Relaxed and well-organized. I like the fact that they do the interviews later in the day when everyone is less tense and comfortable. Also, the student body was diverse and there are some very active cultutal organizations on campus.
-
One 30 minute interview with a student and One 30 minute with a faculty member. Some people are called later (another day) for a third interview. If this happens to you, don't worry. It happened to me, and I was accepted;)
-
Great experience, hope to have the opportunity to attend the Uni.
-
I had a wonderful time at MSU. The staff and students were helpful. I hate I stayed up all night stressing b/c I could not of come up with an example for my most difficult question. My advise is to relax, get your rest and remember to be yourself. You want a school to accept you as you are.
-
The student interviewer was so incredibly nice and made the experience as casual and relaxed as an interview could be. She had a great sense of humor and was very conversational and responsive to my answers. She was given 3 questions that the admissions committee wanted answers to, but she said I could skip any of them if i needed time to think about them and we would come back to them later. The majority of the conversation just stemmed from her interest in my experiences. The interview I had with the physician was a bit more stressful. I felt like he asked me at least 10 pointed questions (granted, most were from the past questions listed on this site!) and made no verbal or non-verbal response to my answers - just immediately threw another question at me. But at the end (it lasted about 45 minutes) he lightened up significantly and became very personal -- we started conversing and I left with a warm feeling about the process. He must have just been feeling me out before opening up to me bc he turned out to be an extremely nice man! So don't worry if you feel you are under attack at first!
-
Overall, I had a really great experience. I was really impressed with MSU students and faculty as well as their curriculum.
-
Terrible questions. The one about naming an example of a difficult patient and why? And how would you deal with that patient. It was a tough question for someone that had no experience in the medical field. Having four years experience, I thought it was ironic that a medical student was judging me on my answer when he should have been grabbing a pen and taking notes for himself.
-
I applied for the RPP, and they matched me to interview with a student who is in the RPP. I thought that was really nice. They have access to everything but your MCAT scores, grades, and classes that you took. I did not get any questions about them either from the interviewers. It is so nice to find out so soon after your interview if you are in! Dr. Shafer called me a little after 8pm on the following Tuesday...so don't get worried if you don't get a call earlier in the evening. I hope to see you great people in the fall! :-)
-
The day started out with a long couple meetings about finanacial aid and stuff that could wait until you accept a spot in the class. The school went over the cirriculum, which was really nice to see.
-
First of all I should say that I was called back to do a third interview. They do this when there is a 'discrepancy' between your first two interview scores. So I'm writing this to give reassurance to anyone who might have to go through this, because it causes additional stress. Each interviewer is required to ask you three questions that MSUCHM provides them. My first interview was with an uptight first-year student who kept looking at the clock, and wanted to make sure we didn't run over the 1/2 hour. He would ask me questions about my unusual background, but it was apparent he wasn't really interested. He didn't have a relaxed manner at all. Even so, I just assumed it was his personality and didn't think it went that bad, but he gave me a bad review. In retrospect, he didn't like my answer to one of the questions "what are some of the responsibilites of a physician and how does it differ from other professions?" But my answer was not the typical run-of-the mill answer, and he wanted convention, so stick to the conventional answers (i'm sure I don't have to tell anyone that, anyway). My second interview was completely the opposite, it lasted an hour and a half. She interjected the three required questions and let me know what they were. She actually gave me additional advice and said she hoped I would get accepted, but that she wasn't on the adcom. So, I got the two polar opposite interview experiences-one recognized the fact that I had worked hard to get this point, and wanted me to get accepted, the other didn't recognize anything and expected me to keep jumping through his monkey-hoops and giving him the exact answers he wanted to hear. So the third interview was with a second-year student who was very nice. He said "third times the charm, right?" Then he proceeded to ask me the same 3 questions-this time paying genuine attention to me, and he also seemed honestly impressed with my experiences and extracurricular activities. We talked a good deal about PBL in the second year curriculum, and he made every effort to nod and smile and give me assurance that my answers made sense (I had prepared for them all weekend). In the end, I was accepted about 18 days from my first interview. My feeling is that if the faculty interviewer really likes you, you are in a pretty good position, because I can't see why they would weigh the opinions of a first year student that heavily (I mean, crap, the guy has been in med school a whole 3 months, he doesn't know a much more than I do at this point). It was a pain in the butt, but worth it, because it is a good school, and I'm not letting my experience with the first interview bias me. Check out this website, I think its all you need to know to prepare for any interview. http://eduserv.hscer.washington.edu/bioethics/topics/index.html
-
Overall, very positive. The students seemed nice and helpful. There seem to be volutneer opportunites outside classroom that students actively persue. Staff and faculty seemed friendly, helpful and well informed. They interview on Thursdays and review applications on Tuesday night, and if you are accepted they call you Tuesday night itself. I was impressed by this quick turn around time! It saved me a lot of waiting and worrying! :-)!
-
The interviews were quite relaxing and fun!
-
The day was almost fabulous, although the morning orientation lecture was a bit too long. My student interviewer was a first year, so although she did not know much it was the easiest interview experience I could have imagined. My faculty interviewer however, was not quite that laid back. He was put off by the fact that I have extensive research experience at prestigious universities and hospitals. Despite the fact that I have been involved in a tone of humanitarian work which I love he said that due to my well developed research skills I may fit in better at Harvard or Hopkins. He began to especially stress this point when he asked where my parents worked and I said they worked at Harvard. I tried to explain to him that I specifically did not apply to those schools because that is not the sort of medical education experience I am looking for, but he just continued to press that my research experience says otherwise. Just a tad presumptuous and completely wrong. So yeah, that was not too much fun. He also definitely pushed on other questions and disagreed a lot for the purpose of seeing how I would respond. I was a bit thrown off because I heard MSUs interviews are really laid back, but second year students I spoke with afterwards said he was the only professor that was a but too serious. Other kids I interviewed with had the typically laid back experience. Otherwise, the interview day was great. The campus is beautiful and the staff really works for the students there and are appreciative of their hard work.
-
The whole thing was very easy going. The people made quite an effort to help you feel comfortable. There are lectures in the morning on everything from curriculum to financial aid so if you're a little shaky on the details going into the day don't worry--they'll make everything clear before you have to officially be evaluated by anyone.
-
My interview day was definately a positivie expereince. I went there not very excited about the program and came home totally excited about their school and about med school in general. The atmosphere and the people who go there are so welcoming and seem so happy. Even the first years who had 2 exams the following day were supportive, nice, and open to conversing with us. My faculty interviewer was so nice and got really excited to talk to me about neuroimaging. There were no formal questions, we just spoke about medicine and about school and research.
-
It was a good experience. ( a learning experience) and MSU is a very good school. The interviewers were nice and we had to luncheon (:) always good.. but mainly everyone was down to earth
-
Very conversational, they weren't trying to test you with stress questions. Great overall - very very friendly bunch who seem dedicated to helping students grow into good physicians.
-
Both interviews went well the student and faculty were both very welcoming and friendly i felt that the student displayed a clear interest in my experiences and really listened through everything i was saying the faculty also showed clear passion and joy in teaching at this facility and made the interview comfortable i didn't feel i was interviewing, i felt like i was just talking to someone about who i was
-
Overall great.
-
Excellent school, very nice people, very helpful and friendly, great curriculum, great clinical opportunities. Unfortunately this all became relatively unimportant once I realized how expensive it was going to be. I wish I had done more research ahead of time so I could have saved myself the trip and saved everyone else's time and effort.
-
This was my first interview of the year so I was nervous when I first got there. There was nothing to be nervous about, both of my interviews were VERY conversational. Neither one of them (student and faculty) were "out to get me" they truly just wanted to talk. I felt like the pressure was off a little because they do not have access to GPA or MCAT, but do read your essays ahead of time. My faculty interviewer just asked me questions about my past experiences and at the end gave me his card and told me to email him with any questions. Each had 3 specific questions to ask, then we just talked after that. I wish I would have been a little more relaxed and let my personality show more. I was uptight.
-
The interviews went great, I was MORE than prepared, and displayed much genuine passion and they were extremely impressed. It was more conversational. Read all questions from interview feedback, and get your answers ready. Go over your essays, they asked me about my poetry writing cause i wrote an essay on it. the student one was on ethical dilemma i had thought about recently, why CHM? interaction with diff person and how it was resolved? Faculty one was why med? what do u do for fun? (luckily for me, she played b-ball like me :p), what specialty would i like to pursue? why CHM? what are my 3 strengths? And they both asked me about poetry, cause i wrote my essay on it, and they were both very much interested. Faculty asked me if i was ok staying in east lansing for another 2-4yrs. Faculty asked me about what makes a medical prof different from others. They both wanted me to talk about my international experiences and my background. It wasnt bad at all, the rest of the day is pretty informal. Dont sweat it at all, just go over your material, and the interview feedback and you'll be fine. It was a breeze, infact i started talkin to faculty about her interests, geriatrics, and then i brought up medicare bill, and we were laughing about it! Then we both talked about interests in b-ball, and started talking about her daughter's team that she's coaching. I had a COOL interviewer! REMEMBER this is your chance to shine!! Whatever they dont ask, bring it into the conversation, so they can TRULY know you! Its only 30mins so you need to make them feel confident that you are a great match for CHM.
-
This was my first interview and I must say they did everything possible to ensure that I did not feel stressed about any thing that day. The students are by far the friendliest of all the places I have been to and the administration is highly supportive.
-
Good day, student interview went well, faculty interview went well but felt strange, beautiful campus / facilities.
-
I went to interview day thinking that MSU was probably not for me, but now its in the running for first choice. (partly because it's in-state)
-
Awsome, relexed and very successfull
-
Overally, MSU really impressed me. I go here for undergrad but haven't been real excited about the school, mostly because of having to move after Year 2. However, the interview day impressed me so much that now it may be my top choice...
-
All in all, this was a great day! Nicely structured, very welcoming, very informative. Probably could have done without the curriculum overview (the paperwork was pretty self-explanatory), but the introduction from the Dean was great! It was nice being interviewed one-on-one by a student, and I'm impressed with the fact that students have so much input on who's accepted. The emphasis on "personal fit" with the school is great as well. I would definitely rate MSU at the top of my list!
-
The adcom person told us they'd give us good food to break the monotony of sliced meat sandwiches that most schools give. She wasn't lying. The food they served was awesome. Grilled chicken sandwiches hot off a burner. I'd rate it better than many sit down restaurants.
-
Overall, very good. There were only 10 of us interviewing, so it made for a nice size group. Lunch was tasty and everyone got to talk a little, which calmed all of our nerves. The chat with current students at the end was a nice end to the day. You're not being evaluated at that point, so you can relax and bring up any remaining questions you may have. An overall positive experience.
-
Overall, the interview was laid back. The hardest questions are standard ones that they ask everybody. If you are looking for a non-competitive environment, this is definitely the place for you.
-
It was a great day...very relaxing. They make an effort to see that you are relaxed and comfortable. Make sure that you are able to defend statements made in either your primary or secondary...the faculty interviewer tried to poke some holes in my essay, but I was able to get through it.
-
First interview is with a student. I happen to really hit it off with the student and he really just wanted to get to know me. He had a question or two he had to ask but he really wasn't concerned with formalities. Most everyone else I talked to was the same. A couple of students said their student interviewers were a little intense. Second interview was with a the head of the family practice department. He is a legend in family medicine in michigan and this interview was more strssfull then the first. After about ten minutes he loosened up and we hit it off. He even game me a book he had written which I am told is a good sign after an interview with him. He was very familiar with my file and asked some pointed questions. Nothing difficult though.
-
It was an excellent & relaxing interview. I enjoyed myself & the other students being interviewed.
-
I really enjoyed the interview experience. I was sort of nervous during the student interview but had a fabulous interview with the faculty person. I was neutral about MSU going in but now consider it my top choice.
-
Overall, I had a really good experience at MSU. It seems they have incorporated all the things that I have liked at each school I have visited. My faculty interviewer was awesome; he asked really great and interesting questions. In 35 minutes, I feel that I was able to really let him know who I am as compared to some hour-long interviews elsewhere where I felt I was spinning my wheels. Very low stress conversations with both the faculty and student interviewers.
-
Loved it. I really stressed out prior to interview because of a bad experience at the D.O. program and wanted to be prepared. I studied for this interview and had a really good experience. All that work helped me feel prepared for anything and enabled me to relax a bit. I got a phone call Tuesday night to tell me that I was acccepted, very cool.
-
Overall, the interview experience was phenomonal. The entire day had very little stress. The staff, students and all others involved within the day provided a good sense of the atmosphere as a student. Everybody was friendly, and the students were all very happy in selecting MSU-CHM as the medical school to attend. It really is a great place to interview.
-
I had an amazing experience at MSU, my best interviewing experience so far (out of 3 others). Everything was really relaxed and low stress, it seemed like the interviewers really cared about me, the students were honest and helpful.
-
The day is well organized and after I left I felt very well informed about the school and their mission statement as well as gaining a good feel as to what student life is like there. I had one good interview and one frustrating interview. As an out-of-state applicant, I felt as if my interviewer was trying to get me to say, "I only want to come here to get my education in rural medicine, then I'm going back to Colorado," which isn't necessarily the case.
-
Very conversational. interviewers have access to everything except grades.
-
Good school, good people with nice attitudes, very non-competitive
-
Interviewed by one faculty and one student. Had a positive experience on me. MSU was definately my last choice upon applying, but the interview changed that opinion. I will consider the school highly when choosing in May!
-
People were all very nice and helpful. Very relaxed interview. The day was a little long though.
-
It was a very informative day... I learned a lot in the information sessions that helped me in my interviews. The interviews were relaxed and non-stressful.
-
Great school, great admissions overview first thing in the morning, horrible to be interviewed by a first-year student
-
Very nice and relaxed interview...felt more like a conversation!
-
It was the longest interview day I had been to, but it was very informative. Everyone seemed very nice, curriculum seemed appealing. I would really have liked to attend the school; unfortunately, I was rejected 5 days later.
💬 Interview Process ▼
Length, number, and type of interviews
🕐
Length:
37 Minutes Average
🔄
Number:
2.6 Interviews Average
👥
Interview Type (Interaction):
99% One-on-One
1% Group Interview
📁
File Type:
64% Open-File
36% Closed-File
💻
Interview Modality:
100% Virtual
0% In-Person
MSU-CHM-COMP interviews are an average of 37 minutes, with an average of 2.6 interviews. 99% of interviews are one-on-one, 0% are in-person, and 36% are closed-file.
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools are focused on ethical scenarios, personal motivations for pursuing medicine, alignment with the school's mission, qualities of a good physician, and future career aspirations. Many respondents mentioned being interviewed in an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) format and signing nondisclosure agreements regarding the specific questions asked during the MMI stations.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
Not allowed to discuss interview questions, the MMI was difficult, but the one-on-one totally made up for it.
-
MMI format. NDA signed
-
Signed a non-disclosure, unable to disclose MMI details
-
Cannot disclose MMI stuff but it was very low stress MMI and very chill med student interview
-
Cannot disclose MMI questions, but they said we could disclose that the format is 6 one on one classic MMI scenarios, one is an acting scenario, and one is an activity.
-
What led to you wanting to pursue medicine?
-
Which part or parts of our mission do you connect with the most?
-
MMI, pretty standard. Teamwork based, ethics, and situational prompts
-
What I agreed with in the school mission
-
It was MMI so I can't talk about the stations, but during the 30m interview w a med student, the main question was how you connect with MSU CHM's mission.
-
MMI (Can't disclose)
-
MMI - Confidential :(
-
MMI + 1 on 1 with student. Confidential =(
-
MMI-Can't disclose
-
How are you a good fit for our school?
-
Have you ever considered another career before considering becoming a physician and if so, what was it and why did you change you career path.
-
Explain an ethical situation.
-
When was a time you let someone down? How did you handle it? What would you do differently next time?
-
Describe a time when you saw someone act in an unprofessional manner, and describe how you responded to the situation
-
Tell me about [insert AMCAS activity here].
-
Why MSU? Why Medicine?
-
Discuss a current ethical dilemma within medicine.
-
First interviewer (M2 student): 1) How will you handle the stress of being a medical student/ resident? 2)Tell me about a clinical ethical problem, and how you would/ did handle it. 3) Tell me about XYZ (AMCA's activities; he asked me about my research and leadership positions).
-
Choose an unethical situation and resolve it...
-
What about your personality is a good/bad fit for medicine?
-
Why msu?
-
Tell me about an ethical dilemma you have faced, and how you handled it.
-
Describe an ethical dilemma you could have in the future as a physician and how you would deal with it.
-
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
-
Ethical issue in medicine/health care
-
What about you is a good/bad fit for medicine? What would you do if you saw someone doing something unethical? Describe a controversial issue in medicine.
-
Why msu
-
Why medicine?
-
What about your personality agrees with medicine and what doesn't?
-
If you saw a classmate cheat, what would you do? Would you tell your classmates? If because of his cheating, he was able to get ahead of you or win a position over you, what would you do?
-
What about medicine doesn't agree with your personality?
-
Why are you a good/bad fit for medicine?
-
Tell me about your research
-
Tell me about yourself....why medicine?
-
Tell me about (fill in the blank college activity).
-
Same as above or in previous posts.
-
What about you is a good and bad fit for medicine?
-
What about you is a good fit for medicine? what about you is a bad fit for medicine?
-
Why CHM?
-
What do you think the relationship is between research and clinical practice?
-
Discuss an ethical issue in healthcare that I've been thinking about lately.
-
Ethical dilemma
-
Standard questions you can see posted on other SDN feedback. They were the same.
-
Why aren't you satisfied with an MPH, why do you feel you need to go to medical school?
-
What can you bring to the diversity of MSU's CHM?
-
Tell me about you? What kind of things are you interested in.
-
Tell me about an ethical question currently in medicine
-
Describe a time you had to deal with an ethical issue
-
Ethical question as pertains to medicine? Discuss it.
-
Being a person that tends to be a leader, how will you handle these years when it is not always about being a leader?
-
How did you prepare for the MCAT?
-
Tell me about your research and how you got involved with it?
-
Ethical dilemma and stance.
-
What qualities make a good physician?
-
All
-
Tell me about X experience.
-
Name an ethical issue and how would you handle it?
-
How would you deal with a difficult person?
-
Ethical issues and your response?
-
Describe an ethical situation, your feelings on that topic, and what you would do if your patient disagreed with you.
-
Why do you want to work with underserved communities/why medicine in general?
-
Why do you want to be a doctor?
-
How is being a physician different than other professions?
-
Tell what you think about diversity.
-
What is the strongest aspect of your application?
-
How would you fix the healthcare system.
-
What are some things that will change in medicine ? (very general question I talked about insurance reform)
-
All posted here on SDN.
-
Why do I want to be a doctor with a Professor/Engineer father.
-
The qualities a physician should have
-
What are the responsibilities of a doctor?
-
Would you pull the plug on Terri Schiavo?
-
Tell me about yourself/why do you want to be a doctor? why is chm a good fit for you?
-
Tell me about yourself
-
How are doctors different from other professionals?
-
How are doctors different from other professionals?
-
Give an example when you helped someone who were difficult to deal with?
-
Tell me about yourself (activities, experiences).
-
Where do you see your practice in 10 years?
-
Student: Where do you see yourself 8 years from now, and how will CHM help you get there? What has been a difficult person for you to work with? What are the professional responsibilities of a physician? He told me that he would get those questions out of the way to begin with and the rest of the interview was basically conversational. He asked me a few things about activities and my major. Also asked me where else I interviewed and if I applied to MSUCOM (because I belonged to Pre-SOMA). Otherwise it was just conversation about the both of us.
-
Name an ethical dilemma where a non-medical person has the power to make a medical decision.
-
What are some of the responsibilites of a physician and how do these responsibilities differ from those of other professions?
-
Student: 1) What makes you unique? 2)Describe an ethical situation where your patient disagrees with your point of view and explain how you would deal with it? 3)In your opinion, what kind of patient would be the most difficult to deal with. How would you respond to such a patient?
-
What ethical dillemas in medicine today concern you? How would you responde if fased with it?
-
Name an ethical dilemma in medicine.
-
Y'all same as the others one 2004
-
Discuss an ethical issue - how you would deal with it. Student: Discuss a difficult person you had to deal with and how did you manage? Asked questions about info from my application essay.
-
Discuss and ethical dilemma, why msu, where do you see yourself in 10 years
-
Tell me about yourself.
-
Do you see yourself as a leader or a follower? Talk about a leadership experience that you have had.
-
Faculty: What makes a physician different from other professionals? Envision 10 years into the future, what type of practice do you see yourself into what will your life be like? How will MSU help you get there. What do you think is the biggest problem in healthcare today?
-
Student: ethical dilemma i had thought about recently, why CHM? Experience of interaction with a difficult person and how i resolved it. She wanted to know about some of the extracurricular internatl experiences i had listed. She wanted to know about my poetry writing skills, because of essay i wrote.
-
Tell me about yourself. Describe a situation where you dealt with a diff. person. What makes a physician as a professional different from other professionals?
-
Describe a current ethical problem.
-
Envision your practice. How would MSU help you meet this vision?
-
Six standard questions plus a few others at interviewer's discretion. Same questions outlined on this forum by other users (e.g. what makes a doctor different from other professionals, what qualities should a physician possess, talk about a time when you dealt with a diffult person, etc.)
-
They will ask you ethical questions.
-
Name three strengths you have. Describe a situation where you dealt with a difficult person.
-
Refer to previous posts
-
All the questions you have seen in previous responses should give you everything you need to know. They arent real big on difficult make you sweat questions.
-
Describe your background. Describe a difficult situation and how you handled it. Why do you want to come to MSU?
-
Tell me about a difficult situation and how you dealt with it, Think of an ethical issue in medicine. How would you deal with it?
-
Where do you see yourself 15yrs from now?
-
In all your volunteer and other medical experience, describe a situation or event that is most memorable to you.
-
Discuss a ethical question about medicine you have been thinking about for a while?
-
What sort of social responsibility does a physician have?
-
Choose an ethical issue and resolve it.
-
Where do you see yourself in fifteen years?
-
Talk about an ethical problem and explain why it is a problem.
-
What is it like to be a leader?
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine discussed MMI format with a nondisclosure agreement signed, focusing on a range of topics including ethics, personal motivations for pursuing medicine, qualities of a good physician, and handling difficult situations in patient care. Common themes included ethical dilemmas, personal values, professional responsibilities, and future goals in the medical field, with some interviews delving into specific scenarios and hypothetical patient interactions.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
Not allowed
-
MMI format. NDA signed
-
You've done so much in research, why MD over PhD?
-
Are you more interested in the science side of medicine or the people side of medicine?
-
MMI
-
MMI (Can't disclose)
-
MMI-Can't disclose
-
MMI Questions! (confidential)
-
What are you most nervous/anxious about starting medical school next year? I.E. work load, examining patients, moving away from home..etc...
-
The med student asked me a question about my research because she was curious about a specific health policy related to the research.
-
.....I got drilled on my abortion views...In one word, describe your view on abortion...what if she is raped?...what if it is an average 22 year old who has had no trauma and just wants an abortion?...what if she wants YOU and NO ONE ELSE to perform the abortion, would you do it?
-
What are three qualities that as a patient, you would look for in a physician? (This was interesting because we had a whole conversation about this afterward; like I said, the interviewers are so nice!).
-
Tell me about yourself.
-
Who is a role model of yours and why?
-
How would you as a leader inspire those within an organization who are less than passionate about the organization's mission?
-
Have you ever tried to be helpful, only to have it end in conflict?
-
Do you think that doctors should be held to a higher standard than other professionals?
-
Talking about my clinical experiences.
-
Describe how you have prepared to enter medical school.
-
What would you do if you had to choose a field completely outside of medicine?
-
Do you think Medicaid patients get worse treatment than those with private insurance?
-
What would you do if you saw someone doing something unethical?
-
Ethical dilema
-
Tell me about a current ehtical issue in health care
-
What has been your most valuable experience thus far? What did you learn about yourself?
-
If you were on a rotation with 12 patients in emergency and your family called to request for you to come because a family member was close to dying, what would you do?
-
Would perform a procedure or treatment for a patient that goes a against your personal values even if it is within the scope of medical practice.
-
How do you plan to use your engineering background to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice?
-
What can physicians do to help change the current healthcare fiasco?
-
What kind of patient is most difficult for you to deal with?
-
What about medicine makes it not a perfect fit for you? Tell me about a current ethical issue in health care.
-
What are the qualities needed to become a physician? How are those different from other professions?
-
As a physician you will have to serve many different groups of people. Who would you have the most difficulty serving and why?
-
What would be different if you had not handled [a difficult situation] well and you had let it drag you down?
-
Questions were easy, all on this site.
-
What traits are important for a doctor that are different from other professions?
-
Why didn't I choose veterinary medicine as a career? (I have a lot of experience working with dog rescue)
-
A question specific to my research
-
Why do you want to go into medicine now?
-
Everything was pretty common.
-
You've done some volunteering in the medical field, what are some ethical issues that you have seen?
-
What are some current ethical issues in medicine? What is your opinion?
-
Research and patient care...how would I link the two?
-
What are the qualities that make a good doc and how are they different from other careers such as an accountant or a CEO
-
Tell me about a time when you were in conflict with someone at work/school and how you handled it.
-
What are some qualities that make a good doc? How are these qualities different than other careers? How are you improving these things before med school?
-
Describe a moral dilema and how you dealt with it
-
What do you plan on doing with an MD besides medicine.
-
What kind of patient population do you not like to work with? How would you approach caring for these patients? Why don't you like them?
-
N/a
-
So explain to me about Big Ten Football (my interviewer was 1 year at MSU and new to Michigan)
-
What do you think is the hardest thing about your dad's profession?
-
Nothing unusual
-
How did it feel to have been rejected by medical schools last year? How did you handle it?
-
What kind of patient do you see yourself having trouble working with and how would you work it out?
-
How have I made the world a better place so far?
-
Do you think good looks are essential to the practice of medicine?
-
What is your favorite book? How is your major related to medicine? (I'm a humanities major)
-
What do you want me to convey to the addmissions committee on your behalf? This question is not that interesting, but other interviews did not ask it and it gave me a chance to stress my interest and determination.
-
How is treating a family member or friend different from treating a person who have no prior relationship with?
-
Name a specific city in the state of Michigan you'd like to practice in and explain why.
-
Whether I took my EMT class knowing i would never work as EMT.
-
No one is a perfect fit for a career, what things about me are a good fit and a bad fit for medicine?
-
Nothing unusual. In fact, my student interviewer was pretty boring. At least three times he said "So I see you did XYZ... Tell me about that." Come on, read my file ahead of time and come up with an actual question!
-
Lots of questions about how rural medicine is and how I plan on making a difference.
-
How would my backgroung in Art influence my work in medicine
-
Tell me about a time when you dealt with a difficult person
-
Tell me more about your experiences in West Africa.
-
Pretty straight forward - run of the mill type questions, basically.
-
What are the responsibilities of a physician?
-
How are doctors different from other professionals?
-
Where do you see yourself in 10 years and how can the CHM help you get there?
-
If you had a 16 year old patient with hemophilia and also HIV positive but didn't know he was HIV positive b/c his parents refuse to tell him, what would you do?
-
"Where all have you traveled?" Also... "Do you think you have had enough clinical experience to know that medicine is for you?"
-
Describe an ethical situation and how you would deal with a patient with an opposing view.
-
My faculty interviewer asked me to describe an ethical dilemma, what makes it ethical, and how I would approach it. What made it interesting was that when I got done answering she told me about a real case that happened recently that was similar but different. She then asked me several questions on what I would do about that.
-
Name an ethical dilemma where a non-medical person has the power to make a medical decision. I talked about the lady in Florida that Gov. Bush overturned the decision to let her die.
-
What was a difficult person/patient for you to deal with and how did/would you handle?
-
Questions about my experiences. The faculty interviewer went over 3-4 work experiences and kinda asked questions about my thoughts and learnings from those experiences.
-
What do you think is an ethical issue in medicine today?
-
Standard
-
Describe an ethical dilemma, how do you feel about it? How would you treat a patient who held and opposing view?
-
Well, there was not just one... they were a lot mostly on my essay because I am from Africa and grew up in a war zone.. maybe the qstion on what Ethical issue do you think of? how did your volunteering experiences define the person you are today and how has it influenced the views on medicine.. where did you get the values on how a good physician should be?
-
Name a situation where you had to deal with a difficult person and how did you handle it?
-
They aske me about my parents b/c they are a physician and pharmacist, asked about my experience with diversity, asked about specific actvities from my amcas app
-
I was very open about discussing my faith during my interview (as part of my answer to a question regarding a support network). The interviewer very indirectly asked what my faith was, she was -very- nice about it and I think she was more curious than critical.
-
Talk about an experience you had with people from another culture.
-
If you could have 3 people directly speak on your behave to the admissions committee, who would you pick and what three words would each of them use to describe you?
-
I wrote my essay of something outside medicine, on poetry. Both intervieweres were like " So tell me about your poetry skills".
-
How's your mother doing?
-
Do you think there is any common ground between Christianity and Islam?
-
Describe how you envision yourself carrying out the graduation oath...
-
Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult person and how you resolved it?
-
None
-
Same as questions in all the previous posts...
-
Several ethics questions.
-
Nothing really, just conversational.
-
(In the student interview) If you had a 5-year-old patient on chemo who wished to discontinue treatment entirely, what would you do?
-
None of the questions were especially interesting.
-
Describe an ethical dilemma and how you would resolve it
-
Describe how you would handle an ethical dilema once you became a doctor
-
Will you be able to adjust to living with snow?
-
What is the social responsibility of a physician?
-
Think about your practice in a few years. How do you think attending MSU will assist you in setting up your practice?
-
Tell me about your research, but explain it to me as if I have no scientific or medical background...
-
How do you feel about the American Health Care System?
-
Think about your practice in the year 2015. Explain to me how you think this school will help you in setting up and maintaining a successful practice?
-
Where do you see yourself fitting in at CHM?
-
How many schools did you apply to? Have you been accepted to any of them? Why are you applying to this school, then?
-
Tell me about a difficult situation and how you dealt with it.
-
Present and resolve an ethical dilemma
-
All the sample quesions from other posts on this website were the same in my interview!
-
What makes being a physician as a professional different than any other professional?
-
How have you dealt with a difficult person?
-
If you could go back and change on thing about your college experience, what would it be?
-
What is your favorite movie?
-
Nothing....very conversational
-
Pretty standard questions.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by engaging in mock interviews, reviewing the school's website, re-reading their application materials, and using resources such as Student Doctor Network (SDN) for interview practice and feedback. Many also emphasized the importance of staying calm, being authentic, and staying updated on current healthcare issues.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
I watched a lot of videos and did a couple mock interviews with my undergraduate school
-
Mock interview prep, reviewing SDN, reviewing school website, reviewing application and personal statement
-
Read the UW Bioethics page, watched MMI videos, reviewed primary and secondary apps in detail, went through entire MSU website and also watched some youtube videos where Dr. Maurer spoke about their admissions process and curriculum!
-
Don't buy the Desai/Katta book, total waste of money.
-
General interview practice and MMI practice, but honestly MMI practice did not help much
-
MMI Practice resources such as Bright Doctor
-
SDN, mock interview, mock MMI stations, YouTube
-
MMI practice helped but was quite different from actual
-
Reviewed Application and MSU website
-
Reading about school online, reviewing my app and experiences
-
Read about the curriculum online
-
Read the mission statement, re-read my application, watched the videos on the new curriculum (did this anyway because I was interested), talked to current CHM students about the curriculum/atmosphere/etc., and did a practice MMI at my university (among other things). All of this was useful for me.
-
Reading their website especially about their mission and curriculum.
-
SDN interview feedback, talked to friends who interviewed there
-
I read over my application and essays; I read about the MMI format in general; I read about some current medical popular news
-
Reviewed the website. Stayed up to date with the news for the MMI.
-
SDN Questions, re-reading my applications, SDN Forums.
-
Read questions
-
Practice questions
-
Practiced with friends using questions from this site and other online resources
-
Read SDN interview feedback, re-read PS and essays, practiced
-
SDN and read over personal statements and application.
-
SDN, other med students that have interviewed there before, various websites.
-
SDN!!!! SDN had every single question besides one (How will you handle the stress of being a medical student/ resident?)... Also, make sure you read your AMCAs activities, secondary essays, and PS (the surgeon asked me about a specific story that could only be found in my PS).
-
SDN Interview Feedback (the best!!!); other SDN forums...
-
Primary, secondaries, school website, SDN
-
Mock interview, SDN, School Website...
-
Read interview feedback, looked over the school's website, thought up the best way to answer the "why do you want to come here" question.
-
Read my secondary, read the school's website, read SDN.
-
SDN, reread essays and applications
-
Sdn, amcas, just thinking about how I feel about things, went for a run beforehand
-
I think the most important thing was to stay calm. I did read over the questions posted here and tried to think of something to say, but I didn't rehearse answers or anything, because I still wanted to sound spontaneous and honest, not rehearsed.
-
Sdn, read primary and secondary essays, website
-
SDN. This forum. Review my AMCAS. Research on line
-
Read over my essays, read questions from SDN, prayed!
-
Read SDN/ reflected on why and how I'm here and what I'd like to show in the most honest manner possible
-
SDN, my application, mock interview.
-
SDN, mock interviews.
-
Sdn, chm website, interview feedback
-
SDN, NYT, AMCAS, UW Bioethics webpage
-
Looked at sdn. spoke with a friend who interviewed there. looked over my amcas
-
SDN, read over my AMCAS and secondary
-
MSU:CHM website, SDN actually was the best resource as it helped me focus on good responses for some of the more awkward questions.
-
Sdn, re-read my applications and essays
-
This site, AMCAS Application & Secondary essays.
-
SDN!!, re-read AMCAS application and my MSU application, looked over the CHM website.
-
Reviewed SDN interview feedback, reviewed my essays and application, read the school's website
-
Studied the website. Used questions posted here on SDN.
-
Read about it, looked at some SDN feedback.
-
Spoke with current students, SDN, School's website
-
Reviewed their website and looked up publications of work done there.
-
Reviewing question on SD! I had an answer prepared for every question I was asked because of this site.
-
Read up on the school
-
Read student doctor net, researched the school and current health issues and medical ethics, wrote down responces to questions, did mock interviews, practiced talking and responding to questions in front of the mirror, bought a new suit,
-
I read SDN and talked with a friend who had recently interviewed at MSU.
-
SDN, prepared for the questions I knew they were required to ask
-
Read website, apps, previous interviews
-
SDN, Primary and secondary applications, school website, mock interview
-
Read personal statement and essays, SDN,
-
SDN
-
Re-read AMCAS, secondaries for the school, read the website
-
Sdn, amcas, secondary
-
Read SDN, developed answers to questions that were known to be in the interview, read brochure and website.
-
Practicing, using sdn, talking to other doctors
-
Read studentdoctor.net forums, read through MSU websites, reviewed bioethics articles, kept up with news
-
SDN,website,AMCAS, relaxing the night before.
-
SDN, school website, practiced interview questions, reviewed AMCAS and secondary application
-
Videotaped mock interview was extremely helpful, read website for school, looked over my primary and secondary apps, SDN
-
SDN, mock interviews, school website, AMCAS, talked to students who go there
-
SDN, re-read my AMCAS, secondary, and a mock interview.
-
SDN, AMCAS application, mock interviews
-
This website, read primary and secondary apps over, practice interviews with my parents
-
Looked at SDN and school website.
-
SDN, reviewed application and secondary, browsed the website and read about current medical issues
-
Read school website. Read this website. Look over my amcas and secondary.
-
SDN, other practice questions, look at the school website
-
This feedback site. MSU-CHM website. Previous interviews. Read over AMCAS and my essays.
-
Other interviews - read all five of my essays again.
-
Tried to find out more about MI
-
Sdn, read over application
-
I reread my application & read the mission statement of the school. PS. Know your current health care events. It's a good thing I watched the news the night before the interview. My interviewer asked me about my opinion of the Terri Schiavo case
-
Sdn, talked to friends, read over my essays and prepped what i wanted to say outloud.
-
Sdn, read about school on website
-
Used this website, read over my AMCAS application and my MSU CHM application
-
School's website, med students and SDN
-
THIS website -- I made a word document of the past questions listed and most of the actual interview questions were straight off of it! Read over my AMCAS and secondary apps.
-
Review this site, MSU's website, reread app
-
SDN, read my app, etc
-
I read through all of this feedback, read through the bioethics website that someone else posted here (very helpful), read through the CHM website, and I also did my undergrad at MSU so I knew a lot about the school. This was my second interview so I learned from mistakes in the first & stayed relaxed.
-
SDN, msu chm web-site
-
SDN, read my app. THIS WEBSITE-especially check out the Professionalism link and physician-patient relationship-which really helped prepare me and get me thinking about two of the questions MSU will ask you. http://eduserv.hscer.washington.edu/bioethics/topics/index.html I hope this helps.
-
This website, my AAMC application and essays
-
Read over application, read website, talked to current students
-
SDN, AMCAS statement, MSU website, MSU secondary
-
Read over applications, read SDN, practiced answers to questions outloud
-
Read AMCAS, MSU website, and MSU secondary questions
-
Student doctor, talk to students, read the news on health issues
-
Looking at information from website, asking professors for tips, and answering the questions used here - they helped A LOT!!
-
This website, read my amcas, read my msu secondary, looked up some ethical stuff online, read through their website, totally felt like i overprepared, but one thing that was essential was watching patch adams before the interview
-
Website, looked over my application, called current students at MSU to get more info.
-
MSU website, this site, UW ethics website.
-
#1. Interview feedback (here) #2. Read about the school (website) #3. Read over primary and sec applications and essays #4. Mock interview with current professor
-
Read over my AMCAS, secondary essays, Interview feedback questions, exchanged pms with a kind soul who had been recently accepted from this cycle, and had a friend drill me
-
SDN, AMCAS application review, toured the website and emailed a few students that I knew that went there.
-
MSU website, SD.net, re-read app.
-
SDN, other interviews
-
SDN, Amcas App., Most importantly I found out about the school and why or why not I would like to attend.
-
Sdn, reviewed msu's website, reviewed primary and secondary aps.
-
Checked out MSU CHM website, read this site (THIS HELPED A LOT!!!), reread my application essays, kept up on current medical news, PRACTICED RESPONDING TO POTENTIAL QUESTIONS
-
Read over primary app, secondary essays, read Time magazine, looked at ethics websites, looked as SDN Interview Feedback
-
SDN, school website
-
Read interview feedback on this site, read over my AMCAS and secondary apps, and practiced answering questions out loud.
-
Read apps, this site.
-
Read my secondary, my primary, their materials they sent, interview feedback; all questions listed by previous applicants on this website were the ones that I had
-
Checked this website and brushed up on current health care reform issues. Most of all i was just myself dont try to fake anything in the interview.
-
Read my AMCAS essays & Interview Feedback posts
-
Read this site, read the MSU site, reviewed my primary and secondary apps, practiced with a friend
-
I knew my AMCAS and secondary application inside out, read articles about healthcare reform, had a MOCK interview with my advisor.
-
Read up on US healthcare system, SDN feedback, MSU website, read over secondaries
-
This site, read my app and tried to think of possible questions, looked over school's web site, bioethics.net, listened to NPR, studied interveiw packet, prayed.
-
Re-read my application, personal statement , MSU essays and the Student Doctor Interview Feedback Website. Also, the interview day guide was really helpful. P.S. Take note of the mission of the school, you can integrate that into a good interview response.
-
Read over personal statement,AAMCAS, the msu secondary app, this web site
-
SDN as well as reviewing my applications and the school's website.
-
School website
-
This website, read my 2ndary app
-
Reread my AMCAS stuff and my MSU essays, looked at this web site.
-
Read their brochure, website, my secondary application, same stuff as usual...
-
Reread application, AMCAS; looked on website; reviewed booklet they mailed
-
Re-read applications, talked with former students
-
Read over my apps
-
Read over my apps, looked at website, read experiences here
-
Read over their website, interview guide.
What was the most difficult question?
Students said the most difficult question asked at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine discussed the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format, with some respondents mentioning having signed nondisclosure agreements. Commonly asked questions included scenarios on ethical dilemmas, conflicts, professional behavior, and future goals in medicine, along with inquiries about personal experiences related to teamwork, diversity, patient care, and healthcare challenges.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
Not allowed
-
MMI format. NDA signed
-
How will you balance the people side and science side of medical school?
-
Some MMIs were pretty tough
-
MMI
-
MMI (Can't disclose)
-
MMI-Can't disclose
-
Explain a time you let someone down and what you wish you would/should of done at the time.
-
Explain professionalism
-
What is your ideal setting for serving the underserved in medicine?
-
Describe a time when you let someone down, and how you resolved the situation.
-
Nothing really, they were all straight-forward.
-
Controversial Issue in Medicine and Ethical Dilemma you may face while practicing
-
Describe a personal conflict you've had with somebody and how you dealt with it.
-
None...
-
How would you as a leader inspire those within an organization who are less than passionate about the organization's mission?
-
None. Everything's on SDN.
-
None.
-
Picking an ethical dilemma. Not hard, just hard to think of something.
-
Ethical dilemma.
-
None
-
Describe a controversial issue in medicine. I had a hard time picking one and focusing in on it.
-
What to do if you have conflicts with a colleague
-
Tell me about the healthcare problems.
-
Name a time when you saw someone acting unprofessionally. What did you do and why?
-
If you were on a rotation with 12 patients in emergency and your family called to request for you to come because a family member was close to dying, what would you do?
-
Have you ever been in a conflict with a person over ethics, culture, race or gender?
-
Describe a challenging situation you were in and how you overcame it.
-
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
-
Above
-
Tell me about a time a physician acted inappropriately and what you did in the situation.
-
How will you integrate research into your medical practice?
-
See above
-
Tell me about an experience you've had dealing with a difficult person.
-
They were all very conversational and low stress. I guess it was the dreaded ''ethical problem'' question, but you should already be prepared for that one.
-
What do you like about our school, specifically?
-
Why aren't you satisfied with just an MPH, why do you think you need to go to medical school?
-
Didn't really have any. It was really laid back.
-
What about medicine is not a perfect fit for you? What do you know about the medical system in the US?
-
The one above
-
Describe a time where you were faced with an ethical dilema
-
My most interesting question was also the most difficult to answer!
-
No person is a perfect fit for a career, what about you doesn't ''fit'' a career in medicine?
-
The interviewers are given three questions each that they are required to bring up in the interview. these included: describe a moral dilema and how you dealt with it, describe an ethical conflict you had to face, would you say you have leadership qualties, what made you consider medicine, what do you do in your free time? why does helping people interest you?
-
What population do you think you'd have the hardest time serving?
-
Ethical dilemma and your stance.
-
What qualities about you would make you a bad doctor?
-
N/A
-
Name a conflict that you've dealt with, and tell me how you resolved it.
-
Why don't you become a teacher?
-
How do you deal with difficult people?
-
Tell me about yourself (always difficult).
-
Describe an ethical situation, your feelings on that topic, and what you would do if your patient disagreed with you.
-
No questions were really difficult.
-
How will MSU CHM influence the way I (set up my) practice 10 years from now.
-
Do you think good looks will help you as a physician?
-
Describe a major conflict you have experienced in work or school, and how you resolved it.
-
How would you impact/give back to the community as a physician?
-
How would you deal with a difficult person ?
-
I never like talking about my strengths and weaknesses....but it's an expected question
-
What would u like me to tell the admission committee that not on your application.
-
What recent changes in the medical field have negatively effected doctors?
-
Nothing unusual or particularly difficult.
-
A doctor is the intermediary between research and the patient - how are you going to be that intermediary.
-
Talk about an ethical issue in medicine today and what you would do
-
None, very relaxed all the way through.
-
How are doctors different from other professionals?
-
How are doctors different from other professionals?
-
Name a time when you helped someone who was very difficult to deal with?
-
Where do you see your practice in ten years? Well considering I have no idea what type of medicine I want to practice it was a difficult question.
-
What should I tell the admissions committee about you that isn't in your application? After rambling on some, she clarified that I could talk about hobbies, sports, what I do for fun, etc. :-p
-
How do you see your practice set up in 10 years? I tried to just bullshit my answer since I know that they more into primary care versus specialty medicine. I want to specialize, so it was tough. And who the hell knows what they are going to do one month from now, let alone 10 years?
-
How will MSUCHM help you meet your goals as a physician?
-
I thought all were managable, so I'll use this space to put done some other questions: Tell me about yourself. What do you know about Medical School? Questions about my research and graduate education.
-
How many uninsured are there in the US? (I brought up subject)
-
What kind of patient would be difficult for you to deal with and how would you deal with that patient.
-
Definetely talk about an occasion where you have been faced with diversity?? ( what the hell). what occasion and how did you handle it?? ( diversity: I was born in Europe, grew up in Africa, moved to the US........ what more diversity could she want???
-
Why do you want to be a doctor?
-
Pretty straight forward...one random question...are you a good student
-
All questions were very fair, none was particularly hard.
-
Pick any ethical issue, discuss what makes it ethical, discuss how you would respond, discuss how you would deal with someone who disagreed with you on this issue.
-
State an ethical dilemma facing medical professionals, state your view on it and how would you handle it if one of your superiors or co-workers disagreed with you about the issue.
-
None, I was more than prepared. But if I wasnt prepared, it'd probably be ethical dilemma I had thought about a lot recently.
-
What would you do about the prescription drug controversy that is present here in the state of Michigan? (Being from California, this was extremely hard haha)
-
Do you think there is any common ground between Christianity and Islam?
-
Describe how you envision yourself carrying out the graduation oath...
-
Same as above
-
Either: 1)biggest moral/ethical problem 2)what is the biggest problem in healthcare
-
Same as above.
-
Describe a situation in which you had to work with someone that you did not get along with or totally disagreed with.
-
(In the faculty interview) What ethical dilemma have you thought the most about?
-
Describe an ethical situation you think about, and how you would handle it.
-
Nothing
-
Same
-
What makes a physician as a professional different from other professionals?
-
What part of internal medicine/primary care do you think you won't like? (faculty) Describe a situation where you had to work with people from other backgrounds, how do you overcome those differences? (student)
-
None. There are six questions (how have you dealt with difficult person, what are your goals and how can MSU help, what makes being a doc diff. from other proffesions, what ethical problem do you think about, rest onn this site)
-
Thank about your practice in the year 2015. Explain to me how you think this school will help you in setting up and maintaining a successful practice?
-
Talk about an ethical problem and a solution for it.
-
How do you feel about the American Health Care system.
-
How does this medical school fit in with your career goals
-
Name a controversial issue in the medical world and tell me how you feel about it.
-
What makes being a physician as a professional different than any other professional?
-
What are the responsibilities of a physician?
-
Michigan State has each interview ask you three standard questions - my student interviewer just asked those three questions and two of them were just plain confusing. Not too tough though.
-
What is the ethical issue you think most about regarding medicine and why?
-
Nothing really. Describe a problem and how you dealt with it.
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were consistently impressed by the friendliness and warmth of the faculty, staff, and students at the schools they visited. They appreciated the supportive and welcoming atmosphere, as well as the emphasis on community, cooperation, and non-competitiveness in the learning environment. Many also highlighted the school's facilities, curriculum structure, and opportunities for early clinical experience.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
It was with a student interviewer and he made me feel like I answered every question perfectly
-
Everyone was very kind. The faculty and staff were very excited about the interview. You could tell that they genuinely wanted to get to know us and were excited for the day ahead.
-
The interviewers and interview day hosts were EXTREMELY friendly. After the second station, all my nervousness dissipated and I was more excited than anything. I feel like the MMI was very well-rounded and I had ample opportunity to showcase different aspects about my experiences and personality.
-
Faculty were very kind, questions were not designed to trip you up, just to get you to think.
-
The environment was so kind
-
Interviewers were really nice and made each session enjoyable
-
Students were super nice and staff were great
-
Beautiful building at GR, really nice and informal student interview. Lunch with students was great and gave a good opportunity to ask questions. The lectures before the interviews are really comprehensive and they give straight up facts about the admissions process
-
GR Facilities are extremely nice, great area, tons of stuff in the area in the medical field
-
The feel of the school, the opinions about the new curriculum from students, friendliness of everyone involved.
-
VERY organized, very professional, good food
-
The student interviewer was extremely professional, funny, and open about the pros and cons of the school and the curriculum, as were the med students we ate lunch with (the food was great too). The admissions team knows what they're doing, they put on a really great day!
-
Everyone on interview day was extremely nice and welcoming. The facilities are brand new and beautiful. The new curriculum also sounds great with early clinical experience!
-
Strong reputation, great match list, solid school
-
Friendliness of the Staff and their willingness to describe their specific application process from beginning to end.
-
The students were welcoming and interested in us!
-
The campus and building at the Grand Rapids campus, the current medical school student's attitudes, and the openness of the staff.
-
Very informative
-
School facilities, friendliness of students and staff. Location
-
The facilities
-
1) Combination between lectures and PBL is great, exactly what I'm looking for. 2) Student body is very friendly and there seems like a lot of camaraderie. 3) A lot of research opportunities.
-
How organized and friendly the staff was.
-
How the whole interview day was very laid-back in nature, but at the same time the school and its representatives carried a very professional attitude.
-
The interviewers seemed to be interested in getting to know me as a student, future physician, and person overall. It also seemed like they were genuinely interested in me/ the interview (they definitely read my application/ materials beforehand). The camaraderie of the students seems genuine and they all seem to get along (a huge plus is that the med students seem extremely happy). Also, everyone at the school was extremely nice (opening doors, randomly just yelling "good luck" from down the hall, stopping and asking how you like the school so far).
-
Everyone was genuinely nice...seemed as if they really went out of their way to make the day low pressure, high content and information....
-
Friendly people!! the admissions staff was really entertaining, nice, and helpful. LPCE, studying abroad opportunities
-
The enthusiasm and friendliness of the faculty and students. Pass/Fail grading.
-
How much everyone (staff, students) love the school. The mini-electives you can take. The flexibility of the program.
-
The school seems to be friendly towards those interested in primary care.
-
Friendliness, everyone literally knew everyone there
-
They care about the students and the curriculum. Very nice people.
-
I am from the upper peninnsula, so it was nice to have the option of interviewing in Marquette. It took tons of the stress out of the process.
-
Mission, philosophy, sincere friendliness, non-competitive learning environment
-
Everyone is seriously so nice. these were the nicest students and faculty ever.
-
Amazing students, great atmosphere, Big 10 campus
-
There was a female MD student who was pregnant (first year), and she said how she was highly considering getting deferred for a year, when the school counselors(?) encouraged her to stay and study, reassuring her that they are there to support her and work with her in this situation. There is strong support for women in medicine, so I hear. That was really good to know...international travel opportunities.
-
Everyone was very nice, the school clearly believes in its mission. The faculty know the students well, the students got along, and everyone was welcoming. Even though this was the last interview day we were told that we were interviewing for acceptances not the wait list.
-
The positive attitude of students.
-
How friendly and laid-back everyone was, the pass/fail system, the awesome lunch
-
The friendliness of the administration and students
-
They have a nice area for med students to study. MSU's campus is very pretty, but the CHM is far away from most of it.
-
International electives, huge Latino population at the school.
-
What a great community! MSU:CHM is def. on its way up in the medical world. The student body is extremely positive (many of the students wished me good luck when they saw my info packet), the resources are great and the overall vision of the school is well in-tune with mine.
-
Student body was incredibly friendly; random people just came up and talked to me all day it was really a great environment
-
Faculty and students were great.
-
Everyone seemed very relaxed and very happy with the school. There's good camaraderie among the students.
-
The school is very supportive of their students and there is a lot of academic support in case you struggle with the coursework.
-
Students and faculty alike are very enthusiastic about the school. Interview day was very organized. Each student was given a customized printout of their schedule for the day.
-
Staff's concern for everyone to succeed.
-
Everyone was very friendly and laid back.
-
The attitude of the student interviewer and some of the other students that I met. They seemed to really like the community that was there and by the end I did too. Also, the staff was extremely accommodating. I also liked the rotation of classes during the 2nd year in groups of about 8. I also prefer the pass/fail system, it decreases competition with peers.
-
The campus, and the Pass/Fail curriculum to reduce competition among students, and the early patient interactions (beginning during the first months of school).
-
I actually like prosection...at least you have the opportunity to do both.
-
East lansing is a nice college town, the facilities of the medical school are very nice, the students are warm and friendly, the admissions staff were helpful, the food for lunch was great!, I have had 3 med school interviews so far and this was the best experience so far
-
The medical students were warm and friendly and were very enthusiastic about their school. The student lounge in the radiology building was quite nice. The faculty seemed very committed to medical student education.
-
So much. The atmosphere around the school was great. Random students in the Radiology building were talking to us and telling me how they loved it there. Plus, there is so much opportunity to ask questions and interact with the students. I think there were 8 of them at lunch.
-
All faculty seemed to really care about the students. They have a lot of programs to help students suceed. Even though the facilities are not new and greatly impressive, it doesn't seem to negatively change the students' education. The students were all very friendly including a random student I ended up talking to for awhile. I found it impressive that after the student interviews some of the students came out to talk more informally with their prospective student.
-
The sense of community at Michigan State. The various programs the school implements to enhance learning- tutoring, study groups, discussion groups etc.
-
Not much
-
Comraderie among students.
-
Very relaxed atmosphere.
-
People/atmosphere
-
That the school is so focused on being active and community oriented.
-
The interview day
-
Great students who were very welcoming and it is very supportive environment. Everyone is very laid-back. The student center in the Radiology Center is pretty amazing.
-
How supportive the staff are to the students. Many of the students were married or parents. This is a great school for students with families.
-
Everyone was extremely friendly and it seems that the faculty try very hard to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable. Also, they foster cooperative learning rather than competition.
-
They have a strong and genuine commitment to working with underserved populations and that's what i'm looking for. Also, the interviewers don't have your grades/scores, so they focus on getting to know you as a person.
-
How relaxed they make you feel and how down to earth are the students and faculty.
-
The faculty person I interviewed with was very warm and the interview was very conversational. I spent a large part of my interview laughing.
-
The beautiful campus
-
The day starts at 10:30 and ends at 3:30. It was very organized and offered a lot of time to chat and ask questions.
-
Friendliness of faculty
-
The faculty member who interviewed me was very warm and welcoming. He showed me pictures of his family and cards he had received from students. He assured me it was a wonderful community to be a part of.
-
The students seemed very relaxed and happy to be there. The faculty was extremely supportive. The curriculum seemed awesome. They had opportunities to do rotations in south america.
-
The cooperative learning atmosphere of the school.
-
My faculty interview was pretty cool and highlighed many strengths of the school and E. Lansing.
-
Not much to be honest. The people were friendly I spose.
-
How pleasant, altruistic and compassionate these people seemed (students, staff, faculty)
-
The enthusiasm of the faculty and students
-
There is a very strong support system for students - both academically and socially.
-
Vibe of this school is impressive.
-
The preparation the staff went through for interview day -- they were accomadating in every way. I was very impressed with the curriculum; there is a very nice balance between problem-based and traditional learning.
-
The supportive environment
-
The atmoshpere was very freindly and they spend a lot of time trying to get you to be as relaxed as possible so that you can represent yourself as best as possible
-
How the financial aid officer broke down the money we will receive our first year and how much is given for rent, car and misc etc.
-
1) That both the student and physician interviewers had thoroughly read my essays and activities -- they both showed genuine interest in my life experiences. 2) The students and the attitude -- every student I talked to (even ones who were not part of the formal interview day) seemed so happy there and said it was a very warm and supportive environment. Seems like a perfect place for the non-competitive types who just want to do well for themselves and to practice medicine.
-
The students are very encouraging and happy to be there. The learning atmosphere is very supportive and non-competitive. The faculty also seemed to be very involved in keeping the students' happy and concerned with meeting their needs.
-
Nothing
-
The friendliness of the students and staff and other interviewees. I love this school.
-
The atmosphere was laid back, yet professional.
-
Seems like pretty much everyone gets their first pick for third and fourth year rotations. Student leading the tour was very nice, other interviewees were very nice, which made me feel positive about next year's class.
-
The supportive environment. Emphasis on being 'real' doctor. Commitment to community's health needs. I, for one, like the idea of going someplace else after 2 years!
-
The sense of community and support from the administration, students and faculty.
-
The students are very laid back and are involved in many socially active activities. The student lounge at the Radiology building is cozy and sort of a home for med students
-
The kindness of the students, faculty and everyone else I encountered. The focus of the school on the humanistic aspects of practicing medicine.
-
The people were SO nice. Everyone was friendly and seemed really happy. Everyone seemed like they wanted to be there.
-
Well, It's my alma mater sooooooooo Impress?? I know it like the back of my hand. ( joke aside) the curriculum was very good clinical experience, the pairing up with a chronic disease patients ( best features0
-
The second speaker who explained the curriculum to us - tried hard to make sure we were comfortable and relaxed.
-
The school is education based the students feel comfortable, the faculty like teaching its a very supportive atmosphere
-
Everyone at MSU is extremely nice and welcoming. I have spoken to students from various geographic locations, anyone that's ever visited the school has fallen in love with the campus and the people. They also have a great academic support office- their educational specialists for the 1st & 2nd year get great reviews from students.
-
Well organized, very nice people, friendly, helpful, supportive environment. Anatomy labs combine prosection w/other resources to save dissection time. Curriculum is lecture-based in 1st year, PBL in 2nd year. PBL curriculum is well developed. Diverse and carefully designed clinical exposures in first and second year.
-
The student body was super down to earth and seemed to have normal personalities. I didn't see any "book robots" there, they were extremely helful. The assistant dean was extremely nice, faculty also seemed very personable.
-
As always, friendly atmosphere!
-
The students and the fun student center they have with table tennis and pool table.
-
The students, the facilities were great. The whole day was designed to impress the applicants and it did.
-
The students seemed very friendly, very fun, laid-back. The presentation of the school.
-
Everybody is sooo nice and everyone tries to make you feel comfortable and relaxed.
-
Their focus on their students
-
That the school has such a supportive, friendly, cooperative atmosphere that really makes you feel at home. Also, the student learning center in the Radiology Building is absolutely unbelievable.
-
The friendly atmosphere (feels like a family!), the warmth of the students, the way in which the school seems very receptive to student needs. The faculty appear to be quite accessible, and the degree to which the doctor-patient relationship is emphasized is awesome! Also, everyone seemed to be very honest about the school's strengths and weakenesses.
-
VERY friendly atmosphere, very large student lounge area.
-
Very comfortable and helpful, noncompetitive environment. My student interviewer was very friendly. Orientation was very informative and very thorough.
-
Everyone is beyond friendly and accomodating. The students seem to be very close and have a lot of say in how the school is run. Finally, there seems to be very little competition.
-
They seem to really take an interest in the student and to help students succeed
-
This is the most laid back low pressure environment you will ever see. Everything feels like family.
-
I would love to have been classmates with all of the other interviewees. We all had to introduce ourselves and say something interesting about ourselves. They were all great humanitarians. The great attitudes of all of the students and faculty I met also impressed me. The students all had exams coming up, but they were pretty relaxed and all helping each other study. Most of them took time out to talk to all of us being interviewed.
-
The students are great--really friendly and laid-back. It seems like a very supportive environment. The new radiology building is nice.
-
The attitude of the students. All of them are so nice, the faculty too and the admissions office staff are simply wonderful. Everyone seemed to be happy!
-
The people there are really friendly and the admissions staff was very warm and welcoming. Also, I really like the way they integrate traditional lectures and PBL curricula. Really nice Radiology building where to Student Lounge and study rooms are. Oh, and you can find out if you are accepted within a week!
-
Student's attitude about medicine and life in general. Very laid back. After I was accepted, both of my interviewer's e-mailed me congrats!
-
The faculty, staff and students of the school were extremely nice and friendly. The campus is enormous, and the student center in the radiology building is great for socializing with classmates.
-
The atmosphere. Everyone is really friendly and open. You can tell how much the students, faculty, and staff love the school and care about it. They also have very nice student facilities in the Radiology Building.
-
The newly built radiology building which has several areas for students to study as well as socialize and have meetings.
-
Friendliness of faculty and students- much different than east coast med schools
-
People were all cool, friendly and helpful
-
Very open and friendly atmostphere; welcomed by the Dean of Admissions; brand new study and breakroom facilities exclusively for medical students; very neat community outreach program; I love the Rural Physicians Program
-
Friendliness of students/faculty
-
Students love it there, impressive student lounge, very warm and friendly atmosphere
-
Emphasis on primary care, and the fact that the school has a Mission Statement that they abide by and stress - the gals in the admissions office are really nice too!
-
The students and their learning center
-
The friendliness of everyone
-
Most everything was quite modern. This school is somewhat newer than other medical schools, so nothing seemed very dated.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed negative impressions related to the lack of a hospital on campus, outdated facilities, limited diversity, isolated location, and concerns about the curriculum and clinical experiences. Suggestions included improving facilities, offering more diverse experiences, enhancing the curriculum, and providing better tours to showcase the school's strengths.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
The MMI interviewers were dismissive and I felt they really didn't want to be there. I have heard they are told to stick to the script and not really show interest due to time constraints, but I felt I did horrible.
-
Nothing. This was a great interview and a great school!
-
Nothing! The interview day on zoom went smoothly and overall I loved the vibes I got from everyone.
-
One woman was eating while interviewing me at the MMI station so that was weird
-
Literally nothing
-
Grand rapids campus >> East lansing
-
MMI felt a little rushed to me and a tour might’ve been cool but I guess you can walk around afterwards if you feel like it.
-
No STEP scores yet with new curriculum
-
I thought some of the MMI stations were pretty hard and stressful
-
No negative impressions. Great day all around.
-
Nothing!
-
Facilities in East Lansing are a bit old
-
Nothing, the day was very enjoyable.
-
Students are separated after 2nd year
-
The clinical years
-
Gross Anatomy is prosection only, but there is a dissection elective you can take (especially if you are interested in a surgical specialty).
-
Nothing
-
Not a whole lot.
-
The tour guide definitely shows you the med school campus (regardless of what the other past feedback says... also, MSU may have changed it up this year, because they showed us all three building where we will be taking classes). However, I would have like to see more of the actual MSU campus. Also, the $360,000 OOS debt after four years isn't too attractive.
-
The facilities need a face lift....
-
No gym (only on main msu campus, and you have to pay for it), no library on med school campus, sharing first year classes with DO students (the classes aren't even on the med school campus), having to decide which community campus you want to go to right after you get accepted, medical school is isolated
-
The medical school campus is kind of isolated. No onsite hospital.
-
Many different campuses (I don't want to move again!). Less clinical experience built into the program during the first 2 years than I would like.
-
No hospital on campus or owned by the school.
-
Area, class gets split up after 1-2 years
-
No on-site hospital, lots of in-state students but that is a focus of theirs, they educate a lot of the Michigan doctors.
-
Nothing, really. I loved my experience. However, I want to go into rural medicine, and this campus does have a focus on that. A student who wants to go into a specialty or work in an urban area may feel like a bit of a fish out of water, although it was not the case for me!
-
City of east lansing, large campus, isolated med school, small medical school campus, no clinical experience until late 2nd year.
-
No on site hospital and how everyone gets separated to different locations. they really work very hard to put you in the community hospital that you want, so if you are from OOS, and moving doesnt bother you, you should be fine.
-
No hospital on site
-
Location of the medical teaching facilities in the southeast corner of the campus, and the lack of university hospital.
-
I wished we could have learned more about the community campuses
-
The facilities, the huggggge campus, the location
-
There's no hospital on campus, which kind of sucks because you need to move after 2 years. Also, some of the students mentioned that they felt they could have been better prepared for the usmle.
-
It was only a positive experience.
-
Just that there seems to be a lot of changes going on so a few (very FEW) things seemed a little uncertain
-
Lansing is in the middle of nowhere.
-
The facilities, some of the current student's seemed a little arrogant
-
They served us very sloppy italian food at lunch. It's like they were daring us to get some on our interview suits. LOL. Nothing negative about the day at all.
-
Facilities are very institutional and didn't seem to offer much. Feels like a local community college.
-
The location, the students body was not very diverse.
-
I don't like the combined classes with the DO students in the first year. Those are going to be huge classes.
-
The fact that they use prosected cadavors for anatomy (pre-cut).
-
I really didn't like how it seemed the two interviews had to maintain within a 30 min max.
-
I really can't find one thing! Im highly impressed by the school.
-
I didn't realize that the neighboring D.O. school was so large and that the anatomy lab/lecture hall was shared.
-
Not much...I learned that anatomy is done by prosection, but there is a dissection elective that you can take if you want to. Plus, the students didn't mind because there was less time spent in the lab picking through fascia and more time for studying.
-
The facilities are not as updated as I would have thought.
-
That the clinical facilities arent in the same campus.
-
Something just seems very weird about the school. They didn't put much into the interveiw days. Most schools I've been to go out of their way to show you around and make a positive impression. MSU didn't seem to really care. School is in the middle of nowhere.
-
Community based MD curriculum. Almost zero opportunity for medicine in an urban city.
-
I was given very poor directions on how to get to the school. Buildings were not labeled (the Life Sciences Building where the day started says
-
N/a
-
The curriculum - that the school is SOOO community oriented. The students were unprofessional.
-
Some of the buildings' facilities were really old and dark. It's very expensive for out of state
-
There wasn't really a tour. They had some issues transporting us from building to building, but it was worked out.
-
The weather and location
-
No tour, no library.
-
No tour, we did not get the opportunity to see any of the facilities.
-
The fact that there is no dissection (everything is already cut up for you in prosection), and the fact that a lot of the classes are shared with D.O. students.
-
The med students were not interested in talking to us at all until the designated social hour. No hellos and I felt like our presence was almost bothersome.
-
No tour given
-
We didn't really get a tour. On our way to the interview site the admissions staff member quickly walked us through a building pointing out a few locations. I suppose that was the tour.
-
Sadly just the weather. It was snowing.
-
There was no tour and not a lot of interaction with current students so it was a little harder to get a feel for the school.
-
No tour. I know the hospitals aren't right there, but the 1st and 2nd year facilities are. Let us see them!
-
Most everything. The curriculum is weird (lectures one year and PBL the other). The facilities are lackluster - which is probably why they didn't give a tour. The faculty seemed disinterested and disheartened by the school. The students seemed 'eh' about their experiences.
-
The cold weather
-
Well, it wasn't terrible cold, but I've been told that michigan gets really bad. Also, out of state tuition is really expensive.
-
Facilities are old and east lansing is one wrong turn from literal cornfields. and it's not jesuit. jk. ;)
-
Not much really, it was my first interview. So i have nothing to compare it to; however, it was also very informal and it was easy to be myself.
-
East Lansing is not that exciting.
-
The buildings are old and not much to do in East Lansing...but it can mean a very positive studying atmosphere
-
The questions were ambiguous at best and the interviewer lacked a personality. How MSU will not call when they say they would. The have absolutely no regard for students at all. If they say they will call you in two weeks, wait five before you worry.
-
Nothing really except it really is a long day. (9:30-4) Expect to have some downtime in the afternoon between interviews (like an hour or more).
-
Some of the questions were
-
My interview with an uptight first year student. Also I missed out on the student talk time because my second interview lasted so long, and the interviewer was about 15 minutes late, but I'm not really complaining because she liked me.
-
The campus was not that impressive over all. Where majority of the med students live, there are rail road tracks near by and apparantly the trains whistel and go by too often at times!
-
No disections, only prosections.
-
MSU does not have one affiliated hospital. Michigan is a cornfield
-
Anatomy is taught by prosection and the histology course is taught using computerized slides. I wonder if these "time saving" adjustments will take away from the overall educational experience.
-
The morning lectures were sort of long.
-
You don't get to dissect things
-
Library on main camups.
-
Its cold, real cold, i'm from san diego and michigan is cold, but it was kinda cool b/c it started snowing during the day
-
Out-of-state tuition is $45,000/year. Most people cannot get in-state residency after first year, there is very little available in the way of grants and scholarships, and federal loans will not cover that much money so you will have to get private loans. Virtually all 3rd and 4th -year rotations take place outside Lansing, so you will have to move at the end of 2nd year.
-
The facilities seemed to be lacking a tiny bit. There is no library or workout facilities specific to the medical school. Parking seemed pretty far away. There is a great study/game room that is new though.
-
Absolutely nothing.
-
2nd interviewer just stared at me and fired one question after another (no expression).
-
70% of the students are married or engaged????!!!!
-
Very little, overall I had a great experience and was really impressed. The only thing is that East Lansing is in the middle of nowhere.
-
No teaching hospital
-
Having to go off-site for the clinical years.
-
Still unsure about the community campuses. Would they really all provide equal clinical experience? Also, wish we could have seen a few more of the facilities during the tour, but that would have meant a hike partway across campus. The facilities we did see were nice (coincidence?)
-
I forgot to say, the $65,000 budget for out of staters!!!! I almost fainted when I saw that! $45K just for tuition. I think out of staters subsidize in staters or something.. ouch!
-
Location. East Lansing isn't a bustling metropolis by any means. If you must have terrain, go somewhere else.
-
My faculty interviewer (who I'm not sure was faculty or just an alum), though very friendly also, stared at me during the interview instead of interacting or responding in any way. It was distracting and felt unnatural, though he was kind enough to warn me beforehand.
-
Nothing negative really... I wasn't very impressed with the facilities, they seemed out-dated. Also, if possible everyone may have seemed too relaxed, not as much drive for success as I have seen elsewhere. But, this is strictly a personal issue.
-
Havent thought much about it yet...at this point...nothing
-
The tour was a little short becuase of time constraints.
-
That I would have to relocate for 3rd & 4th years & that there weren't any underground tunnels connecting the buildings that 1st & 2nd year classes are taught in.
-
Lack of major hospital facilities nearby
-
Nothing.
-
Tour was a little haphazard...we were in a ruch because some interviews started earlier than usual. Also, on the tour didnt get to see the classrooms, library, or labs.
-
Zip.
-
The tour really didn't emphasize the clinical areas within the school. Possibly because the clinics are set up at different areas within the state.
-
You aren't able to see the clinical sites because they are in other cities...but the students talked a lot about them, which helped.
-
Someone was hanging pictures (or something) next door during the two hour long morning presentation. Besides being boring, it was hard to concentrate because of the obnoxious pounding noise.
-
First 2 hours were slow lecture from administration
-
Too cold! Most of the students are Michigan residents (which is okay) but there's no ethnic diversity in the class population; couldn't view the teaching hospital or any area that you would be performing your clinicals (since there's five different communities you could go to)
-
3rd and 4th years done offsite in other cities. cold!
-
Life sciences building is a little old...
-
Interviewed by a first year medical student who had been there only a month or two, and the student had an anatomy test directly after our interview. Second interview with a retired professor who just stared at me...
-
Their slightly outdated life sciences building
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wished they had known ahead of time about the low-stress nature of the interview, the need for good sleep beforehand, the informal student interviews, the location of the campus and clinical rotations, and the availability of a student host program. They also mentioned the importance of being oneself during the interview and how the day can be long and filled with information.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
I wish I had known how to adequately prepare, but no preparation is really needed, just understand the schools mission and be professional.
-
N/A
-
It's okay to ask for clarification or definitions if there is something you don't understand.
-
How great this school is and to just be yourself during the MMIs and the interview
-
How informal the student interview would be
-
How relaxed it was
-
You won't know who the interviewers are at the MMI; they don't have nametags and can't tell you their position.
-
1. This is an incredibly low stress interview, and the MMI was arguably one of the best parts. 2. I was too excited to get a good amount of sleep the night before, and by the end of the last presentation I was beat. Make every effort to get some decent shuteye beforehand, because it's a LONG day of interviews and presentations and it probably leaves a bad impression to nod off while someone is talking.
-
It'd be a long day filled with information (pleasant surprise).
-
Relax and take a deep breath.
-
I was very prepared for the interview thanks to the very detailed information on the Interview Day page on CHM's website.
-
Not all the questions are on SDN!
-
Nothing really
-
That if you drive on a road where the train passes by, it can take FOREVER to get across if there is a train there.
-
How relaxed the day would be. I actually enjoyed myself.
-
That it was more laid-back than I had actually anticipated. I mean, people can only tell you that so many times, but you're still gonna be very nervous. Trust me, it is that laid-back.
-
Nothing really?
-
I felt pretty prepared...nothing came as a shock....glad the interviews were closed...i believe this really encouraged the interviewer to focus on me as a person and not a number....
-
The red roof inn is in the SE of e.lansing...there is nothing in the SE of the town except for the hotel. also, michigan flyer's schedule is not flexible at all and they will not wait for you. i wouldn't have used the detroit airport.
-
Having to move after two years kind of sucks.
-
That I would have to walk to my interview. It wasn't far, but it was cold! I also wished I had known more about the Rural Health programs.
-
Construction!
-
That you can cut through the clinical center to get to Life Sciences from the parking lot....it's cold outside
-
It isn't as stressful or confrontational as I expected it to be. However, I think if someone had told me that ahead of time I wouldn't have beleived them!
-
More about east lansing/campus, how 3rd and 4th years are spent in one of 6 community health satellite campuses.
-
How nice everyone is so that i didnt have to stress.
-
There was an option to interview in Lansing or Marquette
-
Nothing
-
The life sciences building is at the extreme southeast corner of the campus and kind of hard to find
-
About state residency
-
I didn't feel like the med students were as much of a cohesive group as they could have been--especially with everyone going their separate ways for years 3 and 4.
-
That it was going to be snowing/raining and totally frikkin' cold.
-
You have to choose your rotation site before you begin, that seems a bit difficult to me
-
Everyone gets split up among 6 campuses after M2.
-
Out of state tuition isn't just more expensive, it is crippling.
-
You leave the main campus after two years and go to one of 6 other locations for your clinical years.
-
I failed to look at the price of out of state when I applied. It is outrageous. I was looking at how close family was to the school, not at the price.
-
The strong focus on primary care.
-
I was very prepared for the interview, maybe a little too much.
-
They have little snacks and drinks for breakfast.
-
Nothing.
-
1. that lansing is in the middle of nowhere. 2.that you have to pick one of six community campuses where you will spend the last two years of your medical school before school starts. the choices were Saginaw, Grand Rapids, Marquette, Lansing, Flint, and Kalamazoo
-
That I could skip the tour
-
Everyone is so nice and the interview is intended to be a low-stress experience.
-
That the rotations are done in various communities all over.
-
It's in the middle of nowhere
-
There is a special program for people who want to do international service.
-
How much fun I would have with the students!!
-
Nothing, no surprises.
-
That students have to move after second year to one of 5 different locations for their rotations, depending on where they are selected to go.
-
The community campus are each geared towards something specific except GR and Kzoo. So chances are unless your are doing rurual, urban or international you will end up there. There are only 6 Lansing slots. Good to know since I would want to go to GR.
-
What bus route to take to the school. I ended up walking an hour and half.
-
Nothing. But I did find it interesting that while the MD and DO students take the same basic science classes 1st year, the MD's need 75% to pass while the DO's need only 70%. Yes - there did seem to be a bit of (friendly) rivalry between the two schools! ;-)
-
The interview day was so poorly planned and that the food not only sucked, but wasn't even enough for a meal.
-
How truly people-orientated the mission of the school is
-
That a student host program exists--you just have to ask.
-
I wish I had interviewed a lot earlier. To everybody out there, apply early! It increases your chances of matricualtion to this and every other school.
-
Student hosting is available...area hotels don't give the greatest discounts
-
PBL second year.
-
How to get to the exact interview building. And that there is a cheap super 8 motel near the university that you can stay at for around 50 dollars.
-
You have to have a car.
-
The day ends around 2:00 and a social with Med Students follows. If you are flying from out of town, you will be able to make it to the airport that night.
-
That I shouldn't have worried so much about it. At my first interview (at another school) one of my interviewers was really an ass so I expected more of that. My interviews here were really relaxing and conversational.
-
Remember the MSUCHM motto when they ask you "what are the responsibilities of a physician-"competence, honesty, compassion, respect for others, professional responsibilty, social responsibility.
-
U don't get to do disections for anatomy. It is prosections only (which has its advantages and disadvantages).
-
58% of class is female and so is most of the administration.
-
My faculty interview would be a stress interview.
-
You need to take 8 semester hours of biology including one upper level (i.e. 300 or 400 level) course. This isn't made clear in the information they send you but they call out all people whom they feel haven't completed the pre-med requirements and talk to you.
-
The student interview is done by a 1st or 2nd year. Mine was done by a 1st year and she hadnt really been there long enough to tell me a lot about the school.
-
Well, nothing!!!!
-
They shuttle you to different places for your interviews - but they were really good about making sure you got there.
-
45k tuition... i was pretty nervous so i totally overprepared i wish i knew it would be so comfortable and welcoming
-
That if the school invites you, it's because they like you alot, they just want to know you are the same person that's on the paper application. The staff did not strike me as overly critical during the interview, as have other members from other schools.
-
1. High tuition fees 2. more prerequisites (more bio, more English, more humanities) than I realized. Should have done my homework.
-
Reading interview feedback and browsing on SDN got me a little uptight about interviewing. I wish I had known that it was going to be laid back and no one was dissecting my every move.
-
That the interview wouldnt be half as bad. Pretty conversational.
-
That it was going to be warm. I overestimated how cold Michigan would be when I went there in October.
-
70% of the students are married or engaged????!!!!
-
Nothing, I felt I was very prepareds.
-
The tuition and expenses
-
Have an answer for your English requirement (you may have classes that count, but don't say "English" on your transcript so they want clarification--about half the group had to do this)
-
Nothing really.
-
That it would be so darn hot in michigan in october. I was sweating up a storm!
-
That it was going to be so hot! I wore a fall weight suit and the air conditioning in one of the buildings was broken. I got lost on the way to my faculty interview so I wish I would have asked for specific directions. The building setups were confusing.
-
Don't stress the interview.
-
The meeting room can be a little tricky to find from the parking lot. Get there a half hour early traffic can be very bad around campus during the mornings.
-
That there is not good financial aid for out-of-state students to compensate for the difference in tuition as compared with in-state students
-
Nothing, really.
-
To get from the visitors parking lot to the Life Science Bldg, I couldve cut through the building that is between them instead of walking ALL the way around in the bitter cold!
-
Nothing, had been to campus prior to this interview to interview at the D.O. school (still have not heard from D.O.). Stay at the Townplace Inn and Suites, it is 3 minutes away from radiology building.
-
It is REALLY expensive to get around in Lansing if you don't have a car. Also, there was only about 3 out of state students in the group of nearly 25 interviewees.
-
I could have probably dressed casual for it
-
The interview for the Rural Physicians Program doesn't take place at this time; have to come back in Feb/March.
-
I wish I knew more about the Community Campuses because they asked how I felt about them and moving somewhere else for 2 years.
-
-
-
My shoes killed my feet!
🤝 Campus and Facilities ▼
How do you rank the facilities?
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 generally praised the admissions office for being friendly, helpful, and well-organized during the interview process. Some suggestions included improving online paperwork submission, providing clearer directions for interview sites, and offering more information during tours.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
I would say make your MMI's a little less intense, and make them more open and inviting.
-
N/a, great job!
-
None. CHM puts on a great interview day.
-
They're great!
-
None
-
None, keep on doing what you are doing!
-
-
Excellent website!
-
Everyone on the admissions staff was very friendly and helpful.
-
None. The interview day was very well organized and informative. The admissions staff was pretty ent
-
It would be great if we could complete all the paperwork online, and possibly even submit our photo
-
Nothing-they are absolutely great and completely friendly.
-
They only receive comments via e-mail, you cannot call in and ask questions. I found that frustratin
-
The tour was unbelievably short I felt. I also felt like I left without knowing what makes MSU CHM
-
They should help students find their interview sites more. Even with the tour, I was confused (the
-
Continue to serve lasagna.
📍 Travel and Logistics ▼
Airports Used
✈️
LAN
31% interviewees used LAN (LAN), with 31% using DTW (DTW) and 15% using lan (lan) and 4% using dtw (dtw) and 4% using DET (DET) and 4% using Detroit Wayne County (Detroit Wayne County) and 4% using Detroit Metro (Detroit Metro) and 4% using Grand Rapids Regional (Grand Rapids Regional) and 4% using Gerald R Ford International airport (Gerald R Ford International airport).
What was your primary mode of transportation?
Most interviewees traveled by automobile to the interview.
✈️
31% Airplane
🚗
66% Automobile
🚆
2% Train or Subway
🚲
0% Other
Hotels Recommended by Other Interviewees
Most interviewees stayed at the Red Roof Inn (average ranking 7/10), with some staying at Quality Inn (average rating 8.5/10). (Top 3 displayed)
🏨
Red Roof Inn
7/10
🏨
Quality Inn
8.5/10
🏨
Town Place Suites
10/10
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 a Student
Admissions staff (3%)
Faculty member (2%)
Other (2%)
Student (93%)
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
Discouraging (1%)
Enthusiastic (81%)
Neutral (18%)
All Responses
Loading responses...
No responses found.
| Application Cycle ▿ | Impression | Performance | Interview Location |
|---|
Success!
School has been added to your favorites.