Applicants generally found the interview experience at MUSM to be positive, with many highlighting the friendly and laid-back atmosphere created by the faculty and staff. Some applicants mentioned specific positive aspects such as the low stress level, engaging conversations during interviews, and the opportunity to learn about the PBL curriculum. However, there were a few who expressed concerns about certain interviewers' approaches and the cost of tuition compared to the facilities.
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I was happy with how my interview day went. However, I did seem to get interviewers that were a tad bit newer to MUSM. They tended to just ask questions, opposed to what I heard about it feeling like a conversation. Throughout the interview, we all seemed to get a more comfortable, so everything still went fine.
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Wonderful staff!
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Most people seemed to have a good experience, but I was unhappy with my interviewer and how things unfolded. I did not perform well, and I usually perform under pressure, but the specific interviewer I had was blunt and made me uneasy.
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Overall, really enjoyed my interview day. There was only 5 total for the interview day which has been the smallest group I have experienced so far.
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I was overall impressed with the Interview Day at MUSM. They provided such a laidback environment that even if you went into the interview full of nervousness, you wouldn't leave that way!
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Definitely the least stressful interview day I've been a part of
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This school seems like a perfect fit for me.
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Faculty and staff were extremely nice
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Better than going outside US
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My experience here was very poor. If it were my only option for medical school, I may have viewed it more positively. Considering it wasn't, between the lack of a real campus, horrendous interviewers, and lack of value for money, this clearly was not the place for me.
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The admissions people try to make you as relaxed as possible
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Very positive experience, especially for my first interview.
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I left my interview experience even more excited about Mercer than before! Everything about my experience was positive, and I left knowing that it is where I want to complete my medical education.
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Great school.
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I enjoyed the experience and was impressed by the program.
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Wonderful school, and I really hope I get in!!!!!
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Overall impressions were great. I was told that one of my interviewers had a history of grilling their interviewees, however I did not feel that way at all as both my interviewers were extremely nice and I thought I had two good interviews.
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N/A
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Overall, I was impressed by the interview. It was low stress and VERY informative. They give you every opportunity to have your questions answered. I really would have liked to see more of the hospital. We ate in the cafeteria, but it would have been nice to take a tour.
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I think this was a perfect example of how important the interview process is for both the student and the school. So much of the application process is abstract, and an interview really makes things tangible and realistic. The interviewee truly gets to see if this is where he/she wants to study medicine.
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The staff was very nice and willing to help with anything. They all kept saying to be nice to everyone, including custodians, because word gets around!
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The interviewers will be looking at your application before hand so make sure you read over it again. The process is very casual and expect to just chat some. They will definitely ask you about staying in GA. Also, when you go out to lunch with the student(s) make sure you realize that it is an interview and they will be writing a review about you.
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Facilities were old and it is not worth the massive amount of money they charge for tuition
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The entire experience was very laid back. You definitely have no reason to be stressed for everyone genuinely seems to be rooting for you.
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It's difficult to pin point specific questions asked during the interview because they are formulated based on the info that you submit (AMCAS, secondary, LOR). I tried to put in a few of the general ones that were asked, but make sure to thoroughly review all of your submitted materials to see where questions will come from. Definitely know about the PBL curriculum.
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Always ask questions to your interviewers.
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Be able to carry on a random conversation for one hour. Also, make sure you know how to get from the Medical School to the Hospital quickly and efficiently. I had one interview at the school and one at the hospital.
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I enjoyed my time there with the students and faculty
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Overall, Excellent. Don't stay at the Marriott that is recommended, it is too far from the school. Stay as close as possible because a lot of interviews take place at the hospital and not the med school.
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I'm always nervous at interviews, but this was the lowest stress one yet. But still be prepared for them. I had one interview on campus with an immunologist (PhD) and the other at the nearby hospital with a 4th year student on the committee. We were given a tour of both the medical school and some of the hospital. Mercer wants doctors who will practice in GA so keep that in mind. I thought I might get a strike against me because I haven't lived in GA my whole life, but there are other students there who haven't either. Not everyone is specializing in primary care either. One of the 4th year students planned on pursuing ophthalmology. Overall, it was a great experience and I'm waiting to hear back from the committee which should be meeting before Thanksgiving some time. Acceptances are given by phone calls and certified letters, which I think is so less stressful. Additionally, Mercer wants to know that you will fit into their entire PBL curriculum. Everyone has to adjust to it so don't worry about having some difficulty at first.
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Mercer's interviews are probably the absolute least stressful interviews you will have. Everyone there is VERY nice and really makes you feel like you just belong there from the moment you walk through the door. It was a great day. I interviewed August 21st, and got the acceptance phone call September 5th =)
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Low stress, informative
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Really great. the dean comes in to talk to you about general stuff and then the financial aid people come to talk to you. this was actualy a very informative finical aid talk so listen. then i had two interviews - one with a faculty member and one with a student. both were really laid back and non-stressful.
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The interviewers truly wanted to know how (and if) I would fit into their school and its curriculum. To do well in the interview, you MUST read up on Mercer's PBL and curriculum. Look at the website and talk to students there if possible.
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Knowing a lot about the curriculum, I had high expectations, yet the entire experience was still more than I expected.
I was lucky and had both interviews on campus. Some students had to travel from place to place. So, be prepared.
One interview lasted 45-50 minutes, and the other lasted 70 minutes. Having an interview go long can be good, but it might make you late for the next meeting. Everyone was understanding, and it didn't seem to count against me.
The interviewers DO have access to your file. However, some may choose NOT to look at it. Although both went extremely well, I thought the interview went better for the person that had a chance to review my file. So, be ready to start from scratch.
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Mercer's overall campus (undergrad and grad ) is really nice. I like the rural location of Mercer. I especially like the accessibility of the faculty and the PBL approach leading.
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I arrived at 8:00 a.m. I stayed on campus with a friend. In the morning, Dean Inniss gave interviewees a great background summary on Mercer. They mentioned the board pass rate and the boards scores as the highest in GA. The Financial Aid people came to talk about the debt that we will incur. After the introduction each student was given a file about their interviewers. Each interviewer had an opportunity to look an applicant's file before the interview. There were two interviewers, one in the morning and then perhaps one in the afternoon. My first interviewer was a 4th year med student, the second was with Dr. Sipple. Both my interviews were in the morning. The one difficult question I had was about how to fix the healthcare system in America.
After the interview, there was lunch at the MCCG. You must have a car to drive to the medical center. There was a tour of the MCCG and then lunch with a bunch of 4th years. One of them lacked any sort of compassion and repsect for his patients.
Parking is free and the lunch at the hospital is not bad. You are free to leave once your interviews are finished.
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Great, just relax b/c everyone is very helpful and laid back.
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Met as a group in conference room. Had interviews in the morning and some had interviews after lunch. I had them both back to back so I got to leave after lunch.
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About as laid back as a med school interview can be. Just be yourself.
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It was great. Very laid back. You interview with one committee member and one non committee member and both of my interviews were in their offices. Neither one of them had looked at my file and interviewed me. Not numbers and all of that crap. They interviewed me. It was an excellent experience and I got accepted!!!
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We began the day with a meeting with a Financial aid consultant and the dean of admissions. We were then given our interviewer names/locations and escorted to our first interview. We had lunch with the 4th year students and then finally went back to the school for our last interview.
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Stress-free and straightforward.
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We first met with the associate dean of admissions, followed by financial aid. We were then given the names of our interviewers and times of interviews, along with driving directions. Some interviewees were done by lunch, others had interviews after lunch. We were all done by 3PM. Lunch was provided at the hospital and we ate with 4th year med students who also gave us a brief tour.
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The day started at 8:30AM with the dean of admissions. After discussing the school with us for a bried period financial aid came in to give us the bad news. After that we were shown around the facilities by second-year students and taken to our first interviews. Some of us had back-to-back interviews at 10 and 11 while others had interviews at 10 and 2. We had lunch with fourth year students at the hospital and returned for interviews after a short tour of the hospital.
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I applied twice since I was rejected the first time. The interview with the committee member 1st cycle (Innes) was really awkward, but all of the other interviewers were really nice. Of course the 2nd time I interviewed I had spent the past few months mentoring students and working in a hospital.
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Dean and finacial aid rep spoke with the group (7 of us in my group); Quick tour and Q&A with 2nd yr students; Had one hour of free time; Had first interview; Lunch with 4th year students at hospital; Had last interview; I LEFT HAPPY
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You arrive and meet with the Dean of Admissions and the Head of Financial Aid for about one hour. The you recieve a brief tour of the basic science campus before attending your first interview. Some people had back to back interviews at 10 and 11, but others did not. At noon you go to the hospital and eat lunch with fourth year students and get the chance to ask them questions (they are also evaluating you, but they are so friendly that you don't even notice).
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My experience has been very positive both years. You will gather in the actual room the admission committee sits in to make decisions. The admissions councelor will give a talk about the school and the process. She gives you the names of your two interviewers and tells which is the committe member and which is the non-committee member. Then, Financial Aid comes in to give the really bad news. Finally, second year students come in to "candidly" answer questions (though I don't know how candid they really are). They give a short tour of the school and then guide you to your first interview. At least one interview will be at the school. The interview is one-on-one and lasts up to an hour. The second interview may be at the school. Both of mine were downtown at the hospital where clerkships take place. The drive is short, however, and everyone being interviewed winds up there for lunch. After interviews, you eat (free) lunch with third year students. The cafeteria is good enough to chose Mercer right off! Then, you are given a tour of the hospital. Finally, you return to the school for one of those cheesy personality tests.
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Just be sure to answer questions about PBL and you have own the mission statement. The interviewer basically is there to see whether you will fit into Mercer's mission of serving rural GA and being in primary care!
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This interview was nothing like I expected. It was very laid back (as they say). Everything went great! I just received my acceptance letter yesterday!! I am very excited about attending such a great school.
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Everybody was laid back, faculty and students. I felt very comfortable with everything.
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I just wanted to clear this up. Another student and I took our personality test earlier than the other students because of scheduling issues. We specificly asked if it would be used to determine admission and she assured us it would not. When we met with the fourth year students they all warned us to take the personality test seriously because it is actually used in determining admission. We informed them that we were told otherwise and they assured us that the tests are in fact used to determine if you are the right type of person for Mercer. So the advice I gave was legitimate whether it is ethical or not.
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First off, I must mention that I was told specifically that the personality test is NOT considered in regards to your acceptance. The previous poster says otherwise. It seems pretty unethical if Mercer were to outright lie about this, and in MUSM's defence, I am 99% sure that this is NOT the case. If it was the case, how did this person really know? I don't get it. Further, the fourth year students that took us on a short tour of the hospital, told us (the pre-meds) to relax and ask us anything because you are NOT being evaluated. I for one believe this to be the case. Anyway, overall it was a good experience. Just relax, get plenty of sleep the night before, and be yourself.
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Once you get there you wait with the other interviewees in the lobby. Make sure you are friendly and talk with the others because you are being watched. Then you meet in the conference room with the dean and discuss Mercer and its mission. Financial Aid comes in for about five seconds and gives you forms. Next the second year students answer any questions, give you a tour, and escort you to your first interview. After that we took the personality test. Once completed we carpooled to the hospital and spent two hours there eating lunch and touring with the fourth year students. After this break we were escorted to our last interview.
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Great school; great learning environment; Macon sucks but Atlanta is only 1.5 hours north; Mercer has made it to my top choice school now!
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Very easy going- first meet with dean of admissions, meet with 2nd year students, interview, lunch with students, interview, go home. One of my interviewers really got going on some strange questions, but I know that I did fine. Just answer all questions very honestly and remember there are tons of "right" answers. Sometimes I think they just like to see you squirm a bit and see how you react.
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Overall its very good and Mercer is on my top list as of now.
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The experience was great. I went in a little nervous but within the first thirty minutes of arriving and meeting the faculty I was as calm as could be. My fellow interviewees were really cool too. The interviewers were relaxed and mostly just trying to get to know you...I did not feel like they tried to corner me any. The hospital was really cool...They just rebuilt their ER and it looked top notch. Like I said all and all the experience was great. I found out today that I was not accepted but that's cool...It's not the end of my medical road. I still had a blast visiting Mercer and I encourage everyone to just relax and have fun. If you get it you get it and if not then try again. If your making it to the interview stage then you've made it to far to turn back now. Good luck to everyone!!
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Fantastic experience.
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Went in thinking this will be boring. Came out sold on the school.
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All in all, I was very surprised. Going in, I didn't expect too much but leaving, it turns out that I would be very very happy attending school here. The students were speaking highly of the education they were receiving. It's a tight niche class and the prof's knows everyone by their first name. Basically, I was going in looking for gold and I came away with a diamond!
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When the interview day was complete, I was sold on this school. This was my first med-school interview so i didn't have any idea what to expect. Since then I've interviewed a couple of times and I've been comparing everything to Mercer. The admission's staff and faculty were wonderful. Mercer has some very distinct attributes such as class size and curriculum. This is certainly "my kind of med-school."
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It was great! They try very hard to make you feel comfortable. Considering how nice every one is, it is very difficult to get nervous or worried.
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Relax guys! I know that you'll be nervous beforehand, but once you get inside you'll see how great the faculty treats their visitors. Both of my interviews were mostly conversational. We talked about current events, football, and a little about me too!
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Interviews were the most stressful part for me. Some interviewers there do a wonderful job, but some are very confrontational and increase stress levels dramatically. Overall, I found the students, staff, and atmosphere very impressive.
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Hard to say...the people in the admissions office are WONDERFUL, and I really admired how close the students seem to be both as a student body and with the faculty. But I was really discouraged by both of my interviewers who really seemed to make it apparent that they were doing me a favor by taking time out of their schedules to interview me. (One even made me sit across from her in her office and wait - in silence - while she finished checking her e-mail!)
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First interview went well even though I was drilled with question after question about very specific details of my future life. This was odd because so much of my future is still very vague. I mean, how can I say if I will be in a group practice or not? Or how large my practice will be? My second interview was incredible. We just sat and talked and I got to present myself the way I wanted to in a conversational atmosphere. It couldn't have gone better. Luckily my second interview was with my adcom member. Things must have worked well because I got a waitlist letter this last Saturday (3-29-03) and my acceptance letter on Thursday (4-3-03)!! Mercer, here I come.
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The interview day was very organized and I didn't feel bored or rushed at any point. Students were awesome, very helpful, and they answered all questions candidly. Admissions staff was extremely helpful. My first interview was with an admissions committee member and it went pretty smoothly. The second interview was tough! It took a while before he relaxed a little and started talking. At other interviews, I could always tell if things went bad or good, but at Mercer it was tough to gauge what they thought of me.
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The staff is very friendly, which is comforting and relaxing. They also let you know information about your interviewer beforehand, which is nice. Altogether, the day went smoothly and stress-free.
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Awesome! I loved the it! Its a small class of 56 students, and the curriculum is Problem Based Learning. This creates a very collegial environment where the students work together to help each other achieve success in medschool. The students were very happy and outgoing. The PBL curriculum causes them to have to work more diligently than students at a traditional curriculum school (TONS of reading), but it pays off with high board pass rates and high board scores. Also the students begin clinical experiences within the first week and continue this throughout the curriculum - generating very competent students when they begin their 3rd and 4th year rotations. The students do have ample time (with time management skills of course) to have a life outside of medicine, thanks to not having lectures (the students are in tutorial sessions on MWF 9-12, and lab either Tues or Thurs afternoons). Definently a great school for students looking for a high quality program with a warm and collegial environment. ALSO - students are not forced into primary care. Many of the 4th year students that I spoke with were going for specialties (Ortho, Dermatology, ENT, Radiology, Rad-Onc., Anesthesiology, as well as Int. Med. at top programs to be followed up with a Fellowship).
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The faculty did their best to put you at ease.
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Overall, the Mercer interview experience was very laid-back. The students, professors, and office faculty did everything in their power to make sure you had a relaxing day. Surprisingly, my stress level decreased as the day went on. After a morning interview session, we took a tour with 4th year students and then had lunch with current 3rd and 4th years. These students all seemed very happy, and this was a great opportunity for questions. After lunch, we had a second interview and then filled out a psychological survey. Applicants were then free to leave. I was offered an acceptance approximately three weeks after my interview.