Hershey, PA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 29% of interviews, indicating it is moderately regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a low stress level and felt they did well.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
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
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as average.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as average.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include inquiries about engaging research activities, favorite books, reasons for pursuing a medical career, personal strengths and weaknesses, experiences in extracurricular activities, challenges faced, and future contributions to the field of medicine. Additionally, respondents mentioned extensive discussions on their academic records, family backgrounds, motivations for choosing medicine, and views on healthcare policies, with some interviews following the MMI format with questions related to nondisclosure agreements.
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What was your most engaging research activity?
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What is one of your favorite books that you've read (it was relevant to our conversation, not out of the blue)
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What do you think you would like most about being a physician?
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What could you change about yourself?
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Tell me about yourself
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Tell me about X extracurricular.
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Are you really ready for medical school?
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Explain an extracurricular activity.
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Tell me about experience X.
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What do your parents do? (No one in my family is a doctor). Why did you choose medicine?
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What do you think you will contribute to our class?
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Am I interested in a specialty?
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What adversity have you faced?
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What will you do if you are not accepted?
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Think of a 4 letter word to describe yourself
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Why PSU?
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If you could go back in time and speak any language, who would you want to spend the day with and why?
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What do you think about the direction of healthcare in the near future?
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Tell me about yourself?
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Why medicine
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Tell me about your research, ECs, etc.
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Why do you want to be an MD/PhD?
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Why did you choose your major?
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"Tell me about yourself"
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"What was your most meaningful experience while volunteering at your local hospital?
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What is the biggest problem with health care in the US and in the world?
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At what point do all the trees lose their leaves in PA? (He was from Jamaica and just moved to Penn State)
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No specific questions - both interviewers were incredibly conversational. One asked me about things in my file which stood out, then asked me what questions I had about the school. Everything else flowed from those questions. The second interview was entirely based on the questions I had about the school.
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Why medicine?
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how do you think your involvement in ECs will help you as a doctor?
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How would you handle 80 hour work weeks and waking up at 4 am?
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The usual... why medicine? why Penn State? how do you feel about research?
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So, what can I tell you about Penn State?
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I noticed your freshman year was a transition period for you (very low GPA)
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Why Penn State?
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Tell me about yourself. Have you interviewed anywhere else? What is the worst part about you as a med school applicant? Were you influenced more by your mother or father? What do your parents do? Whats the most enjoyable part of undergrad? How did you prepare for this interview?
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Think of a 4-letter word to describe yourself.
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What do you do in your free time?
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Why medicine? Why PSU?
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What are your personal strengths and weaknesses?
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why psu? tell me about siblings/ family, when did you decide you wanted to be a dr? why did you choose your undergrad college? tell me about your research
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Tell me about your international experiences and your research.. (All straight from AMCAS app)
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Who was your main role model in deciding on a career in medicine?
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What questions do you have for me?
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Why will you be a good doctor?
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Tell me about X,Y,Z activity (from AMCAS application). The interviewer asked several follow up questions regarding activity.
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Just to start off, do you have any questions for me about the school?
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Tell me about yourself...
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Out of 100 pre-med students, what rank are you?
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What questions can I answer for you about the school or Hershey?
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Could you clarify this on your AMCAS application?
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-when did you know you wanted to do medicine? -how will you pay for medical school? -do your parents know how much med school costs? -what do your parents do?
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What brought you on your path to medicine and Hershey?
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Questions about my undergraduate school and volunteer experiences.
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What are you passionate about?
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So, what interests you about Penn State?
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Why did you chose your major?
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Ask me a question. (One interviewer asked this about four different times)
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What do you like best about Penn State?
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What was the most serious thing you saw during your time volunteering in the ER?
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ask me questions.
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Tell me about your clinical experience.
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Tell me about yourself.
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Tell me about this...
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Why you want to go to Penn State College of Medicine?
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What is your specific role in your research group?
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In your essay, you mentioned a rough time during your undergrad years, can you talk about how you got through that? (Most of the questions asked revolved around my AMCAS)
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What do you like to do?
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role models in medicine?
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how can you contribute to the diversity at penn state. the rest of the interview was very conversational. the interviewer talked about how he went to medical school at stanford (im from california) and why he decided to come back to hershey.
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Why MD/PhD?
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Do you think living in Hershey will be a problem? (I'm from Tampa, FL).
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Tell me about your research.
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What is the biggest problem in healthcare?
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how did your interest in medicine develop?
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First interviewer just went through my list of experiences and asked about them. It was very casual and low stress. He just wanted to learn about me through my experiences.
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What is your top school?
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Tell me about your experience abroad.
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see most difficult
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Why medicine? <insert my answer here> Eventhough you will have to spend another 7-10 years in training? <insert my answer here> Eventhough you will likely have six figures of debt? <insert my answer here> Why not a PA? <insert my answer here> Why not a nurse? <insert my answer here> Why not a teacher? <insert my answer here> Don't you think medicine will interfere with your family life? <insert my answer here>
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What is the biggest problem in healthcare today? How do you propose we fix it?
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Why do you want to be a doctor? (in the context that you can help people in many other professions)
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What about Penn State interests you?
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did i mention the clinical scenarios?
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What is the biggest problems concerning our Health Care Policy, and how would you fix it?
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What do you want to study as a specialty in med school?
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Both interviewers (primarily Interviewer #1): At what point, or during what period, did you finally decide for sure that this was the path you wanted? (I had changed my mind about medicine at least twice, and it wasn't until 9/11, when I worked close to Ground Zero, that I resolved to become a doctor.)
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Why do you think what your research is important?
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Tell me about X volunteer work?
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- Tell me a little about yourself. - Greatest strengths/weaknesses. - Why Medicine?
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Why do you want to go into medicine?
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Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
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Tell me about your experience in Spain
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Basically, the interviews consisted of a brief synopsis of the application, followed by a line by line discussion of each activity.
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Why aren't you pursuing an MD/PHD?
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What kind of procedures did you do as an EMT? (The interviewer was trying ot get a sense of how much of actual clinical experience I have)
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Why Penn State? (I rambled on and on for a while after this one and he kinda giggled and stopped me but seemed to like it, so have an answer prepared)
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How do you feel about living in rural Pennsylvania?
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List two of the most important things on your application that you would like me to bring up at the admissions committee meeting.
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What's the biggest issue facing medicine today?
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Did they ask questions? I guess the only one I can think of that was a direct question was asking me to clarify something in my academic record.
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Are you interested in primary care?
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What are your strengths and weaknesses?
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Why, based on your research experience, did you chose not to pursue a MD/PhD degree?
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Why do you want to become a military physician?
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tell me more about your current job
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What does your brother do?
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What do you do for your research?
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Why did you want to do medicine?
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So fine arts?? ..and it went on from there
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What was your favorite class in college?
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You obviously have a strong background in research. Would you rather spend your time doing clinical or bench research?
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Which speciality do you want to go into? I answered primary care. He then asked "From scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest, how would you rank your potential to be a primary care physician?"
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Why Penn State? Since this school is in the middle of nowhere, the admissions staff really cares about your answer because it's certainly not for the surroundings.
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Why did you quit the marching band?
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What do your parents do?
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How's your mom?
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how did you learn about the school? where have you traveled to? what was that like?
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How do you handle stress?
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Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
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why medicine? how would your friends describe you? are your parents doctors? why did you take a year off?
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When I decided to be a physician.
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Tell me about your research?
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Did you consider any other professions besides medicine?
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Tell me about your leadership and teaching experiences.
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why do you want to go to medical school?
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If you could spend a day with anyone in the past, who would it be and why?
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"What are you most passionate about?"
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strengths/weaknesses
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How would your friends describe you?
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From the first interview: Why did you apply to Penn State? What do you think you still need to learn to be a good physician?
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why do you want to be a doctor? (both interviews)
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From my first interview: Why did you take two years off? What led you to medicine? Why did you choose to go to your undergraduate institution, and why did you choose your major? Explain your study-abroad experience. Why Penn State? Do you have any questions for me?
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Why Hershey?
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Tell me about yourself, your college activities, and your research (my second interviewer, a PhD, was particularly interested in my research; this has been true at other schools where my interviewer was a PhD.)
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Tell me about yourself, brothers and sisters, etc...
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What's wrong with health care? Why are there so many uninsured people in the U.S.? Time machine question
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See most interesting question?
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What is squash? Why do you like Penn State? How many medical schools did you apply to?
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Tell me about how you've come to be interested in a medical career. Why would you not pursue a degree in clinical psychology with your background? Why did you take the MCAT so late (non-traditional applicant) and what did you do between graduation and the test?
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What would you do about the uninsured?
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What will you bring to the class of 2009 that is unique?
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Why do you want to come to Hershey? Do you know much aboout PBL? What specialty are you considering?
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tell me about your research
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Tell me about yourself? Tell me more. Tell me more.
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why penn state? (i think they want people who like pennsylvania. just say you think it's beautiful and want to live there, it may be true)
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If you could go back in time to any point, who would you want to meet and spend a day with(provided you could also speak their language)?
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What have you done with your time off?
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Who is your role model or your favorite author?
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Why Hershey Medical Center?
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bunch of questions having me elaborate on some of the activites/aspects of my application
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What made you decide to do medicine? Have you considered doing something besides medicine?
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Wonder when I'll hear back from PSU? They didn't really give us any dates to be expecting correspondence.
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tell me about your medical volunteering
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what do you think should be done about the healthcare crisis in this country?
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How are your parents responding to such an expensive career path?
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So...how did you get involved with medicine and why do you want to practice it?
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No specific questions were asked; one interviewer just went over my file with me - very easy.
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Which 2 student organizations do you think you would want to be a part of here at Penn St?
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Both interviewers mostly just asked me to elaborate on things I talked about in my personal statement.
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coming from a city environment, are you sure you can adjust to hershey?
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If you had $10,000,000 to spend on healthcare, how would you use it?
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What do I like about Hershey?
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Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Tell me about your family
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a question specific to my MCAT performance
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What were you doing in Russia?
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Why do you want to be a doctor? (First interviewer, the nice doctor)
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What do you perceive as your weaknesses?
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Why do we have and what are we to do about the obesity problem facing the United States? What was the worst thing that has ever happened to you and what did you learn from that experience?
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Tell me what you want me to know about yourself... How long were you in the Marines? What kind of research have you been involved with? What else do you do other than work and go to school (clinically and extra curricular activities)?
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What books do I read?
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Anything unique about you that's not stated in your application?
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Tell me about your motivations for entering medicine.
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How has your family situation influenced the doctor you hope to become? (My sister has had a chronic illness throughout my life)
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The mammogram question.
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If you get accepted at the U of MN (my home state), you aren't going to go to Penn, are you?
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What do you do for fun?
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What would you do if you did not get in to medical school?
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If you could travel back in time and meet one person, who would it be and why?
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"Standard" interview questions
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Anything else I should know about you? (several times)
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What would you like me to know about you?
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Tell me about yourself...
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What first motivated you to want to become a doctor?
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You are from a big city, can you picture yourself living in Hershey?
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Why MD?
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What kind of medicine do you think you'll practice?
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what do you know about PBL?
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some questions about why woman and folic acid.
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So tell me about yourself
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Asked questions about organizations I was involved in during college.
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Do you like to read? What type of books do you like?
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Why do you want to attend Penn State.
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"Why would you want to come to Hershey?"
What was the most interesting question?
Students said the most interesting question asked at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, including stress management, career aspirations, unique personal attributes, and societal issues related to healthcare. The interviews appear to have been a mix of standard questions and conversational prompts, with some interviewees mentioning an MMI format where questions were tailored to individual experiences and a few instances of non-traditional questions like discussing music preferences or hypothetical scenarios.
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We have time so you can say anything you'd like to tell me that I haven't asked you
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My interviewer set up a long situation that was essentially asking about how I would deal with stress,, but phrased in a very open-ended way.
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Where do you see yourself in 12 years?
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One bad thing about Penn State Hershey (blanked on this but laughed through it and so did he)
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Describe where you grew up.
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How can healthcare providers help rural communities like the surrounding Hershey area?
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If a doctor was the coach of a sport, what sport do you think best fits and why?
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What is something that you want me to take away from your admissions file that isn't immediately apparent and sets you apart from the other applicants?
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Tell me what you do for fun.
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What type of exercise do you most enjoy?
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"What my hardest class was"
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N/A
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Do you have any idea on what field you want to go into?
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What did you get out of each of your shadowing experiences?
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How will you deal with your medical condition and it's limitations?
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First interview was more of a conversation than anything, mostly about what I wanted to know about Penn State. It was a good thing I had a slew of questions lined up, and I used all of them. The second interview was much more standard and less conversational, and I get the feeling it was that way because I didn't seem to have much in common with her. She asked the standard questions and the most interesting one was probably about the "biggest issue facing medicine today."
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So basically, there were two interviewers (individually). Both were very conversational, and they had my printed AMCAS app in front of them. They both had read it before I was escorted in by the admissions staff (very nice!) so we built off there. Discussed a lot of other things too, such as local activities/dining to do in the area, traded book recommendations
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Explain about this activity (tennis), how will this help you as a physician?
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Nothing really.....
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Do you have a philosophy for dealing with hardship/stress/tragedy?
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How do you think your personality will allow you to fit in well with our community?
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none
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Are your parents surprised that you want to become a physician?
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What is your favorite Shakespeare play? (I'm an English major)
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That they never actually asked questions. They just asked what questions I had, and then used that as a conversational springboard.
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The interviewer asked what type of music I listen to, then pulled up his music library on his computer and asked if I knew some of the bands as he scrolled through the list.
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How do you feel about so-and-so hospital suing their patients, most of whom don't have much money, for not paying their medical bills? (It was interesting because I got to learn about the siuation)
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What do you like to read?
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What would you have changed about your research?
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Tell me the dumbest thing you've ever done...
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Number 3.
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Do you know anything about scuba diving?
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How are you prepared financially to pay for med school?
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What are you passionate about?
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What was the last movie you saw?
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Would you like to work abroad?
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If you woke up one day to find that nobody ever got sick anymore, and everybody died at age 80, period, what job would you choose?
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Are the intervals between the strings of a guitar the same as they are on a cello? (I'm a music major)
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What is your greatest accomplishment?
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What do you think are some problems with our current healthcare system? and, What are some interesting recent advances in medicine? (I was ready for this and they went well - and I'd be ready, too, if I were you, I hear these come up a lot)
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What do you do for fun?
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tell me about your relationship with your brother.
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What's your favorite movie? (I guess that's not very interesting but it was fun to answer)
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Tell me about a difficult experience that you have had.
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Neither of my interviewers really asked me any questions.
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standard questions were asked. Nothing too hard.
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If you can go back in time, who would you want to meet and why?
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What does your dad do for a living? I'm not sure what this adds to my application.
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What do you think should be done about the millions of uninsured?
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If you could go back in time to any era and speak any language, who would you like to meet?
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None. Pretty standard.
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what have been some recent major technological advances in medicine
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what 4 letter word best describes you (i got a couple of minutes to think while the interviewer read my letters of recommendation)
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Have you thought about how you are going to combine your MD and PhD in your career after school?
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None, really. I was never asked a question directly. I simply chatted with both interviewers with the conversation revolving around my AMCAS/application.
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What is the biggest problem you see facing your era of physicians?
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If you could spend one day with any person from any time period, who would it be?
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how would your friends describe you
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None.
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You have always lived in a city, why do you want to come here?
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If you didn't want to go into medicine and we could wipe the slate clean, what would you choose as your career?
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I would not consider any of the question interesting. They were all typical questions.
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If you could spend a day with anyone in any time period, who and why?
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Out of 100 applicants, where would you rank yourself in terms of who would be the best physician? Why did you rank _#__ others better than yourself? Why did you rank yourself better than _#__ others?
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can't remember... the first interview was more of a conversation and the other was more like an awkward grilling, but not too many questions stick out...
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Who (anyone in history) would you spend a day with?
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How do you know that just because you enjoy working with children you want to enter pediatrics? You've worked with sick children, but how do you know you wouldn't be better suited for working with healthy children?
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I don't remember, but i got lots of clinical scenerios
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Have you seen 'Harold and Kumar (Goes to White Castle)'? [I'm Indian, both my father and brother are surgeons, and I attended Princeton University.] I anticipated this question, having read SDN feedback, so I had a semi-scripted answer, but my interviewer cut me off, saying he was just joking around.
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if you could time travel who would you want to meet?
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If you were a raisin in the sun, where would you want to be?
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If you were to go anywhere in time and meet anyone in history, who would you meet and why?
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If you could have a skilled doc with no bedside manner, or a non-skilled one with great bedside manner, which would you choose?
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So you have taken a round-a-bout path to medical school, tell me about that.
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"What type of medicine would you like to go into," followed by "why do you choose them"?
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Would your parents consider moving down to Penn. if you were accepted? (I come from a very close knit family, and he asked because I told him that my mother, father, and younger sister made the trip from NY to Penn with me for the interview.)
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Nothing really, every question was pretty standard.
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Who is your favorite poet?
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why do you think people will come to you as their doctor?
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Tell me about your experience in Spain
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I can't find anything wrong with your application. What do you think about that?
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Specifics about my research
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Nothing really. How did I meet my fiance????
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No particularly interesting questions.
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Have you seen Harold and Kumar go to Whitecastle?
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If we could go anywhere in time and you could speak any language, Who would you go and see?
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If you could meet anybody from any time period and speak any language, who would you meet?
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Nothing out of the ordinary
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Did they even ask questions?? It was more of a conversation than a question & answer session.
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If you didn't go into medicine, what would you pursue?
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If you had to choose your specialty today, what would it be?
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How did your travel abroad experiences change you?
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We just chatted about my AMCAS application. Nothing too interesting or difficult.
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if you could use a time machine to travel to any time in recorded history, and assuming you could speak any language, who would you choose to meet and why?
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Are your parents political?
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Is there anything that you want me to keep in mind as I further review your file after this interview
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Critique yourself. What are your weaknesses?
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What drives you? What makes you passionate about what you do?
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What is your passion?
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So do you want to become a citizen?
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What makes you different from all of our other qualified applicants?
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Did they even ask questions? It was like a conversation about me and where I am now. Quite relaxed.
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What do your parents do?
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My interviewer basically went through my AMCAS in front of me and asked me to verify that I did participate in all the activities. With each activity, I tried to explain why it was relevant to where I am today.
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"I have a time machine parked out in the back lot that can take you to anytime in history. Given that you could speak their language, who is the one person you would meet and why?"
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What historical event in your lifetime had the most impact on you?
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All of the questions I was asked were unique to me, so they'd be of no use to anyone
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Describe a perfect day for you.
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What was favorite place to travel to?
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What do you think will be the biggest challenge in medicine 25 years from now?
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have you been to the U.S. before?
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none out of the ordinary
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What factors will you use to choose a school?
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Why do you think poetry is such a difficult form of writing?
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Do you think of yourself as a deep thinker?
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What kind of opportunities would you like to see available here?
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If you could spend a day with anyone in the past, who would it be and why?
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"Teach me about something, anything, as if I have a sixth grade education."
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tell me about a stressful situation you've been in
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If you had a time machine, who would you want to meet?
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What do you think you still need to learn to be a good physician?
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whats the largest obstacle you have had to overcome?
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What seperates you from everyone else?
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Describe everything about yourself, from what motivates you, to what you do for fun, to what your goals are, in one four letter word.
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Current Politics of Boston?
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How do you think the elections are going turn out on Nov. 2nd? Did you see Michael Moore's "9/11"?
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Who are your heroes in life?
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All the questions were pretty standard.
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If I had a time machine, who would I go meet?
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what do you want me to tell admissions committee about yourself
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I have a patient who needs to have their thyroid removed (thyroid cancer). However, the patient has 5 social security numbers (illegal immigrant). What do you do?
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Explain to me the sport of squash
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Can I see your scar?
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Why does Penn State's football team keep losing?
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What would you do about the problem concerning the uninsured?
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What will you bring to the class of 2009 that is unique?
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How would your "alter ego" describe you?
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Do you still sing? (I mentioned in my AMCAS and during the interview that I am a classically trained singer)
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if there were no diseases, what would you do as a career?
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How would you tell a patient they had a terminal illness?
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If you had 10 million dollars to spend on a healthcare related issue how would you spend it?
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Why would you ever leave California to attend school here?--the interviewer didn't exactly try to sell the school
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I was asked very standard interview questions.
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Have you ever been to the middle east?
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If woke up tomorrow and there was no need for healthcare because everyone lived until they were 80 then died (with no health problems), what would you do instead?
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What do you do for fun? There were no real questions in the two interviews. Mainly just a conversation that covered main parts of my file.
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A general question about the Middle East (it was about 2 days after Israel killed the leader of Hamas)
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Have you considered going to USUHS?
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What would you think is the biggest problem facing US healthcare system?
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Why did you think so many cases of bird flu originate in Asia?
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how would you make our current health care system better?
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How would you adjust to living in Hershey?
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Can you justify expensive surgical procedures (organ transplants) when there larger uninsured population who could benefit substantially from the funds?
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What specific mechanisms do you have for dealing with stress?
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Do you really want to do medicine?
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I’m not sure what that “raisin in the sun†question was all about, but it seems kinda thespian to me.
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What is your take on the current health care system (crisis;))?
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Why medicine instead of graduate school? (specific for me because I have alot of research experience)
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What was your least favorite class in college?
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Both interviews basically just rehashed my application... nothing out of the ordinary (sorry).
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As a physician what do you see as being your greatest challenges in your personal life as well as your professional life?
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Why has industry moved over-seas? Do you think it will come back to the US?
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Who is your favorite American writer?
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Name an ethical topic and medcine and give your stance on it.
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How many Mennonites are there in the world? (I am a Mennonite)
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No real tough questions. They really want to know about you so know your application, why you want to be a physician, and why Penn State.
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How are we going to help the millions of uninsured americans?
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how do you think you will adjust to living in such a small town as hershey?
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am I still involved in girl scouts? (from my personal statement)
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Nothing really. The interview was definitely very conversational
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Do you have a photographic memory?
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What do you think are the greatest challenges in academic medicine? (I expressed my interest in academic medicine in my personal statement.)
-
Everyone dies at 80 no matter what and until then they are totally without health problems. What profession would you pursue?
-
What aircraft do you fly?
-
If you could travel back in time to meet anyone who would it be and why? (I answered Einstein) What period in his life?
-
What are your plans for having children? ILLEGAL!!!!!
-
Can't you firther your education through Physical Therapy?
-
Questions about my family history, experiences, and other inquiring questions from my app- nothing stressful, he just wanted to genuinely get a feel for what i had done
-
Why do we have and what are we to do about the obesity problem facing the United States?
-
So what's it like driving a Zamboni? (the interviewer played hockey and so do i)
-
What does your family think about your choice of medicine as a career? Are they supportive?
-
Pretty standard interview questions...reviewed application info... Only "odd" question was 'What books do you read?'
-
none-all straightforward
-
Not really a question, but my second interviewer talked about drug reps and the benefits and costs of free dinners.
-
Nothing really. What would you do if you couldn't do medicine?
-
Name three perspectives you have taken away from your studying abroad.
-
Have you heard about the new research in autism, about the hyper-sensitivity to sounds? (I should clarify, I researched autism as an undergrad, so it wasn't totally off the wall)
-
What aspect of medical school do you think will be the most challenging for you?
-
What was the last book you read?
-
What class do you wish you had not taken and what would you replace it with?
-
I was not asked anything unusual.
-
The questioning was very straightforward and general.
-
Whether one of the people I mentioned in my personal statment was real or fictional.
-
If you could meet anyone in history, granted you could speak their language, and why?
-
Nothing really interesting, just the basic medical school school interview questions.
-
Is there anything else that you want me to know about you? (3x)
-
Because of my background: "Did you ever consider going into the ministry?"
-
All questions were basic and low stress. Why do you want to become a doctor? Why Penn State?
-
What do you do with a public health degree ?
-
If you could travel back in time, who would you want to meet?
-
do you have any experience learning in a small group of 8?
-
If you could meet any historical figure, who would you chose and why
-
So you're sister is loud and opinionated? After explaining that my sister and I were complete opposites growing up)
-
Asked me to relate my experiences as a teacher to my desires to enter medical school.
-
Most medical school applicants feel some degree of anxiety over the difficulty level of the material covered in medical school. Have you ever felt anxiety that you won't be able to handle the work? No? Well, what aspects of medicine are you anxious about?
-
The first interview was very much of a conversation, he did not ask any pre-planned questions, nor did he take any written notes. We discussed my interests, military history being one of them, and then moved onto the effects of September 11th. Very low stress, and dare I say it, kinda fun.
-
If you didn't go into medicine, what career would you have chosen?
-
"Why did you choose French for a major?" ...and: "do you think that with your background [French Lit.] you'll be prepared for Medical School?"
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics including personal experiences with minorities, changes to healthcare, strengths and weaknesses, and views on healthcare reform. While most interviews were conversational, some respondents mentioned challenging scenarios and specific questions related to personal motivations for pursuing medicine and addressing healthcare system issues.
-
Tell me about a time you served minorities and what that taught you
-
None of the questions were particularly difficult, both of my interviewers seemed to just want to have a conversation.
-
Are you happy with your MCAT score?
-
Explain a time working with a team that was challenging...or something like that
-
If you could make one change to healthcare, what would it be?
-
One bad thing about Penn State Hershey (blanked on this but laughed through it and so did he)
-
What could you contribute to our school?
-
What do you think you will contribute to our class
-
What does an ideal healthcare system look like to you?
-
What is the worst thing about medicine?
-
nothing really difficult, pretty much your typical questions and very conversational, discussing application
-
How would you go about changing the problems in medicine on a more personal level with your own patients
-
Why have you never considered getting a PhD alone?
-
Explain how your past research will affect your career as a physician.
-
Didn't really have any difficult questions.
-
N/A
-
What is your biggest strength and your biggest weakness?
-
There were none, it was very conversational and enjoyable.
-
None!
-
Nothing terribly difficult
-
Health care reform
-
The PhD that interviewed me took me to his lab to show off the facilities. While there he asked me to go introduce myself to students working in the lab (there were only two girls there at the time). The first girl I spoke to had come from China just two months previously, and spoke hardly a lick of English. We had a nice conversation, but it was quite a challenge trying to communicate since I know zero Mandrin.
-
What would you do if you couldn't do medicine? Honestly there weren't many tough questions, just the routine ones.
-
The Freshman-transition year one was a little tough even though I prepared for it, but I definitely did not feel like I was being attacked. Just the opposite - since my interviewers are presenting my case to a committee, and everyone except my interviewers see only my app, I felt as if he was trying to develop a defense for me.
-
Tell me about your research. Tell me what you would have changed. Why haven't you published yet?
-
You can look at the questions i was asked and pick for yourself. it was pretty difficult compared to others i talked to that day.
-
Definitely the 4 letter word one.
-
What brought you to Hershey?
-
What would you want me to take away as an impression of you?
-
How do you deal with a group interaction in which someone else has already established themselves as a leadr?
-
none
-
Give one 4 letter word to describe you? What's one unique quality you would bring as an applicant that no one else would have?
-
For some reason I answered the "problems in the U.S. health care system" question weird this time and talked too much about financial stuff, which led the interviewer to feel the need to explain to me why medical school is expensive. I think it came off as if I was complaining about the price of tuition, but I was trying to make a statement about the cost of medical education and medicine in general . . .
-
Exactly that.
-
None, really.
-
Nothing was too difficult.
-
If you hypothetically got into every medical school that you applied to, where would you go?
-
The rank question really irritated me -- it was a classic stress question. One of my interviews was an interrogation that left me annoyed whereas the other was a fun conversation. The latter seems to be more the norm.
-
What would you have changed about your research?
-
What do you foresee being most difficult for you in medical school?
-
What geographically interests you about the area that PSU is in?
-
None, to be honest.
-
Who do you think the greatest 400m runner of all time is?
-
how would your friends describe you?
-
None, really. I was prepared, using interview feedback.
-
Why do you think so many doctors are unhappy?
-
None. Very conversational. I can't pick out/remember any discrete/direct questions.
-
What would you want me to tell the admissions committee if they ask me why you would be a good candidate for med school? Summarize in one sentance.
-
What's the hardest challenge you will have in med school
-
What is your greatest accomplishment?
-
Why did you get so many bad grades undergrad? (I was told by the admissions staff and our med student guides that if we'd made it to the interview stage, it meant they were cool with our grades and wouldn't bring them up - evidently not!)
-
Why Penn State
-
nothing.
-
As a hospital administrator, what one thing would you do with leftover funds?
-
Why do you deserve a position in this class?
-
Mostly discussion. No real questions.
-
nothing besides the normal questions like why you want to be a doctor? Why do you want to go to Penn State?
-
Why would you make a good doctor?
-
There weren't really any difficult questions.
-
You have nine marbles and a balance. One marble weighs more than the other eight. Using the balance, describe how you would find out which marble is the heavy one in the fewest number of steps. (I'm kidding, they didn't ask anything hard.)
-
Nothin out of the norm besides the most intersting one
-
Why i think my uncle was an alcoholic if i didn't know of any previous family history?looool....it related to my research
-
how would you fix the current healthcare situation
-
none. the interviews were VERY conversational and relaxing.
-
Again, nothing was ''difficult,'' in my opinion.
-
Same as the most interesting.
-
how would u solve the problems in healthcare today
-
Tell me about the U.S. healthcare system. (This was just such a broad question that I wasn't sure where to begin and if he was looking for something specific).
-
What happened on your writing portion of the MCAT?/Do you think that your MCAT score represents your knowledge?
-
Let's say that it's ten years from now so that you're already a full-time physician without any other supervisors. How would you tell a patient that he is terminally-ill and that there was nothing else you could for him?
-
What is the problem with health care today? How do you propose we fix it?
-
see above
-
Nothing too difficult.... just why medicine? in 40 different ways.
-
See above.
-
why wasn't nursing enough, we really need nurses...
-
nothing too hard, but they really study your application and try to get to know you, so make sure you know why you feel the way you do!!
-
Same
-
My interviewer gave me clinical scenarios that i had to say what i would do in certain situations
-
Seeing that you were born and raised in Chicago, how would you adjust to life in a small city like Hershey?
-
No question was difficult - they were standard questions catered to my AMCAS Part I application. I'm a New Yorker - just make sure you have a good reason for wanting to be in Hershey, PA (I had good reasons, being originally from Upstate NY, my fiancee having attended college in Carlisle, PA, and our desire to leave NYC and go to a quiet place).
-
What is up with that __ on your MCAT?
-
Where do you see yourself in 50 years? (I said in your seat, I hope that was a good answer.)
-
How do you think a patient that has a renal carcinoma will be after they have a kidney removed?
-
NA
-
If you were to practice anywhere in the US, where would you practice? (I felt like it's awkward to say Penn State from the way he worded the question. By the way, these were not the exact words he use.)
-
Why the low score on the MCAT writing sample?
-
With my strong background in research, why did I want to go into medicine.
-
what's your favorite quote?
-
none too hard...just the typical ones. why penn state? what specialty? etc.
-
How can I tell the admissions committee you have a strong work ethic if you got a B- in physics
-
I wouldn't call any of the questions they asked all that difficult.
-
You accomplish so much and participate in so many things at once, how do you know where to draw the line?
-
My first interview, 9am, first question: Do you have any questions for me? My mind was blank.
-
How do I know you won't change careers again?
-
no difficult questions
-
List two of the most important things on your application that you would like me to bring up at the admissions committee meeting
-
nothing really...
-
Explain your MCAT scores being lower than one might expect based on your academic performance (had good GPA, including graduate study)
-
Tell me about yourself (I hate broad questions)
-
What do you like to do in your free time? (Literally the 5th time he asked me- I ran out of hobbies!)
-
Have you had any life-altering experiences that encouraged you to pursue medicine?
-
Nothing especially difficult, possibly the same question referred to under the "interesting" category.
-
Same as above.
-
there wasn't really anything hard or unusual, the questions were pretty standard
-
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
-
Why has your GPA gone down every semester?
-
From what you have read, what is the biggest problem facing health care? How would you fix the problems in health care?
-
Nothing was very difficult. The first interviewer simply had a conversation with me. The second interviewer asked me the standard questions (why medicine, why this school, etc.)
-
Tell me about yourself. (I hate that question.)
-
none really at all. Why is your essay score on MCAT low?
-
How did you get a C in _____? (insert embarassingly easy class here)
-
nothing difficult, both interviewers went over my AMCAS application.
-
Detailed questions about my current job as a healthcare consultant.
-
There are 40-45 million Americans without health care in the United States. How would you resolve this?
-
I was asked to explain a topic that I know a lot about to the interviewer as if he had only a 6th grade education. It wasn't that difficult but took me by surprise and I had to take a moment to collect my thoughts.
-
ibid
-
Describe a perfect day for you
-
Tell me about your awards and accomplishments from elementary school on.
-
Assuming you become a physician, what do you want your legacy to be?
-
nothing difficult. (really.)
-
Where else have you interviewed?
-
biggest problem facing healthcare today
-
Can you remember the names of some scientists that reactions are named after? (talking about my major)
-
What makes you think that you're determined enough to be successful in this program?
-
How can we counteract the patient's inevitable loss of dignity?
-
If you become a doctor, what significant contribution do you see yourself making to the field?
-
Why a physician?
-
Are you a follower or a leader?--I hate this question
-
How did you feel after being rejected by all the medical schools you applied to last year?
-
Nothing was particularly difficult, although the aforementioned question was cause for a bit of fumbling.
-
all straight forward questions. No ethical qt.
-
Do you have any other volunteer experiences aside from XYZ clinical volunteer experience?
-
what do you think will be the hardest thing about being in medical school and how will you deal with this?
-
Tell me about yourself. The normal questions.
-
See above. (And my interviewer counted to 5.)
-
Why would you want to come to Hershey, it is no place for a young man?
-
How do you think the elections are going turn out on Nov. 2nd? I was honest on this issue and felt free to discuss my political views partly because the interviewer and I were on the same page.
-
Same as most interesting question
-
Nothing was difficult to answer really.
-
None, most of the questions were the standard interview questions
-
nothing
-
see most interesting question
-
The fifth or sixth question I was asked about a research project I did in high school - it was 7 yrs ago - ask about my current research!
-
Could you explain your academic inconsistency while an undergrad?
-
Explain how your research relates to your desire to become a physician.
-
(see above)
-
Why do you want to attend Penn State?
-
describe to me an ethical situation you have been in
-
Why go into medicine at this stage of your life/career. (I'm non-trad)
-
Tell me your strengths and weaknesses (this being the hardest part of it).
-
Do you have any other questions?
-
What was one negative aspect that you dealt with during your summer job? (I worked fulltime in a hospital)
-
Nothing difficult.
-
One stated above because the answer I gave, he argued back with another point.
-
Nothing was difficult.
-
What other things about yourself would you like me to know?
-
Let me tell you, this school is a wonderful place. The staff is really nice and the students are great as well.
-
Speaking of ‘raisins’, does anyone remember “Claymation Christmas†w/ the California Raisins??? That used to be my favorite Christmas special, but I haven’t seen it on TV for probably upwards of 10-12 years! I remember they keep trying to sing the “Wassle Song�
-
What can you bring to the entering class?
-
Something very detailed about my specific research. I work in neuroscience and both of my interviewers were PhD's in the behavioral sciences, so they grilled me pretty hard about what I was doing.
-
You grew up in a wealthy suburb. So how did you get interested in HIV/AIDS?
-
What you talkin' bout, Willis?
-
When you look back on your life what do you hope to have accomplished?
-
What theory of healthcare reform most appeals to you and why?
-
Do you really know how much it takes to be in medicine?
-
I find that most students get more out of asking questions then me asking them questions so please...what questions about our school do you have? (Not so much difficult but really thought provoking right there on the spot)
-
How many Mennonites are there in the world?
-
None.
-
Why is President Bush opposed to stem cell research? (this is a stupid question because how should I be asked to give someone else's oppinion? A better question would be to ask me simply "how do you feel about it...")
-
one of those healthcare- what should we do about the lack of it- questions
-
If you got into XXX and Hershey, which would you choose?
-
What am I most proud of?
-
Nothing too difficult
-
Why Hershey?
-
What other schools did you apply to?
-
What is this device and how does it work? Interviewer was pointing to a pen-plotter, saying that nobody ever answers the question correctly.
-
None really
-
I was asked an ethical question about abortion
-
nothing--- they just want to get an earnest look at who i was and what i'd done
-
What was the worst thing that has ever happened to you and what did you learn from that experience?
-
Tell me what you want me to know about you...
-
A question about why I think my personality is the way I described it.
-
What can I write down for your leadership experiences?
-
Why Penn State (is a safety so couldn't think of an authentic reason)
-
What will be your greatest challenge as a doctor? I dunno, I just never liked this one.
-
Again, nothing much -- it was all very conversational. I guess, "how do you explain the disparity between your GPA and MCATs?"
-
How do squash and tennis relate to philosophy?
-
So, do you think that using the mammogram as a diagnostic tool really increases life expectancy? (I had done an internship at a cancer center)
-
What is your worst trait? (Not that it was difficult to formulate an answer, in fact it was probably too easy, it was just a little difficult to admit to an imperfection)
-
What's a moral/ethical issue in medicine you've been thinking about lately?
-
Give me a problem with the current health care system and how would you fix it? Give me another problem...
-
How would you rank yourself among the other pre-meds at your school?
-
What accomplishment in life are you most proud of?
-
I was asked only the "standard" interview questions.
-
Why Penn State should accept me.
-
What is the single most important problem facing health care today?
-
Nothing really, maybe the toughest one was "If you could tell me something that I could write down and relay to the admissions committee, what would it be."
-
Nothing really, they were all very straightforward.
-
What do you think is wrong with the health care system - and specificially why are some doctors not happy with their work? How would you fix it?
-
Nothing too bad..."What do you think is the biggest problem with the health care system and how would you fix it?"
-
If you could go back in time, who would you want to meet and why?
-
What would you do to help a senior in high school that you just found out cannot play soccer anymore due to a congenital bone disease?
-
A patient of yours has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer, how do you tell them?
-
Who is the most memorable patient you've encountered?
-
who are your heros or role models
-
What do you think of PBL?
-
I hate this question: Is Penn State my top choice school?
-
How do you change a society?
-
If neither of your parents are doctors, and no one in your family is in health care, and no one in your family is/was seriously ill, where do you get your motivation to be a physician?
-
Tell me about yourself.
-
What should society do to encourage more doctors into primary care fields?
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of 20 - 30 minutes.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 2 people.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as low stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
What was the style of the interview?
Most respondents had a one-on-one interview.
What type of interview was it?
Most respondents had an open file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at the school.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by conducting mock interviews, reading through their application materials and the school's website, and reviewing common interview questions. Many also utilized resources such as Student Doctor Network (SDN) and sought advice from current medical students or physicians in their preparation process.
-
Mock interviews. Prepare personal stories. Read through the PSCOM website carefully to get to know their curricula. Going through SDN threads to know the change of interview style at PSCOM this year (2023-2024).
-
SDN, school website, mock interview
-
Read through the website, the school scheduled a couple presentations on the school before the interview (useful to have talking points), reread my AMCAS application
-
mock interviews, Youtube, pre-med years podcast
-
Mock interviews, practice questions, SDN
-
SDN and sleep
-
Mock interviews, prepare for the "traditional" questions, but don't over-prepare
-
Read sdn interview feedback page, looked up common interview questions
-
Going over interview questions
-
SDN, reviewed primary and secondary apps
-
Mock interview, reviewed basic interview questions
-
Mock interviews and talking in the mirror :) Lots of research on school's website
-
Mock interviews, read about the school, search online
-
read SDN forums, school website, went to a mock interview
-
SND, ethics books, HBR book on healthcare, bunch of other books about medicine/healthcare
-
read over primary, prepared loose responses to typical interview questions
-
I didn't really
-
I went backpacking.
-
practice questions, read over AMCAS
-
SDN, school website (for background info)
-
Read the website and as much as I could find out about the school.
-
School's website, SDN, review AMCAS and secondary essays
-
wikipedia, sdn, and asked my friends to go to PSU College of Medicine
-
Read over my application (primary and secondary) and reviewed PSU's web site.
-
SDN, review secondary essays
-
SDN, penn state website
-
sdn, books, reread app
-
SDN interview feedback, school website, MSAR, SDN forums.
-
SDN, MSAR, website
-
Interviewed in the afternoon, allowed me to learn some stuff about students during lunch and in the morning. Plus the info session is before lunch. Read up on the website. keep in mind Hershey is 2 hours away from the Penn State campus. They know they are rural and they will ask you about how you feel about it.
-
SDN, mock interview, AMCAS, Secondary
-
sdn, school's website
-
Student doc, prepared for some questions, looked at website
-
Read PSU website, read SDN interview feedback, reviewed AMCAS application.
-
SDN, Read PSU-Hershey website
-
SDN, went through AMCAS App, prepped with students
-
read the website and sdn. prepared for "why penn state" and "why medicine" questions and came up with questions to ask about the school.
-
SDN, read specifics about the curriculum, school's materials, review app, and get some sleep.
-
Read about the school, website, interview books, taking notes on potential interview questions, practice
-
Reviewed my application, SDN, looked up current healthcare news.
-
Website, SDN
-
Read the website, especially the pages describing the curriculum. Read a packet with example questions interviewers commonly ask, read this forum, prepared questions to ask the interviewers.
-
Read website
-
Read about school online, SDF.
-
SND, mock interviews
-
NOT memorizing/ rehearsing my answers which allowed me to respond genuinely, Consultation with a few doctors I worked with for advice, MSAR, SDN, Read generic SOM sample questions, I reviewed my AMCAS application/ personal statement, PSU web site, prayer.
-
sdn. reviewed primary and secondary apps.
-
SDN, website, review application
-
Read a few SDN posts, went over my application materials.
-
SDN, secondary, AMCAS, exploration of the website and town of Hershey.
-
Website
-
SDN
-
Reviewed their website, my primary and secondary apps.
-
Reviewing my AMCAS, secondary essay responses, my research. Also, interview feedback was very helpful.
-
MSAR, AMCAS application, secondary application and essays, school website, SDN feedback
-
PSU website and read over my AMCAS.
-
SDN, interview books, basic research of the school
-
SDN, Web surfing for possible questions, going over my application again, mock interview
-
The tour/presentations before my interview.
-
read website, read this website and reviewed questions
-
Read over my AMCAS and secondary to remember what I'd let them in on, read up about Hershey's unique programs on their website, practiced my answers to commonly asked questions, committed to memory a few recent medical interest stories I'd heard on NPR
-
SDN; looked over my file
-
SDN interview feedback, read my secondary, AMCAS, talked to a friend who goes to PSU
-
SDN, read my AMCAS and secondary, trolled the Penn State website for potential questions to ask (which turned out to be a very good choice)
-
Read over SDN interview feedback.
-
read SDN, looked over my application, used lists of commons questions asked
-
SDN, reviewed my file, studied different aspects of the College on its website
-
read over AMCAS (REALLY IMPORTANT for this interview), SDN, TMSI book, school's webpage
-
Just looked over my AMCAS and got a good night's sleep.
-
Read PSU website, student doc net, read my file
-
Read my amcas, bioethics topics, went over website
-
secondary, school site, watched some playoffs and had a beer with friends
-
SDN, reread AMCAS and secondary application, browsed their website
-
SDN, previous interviews, schools website
-
Penn State COM's webpage, this webpage, read up on healthcare policy.
-
SDN interview feedback, previous interviews, read school website.
-
current events, sdn
-
reviewed application and research activities
-
SDN interview feedback, school website
-
Read website, SDN
-
SDN, school website, AMCAS, and past interviews
-
It is open file-They ask you questions directly from you AMCAS application (make sure to review it!). Also, I recommend rehearsing responsed to question you might anticipate. Finnaly, review studentdoctor.net
-
SDN, amcas, website
-
This website and previous interviews.
-
SDN, read the school's website, reviewed common interview questions, talked to students
-
relaxed, went on a nice run that morning through amish country, ate a good breakfast.
-
MSAR, Penn State web site, talked with physicians, SDN, mock interviews
-
SDN, read my AMCAS and secondary, school website
-
SDN, feedback, lots of prayers, but it really doesn't look good for me
-
SDN, read up on healthcare policy
-
I read over the Penn State Website, checked out this website, and asked some doctor friends of mine if they had any advice.
-
SDN, website, MSAR, my AMCAS, my secondary, NPR, watched news the morning of 9/11, RELAXED
-
I read the Victoria's Secret catalog and went out with my girls (just broke up with my boyfriend).
-
SDN, read over AMCAS, prayed!
-
Read SDN, schools' website.
-
SDN, AMCAS and school applications, school website.
-
Prayer, SDN, Prayer, Mock Interview, Prayer, school site, Prayer, Rehearsed much, did I mention prayer?
-
SDN feedbacks, school website, visit's to school's pre-med office for last minute tips, mock interviews
-
read penn state's website, student doctor, my application
-
read website, SDN, talked to others who had interviewed, read admissions materials
-
SDN, current news/healthcare policies, their website
-
Read some health care policy, current events, info about the school.
-
This website, PSU website
-
Read lots of info on biomedical ethics, SDN feedback questions, reviewed my application, read current news, mock interview
-
Reviewed my applications.
-
SDN and scoping out med students at a coffee shop the night before and asking them questions
-
SDN and application and school website
-
Read SDN and AMCAS application. Looked over Penn State website.
-
read SDN, looked over essays
-
read website, school viewbook, SDN, applciations
-
SDN, went over AMCAS application, and PSU secondary application
-
reviewed my AMCAS and secondary
-
read over my application, caught up on national news, looked at website
-
SDN feedback, PSU website, studied up on healthcare
-
looked over my AMCAS application and PSU secondary, went over a list of possible interview questions
-
Read AMCAS app, secondary app, school's web-site, and sdn.
-
I researched the school and read over my AMCAS application thoroughly, trying to anticipate questions they might ask. By the way, once you are called for an interview at Penn State, you probably will not be asked about grades. However, I had one interviewer give me some gentle ribbing about only having a 30 MCAT score.
-
looked through website, looked over my amcas, nothing special
-
Looked at things I previously received from the school
-
Browsed school website, made up a small list of potential questions.
-
Read SDN, browsed website, briefly reviewed AMCAS
-
I didn't really. I re-read my research abstract from undergrad. After my first interview I decided not to spend time preparing.
-
Read SDN, looked at penn states website. Read up on healthcare issues
-
Read interview feedback, msar, school website, ethics and healthcare books
-
I didn't. This was my practice. Not very high on the list. Although, it's moved up now, despite the location. Really, in all the students I talked to, I got one story of a stressful interview.
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look through this website, look through PSU website, read my AMCAS
-
Read website, AMCAS, SDN
-
sdn, school website
-
Went over PSU/AMCAS app, looked at the PSU website.
-
Looked over SDN, practiced with friends, but it was useless, because I wasn't asked normal "interview" questions
-
sdn, read school website, went over amcas and secondary app, read med interview questions
-
Read website, SDN, application
-
sdn, website of school
-
read about health care, current events, reviewed application, practice with friends, sdn.
-
Read over my own application materials, and the school's website.
-
SDN, school website(one of the best website's for information of any med school), AMCAS app, sec app
-
SDN, website.
-
SDN, school web-site
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PSU's website, MSAR, my application.
-
Read applications, interview suggestions, studentdoctor.net
-
read SDN, school website, walked the hallways of the hospital before start of interview
-
psu website, MSAR, reviewed application, sdn
-
read this website; the school's website; and talked with alumni
-
AMCAS, 2ndary, med school website.
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SDN, website, printed interview materials from my undergrad university.
-
read sdn
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read amcas book, practice questions from kaplan
-
this website,psucom website, msar, apps
-
read the website. sdn. reread amcas and my secondary applications. practiced interviewing
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Website, student doctor, nytimes.com
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SDN, school site
-
As usual, I read through my application and read about the school from its website.
-
Reviewed my application and the school's website--neither really helped.
-
SDN, reviewed my application, stayed with current med student
-
website, sdn, app
-
Read SDN, website
-
sdn, mock interview, school website
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This web site, NYTimes health section, AMA website, mock interview (although none of these were really necessary).
-
SDN, read AMCAS application, Hershey website
-
reread my application, explored Penn State's website,
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sdn, PSU website
-
I read potential interview questions and came up with some responses, so I fel a lot more comfortable.
-
SDN feedback page, college website
-
PSU website, SDN, read my AMCAS application
-
read the SDN site and the school's website
-
read sdn, read penn state website
-
reread amcas, secondary application, school's website
-
Read Penn State's website, reviewed my own materials, talked with a high-school friend who is currently a third year student.
-
I tried to get a good night's sleep, but I got into Hershey too late.
-
Prayed.SDN. Consulted with one of my mentors who is a doctor. Read my AMCAS application.
-
Re-read my AMCAS application and their website.
-
Sleep. Read the website.
-
this site (which is great), PSUCOM website, my application
-
SDN, AMCAS app info, Website.
-
Read student doctor.net, read the schools website, spoke to other students who had interviewed there
-
SDN, Penn State website, AMCAS materials
-
This website, review application
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I read the Victoria's Secret catalog (okay... it was a Sears catalog).
-
I am normally a nervous person, so I read up on the website everything I could about this school, and proved to be helpful, so I overstressed about the interview.
-
student doctor, read over my application, penn state website, read up on current issues, reminded myself of why I wanted to do this
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this site, Penn state web site, read up on healthcare, looked up notes from when i decided where to apply, read about it in a book
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VH1 'I Love the 80's' marathon... you never know when your interviewer will pop a question pertaining to 'Milli Vanilli' or 'Smurfs'.
-
read studentdoctor.net, read up on health care issues and basically thought about what medicine means to me
-
SDN, school website, current health-news, dossier of national healthcare reforms
-
SDN, Penn State website, interview feedback, and previous interviews
-
looked over application, SDN, spent time in self-reflection
-
SDN, application, web-site
-
Stu Doc. net
-
Read through application, this website, and penn state website
-
looked over my application and the penn state web site
-
Reviewed my application.
-
read SDN site, Penn State web site, looked over my AMCAS and secondary apps.
-
Read this website, looked over my AMCAS application, read up on health care issues in the paper (New York Times) or online.
-
none
-
Read the PSU med website and MSAR. Read up on current events and bioethics.
-
PSU website, This site, My app, Looked over frequent interview questions
-
Read SDN, posted lots of questions in the forum, MSAR, went over AMCAS, secondary and research papers I'd written.
-
Read SDN and my application.
-
Read about the school, thought about questions I would be asked.
-
SDN, Web Site
-
SDN, website, look over amcas but tried to be as natural as possible
-
SDN, MSAR, AMCAS, read PSU website, make sure you know a lot about the humanities curriculum, they feel very strongly about it and you will more than likely be asked some kind of question about humanities
-
SDN, Read PSU Website
-
Read over essays, experiences, etc. Looked at the website.
-
Student Doctor Website, PSCOM website, reviewed primary & secondary applications
-
Read SDN, online curriculum
-
SDN, MSAR, brushed up on info. about managed care, knew myself
-
this website, studied the programs of PSCOM on the website.
-
Interview feedback, PSU website, SDN
-
Read my file.
-
I winged it. I know my experiences, I know my qualifications and limitations, and I know why I want to be a doctor. I strongly believe that going interview with a level head and a high level of confidence is far better than going in with a head full of trivial Penn State info, or a bunch of ripped-off answers to questions about obscure medical issues. You'll also have a lot more fun! It can only be stressful if you let it be!
-
Thought about my strengths and weaknesses and thought about how I could incorporate my strengths into my answers.
-
SDN (Interview Feedback), School's Website
-
inteview feedback, the school's web site
-
Read this website, scoured school's website
-
Read school's website, AMCAS application and secondary application
-
Interview feedback, review of application.
-
I had a mock interview last year... that's about it.
-
Looked at primary, secondary, interview feedback, website, MSAR
-
SDN interview feedback and website. Read the online magazine that they have, its a good resource of info about the school.
-
Penn State website, medical school books, interview feedback
-
SDN and Penn State website
-
Read the Penn State Web-site. Read information on the school out of the Princeton Review guide to medical schools. Reviewed my application.
-
Read my application and looked at the school's website.
-
Read SDN. I went a day early and checked out the campus and talked to Med Students.
-
SDN, my AMCAS application and secondary application.
-
SDN, and reviewed application
-
Read this site. Read the PSU site.
-
looked over application, their website, this site
-
I read the schools website, read about ethical issues, healthcare
-
I looked over my application and the school's website
-
This website, going over my AMCAS and secondary, talking to others to interviewed there, and Penn State website
-
Website; Reviewed application.
-
read SDN, read website of school
-
Studied school's website.
-
read the website, SDN, interviewfeedback.com, mock interviews
-
I chatted with my student hosts, and just thought about what/how much Medicine means to me.
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendliness and welcoming atmosphere at Penn State College of Medicine. They highlighted the positive interactions with staff, faculty, and students, as well as the state-of-the-art facilities and emphasis on a humanistic approach to medicine. The students' happiness, the school's commitment to student well-being, and the extensive opportunities for clinical experiences were also highly praised.
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Everyone was very friendly. I would say even the poker-faced interviewers were nice. I greatly enjoyed the presentation by Mr. Lubbers, the conversation with the associate dean, and all the PSCOM students I talked to. The students were amazing and made me love the school a lot more.
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Dr. Gilbert was very nice, students were cool and down to earth. Nice vibe from students.
-
Very friendly interviewers! Low stress.
-
Enthusiastic Q&A lunch with current students.
-
The curriculum and the vice dean
-
Everyone (even folks not associated with admissions) was incredibly friendly and helpful. All the admissions staff did their best to make the interview low stress. Gave the interviewees plenty of "off the record" time with medical students and made sure to emphasize when we were "off the record" and not being observed. Also very well organized and timely.
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students were all very happy
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The curriculum seems to incorporate aspects outside of the sciences (humanities and health system sciences) that greatly supplement a medical education. Everyone was very friendly and would wish you good luck when they passed by.
-
How happy/friendly all the staff and students there seemed to be
-
The friendliness of the staff, Director of Admissions, interviewers and the Dean. Everyone really was there to make sure you had a comfortable experience and enjoyed your day. The lunch was great and staff took us to each of our interviewer offices so that we would not get lost. The library was also beautiful.
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Friendly atmosphere, humanistic focus of medicine, less stressful learning environment (P/F, step 1 after clinicals), Hershey medical center, city smells like chocolate!
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Everyone was SO NICE!!!!!!!! The students hosting lunch were all amazing people and seemed really fun to be around.
-
There were more offerings at the school than were advertised on their website
-
the faculty and facilities
-
Friendliness of admissions staff, openness of interviewers, facilities
-
Every student seemed to love the school, and everyone was incredibly nice and welcoming.
-
Facilities
-
HUGE campus. They are adding on a Children's hospital that we couldn't even see because it isn't open yet.
-
the facilities were awesome, seems like an awesome place
-
The patient project is a really cool concept
-
friendliness of faculty, staff and students
-
Hospital and classroom facilities, administrators were very friendly, students were extremely happy, cheap housing, low crime, proximity to major cities (still far), overall ambiance.
-
Friendliness of students and staff, location close to many large metropolitan areas. New renovations under way
-
How low stress the interviews were. They made the interview really friendly and conversational more than anything else.
-
Everything. The happy students, the faculty, the facilities, etc...
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The simulation lab is brand new and they are building a new children's hospital. The students were very friendly .
-
EVERYTHING!!! The buildings, the new Cancer Institute, Level I in adult and pediatric care, the dean of admissions gave a very moving speech, and the students
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So laid back, so chill. Truly an institution where everyone interacts in a collegial manner and the number of malignant personalities that are present is minimized. Everyone from the secretaries to the dean for admissions showcases this exceptional attitude.
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Proximity of on-campus housing, low cost of living, new peds hospital being built, happy students, 100% free parking on the medical school/medical center campus
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nice atmosphere, large facilities
-
stress free
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The new Cancer Institute; the required research project; the desire of the administration to constantly improve the curriculum; the obvious attention my file was given by my interviewers ahead of time.
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Unlike (apparently) everyone, I actually liked the location, which is really not as rural as people make it out to be- Harrisburg is nearby and there are over 50,000 people there. The cost of living is low, crime is not a problem, uncrowded, people are down to earth and genuine. Students and faculty seemed friendly.
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The absolutely amazing admissions staff, who escorted us between the interviews and waiting area. I felt that I clicked pretty well with my interviewers, and got the impression both were very interested in my application as well as potential activities as a medical student (one of them is part of the international med volunteering group, and we had an awesome discussion about my potential in that). The lunch with students was fantastic also. They were very friendly and a pleasure to talk to. Even the students that just walked by between class and whatnot wished us luck. Facilities themselves are state-of-the-art and they are adding some amazing stuff that should open up soon too. I'm also very interested in the humanities requirement.
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That student housing was just in front of the school. 1st year students are cool, some a little awkward.
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Friendly staff. They are expanding their medical center. cool simulation lab. The staff actually escort you to both of your interviews (2 different faculty interviews) which was really nice! Med students kept wishing us luck as they passed by!
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Facilities were great, everyone was friendly, lunch with the med students was really helpful. They pick interviewers that have something in common with you so it's easy to hold a conversation.
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Friendliness of the students and staff
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The facilities, the humanities program, the support services in place, the research requirement, the overwhelming friendliness and approachability of staff and students.
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The people, the facilities
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admissions staff VERY friendly, students very willing to talk with you/answer questions
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First interviewer was excited about my application. Had specific questions about things I did, related them to his interests.. Was more of a conversation! Really liked the humanities aspect and the PBL
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the humanities program! very very friendly atmosphere and good student fac. relationships. the patient project is cool (you visit a chronically ill patient in the home). they have anatomy right away. the cost is comparatively reasonable. the have the lectures online. the residency match was much more impressive than i expected.
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Everyone was absurdly nice. I know I'm from Massachusetts, so everyone seems unduly nice to begin with, but this was over the edge--everyone smiles. All. The. Time. Students themselves were extremely helpful. At least six of them stopped by and asked, completely un-prompted, if we had questions.
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Curriculum, humanities department, friendliness of students, atmosphere, facilities, expansion projects, conversation with one of my interviewers, low cost of living.
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I like the campus. It is closed, and it seems like they have good dorms. The hospital seems clean and modern.
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Everyone from faculty to students was extremely friendly and welcoming. The campus/hospital was very nice.
-
How friendly and down-to-earth everyone was, how enjoyable the interviews were, how well prepared the students seem to be.
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Curriculum- humanities aspect
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I was surprised by how much I liked this school given its location. It's really close to a big city, and the school offers a lot of unique, varied clinical opportunities. There really is a sense of community among faculty and students. Also, really inexpensive to live there!
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Everyone was very friendly and eager to help. Also the group of interviewees was small so we got it was very relaxed and friendly.
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Atmosphere, student-faculty relations, facility expansion, only Level I peds and adult trauma center in the area.
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People were very nice, area is pretty rural (if you like that)
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Very homey feeling, the smell of chocolate on the way in.
-
Facilities are really nice and so are the people at the school. It looks like the student's have access to top-notch researchers and faculty.
-
Very down to earth students
-
Everyone was so friendly and happy! Lunch was pretty yummy!
-
Everything! Great relationships between faculty and students. How they try to diversify their class composition. That we were taken to our interviews.
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Everything. Facilities were very good, people were very friendly - complete strangers would be smiling at us, and students kept coming up to chat us up when we were waiting on the couches. Curriculum is unique and I feel it fits me well. Even the location impressed me positively.
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Everyone....all faculty, physicians, etc. were extremely welcoming, friendly, and down to earth, no pressure at all. There are some progressive components to the curriculum, and the campus is massive and is still growing.
-
Students were all very happy/friendly. All faculty/staff in both the college and the hospital (connected) seemed very laid back and relaxed. Nice area and facilities.
-
The interviewers really highlighted the best parts of the school. Completely changed my view of Penn State.
-
Everybody was really nice, we had doctors passing by wishing us luck. The admissions office people were ridiculously cheerful. The lecture about the school curriculum and policies were really helpful, the med students were happy about their school and wanted to share everything. The school is continuously expanding - meaning that many of the fields are growing. The interviewers were more intent on sharing their experiences and definitely cared about who they were interviewing... Both took care to read my application throughly.
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It's in Hershey, PN...it's like a whole other world
-
everyone was really nice, interview was low stress. interviewers seemed genuinely interested in you.
-
The admissions staff was absurdly nice. They guided us through the whole day and acted like they truly hoped we'd all get in.
-
Students and faculty were out-of-their-way nice
-
Everybody there was so nice. Interviewers are very supportive and talk to you as if you are already a student there. They love people who are talented in areas outside of science/medicine. They treat you like people. Relax and just be yourself.
-
Everyone at the school was very friendly and students were generally happy and well-adjusted, even the first-years with their exams coming up. Penn State seems to really care about their students.
-
The facilities are all relatively new and the school is building more. The commitment to humanities was also impressive.
-
The school has great facilities and everyone there was very nice and extremely welcoming. As I waited for my interviews, students were constantly walking by and wishing me good luck. One or two students even stopped to sit down and talk.
-
school is connected to hospital, housing provided, rural location and was quiet, non-competitive environment, facilities are top notch at the hospital
-
The school's facilities, the trauma center, emphasis on Problem-Based Learning. Everything had a very down-to-earth attitude, including the students and the faculty.
-
the Simulation lab was awesome! The students were pretty open and positive about the school, the housing was just remodelled :)
-
the students, the faculty, the facilities, the admissions staff (Amber is the nicest person ever)
-
The faculty and staff is utterly committed to the students and to educating physicians. THey have a truly amazing devotion to the community as well.
-
The community atmosphere, the interaction between professors and students was AMAZING!!!!! The faculty made us feel so comfortable. Ability to do rotations abroad
-
new facilities and laid back students
-
how friendly the faculty, students, and staff are. also, the facilities are very new and they are currently in the process of building a new children's hospital and a cancer research center.
-
The microbiology department is very strong (my PhD interest).
-
All the facilities at the Hershey Medical Center are VERY nice. Everyone I met went out of their way to be pleasent, polite, and helpful. The quality of care and education both seem above par (in my experience).
-
The attitude of everyone at the school. Every student that stopped by seemed to be extremely happy about their decision to attend the school. The facilities were also great. The hospital is fairly large with lots of different opportunities.
-
Hershey is the cutest little town :).
-
the facilities, hospital, friendliness of town and students, dorms are practically on campus, they have a student run free clinic
-
students were very friendly, admissions staff were very friendly, that they were looking for students who are a good fit and acknowledged that Penn State isn't for everyone
-
The Sim Lab, the friendliness of the admissions staff
-
Modern facilities and welcoming atmosphere most definitely!! Everything was just so state-of-the-art and everyone just had a great aura and a positive attitude.
-
The emphasis PSU had on humanities. They stress that their school is geared towards training you to get involved in the humanist aspect of medicine.
-
The school is incredible and the hospital with its extensive number of windows is nice. A great number of opportunities here.
-
The facilities are nicer than average.
-
Great facilities. The entire campus is wireless. Lectures are on the web, and the students are very involved in the decision-making process. Students were REALLY enthusiastic.
-
the facilities are wonderful, the students were super nice and genuinely cool, the campus is expanding, the simulation center is neat.
-
how welcoming everyone was- when they say they are humanistic, they mean it :)
-
The school has some nice facilities like a simulation lab and a really great children's hospital
-
Marc Lubbers and the admissions staff plus they have pictures of their medical student classes like everywhere, they are extremely proudd of their students. ooh almost forgot, all the door open by themselves!
-
The friendliness of the faculty members and students. Really made you feel welcome and a part of the family.
-
Everybody was extremely friendly and I got the true impression that the interviewers, the secretaries, and the med students at the school wanted the best for me and were on my side.
-
student happiness, robust research program, opportunities to go abroad for electives and research, ever-expanding school infrastructure, beautiful surrounding countryside, match list, got escorted EVERYWHERE (for interviews, tour, lunch, even bathroom!), significant number of non-traditional students
-
All the hot dudes, like that white foreign kid TG or something like that, and his 2 friends, one is tall, dark and built like a real man, and the other is a Greek-god-like stud with beautiful eyelashes.
-
Friendliness of everyone. The students, the staff, the profs, everyone. The fitness center next door. Absense of an undergrad campus. You can park your car!!!
-
the humanities aspect to the curriculum
-
The faculty, the laid back vibe.
-
The staff, faculty, and facilities. Focus on training well rounded doctors.
-
The community spirits of the people in and around PSU.
-
The facilities are beautiful, the students were enthusiastic about the school, Interviewers were great, they really put me at ease and were interested in getting to know me. The new children's hospital is great. one of the little children waved at me.
-
How friendly the atmosphere seemed and the simulation lab.
-
penn state is an awesome place. the facilities are very nice, the medical school is physically connected to the hospital, and the faculty-student dynamic is def. positive. penn state is also interested in ethics education. they even have a literary magazine (i didn't see anything like this at any other schools). penn state trains doctors who are informed on a number of different levels-- science, art, and politics.
-
the people were great. and there is so much vision for the school, so much room for growth. also, they ESCORT you to your interviews!!!
-
their emphasis on student bonding
-
How much effort the staff/students/everyone that came into contact with the interviewees gave. All of these people read a short bio on all of us and remembered details prior to the interview.
-
Beautiful school and facilities, students seemed to be very happy to be there, emphasis on travelling to other places during 3rd and 4th year
-
Interviewers, admissions staff, students, and people in Hershey in general were extremely nice and personable. Students were extremely enthusiastic about the school.
-
Cooperativity of the students.
-
GREAT facilities and expanding rapidly. The faculty seems very warm and friendly. I love the humanities requirement. It sounds like they train very well rounded doctors.
-
how nice the people were, the rural location, the facilities
-
Low crime and vandalism rates, students were extremely friendly, everything was very organized.
-
The students all seemed to love it there.
-
The facility was MUCH better than I expected, and is expanding rapidly. The faculty I spoke with were real people, brilliant and kind. The day itself was very laid back.
-
The warm and friendly atmosphere
-
the friendliness of students and staff
-
The campus is beautiul and all of the students are so friendly and willing to answer questions.
-
Patient simulation lab and the incredible friendliness of the students
-
the facilities are outstanding, particularly the simulation lab
-
The school's facilities.
-
Almost everything. The people were awesome, the students all said hi, no one there seemed to be arrogant, and I noticed that in the cliques at Hershey, 1st year students hung around with 2nd and 3rd year students. Everyone helps each other get throught the program. According to one student there, "If you ask anyone here for notes, they will cheerfully give them to you immediately."
-
students were super friendly and very helpful, seemed really happy to be there
-
The curriculum seems great, the students were positive
-
Attitude of the students and faculty
-
Facilities, beautiful campus, friendly students
-
Every single student I met was happy, talkative, and helpful. I'm not kidding... everyone was happy to be there.
-
The facilites are great. The area is beautiful. Every student I saw said hello and that Penn State is an excellent school. They have an awesome simulation lab. My interviewers were very enthusiastic about the school and the location. The faculty all seem dedicated to serving community-wide healthcare needs and training physicians to treat the whole patient as a part of society. And again, the students were EXTREMELY enthusiastic about the school, which was nice to see.
-
Very patient oriented. The students and staff are extremely friendly. Random students came up to us before our day started and told us to relax and not worry about anything.
-
The students were SO friendly, no competition between them, great support for students and spouses, focus on creating well rounded doctors
-
I actually stayed with a host the night before, and everyone was rediculously friendly. I did some reading in the library while they studied and was impressed by how cooperative they were with one another.
-
people, facilities
-
The facilities are nice. School is big. Penn State is a Level I trauma center for the entire state so basically, everyone outside of Philly or Pittsburg is flown to Penn State for medical emergencies. This gives students a lot of opportunity to learn from unique situations.
-
I'm a small town guy, so I liked the location. Furthermore, everyone was incredibly friendly and accomodating. Their curriculum includes an emphasis on the humanities, which I feel is an important part of a medical student's education.
-
The only Level 1 trauma center around, friendly people, the students and docs seemed enthusiastic about being there.
-
The curriculum was even cooler than I thought, in some ways.
-
the simulation lab, the artificial heart, the extreme FRIENDLINESS of everyone there. I had expected it, but was still surprised when I encountered it. Also, they want to ensure not only that you are a good fit for the school, but that the school is a good fit for you. It seems like they are genuinely concerned about the wellbeing of their students/potential students.
-
Emphasis on humanities and primary care, library, student involvement in community, on campus housing
-
the facilities, the pbl format, the student (saw us in suits and came up and offered to answer questions, seemed genuinely happy and not fake in any way)
-
the students seemed very happy to be there and the staff seemed very happy to work there.
-
the school facilities are outstanding, interviewers are super nice, great presentation about the school---definetly stay at the comfort inn if you are from out-of-state/ out-of-town b/c they have free shuttle service to the airport and the school
-
Nice, new facilities incl. simulation lab. Innovative curriculum.
-
The people, the facilities, the atmosphere of the entire hospital & college.
-
The facilities and the students.
-
People were very friendly, helpful, willing to answer questions. The simulation lab was pretty cool and the buildings are all connected, which can be a plus in the winter.
-
The people we've met (faculty, students, community members) were very nice and open to questions.
-
The rapport that existed between the students and faculty
-
The student's attitudes about the school; they were excited to be learning medicine in rural Pennsylvania.
-
the friendliness of the students, the wonderful admissions staff, and the overall peacefulness of the school and location.
-
Discussion of the importance of humanities in medicine; the cheery pediatrics unit; simulation lab. The students seem to be trained to be great clinicians.
-
i loved the program itself. the humanities requirement is because psu believes in developing you as a person as well as a good physician. the patient project is so that you don't lose sight that you're treating a person, not a disease. Dr. Davis's speech was absolutely inspiring in a no-punches-held sort of way. There was a power point slide listing all the international rotations in developing countries available to fourth year students. Very much a school with a social conscience. The simulation lab was -very- cool.
-
Beautiful school! w/ Automatic doors and the anatomy room is not in the basement.
-
The students are really nice. One of my two interviewers treated me like a colleague already, which was what the students said of many of their professors. It's cheap to live there, there is a photography exhibit in the hospital that is pretty cool, and the hospital is a level 1 trauma center.
-
the campus is gorgeous, the medical center is great, the people were SOOO friendly. while sitting in the lobby waiting, multiple students walked by telling us good luck and asking us about our day... i got a great vibe
-
The students were happy to be at the school. Most of them said they wouldn't go anywhere else. The curriculum seems good.
-
students seemed to be very happy - seemed happy with the academic and social aspects - they were all very inviting and warm. I was also impressed with the respect the faculty and staff have of medical students inputs on the curriculum.
-
It is a great school and the faculty, students and admissions staff was extremely helpful, friendly and kind.
-
Friendliness of all the staff, interviewers, and students. Also, the school was connected with the hospital.
-
The students at PSU were among the happiest I have seen. I got pretty good vibes from the school in general, and the air around the medical school smelled of warm chocolate (from the nearby Hershey plan). Hmmm... Other than that, the school is in a good location, the currciculum is awesome. Additionally, you know about the humanities courses that are part of the medical school curriculum, in addition to the thesis students are required to write. I think that these things are great complements to any medical school education. Also, the tour of the facilities was lead by a senior citizen volunteer, and it was A LOT of fun.
-
The school is located in a beatiful, rural location. The students seem happy and the whole town seems like a throw back to middle America in the 50's.
-
The school and the hospital were nice facilities.
-
the friendly atmosphere, everybody seems to enjoy their time at the school and in Hershey
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everyone was super friendly, like they want you to go to their school. Even my interviewers were trying to sell the school to me, and i had 2 great conversations, rather than interviews
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The medical center is amazing. You actually feel like you are going to medical school here. The students really advocate for the school (something must be right). Students would always come by asking if we have any questions. Was told by the students how great the clinical training is here (hands-on experience early). The whole town revolves around the med center/school (6K of 15K population works for the medical center/school). High residency match rate, and many possible sites for clerkships throughout country and internationally. The whole day was very well organized.
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The facilities are amazing - the simulation lab, the children's hospital, and everything else. People seemed very happy, and I liked the emphasis on a humanistic and wholistic approach to medicine.
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Exceptionally friendly students and staff, comfortable atmosphere.
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Students and faulty were very, very friendly. Almost overly friendly in a good way.
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The lack of stress at PSU was remarkable. From the first minute you're there, they foster a friendly environment. Students would walk by and ask if we had questions, or just to wish us luck. Interviews were very conversational and friendly. We ate lunch with students who were almost demanding that we ask more questions. They wanted to leave nothing hidden.
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Lots of different types of people; everyone seemed to really like going to school there and working there; they worked hard to sell the school to us and to make us feel relaxed; we were escorted from place to place so we didn't have to worry about getting lost.
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Everyone was super-friendly and very excited to answer any questions I had... the simulation lab seemed like a terrific resource.
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The first interviewed I had spent almost an hour talking to me. He was very kind and was all about making me feel as comfortable as possible.
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friendliness
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friendliness of staff and students
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Presentation by admissions staff, facilities, how friendly the current students were.
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small class size, great facilities, liked the curriculum
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the facilities were very nice and new
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the hospital is cool, new, and nice, they've got money, which is nice too. the students are TOTALLY friendly, which surprised me, since i've been to quite a few interviews, and students at other schools didn't even come close to being this nice. also, the faculty i interviewed with were warm and friendly, unlike many of my interviews at some "top ten" schools. i dunno, i think i'd pick penn state just because everyone is so damn supportive of each other. very cool.
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How nice everyone was. When we were sitting around waiting for the interview, people would stop by and ask if we had questions.
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Came into the interview thinking the Hershey Medical Center was going to be some podunk establishment and was very pleasantly surprised. Facilities were not new but definitely not run-down. Faculty was amazingly friendly (almost to the point of making one paranoid). Plus, Hershey is a very safe town, a marked contrast from some of the other schools I visited.
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Upbeat students, the complete living environment of the campus, the simulation dummies.
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Everything. State of the art technology, innovative curriculum,simulated development and cognitive science lab. Very safe environmnet and very quiet (good for Med. students) The community atmosphere of students and very approachable staff and faculty. I could go on and on.
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The school and the facilities are brand new plus the people there are really friendly. I was impressed with the hospital and the trauma center.
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The whole atmosphere of the school, how everyone is incredibly friendly. The interviewers are super-nice. The facilities are great too.
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very happy and laid-back atmosphere, cutting-edge facilities, well organized interview day, other interviewees were very cool, the student we met was very honest and gracious, don't be fooled by the rural setting, they get lots of patients.
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Students were relaxed about school, presentation was relevant and interesting, school tries to distinguish itself curriculum-wise, interviewees are escorted.
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The hospital facility is really comprehensive. Got to hand it to Milton Hershey, the guy spotted beautiful land that was inexpensive. This lets the healthcare dollar go farther in rural Pennsylvania, than it would go in a metropolitan area. The buildings are designed to provide a significant amount of natural light, which is a nice feature given the amount of studying we all can expect to be doing next year. In addition, the faculty and staff were among the friendliest that I have met while interviewing. The students were down to earth and very honest about their experience at Penn State.
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Overall, I was very impressed with the facilities at Penn State. From the plush leather couches in the lobby area of the admissions office, to the million dollar patient simulation lab, Penn State's facilities appear to be cutting edge. Nearly all hospital rooms are private, and the specific one we toured on the pediatric floor was well equipped and nicely decorated. I was also impressed by the pervasive message of the interview day which was that Penn State is endeavoring to create sensitive human beings who are also excellent physicians, not detached clinicians.
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The welcoming atmosphere, the peaceful surroundings, the down to earth people
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When asked about the Super Bowl, I don’t think my interviewer was too impressed that I missed the whole 2nd half due to my TiVo mysteriously pausing for 3 hours at the halftime ‘wardrobe malfunction’.
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The students at Penn State, which I personally thought were going to be lame and dull, were very friendly and active, very unlike the other schools I have visited. The curriculum seems to be very solid, with a friendly and helpful faculty. On a side note, walking around the halls, I saw more good-looking male medical students than I ever have. There were these two in the cafeteria who just came up to our group and asked how our visit was going. Wow.
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The students! I gave a negative rating because of the interviewers, but all in all Penn State seems like a great place. The students are friendly, energetic and happy to be there. The curriculum is very innovative as well.
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the patient project - I'd forgotten about it, and it seems like a very cook program. Also I liked that the humanities are integrated into the program - that you study medicine from literature and art.
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My interviewing comrades. This group was the best group I've interviewed w/ yet. It was an interesting and somewhat eclectic group and not your typical 'stuffy' premeds. There was even one young lady who was wicked hot.
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I couldn't believe how extremely nice and helpful everyone was. Throughout the day med students who saw me would ask how everything was going and if I had any questions. Everyone seemed very happy to be there. There were excellent facilities and great opportunities for research and clinical experience.
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The hospitality of the faculty and staff. The pride that they feel for their institution.
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The organization of the day. Unlike most interviews, Penn State had every second planned, and they walked you to and from each interview. The students were really nice. The interviewers asked a lot of interesting questions, and really tried to make me feel comfortable.
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How much the school did, their commitment to the students, and large hospital associated with the college. Also one of their students took the time out of his day to give myself and 2 others a personal tour of areas missed in the tour.
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It's true; everybody on the campus is very nice and enjoys being at Penn State. Students and faculty are dedicated to the field of medicine.
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Nice people. Lunch with current students was good. Really nice, big, hospital. >500 beds means you will get to see a lot of cases as a student.
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Great facilities, Hershey!!
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Everyone was really nice.
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the students were so friendly, really. i've had a lot of interviews this fall, and penn state students seem the most enthusiastic and teamwork oriented.
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Everyone was very enthusiastic and friendly. Students kept stopping by to chat with us. Hershey has a very "homey" feel to it.
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people seemed really happy, everyone was very nice too
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The students were really friendly and seemed happy at PSU. A few of them stopped by to wish us good luck and one student who had attended my undergraduate school introduced herself to me. The admissions staff was very helpful and Winnie, one of the secretaries, is the friendliest woman ever. I enjoyed the scenic campus and the relatively cheap student housing. Harvey, the quarter-million simulation dummy was also pretty cool.
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Nice facilities, inbreeding in community leads to odd diseases cropping up
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The medical school facilities are excellent. The area surrounding the school is beautiful (so much green!). Students were very happy and friendly. I found Dr. Davis's talk motivating. Hershey actually smells like chocolate. :)
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The facilities, how happy the students are, the school's plan for expansion, humanities, research, the amount of patients that go through there, all the helicopters and Level I Trauma center, and everything else
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Immaculate facilities, people seem happy, location is such that there are not too many distractions. However, Philadelphia and New York are accessible without too much trouble if you REALLY want to go there.
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The simulation lab is awesome. Everyone was very nice. The interviewers were great, real relaxed environment.
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The school was very nice, the students and staff extremely friendly and helpful, and the town of Hershey smells like chocolate. Penn State seems to be an excellent medical school, and they are really expanding their research interests.
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The students are happy, and the faculty is great. The facilities are nice. The area is great, and the hospital is also nice. I really like the day there.
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Great facilities with $100 million in major additions, students were great and surprisingly very happy for being in med school-- student passing by talked about their experiences and are definately a big asset of PSU and its overall personality
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The admissions office people were the friendliest people I have ever met, the asthetic beauty of the campus, cheap cost of living
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How friendly, quiet, and safe the area felt. Truely there was a family (we're a team) atmosphere throughout the staff and students alike. Having lunch with the current med students really put some questions to rest. Especially how Hershey is just as good as if not better than an inner-city med school.
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How friendly and laid-back everyone was. Current students were really friendly and seem to be enjoying their experience at Hershey.
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Everyone was SO friendly. Sounds trite, but they really were. Everyone was smiling all the time and were extremely helpful. Even 1st & 2nd year med students stopped by to chat on the way to class and to wish us luck and to encourage us to come to PSCOM.
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The students all love the place and the faculty members care about the students.
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How incredibly nice all the people were! During my second interview, we talked a lot about the personality of an institution. PSU's personality really showed through in its students, staff, and faculty. I was also impressed by the state-of-the-art facilities (such as the simulation lab) and the curriculum, which includes medicine-related humanities courses and a course where you go to the house of a chronically ill patient, not to cure them but to understand what illness is like. Tons of other stuff too...library and computer lab open 24/7, on-campus housing available and almost guaranteed, free use of fitness center...the list goes on and on...
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Everything! It's great because you don't have to worry about competitive behavior from your fellow students and the campus is serene and crime-free, so you're really intensely focused on your education (happily so). (But if you want to get out, you can.) Most of all, the students stopped by when I was waiting to interview, introduced themselves, asked about me, where I was from, etc., told me their opinions of the school (they love it) and wished me luck. All in all, a very friendly, relaxed, self-confident, cool bunch.
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The facilities, comraderie of the students, the presentation, kindness of admissions staff/tour guides. It was all good.
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On-campus housing.
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Well, I don't think any student can walk out of that building without being impressed by the staff. From the front-desk lady, to the presenters, to the current students and the faculty doctors, everybody was REALLY proud of Penn State and genuinely happy to have us there!
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The quality of life of the medical students. They seemed really happy.
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The people there were the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. The environment was extremely laid back and congenial.
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the laidback attitude of the students
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Everyone was super-friendly; students on their way to class came by and chatted with us. The facilities are wonderful too.
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The Humanities courses, patient project and the technology available to medical students
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The facilities were fabulous and the town was great. I got a good chance to visit with a lot of students, and they were all very excited about being there. Also, the humanistic emphasis at the school is very impressive.
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Seemed really friendly, students were enthusiastic, cafeteria was good... :-) They seemed very interested in cultivating the humanities in their curriculum.
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School is VERY oriented towards community service, town smells like chocolate, Dr. Davis is a fantastic speaker...very inspiring.
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The facilities were very nice and the Hershey Medical Center was kind of impressive. I also really liked how the faculty and administration are supportive and responsive to the students.
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the laidback atmosphere and the sincerity of the students and faculty
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The forest behind the school and the friendly people - the secretary and admissions officer were wonderful. Dr. Davis was awe inspiring.
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everyone was so friendly
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Extremely friendly students and staff. Wonderful hospital and facilities. State-of-the-art learning technologies. Very friendly Dean, Dr. Davis, who gave an inspiring speech on medicine.
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Hospitality
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Students are not competitive. Emphasis on forming patient relationships. Students are happy here.
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the laid back attitude of the interviewers. The current students 1st and 2nd year. They are very friendly and their attitudes showed that they love the school.
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Nice area. Very laid back faculty.
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Students were happy. Stopped on their way to class to talk to us. Made us feel comfortable. Everyone is proud of the school
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their simulation lab was awesome. i would go here just for that...... real nice people....... no competition amongst the students
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The facilities are awesome. Beautiful med school.
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How supportive all the students and faculty were of each other
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The advancements that the school has contributed to medicine.
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The People.
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the cardiovascular surgery advances, and the friendliness of everyone, the fact that current students were extremely happy and enthusiastic about the school, and that some students had turned down highly ranked schools to go to Hershey
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The faculty's interest in the students. When my first interviewer found out that I hadn't been shown a lecture hall he escorted me to one. The also have escorts from one interview to the next.
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the safety and beauty of the campus. students often leave their doors unlocked!!
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The facilities were amazing, and the Staff was very friendly. They have a ~500-bed hospital, wherein every bed is in a private room.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed negative impressions regarding the rushed nature of interviews, lack of engagement or preparation by interviewers, rural location of the school, limited information provided during tours, and the isolated setting of Hershey, PA. Suggestions included improving interviewer engagement, providing more comprehensive tours, and addressing concerns about the school's location and facilities.
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Interviewers are trained to put on poker faces this year (2023-2024) and kept rushing me. They did not interrupt any of my responses but would say in the middle of two questions that we had to hurry up. So I was constantly worried I talked too much or went overtime.
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The interview was like an MMI format, but was not advertised as so, 25 mins for 5 questions, 5 mins each, you get 5 mins to ask 2 questions at the end. It was two faculty members and I, one of the interviewers came 5 mins late and connected on her phone, not a computer (this would have been frowned upon if a student had done it). The questions were whatever, no why us, no why medicine, no tell me about yourself, just 5 random questions. At the end I asked a question about a new program which they didn't know anything about, I asked another question which was answered. I asked if I could ask another question (since my first one didn't get answered), the same interviewer that was late said "we are only allowed 2 questions, and we are actually running out of time", not a good look, ruined the rest of the day.
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Had trouble connecting to the interview (me and the interviewers). There is no way to test your webcam beforehand.
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Slight delay in starting the check-in compared to the advertised time.
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They did not give a folder of information or Hershey kisses (sad)
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The directions to the admissions office were somewhat cryptic, but everyone I bumped into was super happy to help me find where I was going.
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nothing
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The lunch was lack luster
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n/a
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Far from metropolitan areas
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the tour was so rushed that we were asked to run along behind the tour guide and try to keep up with her- the tour focused more on the history of how the medical school and hospital came to be. We were able to see the sim center and a lecture hall, but did not get a chance to see any of the hospital or the new children's hospital unfortunately
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Current M1 students were not very knowledgeable about a lot of the programs offered at the school
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Nothing really. The location is fairly secluded but this is a positive for many people.
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The location...it is in the middle of nowhere. Not many restaurants or things to do.
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Area. While I appreciate rural medicine, the students were honest and said that there is little to do in the area for fun.
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one of my interviewers was a physician who didnt really have any interaction with medical school students so couldnt really answer my questions and it also didnt seem like he had read over my application much before the interview. he was trying to read it on the spot and ask me questions
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The school is in sort of a boring area
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Lack of integration of graduate programs with the main campus, full-length (24 mo.) pre-clinical period, not much knowledge/discussion of how clinical years were structured/graded.
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That a student didn't give us the tour.
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There really isn't much of anything to do in Hershey.
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The rural location
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The rural setting of the school
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Location
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the food haha
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Of all my interviews, I saw the students the least amount of time here - almost erie how little I saw them. Those that I did meet weren't mean, but they also were not as outgoing as any of the other schools I've been to. During our lunch time (not particularly memorable lunch), one of the students repeatedly kept asking me if I had any questions for him to the point of being rather awkward. Additionally, during our time with Dean Davis, he lectured us for five minutes about how single payer universal health care was the only legitimate policy options doctors should support. Seemed like an odd soapbox moment for an interview tour. Interestingly, I asked both my interviewers what they thought about a single payer system and they both rejected it outright.
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The tour. Pretty crazy to me that it wasn't student-led.
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Very little. Tour guide was very nice but a volunteer, not a medical student so we didn't get the 'inside scoop' from them about specific locations as I did in my other interviews.
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Rural location.
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Facilities and location
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Certain features were both pros and cons. The location was very rural, good for focusing on study but limiting for social life (the main entertainment seemed to be post-exam pub crawls in Harrisburg). The research requirement sounds time-consuming but beneficial for residency applications later. A car is probably necessary.
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The locale is pretty isolated and rural, but I am into that
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tour was given by volunteer not student, didn't get to see anatomy labs, housing, gym
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Second interviewer had not looked at my application much previously so he wasn't very prepared and asked lots of general questions.
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The normal grading scale (fail/pass/highpass/honors is basically ABCD). I really liked the school but I think the town would be a big problem for me. I would definitely need a car or I would go insane. Everything is so spread out . . . and the med school seems to be in the middle of nowhere. You can go have fun in Harrisburg if you can get there, but I was barely motivated enough to leave my hotel because it seemed so uninteresting in the town.
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Applebees was the thing to do there. The guy leading the tour wasn't a student, but a volunteer.
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location is a bit rural but safe, friendly, and not too far from several cities.
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We didn't get to see much on the tour. It may not matter a whole lot, but I would have liked to see the classrooms.
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Hershey is a bit too rural, but the major cities are really just a train ride away.
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The snowstorm I had to drive through, although that's not really their fault...
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My interrogation interview seemed to be unusual for the school and really left me with a negative impression. I don't mind hard questions, but these didn't serve an apparent purpose. However, EVERYTHING else about the day was terrific.
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The town seems like it could get a bit too small.
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Location is a bit "out of the way" but, I'm going to be locked in my room studying, so who has time to lay on the beach?
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Area is pretty rural
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the facilities, the location and the price for OOS.
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For me, the location still is bothersome. It is literally in the middle of nowhere. I'm not sure if there is much to do outside of being a medical student without doing quite a bit of travelling.
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The school is very obviously not for people who thrive in a city setting. It's for people who don't like the distractions of a city and feel more comfortable in a VERY rural environment.
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the school's always under construction
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The location is a bit isolated, but that didn't really affect my view on the school too much, as students can easily travel to Harrisburg or other cities.
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Cost of attending this school (tuition).
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It's Hershey....a/k/a the middle of nowhere...and I don't even like chocolate.
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Nothing much. Great school, would love to go there.
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Nothing really.
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Probably how rural the area was.. but then I want to work as a doctor for underserved populations so guess it wasn't too big of a negative for me.
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location, location, location.
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My first interviewer kept me waiting for 15 minutes, so our interview was necessarily very short - only about 15 minutes (it should have been 30-40). She started off by giving me a tiny bit of a hard time about some grades, which was a disappointment - I didn't want to start the interview on the defensive. She also seemed a little distracted and not terribly interested in what I was saying. The next interviewer, however, was fantastic and he and I hit it off great. He and I are both classical musicians, and by the end of the interview, we were totally off medicine and he was consulting me about which version of a Bach recording he should get. The point is, you get two cracks at it, which is nice. From the other reviews I've read here, it seems like the second interview is always a bit meatier.
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I had been to Hershey before (for the theme park) so I kinda knew what to expect- but it's very different attending a med school that is not in a city. I thought going there that it would be a positive for me, but after speaking with the students and spending time in the area you really get a sense for how isolated you are.
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everything IMPRESSED me.
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Penn State is sooooo self-contained. If you lived in the student housing, you would be living at work.
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The location is very rural and clinical experience would probably have to be supplemented elsewhere.
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Nothing really negative. The school's location is a bit lacking. Very rural. Can't go wrong with a chocolate factory, though.
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The cold weather!
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It's definately not CA weather! But I was expecting that, apparently I missed the big storm by a few weeks.
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Nothing...perhaps the town, it's rural, but it's not bad at all.
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nothing.
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hershey is not really the large city type atmosphere
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The town is SO small, and not close to anything. The students did not seem overly enthusiastic about the program. I did not like the program director; his humor did not sit well with me. The facilities are not that nice. The student who gave the tour skipped a bunch of stuff and kept saying bad things about the program.
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My second interviewer was behind schedule. I sat in a hallway for 20 minutes before I actually got to interview and was subsequently late for the school's presentation at 11.
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Two of my fellow interviewees were complete boners, and thought they were obviously very special, because they went to Berkely and Hopkins...please.
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research is required but not really emphasized.
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there isn't much to do there but the scenery is nice
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very rural area, doesn't seem like there is much around
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I only got to talk to one student, and he didn't seem to excited about penn state
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Uh, the location!! Hershey doesn't quite strike me as the kind of town that people have great nights out but that could just be the NYC part in me.
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Their research opportunities. It is not a school to do research. However, their must be good scientists at that school if they are receiving funding from NIH.
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The students we met were fairly bland and uninteresting.
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It's pretty rural... One of the interviewers didn't seem that impressed by the school?!?!?
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the town very very very small, but nice
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construction going on at the school, but they will all be good renovations
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Hershey was much more bleak than I had expected. It's not very diverse and because of the rural area, some of your options for medical training are limited.
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Penn state is in hershey which i think is the whole of penn state. If you are used to NYC, you would have a lot of adjusting but it is a medical school and it is not that bad
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the tour guide was on a time constraint so he was sorta rushing. Also, if you like the city-life, Hershey may not be for you.
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Nothing really. I wish Penn State had their own financial aid package. But that's the worst of it. If you don't like small towns, though, you're in big trouble!
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admissions presentation was overly scripted, no real opportunity to sit in on any classes, admissions staff friendliness was forced (and i felt it easily), parking situation is apparently worsening
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I think one of the guys eating lunch with us was there just for the free food. He wouldn't talk, just stuff his face. And the other guy was annoying to listen to...I wish those 3 studs had lunch with us. Maybe next year :)
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the students we met
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The surrounding area is kind of quiet. It isn't quite the place for people in their twenties. It is a mixed blessing, the classes are tight, but the weekends can be quiet if you want to get out and don't feel like driving to Philly.
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The location, the fact they didn't have a tour for me since I was the only interviewee.
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Hope you like pastures. There are lots........and lots. No "town" really.
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Hershey doesn't have its own Taxi company, so the wait for the taxi is one hour in average.
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Nothing really, the campus is very rural, but if thats what you are looking for in a school, there are no problems.
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Nothing really, other than the location in a rural area.
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i only spent the day in hershey so i can't say a whole lot about it, but from what i did see, it seems like it's pretty secluded and maybe a little dull. however, the students that we ate lunch with really tried to dispel that notion saying that hershey is actually pretty touristy (b/c of the chocolate and all that noise), it's close to harrisburg and the airport, it's only an hour away from philly, and they encourage students to complete some rotations off-site (in cites across the world).
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the area. im from a major urban center, so hershey is very quaint. still, im sure i could get used to it...it's so cute!
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i grew up in Hershey, but still, the location sucks
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No 3rd or 4th year students to ask questions of. The tuition and inability of students to realize its consequences in the future. The interviews may have been TOO easy. I'm not sure how they would differentiate between candidates if everyone had such laid back interviews.
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Hershey is not where I want to live for 4 years :(
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Some lack of diversity.
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Hershey is....kinda...Hersheyish
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Nothing really
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Student housing is on campus - right next to the medical center
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The students who ate lunch with us and gave us the tour seemed kind of "frat-boy" and joked a lot about how nobody felt like they worked too hard. Now, granted, they were 1st-years.
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The location. If you're used to a city, the area can be depressing. It didn't seem as though much was going on.
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One of my interviewers had more to say about Dartmouth (his alma mater) than Penn State.
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Cost to out-of-staters - oh my gosh that is expensive
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the campus is basically located in the middle of a farm, and consists of one research building, a hospital, and some student housing
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The students weren't particularly enthusiastic and my one interviewer did not really ask questions so much as he lectured me about the application process.
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The only thing that impressed me negatively was the ribbing about my MCAT score. However, I took this with a grain of salt because, if I wasn't qualified, they wouldn't have called me for an interview.
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the location -- not sure yet if it fits me, it's pretty quiet and rural
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The tour was a little weak
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The interview was so relaxed that they didn't ask me any of the typical or expected questions so I didn't really have a chance to get my points across
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Tour wasn't able to show much (as tour guide, a retired doc mentioned, privacy laws make it tough to see any "real" parts of the hospital)
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The tour seemed a little random. We basically went through a couple of the hallways in the hospital and school but didn't really see anything important (such as classrooms or regular labs).
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I'm not sure if the curriculum (lots of PBL, blocks of one or two courses at a time, essays on tests) is right for me. I wasn't impressed with the students we ate lunch with, who mostly talked about their cadaver's penis and what bars were in the area.
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Not sure about the location in Hershey.
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The only real negative is the extremely high tuition for out of staters
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The rural community. I really love city life and wish this place were even just 45 minutes closer to Philly.
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nth really
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The town (Hershey, PA) is so tiny. There are barely 10 restaurants. The school and patient population is not diverse.
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nothing!
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We didn't see the lecture rooms or student lounge areas, and the presentation glossed over student housing. Do they have something to hide? And instead of having a room for us interviewees to wait for interviewers, we sat in the lobby of the biomed research building, which was a little awkward.
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I guess I didn't believe other people's reports of how rural it really is there. Also, the curriculum is pretty jam-packed, so there isn't much room for experimentation if you don't know what you want to specialize in.
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lack of public transportation - you either have to have a car, or know someone who does
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Most of third year is spent away from campus in other parts of the state
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Hershey is a small town but there are opportunities to do rotations at other places too and the lack of diversity
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My interviews were not that great (see below) and the students did not seem to think the school is that great.
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kind of rural location don't get to see the classrooms/student lounge/etc which is LAME
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Host program run ineffectively. The wait for taxi at airport. Construction will only be done after a few years. "Catered" lunch was only pizza. Admissions director and the office didn't know some information.
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The tour of the medical center... we didn't get to see very much of the facilities (clinical or research lab).
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They didn't seem to be that organized about how we were shuttled from interview to interview. This didn't really have much of an affect on the day, but it was a little annoying.
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The "Children's Hospital" is really just a floor of the regular hospital (although they are building and new children's hospital and cancer center).
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A little bit more time needed to interact with students, but in the grand scheme of things, the day was well structured.
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The location of the school. Very different from CA.
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On-campus housing looked miserable; second interviewer talked quite a bit about how much debt primary care docs find themselves in (at least she knows I'm not in it for the money).
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Very rural. On campus housing. Seems insular and isolated from a social perspective. What if you end up hating your classmates? The air smells like chocolate there. I have a feeling if I went to PSU, I'd graduate looking like a house.
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See more of the school rooms/lectures. Tour was given by a volunteer so we only walked around the main sites of the hospital.
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Hershey is very small.
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the tour was only of the medical center... not the school itself. we didn't see any classrooms or labs
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Many would say the location but I'm more used to the subrural life than the urban life. We also didn't get to see the lecture halls.
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whenever anyone asked "so what do you do for fun around hershey?" med students usually answered by saying, "well, there's not much in hershey itself but harrisburg is nearby, baltimore is an hour and a half away, and nyc is four hours away." Hmm...and I don't know if this is a negative, but it was definitely interesting and a learning experience to interview with someone who seemed frustrated with his medical practice (or at least pretty major parts of it.)
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The town of Hershey was extremely small. Greyhound nor Amtrak had stops there, and there wasn't even a cab company there.
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Not too much. Weather sucked, and the hospital did not feel like an academic center (I did not see too many doctors or patients).
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In my second interview, the interviewer talked the whole time. The only question he asked was, "Do you have any questions for me?" He didn't seem to have a lot of training about how to interview and what had been already covered elsewhere in the day. The diversity of the area is limited as well.
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That the school was on a farm. I actually think this is kind of cool.
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nothing...everything was great
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The town is so small, with nothing really to do in terms of night-life.
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the interviewers mostly, they seemed rather distant from the actual medical school experience and directed the conversation away from what I thought was important or interesting or wanted to talk about and spent so much time on the details of some of least significant experiences I've had. Also, the rural, middle-of-nowhere location, but depending how you look at it, that could be a plus too. lack of diversity also.
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The tour was too brief and conducted in a large group.
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Hospital volunteer gave the tour.
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Interviews were kind of short. It was hard to believe they got to know me better in a short conversation. One of the interviewers never showed up, so they had to find a replacement (who actually was probably better than the original one anyway). They did more hospital tour stops than college stops (didn't see lecture hall, they didn't mention anything research-related HMC is famous for)
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It's more rural than I'm used to and tuition is very expensive
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I would have liked to see a lecture hall and gross anatomy lab on our campus tour.
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The second interviewer I got was more gruff, and we had less time since my interview went long.
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first interviewer was more interested in hearing himslef speak than asking any questions, student lunch dragged on and was not very informative
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The tour was given by a hospital volunteer - it did not include any of the educational facilities. The lunch with the current med students was not very informative.
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One of my interviewers seemed like a jerk, the RURAL location of the campus, the most positive thing my student host (and most students) had to say about their school is, "Well, you don't have many distractions so you have plenty of time to study." Expensive school for out of staters.
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the location of Hershey, PA
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the town is small, but since there's no traffic you can drive anywhere. the air is clean and the scenery beautiful, something i'm not used to from l.a. snow is something i'd have to get used to though.
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The admissions office mixed my first interview up, and I ended up losing about 20 minutes off the time for my interview. My second interviewer asked me about 3 questions, and then just sat there and mumbled about the school. I feel like he didn't learn anything from me at all.
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The rural environment. Not nearly as country as I expected, but I do like the big cities.
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Hershey is about 2 miles from anything resembling civilization. I got the impression during a lunch (which current students attended) that several people had failed Step 1 the year before, making me wonder about the preparation that the school gives.
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Hershey. Too much chocolate and the surrounding towns/neighborhoods are old.
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None, really. Hershey is in the countryside, so that could be a minus for city lovers.
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like everyone else said, you either like hershey or you don't.......
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Interviews were somewhat short (~35 min) as I hardly had the chance to ask 1 or 2 questions about the school before getting whisked away to my next destination.
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Make no mistake, this is a rural school. It is part of what is enticing about the campus as well as what is negative. The surrounding community was very homogeneous and as a student who would be a minority in that community, the cultural landscape gave me pause.
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I was disappointed by the fact that my first interviewer, who was an electrical engineer, could not answer my questions about the first year curriculum, and seemed generally removed from the medical school experience. Also disappointing was that my second interviewer seemed primarily interested in touting Penn State's accolades, rather than learning more about my candidacy. While I feel that learning about Penn State is an important part of the interview day, I also would like to feel assured that the recommendation my interviewer will make to the admissions committee is one that accurately reflects me and my interview. I do not feel convinced that his can happen without an active dialogue.
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The area is not the ideal place for someone from the city, but it just takes adjusting
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The area is not the ideal place for someone from the city, but it just takes adjusting.
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I did notice the disturbing trend of medical students just dropping by lunch simply to ‘stuff their faces’ and refrain from any intelligent or helpful commentary.
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Not anything I can think of off the top of my head. If you are worried of the lack of city-life, the students all agreed that between the workload and Harrisburg night-life, ocial life is enjoyable.
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my interviewers!
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hershey isn't so much a small town as not a town at all - I went to college in the boonies, but it really seems like you need to have a car (or a friend with a car) to get out and do anything.
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Well, to tell you the truth I was kinda hoping that I'd be interviewed by Joe Paterno.
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the weather was really bad and Hershey seemed like it was kind of the sticks- quaint or cozy town guess.
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Location of the school. It is surrounded by dairy farms and hicks.
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2nd years did not do well in their boards this year.
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Hershey is a little in the rural area (but less than two hours to Baltimore and Philly and 3 hours or so to NYC)Also, the people in the Hospital that were working did not seem so happy to be there. Mayeb its cause I'm from the south but when you nod or say hello you expect a nod or hello back...not just a blank state from the doctors and nurses. Yet on the college side of the building they were very friendly. HMmmmmmmmm. Also, school tour was given by a hospital volunteer not a college member.
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Nothing major; the tour could have been more in-depth, but it still gave me a feel for the school as a whole.
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location, location, location
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Flights from Harrisburg to my home town were very expensive, so I had to fly into Baltimore... Would be kind of a pain to come home if I am living in Hershey.
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There is nothing in Hershey.
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the location of the school
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The location. The fact that they emphasized that we'll be studying all the time so a good diversion is unnecessary.
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tour didn't cover the medical school at all. We saw how wonderful the hospital is but we din;t ge to see the lecture halls, anatomy labs, student lounge, etc.
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Could get kinda lonely in the winter if you have no car to get around.
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Focus on primary care, lack of cutting-edge research, expensive for out of state, horrible taxi service from Harrisburg.
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Hershey is small, so if you want to go to med school in an urban environment this school is probably not for you.
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Nothing, it was a great day
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The town NEEDS more crosswalks. It's the only place I've been where you need a card to go 50 yards.
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The presentation wasn't very good and the equipment kept crapping out. We never got to see the lecure halls on our tour.
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Everything was good except my second sexist interviewer asked me every illegal question in the book, including my plans for having children. He didn't read my file and didn't even try to get to know me. He just grilled me about every aspect of my personal life, as if it were relevant.
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Tour could have been better but nothing too drastic
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The the tour was given by a retired Hershey citizen and not the students, we didn't get to see the lecture halls, anatomy lab, library, etc., we were just given a floor by floor tour of the hospital, disappointing
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The fact that the questions I prepared for (the tough ethical and moral questions) were not asked and it was more like a meet and greet than a high intensity interview.
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The hospital/college's layout was very confusing and maze-like. Also, the rural location was a negative thing for me (but not for some other people).
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The area, if you enjoy city life, Penn State is not the place for you.
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The fact that a research project is required for graduation (although exemptions are possible). I should add that the "middle of nowhere" thing is usually an issue but was not a problem for me since I live in a small town about 25 miles from Hershey.
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Nothing, really. I know I would be very happy there, but as it was my first interview, I wasn't sure how it compared to other schools.
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Not much. Some may say location, but I enjoy it.
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The classrooms were hideous.
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One word: Rural.
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The location of the medical school - it's not the schools fault but it is kind of in the middle of nowhere if you live in a city.
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the small size of the school and facilities
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I wish the tour had been given by a member of the college -- we got the generic visitors tour given by a volunteer.
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The hospital was a little small, plus the children's hospital is not a separate hospital - it is a floor of the main hospital. I also would have liked more explanation on financial aid.
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I was thoroughly impressed.
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I didn't really see the town, it seemed pretty far out there... I like suburban/rural areas but others might not.
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No good radio stations. Not much to do, but Harrisburg is close by.
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Hershey is a small town with a population of 20,000. I would not say this is really a negative, just not what I'm used to. The town is very serene and beautiful though.
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Nothing, I had a great experience. It was very informative and low-key.
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When asked about why they came to Penn State the students only had geographical reasons. They were also uninterested by the humanities program.
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there are only 20,000 people in Hershey. The school is in the middle of nowhere
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Location.
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Tour was given by a volunteer not a med student.
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Students were not very excited about the school. Interviews were too laid back making it hard to prove yourself as a good applicant.
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It is an insular living experience.
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location location location..
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Location.. not much going on in Hershey, PA. Also, most students seemed to be there because its the only place they got in.
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How segregated the school seemed from the rest of the world
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The rural location of the school.
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"There are more cows per square mile out here than there are people" said my interviewer.
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The tour was given by a hospital volunteer, although very informative, I would have preferred a student.
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The hostility of one of the interviewers.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wished they had known ahead of time to check the school portal for interview details, be prepared with solid stories, anecdotes, and questions, and to relax and not stress. They also mentioned the relaxed and friendly nature of the interviews, the conversational format, the rural location, and the need for comfortable shoes due to the amount of walking during the interview day.
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Make sure to check the school portal ahead of the interview! Interviewer info and the specific time slot of the interview will be released before the actual date. We do not have to always stay on Zoom throughout the Interview Day.
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Not that it made a huge difference, but I wish I had known that it would be a closed file interview and that we would not be allowed to mention the name of our college or details like that.
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This year (23-24) interviews are not like in past years where they are conversational interviews to get to know you as a person. It felt like an MMI format interview, but with the same 2 faculty at the same time. 25 mins, 5 questions, 5 mins to answer each, cold responses from interviewers, no connection to be made, no follow up comments. Felt almost like I was getting judged or dismissed.
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I did know ahead of time, but please be sure to have solid stories and anecdotes you can share. That helped a lot to demonstrate my qualities or lessons learned.
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Don't stress so much.
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This was honestly a very fun interview. I wish I had known not to be as stressed as I was going in.
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I wish I relaxed and did not stress prior
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About the Humanities department
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If you are a girl and decide to wear heels, bring flats for the tour and the walk to some of your interviewer's offices.
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to not worry!
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That the interview would be more conversational than the typical interview
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To not stress over it
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How isolated the school is
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The amount of walking. Walked nearly every corner of the hospital because the admissions officer escorted everyone as a small group from one interviewer to another.
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I knew a lot about the school already but I wish I had seen the match lists ahead of time.
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It would be a long interview day.
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How long the tour would be. Wish I ate a bigger breakfast because the lunch wasn't that great.
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To relax, everyone was super nice and approachable (even the random medical school students who were roaming the campus)
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to eat something
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Nothing really, there was nothing out of the ordinary to prep for. If I had known about the tour I would have stayed with a student host to get a better impression of the school.
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I scheduled my interviews for the morning, before the presentation. I should have scheduled for after the presentation since they covered some things I definitely would have talked to my interviewers about.
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Nothing, it was easy and relaxed.
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How relaxed the interviews are
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It takes some time to find a parking lot open to visitors rather than staff. Don't confuse the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center at PSU with the nearby Milton Hershey School's Medical Center.
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That the interviews are very laid back and friendly.
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Nothing
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Wear comfortable shoes
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About the cool humanities program.
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The head of their NICU and their chief resident of internal medicine would be interviewing me. Both were really nice and nonthreatening, but still.
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They didn't ask tough questions so I probably was more nervous ahead of time than I needed to be.
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I wish I knew how easy it was going to be.
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You may not have any down time so rest up and wear comfortable shoes.
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It seemed like they were trying to convince e that I wanted to come to the school rather than me trying to convince them that they should offer me a place. Also I wish I had known that it was the auto show weekend which made it tough to find a discounted place to stay
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Materials provided from the school about PSU SOM at the interview were more detailed than the web site- I wish I had these to better prepare.
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How rural the location was
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How relaxed the day was going to be and how well the interviewers knew my application. Also, I like to do research and I got an impression that the faculty is struggling to get the same level of enthusiasm for the MSR program in their students.
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not to stress...the interviews were both pretty short and relaxed
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Nothing - went in with an open, clear mind, no preformed opinions despite what others have said. I recommend you do the same.
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That the interviews would be so relaxed. No pressure at all.
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A picture of where to go for the beginning of the interview. It's in the back of the school, oddly enough.
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I should have rented a car instead of relying on the hotel shuttle. Going from the hotel to the school or airport was fine, but I forgot I would want to get dinner after check-in.
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do not assume your transportation is reliable. i was supposed to be picked up at the airport by my hotel, i had to take a cab.
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I'd done my homework and felt pretty prepared. However, I recommend that anyone with an upcoming interview ask themselves why they like Hershey in particular and be prepared to answer that question in an interview (without being cliche. Everyone's gonna mention the unique Humanities program - and I think it's okay to mention it, but you'd better be able to say *why* you appreciate the Humanities program). I suppose that, knowing what I know now, I would have chilled out about the interview beforehand. I spent hours the night before trying to come up with answers to anything they might conceivably ask, but other than the standard challenging questions like 'why medicine?' 'why Hershey' 'what are some problems with healthcare today', there weren't any stumpers.
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i knew pretty much everything about the school.
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I wish I had known that my interviewers wanted me to do the majority of the asking questions. I don't think this is standard for most interviewers.
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Penn State has a research requirement as part of the curiculum.
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Everying in the school and the hospital is connected. Once you're there you never have to go outside. Probably very nice in the winter.
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nothing.
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Hershey's not nearly as bad as everyone on SDN would have you believe.
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How the school came to be
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the enitre campus is enclosed, there was no need to buy an umbrella on the way there
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when they say to relax during this interview, it's true.
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Not to stay with a student host. She made sure I knew I was in her way. Also how small the town was. Hershey is damn small.
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Nothing...everything was an awesomely pleasant suprise.
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curriculum is half and half lecture and PBL.
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They have some really cool programs, like a humanities department, the patient project, a rural primary care center
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I wish that the library, gross anatomy lab, and campus hosuing were stops on the vounteer-guided tour. Other than that, the day left me with a positive impression of the school.
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The housing situation in Hershey is pretty dismal so most people live on campus.
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Chocolate Avenue really does smell like chocolate! Third and fourth year students have rotations all over the country.
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if you stay in a b and b in lancaster they can arrange a dinner with an amish family!! so cool.
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How much the setting of a school can really influence your impression of the school itself, despite its opportunities.
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don't remember.
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The interviews are VERY laid back. Do yourself a favor and relax the night before
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I wish I hadn't wasted so much time being nervous. During my interviews, my file wasn't even opened. I wasn't grilled about some of the lower grades I've gotten in science courses. So don't worry -- really! You'll be fine.
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that my first interviewer was former Secretary of Health for Pennsylvania - i found this out from my tour guide as he escorted me to the interviewer's office. ultimately ended up enjoying discussion about health policy, government, and political frustrations
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How friendly the students were, I wish I spent the night on campus instead of a hotel.
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You can chill out. Read some of the research coming out of the school.
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That the school was soo good
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How great this place is.
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That there is convenient train service from Philadelphia to Hershey, so I could have avoid paying so much to fly directly to Hershey.
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What a great school Penn State is.
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Nothing, I learned more of the atmosphere which seemed very friendly.
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stay at the COMFORT INN
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they REALLY emphasize the AMCAS app, not so much the secondary. also, i had my interview after lunch, and i thought it was much easier that way than having them before and just wanting to get out. i felt much more familiar with the school and why i really did want to go there.
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How much emphasis they place on all the activities listed on your AMCAS application.
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That Penn State is a great school and more competitive in terms of admissions than I thought.
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I would have preferred to do a morning interview
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The long wait between interviews
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That Penn St was so much better than I thought. They have a great commitment to education and seem to listen to their students.
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That the interviews were nothing to stress over...the people doing the interviewing made you feel very comfortable.
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everyone is super-friendly
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The information I had about Penn State told me that the school had a pretty solid research base, but both of my interviewers were negative about the schools research and seemed to push the schools desire to produce strictly primary care physicians.
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How hard it was to figure out where to park- go early!
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The campus is very isolated.
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That Hershey, PA is a pretty place.
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Nothing because I researched the school's website the day before.
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nothing much
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More draining than I had expected, even though my interviews were done by 10:30 am. With the presentation, lunch, and tour, I was more tired at the end of the day than expected!
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The interviews were very informal and relaxed. It would be difficult to be under-prepared.
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nothing really
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The interviews were so laid back and friendly, I would have stressed less on the way there!
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How relaxed the whole day was.
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I knew what to expect from reading through this site, and looking at PSU website.
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Interivew time is very crammed.
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Not much, except that Hershey really does smell like chocolate (near the factory).
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If you do the 10:30 interview, you actually interview at around 2:00
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all of the medical innovations the school has been involved in
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You need a car to visit the Hershey tourist attractions.
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It's not really possible to get a Penn state residency (for tution purposes)nor is it really worth the effort
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nothing. if you read all these interview feedbacks, you'll know everything before you get there.
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Central PA is FAR away from Philadelphia and does not really feel like the Northeast.
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The Comfort Inn has a free shuttle to and from the airport before 10pm. The peds dept treats all the students at the huge Milton Hershey School, a free live-in school for disadvantaged kids.
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There is absolutely no reason to be stressed out at all - enjoy yourself!
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that there was an AMAZING lecture happening that afternoon. I stayed and attended anyway, but it would've been great to know what other such opportunities existed!
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the history of the school. The Milton Hershey School - a high school for underpriviledge kids, the land that the med school is on came from this school. Mr Hershey left all that he owned to the Milton Hershey School.
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How nice the interviewers were. They just wanted to have a conversation.
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Very weird campus parking situation...I got a little lost. If you're staying in a hotel, just take the shuttle if they have one, so you don't have to walk all over campus to find the admissions office (and wear comfortable shoes if you can!).
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That the parking lot would be hard to find, and that the admissions office would be even harder to find when walking from the parking lot.
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Lots of new construction underway. New peds hospital.
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The medical center employs a number of people that exceeds 1/4 of the number of people who live in Hershey.
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Penn State has a great outreach program where you visit a patient who has had an illness that has changed they way they live their life.
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There is a lot to do in Hershey! There are themeparks and so many tourist sites to visit. If you're interviewing at the medical school and paying to travel out there, you might as well take some time to check out the local attractions.
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How hard it is to get Penn residency, in terms of paying the in-state rate.
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There was no reason to be nervous.
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Hershey has no public transportation....taxis come from HArrisburg which is 15 minutes away, and they charge extra for coming out to hershey
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How there is not much to do around the town.
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enter the parking garage from the right (not left) side of campus :)
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That the day would be virtually stress free.
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Hershey is not as isolated as I initially thought.
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Nothing comes to mind
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The Penn State Hershey Medical Center has some impressive plans to expand their campus (but maybe not in time for a student applying now to enjoy them).
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Hershey is the cutest town ever! MAybe it's because I'm from the NW, but it really isn't that rural. I mean...have you seen University of Iowa?