Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 18% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview mixed with a low stress level, and felt they did well.
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 revolve around the applicant's motivation for pursuing medicine, their path to medicine, experiences with critical feedback and reflection, leadership experiences, ethical dilemmas, strengths and weaknesses, and their understanding of healthcare challenges. Additionally, questions related to specific scenarios like patient interactions, ethical decisions, and reactions to critical situations are frequently discussed. Some responses indicated an MMI format with nondisclosure agreements possibly in place.
Do you like to take the chance before your interview concludes to make any updates to you application or explain further about anything in your application?
Asked about volunteering and my experience. Then when I gave an example asked “would you consider this one experience to be your most impactful volunteer experience?”
My faculty interviewer asked me if I had been to other interviews (which I had), and then he asked me which question I most often asked. He then asked me to answer that question.
Neither my faculty nor medical student interviewer really asked me any questions. They both just spent the 30 minutes telling me why they like The Ohio State.
Explain your research to (insert person with little education). The point is to see how well you can simplify complex information so that an uneducated person can understand it.
Details about research/coursework that I took...I graduated back in 2006 so if you've been out of school for a while, brush up on your coursework and research from back in the day.
Faculty: How do you deal with a situation in which a patient wants a procedure that goes against your personal values/morals. (Presumably, the procedure is legal and medically safe).
If a close friend was dying of a terminal illness and asked you to relieve them of all their pain in a state where physician assisted suicide was legal, what would you do?
You are from the east coast, so why Ohio? Are any of your family members in the medical profession? How did your interest in medicine come about? What is your greatest weakness? Strength?
Ethical question related to research: if you were testing a new treatment for a disease, and you knew in your heart that the treatment would be very helpful to patients, what would you do if your results were only mediocre?
You don't seem to have a lot of leadership experience. If need be, do you think you could take on a leadership position? (I think some of these questions are scripted, since he filled in answers to a typed questionnaire as I spoke.)
Are you good at group work? (This was actually an attack by my student interviewer, he kept insisting that my extensive leadership experience would make me difficult to work with.)
A series of ethical questions, including patient asking for treatment I personally disapprove of, patient refusing treatment, parent refusing treatment for minor child.
Do you have any questions for me? (My student interviewer left lots of time, perhaps 10-15 min, for questions. My faculty interviewer, b/c we started our interview late, seemed anxious to present her information to the committee right afterward, so she reserved more like 2-5 min for questions.)
Tell me about an ethical problem you experienced. (I discussed a dilemma I had regarding confidentiality with a female friend who had psychiatric problems and was at risk of harming herself. Fortunately for me, I found out later in the interview that my woman faculty interviewer was a psychiatrist.)
Why medicine? Why not law? Why did you not practice law after becoming an attorney? Explain bad undergrad grades. Are you published (I do biomedical research now full-time), to which journal did you submit, has it been accepted, what author are you?
Faculty #2: (Series of ethical questions, each one following up the previous one with a different spin on the same scenario regarding a young woman seeking the
how would you go about telling a terminally ill, unisured patient about treatments that may save his/her life but are extremely expensive and and have an extremely small success rate.
If I were to ask your friends about you, what would they tell me are your strengths and weaknesses? Sounds dumb, but I was a little unprepared to answer this question.
There are quite a few ethical issues in medicine. Have you ever thought about any of them? Which one? How do you feel about it? How would you handle it if you had to deal with it as a physician?
What kind of clinical experiences did you have? What did you do specifically in it? Why did you decide to major in ____? Why did you decide to apply to Ohio State? What was the last book you read? What did you learn from your shadowing experiences?
It's 15 years from now and you an attending. You have a resident under you that you've had for 2 years. Everybody likes him a lot, he's very knowledgeable, hardworking, good with patients etc. One day you come in and a nurse pulls you aside and tells you that you should know that the night before the resident came in to preform an emergency surgery. Everything went fine but she could smell alcohol on the resident's breath. What do you do?
What are your hobbies?
Why do you want to attend OSU?
There was a question about my letter of rec, which I tried to explain that I couldn't answer because they were confidential letters that I had not read. However, they went right down the AMCAS asking about my activities.
Describe an ethical situation a physician might face. (Not the exact wording but it was clear they wanted a good description of the views of both sides...not a specific answer. He keept leading me on for a long time during this...turns out the only other thing he was looking for is that we shouldnt force our views on others...ie abortion stick to your morals, but refer the person to another doc...
tell me about your research (they asked about ALL of my research, even the stuff I did summer after my freshman year, which I couldn't remember the details of for the life of me...so really know all about your research!)
Other common ethical questions: Attending comes in drunk, what do you do? Choose an ethical issue facing medicine today & discuss. What would you do if a 13 year old girl, who had parental consent, wanted an abortion? If you saw a friend cheating on an exam, what would you do?
You have a patient who is terminally ill and in a great deal of pain. He wants you to give him something to end it. What do you do? (He really grilled me on this one, continuing to ask "well what about this..." but then said he was just trying to push me.)
Strength and weakness, hobbies, choose an ethical issue facing physicians, unique quality about me, how do you study, who will be your support system in Columbus.
Discuss an ethical issue, why did you take the MCAT in August, what did you learn from your experiences, what is the best book you've read recently, talk about your research, how would you add to the class, describe your stengths and weaknesses, etc.
no specific questions, just normal talking about different things, but basically: why do you want to be a doctor (and they wanted a pretty thorough explanation)?
I am not sure if it was a question or a complement, but we talked a little about my letters of recommendation. I am a non-traditional student, they mentioned how complimentary the letters were to me. They wondered how I got them from people who had been my teachers 3 years ago.
Most of the questions that were asked were pertaining to my activities mentioned in my AMCAS application and my OSU secondary application. He just asked for greater detail about the activities so it was pretty low stress.
"If I were to call your mother, what would she say are your strengths/weaknesses?"
"Tell me about a time that you were under a lot of stress, and how did you deal with it?"
"Tell me about yourself"
"Tell me about your clinical experience"
"What is it about you that will make you a good doctor"
A 73 year old man with pancreatic cancer comes into your office after a year of futile tests and treatments, he wants you to give him something to end it...what do you do?
Students said most interesting question asked at Ohio State University College of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics including personal growth, ethical dilemmas, service orientation, and family dynamics. While there were no stand-out unique questions, the interview format seemed traditional with a focus on understanding the applicant's experiences, values, and motivations for pursuing medicine.
Tell me about your family. This was the first question the faculty interviewer asked me. It didn't catch me off guard because I prepared for this, but I could very easily see it being strange for someone else expecting "Why medicine?" first.
One of my faculty interviewers posed an interesting question comparing two courses I took: Christian ethics vs. Biomedical ethics...do they conflict or complement each other?
What would you do if a patient couldn't afford a procedure that had a low probability of success when all other options had been exhausted? Would you discuss this with them or not?
A parent comes to you with his/her deathly-ill child. You know that if this child doesn't receive a blood transfusion, he will die. However, his parent is a devout Jehovah's Witness and refuses treatment. What do you do? What do you think of the RU-486 abortion pill? Why do you think the HPV vaccine is controversial?
I actually wasn't asked that many questions by the faculty interviewer. The most interesting to me was his first: What other schools have you applied to?
Imagine you are a pharmacy manager and you overhear a conversation with one of you employees with a customer. The pharmacist refuses to fill a prescription for a young teenager for an emergency abortion pill. What would you do in this situation?
The questions were pretty standard. Why medicine, why OSU. There were some questions about my position on stem cell research and the ethical dilemmas physicians face today. The interviewer was very genial and we talked about family and sundry things.
The student interviewer was good too. Actually he was more nervous than me.
If you speak a second langauge and have see a patient who doesn't speak English being told by her husband in the same foreign language you know that she's fine, even though she's dying of cancer, would you confront her about the illness, and her husband?
Ethical situation concerning bridging cultural differences: a doctor overhears a man telling his wife in another langauge (one you understand) that she is fine and will be better soon, when you overheard the doctor give the woman a terminal diagnosis. Do you tell his wife the truth?
how would you go about telling a terminally ill, unisured patient about treatments that may save his/her life but are extremely expensive and and have an extremely small success rate.
None really. Very standard questions: i.e. why medicine? describe an ethical situation or current issue in medicine you're concerned about, describe strengths and weaknesses
A fourteen year old who has already had a baby come into your office wanting to terminate pregnancy. She is with her mother who does not want her child to have an abortion. What do you do?
Interviewer brought up a recent controversial issue in medicine- "what do you think"? It was something I'd never heard of- just in the news the past few days.
Pretty standard seeming stuff...I guess the most complicated was when he just asked me to describe an ethical situation (both sides)...which degenerated into a long discussion on stem cell research...all the while he was fishing for a specific point...which i eventually hit on and he finally let us move on.
traits of people i know that make them good at what they do in the different fields they're in (a convoluted question basically getting at 'what makes you think you'll be a good doc?')
He asked a lot of questions pertaining to an African Studies class I took freshman year. It was difficult because I did not remember much and my interviewer had spent a significant amount of time in Africa.
I am a member of the LDS church (mormon for those not familiar). We usually spend two years as a religious missionary, starting when we are 19. I was asked what I learned during my time as a missionary. Later on I was asked how this experience relates to medicine.
Not necessarily the most interesting but most wide open question was how I saw medicine in 5 or 10 years after doing the socioeconomic research that I have done.
Other than the standard medical school questions, I was asked to give insight about an ethical concern facing the future of medicine. He did not ask me to speak about my stance on the issue, but to discuss all sides that were relavant.
If you were on a desert island for 24 hours, what three things would you want to have with you? (I got the impression that he was looking for nonstandard answers in order to learn something about me...)
Suppose it's 15 years from now, you're a very accomplished surgeon, you have your entire family over for Thanksgiving, you've just started carving the turkey and the phone rings. It's the resident at the hospital saying that a patient of yours needs an immediate operation. He knows you're not on call, but the patient would feel better if you performed the surgery. What do you do and why?
Students said most difficult question asked at Ohio State University College of Medicine discussed various personal and ethical scenarios, including handling ethical dilemmas, reflecting on weaknesses, discussing challenges in medicine, and justifying experiences on their application. The interview format might have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) based on the diversity of questions, with some respondents possibly under nondisclosure agreements due to specific question details mentioned.
In a conversation you will most likely not be caught off guard by a question but obviously it is possible. My faculty interviewer was nice and didn't ask me anything difficult - preparing for questions ahead of time helped to ensure this.
Why Ohio State, etc, etc. Not because the Q was hard but because the student interviewer asked it very bluntly then always gave me an interesting look as I answered.
I got pretty generic questions. I had the most difficulty controlling my nerves because my faculty interview was with two faculty members, one of whom was the associate dean.
If a patient requested of you a procedure that is both legal and medically safe but that conflicts with your personal code of ethics, how would you handle it?
What is the most difficult decision you have ever had to make? Walk me through it. Who did you go to for support? and...Health care is important for physicians to pay attention to. What is a health care issue that will affect your career, and how might that lead into an ethical dilemma? What would you do?
Why do you want to be a doctor? (This was the first question and I was still nervous at this point in the interview, even though I knew that I would get this question.)
I was asked to comment on an ethical issue in medicine. No topic was provided. I just thought it strange that I was to pick any issue at all and talk about it.
If you're a pharmacist who's against abortion, do you have the right to refuse to give out the RU-486 pill if you're in a small town with no other pharmacy in miles? (I was asked previously what I would do if I were against abortion and was asked to perform one by a patient; I answered that I would explain my objections, but it really didn't matter because the patient can always go to another doctor if she is determined enough, and it's not in the doctor's place to stop her).
Pick an ethical issue and discuss it--I threw out a few choices: abortion and end-of-life decisions--BUT then she took it back and she was like how about surrogancy. Talk about that. I wasn't prepared to talk about that, but I did my best from what I remembered...
No really difficult questions, but interviewer had her list of questions in plain sight, and I could actually glance down, read the questions, and anticipate what was coming next. It was hard not to do that.
Imagine you are in charge of a large healthcare organization/system, what would you do? - Personally, the question seemed too vague or more in the field of health admin.
They asked me to describe an ethical situation in medicine (of my choice), and to talk about the parameters. I talked about patients who are on life-support, but I'm sure that abortion, stem cell research, genetic engineering, etc. would all be acceptable.
Believe it or not, the most difficult questions I was asked were: "If I were to call your mother, what would she say are your strengths and weaknesses?" and "Tell me about a time that you were under a lot of stress or anxiety, and how did you deal with it?"
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?
Applicants commonly prepared for the interview by researching the school, reading questions on Student Doctor Network (SDN), reviewing their application materials, doing mock interviews, and practicing answering general interview questions. Many also focused on knowing their application well, preparing for typical questions like "why medicine," and discussing ethical and current healthcare issues during their preparation.
Researched the school, researched questions on SDN, reviewed provided materials
I did 7 mock interviews with various med student friends, advisors, clinician faculty, and physician-mentors. I took notes of constructive criticism of the things I fell short of.
Researched the school, did mock interviews with friends, practiced answering lots of questions out loud and in my head; have a solid answer for "tell me about yourself", "why OSU" and "why medicine".
reviewed the school website, read my AMCAS app/Secondary a million times, prepared for "typical" questions, talked with current students (i'm from the area, know quite a few)
sdn, made pages and pages of introspective interview notes (it's nice; you get to learn a lot about yourself), watched documentaries (something I would have done anyway)
Mock interview, reviewed my application, prepared for typical questions, researched the school, asked current med students their thoughts on the school.
Perused all my application materials(primary, secondary, etc.) and read up some interview questions. Also combed the OSU website to find out more about the school. Staying with a student host was by far the most helpful though.
Had people drill me with questions from Interview Feedback, read up on "current" and medically related issues, looked over my secondary essays and personal statement
primary amcas application, secondary application to OSU (it is open file so they have read and may ask you a question about your primary or secondary application.), and SDN
SDN, AMCAS, OSU secondary, MSAR, Univ of Washington bioethics website, NY Times Healthcare Reform book (dated, published in 1993), talked with student host (2nd yr student in ISP curriculum)
Read over AMCAS and secondary essays. Kept track of current issues in medicine, such as health care and ethics issues, good night's sleep and breakfast in the morning
Read and listened to others' interview tips, thought ahead of time about the sorts of answers I might give to open-ended questions, and other questions I thought they might ask. Got a good night's sleep!
Read this website. Read up on the school's website and did a mock interview with my wife (who is a doctor - so she has a good idea of the possible questions they might ask)
Gathered a list of commonly-asked questions, and a list of questions from SDN for OSU from the past year. Prepared answers to all of them. Practiced answering questions. Stayed current on health news, etc.
Most of the questions were very predictable. I literally could have finished his sentence a few times--they clearly have some standard questions that everyone is asked.
Read this ewbsite and made sure I could answer all of the questions...I was prepared for every question he asked me...read OSU's website, my AMCAS, my secondaries, their viewbook.
SDN, read over my research, read their handbook, looked over my application, wrote out why I like the school and potential questions that I could ask my interviewer.
sdn, ama website for current events, read many practice questions, self-evaluation. kept an interview journal to write down thoughts/ideas and organized these a week before the interview.
Thought about answers to standard questions, made a list relating my positive qualities to activities that I do or instances where they showed, read SDN and the school's website.
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendliness and enthusiasm of the students, faculty, and staff at the school. They also highlighted the state-of-the-art facilities, emphasis on community and support, as well as the innovative curriculum options available.
everyone was REALLY nice. I got immediate positive feedback from my first interviewer, which really boosted my confidence. Everyone in the school and on the administration seemed like best friends. It was a total community vibe. These guys were awesome.
OSU's affiliated hospitals are great for clinical learning, their students' match into competitive specialties every year is also very impressive, Columbus is a great city for social activity and night life.
The interviewers had looked at all of my essays ahead of time and seemed genuinely interested in learning more about me. The interviews went super fast and felt very conversational.
The atmosphere of incredibly smart medical students who match super competitively but are down to earth and normal. OSU prides themselves on having medical students who are well rounded and not robotic.
The medical students all seemed very down-to-earth and genuinely happy with their experiences at the school. The faculty gave a very similar vibe. The students didn't seem to be overly stressed.
The curriculum, considering that since the implementation of the LSI curriculum Step 1 grades have improved with each passing year. The facilities were impressive and the people were extremely enthusiastic. They gave the sense that they were all looking out for each other.
The friendly and outgoing current med students who had lunch with us. They were very down to earth and eager to be helpful. I also really appreciated seeing the Simulation center-- very impressive!
Pretty much everything. The new James Cancer Center is amazing. The facilities are pretty and new. The curriculum sounds amazing. The interview day was very well organized and really sold the school to me.
Dr. Capers, the OSU students, the facilities, and the new LSI curriculum. Also the integration of the med school with the undergrad school in Columbus - I like that collegetown feel. Also, they gave us laptop bags and flash drives.
The school recently changed much of the curriculum. They seem to be really focused on doing everything they can to ensure that they provide the best medical education possible.
The AMAZING expansion projects currently going on (including expansion of the med library, simulated exam rooms, and Project One).
I was also very impressed with the responsiveness of the administration to the students.
The friendliness of everyone there (students, faculty, and admissions office) made a positive impression on me as well.
climbing up the ranks, ProjectOne, emergency medicine/trauma is great, emphasis on ultrasound puts you at the top for specialties that require quick diagnostic imaging (EM/trauma)
Top notch facilities, how much the med students help each other out, the university's commitment to medicine (they're building two new hospitals and already have one of the top hospital systems), and most importantly how much the med school looks out for its students
Excellent hospital and good medical school facilities. Extremely friendly people. Emphasis on service, but it looked like many research opportunities were available as well. Happy students. Decent amount of free time outside of class. The undergrad campus is cool, and many/most med students take advantage of this.
The faculty members are super involved in the medical education. Was really impressed by the time and effort the admissions committee and other faculty put into interview day. CEO of the hospital stopped by to give a few words. Most inspiring/helpful interview day I have been to.
Dr. Capers!, the student interviewer-- felt like an opportunity to talk to a peer and not be judged, the relaxed but enthusiastic students, the school's dedication to students, the support and opportunities, Jeni's ice cream, the administrative staff who very patiently helped me track down and get on the right bus after the interview day
Everything. All of the students are incredible and super laid back. They really recruit down-to-earth students to attend this school. I showed up on the day of my interview 3 hours late due to a flight cancelation the day before and my would-be student host came to pick me up from the airport to make sure I made it to the office!
Very friendly students, incredible staff and faculty, extremely dedicated to teaching, abundance of clinical and research opportunities, cheap living expenses, and good transportation system(if you have a car, that is)
The dedication of the faculty to teaching. They're all about working with the students. I also like how it's connected to the OSU campus so med students have full access to all of those resources.
Random unsolicited students from 1st, 2nd, and 4th year came up and pitched the school before the formal day began. Something like a dozen or so students!
The students were all amazingly friendly, my host especially. I got to sit in on a Med 2 class and some of the teaching methods were very progressive. Lots of research opportunities. Ohio state also has some amazing student facilities like the ARC.
The faculty and the students really love their school and gave the impression that they would love to have you join them. OSU is rising fast in the medical school rankings and will likely soon be a top tier school. They have spent unbelievable amounts of money on new facilities and they will tell you all about it!
The medical students. They were unbelievably upbeat and positive about the school. The were very careful to talk about any and every relevant topic to a prospective student. They seemed like genuinely great people.
The school and the admissions office were very professional, well-run, and well-organized. The facilities at the school are the best I've seen so far. All of the students we met were extremely down to earth and honest.
The school is really amazing. You have opportunities daily to practice medicine, from volunteering in free clinics to suturing workshops, from day 1 of med school. The facilities are great, and there are so many hospitals available for clerkships. Great atmosphere, students are happy, and residency match is almost 100%.
Both the campus and the surrounding city are great. There is a lot of space and OSU makes great use of it. In-state tuition after 1 year! The new research tower has some very nice facilities. Intracampus shuttles seem very convenient.
The students were laid back and friendly. Ohio State has a fairly nice campus, with lots of things to do in the surrounding neighborhoods. You get in-state tuition after 1 year.
The administrators are very responsive to student suggestions. Students seem to have time outside the classroom to enjoy themselves. There are also two learning tracks for the first two years.
1. Opportunities to see anything and everything related to medicine in Columbus.
2. Big city that's not too big and has a good cost of living.
3. Enthusiastic students.
4. Faculty and administration that truly care about students and education.
5. Options for curriculum that best suits me.
6. Good board scores and match into any residency.
7. Great facilities (including athletic facilities)
8. In state tuition after one year.
I love the faculty, the students, curriculum is solid, and there are many opportunities to pursue individual interests and hobbies. Also, they have two different curriculum tracks that students can choose.
the incredible facilities, friendliness of the interviewers, students, faculty, etc; how happy the students were; how many resources and options there are being at such a large institution
AWESOME facilities. I got the impression that the school is very dynamic, constantly trying to improve. My interviewer was very nice, probably the best interviewer that I've had to date.
Facilities (anatomy is NOT underground in a basement - quite a nice view actually)...forward vision of school - big drive to move up rankings...help to obtain residency rates by 2nd year...students love the place and actually claim to maintain social lives...
Everyone's positive attitudes and how friendly and encouraging the students and faculty were. Also the focus on service and many opportunities for involvement.
The students seem very happy. It has nice facilities. The time the interview started ( I was able to sleep and relax). Finally, the interviewers come to you, rather than you searching for them.
On-campus hospitals were very impressive, students were happy and welcoming, out-of-state residents are in-state for tuition after 1st semester, faculty were excited about being there.
EVERYTHING. OSU is incredible. Columbus is a nice place and the cost of living is really inexpensive. The school is amazing, campus feels like a huge glorious park. All of the hospitals are located right next to the lecture halls. The school is expanding and moving up in the ranks. Students were incredibly positive and happy. They are extremely technologically-advanced.
The facilities and community are very nice. There are infinite options for interest groups, research, clinical rotations, community service, etc at OSU. Columbus doesn't feel like a huge city.
The facilities are AMAZING, the campus is separate from the huge university, but still very close. The students, faculty and everyone I came in contact with was enthusiastic and genuine.
Facilities are wonderful, students and staff were very friendly. Several med. students stayed with us as we waited for our interviews sharing their thoughts on the school and keeping those who seemed pretty nervous as calm as possible.
The facilities, over-all atmosphere seems pretty relaxed. The presentations showed that there are a lot of support for students wanting to do global health projects. The overall smooth organization of the interivew day.
The school left a very positive impression. I was accepted on 10/16 via email.
can acquire OH residency after only one year; growing Global Health program (goes to places such as India - i'm Indian); research opportunities; clinical opps w/ satellite hospitals; Columbus a more manageable/livable city that NYC (where I am now); OSU constantly expanding infrastructure; very rapid climb in the rankings over the past 5 yrs (from 40s to 30s in research rankings)
Clinical Skills Building is really impressive. Great atmosphere, nice location. Students get great clinical experience. Very integrated/progressive curriculum. Also, you can get in-state tuition after your first year.
great technology and facilities, the students were very enthusiastic, the anatomy labs were NOT in the basement and they took us into them, inspiring speech by one of the faculty, the medical center is connected by tunnels (although we didnt get to see them)
The facilities are supurb, and only getting better. There is a current 7-10 year plan to completely overhaul the med school campus, with new buildings and a brand new biomedical research tower (opening late fall 2006). The students seem to love the school, and have a great school spirit.
OSU really does sell itself well. The support and facilities that are available to students is amazing. Having grown up in Columbus I can say that the area's cultural/night life is going through a boom period right now
everything, students, facilities, rankings, curriculum, faculty, ease of interview, absolutely adored this school, it was my undergrad but i just had no idea how much the school would impress me. i think higher ranked schools you can really tell a difference in. also they give you a free messenger kind of computer type bag, very nice.
They are headed in the right direction. They seem dedicated to improving the learning and practicing atmosphere at the University. Enormous financial efforts are underway to renovate the Medical School Campus and a brand new research tower is opening up soon that will provide a lot of opportunities.
Everything! The students and staff were great! I even ran into some old friends from undergrad that are now students there. The facilities are amazing. If I get in at OSU I am definetly going!
Everyone was really friendly and enthusiastic. Of the students who conducted our tour, the only thing they could agree on that was bad was the drinking fountains! The facilities were also impressive.
Everything: the facilities were top-notch, low housing costs, students seemed down-to-earth and friendly, and the tour guides were very willing to not only show us the required areas (labs, classrooms) but also took us through the rec center and other places... delivered a positive message that we will actually have a life--at least somewhat--during our time at OSU.
How friendly everyone was, how happy the students seemed, but most of all the amount of flexibility.. independent study, research at the Children's Research Institute- can do so much if you want to.
EVERYTHING!!! OSU makes such an effort to sell itself so hard, but it really doesn't have to! The facilities are amazing, the integration of technology revolutionary (all students get a laptop, and all third years get PDAs to download patient histories), and the choice of curriculum (integrated vs. independent study) unheard of elsewhere. They even gave us a free tote-bag with the OSU Med logo! Ha ha, joke's on them, I would've attended without the free totebag!
The facilities, the energy of the students, the choice in curriculum, the fact that you can become a state resident quickly (tuition), diversity of students, intelligence of current students
The Facilities-the clinical skills center rocks. The med student guides were fun and nice, the other interviewees were easy going and fun to chat with.
It was cool that they give you a parking voucher so you don't have to pay for your parking in the garage.
Ohio State plans to move up in the rankings by increasing research and funding. admissions offered me a ride to the airport with a med student. my student host. the organization of the day. relatively attractive student population. my interviewer and the faculty speaker.
The hospitals are great, the clinical skills facility is amazing, the students are very down to earth, the faculty are really nice, and the ISP and IP curriculums.
THE CLINICAL SKILLS SIMULATION FACILITY I'm not sure if you know, but the boards now consist of a written part AND a clinical skills, $1000 practical test. The other schools mentioned this, but OSU has this AWESOME facility with 14 exam rooms, over 200 volunteer standardized patients, a $500,000 manikin that will respond to EVERYTHING you do to it, even drug dosages and blood draws. (It's pupils even dilate!) So they've put time and $$$ into preparing their students for this new board exam.
Great clinical facilities. Fantastic opportunities to fet invovled in with free clinics during your first year. Many research opportunities. Basically, everything you could possibly want in a school. Also the dual paths for studying, either independent or a more traditional method.
They were very pleasant, students came to each lunch with us and take us on the tour - very relaxed even though I was nervous since it was my first interview - they have an awesome state of the art clinical skills lab
The student hosts that I stayed with the night before. They picked me up at the airport. Fed me. Took me to a get together. Took me to the interview and back to the airport. No money spent except for the plane ride and a thank you gift for the hosts.
The students were incredible. I was sick as anything and my overnight host took care of me. Even though they had a test the day I came, they were completely relaxed and happy. The curriculum is really awesome too.
the people were so friendly and welcoming and chill! med students were happy. the other interviewees with me were cool too--they were people I'd be happy being in a class with.
Very nice facilities with an emphasis on utilizing technology (laptops for class discussions), all the students seemed very happy to be there, their emphasis on less lecture time and more small-group work. A fourth year student came to talk to us and answer any questions, as well as a bunch of first and second years who ate lunch with us.
Everyone was so helpful! I stayed with a first year whose only complaint is parking. Everyone jumped in to help when we needed it, and the interviews were get to know you, not cook you on a grill.
OSU seems on the "up and up". They have great facilities, new hospitals, a new dean, and seem to really care about medical education, not just research.
Very Friendly atmosphere, other schools had a good atmosphere but this was just different, more home like. OSU medical center is state of the art, very impressed. Free laptop bags!! woo hoo
friendliness of students and staff, international opportunities, choice of curriculum, Columbus is a nice city, their new Clinical Skills center (standardized patients)
OSU seems to care about its students. When I asked my interviewer what he like about OSU, he said that it takes care of its students. He specifically said Ohio State may not have as much NIH money, etc. as a Harvard or Duke, but he believes OSU does "things the right way." Everyone that presented or I had a chance to talk to was incredibly nice. Every student was excited to be at OSU and several said they have no regrets for going there. Also, one of the speakers went out of his way to explain how important student feedback is when professors are evaluated for tenure or salary.
The facilities are fantastic. There is a lot of construction going on around campus, but none of it is distracting enough to take away from the positives of the school. The staff is also very friendly and accommadating.
the whole experience was desinged to be really laid back. great admissions staff and doctors were selected to talk to the group of interviewers, they really made us feel at ease. i got the feeling that they were really interested in making us happy and showing us how great they really think osu is.
The early clinical opportunities, the opportunities to serve the community, how the medical center will become completely paperless within 2 years, and the happiness of the students.
they seemed very open and relaxed (this was my first interview, but even so very little stress). It seems like the faculty really take an interest in the students and what they do. the tour was pretty weak, but the info session was good
The people, they are great. I stayed with a third year medical student and his family, they were awesome. Also there is a lot of good housing for very reasonable prices.
OSU is an extremely large school with a ton of opportunities yet all of the students that we talked to us said that it also felt small and personal. They have and are building some pretty amazing facilities (dedicated cancer hospital, dedicated heart hospital, etc).
The medical center is huge and is still growing. It is the most comphrensive medical center in the nation. The students get great clinical education as osu and the students seemed very happy to be there. I really liked the intergrated pathway with combination of lectures and small group. Overall I was impressed. They also gave a free messanger bag and water bottle to all the interviewers.
How soon we hear results from the admissions committee (<1 mon). Also how large OSU's alumni network is (1+ million). Also anatomy lab is nice and actually has windows (uncommon).
The students' enthusiasm, the commitment to development, the way that the interview day was carefully constructed to be informative and relaxing. Downtown Columbus seemed nice and safe.
The facilities. There is a lot of construction going on. But once that is done, it appears that there will be many opportunities for research. All of the applicants at the interview appeared to be really smart and motivated.
Columbus. It's a fun place. The people are really nice, the campus is really pretty, there's a lot of construction going on. The area is lively, and the big 10 school spirit.
Everyone was informative and helpful, and the students that I ran into were very friendly. Also, the Integrated Pathway sounds great, and there are a lot of medical opportunities in Columbus.
The friendly atmosphere of the entrie school and how alid-back and friendly the other interviewees were too. We had great conversations while waiting around for people to show up or for interviews.
They are a very student friendly school. All of the students loved their faculty and the ones that I met seemed very good. They are putting more money into research and I think they are impoving many things at the school.
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about disinterested interviewers, lack of individual attention due to large class size, overemphasis on rankings, inadequate interview organization, and unenthusiastic students. Suggestions included improving interviewer engagement, providing more structured Q&A sessions, and enhancing the overall enthusiasm of the student body to create a more positive impression.
One of my interviewers from the graduate school seemed really disinterested. He asked my several half-baked questions about my activities that could have been answered by simply reading the activity more thoroughly.
Qualifying for In-state tuition as an OOS applicant through gaining Ohio residence after 1st year seems more difficult than it should be. Ohio State seem to have a competitive vibe, despite having pass/fail grading. They require everyone to use MacBooks rather than letting every med student use their own laptop that they think works best for them.
They were super rankings obsessed. If USNews ranked them on ANYTHING it made it into their PowerPoint. My faculty interview was also the rudest I’ve ever had. The guy seemed like he didn’t want to be there at all and was more concerned about how efficiently he could covert me into a set of numbers that the admissions committee could vote on. He also talked down about my activities and spoke accusingly about the number of projected hours I had. (I had completed over half already with everything projected into July)
I was thrown off by the fact that the interviewers barely asked me any questions but instead used the time to explain what they liked about the school. It made me feel like they didn't really get to or want to know me.
Seemed like the students didn't like the area too much, seemed like students were pushed into primary care just to raise school rankings, my interview was with 2 people (didn't know who was my primary interviewer), weird interview questions, had an admissions chair sit next to me casually and start asking me questions while I was waiting to interview (that freaked me out and he never told me he was a chair), was deferred and never heard back essentially (even though they said they'd let us know), looked like the school was just trying to sell itself so hard it made many of us uncomfortable and the interview day was full of boring lectures.
There are many students (200 per year), which leaves me worried that it may be hard to get individual attention. (The med students and admissions office said that this was not the case, but I still have my doubts.)
No complaints about the interview, but I am told that parking gets a bit scarce. Also, Columbus gets cold fast and stays cold for a long time - Floridians and Californians beware.
That the PhD faculty felt the need to justify why he was qualified to interview me and the M2 wouldn't stop talking about himself in my 20 minute interview.
Definitely the large body. It seemed fine, but I have to question the cohesiveness and overall unity, especially wrt the ISP program (though I'm interested in such).
None. Maybe the big class size, but the school seems to be aware of it and it the resources to support it. Students have also said that they don't feel like the class is too big.
They were in big time salesman mode. It wasn't as personable as some of my other interviews. I know that they have to sell their school so I'm not saying anything's wrong with that. I'm just saying... I noted it.
The name tag kept falling off! Seriously though, OSU has so much in terms of facilities, but the tour was only about half an hour long so we got to see very little of it.
It seems you really have to work outside the system to find time to do research. Also, the students here seemed slightly less enthusiastic about selling the school to applicants.
There was a little too much talk about the Buckeyes. Their sports teams won't be an extra incentive for me to choose OSU, but they assumed it would be.
My interviewer kept badgering me with ethics questions, and he insisted that I didn't have enough clinical experience to know that I want to go into medicine.
the first thing we did was sit in a hot room for an hour and a half just listening to people talk at us; my student interviewer didn't tell me anything about herself without me prompting; i got first-year students for my tour, so they didn't know about anything academically except for anatomy; we didn't see any of the hospitals during the tour; some med students entered during the morning talk and were whispering to each other, which was really distracting and annoying
OSU football fanaticism; diversity - it's there but not there (Brigham Young Univ/Mormons overrepresented, as are Gujarati Indians - the MSIIs have 5 Patels! i am a Patel by the way); OSU grads represent 25+% of the class; not impressed by residency matches in my specialty interests, though it's true that doing well at OSU will write your ticket to any program; class size ~210-220 ppl, even though the 140 students in IP/70 in ISP breakdown is comparable to many med schools; 6 students/cadaver
I wasn't a big fan of my tour guide. He struck me as a bit overconfident and slightly blase about the tour. Also, our tour was rushed in order for us to get back in time for interviews, so we really did more walking than touring.
Interview: the interviwer ran through a list of questions on a sheet and jotted down my responses. Nothing personable and I felt like he had an agenda. The interview was short (for all applicants) and gave me little oppotunity to express myself.
Hmmmm... I was awakened at 6 am to the sounds of construction so I couldn't get much sleep in Columbus... but that's kind of a reach. I loved everything about the day that OSU had planned for us.
Public transportation in Columbus doesn't seem good enough to eliminate the use of a car (I lived in the Bay Area in California, and I suck at driving), and the weather may take some getting used to, but all in all minor things!
Out of state tuition rate for the first year. some of the other interviewees (maybe it was just a matter of different personalities). I expected some of the medical students to be more well-spoken, although I did only meet a small portion of its student population.
The weather was cold. It was gloomy the entire time I was there...left a negative impression of the city---everything seemed soo dead w/ the gloomy weather.
The students for some reason. Maybe its just me, but some of them got on my nerves. The tour guide was too energetic and my host and his med students were kind of awkward.
Two of the three scheduled presenters didn't show up. Admissions officer had to wing it for two hours. Student led tours were horrendous. "This is a lab, this is a library, lets go back it's cold." When I inquired about the new heart hospital, "yeah, there's beds in there, sick people, that kinda thing."
Nothing really - except that the tour was too short and did not really showcase the true gems at Ohio State (the new heart hospital, heart and lung research institute, the university medical center, the james cancer hospital and more...)
Not much. The size of the class could be problematic with 220 (how much personal attention could you really get), but otherwise nothing was really terrible about it. There is a ton of construction but that is a good thing (new hospitals/research centers being built).
My interviewer was very hard to read and the student before me was interviewed for only 15 minutes! The interview was very relaxed but my interviewer did not really personally engage into any conversation until the first 20 minutes had passed.
You have to buy a laptop before school starts. At the library you have to pay for printing and paper. Seems like there is lot more additional small costs since it is public school.
The interviewer seemed to be trying to catch me saying something wrong or stupid. Also, I wasn't really impressed with the area of Columbus near the campus, and the student housing areas seemed really dumpy.
Lots of construction (Is it just me or is every medical center in the country undergoing major renovations?). Way too much of an obsession with the Buckeyes...
My interviewer. He literally took out a piece of paper, asked me typical questions, and wrote down answers. Stuff like why do I want to become a doctor, who's your support system, etc.
The student giving the tour was not comfortable with the area yet, the fact that there were only 2 women out of 20 people interviewing, and the little letter on the web site does not work correctly for everyone
My heart skipped a beat when they told me tuition runs 60k the first year for out of staters. In addition, I'd have to become an Ohio resident to get a reasonable financial aid package. In addition...the catacombs. There are tunnels that connect all the parts of the med center...that kind of worries me because I imagine that they have some pretty rough winters over there. I can see myself becoming depressed in that setting.
Getting a parking place was pretty stressful, and I don't think they gave nearly enough time for the tour. Also the interview was at the end of the day, and I would have preferred it at the beginning.
Something about the ambiance of the setting. OSU's campus is a city. Could be the construction, but the lack of trees and general "feeling" around medical buildings and hospitals I felt was lacking.
My interviewer kept pausing to look at me, which made me feel uncomfortable. The lunch wasn't that good. They didn't validate my parking (costed me $7) and they didn't even give any info on where to park and how to get to the admissions office.
Applicants wished they had known ahead of time about the format and expectations of the interviews, the importance of preparing brief answers, and the relaxed and conversational nature of the interviews. Suggestions included adjusting camera angles for virtual interviews, preparing for a full-on interview, and being aware of potential rudeness from interviewers. Applicants also recommended bringing comfortable shoes for tours, preparing questions about the school, and being aware of the high out-of-state tuition costs and Ohio residency benefits.
I wish I knew what to expect from the MSTP director interview. It was only 10 minutes long! She told me what questions she would ask at the beginning of the interview- and it was three questions, so I felt rushed in all my answers. If I had known it would be a full-on interview with many questions, I would have prepared more brief answers
I wish I had adjusted my Zoom such that my video of myself was oriented close to the camera so that I could appear like I was looking at the camera for the virtual interview.
That the interview would be pretty relaxed and conversational, so you shouldn't stress. And your interviewer will see everything on your AMCAS except for your GPA and MCAT. They are blind to your "metrics" but know everything else.
The amount of caffeine I'd need to stay awake throughout the day. To expect the weird format of their questions so I wouldn't be like WTF in my head the whole time.
That there would be a decent amount of walking around outside during the tour... Ladies might want to wear flats or bring a change of shoes. And def have a coat!
That we were interviewing to earn a spot, not "keep" a spot like they kept promoting during the entire presentation. Also, Decision Mondays are horrible because you're stressed out for the 6 hour time frame to wait for a phone call.
There are two interviews, neither of which have a rigid time restriction. Both are one-on-one. One is with a faculty member, one with a current med student. Both interviews are equally important, but the student interview is designed to be more relaxed than the faculty interview.
In my experience the faculty interview was truly laid back. Go with the conversation and throw in things about yourself while not boring them. They will ask questions but the questions will come out in conversation.
That interview day would be so relaxed. Definately don't stress over this one, they go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. Also interviews are at the end of the day.
The interviews are very laid back. The first is a 15 minute interview with a student, which helps you prepare for the following 30-45 minute interview with a faculty member.
Umm, that the Columbus airport is small. I got stuck another night in town because I could not route through Chicago and nothing else was going out of Columbus that night.
There are two curriculums: the integrated and independent curriculum. They go in depth about the two curriculums before you interview. I wrote down questions I wanted to ask my interviewers during the introduction to OSU, which lasted 2 hours.
The interview day is all about answering applicant questions. I would have come with more to ask about if I knew they'd want to answer questions at every point throuout the day.
after 1 year in OH you can claim OH state residency (and pay ~$15,000 less per year); there are 4 student-run free clinics affiliated w/ OSU; that my student interviewer was another Patel (as were my tour guide and another interviewee); Honors Surgery course during 4th yr (do procedures on animals); int'l med rotations during 4th yr are abundant and FUNDED; current IP/ISP curricular dichotomy in existence since the 1970s
The faculty really want you to feel relaxed. Also come with lots of questions that you want to know about the school, like the clinical skills classroom and the independant study option.
I didn't know that OSU now does student interviews in addition to faculty. It wasn't a big deal, not at all stressful, but it would have been nice to have been expecting that.
I didn't know anything about the school before...but everything seemed really great. On a side note, the class is huge ~ 210, and last year's class had 140 men and only 70 women. I had never heard of any school having those demographics.
That the awesomeness of OSU would completely overwhelm me. Nothing short of getting into a UC school (not bloody likely!) is going to stop me from coming here if accepted.
There was a camera in the back of the conference room where we waited for interviews. I wonder if it was on...maybe they wanted to see us outside of the interview, or maybe I'm experiencing paranoia from too many of these interviews. Anyway, take note if there's a red light.
Hotel would be noisy because of outside noise; there would be 12 other people being interviewed; the interview would only last 20 minutes; after the initial presentations, the lunch/tour would be relaxed and I would have 1.5 hours to wait before my interview; lunch would be subs
I wish I had known how laid back the whole visit would be. The staff and students were very friendly, and the interview was a lot less stressful than I thought it would be.
Just how big the class is. Also, though they say arrive by 9:30am, the program doesn't start till 10am so we just all sat in the lobby for 30 minutes until we were brought upstairs.
There is an independent study track for the pre-clinical years (first 2) as well as the normal "integrated" track which consists of the usual lectures, small groups, etc.
Not a big deal...but it might be usefull to know that a good portions of the questions he asked came from a list of standard questions given to all of the interviewers (he told me this)... the questions i describe below were from that list (which he wrote my answers on..."so he wouldnt forget")
med school interviews are not that stressful!! it was my first one so I was pretty nervous, but really, it wasn't bad at all, they really just want to have a conversation with you and get to know you.
Where the bathrooms were. They were not right next to the conference room we were in, and, since we got back from the tour a little late, I had to ask my interviewer before we had our discussion.
Nothing really. It really helped to talk to someone who had been through the interview process before. This individual really helped me to cover all of the details (eg. breath mints, umbrella) that I may have overlooked on my own.
I felt laid-back and well prepared...nothing really threw me for a loop. Some students had a hard time finding parking so I suggest you call and get better directions than those given. I also had two interviewers at the same time, something that rarely happens at OSU.
the dicrestions they give you on the web site are nto right, call the office and get the right directions and the right place to park or you will walk a long way or get lost.
How easy it is for non-residents to gain Ohio residence. I though it would be much harder therefore more expensive, but it only requires a vehicle registration and living for 12 months.
Had the most lax tour guides ever. As a 26 year old, was turned off by the generally blah and immaturity of these two students who could end up being my academic seniors! Would have arranged for a more upbeat tour guide.
The tour ended around 1:30, and the last interviews start at 3:30, so you might have to sit around a while. Also, the city was doing a lot of road construction, so it took a little longer to get around.
The problem-based learning pathway of curriculum is going to be
phased out for 2003. This was not reflected on their website
at the time, but it was the #1 reason I was interested in their school.
so it was a surprise.
Look into the 3 study types: PBL- problem based learning, LD- lecture discussion, IS- independent study. If you already know what interests you, than you can talk to students to determine if that is really what you want.
Applicants generally found the interview experience at Ohio State University to be positive, with interviewers making them feel comfortable and engaged in conversations. Many applicants were impressed by the school's facilities, student enthusiasm, and focus on student well-being, although some expressed concerns about the emphasis on rankings and the stress of the interview process.
This school wasn't really on my radar until the interview. I wasn't excited about this school at first, but now it is easily in my top choices. Overall, It is a great interview experience.
Overall thought it would be more conversational but got "grilled" since both interviews went down a list of questions but I made it conversational due to the nature of my responses. A lot of follow-up so didn't feel like an interrogation at least. Both were very nice and my advice is to be real and don't give them answers they're looking for. This will help you come off more genuine and you will make a better impression.
It's a great program. There is lots of research happening at OSU, across the Basic Sciences to the Clinical Sciences. The placement of their med students in every year's match is also great for those interested in competitive specialties. A big turn-off for me about OSU was that for OOS students, it can be hard to qualify for in-state tuition through applying for Ohio residence after the 1st year, so if you're not an Ohio resident you're likely gonna get charged out-of-state tuition for at least the first year. OOS med students mention having to share excel budget spreadsheets specifically designed to document their expenses the way the office of the registrar wants to see it to qualify for in-state tuition, and their SGA is working on reducing the hurdles to qualifying for in-state tuition.
The interview day left me with a much worse impression of Ohio State than I had going in. The numbers obsessed culture is extremely off-putting. They even proudly declared, “we’re working towards being in the top 20 in the next 5 years.” I mean REALLY??? Who cares that much.
Didn't like OSU at all. The school seemed stressful, area boring, students seemed to be primarily from Ohio (who else would come there?), school was trying to sell itself too hard, and seemed OBSESSED with rankings.
Enjoyed the interview and loved the school. The enthusiasm of the students and staff is palpable, and the LSI curriculum gives students a lot of flexibility in tailoring their education to their learning style.
Seems like a medical school that I would be happy to attend. They seemed focused on continual improvement. There are many new buildings that are being built at the medical center, so it should be pretty nice in a few years.
I was impressed by the facilities and the students, and the faculty seem to care a lot. I'm just not a fan of being given a 6 hour time frame to wait for a decision phone call.
Amazing school. Hope I get in. Students say you can rent a single in apartment for like $300-500 a month, which make the cost of living like 1/2-1/3 of other schools in other major cities.
Laid back, everyone was friendly and I very much enjoyed the faculty interview: they came to pick me up (no wandering around the campus...) and it was a great and enjoyable conversation.
Good school, good ranking, laid back students, huge classes. I got to sit in on an M1 class and that was awesome. The city was nice and the campus is huge! I walked miles down one street and the campus was still going and they have alot of little shops and eaterys along the way. Definitely a college town feel.
Interviews were great, laid back...be prepared, they have your application and are analyzing it in front of you; if that makes you uncomfortable, get used to it. I had two faculty interviewers at the same time, which I liked, but others didn't; just bounce your focus between the two and make sure you interact with both of them. My student interview was uber-positive, like he was on my side trying to help me get in (I know it worked, because I am now!!!). RELAX AND BE YOURSELF.
The interview was a discussion. So laid back I was stunned. I had to dig for the questions listed below because everything just flowed in one conversation.
It is impossible to overstate how impressed I was with OSUCOM. From beginning to end, the admissions staff seemed sincerely thrilled to have us there. The commitment to training excellent doctors and the enthusiasm every student and faculty member had for their school has promoted OSU to the top of my list.
You cannot be more supportive and enthusiastic than the OSU staff and students without the risk of seeming overbearing. My interview day was well planned and felt more entertaining than stressful. The follow-up if you do get accepted is tremendous. They really go the extra mile to get you to attend OSU and what I like best is they seem to purposely select candidates with something in eccentric in their applications to increase the diversity.
The school pushes ''professionalism'' down your throat and a lot of people drink the Kool-Aid. I have spoken with students about this; many regret matriculating. Aside from the location, facilities or curriculum, the student experience and administration here seem questionable and I strongly caution or even advise against attending this place.
Presentations in the morning, lunch, tour with students, had about 1.5 hours of nothing and then the faculty and student interviews. Student interview is very conversational, faculty is more difficult, but not too bad.
I had the faculty interview and then the student interview. The faculty interviewer was kind of intimidating, but he was a nice guy. He had read my AMCAS inside and out.
the first interview (by a student) was only 20 mins, and I just told her about myself and my experiences; this went ok, since I somehow got tripped up on an easy q (tell me about a leadership experience); the second interview (by a community physician) was over an hour. i never thought i'd say this about anything related to the med school application process, but this interview was AMAZING...we got along really well, laughed a lot, and just had a really great time talking...it was like talking to a friend, not an interviewer. BEST interview expereince ever
The whole day was well-organized and informative. It started out with sessions about the curriculum and financial aid. Then, a fourth year medical student spoke and fielded questions from the applicants. Lunch was with first and second year students (more time to ask questions). We were divied up into smaller groups for the tour, which was led by the same students who ate lunch with us. The interviewing started at 1:45 for me (the two potential times to be intervewied were 1:45 and 2:30). My interview went well over the scheduled 45 minutes (it lasted for an hour and 15 minutes), and it was COMPLETELY conversational. My intervier and I really hit it off: after the "typical" interview questions, we talked about random topics, like Christmas movies and Disneyland. :) My interviewer did his best to make me feel very comfortable. This was my first interview, so I was understandably kind of nervous. I ended up getting accepted, so it must have gone well!
Overall, it was relaxed. About 10 people where there for interviews that day. Day started with a discussion of the school and admissions process, then we had the tour and then the interviews. There's both a student interview and a faculty interview. Student pretty much tries to figure out if you'd be comfortable at OSU, and the faculty interview is the much harder one. As soon as your interview is over, they make their decision, so make a positive impression on your interview as much as possible.
Great experience, quick turn around times on admission decisions (meet right after the interview, same day, and make decision...know within a week or two)
I thought I bombed my interview, but apparently I did decently enough since they emailed me an acceptance letter earlier this week. OSU is known for asking an ethics question, but I think my faculty interviewer went a little overboard.
Good overall. People were nice, the school is pretty cool. Interview was very relaxed; my faculty interviewer was really, really nice and very positive.
Expect an ethical question (I was asked about stem-cell research). Some applicants were only questioned about the weakest parts of their application. Don't be intimidated, and make sure it does not affect your second interview (i.e., you are interviewed by a faculty and student). The student wants to know if you would make a cool classmate.
Well, I arrived a bit early and sat with the other candidates in the lobby. We then had a presentation on OSU and Finanical Aid. I hate sitting in the same seat for too long, so that part dragged a bit for me. We then had lunch and went on a tour of the facilities. After that, was the student interview with a 2nd year. That was good, just a basic back and forth talk. He was trying to get a feel for me, to see how I would fit in I imagine. The faculty interview went well, but he made some interesting points. One of his more remarkable comments was that he wasn't sure if he would rather be treated by some of the ''best'' students in his own graduating class, or some of the ''worst.'' You could tell he's been doing this for a while, and just had a lot of fascinating views. If I spoke 10% of the time I was in there, it was a lot.
A very positive experience. I felt welcome from the start and both the students and staff spent a lot of time telling me about their experiences and why they thought OSU would be a good match for me.
Meetings in the morning, lunch, then tour followed by two separate one-on-one interviews. One with a faculty member and one with a Med II student. Faculty interview was longer and more of an actual interview.
The actual interviews were very low stress and conversational. The admissions staff made everyone feel welcome and were very organized; there were relatively little down time between interviews and tours.
The day was great, I happened to get to Columbus early, and a Med I student invited me to the 8:30 lecture. All the students were friendly, even those not on the admissions staff.
The day started with a talk from the admissions dean, then a Med IV student, a Prof, and financial aid. There was a good lunch (lots of options) and Med I students to talk to. Then there was a tour and the interviews were at the end of the day. There was a long interview with a faculty, and a short one with a Med II student. Everything was laid-back and comfortable. I really enjoyed the day.
7-7:30 student host gave me a driving tour of downtown; 7:30-8:30 sat in on a 3rd yr family med lecture (ENT doc was presenting naso/orbital pathology and complications); 8:30-9:30 sat in on 1st yr lecture (cell block intro/biochem lecture); 9:45 check-in; 10-11:30 welcome, introductions, curriculum overview, financial aid, overview of clinical yrs, med IV speaker; 11:30-1:15 lunch & tour; 1:50 interview w/ med II (who chose the IP curriculum); 2:15 faculty interview (psychiatrist); 3:30 hitched a ride w/ MSTP student & 2 fellow interviewees to CMH airport; 6:50 flight back to JFK
everything was great....the only thing that sucked was that the interviews were at the end of the whole day, after speakers, presentations, and a tour.
everybody seemed friendly and nice. the interviews ended up being pretty laidback, so no need to feel very anxious.
I got there about 20 min. early and we received sweet messenger bags. We had lunch (i was pumped because this is the only school so far to provide vegetarian meals) after which we talked about the curriculum, opportunities, etc... Then we had a student-led tour of the campus. The facilities are great (the anatomy lab actually has a lot of windows to let in light). The tour was followed by a faculty interview and then a student interview, both of which were very relaxed.
It's apparent that this is an up-and-coming institution. The things that I learned and observed during my stay instilled some excitement about possibly attending OSU.
I had a fantastic time. They make the decision right after you leave and you'll know in about two weeks, which is awesome. The students really love it there and the school really focuses on the students. I wasn't nervous most of the day really until the faculty interview. The student interview was wonderful. She really made me feel comfortable and I enjoyed talking with her. OSU has become my first choice.
We were introduced to the school and community and told about how their admissions process works. We ate lunch and went on a tour in smaller groups where we got to see the anatomy lab and the simulation center before heading back for interviews.
When I first arrived, it was a rainy and dreary day-but the secretarial staff was extremely accomodating, took everyone's coats and jackets, and gave out OSU messenger bags! The day consisted of a presentation by the Dean of Admissions, Director of Education, and a 4th year med school student. Lunch was served followed by a tour of the facilities. Most notable was the student skills center, with state of the art technology, including a completely responsive "dummy" patient, plasma screen T.V's, simulated patient rooms equipped with cameras that video exchanges between students and the patient that are posted online for review, and more. The interview was held after the tour. My interviewer was extremely laid back-she made me feel at ease from the beginning of the interview. She was really interested in getting to know about me more personally, and not so much on my accomplishments/ activities during undergrad. I felt confident that the interview went well after it was over!
This interview was extremely laid-back. Very conversational and my interviewer did a great job at making me laugh and feel relaxed. Couldn't be more pleased with the whole experience at OSU.
Highpoints: Facilities and incorporation of technology. Interviewer was laid back and well versed with my application. He asked pretty standard questions, but we had a real conversation. Great way to let the candidate shine.
Low point: When student speaker (at the beginning of the day) began to talk anout the various shopping options in Colombus.
Arrive at ~ 9:30 soaking wet and looking pretty awful due to the rain. Ushered up to a huge board room. Listen to a couple of deans and a 4th year sell the school. Lunch with 1st and 2nd year students. Short tour. Wait around for interview. The interviewer was great. He had thoroughly looked at my app and asked great questions. Not stressfull at all and made me feel great about the experience. Then went back to hang out with student host (which I also reccomend).
awesome awesome. morning talks, lunch with students, tour, one 25 minute interview, 9:45-2:00 day. very chill, the students were great, everything was amazing, what a quality school that is running through the rankings like mad.
The interviewer was really laid back, it was pretty much an informal conversation. They have about three or four questions given to them from admission I guess which they have to ask, but other then that they just want to get to know you as a person and it really isnt stressful at all.
Pretty conversational. My interviewer had a cold, so he seemed a little disinterested in the process, but he was very friendly and very open about what to expect next. I got a good handshake at the end and he told me he'd like to see me in the entering class...I am hoping he doesn't tell that to everyone.
Very relaxed. The morning was filled with presentations concerning the curriculum, research opportunities, financial aid, and student life. It was followed by lunch with current students and the tour of the campus. Immediately following, the interviews were held and then we were free to leave.
Overall a very good experience. As I said, the small size of the interviewing class made it seem a lot more personal.
The day is pretty standard as far as scheduling goes. OSU was a top choice for me, but now it is THE top choice. The money that goes into the school is extraodinary, and it makes for great facilities. The students there are nice and outgoing from what I saw. It helps that I knew a few of them form undergrad. Overall it was just plain awesome.
The interview was noticeably very relaxed. This was my second interview, and after a pretty traumatizing experience at my first one, it was good to have a positive one under my belt.
I had interviewed at WSU in Detroit first, then rode the Greyhound bus down to Columbus. The bus was inexpensive and comfortable, and I got the whole "rural northern Ohio" experience as we cut through the corn fields of the countryside. Defintiely a cool experience.
My host was a married couple (the husband is a student, the wife a homemaker) with an adorable 14 month old daughter. They really went above and beyond the call of duty to make my trip enjoyable.
OSU makes a very thorough presentation on interview day and seem determined to sell their school (which as I mentioned, they don't need to). I guess they're trying to get those students who were going to go to Harvard. Well, that's wasted on me I suppose. Interviews are in the afternoon, after the tour and lunch. Sandwiches and tuna/ham wraps were served, but I liked that they were catered on a large platter, and you could grab as many as you wanted.
The anatomy labs at OSU are ABOVE-GROUND!! (for once, instead of being in the basement like every other med school). The windows letting in light make a world of difference. All the med students look very relaxed and all claimed that the curriculumn is very well-designed and manageable.
The Clinical Skills Center, with 14 exam rooms with standardised patients, a $250,000 manikan, and a plasma widescreen TV for showing demonstrations, was also very impressive.
The day started out with a bunch of interviewees sitting around in a room, then three people came in to talk to us. All my fellow interviewees were dead. they didn't want to talk; they were probably afraid of looking like a "gunner." Pathetic! The next speaker was a student. They brought in their star Neurosurgery student, who was a complete deadbeat. He was probably tired, so that's understandable. Then the frat boys came in. Sure, they were enthusiastic, but my personality did not match theirs. The tour was also too short. The students giving the tours were very down to earth, but it also seemed like they were just doing this for the free lunch. They just didn't have the "If I didn't go to OSU, I would have killed myself" enthusiasm. Thank god for my interview! I liked my interviewer a lot. However, I don't think I did too hot in the interview, so I'm probably rejected already. Oh well.
Very relaxed. You meet with one interviewer and there is no time limit. That's nice, because things feel more like a conversation than an interrogation. They have a list of questions they have to ask, and these are standard-issue. No "if you were a tree;" everything was relevant to medicine and my decision to go into it.
I was bummed that the interviewer did not ask me why Ohio State. This is my top choice school, and I really would have liked to have more of a chance to show him that I was very interested in the school. I have a million reasons why I want to go there, and wanted to be able to tell him why, but it never really came up. I think I mentioned some of the reasons here and there, but it was never addressed as a question in itself. Its also interesting that they ask the questions off a sheet of paper.
It was overall a fun day. The students were enthusiastic and very eager to share honest opinions about the school. My host was very generous in letting me stay with her and another medical student drove me and a couple of other interviewees to the airport. The introductory talk by admissions lasted pretty long and towards the end I had a hard time keeping up my interest. The faculty speaker and admissions director/dean made up for the long talk with their welcoming presence. Some people complained about the weather. I thought it was nice, 70 degrees, just a little bit cloudy. Ohio State's med school facilities impressed me.
The interview was really laid back--it felt more like a conservation...you just had to talk about yourself,your activities and how you felt about certain issues...It was an enjoyable experience...Everyone was really nice. The lady in the admin office was calling around to find students a ride to the airport after their interviews. I thought that was really nice.
I was impressed right away because of the sheer generosity and kindness of the students. My flight into Columbus was delayed for about 4 hours, so I ended up getting into town at about 1 am. The student that had volunteered to host me didn't mind at all. He picked me up at the airport, answered every question I had, and was incredibly nice. The school was awesome, Columbus is a great city (contrary to my expectations), and the students and faculty seemed great. My interview experience raised my view of this school quite tremendously.
Interview itself was such a short part of the day. Many people say interviews are discussions, I felt interrogated though. It was probably just my perception, being my first interview. Or maybe not. I was strict on the ratings above; the school wasn't bad, depends on what suits you and where it falls on your priority list, admittedly low on mine but I'd probably go. Epitome of huge public school and med center. Interviewees seemed down to Earth, perhaps a little too down to Earth. Mostly locals or from nearby.
The interview day was very pleasant. I personally prefer afternoon interviews. The talks weren't too long, although I didn't gain much from hearing the M4 student talk about her experiences. I really like the effort the M1's made during lunch to spread themselves around so that us interviewers were able to ask questions about the school and curriculum. My interviewer was very encouraging and gave me great advice. It was very conversational.
Stayed at the Red Roof Inn on East Nationwide Blvd. Very convenient location and only took <10 minutes to get to the venue. Short program provided included a discussion of the curriculum and a clarification of the 2 learning pathways for the first 2 years of med school. Nice to know that there are options for those with families and daytime jobs. Financial aid information was given, then there was a talk by an administrator from one of their centers of excellence. A 4th year student also gave us some insights about OSU, not that helpful but it did provide a break prior to the interviews. My interviewer was a little formal but personable when personal issues came up. Interview was open file so questions were directed more towards clarifying my motivations and the non-traditional path that I took before finally deciding to pursue a career in medicine. Interviewer also clarified the discrepancy between the class size and the number of acceptances.
I stayed for another night in Columbus for sightseeing. A lot of bad areas but a lot of good ones, too. Got caught in the snow storm, which was a treat for me as I'm from Florida. Would have to make a big adjustment if ever I'm accepted and decide to go to OSU (knock on wood).
The day was going very well until my actual interview. I took 3 years off after undergraduate because I wanted to mature more as a person, but my interviewer could not understand that. He basically chastized me for not going straight through. He had a very dry personality and it was clear from the beginning he was not interested in me as a candidate.
Overall a very good interview in my opinion (I haven't gotten my results yet but from what I gather, I didn't make any mistakes, so who knows). It was extremely relaxed and converstaional. My interviewer made me feel so comfortable.
I guess my main gripe is that I was interviewed so late in the cycle. They said that they have already given out about 200 or so straight acceptances. I believe they give out 320 or so straight acceptances. So my chances of getting in are less then if I interviewed earlier.
Hopefully I don't get outright rejected so I can weasel my way into the school.
But the day started at about 10 am and then the Associate Dean of Admissions gave a little talk about the school and its curriculum. Then there was a talk from the clinical education facilities coordinator. And a short financial aid talk. Finally a fourth year student gave a little talk which wasn't the most helpful.
We then had lunch with some med students. My main complaint was that there weren't enough. There was about 3 or 4 and a couple of them bunched together near the front shutting out myself and a few other interviewees from talking to them all that much. Slightly annoying but not a deal breaker.
We then had a tour of the school which was pretty quick and informal and came back to wait for our interviewer to pick us up. The clinical education center was pretty cool. The manager of the center seemed like a dedicated guy who was willing to make any sacrifices to help get first and second year students the simualted training they wanted. I really liked that the school has such dedicated people working to help the students.
The fake/dummy patient was amazing. Best one I have seen yet. He even reacted in real time to drug dosages. Oh what a world we live in.
He was a great guy and made me feel at ease. We just chatted about different stuff about my application. He asked those two questions that I listed below and some personal stuff on my application. Hopefully he shows me some love and I can get in because this school is my number one choice.
If you do interview at the school, don't stress out as it is very converstaional and relaxed.
One thing that was a bit annoying was my fellow interviewees. They all seemed like academic superstars and some couldn't help but mention how they had interviewed at so many great schools and had acceptances and stuff. Seemed like a decent amount of intellectual masturbation was going on. I just nodded my head kept quiet when that subject came up. It's always best to stay somewhat humble because there's always going to be someone or something that knocks you back to Earth.
I felt I was out of my league since going on what these people were saying, they all had stellar MCATs/GPAs and already had 10+ inteviews. But then again, pre-meds are notorious liars when it comes to stats.
On a side note I have yet to interview at a school that has grilled their interviewees in any way.
I got there 45 minutes late. There were 4 speakers and I got there while the first was still talking (which means I didn't miss much). The first speaker talked about curriculum, the second about financial aid, and the third about family medicine (I don't know why this topic was chosen), and the fourth asked the group to suggest topics and then talked about those. Then we went to a conference room and lunch was just a few subs, some pretzels, some fruit, and coke. Eventually we broke into two groups and went on tours. The highlight of the tour was the clinical skills lab. Someone who works there gave our group a tour of the place. The other facilities were pretty ordinary. Then we went back to the conference room and half of the students had to sit around and wait for 2 hours while the other half interviewed 20 minutes later.
It went really well. The day was kind of low stress the entire day. The tour was fine and showed us the better part of the med school. The interview was laid back and really conversational. Not too hard at all and i think i did really well.
The interview was guided by a list of questions that the interviewer had from the school. These questions matched many of the experiences I had read about on this website (ethical situation, strengths/weaknesses, unique qualities you bring to OSU, etc.)
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the school. They spent a lot of time telling us about the curriculum and the school. One of the Deans spoke us, followed by a financial aid person, a "guest speaker" (ours was an MD on the faculty), and a 4th year med student. From what everyone said, it sounds like a very good program. We next had lunch with a bunch of 1st and 2nd years, and then a tour. Then we watched a brief movie about the school which showed some of the things we didn't see on the tour. And then we had interviws. It was initially hard to tell how I was doing in my interview--the doctor seemed to like certain things about me and then he asked a bunch of hard ethical questions and scenarios that I wasn't sure how I did on. But in the end, he did say that he hoped he'd see me there the next year, so that seemed positive.
It was very low key. My interviewer was a full-time emergency medicine doctor, so he's very talkative and gregarious. That made the interview go faster, I felt.
We pretty much spent most of the time talking about my research. It was a short and conversational interview. Other students said they were asked questions from a list - I didn't get any of that.
The interviewer was from a pacific rim country. It was incredibly difficult to understand anything that they said. It was also tough to be sure that I was understood. After the interview, I am no longer interseted in this school. Questions do come off of a form, be prepared for the ones you read here. Hopefully OSU's admissions office reads these too and can improve for next year.
It was excellent. The school was not in my top ten but now that I've been there I can't stop talking about it. They get back to you in two weeks and a good thing I've been accepted!
I had a great time. I liked the school a lot better after the interview day! They're really fast about the decision, I got my acceptance two weeks after my interview.
This was my first interview so I was a little nervous, butit was a great chance to put a personal spin on the school and see the enthusiasm that the students and staff had for being there.
It was a great experience. I felt like I was being recruited and was a valuable asset they want at their school, rather then a candidate that was begging to get in. They are a class act and are working actively to improve all aspects of the medical school
This was my first interview since interviewing for BS/MD programs in high school. The day went very well, and left me with a really good impression of the school. I got an older interviewer who was very personable yet he created more of a stressful atmosphere than I expected. He started off the interview by asking about some weaknesses in my application and then continued to interrupt me. However, I learned a lot from the interview and I was accepted on the first possible day, so it must have gone well.
Started of at 10:30 with an 1.5 hour talk by the dean of admissions about the school. CUrriculum, research opportunities, and columbus life. Then the financial aid talk. Then a talk by a professor. Then a 4th year talked. Lots of listening, and asking questions until 12:30 or so. Then 1st and 2nd years came and gave us a tour. THis was the most helpfull time for me because I was able to ask things that you cant ask a professor in the group. Students were very friendly and seems like a big party school even for the med students. Very laid back. Then came back at 1:45 and had interview after the tour. I was very impressed with it all. The interview was so laid back, no hard questions. A couple ethical ones, but was really fun talking to the doctor.
The day at Ohio State was very good except for the rain. The whole curriculum/financial aid overview was very organized and it was good to eat lunch with the students. The tour would probably be great if it was not raining. My interview was very formal, but the interviewer was nice. It was VERY much question and answer, not conversational at all. But I think it was also because he is a new interviewer so he was a bit uncomfortable as well. They tell you your admission status in ten business days (2 weeks) after your interview; they post it on the website. The students there seem very happy, not competitive, and friendly. I liked the group of people I interviewed with, they seemed like fun people. Everyone was from Utah for some reason. Good day overall!
Ohio State definitely gave me a good impression. I liked it more after the visit. The day was well organized. The students were laid back and fairly happy. Ohio State's reputation of being a party school is somewhat true. All the faculty members are excited about teaching and helping students. OSU has a unique ISP curriculum where you do independent study for the first two years. Although I was told several times that it does not influence one's performance on the Boards exams, I am still unsure about how it will suit me. Personally, I would prefer the option of attending lectures. Unfortunately, MD/PhD students don't have this option.
The day started with introductions to OSU from some of the faculty and students, followed by lunch with the students and a BRIEF tour. The interviews were very short and the interviewers are EXTREMELY nice and just want to get to know you.
This was my first interview, and it was very relaxed. I had two interviewers, and it seemed more like a conversation more than an interview. Reading past testimonials on studentdoctor.net made me anticipate questions on euthanasia/abortion or about my strengths/weaknesses, but neither of those questions were asked in my interview.
Overall, I was very impressed with Ohio State. First up is an overview session in which a few doctors, staff, and students talk to you. This is followed by lunch during which you can talk to current students and a student-led tour. Then you report back to the conference room and wait for your interview.
The information presented to you in the morning about the curriculum, financial aid, Columbus, etc. was much more thorough than that given at my first interview. As detailed below, the administration seems to really care about the students, and the students were excited to be at OSU. I really like the choice in curriculum, and the classroom pathway seems to have a good mix of traditional lecture and small group learning. The new clinical skills lab was amazing and should be a valuable resource for the physician development course.
The interview was extremely laid back. My interviewer asked very broad questions about my research, EC's, etc. and I got to answer pretty much how I chose. It only lasted about 30-40 minutes and was pretty conversational. Make sure you have some questions to ask the interviewer (this was somewhat difficult given how well the school was described in the morning.)
OSU cares about the students it recruits. They provide academic resources (two different learning styles, technology is impressive, mentors, opportunities for research). There is a lot of growth occurring in the medical school.
The interviewers seemed very nice overall, though I think I got the most ornery one. He was cool, but didn't really go out of his way to make me feel comfortable. He also (justifiably) grilled me on my lack of clinical experience. He actually used part of my secondary essay against me. I found it strange that I wasn't asked why I want to be a doctor.
I heard more about research at OSU than I ever cared to know. The interview was stressful and not inviting. I was not being recruited by OSU as much as tested. I did not like it.
They day was very informative and also laid back. I would recommend being prepared and confident, and then not sweating. Just be prepared to answer questions that you would usually encounter at an interview. I had two very nice, enthusiastic, outgoing interviewers.
i got to osu at 1030, we met with the admissions staff, very motivational and easy going speakers, financial aid talk, lunch, tour, interview with on person that was easy going. the man was just interested in knowing about me.
got there at 10:30, info about the school, info about the depts by an interesting faculty speaker, info about financial aid, info from a fourth year med student. Then lunch with first year students from 12-1. Short tour, then the interviews started around 2 in two or three time slots. Each lasted 40 minutes with one faculty member, then you were free to go.
Having first considered NOT going to the interview, I'm glad I changed my mind. Columbus is a fast-growing city, and OSU is like a city in itself! The facilities are remarkable (although the medical school itself is a little bit on the dated side), and it is obvious that the school is doing anything and everything to improve itself by attracting top research $$, faculty, and students.
The OSU administration is generally nice and welcoming. You sit in a big conference room and listen to what seems like hours of just talking and talking. You have lunch and go on a tour. Then you have your one interview. Judging by most of the experiences on this website, my interview stands out as a bad experience. Most people seem to have had a good experience. I would just say be very prepared to answer questions about the medical field like HMO's, ethical stuff, etc.
Overall, it was very relaxed and the people there were awesome. The day flew by. If you have an interview at OSU then you shouldn't sweat it. If your interviewer seems like they are done with his or her questions and its only been like 15 or 20 minutes then ask questions and try to engage into a conversation, just make sure you try to be genuine. I do not know if he meant to, but at the end of the interview I was told that it seemed that I would get a lot of interviews (even though my MCAT wasn't anything special) and to remember to keep OSU in mind...
We got there at 1030 and at 11 we had an admissions staff person give us and overview of OSU. The presentation was very valuable and informative. After that we had lunch with some students and a tour of campus. The students were extremely nice and gave some great insights into the school. After the tour we had our interview. My interviewer was extremely nice and started out by saying that he was my advocate with the selection committee. Right off the bat he made me feel at ease and want to work with him so he could portray me as the best applicant as possible. Overall I was extremely impressed by OSU.
I had a great experience of OSU. I was thinking about canceling my interview but I am really glad that I didn't. The day started at 11 with presentation about the curriculum, financial aid, and about osu. Then we had lunch and the students showed us around the medical center. Then I had my interview with two interviewer at the same time. Interview was question and answer format. They had list of questions that they asked. I enjoyed the interview day at osu.
I was incredibly impressed by the interview day. Everyone was very nice and thoroughly answered all questions. Several MS1s offered the tour so we toured in groups of 4 or less. OSU definitely is now one of my top choices.
I was really impressed by this school overall. My interviewer was very friendly and made it a point to tell me in the beginning that this was a low stress, informal interview and he just really wanted to get to know me. I really like this school, and I like how we'll know whether we've been admitted, deferred or rejected in a couple of weeks...
This school is great for people who have lives outside of med school. All the students I talked to were really, really happy. Great facilities too. I was very impressed.
I thought that the interview did nothing to help or hurt me. I think my standing afterwards was exactly the same as before. The interview conversation was mediocre but not damaging to my candidacy.
The interview was really friendly and relaxed. They were really nice and did a good job presenting their school. The fourth year student who talked about Ohio State was really helpful.
Showed up at 10 but nothing really happened until 11 (they didn't give us breakfast, so make sure you pick up your coffee ahead of time) There were a series of presentations that everyone struggled to pretend they were paying attention to. We had lunch with first year students(gotta love Jimmy Johns) and then went on tours. Afterwards we found out when our interviews were - anywhere from immediately after the tour to an hour and a half later. The committee meets immediately afterwards to make decisions.
Although you have to be there at around 10:30, the day does not start until about 11:00. You start with some briefings about the school and financial aid, followed by a pep-talk from a faculty and MS IV. After the talks, we ate lunch and then took a brief tour (about an hour). Due to time constraints, the tour was rather short and skipped a lot of areas I was interested in.
As for the interview, I had a fantastic experience at OSU! I was very impressed that they read my application materials and had paired me with an interviewer who the head of the corresponding department!! Immediately had a connection and a common interest, which made the interview that much less stressful. Since I was first on the interview list, my day was over before 3:00. Oh, they also make an admission decision that day and you find out 3-4 weeks later - might know by X-Mas! Wahoo!!
It was a nice day and a laid back interview. I really enjoyed the time I spent there. The only part that sucks is you have nothing to do while waiting for your interview, so bring a book or something else to do.
I'm from Columbus, so it was nice to sleep in my own bed before the interview. The day started around 10:45 AM and ended around 4 PM. We began with an introduction to the school and the town, then a brief talk about financial aid and a presentation by a 4th year student. Lunch was a little late so we had a short tour of the school and hospital and then ate with our tour guides. My interview was at 2 PM and the doctor was very engaging and pleasant, but he still adhered to a list of ethical and standard interview type questions.
I think I interviewed with the guy that posted a couple experiences up. Everyone in the group was really cool and I had a really fun experience. I've read before that it is good to talk to people to reduce your stress level. We had plenty of laughs throughout the day and it really mellowed me out for my interview. It was all guys in my group too. Very odd. Overall a positive experience. The interviewers were really nice, and obviously enthusiastic about meeting us.
First we all sat outside the admissions office and then went into a room to hear from teh assistant dean, the director of the IP pathway, and a 4th year medical student. Lunch was late, so we took a tour of campus and then ate. After that, they posted a list of the tiem slots in which people were interviewing. My interviewer had a sheet of notes and set questions that she wanted to ask.
The experience was really chill and a lot of fun. Probably because the guys I was interviewing with were really cool. There were about 16th of us. They start you off with a few talks that are ok I guess. Then you have lunch with a few M1's and then get a tour of the campus. In general, the people there are really chill and really nice. Classes are a little big 200 for the first couple of years, but I don't think that's a huge problem because of small group PBL's and the approachability of the profs there.
overall, nice. the interview wanted to get to know me, my strengths and weaknesses. no overly hard questions, or anything i wasn't expecting. asked the signature OSU ethical question - everyone gets that one, so be ready for it! (typically euthanasia/abortion)
The general "blah" feel of the tour and presentations is countered by my pleasant interview and the good reputation that I know that this school has. It's still high on my list - I just expected to come away more excited than I was. They could use a few better salespeople in the adm. office.
I was pretty neutral about OSU before the interview, but now it is one of my top choices. I would love the curriculum, and I was impressed by the school's openness to change--it sounds like they've made a lot of improvements in the last decade.
Great school and city. I felt at home there and would love to go to the school. The students are happy and have lots of diverse opportunities because the med school classes are so big.
I was a lot more impressed than I originally thought I would be. I lived in Columbus for a few years before so I was somewhat familiar with the area and more familiar with the city as a whole. There is a wealth of things to do in Columbus and the weather was beautiful that day which helped. This was my first interview so I was nervous, but everyone there was relaxed and friendly. I thought the interview didn't go too well, as the interviewer said at the end that he probably would have liked to see more medical experiences on my application (even though I have numerous instances of shadowing, volunteering and research) but I guess it went ok as I was accepted two weeks later.
My interviewer was filling out a standardized interview form as we spoke. It asked pretty standard questions about exposure to physician/patient relationship, an ethical issue, my background, etc.
A pretty straightforward day. We began at 10am by sitting around
in a lounge while the staff quickly go over the day with interviewees
one by one. At 11am, we met with Dean Notestine, a financial aid officer,
and a faculty guest speaker, which was a nice touch. At noon, the cool med students
came in, had lunch with us, then broke us up into groups for tours. Interviews were
held between 1:30pm and I think 3:30pm. Mine was pretty much a question-answer format,
less conversational than I would have liked. It was my first interview, and I thought
I was a little burned coming out. But I bit it, and exactly a month later, I got
a nice big envelope in the mail!
The day was a little long but very laid back. I loved the atmosphere and everyone was very nice. My interviewers were great. We talked about everything from secretory diahrrhea to Harry Potter. I was more impressed than I thought I would be.
It was a nice experience with an awful lot of waiting around. Luckily, they had enough interviewers that everyone was able to interview in the early spots and not forced to wait around ungodly long. The students and faculty seemed quite nice, and all had good perspectives on the University.
Check their website, it has a great video about the school. I was eventually accepted, but chose to attend a different school. Except for the interview, it was a good experience.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggested improvements such as consolidating application websites, providing clearer communication, offering more information on student organizations and programs, improving the interview process with earlier start times and better name tags, and allowing for more time during tours. They also appreciated the efficiency of the admissions office and some of the perks provided.
Make the application websites/ vitals sites/ graduate school sites into ONE site
The Admissions Office here is really efficient, they are the most efficient of any school I interviewed at through offering admissions decision post-interview within 2 weeks.
Make the day with less lectures, not advertise yourself with how highly ranked you are as the first thing you do (most of my fellow interviewees were ivy-leaguers, telling us you're #30 in the nation is really not selling you), and stop pushing your school so hard because it seems a bit desperate.
None that I can think of. Everything was great. Maybe provide us with some information on student orgs and dual degree programs. Also, lunch felt just a tad rushed.
Make the interview earlier in the day, so that students can relax and be able to focus while they are listening to financial aid information, tours etc. Provide bottled water and other refreshments earlier. Have a break between lunch and the tours so that the applicants can go to the restroom.
Thanks for the free messenger bag and flash drive. But please don't tell us that we're interviewing to "keep" a spot as deferrals are very common. Interviewing to "keep" a spot it much easier than to "earn" a spot.