Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 38% of interviews, indicating it is moderately regarded. They found the interview mixed with a low stress level, and felt they did well.
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
Most respondents rank this school above other schools they applied to.
0 = Below, 10 = Above
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools revolve around ethical scenarios, personal motivations for pursuing medicine, views on healthcare policies, ethical dilemmas in patient care, strengths and weaknesses, and specific experiences like research and volunteer work. Many respondents mentioned Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) questions, signed confidentiality agreements, and nondisclosure agreements, indicating a structured MMI format with limited disclosure of interview questions.
What is the relationship between art and science? Does having an artistic background (painting, music) help medical students in the field? Why do you think having an artistic background helps? Should schools mandate having undergraduates take artistic programs?
Ethical question, such as if you know a patient has a terminal disease and their daughter begs you not to tell your patient because it will only upset them, what do you do?
You have a physician who has excellent metrics; her patients love her, she handles difficult cases, and her position earns the hospital big bucks. She's rude to her staff, (nurses, etc.) however. What do you do?
You're a fourth year resident and you're doing research. You're going to present your data at a global convention coming up soon, and you find out your PI is falsifying data. What do you do? (your dept chair tells you to sweep it under the rug).
Faculty interviewer & very conversational: included "tell me about your research, why medicine, what experiences reinforced your thoughts on medicine, what international experiences helped shaped your world-view of medicine, what are you looking for in a school"
You have a patient who is being administered palliative end of life care for whom all pain medications have been exhausted with relief no longer being found. This patient desires you assist in ending their life. How do you respond?
Of all of your activities, what are you most proud of/what stands out to you?
Everyone has something that makes them stand out, makes them unique, what about you?
Tell me about your research
Why RFU? Any questions for me?
Ethical: How do you balance the desires of the families vs the patient's desires, if they differ in therapeutic paths to be taken? At the same time, how do you balance what's realistic and in the best interest of the patient with new technologies/methodologies whose efficacies are not scientifically fully proven yet, without giving them "false hopes"?
Imagine you are a physician and head of an administrative position at a rural hospital. The hospital is lacking funds and is sufficiently far to receive any support from other hospitals or urban locations. What would you do?
My interview did not seem to have read my application. All the questions were very general...not tricky...even border line tricky. However, it thought it was incredibly unprofessional to not know anything about the applicant. She asked at one point, "Do you play a musical instrument?" No! Is there anything in my application that indicates that? It's hard to shine when the questions are so generic.
Assuming human cloning was legal, who would you not clone? If you thought a patient wasn't taking their meds, would you trick them into taking it? If a patient didn't want a life saving procedure, would you force them to get it?
If you were taking a test and the person next to you were cheating what would you do?
If a person has a condition and declines a treatment that you know will help them, what would you do?
Why medicine?
What did you do for research?
If a person has a condition and declines a treatment that you know will help them, what would you do?
Tell me about a time when you were critiqued about your work.
Is there a person influential in your decision to go to med school?
What's the difference between HMO and PPO?
What was your favorite science and non-science course?
It's really odd, I had an M4 Student and a Professor and I didnt get asked any of the questions that were posted on other interviewers feed back. I had just a regular conversation with the first interviewer and the only thing really asked me to do is tell him something about me that that was not in my open file
How would you approach a situation in which your hospital, where you are on the administrative/planning board, was incapable of handling a large-scale medical situation which a different hospital, 100 miles away, was capable of handling?
I but these questions together for the interview based on old feedback. Hope it can be useful to others.
1. What's a significant health care issue?
2. What are some issues patients have with physicians? -->busy
3. Why do you want to go to Rosalind?
4. Do you agree with the Obama Healthcare plan?
5. Questions about activities on my file like community service,
volunteering that involved interactions with doctors
6. Tell me about your research.
7. Assuming human cloning was legal, who would you not clone? If you
thought a patient wasn't taking their meds, would you trick them into
taking it? If a patient didn't want a life saving procedure, would you
force them to get it?
8. What are healthcare issues facing geriatric patients?
9. What do you think "interprofessional environment" means?
10. What do you do for fun?
11. Why medicine?
12. If a person has a condition and declines a treatment that you know
will help them, what would you do?
13. Tell me about a time when you were critiqued about your work.
14. Is there a person influential in your decision to go to med school?
15. What's the difference between HMO and PPO?
16. What was your favorite science and non-science course?
17. What did you learn in your clinical experiences?
18. Where do you see the future of rural medicine heading?
19. Why do you want to go to medical school?
20. What was your most memorable clinical volunteer experience?
21. Tell him something about me that that was not in my open file.
22. How would you approach a situation in which your hospital, where
you are on the administrative/planning board, was incapable of
handling a large-scale medical situation which a different hospital,
100 miles away, was capable of handling?
23. What are your personal gifts and strengths and how can you direct
that towards your profession as a physician?
24. As a physician, how would you balance your time so that you can be
compassionate to patients and still being able to see 30+ patients a
day?
25. How would you tell a patient that he has tumor but you can't operate on it?
26. Is there a person that is influential to your decision of going
into medicine?
27. Do you plan on doing research while you're in medical school?
28. Tell me about your best friend. Then why do you think I asked you that?
29. What is the difference between a good doctor and a good researcher?
30. how would you run your own research lab?
31. how would you balance your life if you were a doctor?
32. If you were boss, what would you do to fix the current healthcare
system? What do you think about Oregon's policy on euthanasia? What is
metaphysics?
33. How do you know this is the profession for you?
34. A patient comes in with a mass on their abdomen. You want to
perform an MRI or CT scan (which ever the appropriate test is).
However, this patient has no insurance, cannot qualify for ACCESS, and
certainly does not have enough to pay for a test like this. What do
you do?
35. What is your opinion on socialized healthcare? What are the pros and cons?
36. What is the most difficult experience of your life?
37. What do you do to keep organized and to keep up with your studies?
38. What is going on in South Africa now?
39. How did you go about writing your essay? (the secondary
application essay on A Life in Discovery)
40. How do you feel about the business side of medicine?
41. How can I convince you to come here?
42. How would I solve the healthcare crisis in America in relation to
underserved and improvised communities?
43. How would you personally impact the medical profession?
44. Why do u want to come over over uic?
45. If you had to boil it down, what is ONE reason why you want to be a doctor?
46. ''If there was one question i could ask you that would allow you
to impress me the most, what would that question be?'' and then i had
to answer that question
47. Who's your role model?
48. Know about Universal health care - Apparently Massachusetts
enacted universal healthcare to all residents earlier this year;
whereas the rest of the U.S. does not practice universal healthcare
49. What do you think of genomics?
50. So tell me about the people who wrote your LORs?
51. I see from your application that you are a non-traditional
student, taking time off after college to travel, work etc -- if you
are so keen on pursuing medicine -- why did you take all this time
off? How did you hope these experiences were going to make you a
better physician?
52. What's your top choice?
Do you know what the 4 basic principles of ethics are? (This was during a conversation about an ethical situation. The interviewer actually went over the principles with me...very laid back, not interrogating)
As a physician, how do you decide when to stop treating a patient? Get ready for some ethical questions from this school, this seemed to be the consensus from the interviewees today.
I see from your application that you are a non-traditional student, taking time off after college to travel, work etc -- if you are so keen on pursuing medicine -- why did you take all this time off? How did you hope these experiences were going to make you a better physician?
After post-Katrina, there were several policemen who found their families were in danger and needed immediate help. However, they have a duty to serve and protect the community. If you were in such a situation, what or whom would you put first, your duty or your family?
The first interviewer only wanted to know who I was. He asked, "Tell me about yourself." "Tell me about college." "Tell me about high school." Standard. Easy. Relaxed.
A case study: You Dx an infant with spinal meningitis. The child's condition is critical: you have two options for treatment, (1) the standard method, or (2) a novel, potentially more effective, method which you have just learned about at a recent medical conference. Explain your reasoning.
I want to see that you have sufficiently contemplated a career in medicine: describe the setting and type of medicine that you envision yourself in. Be specific as to why.
Tell me about your personal characteristics. (Second interviewer obviously was trying to just jot down stuff on his interviewee sheet in as little time as possible.)
What books are you reading (incidentally, no one else in the room had even heard of the most influential book of the last century--Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, which was dissapointing).
They are looking for your knowledge of current issues in health care. Also expect that they will challenge your opion, so be prepared to defend your ideas.
What would you do if you were treating a patient, and after seeing the patient several times, his/her symptoms would not go away? (Don't be too proud to ask for help)
Just basic questions from my amcas and the one about having a dinner party... what was that? Very easy going questions... no ethical, no socialization questions at all
Students said the most interesting questions asked at Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Health Sciences discussed Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) scenarios, ethical dilemmas, patient care decisions, and personal beliefs on various healthcare and societal issues. The interviews seemed to focus on ethical reasoning, decision-making skills, personal values, and the ability to navigate complex scenarios, potentially indicating an MMI format with a nondisclosure agreement in place for some respondents.
MMI- how have I in the past served people different than myself
MMI Questions - Will you report a domestic abuse case if the wife and spouse are both of your patients? What if the wife doesn't want you to report it.
You have a patient with Alzheimer's disease, and their family has been caring for them. The family comes to you exhausted and stressed by caring for this person, and asks what they should do. What do you tell them?
You are on a student honors committee that handles academic dishonesty. A student was caught beyond reasonable doubt cheating on the anatomy final using an iPhone. Which of the following would you suggest to be a proper punishment and why:
A) Allow student to retake the final
B) Allow student to retake the course
C) Allow student to repeat the year
D) Expel the student
Have you ever heard of this riddle....________? (I was the only one that had, but then was called out for knowing the answer beforehand. Doesn't really matter if you have or haven't)
If there is a community physician and there is no MD within 100 miles, and a patient comes to them asking for birth control, what is their moral obligation to provide one, if they do not want to?
How do you balance the desires of the families vs the patient's desires, if they differ in therapeutic paths to be taken? At the same time, how do you balance what's realistic and in the best interest of the patient with new technologies/methodologies whose efficacies are not scientifically fully proven yet, without giving them "false hopes"?
At what point do you (as a physician) stop devoting time and resources to a terminal patient? What if while you were spending more time with an elderly, terminal patient, you spend less time with a sick child, miss a diagnosis, and the child suffers/dies?
A patient comes in with a mass on their abdomen. You want to perform an MRI or CT scan (which ever the appropriate test is). However, this patient has no insurance, cannot qualify for ACCESS, and certainly does not have enough to pay for a test like this. What do you do?
What are the three ways an interview can go? (This was interesting because the interview was looking for a specific answer. I answered the question and he said, ''Well, I guess you could look at it that way'' and then he told me what he was looking for...an answer that didn't even come close to answering the question.)
It's been in the news recently that some parents with certain conditions (e.g. dwarfism, deafness), are going to fertility clinics for assistance in assuring that their children have the same condition. A physician in France refused to carry-out such parents' wishes, recently. How do you feel about that?
What would you do if a person with cancer, who will die in about 3 months without chemo but would live 6 with it, declined the treatment but the family very much wanted the patient to go through with it?
If a man is terminally ill with cancer and has little hope for survival, would you try to convince him to go through costly chemotherapy and possibly leave his family ''penniless and fatherless''
''if there was one question i could ask you that would allow you to impress me the most, what would that question be?'' and then i had to answer that question
If you had a patient who was dying and wished not to have extreme measures taken to save his life, but his family wanted him to live, what would you do?
Over the course of the past 30 years, there has been a great increase in the knowledge and use of molecular biology. (Human genome has finished being mapped recently.) What are the implications of this knowledge on your daily work as a doctor?
Young infant with a severe case of meningitis -- parents very emotional, want to save the baby -- the standard treatment protocol does not provide good results however a recent intervention has made good inroads in its treatment. The chief of staff is against the new treatment because it is not the hospital protocol. Time is running out. What do you do?
There were quite a few oddball questions, some bordering on inappropriate. I was asked if I was estranged from my father (my parents are divorced), whether I was a jock, whether I enjoyed working with my hands and had good dexterity.
The riddle, although I already knew the answer, so I admitted I knew the answer...he was impressed with my honesty and said some students have just sat there and pretended to not know and then said the answer.
I was given a hypothetical about a four-year-old who was pretty developmentally disabled due to injuries at birth. Parents brought the child in with pneumonia and asked for me as a pediatrician to not treat the child aggressively. The question was, What do I do as the doctor?
I was asked to "talk about high school." I didn't expect to ever discuss anything that happened to me before college, but this was a plus for me since my high school record is fairly strong with regards to activities.
You are on a rural town council and the council has just determined that your town does not have enough money to build a much needed public hospital and the closest hospital is 60 miles away, what would you do?
You are the surgeon general of your home state, and you have a fixed budget (it cannot increase or decrease). You need to increase spending to pediatric and pre-natal care, where do you cut to support that?
ethical question concerning tests that are run on newborn babies that can account for genetic disorders that would have no treatment or cure currently- are the ones not required by law good to run or not?
If a mother has breast cancer and is found to have brca1 and brca2 genes and wants her 18 year old daughter tested for it, but daughter does not want to know, how do you advise. Then, during daughter's regular physical exam and blood workup, family friend working in lab decides to go ahead with gene test, finds positive, tells you as doctor, what do you do now.
How I would deal with the following situation: a 4 y/o patient with severe cerebral palsy was brought in with pneumonia unresponsive to antibiotics and the parents asked me not to treat their child aggressively.
I was suprised that my second interviewer grilled me with these set of questions! I guess he was testing my knowledge (of my major (Physiology) and my problem solving ability. good thing i knew the answers!... so what's the kreb cycle for? how many carbons are at the start and end of glycolysis? even though fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are different, how are they related? what are essential amino acids and how many are there? so, what's the major physiologic cause of diabetes?
Most questions were aimed at getting to know me, and it was nice to be asked diverse questions such as my literature background and the books that I have read recently.
u have a kid with cerebral palsy, he cant see, talk or hear,,,, his has pneumonia and the parents dont want you to use any sort of invasive technique (i.e. respiratory support), what do you do? (he kept pushing the question, basically the kid is a brain stem, and without the respiratory support the kid would die which is what the parents want)
Choose either a specific ethical, general ethical, or current events topic which I will provide and discuss. (Really not that intimidating because I love talking my head off about stuff like this. I chose current events and we ended up talking about gay marriage.)
There was really not one question that stood out. They were mostly questions you would naturally prepare yourself for, for example: Why do want to study medicine,what do you do in your free time,etc...
If you went on a hike for 8 hours and were really hungry and ended up at a restaurant where the menu was in a foreign language and all the waiters spoke a foreign language, how would you order anything to eat?
If you travel to a country and sit in a restrant, but you do not understand at all the langauge of the country, how do you order your food? (I have been in many countries.)
Anything else you'd like to share with me regarding your sanity? your criminal record? I had a very sarcastic interviewer and he was questioning my sanity because I run marathons. and he was just kidding (no, i do not have a criminal record!)
Different scenario questions, for example: What issues would I consider when deciding whether to go with a high benefit/high risk procedure vs mediocre benefit/low risk procedure. Also, I was asked to explain what I perceived to be going on in Iraq and my views as to how President Bush was handling it (this was the day before the war began).
My first interview was with a pathologist and he did not ask me any questions that were interesting at all. My student interviewer asked me some basic questions like "Why do you want to go into medicine?"
Students said the most difficult question asked at Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Health Sciences revolved around MMI format scenarios, including addressing distrust in medical professionals/vaccines and handling ethical dilemmas. Respondents also mentioned questions related to healthcare financing, ethical decision-making in patient care, and future trends in medicine, with some interviews conducted under nondisclosure agreements due to the MMI format.
MMI- what would I do when parents come in to the clinic and they distrust medical professionals/vaccines?
MMI Questions - Relationship between art and medicine. Do students who study artistic endeavours before medical school, they are more successful. Why are they more successful?
"if you don't like seeing people suffering because they don't have access to medicine, then who do you think should pay for their health care" (at this point she had me cornered so I just gave up and answered "the rich people"
An ethical question with only two options. I talked to MD's later about my answer and was told I chose the right answer, even though I got hammered for it. Make sure to stick to your guns if you truly believe in your own opinion.
Should society give incentives to those who take care of their body and/or take punitive actions against those who don't? Should the healthy and responsible pay for the willfully irresponsible?
What makes you unique? There's also the "what's going to be challenging, working in a medical environment"? I think I nailed them, but the strengths/weaknesses questions, not a fan.
You have a patient with refractory malignancy that you have gotten to know for a while. Nothing seems to be working as treatment for his cancer. The patient wants to end his pain and suffering and his family has agreed with his plan of ending his life. The patient requests that you do the act of ending his life. Would you do it?
Not too difficult, but definitely be prepared for these types of questions: If you were boss, what would you do to fix the current healthcare system? What do you think about Oregon's policy on euthanasia? What is metaphysics?
What do you think of the U.S.'s stance on universal healthcare compared to that of other industrialized countries? Does anywhere in the U.S. practice universal healthcare? (Apparently Massachusetts enacted universal healthcare to all residents earlier this year; whereas the rest of the U.S. does not practice universal healthcare).
1. what's your top choice school - be honest! (oyy, way to put me on the spot!)
2. so, what's with healthcare today? (where do i evern start with that one...?)
A mother comes in with a three year old child and it turns out the child has meningitis. There is a typical protocol one follows to treat it, but it is suspected the current protocol doesn't work, for the child becomes mentally retarded as the disease progresses. At a meeting three months ago in the Carribean, you are introduced to a new, FDA approved drug, which is thought to work for meningitis. After asking the mother which drug she wants, she tells you its your decision. Which drug do you use and why?
I was asked why I thought I'd make a good orthopedic surgeon. While this question wasn't really difficult, it was probably the most difficult out of everything I was asked.
Have you ever had any ethical dilemmas in your lifetime? I kind of relayed an indirect dilemma that I have encountered because I couldn't think of anything other than something that I was afraid to discuss, and apparently it worked out pretty well.
The very first question of the very first interview was, "So how do you reconcile your grades (3.1) and your MCAT scores (35)?" I had figured this would come up, but not as the very first question and quite so directly.
You are a pediatrician that has treated a low income family with three kids under ten and they just had a new baby. They asked to have the child genetically screened and it has come back that the child has a disorder that is currently untreatable and that will render it mentally retarded by the age of six. Whether conscious or not this will lead to neglect bordering upon abuse of the child by the family because of the time and resouces needed to properly treat the child. Describe the conversation you would have when you told the parents about the results of the genetic screen.
Nothing too hard, dealing with genetic testing for newborns necessary if only 4 of the diseases have a successful outcome with proper intervention and what happens if they know but can't afford it.
if u had a 3 yr old patient that was severly brain damaged, deaf, blind and acquired pneumonia and the parents really did not want you to be aggressive, would you give antibiotics? or if case needed would you go as far as getting a court order to put the pt on a ventilator.
parents bring in cerebral paulsy child, deaf, blind, incapable of communication suffering from pneumonia and not responding to current antibiotics. Parents ask you please not treat aggressively but child is suffering, what do you do?
why medicine? (then I told him)...so then why not a nurse? (then I answered again)... so then why not a social worker? (answered again).. so then why not a teacher?
To defend my position on physician assited suicide. He asked me about several different scenarios I might face as a doctor and what my reaction would be.
If you're such an athlete, then why is the one class you did terrible in is Swimming?. What makes you think that you can handle the stress of medical school.
What kind of ethical questions will be asked? (The interviewer worded it weird, but essentially he was asking what kind of ethical dilemmas will the medical industry face in the future?)
If, when you are practicing medicine, a pharmaceutical representative offers you cash to give a speech about and endorse a new product of theirs, how would you respond?
Suppose you have an 18 year old pt. who's grandmother died of breast cancer and who's mother had been diagnosed with it and has been screened for the BRCA gene, which she has. Do you advise your pt. to get screened?
I was asked to explain the health policy reforms that were going on in Puerto Rico and the USA, and explain what I thought could be done to improve them. I
How fast do you read? My faculty interviewer then went on how fast he reads and how important it is to read fast in med school. He suggested I take a speed reading course.
What's the biggest problem in the health care system and how would you fix it? other than that, nothing difficult. i got no ethical questions or hypotheticals.
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by reviewing their application materials, practicing with mock interviews, researching common interview questions, reading up on the school's website, and staying informed about current healthcare and medical ethics topics. Many also utilized resources like SDN forums, ethical issues websites, and books on interviewing to enhance their preparation.
Read the UW medical ethics website (not all of them but made sure to read all the questions at least), did a mock interview with a friend, organized stories in my mind that I could quickly connect to common topics/questions
I reviewed RFUMS' mission and website, current hot topics in medical ethics including the arguments from both sides, ACA, and practiced with sample MMI questions found online.
I read up a little on Rosalind Franklin herself, just in case I was asked about her work (I wasn't). Otherwise, I just checked over my application to made sure I remembered the details that they would have in front of them while interviewing me.
prepared responses for SDN interview feedback questions, browsed Chicago Medical School website, read the packet they emailed, reread primary and secondary applications
Caught up on current events, researched about various health issues that are highly pressing today, looked over primary and secondary, SDN, and looked at school's website
Contacted current students on the "student resource list" (provided in the interview package), researched the school, explored the website, read the "year in reviews" etc, SDN!
I read the interview feedback section, looked over RFUMS website with fine-tooth comb, asked current students questions that I had, made sure I knew my AMCAS and my RFUMS essay (hey, it's been a while since I filled those out), I skimmed through articles about current hot-topics and medical ethics books, in addition to books on the medical school application process in general. I also spoke with as many MD's as I could to ask for advice, in addition to current MD students I know.
Talked to friends who are students at Finch (oops, Rosalind Franklin), just reviewed some of the material I had used to prepare for previous interviews, not much at all.
Read up about Puerto Rico's healthcare system. I had been reading on the internet, gathering any info I could find. Unfortunately, Puerto Rico is a little behind technology wise, and you can't really find much info on the school.
Checked online for problems in PR healthcare but couldn't find any much different from those in the US. Important--I checked percentages of non-insured Hispanics in the US so I ;could tie it into my interview... definetly a plus
I read all the surveys at least three times over. I had the whole day set up in my mind and so everything was as expected. I practiced every day going through various practice questions.
Brushed up on my spanish a little (reading Men's Fitness en espanol, watching hispanic TV networks), went over my AMCAS application. That was pretty much it - just tried to be relaxed.
Read previous interview questions on this website, AMCAS application, some secondaries I had written for other schools, current events and health news on cnn.com
Read interview feedback, AMCAS application, school catalog, and a few articles from an opposing viewpoints book on medical ethics (this was my first interview!)
Applicants were consistently impressed by the friendly and collaborative atmosphere among students, faculty, and staff, as well as the modern facilities and resources available. Many highlighted the sense of community, supportive environment, and diverse opportunities for research and interprofessional collaboration as positive aspects of their experience. Suggestions for improvement were minimal, with some mentioning minor organizational issues in the admissions process.
Everyone was so warm, nice, and yet still professional. The interview portion of the day went by quickly. The Dean was so so nice and straightforward about what they wanted out of us, etc
I was greatly impressed by the collaborative atmosphere between the students I encountered. They were all very friendly and emphasized the fact that everyone strives to help everyone else via study groups, sharing of tips and study materials, passing down of materials from one class to the next etc. I think this was enhanced by the house system that they have in place, as well as the fact that they really promote interprofessional collaboration. I was very pleased with the atmosphere over all!
Also love the P/F!
The schools suburban location. Each interviewer comes to the waiting room and escorts you to the interview room, which is basically around the corner. Also, Keurig and water in the waiting area.
The facilities are great, the people seemed genuinely pleased to be there, I do like the second year electives program. It is a solid school. The student housing availability is a plus.
The tour guides were knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their school. I like the environment and the semi-secluded feeling of the school. Their faculty and curriculum strives to make sure their students really understand the material presented. The faculty cares if their students learn.
students were friendly, you can enter MD/PhD program after starting MD, good basic science research on campus, a definite sense of community, good USMLE review courses offered
The curriculum fits my background well. The anatomy lab was state of the art-each station has a computer over the cadaver which the student can look up how to perform any dissection he/she needs. Also, the 3 students to 1 cadaver ratio is the best I've seen in places I've interviewed. A small school feel was nice. On campus housing and adjacent apt (called Woodlands) make living close to/on campus easy. Great match list. Great step 1 preparation according to a friend of mine who is a graduate of RFU. Current students appear to love the school. Friendly professors.
Pretty much everything. I went to the school not expecting much and I came back with a completely different perspective. The facilities were great, it is closer to Chicago than I thought, the students and faculty seemed like they really enjoyed being there, and the day was structured well. I just got an overall positive vibe from the whole experience. The school is right next to Lake Forest, which is awesome and has a small beach.
The enthusiasm of the students and the facilities were impressive and updated. The professors are highly qualified and dedicated. Impressive board scores and match lists. A good place for medical education. I will love to go to school here. Its also very diverse.
How nice everyone were. The admissions office staff, my interviewers, fellow interviewees, and tour guide were all so friendly. This definitely helped lower my stress level for that day. The anatomy labs were fabulous.
The facilities were nice, the inter-professional classes, and the opportunities to do your fourth year rotations at other locations/states if you like.
the attitude of everyone I met, they were all really nice and the buildings are pretty new as well. the dean even came to talk to us in the waiting room to talk to us along with a few M2 students.
My first interviewer. He happened to be chair of the curriculum committee and also developed the computer system in the gross anatomy lab. Also the gross anatomy lab was superb.
Nice environment, friendly students, nice and fairly new research facilities, professors/researchers were fairly easy to approach and talk to. MD/PhD students were knowledgeable, friendly, and seemed to care. University seemed to care about research and were putting significant resources into research.
students and faculty truly interested in students, closely knitted school, growing school (60 million added in the next 5 years), state of art instruments, the hotel was very nice!
The interviewers were both very friendly and laid back and tried to ''sell'' the school to me. The anatomy labs were impressive as well as the virtual microscope that is used for histology.
The facilities have been updated and Dr. Ross comes by to talk to you before your interviews. Also, they try to make it as relaxing as an interview can be.
Nice facilities, students were super-nice, even the other interviewees were super chill. The faculty are really nice, they sincerely care about their students. The interviews were more of a conversation than interviews. Anatomy lab is amazing!
Countless....the campus is beautiful and secluded to make studying during the first two years easier. The staff, administrators, and doctors all genuinely care about the education and happiness of medical students. The interview process was streamlined and provided the opportunity to meet with future classmates. The dean of the school came around and talked with each interviewee for several minutes just because he wanted to be personable. Technology is artfully incorporated into the med school, from interactive computerized histology slides to LCD panels in the anatomy lab.
the students truly advocate for the school. they seemed to feel that it was a good thing to go to the area hospitals for their rotations instead of an on-site teaching hospital.
the students were VERY enthusiastic. All faculty was down to earth and so were the students. other students, not part of the guide stopped by and said high, some joined us for lunch and talked to us about the school.
The location is in North Chicago, which is nicely tucked away 30 minutes from downtown. But at the same time, downtown is so close and a great getaway for students.
The energy of the staff and the students. Everyone seemed friendly and lively. They portrayed med school as a fun experience. The food was good too!
Plus, the campus is far from downtown Chicago which is a good thing because there are not too many distractions in M1, M2 years.
Matching rates are pretty high too.
The school has been going through a lot of positive changes over the past couple of years, and you can sense it. The faculty/staff are really enthusiastic about their new beginnings and seem to be quite unified in their vision of being a solid and reputable medical school in the near future.
On a different note, use of technology is pretty big there, wireless all over, computerized histology/anatomy...
Free parking, the fact that students move into the city during their 3rd and 4th years, the video screens walking you through anatomy lab, and the amazingly high board scores positively impressed me.
facilities, student residency placement, friendliness of admissions staff, enthusiasm from the students i spoke with, other interviewees (prob the coolest bunch i've met yet)
There is a misconception concerning Rosalind Franklin University's affiliated hospitals.Right next to the University,in North Chicago,is the VA hospital.The VA hospital and the Great Lakes Naval Hospital have merged.The combined facility is a major teaching hospital for RFUMS.
Everyone was very nice, and the anatomy lab has computer setups for each group where you can watch guided/instructional videos! Also, histology is all on computer.
The interviews - they were totally relaxed and conversational. I wasn't asked any difficult questions (I like easy interviews, obviously). I'm not sure whether this was good or bad, though - why didn't they want to know what I thought about challenging ideas?
Everyone is incredibly friendly. The tour guide seemed to have a bad attitude at first, but he really was just putting on a show and turned out to be a great guy.
The overall friendliness of the staff and students was amazing. Current students are very helpful and want to answer all questions you have about the school that they genuinely seem delighted to be attending.
The schools facilities were nice, the large amount of interaction between the various programs at RF, and the students seem relatively happy for being isolated in the middle of nowhere.
The faculty is extremely nice, the interviews were extremely laid back, and the facilities great, they have really made improvements in the past 2 years
Facilities are heads above the rest; community environment--students helping students; away from city of Chicago--few distractions the first tough two years; student dorms that are very nice.
The Dean of the medical school held a Q & A session with all of the applicants: shook everyone's hand, engaged each applicant in sincere conversation.
the nice facilities and the on-campus apartments were HUGE and cheap. and the students that i met there were pretty cool, mostly from LA (where I'm from).
The enthusiasm of the students that were at the school and the passing rate of the USMLE's. Also, the dean of the medical school took the time to meet with and talk to each and every one of the interviewees, very approachable person.
There is an overall welcoming and friendly attitude at the school as well as new enhancements and technology being implemented. Students seem non-competetive with each other, rather friendly. New online histology lab seems interesting.
finch ( oh excuse me Rosalind Franklin University) is pretty big despite its only 2 buildings. The use of space is awesome. Housing and educational facilities are very modern and clean and very professional looking. Housing off campus is reasonably priced, and it's really quick to get to the school because of the main roads. Student body is really diverse. Impressive Match list.
I was very much impressed with Finch's residency match list, their passing rate on the boards, and how the school is making efforts for improvement. Also, staying with a student host was very beneficial in that I gained a student's perspective of the school.
Supportive staff and administration, friendly professors, nice new facilities, good environment for the first two years (on old golf course, far away from distractions.)
The school is really working hard to improve their reputation and make life better for the students. Students do very well on their boards and match well.
The overall attitude of the faculty, staff, and students. There is no hierarchy as in other schools where the administration looks down on everyone like they are Gods. Everyone is an equal at this school. The weather is also AWESOME and you do get to work with a Hispanic population which is critical for the future of medicine. Rent is also very very CHEAP (I'm from NY)
really nice and convenient student housing, students seemed laid back. the new facilities are really great, they have a high-tech anatomy lab so you don't really use an atlas anymore, it's all online. the interviewers were so friendly.
The cleanliness and how the school continues to rise in its development. The faculty was fantastic and seemed genuinely concerned about students becoming successful. I found there was a lot of freedom in how students wish to pursue their training.
I was impressed by the wealthy neighborhood just nearby.
The faculty is VERY involved with the students, students seem happy, great facilities: library, computer lab, anatomy labs. FUHS/CMS seems to be a tight knit community and everyone knows everyone else. My student host was VERY nice and her and her friends seemed happy with the school. I actually LIKE the location, because its in a nice quite suburb of Chicago, it feels safer than downtown Chicago.
The admissions people and the representative from the office of multicultural affairs were very nice. The students that I encountered were great and answered all of my questions
the schools facility is fairly new and very nice. finch has great hospitals affiliated with them. the faculty and staff tried to make everything as comfortable as possible.
The fact that half of their buildings are less than 1 year old. They have a model of a a doctors office for practicing clinical skills with tapings of your conduct for self-review. Campus housing is less than a two minute walk from class.
The building and facilities are very nice and new. Finch is a little far from the city of Chicago, but the surrounding suburbs are beautiful- nice houses, little shops, etc. Also, despite what I've heard, the 2 students I met seemed very happy with the school.
The facilities are realtively new and quite nice. We were taken to the faculty lounge for breakfast and to wait for our interviews, which was also nice and comfortable.
The students seemed geniunely happy with the choice. They were especially proud of their board scores and passing rate which were much above average. The new building is very nice and bright and yet not too large to be intimidating.
they just added on a new building which was very nice. They are also adding new apartments next to the school. The affiliate hospitals in Chicago are great hospitals.
Everyone was really friendly and our student tour guide seemed to be very happy. I also liked the location since I am from a small town. They also had great board scores last year and a decent match list.
The school is in a safe and good location. The people there are very friendly. The lecture hall was really big, the lounge was GREAT, and the anatomy labs were nice.
Applicants were consistently unimpressed by the remote location of the school, lack of nearby hospitals, disorganization during interview days, unenthusiastic or competitive student body, outdated facilities, high tuition costs, and minimal student amenities. Suggestions included improving tour guides, providing more informative presentations on financial aid and curriculum, enhancing student services, and fostering a more positive and welcoming campus atmosphere.
Almost nothing. Only thing is that the financial office is the office for the entire school (not just CMS) so at some points it was a bit out of touch. For example, talking to all of us like we were kids, when it’s a relatively nontrad friendly school.
The facilities are quite outdated in areas (but this would not affect my decision to attend if accepted, and there were other areas that were brand new).
I got the sense that some students are unhappy with having so many different rotation sites instead of one large home affiliated hospital (although there can be advantages to this to). They seemed to express that they missed being around their classmates everyday and that 3rd and 4th year are a lot more independent.
Chicago Medical School at RFUMS has been on a probation sanctioned by LCME, and they just recently were told that they are no longer under probation but are still being closely monitored. Also, the school is an hour away from the city of Chicago, and the North Chicago/Gurnee/Waukegan area is nothing to get excited about. Not to mention, we went to a nearby restaurant and discovered that sales tax is 15 percent! There's a fairly high cost of living that I think is just not worth it.
pretty much everything else. The interviewers were inappropriate, the school is on probation, their student services are lacking, and the day was disorganized.
The facilities are pretty isolated from any healthcare setting. The students did not seem all that enthusiastic about the school. The other interviewees were not a particularly friendly group.
Not being informed about the optional tour of the VA/Naval hospital. The financial aid presentation could have been more informative. (eg you need to ask about tuition and fees, since those figures are not provided on paper)
The school is quite isolated, and is difficult to reach from Chicago on public transportation. Its reputation for being the only choice of its students is discouraging, even if it is not deserved.
- Tour guides: I feel the admissions staff should really work on trying to recruit more enthusiastic/passionate tour guides.
- The idea that the 4th year students were much happier than the 2nd/1st year students didn't seem right
- There was a fellow interviewee who was insecure, but acting arrogantly that was not helping
The location isn't the greatest, but it is relatively close to the city. It certainly isn't a deal-breaker by any means. The rotation hospitals are spread out, which makes an automobile mandatory--again, not a deal-breaker though.
Nothing really. I knew the area wasn't that great, but hey, you're going to be studying your butt off, and then you can do rotations at a bunch of other places.
The disorganization of the day. My second interview was the last in the group and the interview said he did not have enough time to review my file. The interview was only 15 minutes because he needed to have me back by lunch. I told him I didn't mind missing lunch, but he said he had to get me back.
buildings were old, no affiliated hospital close by, anatomy lab looked like something out of the Saw movies, students weren't enthusiastic--I heard more than one respond with "this is the only place I got in" when asked why the chose here
No cool places near by the school for a quick meal. Not a much to do near the campus. I didn't mind it since during the first two years you'll study a lot anyway. During the clinical years, students move down to downtown area. So, it really is ideal.
The location of the school is kind of in the middle of nowhere but that is not such a bad disadvantage. It doesn't have its own teaching hospital but that gives students a wide array of choices for rotations.
The facilities were new and good, but the school itself is very small. And, this school is not affiliated with any one hospital. Most M3s move 1-hr south to Downtown Chicago for their wards, so M1/M2s hardly ever see M3/M4s.
All the students I talked with I asked them why they attended CMS and not another medical school. They all told me they got waitlisted else, but got in here. For someone who has gotten in already elsewhere, this was not an answer that helped my decision on attending CMS.
Location, Student tour guides seemed less than enthusiastic. One was wearing a torn t-shirt and jeans and said he was there because it was the only school he got into: ''Beggars cannot be choosers'', he said.
Seemed very research oriented, did not talk too much about the medical school. (Probably because this was interview weekend for MD/PhD and PhD applicants). Not the largest research institution. Lack of talk about financial support (got three different answers from three different students).
It seemed a little disorganized. My first interviewer got me from the waiting room before the dean came by to introduce himself so I didn't get to hear him speak or meet him. After my 2nd interview, I sat in the waiting room for another hour before they found a student to give us a tour (apparently, most of the regular tour guides were unavailable b/c we were interviewing on the day of a biochem exam)
It might not have been their fault, but we waited a long time to have lunch and the tour kinda dragged on even though it was obvious we all wanted to eat.
It seemed like everything was put together haphazardly. There was no structure to the tour and you didn't receive a presentaion about important details.....financial aid... housing... grading policies...
The feeling I got from the students is that nobody from IL wanted to come here over the other IL schools. I thought the students were nice, but really felt the need to prop up the school because of its shortcomings - no onsite hospital, the quarter system, and very little opportunities for research. I'm not a fan of the grading system either. I've interviewed at 4 other Chicago medical schools and this was my 5th and my least favorite.
school seems like a glorified board prep course. one of the students said if we get into any other med school, go there rather than rfu. makes sense to me.
The school was kind of disappointing. Nothing spectacular, nothing horrible but seemed really disorganized. The students didn't seem too enthusiastic either. The school lost their accredidation a while back, but have since gotten it back...a reason for concern?
Lack of structure to interview day, no presentation of curriculum or financial aid. student body didn't seem as friendly or cohesive compared to other schools i have interviewed at
My first interviewer was crazy. Complete racist and never even gave me a chance to speak during the interview. Plus I found that sitting in a room with other candidates was annoying because some people were really full of themselves.
no hospital affiliation - although they put a positive spin on this by saying they are affiliated with ALL Chicago hospitals, making them unique, I still consider it a negative. They constantly needed to reassure themselves by stating that any area physician would chose an RFU grad over any other area Chicago med school grad, which stuck me as odd.
A lot of waiting around...just wish we would have had more a presentation by the admissions office, but this is a minor complaint considering they were very friendly and enthusiastic.
The gym. Simply awful. The lecture halls are pretty big, and the seats don't have desks. They give you this weird piece of plywood to put on your lap for a writing surface.
Upon arrival, I was *very* turned off by the location, since I drove north from the school to explore that neighborhood. However, the tour guide told us about Lake Forest, a small town just south of the school, and it was beautiful--definitely a place where I could see myself going to study/shop/eat. It would have been really nice if they had a few snacks for us before the interview.
The interviewers' inability to question me on the important events in my application and my motivations behind choosing medicine. One interviewer flat out stated that he didn't even read my application before asking me questions. He may have done a better job if he did.
The tuition is really, really high. But I guess that's to be expected from a private institution that can't draw much revenue from patients (there aren't any, really).
the location, un-warranted uppity-uppity attitude of the faculty, lack of hospital affiliation. this place SUCKS! Guess its better than the Caribs, though...
There seemed to be a lot of disparity among the interviewers - some went consistantly for almost an hour, others went consistantly for under 25 minutes.
The location is a bit, well, let us say "rural". One student I encountered had a bad attitude toward some of the faculty, but there are people like that everywhere as every one is different...I was more upset that she was being a drag on what was otherwise a perfect day! To each his own I suppose, but don’t rain on my parade!
How far the school is away from Chicago (about an hour and a half drive without traffic) it is actually closer to south Milwaukee, the huge presence of military bases surrounding the school, and how much traffic there was in and around Chicago.
just the length of time you sit during the morning, really nerve wracking waiting to be called for your interview.That you dont get out of there when you expect to, book your flights out of chicago late, I missed mine!
Sitting in the reception are of the admissions office for 1-1.5 hours with nine or ten other candidates; a conference room where we could all wait would have been nice.
The school has no closely affiliated hospital, average student debt is $170,000 (national average is $130,000), the school is in a very rural area (40 miles from chicago), having to sit for over an hour waiting for my interviews, the school's probationary status
Everything that didn't positively impress me. The atmosphere was more like high school than anything, both because of the students and because there isn't a hospital. There are many activities that go on in most medical schools that are closely linked to the hospital.
The campus is about 30-40 min away from the city. North Chicago is really spread out with long "country-looking" roads. Wished that we could somehow toured affliated hospitals.
The interview day ran much longer than we expected due to a cancellation of interviewers. We all had to wait a long time, but the admissions staff was apologetic and they did their best to accommodate people with earlier flights.
The school seemed a bit small, but so is the class size, so it probably doesn't matter too much. I also was not given a tour; however, I was interviewed late in the year.
It was about an hour outside of Chicago, but that isn't that big of a deal. Their match results were impress; however, they only had two neurosurgery match, which does concern me.
A/B/C/D/F grading system. Curriculum is en-route to integration, but is still rather disjointed and dry. Testing and studying tends to be very stressful. Interviewing session lasted from 8:30 until 3:30, mostly just waiting around in the alumni lounge.
A couple of people told us that some of the teachers were lame. The med school is small and someone made the comment that the facilities remind them of high school. I thought it was nice enough, though. (then again, I didn't interview anywhere else).
Our interview day went exceptionally long because they had several inteviewers cancel. I was there until 3:45 and almost missed my plane. However, I don't think interviews usually run that late but make sure you have a late flight.
students didn't seem very enthusiastic about the school. and if i hadn't known someone who goes there, i would have only met 2 students (including my student interviewer). my tour guide was so boring, she didn't give a very good impression of the school or students. the students kind of seem like they all go there because they didn't get in anywhere else, and weren't very friendly during the tour (maybe they just didn't like our tour guide, she was so dull).
The campus is in the middle of nowhere and looks like some weird corporate headquarters; the students are unmotivated and more than one said that the only reason they were attending Finch was either because they didn't get in anywhere else because they sent in their applications late; cost of living is VERY expensive in spite of the fact that the school is in nowhere-ville
The shuttle to take you from lake bluff station doesn't run early in the morning or early in the afternoon. So, after taking the train from downtown chicago to lake bluff (about 1 hour), I had to call for a cab to take me the remaining 4-5 miles (no, you can't walk it unless you plan on being late).
There is no swimming pool and it would be nice if they had 'traditional' dorms to house students. One also realistically needs a car to get around the city, public transport is not all that convinient.
The attitude of the student body. Most students seemed unhappy and some expressed their discontent to matriculate there after receiving only one acceptance.
They did not serve lunch. My day went long so I was starving the whole time. It would have been nice to eat in one of the two cafeterias that we toured with a few students.
the new simulated clinic - complete waste of resources just to mimic a medical visit. students should instead be working with real people in a real medical setting. All of the beds, furniture, and resources could have been put to use in a clinic or hospital, where more people can benefit from them.
The campus is very barren, feeling a lot like a corporate campus. The amount of time we waiting in the faculty lounge before and between interviews (about 2 hours of nothing to do)
Not very much student interaction on interview day and no hospital directly affiliated with the school. Also, too many people were interviewing on the same day (I think I counted 30!). I waited almost 2 hours before my 1st interview and then another 45 minutes in between interviews.
Kind of had a community college feel to it... It is in the middle of nowhere, the gym facility was terrible and wasn't too impressed with the labs either. They have no teaching hospital and the tuition is high.
Felt like cattle being herded. Approx. 40 other applicants there that day. Took a critical tkg exam (1 hr)followed by a 30 min essay writing followed by interview and then tour. The agenda did not allow for a break or an opportunity to compose after the exam and the writing assmt.Interviewed by faculty member and first year student. Both were dead serious and seemed really unhappy and probably as harried as I felt.
the cost. the administration and faculty being incredibly cold and uncaring toward students. students seem unhappy, competitive, jaded. the fact that the 'facility' has no hospital, is really a box in a field, and yet the students pay an exhorbitant amount of money to go there.
The school is located in North Chicago - but the name is quite deceiving. North Chicago is a suburb of Chicago an hour away from downtown. Not really much to do around the area. The school itself is a set of two buildings - one which was only recently built.
The faculty (from what I gathered first hand and from past students) did not seem too intersted in the students. The atmosphere seemed very cold and competitive.
Applicants commonly wished they had known more about the location and distance of the school from Chicago, the potential for long waiting times during the interview day, and the need for a car to navigate the area. Suggestions included arriving early, bringing a book for waiting periods, and being prepared for the school's suburban setting and isolation.
That there was going to be a hospital tour. If you are traveling there via Route 176, budget extra time. There is a surprising amount of elementary school traffic.
Traffic on the 90/94 is TERRIBLE, ALWAYS. If you are driving, make sure to TRIPLE the estimate on Google Maps. Getting there early is not really a problem. Getting there 5 minutes late will give you unnecessary anxiety right before you go into interview.
that I'd be waiting in a room for 3 hours while everyone else was being interviewed too. Perhaps that was me being naive since this was my first interview.
CMS is not in chicago or anywhere near chicago, it is close to Wisconsin. If you have to travel from chicago to school, leave yourself plenty of time to catch all the trains you'll hop northbound.
The "interprofessional environment" they tout is BS. it's just a med school and podiatry school sharing the same campus--no classes together or clinical stuff together with any health professions students
I stayed at a motel about 5 min from the school that was in the middle of nowhere. This sorta skewed my perspective on the whole area before I got an actual tour.
I was apprehensive about the possibility of living in such a boring location for 4 years, but students only spend the first 2 years in North Chicago and move to Chicago the last 2 years for rotation (since the school does not have an associated teaching hospital)
That I should have brought a book. Hanging out in the waiting room the whole day certainly had a negative impact on me. The interviewers would come and go, but all the interviewees had to stay in this room for the whole day except during the tour.
North Chicago is the name of a city located about 50 miles north of the City of Chicago and is in no way a part of the City of Chicago. In fact, the only thing near the university is a VA hospital and a Naval training center.
A current student told me that the waiting in the admissions office was not indicative of how the school was run, just the opinion of one admissions officer on how the day should be.
That the buildings were larger inside than they look--it looks like a tiny school but it is sprawling. The anatomy labs and histology labs have a lot of technology. The library was very nice too.
The interview process was disorganized to say the least. The interview group was big with maybe 30-40 students, and they called people in in alphabetical order. I was first, went in for a 30 minute interview, came back into the same conference room, and then had to wait 2 hours for them to go through the whole group and then they called me a gain for my second interview. There were many interviewers, so I didn't understand why things weren't more efficient.
As a private school, I knew the tuition would be on the higher end, but they have a four year tuition freeze until 2010 and they have some money available for scholarships etc.
There is lots of down time during the interviews with no presentation from the admissions staff. You will wait until all the applicants go through their two interviews and then head to a lunch/tour with students. Then it's over. Bring a book.
I think I prepared for the interview thoroughly enough that nothing really surprised me. I knew how far it was from the city, and I expected the day to be "unstructured," as they put it.
Wish they would've given a map of the campus. It's easy to find, but when you're stressed and not thinking straight, the building right in front of you can't possibly be the one you want (even though it is).
It was 40-50 degrees with wind. North Chicago has really spread out roads and 1) it took us forever to find a place to eat.. 2) because interview day DOES NOT include lunch.
I wish I had known that the school really wants science majors. That way, I would have been able to defend myself better when I had to get defensive about being an econ. major.
It was a group interview held in Spanish. However, the other kids I interviewed with were from the US. Also, I wasn't too crazy about the group idea, however I think it helped make things stress-free
You really need a car to get anywhere in the area. Also the school. Also, if you want to order a pizza for delivery, expect to wait about an hour for a pizza place to get it to you.
I come from a city and it seems no fun to be in the suburbs. I heard some people live more south to get more city life, but the commute looks like it sucks.
How much this school totally rocks! Everyone is very friendly, and the admissions staff has really got their act together. It was the most informative and relaxing interview day that I've had all year.
Applicants generally found the interview experience to be positive, with many feeling that the process was laid-back and conversational. Some highlighted the friendly and welcoming nature of the interviewers, while others appreciated the school's facilities and opportunities for research and clinical rotations. However, concerns were raised about the school's location, the lack of a formal presentation about the curriculum, and mixed feedback about student satisfaction and clinical experiences.
It was a great interview experience and it consolidated even more that it was my top choice.
I added a lot of personal examples to my answers which made me more memorable. Also, I tried not to think about what they would like to hear but rather genuine answers. I think that really helped.
I like that there isn't much going on in the area, and that housing is cheap. Plenty of research and global health opportunities, but as I mentioned, less of a focus on service / advocacy area.
Very conversational interview, and the interviewers were both very friendly. I only got asked one or two ethical questions, and they were pretty easy to answer.
Chicago Medical School uses the letter grading system. For first years, exams are given about every two weeks. Anatomy classes have students from the medical and podiatry schools. I had a higher opinion of CMS after the day was finished.
The admissions staff are all extremely welcoming, the school seems really nice. I was pleasantly surprised. Don't count CMS out until you've at least visited - they are certainly looking good these days.
Loved the school, the campus, the curriculum, the facilities, the resources, the fact that you can do rotations at other schools, hospitals, or even abroad. If you interview here, GET EXCITED!
My personal interview was pretty laid back. I had very nice, conversational interviews. I really think this is, in part, luck and in part what an individual makes of his/her experience. This seems to be the case at any school.
My interview group consisted of 15. They took about half of us first, and then half of us later so there was some waiting around. Bring something to read or get to know your fellow interviewees.
There is one thing. Apparently if there is a huge disparity between your evaluation from one interviewer to the second interviewer, you may be pulled after lunch for a third interview. This is so that they can get as fair of a picture of you as they possibly can.
A lot of people complain about the "rural" location of the school, it being 30 minutes from Chicago, but if you're going there for school and studying, you can actually travel the 30 minutes to Chicago when the time comes to party!
My expectations of this school were not high and the visit confirmed my expectations. The school is in the middle of nowhere, but all of the students move to the city for clinical stuff so maybe it is a good undistracted environment to learn in
The interviews are low-stress. The interviewers are super friendly and seem happy to be at the school. CMS is quite small, however (we only visited 2 buildings during the tour), but there is a great sense of community.
The interview was laid back. The staff was friendly. The weather was great (in the low 70's and sunny). The tour guides were very friendly and even showed us their on campus apt. It was the most enjoyable interview day of the 6 I've had.
This was my favorite interview day of all the schools I've been to. They put you in a room with all the other interviewees and you wait until you are called individually by your interviewer. There is a lot of down time between interviews where everyone sorta just hangs out. Everything about the school is really great, except the tuition. Overall it was a good experience, not stressful at all.
I got to the school just ontime at 8am in the health sciences building. We sat around for about an hour and the interviews started on time at 9am. I had my first around 9:20am and my second interview at approximately 11am. The Dean came in to greet us a few minutes before lunch and he was amazingly down to earth. I felt really at home. Lunch (which was fantastic) is served at noon or a few minutes after depending on interview session. Finally, we are given a tour of the school afterwards, which takes about 45mins because it is pretty small but nice. It was a pleasant experience and relatively stress-free. I will love there
I really stressed out about this interview from the time I was invited for the interview to the day before my interview. I was happy that the interviewers were very friendly and nice, so that helped alot. Plus, the tour guide was very informative and easy to talk to.
It was a long day. Took 2 hours to drive in from the southwest suburbs of chicago because traffic was crazy. There was a brief introduction and interviews started around 9:00am. There was a lot of just sitting around and waiting. I didn't get to my second interview until 2:00pm. At around 12:00 we had lunch and then a brief tour. It was a laid back day pretty much.
The facilities were very nice, and the interview experience was laid back. You do spend most of the day in a waiting room, but they did tell us that we could leave the room to use the computer room or watch tv if we liked (no one left the room). The interviews were mostly conversational, but only by two faculty members (one was supposed to be a student). Also, we were told that students would drop by to talk with us in our waiting room, but none did. I was disappointed that the only student we ever met was our tour guide - supposedly their student body is a real strength. We did get in to the anatomy lab (although directly after lunch), and the rest of the facilities were nice. Most students live nearby for the first two years, but move downtown to Chicago for their third and fourth years, to do rotations at Chicago area hospitals, which is really nice. Overall, the school seemed like a nice place, albeit definitely remote from a major city or the resources/diversions of a major city.
not as disorganized as you may read in some people's reviews, lunch was provided, interviewers were very relaxed and conversational, med students were in and out all day, and very helpful
Overall I was pleasantly impressed and would definitely go to CMS if accepted because I think it is the kind of environment I am looking for( not the location, but the faculty and students).
Interview starts at 9am in the waiting room of the admissions office. You sit there with all the other interviewees, waiting for a faculty member to come in to call your name and take you away. Meanwhile, you can talk amongst yourselves or to the M1/M2s that drop by to answer any questions (if you get bored easily, you may want to bring a book). Lunch is at noon, and after lunch is the tour of their facilities. Their facility is small, so the tour lasts about 30 minutes. Everyone (from the Dean all the way down to the secretary) seems to be very laid back, kind and pleasant. Overall, I was impressed with the medical school. Everyone was happy to be there, and I think I would be, too.
I did not like waiting for 5 hours total in the same room. The girl giving the tour of the school was short with us (the interviewees) and really did not seem welcoming. I did like how laid back the interview was and the facility was quite nice.
The day started off with all of us sitting in a waiting room....where we stayed for hours. Random students stopped in to answer questions and so did the dean. My first interviewer was less than pleasant, but I thought the interview went fine. The second interviewer was nice, but one of the first things he said to me was, ''I am glad students like you weren't applying when I was applying for medical school because I never would have gotten in.'' That was sort of an odd statement and it was also discouraging. He then spent the entire interview trying to convince me to attend CMS because he kept saying ''I know you will get in to multiple schools but...'' The whole thing was a little odd. I left the interview wondering if he had any faith in the school. After the interview, we went on a tour. The tour guides both said the only reason they went to CMS was because that is the only place they had gotten in. They were saying ''We know the reputation of the school isn't so good, but...'' Before we left we were told they would inform us of their admission decision in 2 weeks...and now it is MARCH!!! The interview was in NOVEMBER!! Something is seriously wrong with that. I have gotten in to 5 schools since then and have alread chosen to go to another one. The only reason I have not withdrawn my application from CMS is because i want to see exactly how long it will take them to get back to me. I have called them multiple times only to hear, ''We are still processing applications from the fall''. What? Unless you really NEED to apply to this school, I wouldn't waste your time.
Good facilities with excellent opportunities for bench-based research (not clinical research). Good inter-disciplinary opportunities. Poor location. Poor social life around the school. Poorer community outreach.
IT's a great school! I love it after going there...the rating is seriously unfair, better than a lot of other schools where ppl are too snobby or laid-back or just stupid
It was primarily a positive experience. Before the interview I was neutral about attending this school. But when I was leaving I was eagerly hoping to get in.
The interviews were pretty easy and relaxed. I was annoyed that one of my interviewers tried to get me to say I would come to Rosalind Franklin if accepted (he asked what schools I had gotten into so far). When I asked one of my interviewers what he would change about this school, he mentioned reputation. Having interviewed at other Chicago schools, I'm sure the education is good, but I'd rather go to the other Chicago schools.
I felt i did well..i wish they'd let see the bodies in the anatomy lab, but they had pretty good facilities considered the med school is located mainly in one building
The whole day (9-2) was a great experience and the two medical students who gave the tour were more energetic and enthused about medicine than I could have imagined. A great school.
interview wasn't bad but i just was not impressed with the school at all. the other IL schools are much much higher on my list. i esp liked uic and rush when i interviewed there...havent heard from the other IL schools.
Was positively impressed by my interview day with RFU. The students were enthusiastic and eager to answer questions. The faculty I interacted with were great - my interviewer is a great person and the dean of admissions stopped by the room of interviewees to talk to each of us while waiting for interviews.
I'm in the BMS program so I knew the school pretty well before hand. The day was really laid back and I enjoyed both interviews. The interviewers are really laid back and friendly. I was finished with both of my interviews by noon, and the time spent waiting in between the interviews was spent just hanging out with the other applicants and 1st and 2nd years who stopped by.
Overall everything was great, no hard questions, interviewers were really nice. Pretty much what I expected from CMS, but the students really impressed me. Overall the vibe there was very welcoming and everyone seemed to enjoy being there.
Overall my experience was positive. My first interviewer was a little dry and difficult to impress, but my second interviewer was really chill and easy to talk to. They each score you and if the difference is greater than 6 points, they will ask you for a third interview which i thought was pretty fair. The dean is really fun to talk to and all the students were really nice and happy to be there. One of my tourguides actually chose to go there over AECOM and hasn't looked back since! The opportunity to do rotations in downtown chicago is actually extremely appealing and removes the school from the semi-rural disadvantages.
overall, positive. my first interviewer was a stoic old surgeon and not a good conversationalist. the second was really cool- we talked about sweater-vests. everyone is really enthusaistic about the school, but the setting is far from urban
The interview was really laid back and I thought it went very well. The tour was great and the cafteria has good food. They give you a $7.00 voucher to spend on food which is really nice.
It was fine. The interview themselves went fine, but the school didn't impress me. There are no rolling admissions here, so admissions committe meets in December and sends out accptances and rejections in January. I've kind of taken them off my radar after I got a few acceptances. I would not go here if I got in.
My biggest complaint is a serious lack of structure for the interview day. When everybody got to the waiting room one student got called back by their interviewer before anyone from the school even welcomed us and told us what was going on. It was nice to have both interviews in the morning and get them over with. While we were waiting the dean came in and visited with everybody which was cool. After the interviews we went on a student led tour and had lunch. That was it. No presentation by someone from the school about the curriculum, grading, financial aid, clinical experience etc...nothing. They just handed us a packet of information on the school when we arrived when we arrived in the morning and that all, not even a schedule for the day. Quite underwhelming to say the least.
My second interview went great, but the first was really wierd. I'm not sure if maybe it was a test or something to see how I would react. Anyways, it's a long day with a lot of waiting around, but the school is really nice.
We all sat in a room and waited to be interviewed by various members of the faculty. While we were waiting, the dean of admissions( Dr. Ross) came in to socialize with us. While he was talking, we were called to our first interview followed by another after 5-10 minutes. Then we went on a tour of the school with M1 students followed by lunch.
Overall, not a remarkable experience. Seemed disorganized - you start off in the waiting room, then the dean comes in for personal greetings and forced small talk. During this, your interviewers come take you away. After two interviews, you sit and wait in the room...random 1st years come in to openly talk with the group. Following this, you get a tour of the facilities and then lunch...then you leave. There was no formal presentation of the curriculum, Q&A session, financial session, or anything normally found at other interviews. There was not even a timeline of the day presented at the beginning; it just sort of started.
It went well. It lasted a lot longer then I thought. We did not get our second interviews until the afternoon and my second interviewer who I think was supposed to be replaced by another interviewer was kind of tired I think but overall it was very layed back and fun. Conversational. It was pretty fun.
It was a great experience! The students really liked the school, the interviews were good. The only bad thing was that we sat in a room all day until we got called out to interview. We spent a lot of time waiting and not doing much.
My first interview went really well. I not only answered my interviewer's questions to the best of my abilities, but I could also joke with that person. The second interview, in my opinion, didn't go so well. The interviewer seemed cold and didn't really care about who I am.
On the whole -- I would say a positive experience. As said before, the school is coming together and pushing a newly redesigned product. Faculty seem supportive, students are hardworking and there is an overall community feel with the other professional programs. Match lists indicate that hard work and good boards will land you a residency of choice. The location is a tough one being deep in the suburbs, but the clerkships are done at major city hospitals.
Make sure you have breakfast before you get there, and bring something to read, just in case. Once you check in, its really a waiting game for your interviewers. They will come out and take you to either their office or a room in the admissions suite. From there, depending on your interviewer, you'll either have a short or long interview. One of mine was 60+ minutes, because we had a lot to talk about, and the other was just about 35 mins (the std, they say). Afterwards, they took us for a tour around the school, which is housed in building that are linked so you don't have to venture outside during the winter, and then gave us a voucher for lunch. The cafeteria is nice, but bring some cash, b/c the voucher is only $5. I really liked the school because its students are cohesive and driven, and since its a graduate-only institution, there aren't the distractions that may be there elsewhere.
got there in the morning, sat in the admissions office with 9 other students. no food in the morning. we just sat there and waited til an interviewer came and called our name. while waiting, the dean came to talk to us (very nice person). the interviewer will take you to their office, or the interview will be in a room at the admissions office. after, we ate lunch at the cafeteria (get the philly cheese steak and a drink), and got a tour of the school. this school really left a good impression.
After the interview & tour, I could definitely see myself going to RFU. The students that I met were very excited about how high their grades were, due to lack of distractions & presence of helpful faculty.
very cool co-interviewees, very cool faculty and students, and the dean of the med school personally introduced himself to each person. I like the school alot more after the interview, and I can really see myself as a student there.
I was pleasantly surprised by my visit to Rosalind Franklin. The school seems like a nice place, and students appear happy and do very well with their boards and residency matches. I felt that my interviewers both read my file over very carefully - they knew a LOT about me right off the bat. The interviews both seemed conversational, but at the same time, I felt they got to know more about me than any of my other interviewers at other schools. There wasn't much in terms of an information session about the school (I'm still in the dark about how the curriculum is set up) and there was a lot of downtime. However, I feel like I learned enough about the school to know that it's a place I'd be happy to attend. One thing about admissions - they really do make use of the third interview (in the case that the first two interviewers' scores are dissimilar). I think 3 people on my day actually were called for a 3rd interview. All in all, CMS seems like a great place to go to medical school.
The interviewers didn't do the school any favors in my case (see the above for more detail). I left the interviews feeling that they had no organization on how to evaluate my person or application with respect to medicine. The interviews were more weird and sometimes inappropriate than stressful. Also, I came into contact with no one who could tell me about the clinical years. All the students were 1st/2nd years, who didn't know much about their next 2 years, and the interviewers had no further information about it either. I felt that this information would be extremely important because this school doesn't have its own hospital like every other school.
Short day; we were done at 1:15 which was nice b/c it was before the afternoon rush-hour began. The morning was very unstructured. We were interviewed at random and a couple interviewees were done with both of their interviews when I had just gotten back from my first. Other than that, the day went well.
Overall, very nice. The interviews were WAY low stress, and the interviewers did a good job of getting to know me as an applicant through conversation instead of interrogation.
Being my first interview, it was great. I normally am really nervous at interviews, but the interviewers did a great job of getting to know me more through conversating with me than by grilling me. The day went relatively quickly. I was lucky enough to meet the dean, who is an amazingly nice guy. Lunch was good, and we had a great tour guide who was incredibly informative.
I have interviewed at a few schools that are in NCMS' tier (ie 'safety') and can honestly say that it pales in comparison to them all ( NYMC, Drexel, Temple, etc).
I arrived at the site about 20 minutes early and was the second interviewee there. Getting to know the other interviewees was awesome, but always remember to NOT discuss your interviewers until you have left the venue. We were told that our interviews would be worth 20 points a piece, but we were not told how much these points weighed relative to the rest of our applications. I was the first one interviewed, which was pretty cool because I didn't have time to psych myself out beforehand, so I was pretty calm. I think it all boils down to being yourself, which sounds cliche, but it's a must. You don't need to use big words or act like you're perfect, otherwise they will see through it. Also, don't make the mistake I did if lunch is included in the interview day: I ordered a buffalo chicken sandwich, which was drippy, too spicy, and all-around nasty, so I ended up throwing it out and feared that I would offend the student tour guides. Ask the interviewers some tough questions- make THEM think, too. Although I worried about every little thing that I did that wasn't perfect, my fears were soon forgotten when I received my letter of acceptance the following week.
Very positive overall. Both interviewers were extremely friendly and put me at ease--not stressful at all. SDN feedback indicated that many ethical and current event questions were asked, but for me that was not the case--but it depends on who your interviewers are.
Not quite as laid back as many tell you, I actually wound up with almost a good cop/bad cop atmosphere between the two interviewers. It never really reached a point of being "high stress," it just wasn't stress free.
One was nasty, the other was nice. My first interviewer disgreed with EVERYTHING I said. I suggested a solution to the numbers of uninsured and I suggested several ways to contain the avian flu epidemic. He disagreed with everything out right and continued to shoot me down for the whole hour. I stood my ground and finally asked him what HE would do. His answer did not make sense (stockpile vaccine?!).
The second interview was just questions about my AMCAS application
Both of my interviews were comfortable not extremely stressful. I did not feel like I was in the "hot seat" so that was good. They really just want to get to know who you are, why you are there (why MD and why RFUMS) and whether or not you would fit in with their students. The school is close with the other health sciences that are studying there, so you share anatomy lab with the PA and podiatry students, which I found appealing. It also has a smallish, close-knit atmosphere, which has always appealed to me since I went to a smaller private undergrad. I really liked it there. In addition, they do have some impressive research opportunities if so desired. The location of the school is way out in the boonies, but I am not looking to go out partying in Chicago's nightlife, so that does not bother me on that level. I want to go to med school and learn, so the location is fine with me - BUT, try and find a restaurant, or a grocery store...maybe I was not looking in the right areas but there really isn't much in the immediate vicinity of the school.
You start out in the office of admissions with around seven other students and wait there until one of four interviewers for the day come and call you out to join them in a sixteen square foot room that is slightly intimidating by itself. There is a lot of down time so you can go play pool or foosball next door to the admissions office in the student lounge, or just sit an wait. Then you are lead around the school for a tour. Though the students seemed nice, their info seem slightly contrived and like they were reading off a tour info sheet, which they were. But overall, it was a smooth day and the campus seems nice.
I had a great time interviewing and touring this school. I did not know what to expect but I loved it and the students there seemed to really like it as well. The interviews were very easy going.
We arrived at 9, and there were about 12 of us being interviewed- we had lots of time to talk while we waited for our interviews. The interviews were friendly, overall. We finished interviewing around 12:30 and then got lunch in the cafeteria with our meal vouchers. Finally, we got a tour of the school.
It was very stress-free. All the interviews were held at the administration office and they weren't very long at all. My interviewers were very nice and funny and they are just trying to get to know you.
everything went smoothly. I was out by 1:30pm, but most people still hadn't had their second interview. Be careful if you are making plane reservations leacing the same day!
It was great we got there in the morning, they provided us with breakfast to pass the time, sat in a group with the rest of the people being interviewed for the better half of the morning waiting to be interviewed. The waiting was nerve-wracking but gave us all a chance to meet with the rest of the group and get to know them. I had 2 interviews, one with a student and one with a faculty. They were both really laid back and asked no tricky questions. After our interviews you go on a tour of the school with a tour guide who is a student, that gives you a great idea of what the students think about the school. They provide you with meal tickets, so lunch is on them. After that you are free to go.
Excellent; I cannot say enough about the facilities. The histology slides are all computerized (no more microscopes); library is spacious with plenty of quiet space. Students seemed to be pleased with their decision to attend CMS. Very pleasant faculty representatives, who appeared to have a genuine interest in the candidates. The dean made a point to come and introduce himself individually to each of the candidates.
Showed up along with 7 others. We sat in the office and waited as four interviews pulled people out. Then tour and lunch. By the time we got to the caf they were getting ready to close, so I couldn't get a wrap. Left around 2.
All 15 applicants sat in a waiting room while the interviewers would come and get us individually for the interview. Both my interviewers were very nice, but also quite challenging. They asked me the big 3 questions, but also had some very specific questions about my profile as well as some unique questions, indicated below. The interviewers, the Dean of the school, and the students were all very honest about the negative aspects of Chicago Medical School. One being that they do not have a affiliated teaching hospital, exclusive to CMS. The medical students actually do rotations in many of the hospitals in Chicago but there is not a hospital exclusive to CMS. After the interviews, the Dean had a conversation with all of us regarding the accreditation status of the school; again, he anwered questions straight forward. Two first year students gave us the tour, and ate lunch with us. They seemed to be quite content with the school, especially with Chicago accessible(the school is about 40 minutes north of the city center). CMS actually went up a few spots in rank on my list of schools after the interview visit.
I was very impressed with visiting RFUMS. The admissions staff was very kind and helpful from the moment I walked in. The other interviewers were also very nice. This was really impt b/c i felt that it helped us interviewees relax. In fact I was really comforted that we all wanted everyone else to do really well. We wished each other good luck. I had many interesting convos w/ the other interviewees. I wish them all luck. I also had a great interview w/ Dr. Suskind (who happened to be the former dean of the med school) & Dr. Oltmans and would like to thank them. I enjoyed our conversations
Overall a very enlightening experience. I did not expect much from the school especially with the stigma of the probationary status, but students and administration made that fear go away. One of the most relaxed interviews I have had.
The interview was a very positive experience. The admission office and dean were very helpful and very willing to sit down and talk with you. Very laid back interviw, very informal, students are in jeans and faculty members are easy to talk to. My overall impression of the school is very good, if you don't mind living outside of the city for a while.
Interviewed with a researcher and a 4th year medical student. Not too bad, but be prepared for ethical questions, especially when interviewing with the med students.
It was a very laid back interview. More like a conversation then an actual interview. It felt like I was interviewing them more than the other way around. Gave a lot of time to ask questions.
The interviews were really well done because they didn't have time restrictions. You went into a room with the interviewer, and the interview went on as long as either of you cared to continue chatting. It was nice to be able to fully explain things, but I wish I had known that's what it would be like so I could have prepared to talk about certain things in my app. Intererstingly, although the interview is open-file, neither interviewer ever opened the folder during the whole time we were talking. One was a faculty interview, another by a fourth year med student.
The interview was conducted by a staff member and one of the Gross Anatomy professors. The interview was straight-forward except for a few instances where they would try to rattle you a bit, (e.g., the interview was conducted in Spanish, and at what point a question would be asked in English, but if you responded in English you would be corrected).
My day started at 10:30 am with small breakfast and student-guided campus tour. The interview began at noon. Most students got two interviews and very few got three.
Follow up to check the completion of the secondary
The interview started with us sitting in a waiting area in the middle of the office. I expected that we would be moved to a different location, but we were kept there in the middle of everything. The interviewers came and picked up people. Both of my interviewers were very nice and conversational. In the meantime, everybody else just sat there and waited...
As soon as we got there, we started our interviews. We had a brief continental breakfast and then the interviewers started pulling us out. My first interview was with a doctor. The interview was extremely laid back. My second interview was with a M4. He told me all about what he liked about the school and answered questions that I had. The day was really really low stress. After the conclusion of our interviews, there was a brief tour and we were free to go.
CMS is a great school. I would love to go there. Interview day started promptly at 9:30am with cont breakfast and a quick intro by the admissions staff. There were about 12 of us, and we sat in the admissions office waiting for our 2 interviews. it's a doubleheader! My first interview by the admissions director was a "tell me about yourself" type interview -- which I believe was my most "complete" interview thus far. My second interview was with an Int Med prof and surprisingly he asked me technical questions (please read below). No hard feelings though. :)
Most of us were done with interviews by 11:30am-12pm. Tour was given by a goofy 2nd year -- kept the tour very interesting. School is pretty big once you start walking around. Medical students are really busy studying but overall like the school. the first 2 years in North Chicago are really geared for traditional learning and high board scores. Excited about doing clinical rotations in the city. I suggest that if you do interview... take a day and explore the city -- Chicago is awesome. BUT always dress warm.
After interviewing and learning all about the school, I can definitely see myself as a student at Finch. The students were very nice and encouraging, as were the admissions staff and interviewers. I was very nervous in my first interview (with a professor), but I loosened up with my second interview (with a 4th year MD/PhD student). Also, I can deal with the ABCDF grading system and living in the middle of nowhere for 2 years before moving to downtown Chicago. I had a very positive experience, and I am very excited at the possibility of attending Finch.
The interview was real laid back, but also stressful because there were 50 other kids there with me interview at the same time for the BS/MD program so it was quite competitive.
Not a bad school with good match results (especially for CA residents.) Good hospitals to rotate through. Chicago is a great city to live in the last two years. North Chicago is not great, but it's manageable and has a good feel that caters to studying. The facilities are new and nice, the people in general are great. Just a little to stressed out from the A/B/C/D/F grading system and all the tests and non-integrated classes. They do hand out notes to all the classes so you don't really need to buy the books or go to lectures.
It was an overall good experience. My only advice is to feel confident and sure of yourself even if you are nervous, it really helps and it leaves a good impression.
A group of 12 candidates met in the Admissions office. They
started on time ( 9:30). There was good strong coffee, juice, and
muffins in the office ( these were welcomed as there was
no lunch served). There was a brief orientation by an
Admissions Specialist. A packet was handed to each of us which
had a brochure, an interviewer evaluation form, and two
candidate review sheets for our interviewers ; we were told
to put our name and date on these before giving them to the
interviewers. At the top of the sheet are instructions telling the
reviewer to keep the candidate's recommendations, activities,
and experience in mind when ranking ( these sheets will give
you an idea of how we would be evaluated so be sure to look at
them- three categories are rated: poise, problem solving ability,
and other; all three are ranked 1 - 5). These three categories
will be added up and totaled at the bottom of the sheet.
The first interviewer was an M4 who used my supplemental
application and accompanying essay. She was very nice and
pretty laid back. The interviewer was very engaging and
informal the whole time; she was also helpful with my list of
questions.
Between interviews, the Admissions Specialist held many
question and answer sessions for the candidates that were
waiting in the office.
The second interviewer was an MD that taught at CMS. He was
kind and thorough. This interviewer covered most of my AMCAS
thoughtfully; he clearly had read the document. He also posed
additional questions about my personal life, motives, and future
plans.
A brief tour came next which included the new Rosalind Franklin
Biochemical dept, anatomy lab, realistic practice clinical rooms,
workout room, cafeteria/ student union, and the twin-pod/ auditorium area.
Half of the facilities are only 2 years old. There are also brand new
dormitories near the school which we did not tour.
Good, low stress interview. Some of the questions seemed canned (like--"if you like to work with people, why not be a social worker?). Overall it was a good experience. I was a little scared when I first showed up (as were the other interviewees), but as the day went on, the place started to grow on me (and I think the others as well).
I learned a lot about Finch on my interview day and I left the day much more excited about the possibility of attending that school. Also, check out their website to learn about their recent name change!
Very relaxing experience. Both the student and the faculty members were nice, but they didn't let you know when your interviews were scheduled. Some students had to wait in the office over 2 1/2 hours until both interviews were done
The interview was very stress free. I liked the school more and more as the day went by. They have a low passing rate for the USMLE's, however my tour guide explained that it was due mostly to the local kids who attended. Only about one kid from the states per year didn't pass.
Ten of us were interviewed that morning. I was interviewed by one professor and one four-year student. Both were very nice. They did not give me any hard questions. The professor asked many questions that were related to my experiences. The student only asked about three to four questions. The interview ended before noon.
school was really in nowheresville, IL. one of the interviewers was clearly uninitiated to the world of modern medicine--was confused when i talked about basic transcriptional regulation experiments. he wasn't a prof, though.
the people here are very nice and fully fund md/phd students. its an average 6 year program expidited...i love the staff here and interviews were greatq
i can't say enough about how friendly and welcoming the interviewers were. the whole day is really laid back, although a little boring. the area is also pretty suburban, it's in north chicago, not chicago.
My interview was broken up into two parts. The first half was with the director of the library and it was in spanish only. The second half was with the first semester physiology professor and it was in english. I felt lost between interviewers because I was not told where to go next, so I just went back to the administration building for directions. Overall, I did not feel like the school would give me the best opportunity to fulfill my dreams of being a complete doctor.
The interview experience overall was very pleasant. The stay-over program helped a lot with costs and seeing the lives of students, the interviewers were very friendly and laid back, the tour was informative.
Had lotsa fun even though I was stressed and interviewers seemed to keep their eyes out on us all the time. They gave feedback on how they view my application and interview (mostly positive). The Director of Admissions and Dean of Student Affairs were all very cool. Visiting Chicago for the first time was awesome.
This is the first time I've thought to myself after an interview: "Even if this is the ONLY place I got accepted, I would NOT go to school here." Honestly.
Like I said, the staff and the interviewers were extremely nice and enthusiastic about the school. The school itself is almost completely new or renovated. Great facilities - a dozen or so simulation rooms have just been added. The campus, however, is rather isolated and there isn't much near there. You need a car. The student tour didn't impress me much. The student didn't seem particularly happy to be there, although she told me that was the case no matter what med school you went to. I didn't get that impression from students at other med schools. She also pointed out that most people hadn't chose to come to chicago med but rather this was the only school they had gotten into. On the up side, you can move into the city your 3rd and 4th year for your rotations. Overall, the school/facilities/professors are fine - just wish it was closer to the city.
The experience was great! the faculty and students seem very nice and the school has some great facilities! I definetly want to go to FUHS/CMS after this experience and hope to complete my MD there :)
The interview began very late and required us to spend some time waiting in the admissions office. One of my interviewers kept trying to suggest I apply to the Caribbean as a back-up plan, which I didn't appreciate. The other interviewer talked about 95% of the time. The student tour guide was an unfriendly, boring, prude and didn't really enjoy being at the school. Finch has a ways to go in the marketing of their school if they want to improve their situation.
*I stayed with a great student host who gave me a great tour of the brand spanking new student housing units. The rent was a bit high, but the places were spacious and they were right across the parking lot from the school.
*I didn't feel very positive about the interviews, but the day itself went well.
*About the interviews: Two were conducted in a manner that made me feel quite comfortable. The 3rd interviewer basically spent the whole time critiquing my academic record in a way that made me feel defensive and made me wonder why they even invited me for an interview. I expect to be asked about my grades and MCAT, but not in a such a harsh manner...
*I got the impression that most students attend the school b/c it's the only choice that they have.
*Finch has great opportunities to volunteer, job shadow, and do clinicals in diverse environments.
there were only 7 interviewees present. the morning was spent doing interviews. there were only a few interviewers so we all had to wait our turn (I was not use to this) but it went by fast. the interviews were relaxing, and more conversational than all other interviews I had had. they really want to make you feel confortable and really want to get to know you.
Overall very positive; the interview was relaxed and more like a discussion. Make sure to rent a car if you fly in; its a lot cheaper as well as convenient, and take some time to visit downtown Chicago - it's beautiful!
Finch/CMS seems like a great place-- students appear happy, facilities are brand new, and not too far from the city.
The actual interview: on my day, there were 8 of us (interviewees). We sat around until 10-10:30AM or so before interviews actually began. Day was over by 12:30-1:15PM, depending on when your interviews started. Very casual, low stress.
The first interview was with the director of admissions, and besides making you feel relaxed, she's got a good sense of humor. The second interview was only 15-20 min. long with a professor, and that was pretty relaxing as well.
Overall a positive experience and I left with a better opinion of the school than I arrived with. The facilities are very nice and new, but too bad they don't have a hospital attached to the school. On the other hand, the last 2 years you move into the city of Chicago and the clinical experience is great. Despite the reputation I had heard about students not being very happy, the 2 I met seemed really to like the school and boasted about the school's high board scores. A good tip is to rent a car because it ends up being cheaper than the cab rides from the airport.
I love Finch and think its a wonderful school, definitely on the rise. The clinical experiences are unparalleled and there is no hidden agenda for primary care quotas. They want their students to do well and gain competitive residencies. Many of the professors help USMLE review books and this shows in their teaching. It is a primarily for teaching, not research.
I was favorably impressed overall. Again, I got a good feeling about the people, the school, and the city. I would recommend just being relaxed and try to turn the interview into more of a conversation - this will make you less tense. Make sure you ask them questions, as well. Contact me at [email protected] if you want to ask me anything or just talk about the school.
The interviewers really tried to make the experience very relaxing and comfortable. My tour guide seemed genuinely happy about being there. CMS isn't as bad as some people have made it out to be. Although the location isn't ideal, students get to move into the city during 3rd year for clerkship.
Good preparation for future interviews. Couldn't have been much worse. Though I was very prepared the environment was not conducive to a good interview. Too many people...too little time. Should have screened the applications better and narrowed it down a lot more for the benefit of all involved.
I had an interesting occurance. My first interviewer turned out to know a good friend of my family, and we found out that we attended the same wedding 2 years ago! My other interviewer engaged me in a conversation about Israeli politics. I liked that I was able to get out of there by noon, the down time was minimal.
Im current a student at Finch University in the one-year Applied Physiology Masters Program. During this year Ive been taking med school courses and at the end of the year the students are evaluated based primarily on their grades at Finch. We had interviews, which were more of a formality. Overall - I suggest this program - for students who are struggling with med school admissions. Its NOT cheap, but its definitely do-able.
Very easy interview overall. As you can see, my interview was the last day of May, and the class was already full. Why did they even invite me? The interview was very ladi back though and was not stressful at all, just know your AMCAS well and be prepared to expand on whats on it. No difficult questions were asked me.
I thought the actual interviews were very standard with one exception that of which was very open-ended. The place seemed very factory-like in the sense that they just churned out doctors with very little concern for them. One thing that the school did seem to be concerned about is finances (high tuition, partnership with Dr. Scholls podiatry school).
The interview at Finch is EXTREMELY laid back. the interviewers all seemed really friendly and just wanted to get to know you as a person. The school is really nice!
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggest improved communication with interviewees, providing an applicant portal for checking application status, and enhancing organization and amenities during interview days. They also appreciate the admissions office's efforts while suggesting earlier decision timelines, better interviewer preparation, and more transparent processes.
Better/more communication with interviewees pre- and post-interview.
They're doing a great job, especially considering the huge volume of apps they have to go through. Everyone was great - from responding to emails pre-interview, to how smoothly interview day went, to just being welcoming and frank about everything throughout.
Make the season end earlier and finish IIs earlier. While I'm honored to have been extended an interview and enjoyed that day thoroughly, I'm now sort of stuck, unsure whether I will need to apply again while the AMCAS/AACOMAS are already underway, and am unsure whether to start working on my backup plans should reapplying not work out. It's frustrating to have the next year+ of my life hanging in the balance much later than other schools.
The day was unorganized, we spent so much time trying to get everyone interviewed and there was no food. Every other morning interview I have gone to has offered some snacks. And after three hours of waiting to finally be done with my interviews, I was shaking for food. Because it took so long to be done with the interviews, we got a shortened version of the tour and I had to stop eating before I was done. My second interviewer was plain nasty. She had be at the point of tears for no good reason except to berate me. I know for a fact I am not the only one she has done that too. I felt overall that the interviewers made their opinions too well known, which I think is inappropriate in an interview when concerning topics so polarizing. Other schools have provided avenues for dealing with inappropriate interviewers, but CMS made no mention of what to do in that case, so I kept quiet. I really liked the prospect of going to school close to home and close to Chicago, but frankly, the interview day completely changed my mind.
There was coffee provided in the morning, but, as admitted by some of the admin staff, it wasn't very good. Since the interviews are first thing on the schedule (practically), perhaps some better joe is in order. :)
Provide us with a list of all the possible interviewers' names and titles up front, so we don't have to write them down, it would have been much easier.