Portland, OR
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 21% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview mixed with a moderate stress level, and felt they did okay.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
Most respondents rank this school above other schools they applied to.
0 = Below, 10 = Above
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools included inquiries about dealing with criticism, mistakes made, leadership experiences, motivation for pursuing medicine, challenging life choices, strengths and weaknesses, volunteering experiences, specific extracurricular activities, future contributions to the school, recent books read, and personal experiences related to the application. Additionally, Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format questions were prevalent where interviewers delved into applicants' applications and personal statements, highlighting certain activities or experiences for discussion, possibly under a nondisclosure agreement.
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Give us an example of a time you made a mistake.
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Give us an example of how you deal with criticism.
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Tell us about a time you displayed leadership.
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Tell me about a time in your life where you made the wrong choice? What did you learn from it?
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Tell me about yourself.
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Why are you interested? What made you want to become a physician?
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Tell me about your volunteering experience.
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What is a strength of yours?
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Just regular questions about my interest in medicine and application details.
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Tell me about yourself
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They asked about specific extra curriculars
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What will you contribute to the school/What do you bring to the table?
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What's the last book you read?
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"How have you motivated someone to do something they might otherwise not have done?'
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"Tell me about yourself"
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General interest and questions about my experiences
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Can't go into details but much less scary than I thought.
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In my long interview my interviewer had made a great deal of effort to know my application inside and out and asked more qeustions to further her understanding of my application, very relaxing.
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My thoughts on the healthcare system.
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What is the most challenging thing you have had to overcome so far?
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Why do you feel you have had enough life experience to know you want to become a doctor?
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Talk about your research experience.
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What would you do if you were not accepted this cycle?
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Talk about your experience working in college
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Tell me about your mom.
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What questions do you have for me?
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specific questions related to my primary and secondary applications. The interviewer KNEW my file well.
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During my one-on-one interview (one of the 8 stations in the MMI), all of my questions were based on my application. The interviewer had highlighted certain parts of my personal statement and activities that she wanted to discuss with me.
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Convince me that you're really committed to medicine. (I was a social science major)
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Tell me more about this experience in your life.
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What are your strengths and weaknesses?
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If a patient was dying and refused a life-saving blood transfusion, what would you do?
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List three qualities a physician should have, and explain how you reflect those qualities?
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What's the difference between talent and skill?
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What are some of the challenges health care faces?
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What will be the hardest thing about being a doctor?
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What do you do in your daily spare time?
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What experience in your life has taught you emotional maturity?
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Questions about being a non-traditional.
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Tell me about your family.
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What was the hardest thing you have ever been through?
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Describe your leadership experience
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The questions were related to my experiences
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What do you look for in a medical school? What will you do if you don't get in?
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What is the biggest challenge you've overcome?
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Why medicine, not research?
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As a non-traditional applicant, why didn't you consider medicine before?
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What do you see as the weaknesses in your application?
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What will you contribute to this school?
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Name 3 or 1 of your best and worst traits.
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What will be most challenging about medical school for you? How will handle this challenge?
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Why do you want to go to medical school?
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The standard stuff... why medicine?
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Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
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Why OHSU?
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What is an example of adversity you have faced and how did you overcome it?
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Why do you want to go into medicine?
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What field of medicine are you interested in?
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Tell me your opinion about healthcare reform?
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why medicine?
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Tell me about a time where you displayed patience.
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Why didn't you get in last year and how have you changed?
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With your research experience, why not MD/PhD?
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Tell me about your leadership qualities and how you plan to use them as a doc?
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What kind of an impact do you think for-profit hospitals have had on the health care economy?
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What makes you unique?
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"Do you have anything you want to add that isn't in your application?" You MUST have an answer to this question!
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"Do you want to have children in the future?"
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"Do you want to live in a rural location or an urban one in the future?"
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Have you been accepted anywhere else
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What are some volunteer activities you have done
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What are you interested in
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If you wanted to practice medicine and help people, why not pursue a P.A. program, a N.P. program, or another nursing program? Why are you applying for the M.D. program over other health career degrees?
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What about OHSU as a medical school makes it a top choice for you?
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What kind of sacrifices do you think you will have to make in order to be a physician?
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What kind of medicine are you interested in?
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What would you do if a patient was requesting treatment that you were not comfortble giving?
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Do you want to go into academic medicine?
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Tell me about your family?
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What's led you to want to be a doctor?
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Describe this (activity)
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What are you clinical experiences?
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Give an example of when you were stressed out and how you dealth with it.
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What do you do for fun/in your free time?
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Do you want to specialize? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
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Whats wrong with healthcare? How would you fix it?
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How can you improve yourself academically and socially?
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What is an achievement or positive quality about you that even your friends don't really know about?
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What would you do if you were doing worse than expected after the first term of med school?
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Tell me about X activity
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Why medicine? what type of medicine?
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What is your philosophy on teamwork? What makes for working well in a team?
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What were the last 3 books you read? What are your strengths that you will bring to OHSU, what are your weaknesses?
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How should we fix the health system?
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Where do you see yourself in X years?
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How would you fix the US health care system?
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What are the differences between our system versus the Canadian system?
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Tell about family. How will you pay for med school. What do you know about the process. What will a day in the life be like for you as a doctor
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What will a day in the life be like for you as a doctor
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Where do you see yourself practicing.
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Tell me about your clinical experience.
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What will be your strengths/weaknesses as a physician?
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Tell me about your childhood?
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Was there a memorable experience you had in your time observing a doctor? Describe that experience and what you learned?
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What do you have to offer our school?
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What qualities do you think you have that are appropriate for a career as a physician?
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What would you do if you didn't get in?
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Tell me about your activity 1, 2, 3...
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What do you think the biggest healthcare issue is in America?
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What do you do for fun outside of work and school?
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What will you do if you don't get in. What if you don't get in the year after or the year after that and so on? (Asked this by all 3 interviewers - do they want to hear: ''I will keep applying until I'm blue in the face because this is really what I want to do?'' or do they actually want to know that you have a back-up plan? I think that's open to interpretation.)
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Why didn't you go straight to medical school following college?
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How have you changed since your last application?
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I have two kids, what kind of advice would you give me for raising them?
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Tell me about ____ activity.
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What are your strengths?
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What are your weaknesses?
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What qualities do a good leader possess?
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What attracts you to OHSU?
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You seem to be so passionate about engineering, do you think you could ever feel that way about medicine?
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Describe a time in which you were misunderstood.
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What do you see as the biggest challenge you will face in medical school?
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Where do you see yourself going in medicine?
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Tell me about a difficult situation in your life and how you dealt with it.
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Why OHSU/Portland?
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Why medicine
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Why pick you
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Why this school
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Tell me about x activity.
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What do you see yourself doing in the future?
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What would you contribute to this medical school?
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Tell me about your extracurriculars.
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Book that most influenced you and why?
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Do you want to be the kind of doctor that works more with patients or the kind that interacts more with other doctors (radiologists for example)and why?
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What will you contribute to medical school.
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Tell me about your medical experience.
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Tell me about your research.
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Why do you want to be a doctor?
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Do you believe that cannibalism should be grounds for leniency in a murder trial because it is less wasteful? Just kidding....I would have cracked a smile at this type of question though
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Strengths/Weaknesses......
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So what attracts you to the MD/MPH program? Why not pursue public health policy at the neighboring school?
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What is your weakenss?
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What are your strengths and weaknesses? (Followed by the clause: I really only ask this to hear about your weaknesses, hint hint)
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What do you think about our healthcare system today? What about our uninsured populus? Who should pay for them? Who does pay for them?
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all of the questions are about you as a person, no bullshit policy or impossible ethics questions
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what are your strengths and weaknesses as a leader?
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what is your greatest accomplishment?
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If you were the first child could you have been the drug addict? (my essay was about my older sister and her drug problem)
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What is one of your weaknesses?
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What would you contribute to the incoming class?
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How would a Friend describe you? What are your weaknesses?
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Tell me about your family/yourself
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Questions about myself - present activities and future plans.
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Tell me about your background (I was born in a rural place outside of the US)?
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When I mentioned that I used to be a shy child, the interviewer related and then asked how that would impact my ability to interact with doctors in group settings?
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How to patients ''push your buttons?'' How do you respond?
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Is your wife on board with your decision to quit your job and go to medical school?
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What do you see yourself doing in 7-10 years?
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I spend a lot of my time doing paperwork and talking to insurance companies and drug companies, you know. Are you prepared for all of this as well as seeing patients and conducting research and teaching?
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What do you think about the health care system? How would you organize and pay for it if you were in charge?
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Why medicine? What do you see yourself doing? rural/underserved care, primary care, research? (They're looking for the first two, especially if you're going to stay and work in Oregon.)
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What sort of clinical experience do you have?
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Why do you think health is a basic right?
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Why not social anthropology or health policy, instead? Why medicine?
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how do we fix healthcare?
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what are you going to be doing in ten years?
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what would you change about yourself? Should a doctor be humble? Why?
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All very standard and pertained to questions about my personal experiences.
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strengths & weaknesses
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What I do to relieve stress & for fun
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What literature & history classes I'd taken and how those classes changed my view of the world
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Do you think Americans will ever become informed voters?
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How did you first get interested in medicine?
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Why rural surgery?
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strengths and weaknesses?
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what do you think is the biggest problem facing healthcare in america?
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general stuff about my work/school/volunteering
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Nothing original or interesting.
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How did you go from being an engineer to being here?
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What adversity have you faced in life?
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Tell me about..... (volunteer activity X and my research.
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What do you think your strengths and weaknesses are? Why?
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Why did you only apply to 3 schools if you want to go to med school so badly?
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How do you measure success?
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Tell me about your family? (1st question asked)
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How do you balance family with medical career?
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How do you do approach/teach people of other beliefs?
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Why OHSU? Why Medicine? What clinical experience? etc...
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What area of medicine are you most interested in and why?
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What concerns you about the future of US healthcare?
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Why do you want to relocate to Portland?
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How do you think you are going to fare at a school that is focused on rural health and primary care if you are planning on being a specialist in a city? (By the way, there seems to be that "rumor" about OHSU, yet many people I have talked to want to go into fields other than primary care...)
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What have you done to improve your application from last year ( I am a reapplicant and both of my interviewers asked this question.)
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What is one thing you would change about your past?
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Do you feel you would have a support network in Portland.
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Tell me about your clinical experiences. What did you get out of experience X.
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How do you know medicine is something you want to do? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
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Tell me about your family, what is your support system in Portland, what is something you feel strongly about...
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There were no ethics/healthcare policy questions asked. I felt I needed to work in that I was familar with insurance issues, etc where at other schools this was a big focus. An interesting departure...
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Conversational questions about my family.
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Why my major?
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Convince me that Dr. X (one whom I'd shadowed) is a doctor that I would want to use - describe what characteristics make up a good doctor.
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Tell me about your life (both interviewers asked this).
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What do you like to do in your spare time, away from work? -and then follow-up questions about every answer.
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What did you learn from reading that book? (in reference to a book we had talked about)
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What do you like to do outside of the sciences?
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What non-science classes did you enjoy the most?
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in so many words "how do you handle stress" and "what is your support system"
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Tell me about your family, what experience led you to choose med, etc, very conversational and good broad questions
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the questions i got were similar to others' but i didn't get asked what book i read last. no ethical either.
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What did you think of X class?
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Why did you chose to participate in X activity?
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Why Oregon? What about your own home state?
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Time when you fell short of expectations and a time when you exceeded them.
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Was there ever a time you felt you were misjudged?
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What do you see yourself doing in school, residency and practice?
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How was it supervising MD's and PhD's in your work experiences?
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What athletics do you currently pursue?
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What support system do you have in Portland?
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What can be done to correct the Oregon health Plan
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What do I bring to the medical profession(asked by #1)
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Why shouldn't we be a socialized healthcare system in the US
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How do you feel about the Death with Dignity Act? If patient asked for such a prescription, would you give it?
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What is your college like? (It's a small school in the midwest that no one's ever heard of!)
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Tell me about yourself and why you are applying to medical school.
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What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?
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What kind of doctor do you think you will be?
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Why medicine? Then the interviewer told me that he normally doesn't ask this question, but I deserved it b/c I had started out in the astrophysics major. Fun stuff.
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How can you influence health on a neighborhood level (from my school experiences)
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How do you want to effect health policy as an MD?
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What are your positive/negative qualities
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Tell me about yourself...
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What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
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What would think about living in Portland?
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tell me about your background
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what do you want to do when you finish--plus followups wanting a lot of detail
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what have been your clinical experiences? (2 out of 3 interviewers asked)
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How will you pay for school?
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What is my idea of a good leader? Which of these traits do I have?
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If a colleague came to you and told you he was going to fake some numbers/information for a study he was doing in order to move the project along faster... what would you do?
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If you were in a leadership position, what would be some of your strenghts and what would be some of your weaknesses?
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Why are you still accepting interview invites if you've already been accepted somewhere? (because i want to go to OHSU) Why OHSU?
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What do you do to relax? (there were many conversational, 'get to know you' type questions)
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What problems do the people in your hometown (very small) face with regards to access to medicine?
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What problems will your town face in the future? (interviewer asked much about my town, as rural health was an interest of his)
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Tell me about your family.
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What is wrong with healthcare today?
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What other interests do you have besides medicine?
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so you're into med school. how do you pay for it?
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what's the average air speed of an unladen swallow?
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why oregon?
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"What labs are you interested in here?"
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"Why do you need a PhD for your research. Why MD/PhD?"
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"Why MD and how do you plan to balance practice, research, family?"
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If you had to choose between doing an MD or a PhD. which one would you do and why?
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If you had to do a breakdown of your time, how much time would you dedicte in your career to research and how much time would you dedicate to patients and why?
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Why MD/PhD?
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How do you feel about Oregon's Death with Dignity Act?
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Questions about my activities (i.e., "describe your duties at job X", "tell me more about your trip to Y")
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Why medicine, and specifically why medicine instead of NP or social work
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How will you balance stuff (see above)?
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How will you pay for medical school?
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Tell me about healthcare system.
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Do you know what specialty you are interested in?
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What are qualities of professionalism?
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What do you look for in a medical school?
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Don't you think that universal health care coverage would reduce quality of care to a minimum?
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Where were you born? Tell me about you childhood. Explain various parts of my application.
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Why OHSU? How do you plan on paying for medical school? What are you going to do if you don't get accepted?
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how do you handle stress
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where do you see yourself in 10 years
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why OHSU & why MD/MPH?
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Where do you see yourself in 10 years? (this one I got asked by everybody -- although the MPH guy added the twist of how will you be balancing clinical and MPH responsibilities)
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Why do you want to be a doctor? (the third guy)
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Why oregon? (first and third guy)
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In the most stressful time you can remember, that you feel comfortable talking about, how did you deal with the stress?
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Please name every place you shadowed, who you shadowed, for how long, and what you learned. (I'm paraphrasing but not exaggerating. The person who went after me looked like they had been through hell).
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What do you think is the biggest national health care problem?
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Address common concerns of becoming a pediatrician, such as difficult parents, not wanting to physically hurt kids, and it being a boring profession.
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Could you live in a small town? What other schools did you apply to? Where else have you interviewed? What classes did you take abroad? Why did you wait a year after college to apply? What did you think of the people in Spain?
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When did you decide you wanted to be a doctor? Why? What will you do next year if you don't get in? How do you support yourself if you only have a part time job? (pretty much asking, do you parents still give you money?)
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How do you deal with stress
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How will you pay for medical school
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Who is your mentor
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see most difficult
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see most interesting
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So why do you want to be a doctor?
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What books have you read lately? What did you learn from your patient experiences? Who is one person you admire, and why?
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What do you like to do to relieve stress/have fun? Where will you be in a year if you're not accepted? Do you have any questions for me? Good luck.
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Why OHSU? What kind of medicine do you want to pursue? What has been your greatest success? Greatest disappointment?
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why doc? why ohsu? how did you become interested in medicine? etc. and more specifics about my app.
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Tell me about a specific volunteer experience (from my application)
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Tell me about gene X. (In reference to a research project I had participated in 2 years ago) Definitely know your application! Both interviewers knew the tiniest details from my AMCAS application.
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What type of medicine do you want to practice? (as in academic ,rural, etc., not what field)
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Questions about my specific extracurricular activities.
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What were the happiest/saddest moments in your life?
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Why medicine? What field do you want to enter?
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Do you have any doctors in your family?
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How did you come to choose medicine? (They really pushed for details)
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What will you do if you don't get in to med school this year?
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The happiest and saddest moments in your life?
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Your motivation for medicine?
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Describe a typical week 15 years down the road, and how you will be utilizing both degrees.
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Describe how you came to decide on medicine?
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What do you do for fun? (all 3 asked me this question)
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Tell me about yourself. (grrrr) Describe your research. Describe your experience abroad. Why OHSU? Where else did you apply. What is the greatest problem facing healthcare?
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Who has had the greatest impact on your life? What is your greatest accomplishment? What is your greatest failure? What do you wish you could change about medicine?
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What was the happiest moment of your life?
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What was the most disappointing moment of your life (do you sense a pattern here? there were a lot of "superlative moment" questions, which, in my relatively short life, I hadn't really given values to yet... until these interviews!!)
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What was the saddest moment of your life?
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What authors did you read in your US Literature courses?
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What did you learn getting your BA in English Literature?
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Why the transition from literature to medicine?
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What type of doctor? Who do you want to serve?
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What is something that you are really passionate about?
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What was your greatest disappointment?
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Why medicine?
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Describe someone in your life to me so that I would completely know them if I met them.
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Tell me three strengths and three weaknesses and explain them.
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What is the main impression of you that you want me to take away from this interview.
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Tell me about some of your biggest disappointments and how you overcame them.
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What are obstacles have you overcome in your life and how did you do that.
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After graduating from medical school, do you think you will do your residency in a private practice or a public practice? Why?
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Tell me about the most stressfull experience you have ever had, and how you delt with it
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What is your past medical experience? Why did you choose to participate in those activities?
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Do you think you have to be arrogant to want to be a doctor?
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What do you like about OHSU?
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Why did you volunteer at X homeless shelter? What did you learn from the people you served?
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What books have you read lately?
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What can you bring to OHSU?
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You're a medical student in a clinic, and a 16 year old girl approaches you, tells you she's pregnant and wants an abortion. What do you do?
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Do you work well in groups/teams? Are you a leader?
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Let's assume that you're accepted to multiple schools. How will you decide which school to attend? This was a particularly hard one, since OHSU is NOT my first choice, and yet I've heard repeatedly that being open about such a thing is a huge black mark on your application. I tried to be as honest as possible while still making it sound like I would lean towards OHSU.
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What do you most like about your job? What do you like least? How do you handle that [what I like least]?
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Having been a non-science major in college, are you concerned that you will have difficulty in the first and second years of medical school?
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What was the hardest time during your undergraduate and post-graduate experience? What would you have changed, and what did you learn from it?
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Why OHSU? Is the school your first choice?
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Difficulty you faced and how you overcame it?
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What do you believe strong in?
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Why medicine? Why not another profession?
What was the most interesting question?
Students said the most interesting question asked at Oregon Health & Sciences University School of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, including personal experiences, favorite books, specific application details, ethical scenarios, and future career aspirations. While some interviews were conversational and low-key, others delved into healthcare policies, cultural differences, patient interactions, and personal reflections, with a few interviews focusing on the MMI format and potential nondisclosure agreements.
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Asked me questions that were directly related to my life story - it felt like they took the time to review all the information in my file and were interested in what I had to say.
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None were specifically interesting
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She asked very specific questions regarding my application and essays, which made it very easy to talk about details and personal experiences!
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"What is your favorite book and why?"
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The scenario with the doctors way of discussing parenting with a new mother.
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Specific question about background showing how close they read your file.
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Question specific to my research project.
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Tell me about a time you felt misjudged by somebody, and how you responded to that situation?
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What books have you read with meaningful themes? What were the ideas in the book that stuck with you?
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Tell me about this quote from your essay.
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Not so much a question, as talking more in-depth about the specific and changing health care issues being faced by military veterans and how OHSU/the VA is dealing with them (interviewer is an MD at the VA hospital).
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Not a specific question, but the general conversation about how to balance life and a career in medicine was interesting and encouraging.
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Tell me about _____ on your application.
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What do you think is the best solution to the health care problem?
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Why do you think some geographical regions charge more for a medical service versus other regions?
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How will you resond to a patient that does not agree with your diagnosis?
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Why do you think you would be a good fit for OHSU?
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Not a question, but the interviewer started the interview by speaking to me in the foreign language I speak.
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What was it like working with ______ people.
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Question #3
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What are the benefits/disadvantages of social vs. private medicine?
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Given your broad interests, how will you focus down on a very specific thesis for the MPH part of your combined degree?
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Were there any cultural differences that shocked you when you moved to the States?
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Do you think women have a tougher time being taken seriously in medicine than men?
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What do you know about the pitfalls of being a doctor? Did your father try to push you away from a career in medicine (dad is a physician)
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Who are three people you'd invite to dinner?
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What did you learn in your Peace Corps experience that you will apply to the way that you practice medicine? What did ____ experience teach you that will make you a better doctor?
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How would you compare the US and Canadian health systems?
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What do you like to do in your free time?
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What will be the most challenging thing for you as a physician.
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Every question I got was completely standard, no curve balls, ethics questions, healthcare policy questions, behavioral questions; we basically just talked about my application.
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How do you feel about moving to an area with less ethnic diversity?
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What is your interest in public health?
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Tell me about an unethical event you've witnessed. (Or something similar)
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As you probably know, there are a lot of people in the United States who don't have health insurance and are unable to pay for their medical care, what are your thoughts on this?
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Where do you think the US healthcare system will be in 10 years?
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Describe one person in your life so that if I met them yesterday I would already know them.
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So classically the strongest correlation for Med School performance is Organic Chemistry, do you have anything you would like to say about your second semester grade? (Gulp?)
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Choose someone close to you- family member or friend- and describe them so if I were in a crowd of people I could pick them out.
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Which health care system is the best (internationally)?
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What weaknesses would your family/friends point out about you, and would you agree or disagree with them?
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every question was pretty straight forward about my file
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Before my first interviewer started asking me questions, he asked me to interview him for as long or as little as I wanted to so ''we could be on a level playing field.'' Not expected, but an interesting way to get the ball rolling.
-
Why are Harry Potter books so appealing?
-
What book influenced me the most and why?
-
Most of them were pretty standard and related to my AMCAS essay.
-
Tell me about your family.
-
Don't recall.
-
Is it ethically alright for doctors to turn down uninsured patients?
-
What types of patients puch your buttons? (I'm and EMT)
-
what is a positive and negative experience you've had with a patient and how did you deal with it?
-
What do think the role of social support and spirituality are in health and medicine?
-
don't remember the specifics my interviews were very conversational and low-key.
-
What book, article, poem, etc. influenced your decision to become a physician?
-
Tell me specifically how you see your life 10 years from now, given that you are out of residency and practicing.
-
How can a patient ''push your buttons?'' How do you respond?
-
How do you feel about being around students with viewpoints that are different from your own?
-
What will you do if you don't get in? We often take older students and many people have to reapply.
-
How would you allocate health care resources according to global need?
-
tell me about how you have combined your hobbies with your desire to pursue medicine.
-
Why not complete your Ph.D.? After giving my answer he then followed up by telling me he thought I was wrong.
-
What did X experience teach you about yourself?
-
What do you think about the Bush administration. Guess it's that time of year.
-
what role do you think spirituality plays in the work of a physician/healer?
-
I don't remember the specifics. Mainly I was asked personal stuff about what I like to do, why medicine, why OHSU, etc. There were no ethical or policy questions.
-
How were your leadership experiences different between working with your peers and leading enlisted troops?
-
"In the past 25 years that I have been here, Ive noticed that the students seem to be getting a lot more serious. Do you think this is a good thing?"
-
How does a person with my ethnic background get involved in a non-profit organization that deals with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? What side am I on? (both of my interviewers asked questions about this activity so know your actvities!). I was also asked about my volunteer work in helping to build a sweatlodge at a state park. My interviewer knew a lot about this tradition.
-
How would you be different as a person if you never had to go through experience X?
-
What is it you teach missionaries? (follow up question about my teaching spanish in a missionary training center)
-
Explain the difference between a nurse, a nurse practitioner, and a physician.
-
How should we maintain a standard of professionalism amongst medical students?
-
What is one thing about yourself you regret and what would you change about it?
-
What do you think will be your biggest challenge in ten years (assuming you get into medical school and are a practicing physician)?
-
What is something you will bring to the class that no one else will be able to?
-
would i go back and practice in my home town
-
What did you think of the health care in (country where I studied abroad)?
-
Describe a time when you did not meet someones expectations.
-
Give me you best bad joke.
-
Asked a lot about why I want to be a doc and what qualities I thought made the best MD.
-
An immigrant from Southeast Asia is found to have a malignant tumor that will cause him to die in 12-24 months. He refuses to have treatment. What do you do? After I answered the question, the interviewer explained how it was an experience he had.
-
After basically chatting with me for an hour, the interviewer said, "I need to ask you one hard question, describe a time when you showed leadership."
-
What is your opinion on the Canadian health care system?
-
Why do you feel you need an MPH?
-
none really
-
Tell me about your family?
-
What was the time of your life when you were happiest? What was the most difficult time of your life?
-
What qualities does it take to be a good medical student?
-
So there's a lot of construction going on here... if you get hit by a dump truck while crossing the street today, what would you want your epitaph to read? (yeah, I thought it was morbid too)
-
Have you had a personal experience with death in a healthcare setting?
-
What is your favorite book?
-
What book have you read that taught you the most about people
-
Role models, etc.
-
If you had to do a breakdown of your time, how much time would you dedicte in your career to research and how much time would you dedicate to patients and why?
-
Nothing too surprising came up--I had an interesting conversation with my last interviewer about Oregon' Death with Dignity Act and abortion (I work in a clinic that provides them, he had experience performing them, so it was a pretty friendly conversation and not a debate)
-
How will you balance your career, family, and other responsibilites when you are a physician?
-
How do you feel about the need to increase medical school enrollment?
-
What do you think is the worst problem with healthcare today. Why do you think this. How would you change this?
-
greatest problem in healthcare, which was followed by an interesting discussion on access to care.
-
What is your opion on cutting? (the public health issue - people cutting themselves based on emotional distress)
-
What do you think of Oregon's environmental policies regarding salmon? (shit....uh....)
-
Tell me about your childhood- asked by my second interviewer and without preamble. I had no idea what I "should" say so I just blabbed on. I wondered if something in my app had given the impression that I had a bad childhood, but I talked to someone else who was interviewed by the same person and she, too, was asked this question. IN FACT- she was asked the exact same questions I was.
-
Physicians today have reported less satisfaction in their profession than a decade ago, why do you think this is? What external factors would you guess are responsible for this?
-
List four things you would like to change about yourself.
-
What did you learn about yourself by reading book X?
-
Describe a patient you came into contact with in ____ clinical experience
-
Who/what has had the greatest influence in your decision to pursue medicine?
-
questions were all straight off the application, but it had the feel of a closed file interview because all were conversations.
-
How do you deal with people in difficult situations? (this question stems from my having worked at a homeless shelter)
-
Who has had the greatest impact on your life?
-
See most difficult question.
-
What did getting your BA in English Literature teach you? Both interviewers avoided the stereotypical interview questions and, from my essays, generated questions that were aimed at assessing my personality, history, conversational style, and interests. Both interviewers were relaxed, gregarious, and informative.
-
What makes you laugh?
-
Discuss a time when I was the most happy and also the most sad.
-
What experiences do you think helped you become the independant and self-assured person you are today?
-
How do you feel that you deal with violence and verbal agression
-
Do you think physicians should be required to complete service committments in underserved areas?
-
Nothing stands out.
-
Have you read any Harry Potter books?
-
They didn't ask anything really all that interesting, really. Most of the questions were clarifications of my history (where/when/why I went to school, what I've done since graduating).
-
What was the most memorable patient you've had and why?
-
Nothing too terribly interesting...
-
Would you parent a non-compliant pt (strict reprimansion)?
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at Oregon Health & Sciences University School of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, including personal motivations for pursuing medicine, ethical dilemmas in patient care, scenarios involving conflicts or challenging situations, and inquiries about career goals and future plans. Several respondents mentioned facing an MMI format with acting scenarios, while others highlighted questions related to professionalism, strengths and weaknesses, and the integration of public health with medicine, indicating a comprehensive evaluation process that may have involved a nondisclosure agreement.
-
Tell us about a time you helped someone from a different background than you succeed.
-
Why do you want to be a Dr - just a personally hard question for me.
-
None particularly difficult
-
The scenario with the choice of what to buy with the funds raised.
-
MMI; acting scenario was rough and akward
-
A lot of people seemed skeptical of what I was doing research wise. Bringing print outs of my work really helped.
-
It was very conversational and all of the questions were personal or standard.
-
Define professionalism? What's the difference between art and illustration? Is there a place for ambition and competition in a clinical setting?
-
What kind of people are doctors? What kind of people are nurses?
-
What was the hardest thing you have ever been through?
-
What is the hardest question you have ever been asked? and how did you answer it (of course)
-
They were all pretty standard questions with nothing surprising
-
The MPH specific interview was rigorous. Come prepared with an excellent understanding of the epi/biostats track and a concrete idea of how you will use it in the future, as well as well-developed ideas on public health in general, how it intersects with medicine and how you will balance the two throughout school and in your practice of medicine.
-
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
-
So, you want to go into medicine for selfish reasons....?
-
Adversity question
-
None were very difficult or unexpected.
-
Tell me of a situation in one of your clinic experiences where conflict arose and how you dealt with it?
-
How would you recommend alleviating the shortage of primary care doctors in the U.S.?
-
"Do you want to have children in the future?"
-
If you are accepted to so many other programs why are you interested in OHSU
-
As long as you come prepared knowing yourself and your application well, it shouldn't be too bad.
-
What does it mean to be a professional?
-
What are the weaknesses and strengths to your application?
-
What do you see as the most challenging period of your life?
-
I know what the strengths of OHSU are, what do you think are its weaknesses? (this was tough b/c hadn't thought of them in advance and had to try not to completely bash the school...)
-
Are you sure you want a joint MD/MPH in Epi/Biostats? Felt as if the interviewer was trying very hard to convince me that this was not the right program for me.
-
Sell me on the fact that you have enough clinical experience to have a realistic pictures of medical practice.
-
Why didn't you do any basic science research in undergrad?
-
see above
-
n/a
-
How do you handle criticism?
-
Are you sure you want to do the MD/MPH?
-
None, most questions were open-ended questions asking me to elaborate on things I wrote about in my application.
-
What will you do if you don't get in? What if you don't get in next year or the year after or the year after that?
-
If you could invite 3 people, past, present or fictional, who would they be and why?
-
What are your teaching experiences? (I have none)
-
What are you parents political views? (Um?) / What are you political views?
-
What are three traits you think are important for a doctor to have and describe how you portray these.
-
How do you balance the economic demands of medicine as business and the needs of your patients?
-
How will you deal with terminally ill patients? It wasn't a difficult question, my interviewer just worded it strangely and had to rephrase the question halfway through my answer. I started talking about patient care at the end of life, but she instead wanted to know how I would personally feel when dealing with death.
-
How would you fix the health-care system?
-
what would you contribute to this medical school?
-
1) What is the precedent on all types of suicide inherited from British Common law? 2) Do you know what the word Revenant means? 3) In what way do Don Quixote and the Iliad share themes?
-
1) What does ''the humanities'' mean to you? 2) What do we gain from studying history? 3) I was asked to discuss several literary novels I've read and was asked to critically analyze them in various ways. 4) What do you understand about caregiver burden? 5) What do you learn about a patient as you translate for them (I'm a medical interpreter)? Probably 8-10 more difficult questions. Loved this interview because it was really challenging and interesting.
-
What I thought the biggest challenge would be while in medical school and how I would overcome it.
-
Why, exactly, do you feel that you would make a good doctor?
-
Why didn't you apply to the MD/MPH program?
-
What is your weakness?
-
(After talking about my experience preceptoring in the ER) If you worked in an emergency room and a man came in and had a broken femur that may need an overnight stay, but was being arrested on drunken driving charges and manslaughter, what is the doctor's role in this situation? How should ethics play a role in this situation?
-
None really, the questions were very conversational.
-
what are your strengths and weaknesses as a leader
-
How would you cope with a major life change during school? Like what if your husband or parents were to die during this time?... caught me a little off guard.
-
don't remember the specifics...
-
What book, article, poem, etc. influenced your decision to become a physician?
-
Why do you want to provide medical care in other countries when there are already plenty of problems here in the U.S.?
-
What are the advantages to doing an MPH in conjunction with med school as opposed to before med school or after med school?
-
Will you be able to take orders from residents who are 10 years younger than you? (I'm an older-than-average applicant.) How do you answer that without your answer sounding canned?
-
Is there anything you want me to know about that isn't on your application?
-
Questions about my gender identity. They were not out of context, but I wasn't expecting them to be quite that blunt, despite listing lots of GLBT and trans activism on my activities sheet.
-
Imagine yourself 10 years from now. You're practicing medicine. Tell me, exactly, what you're doing. [Searching for a clinical description.]
-
how can you/do you plan to make differences on a large-scale concerning health policy?
-
See above.
-
What do you think of people?
-
What is your greatest weakness?
-
strengths/weaknesses- i hate that one
-
Explain how you are well-rounded.
-
Because I have a strong research background, the interviewer asked why I had not applied for the MD/pHD program.
-
What do you see yourself doing in X years? (I got caught off guard with this one so I ended up rambling a little bit).
-
What would you do as a missionary if you tried to teach someone and they said they were already satisfied with their religion and were happy where they were?
-
None were difficult.
-
Looking back on your personal experience with medical doctors, what should have your doctors done differently for you?
-
How do you measure personal success?
-
Nothing too hard, mostly asked about my life so far and how the things that I had done (work, volunteering, shadowing) had affected my decision to go into medicine.
-
Same as above
-
talk about a time that i didn't meet someone's expectations
-
None
-
Above.
-
What was the specific event that convinced you to go into medicine? He wasn't satisfied with my answer of volunteer work in emergency department and asked for the specific patient.
-
See above, or what relevant clinical experience I have. The interviewer seemed like they wanted more after I gave them my experience, which made this question difficult.
-
My second interviewer was a dooshbag! He grilled me for almost the whole interview on healthcare economics. WHen I said what I thought should be done about our system, he it wouldn't work and waited for another answer. Just looking at him, you could tell he was cocky and was a jerk! Just didn't even care to know me and see why I thought I would be a good doc
-
Why do you want to be a doctor instead of a nurse or some other health professional? I just hadn't really prepared for that question.
-
How do you think you will manage medical school and your family obligations?
-
tell me about XXXXX disease (i had written a paper on it 2 years ago). so i start telling him what i found in the literature back then, and he interrupts and negates every thing i found that was published. then tells me that he is the world's foremost expert on this disease. i replied that maybe i should be asking him these questions then, not the other way around. just seemed like he wanted to trap/make others feel inadequate.
-
How did you "find yourself" during college?
-
How did your father's death affect you? (no kidding...)
-
how many schools did you apply to? which schools have already accepted you?
-
What is your proposal to fix the problem of having rural underserved populations?
-
If an IV drug user gets one heart transplant,and then keeps using drugs so that she has to get a second heart transplant, and then goes into rehab and does well for a year but reverts back to drug use and needs a third transplant...what do you do?
-
Nothing too hard
-
see question 1 below
-
None. I thought every single question was easy to answer.
-
Why are you so convinced that you want to pursue the field of research that you mentioned in your application? Why not X? Or Y? Or Z? (Somehow my answers just didn't seem to please my interviewer)
-
Why not wait and do an MPH after you are out of school and have more experience and a better idea of what interests you?
-
What did you learn about people from "The Iliad" (i read that book about 10 years ago)
-
"Have you ever done any benchtop work?" Since I consider what I have done every day for the last 3 years benchtop, I didn't really have an answer. Especially since I started with bentop cancer research eight years ago.
-
If you had to choose between doing an MD or a PhD. which one would you do and why?
-
I really wasn't asked anything too difficult
-
Talk to me about the current healthcare situation, how is it changing, how will it change, and what can we do about it.
-
What do you look for in a medical school? (I felt like I wasn't giving the right answers)
-
what are your 3 greatest strengths/weaknesses?
-
What is the difference between a room full of qualified MD's and MPH's and a room full of qualified MD/MPH's (what can one group accomplish the other couldn't)
-
What do you see as the biggest problem with healthcare in the U.S.? How about internationally?
-
What is the most difficult thing you have ever had to deal with and what resources did you use to do so? Where do you see yourself in ten years, specifically? (the interviewer was insistant that I be specific -- including in what city, which was diffiult for me as I honestly don't know, and don't really want a rigid plan)
-
What most affected your decision to go into medicine? Even though this question is routine, I always find it difficult to give a succinct, non gimicky answer.
-
There are millions of uninsured people in our country, how as a physician would you help them on a personal level? How as a member of the medical community would you help them on a policy level?
-
List four things you would like to change about yourself.
-
What can be done to improve health care in Oregon and nationally?
-
No questions were difficult at all. No hypotheticals or ethical questions, just straightforward questions about who I am and what I want to do.
-
One interviewer read a paragraph out of a newspaper article and asked me to comment on it. It was about funding in teaching hospitals vs other hospitals. It caught me off gaurd and I didn't even get to see the title of the article, let alone read it myself.
-
What is a problem that you see with medicine today and what should be done about it?
-
What is the greatest problem facing health care today and what would you do to change it?
-
My entire MPH interview was difficult. I felt unprepared, mostly because of the narrow tracks they offer.
-
Why do you want to pick up an MPH degree? The interviewer pressed me pretty hard to justify myself on this one, and I know another MD/MPH interviewee felt hard-pressed too. See #3 on the questions below.
-
Describe a difficult situation you had with someone. What did you learn and what would you do differently?
-
Describe someone that you know in a way so that I could get a good picture of who they are.
-
Probably the same question as above. Wasn't really prepared for that, and how do you distill a four year degree into an interview format?
-
About a mistake I made during Freshman year of college.
-
What should be done about the increasing costs of medical technology?
-
When was a time I was misjudged and given less credit than I deserved?
-
Don't you think that your parents' divorce was a difficult obstacle to overcome? (I had a really nosy phsych interviewer - I thought he got a little too personal).
-
Explain to me the past 30 years of Alzheimers research (I had written a paper on it two years ago....)
-
What weaknesses will you have to work on as a physician?
-
What part of your shadowing experience gave you the most positive impression of a career in medicine?
-
Nothing really, as both the interviews were very conversational rather than firing range.
-
Imagine that you're a 2nd year medical student, and you catch a classmate blatantly cheating on an exam. What would you do? The difficult thing about the question was that I felt (perhaps erroneously) like the interviewer was looking for a specific answer, something like "I would confront the student, ask if he needed help studying and tell him that if he did it again, I would turn him in" (not what I answered).
-
No stumpers here. What ethical issues do you feel are the most important today?
-
Nothing too terribly difficult. But we did talk about the Oregon Health Plan (I'm not from Oregon).
-
None were difficult, just some required thought
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of more than 50 minutes.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 2 people.
What was the style of the interview?
Most respondents had a one-on-one interview.
What type of interview was it?
Most respondents had an open file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at the school.
📍 On-Site Experience ▼
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents rank the facilities as below average.
What were your total hours spent traveling?
Most respondents spent 0-1 hour traveling to the interview.
What was your primary mode of travel?
Most respondents traveled by automobile to the interview.
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
Most respondents spent less than $100.
What airport did you fly into?
Respondents who flew to the interview generally used Portland International Airport (PDX)
-
sea
-
n/a
-
PDX on Horizon Air
-
PDX
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Friends or family or with friends or family.
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
-
four points sheraton
-
Travelodge
-
The Inn at Marquam Hill Bed and Breakfast
-
The Inn at Marquam Hill
-
Sheraton in Downtown Portland
-
Portland Northwest Hostel
-
Marriot Downtown
-
Mark Spencer
-
Inn at Marquam Hill
-
Homesuites
-
HI NW Hostel
-
Double Tree Lloyd Center
-
DeLux
-
4 points sheraton
How would you rate the hotel?
Most respondents rated their hotel as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
Most respondents would recommend their hotel.
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What are your comments on where you stayed?
No responses
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by practicing mock interviews, reviewing application materials, reading about healthcare policies, and discussing current medical topics with peers. They also utilized resources like SDN, school websites, and books on healthcare to enhance their interview readiness.
-
mock interviews, video practice, sdn questions
-
made an extensive list of interview questions, asked mutuals at the school for interview advice, and practiced.
-
Read a book about MMIs and reviewed my application.
-
Practice interviews, read The Healthcare Handbook to review health policy, and read both and interview and MMI prep book from amazon.
-
Practice MMI (this was very helpful and I highly recommend it)
-
Multiple med students said there's no real way to prepare for MMI except to know about current healthcare events and relax. Don't practice scenarios, it will only stress you out.
-
Practice a lot of interview questions and form opinions on current events and medical topics.
-
Reading online scenarios and making sure I know my application well.
-
Practice interviews and read questions.
-
I re-read my AMCAS and secondary application.
-
See USC-interview prep
-
Read about health care policy and reviewed application.
-
Other interviews at other schools.
-
SDN, Healthcare reform, Mock interview at PSU career center
-
SDN job experience and medical school website
-
Review my personal statement
-
SDN feedback, spoke with current MD and MPH students, mock interview at PSU career center (highly recommend!)
-
Sample interview questions, reviewed application, interview-related reading.
-
Reading ethics books, NY Times Health section, mock interviews with friends, re-read applications.
-
Went over application, read about the school online, spoke with current students
-
NEJM
-
Reviewed primary/secondary applications, reviewed healthcare reform, SDN
-
Online resources and mock interviews
-
Read about school, talked with friends involved in the school.
-
Read policy papers, was up to date on all news, especially with state finances and educational financing, and tort cap reform. Otherwise, standard interview prep.
-
SDN, re-read my applications, job interviews, spoke to friends, read up a bit on the school
-
SDN, re-read application, practiced interview questions with friends.
-
Read over application, research articles, school website
-
SDN, practice interviews with med students
-
SDN. OHSU's website. Talked to previous interviewees.
-
looked over my app, sdn, etc
-
Read SDN questions and wrote responses, read articles on health policy, etc.
-
read SDN, talked to current students
-
Read SDN, talked to current med students, watched videos online about Oregon politics/healthcare.
-
SDN, talking to med students
-
Read about Portland and OHSU online.
-
SDN interview feedback, looked over my secondary and primary.
-
Practice interviews, read SDN, read over application, study, study, study. (same for all schools!)
-
AMCAS app, secondary app and read a book on how to interview.
-
SDN, Read AMCAS and Secondary Statements, Website, Review Current Issues in Healthcare
-
Read about healthcare reform online, mock interviews, reviewed application.
-
Read website (not really helpful), SDN, listened to intro. at actual interview
-
Reading books about the field of medicine, had my father cook me a killer breakfast
-
SDN, read ''The Medical School Interview'' by Jeremiah Fleenor, read part of ''Healthcare Meltdown'' by Bob Lebow, practice interviews with med student friends
-
sdn, ohsu website, review application
-
reviewed secondary, amcas, sdn
-
SDN, My app, their website
-
SDN, review my file, talked with physicians, read books on health care system
-
the usual
-
SDN, use my imagination and think of possible scenarios and questions in my head.
-
Practiced general questions with friend and watched a DVD about it. SDN
-
School's website, my application, current articles in the press.
-
Forums, read the news, bioethics discussions & took notes from previous interviews.
-
Reviewed my application materials and read up on current health issues in Oregon.
-
SDN, looked over my application, read up on healthcare issues. I knew going in that OHSU interviewers tend to ask healthcare related questions.
-
Reviewed my application and the med school website.
-
chilled the night before
-
SDN, interview feedback, talked to current students, looked at all of the materials that I sent to the school.
-
SDN and a mock interview with a professor
-
I reviewed the information sent in the inerview packet, I read up on OHP and the American health care crisis, and I also rehearsed questions from SDN.
-
All my other interviews were MD only so I prepared by answering the question, Why MPH?
-
SDN, AMCAS+secondary, ''Redefining Healthcare'' by Porter and Teisburg; reviewed the (Ron) Wyden Health Plan.
-
This site.
-
I work for OHSU and have lived in Portland all my life (except for college). This was also my fifth interview, so I didn't prepare except for reading the info they sent me.
-
SDN, AMCAS application, MSAR info, OHSU website
-
this site
-
SDN interview feedback, and reading about Oregon Health Care, and OHSU website
-
SDN, schools website, newspaper articles
-
Looked over SDN, interview feedback, OHSU's website, and my file.
-
chilled
-
I read the school's woefully dated website.
-
I read this Web site, newspapers, NIH MedLine Plus news briefs, and much, much more. All of this turned out to be of no use for the interviews.
-
Mock interview, SDN
-
Read primary AMCAS, secondary essays, interview feedback, sleep, and a hearty breakfast.
-
School's website, SDN, other interviews
-
Mock interview, studied questions from SDN
-
Read over interview feedback on SDN.
-
Read SDN, read AMCAS and secondary info, talked to current students.
-
news sources, Healthcare policy book, practice interview, SDN
-
This was interview #8
-
SDN, read over my research, read about current events (didn't wind up really needing to do this).
-
SDN, re-read application, previous interview experience
-
i read up on current events and oregon's health system but i didn't get any related questions
-
I have had a couple of other interviews, read the OHSU website, talked with the student I stayed with.
-
Read about the school. Try to relax and be warm.
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This website and previous interviews.
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SDN, a long weekend at Portland and the school, the website was not very helpful.
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Worked at OHSU so knew it pretty well. I think SDN is good, their website is good too. Read up on Oregon Health Plan.
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Practice interview with pre-med advisor. Studied up on health policy isssue unique to Oregon, like the OHP and the death with dignitiy act.
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SDN, UWSOM bioethics site, reviewed my application paperwork
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read OHP, SDN, my forms, extensive research on PAS and euthanasia
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SDN Feedback, review of my application, spoke with friends already at the school
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this site, previous prep for other interviews
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sdn, read secondary
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SDN, prior interviews, website, current students
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Reread my file. Looking over their website. Read some med ethics and so health care articles pertinent to Oregon.
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This website, practice interviews
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read SDN, reviewed my application
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Re-read my application, essays, browsed interview feedback, and read "As Sick as it Gets".
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OHSU website, read up on literature (scientific), SDN
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AMCAS, OHSU website, review secondary application, etc
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SDN, read app
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Slept early, looked at personal statement
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SDN, OHSU website
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Read about the schools through their website, SDN and looked over my secondary.
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mock interview, read over OHSU's website and AMCAS, read up on the oregon health plan
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It was # 6 for me so I didn't prepare much. Read the ohsu website.
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Read OHSU website, my application, SDN
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I read this website, read about public health issues and bioethics
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Student doctor. Went over answers to numerous possible questions. To my surprise, many of the questions were asked. Study my application and went over exactly why I want to become a doctor and what life experiences have helped me to get there.
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i didn't have time to do much. basically skimmed the OHSU website & my ps.
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talked to an advisor, talked to med student friends, wrote an answer outline (points I wanted to hit etc.)
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Mock interviews, several hours.
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Looked over website, my secondary, read Oregonian ( local paper) SDN
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SDN, did alot of thinking
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Read website, application
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Reviewed my application. Reviewed sites like this. Mock interviews. Reviewed Oregon's health care plan.
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Talked to students at the school. Reviewed interview feedback. Thought about my answers.
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Read my application, healthcare book, read OHSU SOM website (I had done enough interviews at this point that I didn't need to do much)
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Read this site, and the OHSU webpage.
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SDN, reviewed my own file
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Read about school (though their website is of limited help); SDN; read over application and old notes from a related class.
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read app, ethics issues.
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OHSU website, SDN, kept up on politics & health care news.
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Read-up on the Oregon Health Plan. Read about the school on their website. Looked through the other feedback posts.
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Re-read my personal essays, many sample questions, and mock interviews.
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Read over the info they sent me. Talked to people I stayed with in Portland
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Read interview feedback, looked at OHSU website, read about Oregon's Death With Dignity Act.
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SDN, read up on OHP, talked to current med students, practiced answering common interview questions with friends
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Read AMCAS, looked over notes from previous interviews. Abstained from coffee that morning!
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SDN, OHSU website, practiced answering obvious questions...and obviously should have re-read my Alzheimers paper...but I didnt....
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Mock interview, talked to med student friends at OHSU, read application guides, SDN, thought about potential questions, read application essay.
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Talked to a few current OHSU students, read interview feedback.
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Read this site, read up on OHP guidelines and other specific to oregon information.
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Read interview feedback, tried to relax. I figured that my experience would speak for itself, which I believe that it did (for the most part, the interviews both went smoothly).
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Reviewed my application, Oregon Health Plan guidelines, and viewed OHSU's website.
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I read up on the Oregon Health Plan and Death with Dignity Act. I also gathered as much info as I could on OHSU but their website is pretty bad.
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Reflected on why I wanted to be a doctor and thought about answers to frequently asked interview questions.
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were most impressed by the friendly and supportive staff, faculty, and students at the school. They appreciated the collaborative and positive atmosphere, the emphasis on early clinical exposure, the beautiful campus location in Portland, and the innovative curriculum, which includes a focus on primary care and flexibility in scheduling. Suggestions were made for continued growth and support for students, as well as praise for the school's facilities and community.
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the staff organizing the interview day were incredibly helpful and accomadating. the volunteers who ran the MMIs were pleasant and cheerful as well.
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the student panel at the end of the interview day
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How friendly the faculty members were and the person in charge of interviews was on top of their stuff.
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The interviewer was genuinely kind and supportive. They came off the bat with a compliment about my application and set the tone in a positive way.
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Admissions support staff is kind and very helpful
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The facilities seem very nice. I like the pass/no pass system and that exams are on Fridays so you do not have to study over weekends. I like that they try to give students as much leeway as possible to explore their interests and make mistakes while in class without negatively impacting their grades too significantly.
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The collaborative environment, the great research, and especially how much current students LOVED the program
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Everyone was so nice.
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My interviewer took the time to read and understand my application/essays
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The kindness of my one-on-one interviewer
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The facility where you will learn also has classes for dental and nursing students. Seemed very collaborative and friendly.
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The new medical school curriculum.
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The interview with very laid back and low stress.
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The interviewer knew my file inside and out and asked very specific questions which allowed me to showcase my experiences on a deeper level.
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The facilities and the research.
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MMI format
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med students were happy to speak with interviewees, even if they just saw us walking around during the self-tour
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The admissions staff is extremely nice and sensitive to the fact that we were nervous about the MMI format.
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The faculty members who interviewed me seem to be very accessible and interested in my success. The PCM curriculum sounds fantastic whereby first year gets to develop clinical skills very early on. The rural medicine clerkship requirement also allows students to experience how our health care system works at a community hospital where 3rd years apparently might get the chance to take on significant patient care responsibility due to the absence of higher-ranking residents.
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Great clinical training
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The students were very positive and the school seemed to foster a genuine collaborative atmosphere.
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The friendliness and honesty of the interview.
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The interviewers were very friendly and relaxed.
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The interviews were very conversational and it felt like they were trying recruit me.
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Friendliness of my interviewers.
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The time and energy each interviewer put into the interview and prep - it was obvious that had read file/essays and each had specific, well thought out questions. Friendliness of staff and current students, sweet bike rack room, awesome fitness center on the waterfront.
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Interviewers were honest and engaging. It was actually a pleasure to be interviewed by both.
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OHSU is a research and clinical powerhouse. Portland is an awesome, affordable city.
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No attitudes from people, everyone was very open and friendly. The campus is beautiful and there are a lot of great things happening there.
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Emphasis on recruiting non-traditional student
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Great clinical preparation, beautiful location, Gym/Wellness center is amazing, friendly staff and students, preceptorship starting first year, Rural electives
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Portland and the school's friendliness
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One of my interviewers language skills!
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Some of the buildings are pretty nice (not the ones you have class in though)
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Great curriculum, probably the friendliest medical school faculty ever, awesome city, friendly classmates.
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Portland is a great city. The people (faculty, staff and students), the new waterside campus, curriculum.
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How nice everyone was
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Friendliness and happiness of other med students.
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Beatiful campus, cool gondola/elevator between hospital and clinics, nice gym
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The curriculum (block schedule, focus on one subject at a time, only 4 hours of class per day--2 lecture, 2 small groups). Also the tremendous clinical exposure starting the second week of school. The people, the city, the gym.
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The interviewers know your file very well and genuinely seem interested in what you've done.
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How the students seemed so positive about the school, the school's reputation around the country, how the school makes a concerted effort to create a friendly environment, the amazing gym.
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curriculum, students, clinical facilities, VERY friendly and helpful staff in admissions/deans office. Beautiful city.
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Laid back, non-competitive atmosphere. Great curriculum. Friendly staff. Prime location. Lot's of freedom for basic science years.
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The students. The gym and the tram.
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Portland is an incredible city, the location of the campus is beautiful.
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Location is very very beautiful and facilities are very good. Portland is awesome, the people are extremely nice, and it really is a modern city embedded in natural beauty. School is really big on making sure you also get to live life outside of medical school. Powell's bookstore is awesome!
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Beautiful campus/structure. Integrated curriculum seems great. Students seem happy.
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The city of Portland. The location of the school. Residency match success rate. Most importantly the two doctors that I interviewed with--extremely welcoming and informative.
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The degree to which my interviewers knew my application.
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Positivity of current students.
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The city of Portland is beautiful, but very cold! They are building a lot of new facilities, which means that they are expanding.
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The amount of change the school was going through, resilliance in the face of huge funding cuts, a very forward looking program.
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Many students mentioned the sense of community and teamwork within the school of medicine.
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the hospital facilities are concentrated tightly together; the positive vibes from the current medical students; the apparent growth of the med school program
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the really nice, brand new gym
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Very nice views, plus great public transportation
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OHSU has a great location on the hill in Portland- it is really beautiful. Everyone was extremely nice- not intimidating at all.
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Great facilities, awesome people, cool faculty, happy students
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Excellent primary care focus and clinical years are amazing. The match list is impressive, many end up in OHSU. Early clinical exposure.
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The number of medical students we had to ask questions.
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Portland is a great city! Great public transportation, and the school is almost finished with a bunch of new construction. Their graduates are ranked very highly in terms of clinical skills, and students seemed to really like both the school and the area.
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Positive atmosphere, attractive buildings (the labs even have windows!) pleasant students and much better facilities than their competition UW.
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The genuine character of the students and faculty. The campus is utterly gorgeous and breath-taking!
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The clinical facilities are top notch. Great opportunities and really laid back and nice faculty.
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I really enjoyed one of my interviews. The interviewer was very supportive and had a lot of good tips.
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Nice hospital facilities, Portland, hella hot chicks in my interview group :)
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The campus is beautiful but a little inaccessible from the other parts of the city.
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Facilities are A+. The students seem very happy here. There are lots of opportunities to interact with other classes and schools. The curriculum is one of the best that I have seen in terms of scheduling (mornings only, mostly). Lots of clinical experience early on in PCM.
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The campus can be confusing but they did an excellent job of providing specific details on how to get to our interview locations. The student are relaxed
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The location is beautiful on the hill and living in Portland would be amazing, the students are very enthusiastic and excited about going to OHSU. The class schedule isn't overly demanding and the facilities are top rate. The students don't seem to be cut-throat competitive, The faculty and staff are very friendly and seemed very interested in giving their students the best education and the best experience possible. The school appears to set its student up to be very well trained and higly sought after for residency programs.
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The chill people and the abundance of outdoor activities. Portland is a progressive city. I walked around a bit in downtown. The tram is awesome, very innovative. The water saving option on toilets at the airport. I am impressed with the city's efforts to conserve. Students as well as interviewers all seemed very happy and relaxed.
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Interviewer had clearly read my file (no grades or MCAT scores) and was able to structure intelligent questions based on it.
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The facilities are beautiful and so is the surrounding area. Portland seems really cool. I stayed with a student host, and she was awesome. The class I sat in on was very interesting, and it seemed like most students attended lectures. Everyone seemed to like it there. My interviewers were both very nice, interesting people and I had great chemistry with them both. There is a huge emphasis on clinical experience, starting the second week of classes.
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Having classes in blocks, so you don't have to take multiple exams at once. The students cooperate instead of compete. There are facilities for bike commuters and the classrooms are nice. The students giving the tour were friendly and very helpful--they answered everything we could think of to ask and gave tons of extra info. The new pavilion and tram are sweet.
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Portland's Trimet system, my interviewers, the growing emphasis of the school on global health, relatively short in-class time
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I really liked the city of portland. The tram up to the hospital is also going to be very nice when it opens.
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Not a whole lot to tell you the truth.
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The first interviewer was very friendly and gave me suggestions of what to do on campus during my break. M1 tourguide was very friendly and enthusiastic
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Small class size, the view, all the hospitals in the area.
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portland is a cool city
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The students were nice. The school's in a beautiful location, and they have a very chill schedule for their students.
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Peter Kohler will be retiring soon.
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The campus is nice, and development next to the river is progressing quickly. OHSU is seeking to become a “top 20†school, and NIH funding shows that they have been making progress. The troubled aerial tram project has been saved in a close-call funding showdown. The Portland area is so smart, pleasant and beautiful. It has great hiking, running, and biking trails. The transit system is superb. Powell’s Books is a nice place at which to spend the day. The weather can get rainy but is relatively mild.
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Interviewers were both very friendly and easy to talk to. The students that I met seemed very happy at OHSU.
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The entire OHSU complex is huge and still expanding! Lots of beds = lots of interesting patients that I might encounter during 3rd and 4th years. Everyone that I met on my interview day was friendly and helpful which made me feel like I would be happy at OHSU. They really take care of the students here and it shows. Also, Portland is beautiful and housing is cheap.
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I liked the school and the curriculum
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The facilities!
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One of my interviewers walked with me around the hospital while we talked. It was a great way to relieve any stress of interviewing. I loved the way the hospitals are all on the OHSU campus. Everything is very convenient.
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I love Portland and the students seem to love Portland as well. The campus is up on a hill and is beautiful. The students are happy. The admin was friendly and helpful. The students state that they feel supported and that they receive good mentorship at the school.
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The curriculum is interesting.
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The school curriculum is very progressive and laid back. The early clinical experience offered is unique and seems quite helpful.
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The city
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The students that we had lunch with were very enthusiastic about attending OHSU and had only good things to say about it, aside from the parking
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The focus on creating great clinicians
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everything, they don't even try to sell the school but it's just about perfect for me so it didn't matter.
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Everyone was friendly, the location of the school is beautiful, the students seemed pretty happy, early clinical exposure, and OHSU has a progressive curriculum.
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Oregon is beautiful. The students are nice and reassuring. Both interviewers were laid back and pleasant. They asked questions that I could respond to with something Meaningful. Housing is inexpensive
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The students and faculty seem very dedicated to the school, and a cooperative atmosphere is encouraged.
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Everything was great, especially my first interviewer. The school is big on clinical exposure which is great. Portland is such a great city!!!
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The students all seem happy, well-adjusted, and to really like OHSU.
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The hospitals. The family friendly (as friendly as it can be in med school) environment. The friendliness of the faculty who interviewed me.
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the facilities. the students. that the school is family-friendly. the new clinics that will be on the waterfront and the tram is, like a previous reviewer stated, almost disneyland-esque.
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I was impressed by the facilities, especially the new building and the plans for south waterfront (should be done in 2006)
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The hospitals are GORGEOUS!!
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portland!, happiness of students, good clinical opportunities, i really liked my interviewers, ohsu looks like disneyland--they're even building a cable car
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The view from campus is absolutley breathtaking because it is located high on a hill that overlooks the city...the OHSU hospital is physically attached to a vertans hospital and a children's hospital.
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The location of the school, the transit system, the students seemed enthusiastic and easygoing, the hospitals are nearby, they are committed to improving oregon health care, there is only 2 hours of lecture a day and class is usually done at noon. THe block system seems like it would work well and reduce competition between classes.
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The campus is really nice, on a hill and I like Portland. Facilities aren't bad either
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facilities were top notch, and the school is still expanding... architecturally exceptional campus
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The hospital facilities were great. Children's hospital, VA, etc. Very nice.
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I was impressed by the "up-and-coming" feel that I got from the research faculty at the school. (See my Summary and Comments for more details.) The facilities, seem very nice (the labs that I saw were decked out!). Portland is an awesome city!! A previous interviewee's post said it was "cozy" and that's the perfect word for it. Nice people, beautiful blend of city and outdoors, and a lot of pubs (if you're interested)! Also, the public transportation in Portland is outstanding. The students, who all seem happy, are mostly older (late 20s in year one). The benefit of this is that many have had awesome experiences -- working, travelling, etc. -- and are fun people to talk to and interact with.
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Well-rounded MPH program that emphasizes public health basics and lays a good foundation. The students were enthusiastic and happy to be at OHSU. Plus, the location in the Pac NW is always a bonus!
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i really liked the student body at oregon. they seemed truly happy, and i don't know what more you could ask from a med school. i was also very impressed by portland...a cozy yet interesting town. oregon jumped huge in my internal rankings after my visit. so if you get an invite there, take it. plus, i had an incredibly nice host. she was great!!
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The campus facilities are nice, the environment is beautiful (very green), the people of Portland are very friendly and polite.
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Host, happy students, portland. The Dean of Admissions was a total sweetheart and a pleasure to speak with as was the last PhD I interviewed with. I hung out with several students both nights I was there and they were a blast.
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The relativelly new facilities, the amout of free time students seemed to have. The attention given to each Md/PhD. student as opposed to a bigger program.
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friendly, laid-back atmosphere; happy students; the planned waterfront development projects
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The campus is cool. The student really emphasized how laid back everything is, and the students have a lot of time off for "independent" study.
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The students were really happy and had lots of free time
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The school atmosphere, which is idealistic and laid-back; The dedication to primary care education
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The campus is beautiful! I love how the hospitals are right by the school.
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main hospital & children's hospital were *very* nice. the 6-week rural medicine rotation also seemed to be one of the highlights of the students' experiences.
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curriculum is super flexible - all the students seemed really happy, and cost of living rocks
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The students seem like they have balanced lives.
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The orientation was very well thought out and organized, and the students at the lunch were really helpful -- they answered questions I didn't even know I had. And the food was actually good, which is, of course, always a plus. Plus, OHSU has a really beautiful campus -- although, I already had a soft spot in my heart for Doernbecher Children's Hospital -- it's such a great place.
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How open the students were, the kind manner of the admissions office, the fantastic and lengthy tour- this school really knows how important it is to take students everywhere, including the gym, the different hospitals, the anatomy lab etc. Students were down to earth, friendly, involved and in tune with the positives and negatives of the school. They really seemed to be there to answer our questions.
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Great school, great faculty, beautiful campus
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Beautiful school, mellow students, confident 4ths years
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Friendly students/staff.
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Everything. The school is great. The interview is a 75% of your app which is cool.
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My interviewers. They were extremely friendly. The students were really helpful and we were able to talk to at least 10 of them over lunch. The integrated curriculum sounds great.
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Students loved the school, I really like the 8-12 class schedule.
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Children's hospital is beautiful, students seem happy, required rural clerkship
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Innovative curriculum; early clinical exposure; stunning location (even better views if it were a sunny day!), very family-friendly; good public transportation
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four hospitals all in the same place with beautiful views. Students love this school, their classes run from 8-12! They're busy but seem genuinely enthused about an OHSU education.
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the curriculum, an integrated MD/MPH dual degree program, Portland, the students, the faculty I interviewed with. There seems to be a strong emphasis on serving the underserved at OHSU.
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A very good program with a solid reputation. The hospital was beautiful, esp the Children's Hosp. The walkway has an AMAZING view of the mountains. The students seemed pretty laid back.
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Beautiful hospitals, all interconnected. I was surprised at what a large complex the school and its affiliated hospitals was. The students that I met were very down-to-earth and real. I'm personally not thinking about having kids while in med school, but from what I heard, the school is extremely supportive of its students in so many ways, including helping women schedule their years to include family.
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I really liked the atmosphere of the the facility and Portland in general. The docs who interviewed me seemed to be genuinely friendly guys and interested in what made me tick.
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How beautiful Portland is. How my dog will love it there.
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The facilities seemed nice, and the students all seemed really happy to be there.
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Everyone is genuinely happy to work and go to school here, the vibe is very upbeat.
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Current student sentiment about the school.
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The students are SO happy with the school, the administration is very open to chance and suggestions, and the campus is beautiful!!!!!
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Sense of order and quality pervading the program.
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Rural primary care internship, the brand-new children's hospital, surrounded by forests, the happiness of the students, Portland itself.
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The students seem to love it, and many of the statistics and curriculum are very impressive. They really sold me into wanting to attend!
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OHSU was a little lower on my preference list because I had the impression that their focus was so heavily on primary care that they would discourage specialization. I was pleasantly surprised that neither the faculty nor the students believed that to be the case at all. The students seemed very happy, and had nothing but very positive things to say about faculty and staff (even administration, about which so many people often complain).
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The brand new children's hospital, the match list and the percent of students passing USMLE step 1 last year (100%).
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The students just loved it so much. I really liked the curriculum. They have early clinical exposure that goes on through the first two years. The location is gorgeous and I really liked Portland. It's a great school.
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How friendly the staff, students, and fellow interviewers were. Beautiful campus and nice facilities.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about the uninterested or cold demeanor of interviewers, lack of organization during the interview day, outdated facilities, high tuition costs, parking challenges, and limited campus amenities and resources. Suggestions included improving interviewer engagement, enhancing the structure of the interview day, updating facilities, addressing tuition affordability, improving parking options, and enhancing campus facilities and services to provide a more positive and informative experience for applicants.
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my 1:1 interview was horrible. he seemed disinterested in me, my profile, and why I wanted to be a doctor. 3 basic questions, no follow ups, and made no effort to help the conversation flow. he made this experience into a nightmare scenario.
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The interviewers were a bit cold. I have heard from current students that they purposely act that way to avoid personality bias.
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There's no summer between MS1 and MS2
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Nothing, I really enjoyed the interview.
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Seems to be some kinks to work out of the new curriculum still
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The school is in downtown Portland, so you trade the amenities of being downtown for being able to drive to school. Fortunatly there's extensive public transportation that goes directly to the school.
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My interviewer showing up late and that they didn't really take the time to show us around campus.
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The MMI interviewers got tired by the end of the MMI rotation and seemed to be focusing less on me than getting through the last few interviews. It was a little harder to get their attention focused back on my answers.
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I didn't feel like the admissions staff asked anything that would help them make an informed decision about me as a doctor, but the interview counts for so much...
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orientation gave no information about the philosophy of the school, the curriculum, or any insight into the culture of the school. students also admitted to consistently below average board scores
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OHSU does not grant you in-state tuition after you successfully switch state residency to Oregon. Your residency status (to them) stays the same as it was when you were admitted.
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The so-called tour was provided by a very pleasant 2nd year student who made it clear she was only going to give us an abbreviated one due to a major exam the next day. I am am Oregon resident who's already familiar with where the lecture halls are and where the library is. I was hoping to see the anatomy lab but left disappointed. Oh well, maybe the out-of-area students did enjoy the tour.
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Older matriculating class; students seem to be more independent and less interested in socializing with each other.
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I received inconsistent information about the admissions process from the admissions staff and my interviewers.
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The way they push the hospital as a "business, specifically a public corporation" (verbatim quote). One faculty member (with a student at the school) saying they are not getting their $40,000 worth but they are trying to change that. Low board pass rates requiring them to change their curriculum. Anatomy class I sat in on was the same stuff I got in undergrad. Saw one student on a preceptorship, while I was waiting for my interview, get an attitude from the receptionist when asked by the student where she could get scrubs.
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Some of the questions one interviewer asked were difficult.
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the cost of the school - ouch
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How slow the entire application process is at OHSU
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Lunch was pretty bad - bring some snacks. Parking is a nightmare and some of the buildings are pretty old and broken down....in a charming, WPA sort of way.
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The interview day was very unstructured. OHSU could certainly do more to sell applicants on the program. I think an opportunity to tour one of the hospitals or observe a class would be a nice addition. Lunch of pizza and soda in a windowless conference room was pretty uninspiring. Admission office staff seemed a little under-informed.
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Tuition
-
Some of the students seemed like they were there more for the free food then to actually provide information about the school
-
I did not like the area of Portland.
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Found out from a current student that students are not taught in a way that specifically prepares them for the boards. There is also very little time given by the school to prepare for Step I. OHSU is primarily focused on developing clinical skills.
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old buildings, parking, location of the campus
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Board scores below national average.
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The other interviewers inappropriate behavior and questions. She was late to the interview and seemed almost cold. The med students said they came to OHSU because it was their last/only choice. :( The financial situation of the school. The lack of structured school support for traveling abroad.
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Everything about the ADCOM and how they decide which students they want in their class (80% is based on the interview). Also the tuition is outrageous it is actually cheaper for me to go to an OOS school with NO scholarships or anything than go to OHSU as a state resident!!!
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The campus is squished on a hill, so parking can be a pain, transportation to the campus, lack of campus sponsored housing, relatively high tuition increases due to the state of Oregon's financial woes.
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pizza and soda for lunch, the bookstore (meager pickings but I guess Powells makes the campus store a bit redundant)
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Some of the buildings and faci
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Cold weather. I'm from LA.
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Limited med student facilities.
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Not really a negative but the average age of students is older than most and the students that came to talk to us at lunch were all older (had families) and it was hard to see myself having much in common with them
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The old facilities, no state-of-the-art equipment, the library feels industrial and uncomfortable for studying (and small especially with so many other health pro students on campus). They say community service is important, but the opportunities seem obscure and students don't mention it much.
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Nothing, seriously!
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Parking. Convoluted Campus. Insular culture. Dated infrastructure/facilities. Slightly "uppity" atmosphere. Basically, my two interviews were very "blah" for lack of a better word. No real interesting, thought provoking or challenging questions, which I would have liked. Almost seemed like small talk similar to what you ask other applicants on interview day when introducing yourselves. IMO the interview should be a "step up" from that. Seems like very little effort on part of interviewers. Interviews scheduled square in the middle of doctor's work days. Multiple delays which were left up to me to figure out, which I thought was unbelievable.
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Convoluted campus. Poor parking system (but good public transit). One interviewer scheduled an OR case during my time slot and I had to wait 6 hours.
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Weather
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The wait list won't be made until May 15th.
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Many of the students are married and/or have kids which means that it might be harder to hang out with classmates and be immature with them. (Can be a pro or con I guess). There isn't really anything on the hill where the school is located, so you have to descend into the city to get anything.
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Pill hill seemed to clog up easily during rush hour. Nothing to do on the hill when not in class. i.e. No restaurants, grocery shops, etc.
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The school is very expensive to attend especially for out of state students.
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The one of the MD interviewers seemed very negative toward the MD/MPH program... I'm not sure if it will reflect negatively in his evaluation of my interview.
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Facilities a bit rundown.
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Living on the hill does not offer much in the neighborhood of entertainment
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The facilities seemed a little dark? in other words not much
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The limited library and study facilities.
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the lecture facilities were a bit out of date and they did not offer video recordings of the lectures to the students; the medical center is undergoing some financial strain
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lectures not available online...and also, the school's not that great for students who decide not to do primary care.
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cold weather, I am from SoCal
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Crappy student study area, the potential of waiting to hear until after May 15
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Facilities look old. Tour was boring and not thorough. Interview day was not impressive. Too much time between tour and afternoon interview. Not a lot of focus on med student research even though the research ranking is high.
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The number of people interviewing on my day.
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There was no real ''tour'', per se. We had lunch with a large group of students, who were very honest about the school's positives and negatives, and one of them showed us around the building a little bit afterwards. They also gave us tickets to ride up and down on the new aerial tram to the brand new gym that was just built.
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One of the Docs interviewing me seemed preoccupied and a bit impersonal. She warmed up eventually though, and I learned a lot just from that conversation.
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How kind of inaccessible the hospital is being up on the hill. The space partitioned for a library was a bit shabby for being a top notch institution too.
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Nothing
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shitty building for first and second year students, classes are graded, lots of old students
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The cost of tuition. Also the students seemed like having lunch with interviewees was a tremendous burden... I had to wonder how cohesive they were with one another also.
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OHSU Step 1 board scores are around the national average. This was a real downer for me. What good is the innovative curriculum if it doesn't prepare you for boards? The tuition is pretty expensive too.
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I was a bit worried by the age of the students. Being a traditional applicant I want a class that isn't already married and out of the social loop.
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My student host is from San Francisco and she mentioned more than once that Portland lacked diversity. The school and hospitals are secluded on a hill. Most of the students are older and many are married. For a single female, that was not attractive.
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Residency is NOT a factor from the interviews forward; only used to determine whether to offer an interterview. Theoretically, all 120 positions could be filled by out of state students.
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The students live all over Portland as opposed to living in one centralized location. The grades are Honors, Near Honors, Pass, Near Pass, and Fail, which basically seems like a grading system (though it sounds like competition is still low).
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Some people had two interviews right away in the morning, and some had both late, making it hard for them to catch flights out. There wasn't anything planned during down time, but I was able to explore the facilities and sit in on a class. Ask about what you can do with your free time. I also wished they had given a financial aid info session, but it's probably because they don't have much to offer in the way of financial aid (they get maybe 3% of their funding from the state and do tons of charity care--not a fair setup for OHSU).
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N/A
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my first interviewer came across as emotion-less and he never seemed to be satisfied with what I told him. This interview was miserable...oh well. The second interviewer was excellent and caring.
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People there were not nearly as genuinely nice as other places I had interviewed and overall seemed disinterested in selling us on the school. They seemed very full of themselves and the interview day was very unorganized.
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Some of the buildings are kind of old but classrooms are very up to date.
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Lots of Cali students, up on a hill.
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one of the interviews went really poorly
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The facilities of the school were really rundown. The admissions office comes off as arrogant. It was very disorganized. Basically, you have two interviews anytime between 9 am and 4 pm or so. The day starts with a short presentation, and you get lunch and a short tour. Other than that, you're left to your own devices, so bring reading material.
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Across the board, some of the most self-absorbed faculty and students I have met in this process. My interviews were ok, but in my opinion, interviewers seemed ill-prepared and uninterested. As I answered questions for my first interviewer (Devin Gattey) he looked through my AMCAS looking for additional questions the entire time, he interrupted my answers questions to ask additional questions that were completely off topic. I doubt he listened to a single response. My second interviewer alluded to the fact that I didn't have a lot of clinical experience. But shortly after I found a FT clinical job and additional shadowing opportunities and sent in an update letter. I figured that since there was still 1-2 months of evaluating students, that this should be taken into consideration, but the admissions staff said it was too late.
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I didn’t think the interview day did the school justice. There were no in-depth informational presentations. Many applicants were already displeased by the parking situation. The interviews seemed to follow a “good cop/bad cop†gimmick, in which I actually felt more comfortable with the apparent “bad cop†interview. My first interview lasted 30 minutes. This “good cop†interview was completely conversational dealing with irrelevant outside interests. I felt that it didn’t give me any opportunity to distinguish myself. Then, the “bad cop†gave me an hour-long interview, in which he did much more talking than I could. The early questions were premised on arguments that seemed intended to discourage me from being a doctor and give me an impression that my chances of getting accepted were low. There were no questions about my research or current events and issues. At the end of the day, I was a nervous wreck because I had no clue as to whether or not I had done well, but a month later they did accept me.
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The tour was weak. Our interview group toured with 2 first year medical students who didn't seem to know much about the school yet. They were very friendly and enthusiastic about the school, however.
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Nothing really. I was impressed with everything that I saw with the tour and on my own.
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The stoic interviewers. It was really hard for me to open up about my personal thoughts, feelings, experiences when I felt like I was talking to a wall-- I don't understand the rationale behind this.
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All of the students on our tour were female. Not that having females was bad but I had a difficult time relating with them. None of them seemed extremely excited and they seemed stressed.
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Some of the facilities are quite old.
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As stated before on this site, do the math about the tuition. There was no financial aid talk and very little info given in the admissions packet. All of the info we got was from students (who are still in school and therefore don't know what the weight of their debt truly feels like yet.) There is very little scholarship money available here. I've heard from students that you are often on your own when it comes to financial aid and that the financial aid office is not particularly helpful.
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The tuition... READ THE FINE PRINT for the tuition info they send in the interview packet. You have to pay 14 quarters (not just 4 years) and OOS students can't become residents... I did the math: tuition really averages $46,500/year (assuming no tuition increases) out-of-state and $33,250/year in-state.... probably a little too steep for me.
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The cost is quite steep ($40k OOS). the facilities are very crowded. The interview day was not well-organized.
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Everyone seemed depressed (although one of my interviewers was awesome). Inconveniences of the location (congested, limited parking, housing, food options)
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Lots of downtime between interviews. Interviews are scattered throughout the day. You could have one at 9 and another at 4pm, or both one after the other.
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The facilities were not as nice as I would have expected of such a highly ranked school
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yeah, parking is not great - okay, horrible
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The cost!! The student I stayed with pointed out that the 40K tuition that they state for the first year is only for three quarters and after first year you are enrolled for 4 quarters/year so it is really ~$52000/yr. ouch! Plus, I heard some of the basic science lecturers are pretty lousy... doesn't sound like a great value considering the price you pay.
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COLD WEATHER! Pretty expensive for out of state. Maybe not as diverse as I would want it to be.
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1.Traffic 2. parking 3. weather 4. complacent students 5. first interviewer was rather antagonizing 6. unstable Oregon economy = unpredictable tuition hikes.
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The students did not seem to be able to separate why they came to the school from their desire to be in Portland, which leaves me with the question of why they attended over other schools in similar cities.
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My second interviewer. I talked with a student I worked with after my interview last year and she said she thought they do the good cop/bad cop thing at OHSU with interviews. Don't freak out though from my experience, I am sure it is one of a kind. If you interview with a vascular surgeon at the VA, be aware and ready to stand your ground!
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Some of the facilities seem old, a little run-down.
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The information they sent ahead of time said the MPH program starts in August when it really starts 7/25/05. The parking's also bad.
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hmmm. see below.
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I was unimpressed by the PCM program
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The wait to find out how the interview went...approx 6weeks!!
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ohsu is on a huge mountain, not really near anything
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The average age of last year's entering class is about 26...and it is expensive for out of state students.
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The gym sucked. There was a lot of dead time in between interviews and the lunches. I've seen better organized and more informative interview days. I feel like schools should be excited to tell us about their school... they just left it up to us to ask questions.
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General attitude of the faculty. They seemed rather stuck up. Also, one of my interviewers was late and completely uninterested in the whole interview
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no diversity at the school, and the school is removed from downtown
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I had an interview in the afternoon, and then another interview an hour after it. My first interviewer was 10 minutes late, and she also answered a phone call and talked for 5 mins. It cut into our conversation, and my interview wasnt very long because of those circumstances. My 2nd interviewer was also late.
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There are only a few spots available (since they are a brand new MSTP), so they place most people on the waiting list and decide VERY late. This may be a problem if you want to know where you are going soon. Depending on your area of research interest, opportunities could range from superb to non-existent. The focus of the school is still certainly on primary care. It feels as though this is changing however. The school is not diverse at all -- culturally, racially, etc. When asked about this matter, an administrator said that this was because Portland as a city is 80% white. However, ~40-60% of their students are from out of state. It doesn't seem like they are actively recruiting minorities. The students are mostly older. Althought I also listed this as something that 'positively impressed' me, the downside of this is that they seem to stick more to their own. I didn't get that great a sense of community, or the class as a family. They seemed very granulated, with their own interests/goals(/families). During my visit, there was a proposed budget cut from the state that, if it went through, would have a fairly severe impact on OHSU. This is definitely something to read/ask about when you are there. (Will programs be cut? Which? Rural medicine rotation seemed a likely target.)
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High cost for non-Oregon residents.
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only the cold and rain
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The orientation session was not very informative. There was way too much free time: Check-in was at 8:00 am but my first interview was not until 11:00 am. I feel that that campus is a bit too isolated from the rest of the city.
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Scheduling mishaps. My first interviewer hated me on sight. I've never met a stranger I found so rude, insulting, or unpersonable. It is the only interview so far that felt like an interrogation. I was disappointed to be paired for an interview with someone who quite obviously had no clue what even the titles of my papers meant let alone the scope of my field. Two of the three PhD interviewers seemed offended by even the concept of needing an MD in addition to a PhD. The dual degree interviewers are much more pleasant to speak with because you aren't selling yourself to them for a program they find offensive in the first place.
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The parking, it seems to me a big hazzle to find a place to park on a daily basis. Although Portland has a great public transportation system which would be great during the first two years of medica school and the PhD. graduate years, it could potentially be a major problem in the 3th and 4th year if you are on call and need to be in the hospital at 2am
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the high cost of attendance and lack of grant/scholarship money to help with this; the fact that out of ~20 people in my interview group, only 3 were OR residents; that only a small number of people are accepted outright so that most of us will end up on a hold list and could potentially be waiting well into the spring to find out if we are in or not
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It rained the whole time. This was the first med school where everyone seemed genuinely concerned with money.
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Parking is terrible, weather is rainy for a good portion of the year
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Out of state tuition with fees is $37k and there is no residency status granted if you move to Oregon to attend OHSU. The lack of parking on campus.
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Nothing, I already knew about the lack of parking and plan to take the public transportation route. It sure beats sitting in traffic. Portland has excellent and cheap public transportation.
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lack of minority enrollment. one of the interviewers was a tool & asked me specific questions about where i interviewed & was accepted at. not cool! parking sucks!!
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cost of tuition... there is practically no student body diversity
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The faculty seems really self-aware of their US News ranking.
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I don't like that they don't allow the interviewers to see your grades or your MCAT scores. I understand the philosophy behind it (and I bet I'd feel differently if I'd done poorly on the MCAT), but with good grades and an awesome MCAT score, I WANT my interviewers to see them. Although of course they don't define me, I worked hard to get those grades and that score. Also, neither interviewer had ever heard of my small, liberal-arts college and both seemed to think that must mean it wasn't a particularly exceptional school -- if they'd been able to see that I got a 38 on my MCAT, I don't think they would have doubted the quality of my classes. The applicants from Stanford or Harvard I'm sure were not questioned about how good their college was -- consciously or not, the repuation of an applicant's undergraduate institution must affect the interviewer. And, well, I suppose that's just my bitter rant! sorry. got to have one of those every once in awhile :) I suppose the interviews themselves negatively impressed me because they just weren't positive experiences in general (although one was definitely much better than the other). And I guess they usually aren't -- it was just a bit of a shock coming from the wonderful, friendly, laid-back interview I had had the week prior.
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Absolutely no diversity in terms of race. All people in my interview group were white female, all students who spoke with us were white, interviewers and admissions were white as well. The students didn't have much to say when I asked how OHSU was addressing the lack of diversity. But they did say that the in the PCM classes cultural sensitivity is addressed and that they didn't feel that the lack of diversity had negatively affected their experience as students. Coming from a very diverse ultra pC undergraduate institution I was surprised to hear that.
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The average age of the first year class tends to be older, around 26. Being a graduating senior, I was the youngest in the interview group by 3 years. I felt out of place when we met other students.
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Nothing worth noting.
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Nothing. Parking sucks, but what can you do?
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nothing, I was really impressed
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Nothing except the parking, but Portland has a very good public transport system.
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Not a lot of opportunities for students to do research, this is really just a primary care school. Lack of people of color. Parking is a complete nightmare.
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The dreary winter weather (perpetual rain); lack of parking all around campus.
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that same place is on top of a hill
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OHSU is not affiliated with a major university, the weather in Portland
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OHSU definitely doesn't "dress to impress." We never had an official rep from the school speak to us--just the admissions coord, a lady not much older than the interviewees who had only been there a couple years. The school is on a hill--literally sits at the peak. Portland seems a bit dreary... everyone said to expect 10 months of gray. You either have to live on the "hill" or down the "hill," and each are significantly different experiences. There is no student lounge/area (yet... they are working on it though).
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Although the hospitals were very nice and modern, the whole complex sits atop a hill. It just seemed like kind of a weird place to have a hospital.
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Location of the campus and the transportation issues it poses. My interviews, orientation, and lunch were spread out over an entire day, so I ended up reading the paper for about three and a half hours between meetings. Once you're up on the hill, you're pretty much stuck there!
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Who builds a medical school on a mountain? Generally, med schools and hospitals are built in the most ghetto and densely populated part of town so that patients can be served more efficiently. Some of the facilities looked a little run-down. They definitely don't have the money/resources that most private and even some public schools have. There are only two restaurants on the hill.
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I got the impression that the faculty are there more because they like living in Portland rather than because they like working at OHSU.
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Nothing, I this is my first choice and I would go here in a heartbeat if I'm accepted.
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Unprofessional interview day. The only tour was given during my second interview, we didn't meet any staff/administration besides the admissions coordinator during the day.
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No real emphasis on community service, parking is a mess
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Interviewer taking a couple calls during my interview.
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It's not quite as robust a medical center as some schools, and it didn't seem like you would see quite the variety of patients.
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The lunch and the tour weren't all that great.
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Students seemed a little TOO laid back. They kept talking about how much they love all the free time they get and how little time they have to spend in class. They seemed more focused on snowboarding than on medical studies. I got the impression that they were not the most motivated students in the world.
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The parking situation is truly dire. Because it's on a fairly isolated hill, the options seem to be to get an apartment up there (sadly removed from anything city-like), or live in the city and bus it in. It wouldn't be horrible, just a pain. Also, the clinical testing rooms seemed old and kind of thrown together.
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Nothing really.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants suggested that it's important to be prepared for personal questions rather than generic ones, to emphasize self-promotion, and to be aware of the significant downtime between interviews. They also highlighted the need for comfortable shoes due to the campus's size, and to bring items for entertainment during waiting periods.
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that even if my MMIs go well my 1:1 holds more weight.
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that it was a closed file interview and not to prep "tell us about yourself" , "why ohsu", "why dentistry"
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Maybe prepare for more application specific questions (personal q's) and less broad questions.
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Nothing , as expected.
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Everyone - interviewers, students, fellow applicants - was very calm and kind, great interview environment!
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To relax. The interview can be fun if you let it. The MMI is about making you think, and sharing how you think with your interviewers.
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We were done by like 1:30 rather than 5pm like it stated in the email.
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You need to sell yourself because they will not ask otherwise.
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A LOT of time for self tour
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MMI is not that bad. There's not enough time to be stressed between interviews and it goes by really fast.
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Everything is straightforward.
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n/a
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The interviews were based almost entirely on questions that pertained to personal characteristics and not on medical ethics or health policy.
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It starts at 7:45 but you will only be busy, including interviews, for 3 hours total. The rest is all down time with no real chance to learn about the school, so bring a book.
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To bring entertainment because there was a lot of wait time.
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relax
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That I would have to walk all over the (huge and confusing) campus to meet my interviewers. Give yourself plenty of time to figure out and get to where you are going.
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Posts on SDN were a pretty accurate portrayal of the interview day.
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The lunch is only pizza, you might want to get other food. Lots of down time, bring a book.
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That I would be finished at noon and not 5pm
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To bring and umbrella!
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That there would be SO much down time. Bring a book. The waiting makes the day feel very long and drawn out.
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That it would not be so stressful.
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The school doesn't give scholarships to incoming students. You may have a LONG wait in between interviews.
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That I had already been accepted to a better school
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That you don't have to take the tour of the campus.
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Wish I would have scheduled (or enquired about) sitting in on lectures. There is alot of down time between interviews.
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List of questions to ask them at the end of the interview
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That one interview would be at 9am and the next wouldn't begin until 4 pm. I was very burned out by the time my second interview started from being on my "A game" all day
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That I would have 3 interviews back to back in different buildings. And that I would be a bit rattled by my first interviewer
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Know that you might have a few hours of "down time" between interviews, be prepared with a book or something to keep you amused if you can't sit in on a class.
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Nada--I did hardly any prep and the interviews were laid back.
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it always rains in portland
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That it takes a while to get around in public transportation, although it is very good and efficient. That downtown doesn't take that long to see, so I should have planned a more thorough itinerary for the day before my interview.
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The Gondola/Tram was super cool! Just like Disneyland!
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If I knew how friendly the interviewers were going to be, I wouldn't have stressed as much the night before.
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That students of the MD/MPH program really love their program and their faculty and they don't feel over-worked and say it is a quite manageable workload and the curriculum is clinically correlated quite well.
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It is very expensive for OOS
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I wish I had reviewed a little more carefully the changes in the status of OGI. I also would have liked to know a little more about my interviewers in advance, ala I would explain optical-trapping to a physical chemist slightly differently than I would to a straight-MD.
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that my host's toilet would be clogged when i got there... i tried to flush it and the darn thing almost overflowed.
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Your day may end as soon as 2pm or as late as 5pm,
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nothing- I'm from the state so I am pretty familiar with OHSU
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Bring an umbrella and rain coat (I did, and was very thankful.)
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Remember to check forecast.
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I was prepared, but be sure you know how to get there. Visitors to the ''hill'' often get lost. There is not great parking and bus is best.
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That the school is so disconnected from the rest of the city...it's up on a giant hill. The view is great, but there's no parking up there, so using public transportation is a must.
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That the majority of the people who ride Tri-Met public transportation are kinda off in their own little world, so to speak. Also make sure that you have something to do, they schedule you at totally random times during the day so count on at least 5 hours of down time.
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Not much. I stayed with a host who helped me tremendously. I owe him a huge thanks.
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Brand new health facility that looks amazing and free to students. A real plus for people who like to use a gym periodically. The new tram that takes you to the river is awesome too.
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The interviews are not always good cop/bad cop like I had been warned. Bring more comfortable shoes becuase there is a lot of walking.
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the interviews are super chill, the lunch is delicious
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Be prepared to walk fairly far across campus to get to interviews...I had one at the VA and one at the childrens hospital
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How rainy it is in Portland.
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nothing
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That nearly everyone interviewed was placed in a hold category until late Spring.
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All the buildings of the campus are connected. But due to being on a hill, they're all connected at different levels. It was a huge maze! Not really a big deal but my directions to my first interview was a paragraph long.
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I applied here last year, too, so nothing was a surprise this time around.
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That I might not hear back from the school until after May 15th. The school assigns you a score based on your interviews and a score based on your grades and MCAT score, and combines them into an overall score. That score determines your spot on a list, and they accept a few people from the top of the list every Thursday. You might hear right after the interview or months and months later.
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I really liked the idea of a rural medicine block. More schools should do this.
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That we would be given a campus map and left to our own devices in locating our interview sites. Not a real problem, overall, though, since the campus is quite compact.
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most of the students are older and many are married
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Interviews are 80% of decision factor
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Nothing really.
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doesnt matter when you interview, NOT ROLLING ADMISSIONS, should've waited until i had a few more under my belt and then scheduled OHSU... live and learn
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This school has a serious identity conflict... are they public or private? The future of this school is very uncertain (in terms of sources of funding and I wouldn't be surprised at all if tuition goes through even more major hikes)Also, this process gives tremendous advantage to students that interview late.... the admissions office will claim that this is not true, but please, if you interviewed in April 2006 everything you did up until then will be considered if you interviewed in October 2005 you'll be seen (by the AdCom) as having 6-7 months less experience.
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Studying medical issues would not help me.
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Info about the VA Hospital and details about the fully integrated curriculum.
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One of the interviewers is an actual member of the admissions committee and will represent you before the committee the other simply gives a summary of his interview and your interview with him is basically ineffectual. They very strongly favor students who have already graduated and have been working in a clinical setting for a year. So if you haven't been doing that you had better compensate in some other way!
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I was lucky that I wore comfortable shoes. The interview day entailed a LOT of walking between buildings.
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Not much.
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I wish I would have read their info packets more closely.
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That one of the doctors I work with daily knows both of my interviewers...I should have dropped his name!
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the curriculum is perfect, i had no idea
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There is very little scholarship based fin aid, especially for OOS students.
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They didn't provide breakfast (only coffee, tea, juice), so I was starving for sometime before i got to a cafe.
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I was told by an interviewer that my clinical experience was probably too weak to get in to OHSU (I have shadowed two docs, worked as hospital volunteer for 1.5 years, worked in clinical setting in latin america, and I speak spanish... which creates great connections with latino patients in the clinic.)
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The interview day is very laid back, not very structured and you will most likely have a great deal of waiting time.
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More health care economics!!!
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The letter they sent me said I would have to pay $10 for parking, but when I arrived at the gate, the attendent let me in for free because I had an interview.
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not much. wish i didn't want this so badly now, though.
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That they don't plan on letting you know your status until May 15, which seems pretty late to me!
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That the campus is hilly and sprawling and that heels were NOT a good idea!
-
nothing. but a funny thing, one interviewer commented on another school i'd been accepted at: "they have a great transplant program." so i said, "what are the great programs here?" he thought for a while and then said, "there really aren't any." he hastened to tell me, though, that the school is solid in all departments and provides a great clinical education... i was amused not alarmed; i agree that the school is solid.
-
Take the time to explore the different hospitals to really get a feel for the place!
-
There is a lot of down time. Bring a book or something to do in between scheuled meetings. The program is really progressive and modern despite their outdated website.
-
the local 'pizza by the slice' restaurant was not nearly as great as the students claimed
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I wish I had known they offer a medical spanish program throughout medical school, and a study abroad program in the 4th year!
-
If I had known how beautiful and cool Portland is, I would have extended my stay there beyond just the interview. I also wished I had known about the proposed state budget cut. They discourage summer rotations prior to your first year. While I like that they are promoting students to get out and enjoy freedom before entering the breach, I'm curious how this would lengthen the MSTP period (8 yrs.? 9 yrs? more??). Unfortunately, there are not yet any MSTP alumni from OHSU to ask about this.
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how much i liked portland. i would have spent more time there
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They just brought in two new researchers in my field (within the month), so there are labs actively seeking to recruit students for what I wish to study. This would have really helped with said hostile interviewer. It would have been nice to request interviewers who had the slightest clue what I do. I would have like to have known that the labs I would work in were on another campus so that I could not see them during a one day visit.
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not much, everything ran quite smooothly
-
How low-stress of an experience it was going to be, so I could have relaxed more
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80% of admission decision based on the interview.
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See above
-
Admissions are based approximately 80-85% on the interview at this stage of admissions.
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they send you to different offices/buildings for each interview (2 for MD & 3 for MD/MPH), so bring an umbrella. portland is a beatiful & energetic city, despite the rain. fact: portland has less annual rain than atlanta or seattle.
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the campus is smaller but more confusing than I realized - they give you a list of interviewers and send you out... it is a bit nerve-wracking (the fear of getting lost on your way to an interview)
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Nothing.
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Their admittance procedure is very complicated. 80% of your score is based on interview summaries which are presented to the committee- then you are voted on by the committee, those votes become 80% of your score. The other 20% is your grades, MCAT etc. Admissions committee never sees that stuff. THEN you get either accepted, rejected or put on hold. In mid May the entire hold pool gets reevaluated and you may be accepted, rejected or put on a ranked waitlist. You know your number. It is a very long process.
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There is a 6 week required rural clerkship where you actuallly live in a small town of the schools choice, and this town could be 8 hours from portland.
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How much I would like the school, I was truly surprised
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Nada.
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That my 9 am interview would be re-scheduled for 2 pm, making my day that much longer. But I did enjoy wandering through all the hospitals.
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Umm, the limited scope of the MPH. THough they do a pretty nice job of explaining why bio-stats and epi are the best em
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Do bring a book or something to do for in between interviews.
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I had no idea that the "hill" is more like a mountain (or at least feels like it)!!! This is definitely a good school for older students. Portland lacks a lot of diversity. There is a required rural medicine clerkship (not something I am really interested in at this point).
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Not much, I was pretty well informed.
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They didn't ask any kind of ethical questions, so I didn't have to take so much time to learn about Oregon's laws.
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Nothing, I read this website and felt informed.
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Nothing really...
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Long periods of time between interviews, could have brought some extra cash to blow.
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Lots of walking from building to building to and from your interviews, as well as the tour... so make sure your shoes are walk friendly... most likely you'll visit all of the buildings, lost, looking for your interviewer's office!
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Nothing of note. I already knew about the parking situation (which truly is dire).
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That I was going to have tons of unscheduled time on my hands. Bring a book.
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The interview is weighed very heavily (75% of overall rating score.) I'm actually glad I didn't know b/c I think I would have over stressed. :-)
What are your general comments?
Applicants shared mixed feedback about OHSU, with some praising the school's program, location, and friendly staff, while others expressed concerns about long wait times, unimpressive interviews, and lack of enthusiasm from interviewers. Suggestions included improving communication with applicants, addressing concerns about interviewers' behavior, and better showcasing the school's strengths during the interview day.
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great school, great program, terrible response time for decisions.
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I thought the MMI (Kira Talent) was relatively unimpressive and a poor reflection of what it is intended to assess.
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Just prep a bunch of different experiences that fall into categories of facing adversity, leadership, academic adversity etc. to pull from for questions
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Everyone was amazing to talk to and really great. The MMI was stressful and fun.
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I really liked this interview.
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Some of the MMI interviewers were very unpleasant, odd people. Red flags popped up regarding the program overworking the students/not caring about balance. Interview confirmed the concerns I had regarding OHSU's culture.
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I can't speak for many other schools, but OHSU's style of placing most applicants on a hold until all/most interviews are done can be a very frustrating process. They never gave me a specific date and made it sound as though I could hear back from them at any time until April 30th. I have been waiting for a response for several months now, and while initially I was fine the wait is starting to get to me. I would definitely say if a different school had already accepted me I would have just agreed to go with them months ago and would not wait for OHSU. They need to fix their interview process and communicate better with applicants.
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MMI is a rollercoaster
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The people were very nice and the application pool is very diverse. Don't focus on what makes you unique, focus on what you've learned from the experiences you have had and how it pertains to medical school.
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This is my first choice school and I am still excited about the school. I like the new curriculum and the opportunities at the school. However, if I didn't know so much about OHSU from my own experience I wouldn't have been super excited about the school after leaving the interview process.
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They had a very versatile and interesting interview format which encouraged flexibility and thinking on your feet. They were calm and kind and knowledgeable for the most part.
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OHSU did not sell themselves well at all and dropped from the top of my list
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It was as pleasant of an experience as any interview could be.
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There's a brief Q&A session with admissions staff to start off the day and then everyone goes to their respective first interview. Many people will have their second interview done even before lunch at noon as well. So, contrary to many previous posts, the interview day for my group ends at 2 for most people. Mine was essentially done at noon. Luncheon is held in a windowless conference room in Mackenzie Hall with 2 med students, one 4th yr and one 2nd yr for my group. They provided some good insight into life as a medical student at OHSU. The 4th yr student already struck me as someone who will make a terrific doctor as she seemed very confident and passionate about what she does. I wasn't expecting much from OHSU (my only state school so of course I'm applying here) but after the interview day, I feel quite impressed with how happy the current students are with how things turn out for them here.
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Great school!
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Had really high hopes about the school and really wanted to stay in Oregon but after the interview I will be pursuing education elsewhere.
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great school/location friendly staff and faculty
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I've been impressed by the amount of time and energy that OHSU puts into selecting their students, as well as working to develop a more modern and integrated curriculum. However, I think the timing and responsiveness (i.e. sloooow) of their application and decision-making processes makes life incredibly nerve wracking for applicants...but I think it's worth the wait.
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A great program, but don't expect the interview day to sell you on it.
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The interviewers had read my entire application very carefully, but were blind to grades and MCAT score. They were friendly but tough-- be ready to think on your feet.
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I really liked the school's location; it is on a hill that overlooks Portland is not too far from downtown at the same time. Also, none of the questions I had read in interview feedbacks from years past were asked, so there is no knowing what to expect this interview season.
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I came away very unimpressed. I hope other applicants have better luck.
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I don't know why people love this school so much...really, I don't. Portland is an AWESOME city, but I really thought that out of the 10 places I interviewed, OHSU was the 2nd worst.
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It's a really great school and it is where I will be attending this fall! The medical school faculty is probably some of the best I have ever met.
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This is for the MD/PhD program
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Meet at 7:45 in admissions for orientation, one AM interview and one PM interview (some people had both in the AM though), luncheon and tour with med students (ask them about your next interviewer, they are great at filling you in on the interviewer's personality). Interviewers really do their homework and know all about everything you've sent to OHSU minus your numbers, so be sure to know what you wrote about. Mine quoted me when asking questions.
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It's a great school in an awesome location. You'll only have 2 interviewers if you're a reg. MD applicant. 3 if MD/MPH.
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They told us that the interview counts towards 80% of the admissions decision, so everyone is pretty much on level playing field coming into the interview.
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The serenity and beauty of Oregon is unlike anything. If you're into that, go there. If not, than pick a place where you will be happy.
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Had a very pleasant day! It was a little breezy/cold even though it was already April, which was a bit of a turnoff... Check-in by 8am. Continental breakfast, intro/welcome by dean. Couple of interviews, lunch, panel by current students, tour by current student. Couple more interviews. Done for the day! Should be done by 4pm at the latest, some people finished earlier.
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The location of the school is beautiful and downtown Portland far exceeded my expectation for a city this size. The hospitals are the best I've seen any where. The interviewers really knew a lot about who they're interviewing and definitely seemed interested in getting to know me as a person. OHSU was at the bottom of my list before the interview but walking away from the interview I know that I would love to go there.
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I was more confident going into the first interview than coming out of it but my experiences with the other two interviewers were very positive. I came away more confident than ever that the MD/MPH at OHSU is something I want to do. (Word to the wise: if you aren't extremely stoked about the Epidemiology/Biostats track of the MPH, don't consider OHSU. That's the only track they offer an they aren't interested in you if you want to go into health policy/education/administration/etc.)
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Lots of down time, very enthusiastic and helpful staff, good programs
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Most of my interviews were pretty relaxed. My last interview was a bit more stressful and I dont feel I did as well on it. Unfortunately the last one sticks with me the most strongly, so its hard to have an unbiased view.
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It was exciting, slightly stressful, but overall really good experience.
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the interview day seemed a bit unorganized in that there were large gaps in my schedule and the tour did not have any apparent structure. Yet, I took away an opinion that OHSU is quickly becoming a top tier medical school though it has a way to go.
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8am orientation, lunch with med students, tour at 1pm. interviews are in between, as early as 9am and as late as 4pm. as others mentioned, there can be alot of downtime. overall, low-stress and bordering on the unimpressive side, if only because they don't sell the school to you at all...which is sad, because it's a great primary care school. couldn't they have tried just a little?
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Great :)
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No good cop, bad cop. No questions on literature or health care like I had seen on here before. Both interviewers were very polite and professional. All in all, I felt like they were just trying to get to know me and understand my motivations more.
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Morning orientation, interview, lunch, tour, interview. Pretty standard, but too much time between interviews. There's not much to do in the meantime. On the bus back to the airport, I met an M1 and talked a lot about the school. He was really enthusiastic, more so than my tourguide or students at lunch. He admitted that OHSU has a really lackluster inteview day. Despite this, it's a great school. The most impressive part was my 2nd interview. My interviewer really challenged me and really kept me on my toes. I never actually got to talk about literature in any other interview. It was quite refreshing. Note: It's really hard to get in right off the bat. Only 120 acceptances are given out. Everyone else is put on hold until people withdraw. Overall, great school. I hope I get in to expand my options.
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I enjoyed my interviews.
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Both of my interviewers were kind of stiff, neither was very conversational, which made me kind of nervous at the start. The buildings there are built into the hill, so it can be very difficult to figure out what floor you are on (sometimes you walk in to a building on the 9th floor). I managed to find my interviews without getting lost, but the directions were about half a page long, and a few people did get lost. Overall, the interviews were a little stiff, but the school looks great. Great buildings, great city, and the students seemed happy.
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I liked it and felt very at ease while talking with the doctors and staff.
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Wonderful. Just wonderful.
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My first interviewers was very personable and friendly. Quite conversational. My second was rather provocative and a little argumentative at times. I felt that the contrast may have been planned to get a better feel for how you dealt with the two styles. The rest of the day seemed to flow pretty well. There was a little bit of down time here and there not accounted for and a first and second year class schedule were not available to us for whatever reason. Portland is a great place so I would encourage people to take an extra day to check out the city and maybe even the hospital on your own.
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I really liked the campus and the other students at the interviews. One of my interviews was a bit unconventional but both people were happy with their jobs and were very friendly. The lunch was pretty good too. There is a lot of down time so bring something else to do.
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OHSU was a cool school, but I expected more after everything I had heard. They seem to think their curriculum is very innovative, but it is similar to all the other places I have interviewed.
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Great concept in terms of curriculum and environment is fabulous, but I have my doubts whether it is the right place for me.
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My first interview was great and the doctor was really good at putting me at ease. I feel wonderful about that experience. However I let my guard down because of it and don't feel as confident about my second interview.
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I was very pleased with my day at OHSU. The student tour was great. The MS1's were very enthusiastic and very willing to talk about their great experiences at OHSU. The rain went away in the late morning and revealed a spectacular view of Portland from the hill. The tram down to the river was running and it seemed really cool. There was a bit of downtime even though my interviews were during the middle of the day. The whole process wasn't stressful, interview locations were easy to find and the interviews were very conversational. Any stress was mostly self imposed. I was very impressed by the way the students really want to help eachother not out-compete eachother. I liked the way students are able to start seeing patients during the first week adn start getting an idea on what specialty they would like during the first quarter. To me OHSU appeared to be among the best medical schools in the country and although it is ranked high I feel it is underrated for the education it provides.
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Portland has a lot to offer. It has many of the perks of a city (nightlife, music scene, good food, great public transportation) AND close proximity to the mountains for hiking and snowboarding. Being a minority (read not white or black) from a large city, I wonder if I would be bored in Portland after a while or how well I would fit in. I am a very chillax person though so the slower pace of things there is definitely a fit for me.
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This was very positive. The first year students came to lunch with us and gave the tour right after a particularly nasty exam, so they weren't on top of their game. The interviewers were both very nice and casual - no Good Cop/Bad Cop. They had standardized questions that were ''suggested'' but didn't use all of them, even used their own in order to get to know me.
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We met briefly in the morning. There was coffee and tea, but no food. Each person got their schedule and a map, so that we could find our interviews. Both of my interviews were after lunch, so I had a ton of free time. Ask about sitting in on a class if this happens to you. I recommend calling ahead and asking what time your interviews will be, so that you can plan your flights around them (I did not do so, and wish I had). Then we had lunch with two 4th years and two 1st years. Then I had my interviews, which were both really comfortable. I did not have a good cop and a bad cop, as I had been warned about. Both interviewers were extremely nice and informal, and just wanted to get to know me. They didn't know any of my scores (since the school has already assigned you a numerical score based on your grades and MCATs), but had studied my application well. I had a very positive experience overall.
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It was an excellent interview experience. Both interviewers were very familiar with my file, and seemed genuinely interested in my decision process to become a physician. Both interviews seemed more like a conversation than a structured interview.
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The interviews themselves were very laid back. I felt like my interviewers really wanted to know who I was. We kept interesting conversation going the whole time and they ended up being longer than I expected. One of them did tell me I'd answered a question wrong, but she was nice about it and also said another of my answers was insightful. They don't have your GPA or MCAT, but they have everything else. I got asked about my activities, morals, outlook, and some usual stock interview questions from a list. The tour was great, and the dean did a good job of explaining the curriculum. I was lucky not to have excessive downtime, but some students did. The food was good and they even had enough for vegetarians (lots of schools I've been to did not).
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First interview was pretty standard, related to my AMCAS experiences. I was given a lot of time in the beginning to ask questions, as well. Second interview was an engaging debate on my stance on health as a human right and my motivation for medicine (versus academia). It was intellectually challenging, but exciting.
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overall a pretty good experience. however, one of my interviewers was very unprofessional and made me feel like i ''failed'' the interview for the marjority of the day (i interviewed w/ him in the morning) Most other interviewees had really chill interviews, so I think i just have bad luck.
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I killed the interview. In fact my interviewer emailed me and let me know that I had a very strong interviewer. My second interviewer hadn't looked over my file at all prior to meeting with me and it was a huge waste of time. Nice person, but for him to be defending me in front of the comittee left me feeling a bit dissapointed. I had taken my time to interview, I think it is their responsibility to be prepared.
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It was a long day but my first interviewer was very laid back and friendly who gave me feedback on questions I answered. Second interviewer had her own prerogative, asking few medically related questions, mostly about literature & history. After the interview she told me she was retired and working on 3 seperate masters in languages, literature & history. Overall the campus is pretty with a great view & Portland is a cool city to live in.
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OHSU's interview day can be either very quick or extraordinarily long. I was lucky and had something in between. We (~11) were to arrive at the school by 8am and had a little talk with the dean. Afterwards, we were given our iteneraries. There are two one-on-one interviews with the faculty. Some interviewees had back to back and were done by noon. Others didn't start interviewing until 2 and had their last at 3:30. There isn't much direction during the wait time. Overall, the interviews were very relaxed, I did not get any ethical questions, and we pretty much just chatted about state and national government. I left the school around 3:15.
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i dont know... i felt like i definitely botched the first interview, and regretted how it went, but the second one was great, such a friendly and interesting guy, really easy to communicate comfortably with. the lunch was fine, the tour was quick, the older med students were less enthusiastic, but the ms1's were very friendly and very excited about being at ohsu.
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See my description above. There's lots of wasted time.
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This school makes me embarassed to be an Oregonian. Maybe the state will just cut the umbilical cord one of these days and just make OHSU stand on their own two feet.
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Don’t be fooled by the interview process. This is a great school. The interviewers have your file minus your MCAT scores and grades.
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My first interview was an hour after the morning orientation session. My second interview was at 3:30 PM. They both lasted about 1.5 hours and took place in the interviewer's offices. I showed up early for both and they seemed to be happy that I did. I had a lot of free time between the interviews to explore the campus on my own. Both interviewers were very friendly. Any feelings of nervousness went away immediately after I met them. Both interviewers seemed to know a lot about me (they studied my application well). They have your complete application minus your grades and MCAT scores. We talked a lot about the research and clincal experiences I have had. They were also very interested in my support system outside of school (family and friends) as well as my extracurricular activities (sports, hobbies, etc). Overall, my experience did not feel like formal interviews at all. They were very conversational in nature. It was a very positive experience.
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I interviewed with 10 or 12 other applicants. Two were MSTPers and the rest were straight MD candidates. Most were from out of state, some from as far out as MO and HI. The morning started off with coffee and a short Q&A with one of the medical school deans about the curriculum and the school. After the Q&A we were sent out to our interviews. I had an hour before my first interview so I explored the campus a little bit, chatted with some of the other interviewees, and then went to the Financial Aid Office to get some info. The woman working there was very nice and showed me a bulletin board where I could look for scholarhips/outside aid. She also gave me a packet of info about gov't funding. Then I went to my back-to-back interviews. The first was with a retired ob/gyn who is now head of alumni association. I was nervous at first so the first part our conversation was more like a formal interview. By the end of the interview, however, I was more relaxed and the interview became more conversational. My second interview was with an research MD at the VA. I was more relaxed during this interview and felt like I left a favorable impression by the time the interview was over. I made it a point to stretch out both of my interviews from 45 minutes to 60 minutes to make sure that I had answered ALL of their questions. After my interviews I rushed to a lunch hosted by some of the med students. All of the food was gone by the time I got there so all I ate was an apple. Lunch was followed by a short tour of the campus. After the tour, I met with the head of the multicultural affairs office for a short information session. I was particularly impressed with the outreach that OHSU is doing in the local community. My interview day was over by 1:30. This gave me time to further explore the OHSU campus and parts of Downtown Portland.
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Overall, this interview was alright and I wouldn't mind going to school here. I had heard a lot about the interviewers being rather hard to read here, and for me it was very true. I think I tried to be as open as possible with the interviewer, but it was VERY difficult when they are so stone-faced. I don't think they can get a very accurate picture of the interviewees when they interview like this.
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My first interviewer seemed to have some negative experience with members of my religion because much of the interview focused on my religion. He asked alot of questions that seemed to indicate that because of my religion he might view me as intolerant of other's beliefs (which couldn't be further from the truth). My other interviewer just wanted to match a face with the application and we just chatted about his and I's research for most of the time. (They were both on similar topics) he seemed to already have his opinion formed about me and felt that while I have had alot of shadowing/volunteer experience in a clinical setting that I was less qualified than many of the applicants who have already graduated and have been working in clinical setting for a year. This wasn't an issue at any of the other schools so I don't know why it would have been here.
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Each interview took place in the interviewers office on the OHSU campus rather than in a central location. That meant that interviewees were handed a map and had to hike around between interviews. Both interviews were one-on-one and fairly conversational. Most of the questions came out of my file.
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Both interviewers had clearly carefully read my whole packet and I felt like they both knew me well. It was a good mix of interviews- one more focused on medicine and the other more focused on the personal.
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So-so
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I had two interviews. It was kind of a good cop/bad cop experience in that one was really nice and the other was the dean of admissions, who was less impressed with me than the first one. There is lots of down time during the day but I felt like I learned a lot about the school and it's a good one.
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A friend of mine had interviewed at OHSU two years ago and came back with a glowing review of the school, people, city, etc., so I was elated to get my interview invite. However, it ended up being very disappointing and I can't exactly put my finger on the reason. First of all the weather was DARK with SOAKING RAIN and I heard it had been like this for a month straight. Then, everyone I met seemed sedated. I am not sure if it is just the culture there, or if everyone was depressed, or tired, or what the story was. The students there have the most relaxed schedule I have seen so far at any school (classes only from 8am-noon and then loads of free time), so I doubt it was work overload. The other thing was that it seemed really odd was that when classes end at noon, everyone goes their own way, they don't seem to hang out as a class. One of our tour guides was REALLY ODD and kept going on about how everyone in her class is married and she has no friends there and no one talks to her. Other people have posted on this site that the students seem "genuinely happy", but those weren't the people I met and from what I saw, albeit I am just an outside observer, they were probably the least happy of any students I have seen. The general feeling I left with was although there were some perks to OHSU (i.e. Portland) they are negated by the major inconveniences (weather, parking, high tuition, limited housing and lunch options on the hill) and the general oddness of the students (and I am from SF, so I don't mean artsy, I really mean psychological issues-- I don't think it is a coincidence that OHSU was the ONLY secondary that asked if we had ever been diagnosed with a mental illness).
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Both interviewers were friendly and nonconfrontational. The interviews were pretty laid-back and conversational - nothing to worry about.
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The interviews were both conversational, with one being tougher than the other. The questions are all fairly standard for any interview.
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it was good. my interviewers were both nice and fun to talk to but some people in my group did get grilled so i guess don't discount the comments from people who had a tough interview, but just hope for good luck or at least composure under pressure
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Everyone arrives 7:45 and meets the admissions director for an informal Q/A session. Interviewers will have your essays, but not your GPA/MCAT and the interviews/adcom eval counts ~80% and your numbers ~20% for admission(which is cool for some of us). From 12-1 there is lunch, Q/A session with 2 students (one 1st year and one 2nd) and a brief tour (would have been nice to meet more students and maybe some 4th years). One interview in the morning and one in the afternoon... for me, neither one was very difficult, despite other comments on here.
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Excellent. The only out of state I would consider out of the OOS I applied to.
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I came in thinking that OHSU and now I am no longer interested... and this is my state school.... but there are better options out there.
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Low stress, significant waiting time, but overall positive.
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Overall great without the grilling I took.
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Both of the interviewers were positive and seemed interested in getting to know me, not in trying to intimidate me or anything like that.
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I was worried because some reviews on this site mentioned rather hostile, late, uninterested interviewers. All 3 of the faculty I talked to were very friendly, well prepared, and encouraging.
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Two interviewers could not be more opposite. First: amazing. excited to meet me. awesome conversation and very positive experience. Second: whoa. negative. seemed annoyed that he was interviewing at all. interrupted every statement i made within the first sentence. can't believe he's an interviewer. but still very interesting. candid about his thoughts re: OHSU and everything else i asked him. extremely candid. pretty funny, actually.
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I spoke with two doctors, both of which were very friendly and did seem like they were trying to get to know me. The students seemed enthusiastic and not too stressed out!
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Overall, it was OK...the school is really expensive and the process of getting into the MD-MPH program feels cumbersome...
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pretty standard, no surprises. it was super clear that the mph is very epi/biostat centered--they do not do much "fuzzy" stuff. oh--and they all wanted to know about my clinical experiences and why ohsu.
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My interviewers were both extremely nice and not out to get me in any way. They were both casual and conversational, however they definitly had a list of prepared questions they wanted answers for. The first interviewer asked me a million questions in 30 minutes...down to the books I was reading...to what my family was like...to what my opinion was about problems in health care. He was ready to ask the next question before I started answering the last! Nice but intense. The second interview was with a researcher who was a great listener and took notes on everything I said. Opposite extremes, but great people with good intensions. I fell in love with the school. The campus buildings were old, but had character. The hospitals were new and amazing. The people were friendly and down to earth. The interview day as a whole was a great experience.
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I was pretty impressed the by the school and students although I think they could have presented their school better. Make sure to ask any questions you have when the ass. dean comes to talk and talk to the students. Be aggressive in seeking information because it's a great program with a lot of opportunities. The campus is beautiful and people seem well-rounded and excited to be there. Portland is such a nice city with access to everything; the beach, mountains, wineries, and city entertainment.
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A great school, and I would like to go here especially because it's close to home. But I get the feeling they really like students with some life experience after college, which I don't have.
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Great school as far as the facilities and curriculum go. The school is ~20% minority, but still not diverse enough for my liking. Otherwise, no complaints, though Portland was not as great as I expected it to be.
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It was overall very good, except for the tardiness of my interviewers. My 2nd interviewer, after talking in their office for 45 mins, took me to Starbucks as they got caffeinated for being on call that night. Hah.
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I really enjoyed my interview day at OHSU. I found the interviewers to be among the most skillful I've come across. For the most part, they asked good questions that allowed me, in a non-stressful atmosphere, to elaborate on my research interests, motivations, and goals. I felt like I was able to get my personality across to them as well. Overall it was a very postive experience. OHSU recently received accreditation from the NIH for an MSTP. This seemed to have potential pros and cons. On the one hand, OHSU's research has a very up-and-coming feeling to it. They are investing a lot of money into new facilities and the recruitment of basic science investigators. On the other hand, having a new MSTP means that it will likely take some time to have the Program up and running as efficiently as some other schools. Luckily Peter Rotwein, the Director, seems very well suited for this challenge. I got the impression that he was behind his MSTPs 100%, and was very competent.
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I enjoyed OHSU immensely, particularly my interactions with the MPH program faculty and staff. The school's atmosphere (location, faculty-student relations, facilities, etc) reminded me of UCSF. Definetaly a "west-coast" feeling.
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two nice interviewers. the second asked me a bunch of odd questions about literature, but we seemed to click otherwise
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OHSU is a very nice school and I wouldn't mind going there at all. Although the campus is very nice, I feel that its location on top of a hill is isolating. I was disappointed by the fact that there is no campus housing and that the class is not too diverse. However, OHSU is growing quickly, they are currently building a new campus on the river-front that includes an aerial tram connecting the two campuses.
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This interview was my worst nightmare. I had 5 interviews (MD/PhD) which was totally uncessary. There was a scheduling mishap in which I had two sheets. Our student tour guide agreed that I wasn't scheduled for a couple hours, but as it turned out the block/directions was scheduled on a different sheet. Between that and my hostile interviewer, a stress score of 10. Unfortunately, the school and students are fantastic. Current buildings are old, but new facilites are under construction. The students are happy and active. Research is rapidly growing. We had an opportunity to speak with fourth year students which is far more telling than first year students. The marjority of my fellow interviewees were fun and truely intersting people. The hosts seemed to have inexpensive, comfortable living arrangements. Oregon is absolutely gorgeous. I would have been happy to go there.
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Portland is a great medium size city which I recommend everyone to take an extra day or two after the interview and visit. The interview day itself was a bit hectic since the architectural feautures of the campus seemed to be a challenege for me to get around and find the proper building/ office where my next interview should be. However, with that being said the interviers were quite friendly and very understanding if I was a bit late since they had my schedule and based on their locations it was quite impossible to be on time, every time. And despite all that some were quite intersted in continuing to have a conversation with me, 15-20 minutes after my scheduled time. Overall it was a great experience and if you are appliying to the Md/PhD. program it would be a great place to do research and help shape the direction this program will take as its relativelly new at this point.
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This was my first interview so I went into it feeling fairly nervous, but was quickly put at ease by the friendliness of the staff, the interviewers, and my fellow interviewees. The interview day was well organized, although there can be a lot of waiting around (my interviews were 4 hours apart, with the luncheon and tour in between). Both of my interviews were friendly and conversational, no difficult or unexpected questions came up and they genuinely seemed to want to get to know me as a person. Although I felt like my interviews went well, both of my interviwers seemed like very nice people who probably wouldn't have let on if they didn't like me, so it's hard to say. The students who conducted the lunch and tour seemed to feel that they had a lot of free time and were very happy to be there. I had never really been up on the campus before, and I was impressed with how nice most of the buildings are and with the planned developments for the waterfront--I knew about the sky tram, but they are also building a new hospital, research center, and housing unit that will be connected to the main campus by the tram. OHSU was one of my top choices before the interview, and after going there I really felt like if I get accepted I would probably go--the curriculum and atmosphere are a good match for my goals and personality. I could really see myself as a student there.
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I liked the school and could imagine myself living in Portland. It is what I expected and really a solid program that is making a lot of strides towards further progress.
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This is a great school, but weather and parking is disappointing. But I think the school's reputation, admin, and students make it all worth it. It's definitely up there on my list!
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The interviews went great. The first one was laidback. The interviewer wanted to hear my entire life story. I was surprised by the amount of detail he wanted! This was my time to explain who I really am! The second interview was scary. The interviewer interrogated me. He tried to pick arguments with me. I was shocked because I hate to argue. So I answered the questions honestly and calmly! It worked pretty well. I wasn't sure how to feel about it afterwards but my acceptance showed that my responses were perfect even if he didn't agree with them. I think the key was to stick with my answer and refute his replies politely. I was also asked what I would do if I wasn't accepted and I told him I was already accepted. I think this was great because it made it look like I really wanted to go to school there since I took the effort to come to the interview even after receiving an acceptance.
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the med school is definitely on the rise. the MPH program is not in a separate school of public health, but is solid; the preventive medicine program was given an outstanding educational program of the year award in 2004. portland is awesome. i've read some posts that the admissions office is really disorganized and slow, but my experience was much to the contrary. they were always polite and helpful, and i got snail-mail updates on my application.
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We checked in at 7:45 -- like practically the crack of dawn. The admissions lady gave a little spiel. She was really nice, and then we all went to our interviews - most people had one at 11 and one at 2 or so --> I had three (combined degree) and they were at 9, 10, and 11 ack! The first guy was really cool - he said he could clearly tell why I wanted to be a doctor from my app(they get everything but the grades and scores) so I dodged that frustratingly long answer. We talked about his art and he said he had no problems with me or my app (rock on!). The second guy was the MPH person - an epidemiologist, he was scary and grilled me for like 35 minutes and then proceeded to go over the MPH program in excrutiating detail and leaving me 2 minutes to get to my third person. Luckily my third person was later than me and I looked on-time. He was a super touchy-feely nice family practice guy and we had a good coversation about universal healthcare and the need for improved federal programs - but he was also the guy that at the end of the interview asked me about cutting (see below) just completely randomly --> he said he knew nothing about it but wanted to know my opinion -- it was a little weird but ok. The student lunch after the marathon interviews was awesom as the med students they had were nice and super informative.
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I had a very polarized interview experience. The first interviewer was like facing your parents after you've done something bad (as a child). He tore apart my application asking for specifics on everything. Example: You shadowed at the ER? Which physicians? How long? Name any other physicians you have shadowed and over what time period. You mentioned you ran a few marathons, which ones and what was your time? (are you kidding me?) Not to mention he had this piercing stare, like he was trying to trip me up. It felt more like an interrogation. The second interviewer was the complete opposite. The questions were more along the lines of "so you mentioned you are interested in primary care, but specialist have better continuation of care, don't you think?". Ah...yeah...sure... I'm not going to contradict an expert in the field. The best part was 3/4 of the way through my second interview my interviewer was needed for a procedure to remove a stomach ulcer. We both scrubbed up and were part of the operation. Without a doubt the coolest interview I have ever had.
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I guess I put "no change" as my impression because while the orientation and the student lunch positively impressed me, the interviews themselves left a negative impression, and I left OHSU in a fairly foul mood. One interview was definitely more positive than the other. I think the more negative second interview has colored how I feel about the first one because it's fresher in my mind, but I guess if I think about it, the first interview wasn't so bad, and I definitely felt much more confident leaving it. I guess I feel pretty torn about how I feel about OHSU. I like that it looks like I'd have a lot of free time and early patient contact at OHSU, but I really couldn't tell how going there would affect which residency programs I could match to. (I suppose I mean, is it a "good" school?)
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I enjoyed it. If you have time make sure to check out the peral district in Portland- as an out of towner I really enjoyed it!
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My first interview was easy, alot of questions about my personality, I felt like he was trying to see if I would have good bedside manner. The second interview was long and arduous. Very interesting and difficult questions about policy and the politics behind the healthcare industry.
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Really had a good time at OHSU, I applied to it on a fluke, didn't really know anything about the school, and was really impressed.
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Great day overall. Specifically, the two interviews were significantly different from one another. The first interviewer asked cookie-cutter questions to which I had cookie-cutter answers. The second interviewer asked more probing, what-did-you-learn-about-yourself-through-this-experience type of questions. The second interview, by the nature of the questions, was more difficult to feel good about. Both interviewers were friendly and non-invasive.
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Great place, great school, and very genuine people. Both of my interviews were completely stress free---just normal conversation.
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I have spent time at OHSU in the past, but I never realized how great the medical school was. The faculty truly care about the students, there is plenty of opportunity for early patient contact, and the students are easy going. I would love to go to school here.
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I was very impressed by OHSU. I like their curriculum, and the hospitals were nice. The school seems to care very much about the students and takes their feedback into account. The interviewers have your file, but not your grades or MCAT score. The interview day is somewhat spread out, with up to two hour segments of time in which one does not have anything to do, but the convenience of their offering interviews three days a week every week far outweighs the inconvenience of waiting around.
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There were no out of the ordinary questions, only about why I chose the school I chose, why medicine, etc. They both asked me repeatedly what I did in my spare time, I got the feeling they didn't feel like I did enough. (I work full time but am taking this year to have fun and do outdoor stuff before I go to med school). One interviewer hadn't read my file and started off kind of harshly, the other was completely prepared, very warm and relaxed. The day was soooo long, I was completely exhausted by the end, but it's definately my first choice now.
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Overall, lived up to (and beyond) my expectations from what I had heard/read about. The staff and faculty are genuinely concerned for your education and training. Research did not seem overly emphasized throughout my visit but definitely a lot of strong work goes on there, and opportunities for students abound. The early focus on clinical training (starting from first year) is a bonus. The 4th year students told us about feeling very well-prepared compared to their peers (as gauged from residency interviews and USMLE 2, I suppose?) The vibe I get is that each class is quite close-knit, and the place is super-friendly/supportive of student families. I had plenty of time in the morning because one of my interviews got re-scheduled, so I explored the main hospitals, and they were at least on par with the better ones I have seen from other interviews. That is, much effort goes into renovation, updating, gearing for patient-friendliness, etc. If you go, you must not miss the opportunity to cross the Sky Bridge (a 1/4-mile long glass-covered corridor connecting two of the main hospitals).
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OHSU seems like a terrific community. The students seemed laid back, but also hard-working when necessary, and interested in making a positive difference. The curriculum is well-known for its innovation. Portland is a wonderful city, with good public transportation. The MD/MPH program only offers an Epi/Biostats track, but they seem very serious about it, and definitely sold me on the value of that track.
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I was very impressed with the overall program. OHSU educates its students very well. The day was pretty spread out (I was advised ahead of time to bring a book), and the provided lunch was less than impressive (didn't have enough for everyone--and there were only like 6 of us!!). My first interviewer showed up late and hadn't read my file so he just said, "tell me about yourself." He was friendly though... my second interviewer was a very nice lady but she had some pretty intense questions. I thought it went well, but I also felt like I may have revealed too much about myself... (is it possible to be too honest???). I am glad I went to check it out, but I am not sure if it would be the right place for me.
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Overall, the day was fantastic... the students that came in to talk to us and give a tour were so great and enthusiastic. The interviews were very challenging in that they asked very personal questions to get an idea of who I was. Although I felt a little emotionally drained after it all, I genuinely appreciated those questions because I got to show them some of the more intangible stuff about me that can't be written out on an application. Both my interviewers were extremely nice people with warm, friendly demeanors. They were the epitome of dream interviewers in that they were good conversationalists, good listeners, not pushy, and not out to get you in any way.
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After talking to a few other interviewees, I would say that, when interviewing at OHSU, be prepared to be asked about your personal acomplishments (via your essays). It seems they are looking for straight, honest input about who you are and why you want to be there.
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I loved this interview. My interviewer was very laid-back, very friendly. She asked the standard questions, but she was genuinely interested in my responses and shared many anecdotes with me. My second interviewer did most of the talking. She just told me more about Portland and why she came to OHSU.
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The facilities were nice and the students seemed really happy that they were able to have a life during medical school. The first interviewer seemed more interested in asking a list of questions and then getting me out of there, but the second interviewer was really nice and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me as a candidate. OHSU was already one of my top choices, and the interview didn't really do anything to make it look better or worse in my eyes. I still wouldn't mind going there, but there was nothing that really blew me away.
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Both my interviewers were incredibly friendly and interesting people that were excited to meet me and talk about the school. Both interviews were conversations with a few stock questions but mostly get to know you stuff and reflection on my motivations and understanding of medicine. Lunch is hosted by several med students, make sure you show up, one girl didn't and I think it may have hurt her application. The interviewers really liked to talk about the curriculum so definately have some insightful questions ready. Great place to go to school, the students here actually have a life and get a terrific education.
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My interviews were both over an hour long (the second one took 1 1/2 hours). The location is beautiful but there is a lack of parking.
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It was a good overall experience, I just had one really really tough interview. I was given no hints as to how either of the interviewers felt about me, and was asked some very thought provoking questions. I would not be too stressed about it, but really think through your answers and have a clear idea of why you want to be a doctor, and why OHSU.
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Initially felt very positive, but a tough genuine experience. Interviewers really made me think, asked follow up questions to get at little details and insights into me and my personality.
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OHSU is a pretty nice laid back school; if you want a place that's as close as possible to a vacation while going to medical school, this is where to go. Obviously, it has many of the opportunities that you might want - and includes great early patient contact - but there's not a lot of structured time in the first two years. One of the few places I've been where the students were genuinely happy.
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While I was expecting one very casual conversational interview and one cut-throat firing range interview, I got 2 very relaxed interviews. I didn't even get asked the "Why do you want to be a doctor" bit, but managed to work it into conversation anyway. The school is amazing and very impressive, and this experience moved OHSU into my number one school slot. It has a very innovative and modern curriculum that interested me greatly.
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On the whole, it went well and was relatively low-stress. Interviewers have your entire file EXCEPT grades and MCAT scores, and they ask no questions which would hint at those scores. As I have since been told is common practice, I was given one relatively free-form interview (basically conversational) and one rigid interview (answer the question, no time for elaboration, answer the next question). The rigid interview was somewhat disheartening, as I didn't really feel that the interviewer got to know me. I tried to direct the conversation a bit, but the interviewer interrupted me constantly in order to get on to the next question. For the last 20+ minutes of the interview, he was constantly looking at his watch. Finally, he asked me if I had any questions. I had several, but I only got an answer to one before he said that we were out of time. The conversational interview was very pleasant and encouraging. Interview #1 lasted almost exactly 60 minutes. Interview #2 lasted approximately 70 minutes.
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So I was the only interviewer that day. It was strange to have lunch with five medical students and just me, but nice because I could get all of my questions answered. I had two interviews...one with a family practice doctor and another with a pediatric cardiologist. Both were very warm and welcoming, and both new my file very well. It is open file, but the interviewers are not given your GPA or MCAT information, and you are discouraged from talking about your numbers. The interviews are very conversational and relaxed, but know your application well. They are interested in your emotional maturity and motivation to become a physician, among other 'soft' criteria. The students seemed very happy and pleased with their choice. Average age for MS1 students is 26.5 and it seemed like a large majority were engaged or married. Portland is a great city to live in with culture, arts, and outdoor recreation. Just know that it averages about 11 days of sun between November and May. If you haven't experienced this, it can be very depressing. Overall, the experience was impressive and the school became my top choice.
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My second interview was a little strange. It was very thorough -- we covered all the basic questions. But he kept making comments about what I would do if I didn't get in, making sure I had applied to other schools, etc. I really hope that he just says that to everyone but it was a little disheartening.
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I had a great experience. The interviews were very informal but organized and thorough. Everyone was pleasent and we had one-on-one time with M1s and M4s for honest answers to any questions we had.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggest that the admissions office should improve communication by providing timely updates through email, streamlining the decision-making process, and utilizing electronic methods instead of traditional mail to enhance efficiency and reduce frustration for applicants.
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Have a set date for a decision to be made. If it’s rolling admissions, inform students who interview early of their status earlier into the process even if it’s a rejection.
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Please communicate better with applicants. I should receive an email when I am placed in the hold pool and also receive another email when I am accepted/placed on the waitlist/rejected. I should not have to be checking the secondary portal every single day just to see whether the tiny little status dot on the secondary portal has changed. I have been checking almost every day for months now and it's been a very frustrating process.
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Keep doing what you're doing!
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Answer email and voicemail messages in a timely manner.
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Formally address cost of medical education
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Do not schedule interview times during the morning orientation and lunch with the current students.
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Faster turn-around time on secondary applications and file reviews. I was 80% through the process with all the other schools I applied to before I even received a secondary from OHSU.
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Respond to emails.
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more things to do during down time of interview day.
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They need to figure out how to fix their emails...too many of them automatically end up in your spam
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Get your act together. Answer peoples questions when they call you up and ask (rather than just lett
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Give more accurate deadlines for decision dates, but otherwise, I liked how the admissions office ra
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Give the option to go all electronic!
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Scrap the snail mail.
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Be open to responding to applicants even before they recieve an interview invitation. It seems to b
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Go electronic (Portland is as green as can be, why is OHSU Admissions not?) and SPEED IT UP!
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More structure, pick better interviewers
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People knock the OHSU admissions office but I actually think they do a good job. All my phone messag
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Snail mail? Really? Get with the program ya'll...especially from Oregon! You love trees! Stop ki
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It's 2008 and it's time to use email to communicate. It's much faster and more guaranteed to get to
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The delayed admissions system (they don't accept the whole class until May 15th and it's not really
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Pretty please use email and the internet. It is quite stressful waiting for postcards and letters.
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Although snail mail is somewhat chivalrous- I appreciate the speed of email.
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please stop using snail mail! it's slow and a waste of paper...
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Faster decision-making process
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