Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 39% of interviews, indicating it is moderately regarded. They found the interview mixed with a low stress level, and felt they did okay.
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as low stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
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 personal experiences, motivations for pursuing medicine, strengths and weaknesses, family background, volunteer and research experiences, as well as questions about specific activities mentioned in the application. Some interviews were structured as Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) with questions focused on ethics, challenges faced, and qualities of a good doctor, potentially under a nondisclosure agreement.
Tell me about your research with Dr. xxx. Do you have any other clinical experience? What are your thoughts on the emotional aspect of pediatric oncology (I am doing research in the department)?
my interview was very conversational and afterwards my interviewer told me that he sees no reason why i shouldn't be accepted here. this isn't an interview to stress about at all
No real questions but, my interviewer said that I interviewed fine but my MCAT was a little low for them (I had a 30), and looking at their past statistics I didn't really follow this comment. My interviewer was very interesting and cordial and had a lot of experience in medicine but was still up to date.
What other schools have you interviewed at/been accepted? (I thought that this question was kind of unfair, but be prepared to answer it because they seem to ask it a lot)
explain this "problem" on your transcript. (i had gotten 2 b- grades junior year and didn't really think there was anything wrong with that, so i was surprised he asked me about it, and i really didn't know what to say).
Tell me about your family. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What do you do to de-stress? AMCAS, Volunteer experiences--DETAILED questions about how I felt, what I learned, etc during those experiences.
I know this is a bit contrived, but we have one question will like to ask: Is there anyting in your life that you can think of that was a really hard experience for you? How did you get through it?
In general he asked me in depth questions about my activities, work and etc. So for instance, he saw I'd gone to the Philippines on a mission trip. So he asked me what I thought was the general state of the country, and what I viewed as the main cause of the deterioration. So we got into a big discussion on history, which ended with us both saying we didn't really know the recent history of the Philippines very well. Stuff like that.
Just a nice conversation, to be honest I dont remember many questions except the one stated above. He asked me about my application and my motivation for entering medicine.
Do you have any idea what type of medicine you want to practice or are you wide open? For most of the interview I felt that he was trying to sell the school but we had a very nice conversation.
What has been the most difficult experience you have had to deal with?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What would you like to change about yourself?
If you could change one thing about yourself right now, what would you change?
If you're comfortable doing so, tell me about your family. (this had to do with my PS)
What is your strongest characteristic?
What are you doing now? (i.e. if not going to school)
Describe your research.
What languages do you speak?
What do you think are important qualities (or the most important, i can't remember which) a physician should possess?
Which volunteer experience has been the most memorable?
What have you learned about yourself from your volunteer experiences?
Describe a difficult situation you've faced, how you overcame it, and include characteristics about yourself that are demonstrated through this experience.
What do you do for fun? outside interests?
Students said most interesting question asked at Saint Louis University School of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, with common themes including patient interactions, personal experiences, motivations for medicine, and challenges faced. While some mentioned specific questions related to their backgrounds or applications, there was no clear pattern indicating a consistent unique question.
What's something you can do in the next few months to better yourself before medical school?
Somehow we got on the subject of my work within the interviewer's profession and we had an in-depth conversation about patient health education and some website content I'd helped create in that area. She even wanted me to show her the website, which I did.
The question about Jesuit education; it led to an interesting conversation about the overall feel of the institution and campus and the impact of a religious affiliation.
The whole interview was very conversational. The most interesting question was probably when I was asked to describe the crazy people I would come in contact with while working one of my many entry level positions.
Most of the questions were elaborations based on my application. He seemed pretty interested in my insight into medicine through shadowing and as a medical assistant.
Two parts - If there was one thing you could change about the world, what would it be? (excluding world peace - because that's unachievable) If there was one thing you could change about yourself, what would that be?
The interviewer was very personal with me, calling me by name and had reviewed my file to enable him to be familiar with my family life, my history, etc. The most interesting questions came from my background. I was very impressed with this.
Something about why licorice should not be given to heart patients. There was no context for the question either. He just hit me with it while we were talking about my hobbies. I think he was trying to see how I would handle it. I had no idea, and he just told me the answer (some organic compound) and moved on.
Nothing really. The interviewer was very relaxed and had read my file earlier and just asked me questions about my personal statement and various experiences.
What separates the medical profession from all other professions? (my interviewer said the correct answer was that doctors are allowed to physically touch the patient)
We had a fascinating discussion about race and identity in the US and in the Northwest...we had both gone to college in the Northwest and lived in Africa at some point during our college years, but about 20 years apart. It was nice that they went to the effort to match me to someone with similar interests.
Do you really feel as though it's possible to determine the molecular basis of depression, when depression is so 3-dimensional? (This was the goal at the lab I work at.)
nothing too interesting. just the usual questions about my family, me... but my interviewer did spend a lot of time talking about one of my letters of rec. so remember who your writers were.
My interviewer talked to me about my family quite a bit, which was nice. He was interested in the events that lead up to my decision to pursue medicine, since I entered college as an EE.
Being Asian Indian, I could pass for a middle eastern person very easily in an airport. He asked me whether I get offended at having to be pulled aside to be checked most of the time.
Students said most difficult question asked at Saint Louis University School of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, including specific research inquiries, ethical dilemmas in an MMI style, challenges faced, and personal reflections. Some respondents mentioned being drilled on their experiences and questioned about their motivations and future goals, while others highlighted the conversational and laid-back nature of the interview process.
Something about how my degree related to public health, or what someone could do with my degree...I didn't really understand the question, but I'm not sure the interviewer really did, either.
The questions were not difficult and the interview was mostly conversation. I was asked about my undergrad experience, volunteer and research experience, and why I didn't get into medical school last year. Nothing out of the ordinary.
I was asked to explain a poor grade in a Physics class. The interviewer made a strong effort to make sure he wasn't ''grilling me'', and that he just needed something to go back to the committee with.
None seemed that difficult- The difficulty was that the interviewer seemed to have set answers that he was looking for. He would eventually try to lead me to the answer that he wanted.
Difficult questions most likely come from some experience you listed on AMCAS. If you don't know the answer, just say so. Know that if the interviewer has a laptop he/she can google the correct answer.
There wasn't necessarily one most difficult question, but we got into a discussion about the difficulty of opening up one's own practice (this was brough up as we talked about my shadowing experiences). I enjoyed the conversational atmosphere, which both put me at ease, and enabled me to express my opinions and reasons for them.
The questions were pretty standard, just about my experiences, my interviewer was just a sincere guy who really wanted to get to know me. He didnt care to drill me or test me on random knowledge
After going through all my medically related experiences, the interviewer said that those don't count, so what else have I done to prove I am worthy to become a doctor.
What would you do if you didn't get into med school this year? (I answered and then my interviewer told me they were looking for "I would contact admissions offices to find out how to improve my application and then I would reapply.")
If you couldn't do medicine, what would you do? (He wasn't asking if I wasn't admitted into medical school what would I do, but he was asking if it was impossible for me to go to medical school)
I was asked specific questions about "flaws" in my academic transcript (i.e. C's and one Withdrawl). I was grateful for the opportunity to discuss them though; as a Chemical Engineering student my two C's were in classes where the majority of my classmates also earned C's, but you can't put that on a transcript!
I was asked multiple questions about psychology terms related to denial because my transcript said I had taken psychology courses. (I had those classes in high school)
What type of scan would you use to identify an acute stroke? (I did stroke research as an undergrad) The point to take away is that you could be asked technical questions...
Nothing too difficult. If you had to write a recommendation for yourself, what strengths would you write about and what would you put that you need to improve on?
Name a major challenge you've experience and how you overcame it. (I felt like she was looking for something huge such as an illness or financial failure, I just don't have that).
Some ethical dilemma re: a transplant case. There was no real right or wrong answer, yet it appeared that whatever I said (and justified) wasn't "the best" answer that the interviewer was looking for.
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What are your comments on where you stayed?
No responses
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by reviewing their application materials, practicing mock interviews, and utilizing resources like SDN and the school's website. Many also sought advice from mentors, current students, and healthcare professionals to gain insights and prepare for common interview questions.
I checked out the interview feedback section from SDN and read stuff from the university website. I also looked into the things St. louis had to offer and made sure that I was aware of everything I had written on my application
I didn't really prepare since I recently had an interview. I went through really fast in my head the main questions like why medicine. Nothing too extensive.
Keeping in touch with healthcare news, bought an interview preparation book (which had sample questions in it), and attended mock interviews at my school.
Answered questions from SDN feedback, researched the school through the SLU website and MSAR, as well as researching a little on St. Louis and the demographic.
I read SDN, reviewed the school's website, prepared lots of questions, and really just thought about all the reasons to go there and what I still needed to find out to make an informed decision.
reviwing my own app (most critical), researching what i liked/dislike about the school, sometimes i dont know until the tour though and i probably glanced at SDN...if uve already interview, u dont need to prepare much.
read a lot about the school's program online (despite what other's have said I found the site to be very useful and felt like I knew a lot about the school going in to the interview). I also know someone who went to SLU for PT school so I talked to them about their experiences there.
Nothing specifically for this one. I had at this point become a veteran of the interview trail. I just reviewed my application the night before. It was difficult to find specific information on SLU. Their website was not that great.
i had heard that the interview was pretty relaxed, so i just tried to get rest and read a few things on sdn... this was my 3rd interview so I wasn't as stressed out I think.
I had already had some other interviews. One of my exit interviews for another school said I needed more clincal experience, so I did 40hrs of shadowing two weeks before the interview.
Went over AMCAS, secondary, school website, SDN, read an ethics book, did research on hot topics, and read the NY Times. All you really need to go over are your application materials.
Looked exhaustively at school website, read over application, listened to npr.com - healthcare issues, etc. Talked to my host student about the school.
read sdn's interview feedback. prayed interviewfeedback.com would be running through sdn. visited SLU's website, read info in MSAR. searched my interviewer's name on SLU's site & google.
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendliness and enthusiasm of the staff, faculty, and students at the school. They also appreciated the emphasis on student wellness, the supportive and low-stress environment, the focus on faculty mentorship and guidance, the innovative facilities like the simulation lab, and the sense of community at the institution. Suggestions were made to continue emphasizing these positive aspects during the admissions process.
Knew my file really well and seemed like she was excited to talk to me
Got to interact and ask questions to multiple students throughout the day. 4th year student led the tour, meaning she actually knew about the curriculum (as opposed to M1 students who gave tours at another school). The students are genuinely happy and friendly. SLU takes seriously a commitment to ensuring their students aren't stressed out. St. Louis as a city was beautiful and livable. The interviewer had taken the time to read my file.
Friendliness of students, several new buildings, clerkships in other area hospitals; Jesuit tradition and values; St. Louis area (Tower Grove/South Grand neighborhoods)
The P / F grading system made the learning environment much more collaborative than competitive. The students all got along and wanted each other to succeed. It showed. The campus was also beautiful.
the studnets, the fun friendly atmosphere, the curriculum seems to really prepare students for the boards, and they just went pass fail and the lectures are audio recorded!!
1.) Nice hospital
2.) Curriculum (dividing the 2nd yr. into organ systems)
3.) High USMLE scores of students
4.) low, low cost of living
5.) Majority of classes are recorded and broadcasted.
School seems nice, and you get to use a lot of the undergrad facilities (gym, library), so you have a lot of amenities, housing is also cheap ($350 a month for a nice apt, coming from Miami, this is amazing)
Everything--sim lab, all the study space on campus, the students were down to earth, P/F, podcasting after 1st semester, block scheduling, enthusiastic tour guide, Children's hospital, Virology/vaccine development research, St. Louis, other interviewees
My interviewer was very nice and did his best to put me at ease. He also came up to the conference room to get me instead of having me go on a wild goose chase in search of his office.
The friendliness of students, doctors, and admissions office staff. The students' positive opinions and enthusiasm about the school. The affordability of the area.
The school's dedication to the humanistic aspects of medicine was quite refreshing (less research-based) and their hospitals seem to be pretty good. Also, the students seemed to be relaxed and welcoming.
The fact that the faculty are constantly updating the curriculum based on student feedback. Also, they seem to be getting more money for updating/construction.
The Spanish-speaking free clinic, the amount of things to do for free in STL, the new research building, the size of the medical campus (small), the low cost of living, the closeness of the hospital.
Very friendly and open students. The clinical exposure begins in first year, and their anesthesiology simulator was really cool! The children's hospital (cardinal glennon) is also very new and nice.
The school is definitely up and coming. new research building is going bring some major $$ to bring it up in the rankings (not that it matters). Clinical experience in StL is second to none. Students do VERY well on Step 1. Match list is great.
The facilities are very nice. There are alot of renovations going on at SLU. The research building is going to make SLU climb high in the rankings. This is an awesome school that gives amazing training, both preclinically and clinically.
Because this was a regional (held in San Francisco), I was most impressed by how well the interviewer conveyed the curriculum and principles of the school, even though we weren't physically at the school's location.
how nice the students were, very willing to honestly answer all questions (one of the tour guides had scored the nations highest USMLE score), the new research building which will be completed and opened in August of 07
I enjoyed the tour and the luncheon with like 30 first and second year med students, they gave a lot of useful and real information about being a med student there
The relaxed, laid back demeanor of all the students. Did not seem stressed out at all. Most of them mentioned the fact that you could ''have a life'' while studying medicine at Saint Louis University.
Friendliness of the students, laid-back attitude, good professor/student relationships, competitive match list, good preparation for boards (according to the students)
How nice the students are, the chapels, churches, the style of the buildings - really cool, the curriculum (systems-based in M2) and electives in 3rd-4th year
the 2 girls i stayed with were great, definately take advantage of the hosting program. they were very honest about the positive and negative aspects of their school, med school in general, and living in stl.
The students were the most normal of any school I have been to, not super dorky and anti-social like another school I interviewed at in St Louis. They do good on boards, have lives outside of school and seem pretty happy considering they are med students.
The interviewer was very candid and didn't pressure me during the interview at all. I wasn't asked any ethical/difficult/prying questions. The students seemed more enthusiastic about their school than others. They also were very interested in giving you an accurate impression of their school.
Very friendly staff and students. I was late because of a problem with my flight, but there was no stress- everyone was eager to help me feel accomodated. The patient simulators are REALLY cool.
GREAT CURRICULUM!!! Students only take one or two classes at a time...many find the time to work.
In addition their board scores are great. They even had the highest step 1 score this year.
Friendliness of everyone that I met...I was greeted by strangers more than anywhere I've ever visited...it was nice for so many people to just smile and say hi. Interviewer was very clear that he was on my side and did not want me to get stressed out...it was very comfortable.
I loved the St. Louis area and also talked to a med student who was very informative for over an hour while waiting for my interview, the dummys they have are really cool
i don't think st.louis as a city is as bad as most people said it is. i also really liked the fellow interviewees. they are a great bunch to chat with.
The practice dummy - the student working on it killed it when our tour group walked in just to show how cool it was...which it is. My interviewer had definitely read over my application and wasn't there to grill me on anything.
The flexibility of the curriculum - electives, etc., the people (students, staff, and faculty) - everyone seemed happy to be at SLU. The tour was very good, as well.
How relaxed the students seemed. No one seemed overly stressed out. They all talked about having fun in/out of school. There is a high percentage of the student body with families, if that is relevant for you.
I was so impressed by the kindess of the dean of admissions, the excitement of our tour guides, the diverse population of St. Louis, the direction the school is heading, and the lectures that I attended. The school is building a brand-new research building a block away, which will provide state-of-the-art facilities. I was also impressed with the simulation laboratory which enables med students to practice of computerized dummies to get real experience in pharmacology, cardiology, etc. Fabulous lab!
The students were incredibly friendly and everybody greatly enjoyed living and studying in St. Louis/SLU. All the students seemed to be friends with each other- there was no animosity or competitive air.
Transportation to the school was very convenient. They were prepared for the new clinical part of the USMLE. The staff and faculty were friendly. I like how they had a chapel inside the school.
I really liked my interviewer, he was on the admissions committee and did a great job of answering questions and promoting the school. The atmosphere was pretty nice, the facilities were respectable...I got a pretty good vibe from the school
The enthusiastic attitudes of the students and faculty. It seems like a very friendly school that cares a great deal about its students and their well-being both academically and personally.
I interviewed regionally and then later went to visit the school/stay with a student host. Everyone was SO NICE! The staff is incredibly helpful (nearly everyone offered their e-mail address in case I thought of more questions after I left). My host was super nice and informative. She really made an effort to tell me about the school/share her enthusiasm. I didn't know about the student run clinics (which are run by second year students), and she's going to be a director next year so she told me a lot about them. I'm not Catholic, and multiple people told me that Catholic teachings are not imposed on you. Rather, there is an emphasis on humanistic, compassionate clinical care which really appeals to me. Also, one student during lunch told me that she had gotten multiple acceptances and chose SLU, and she has been really happy with her choice.
Proximity of campus to local hospitals (University hospital and Children's hospital) as well as their affiliation with multiple hospitals, a huge amount of student-run community involvement la clinica and homeless clinics). The cooperative, fairly non-competetive environment between students. The fact that the jesuit portion of the education is not a heavy influence (although abortion is not taught)
Faculty seemed very focused on medical student education and mentoring students. My interviewer said that he kept in touch with each student that he interviews who matriculates at SLU.
The tour guide took us into the hospital. Most tours don't actually go into the hospital. Since students will be spending the last two years there, it seems that most should.
The fact that students are laid back, and the numerous community service options in the area. Minor note, but they served hot lunch!
The school's strong focus on developing clinical skills. The Clinical Skills Center seems very useful as well as Eddie, the patien simulator. I was also impressed by the student run and funded community clinic and the many opportunities to travel abroad during the 4th year.
The admissions staff was extremely outgoing and friendly. The other students who were interviewing were also very friendly. There seemed to be no pressure or competition.
I really liked Dr. Willmore, the dean of admissions, who was my interviewer. He was a little eccentric, which I see as a positive -- very interesting and funny. He seemed to genuinely care about his students. Also, he wasn't bored and blase about the process, even though he's probably interviewed thousands of people and made umpteen presentations. During my interview, he was enthusiastic and energetic.
Also, I LOVED the Eddie doll. They have this simulated patient that they let interviewees play with. Awesome, awesome.
I thought the city was pretty nice. I'm from Salt Lake City, and St. Louis is definitely a bigger, more diverse city than SLC is. The students seemed to get along with each other pretty well.
The students seem to have a good balance between work and life. Saint Louis is a young town with a lot of stuff going on (free zoo, technology center, Forest Park). Lots of great stuff
My student host was absolutely AWESOME. Her and her boyfriend made me feel so relaxed. The other people who were interviewing on my day were conversational and the conference room that we waited in was not totally uncomfortable like it usually is in an interview. The hospital seemed really nice and is a level one trauma center. In addition, medic soldiers who are in Iraq train here (that impressed me.)
Students seemed happy and helpful. The tour guide (4th year student) was helpful and straight forward about what she liked about the school.
There is a lot of diversity in the city/school which is good. I had previously interviewed at other mid-West schools and sometimes it's a bit strange for a minority to experience a town with so many white people. Not that it's a bad thing, it's just that I am used to diversity and it is readily apparent in St. Louis.
the MD i met with was awesome... great guy... our interview went a half hour over the allotted time period with neither of us realizing it... he just described the types of students and curriculum that SLU was trying to work with which I found impressive.
Everyone was very friendly. My interviewer was doing everything he could during the interview to figure out how to best present me to the admissions committe.
The neighborhood was not as sketchy as the impression I had, fellow interviewee's were amazing and friendly. Most fun I have had at an interview yet. Attended a seminar by a plastic surgeon - very neat. Curriculum.
The people that I was interviewing with showed me that SLU was striving to get the best people - very intellgent, serious, but friendly.
St. Louis is a beautiful city despite the somewhat questionable surroundings of the med. school. There is a brand new children's hospital that is amazing!
The doctor I interviewed with was very nice and didn't talk down to me. That was something that didn't happen at any other interview. Also, the interviewer followed up with me after I had been accepted and told me he hoped that I would choose SLU.
The facilities i.e. the patient simulation lab and patient examination rooms were awesome! And the curriculum is broken down into VERY manageable blocks (no more than 2 classes at a time).
The honesty of the students and administration. They didn't try to sell SLU on the interviewees. I was able to clearly see SLU for what it really is: a solid medical school.
the students were all pretty laid back and the faculty seemed concerned about student learning. the dean of admissions even came to eat lunch with us and answer questions making the administration seem pretty accesible. to be honest, i wasn't expecting much of the school but the overall laid-back attitude made me feel better about it.
VERY LOW KEY! The interviewer was so nice and friendly. I think he just wanted to get to know me... It was a regional interview, so I didn't get to see the campus.
The students were all very nice and answered all of my questions. I stayed with two second year students (through a interview stay program arranged through the second year class) and that helped me see what life was like for them better. It was a good experience overall.
The people. Everyone's very friendly and intelligent, and the community support network at the med school is great. And the match list, which was fairly impressive.
They took us all around the medical school and let us see some of their really awesome equipment, like the medical dummy - whose name I can't remember. The med students we saw said housing prices were low too.
My interviewer was awesome! He told me all about the curriculum and different opportunities that were available at SLU. I think the block curriculum is great.
My host student. He treated me really well and gave me a lot of information about the school that wasn't mentioned during the formal interview day. He also showed me around St. Louis in the evening.
Very supportive environment. The fact that they don't try and push you into primary care. Decent facilities. Most of the exam questions are in USMLE format to help study and prepare for boards.
how friendly all the staff and students were. the curriculum seemed to be very dedicated to making great physicians who can apply what they learn to practicing medicine. the cost of living is cheap.
how friendly all the staff and students were. the curriculum seemed to be very dedicated to making great physicians who can apply what they learn to praticing medicine.
The people were very friendly. Current med students poked their heads into the conference room to welcome us and generally seemed very satisfied with the school. The block curriculum seemed interesting as well
The school's campus is gorgeous, though the city leaves something to be desired for. The people at the school were really nice though and they make you feel welcome.
Eddie! A doll that breathes, has a heartbeat, a pulse, eyes that blink with pupils that dilate and contract. He also responds to over 200 different "meds" by reading barcodes when you hook the the syringes to his line. Our guide gave him some epi and we got to listen to his heartbeat increase w/ stethoscopes.
I really liked how the curriculum is set up. There are opportunities for patient interaction outside of school during your first two years. There's a latino clinic and african american community based clinic that's essentially run or staffed partially by medical students. The clinical training is very strong here and the school isn't shy to emphasize that the clinical aspects are their strong point. In addition, you have electives that can be taken as early as your 2nd semester of your first year! The people are pretty nice. 2nd year board scores are among the highest for Saint Louis University in years. The undergrad campus is really pretty with all kinds of streams and lakes. I saw the gym there and its pretty large.
Things are cheap, my buddy pays like $325 for rent.
I also hear a new $64 million dollar research center will begin construction in the near future so that's a plus reputation wise. There's two lounges which was a surprise. Students seemed pretty involved there.
The students were friendly and outgoing and went out of their way to introduce themselves to applicants. The school has impressive match lists for 4th year students.
I actually liked St. Louis a lot more than I expected. The city was clean, people were really nice, the surrounding areas seemed to support the school.
I didn't get to visit the campus. They had a faculty member on the admissions commitee in my area (far away from St. Louis) and so I interviewed off site.
Eddy--the dummy used by the Dept. of Anesthesiology; it's primarily for residents but it's pretty awesome as they let work under an ER-type of situation; two student-runned clinics
everyone's so friendly! administration is really responsive to student needs/requests. METI, a dummy on which you can simulate death without the nasty malpractice suit at the end.
the simulated operating room and male dummy that students practice on in the Anesthesiology rotation (elective)<--pretty incredible, but you may only see it if you go into Anesthesiology (although they're trying to change that); also had a really nice library with a lot of computers and internet access
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about the lengthy interview process, outdated facilities, lack of diverse research opportunities, limited clinical experiences, the demeanor of interviewers, and the surrounding neighborhood of St. Louis. Suggestions included improving the structure of interviews, updating facilities, enhancing research opportunities, providing more clinical experiences, and addressing safety concerns in the vicinity of the school.
The 2 hour virtual tour/Q&A was a little longer than it needed to be.
My interview was by far the most stressful I've had (this was #5). The interviewer was very patronizing, and kept interrupting me before I could get 50% done answering a question.
The tour wasn't very structured and my tour guides didn't really have much of a plan other than walk around and point out things on campus. The lunch with M2s was shortened, because our tour guides got us there late. I also wish there was more than one interviewer to have more opportunities to show who you are.
There are limited clinical experiences for the first two years that are actually part of the curriculum, however students can gain clinical experience through volunteering at the free clinics those first two years.
Lack of real interview quesitons; there was no formal introduction/overview presentation; overall, the admissions staff did not try to "sell" their school to me very much; very little financial aid offered
Basically no clinical exposure the first two years. However, you can volunteer at the free clinic for an elective. My host learned how to give shots and take blood her 5th week there.
I did not like St. Louis at all and would not want to live there. There are huge piles of rubble and an old abandoned building right across the street from the med school. Unattractive.
Many of the facilities are run-down and outdated.
St. Louis is considered the most dangerous city in the U.S.
Financial aid is minimal. Expect to pay mostly in loans.
The interviewer was very monotonous and disinterested. He asked questions from a list and would not even make eye contact while I spoke. He kept typing on his computer that was placed between me and him and this added to the stress. I was under the impression that the interview would be conversational, however, it was nothing close to that. I kept speaking while the interviewer kept staring at his computer screen, and went on typing.
The interview day felt like it was thrown together last minute. No brochures or information about the school (outside of the dinky packet they gave us all) in the waiting room we sat in before/after our interviews. The tour was not that informative and the lunch information session I didn't find that helpful either. At all the other schools I had been at, a dean (or someone in a similar position) had made some sort of plug for why you should attend their school. Nothing of sort was done here which made me feel like they didn't really care if you ended up there or not. Facilities reminded me of a run-down catholic high school--not that the facilities make the school, but still.
The school was too conservative for me: many students are strictly religious and the school showed support for causes I disagree with (eg. pro-life and abstinence only education for teens). Other negatives included: students partied a lot, facilities were shabby, city of St. Louis is dangerous and doesn't offer much cultural life.
The very impersonal welcome given by the admissions staff. There was no group introduction at the beginning of the day. I met only 1 administrator at lunch (this encounter was at noon! sooo late in the day for finally meeting an admissions member) and someone went over financial aid and that was it.
The neighborhood is definitely a turn-off. I went over to the undergrad campus and it was much better. Although, I suppose it's a good place to gain outstanding clinical experiences and see a wide variety of cases.
Apparently the city is not that safe. It didn't seem biker/jogger friendly either. The facilities are okay, but should probably be better, given the high tuition ($42,000). The tight seating and absence of desks in the lecture hall.
However, because the interviwer started very early to interview many students everyday over the course of one week, she *seemed* uninterested and very tired for most of our interview.
My interviewer was late and they had to push my interview back 2 hours!! it was scheduled for 8 am and I didn't interview until about 10:15 am. So that was really annoying, and then he seemed really rushed, and kind of like okay let's get this over with, but once we started talking and asking questions, he seemed to chill out a little and so I think the interview went well, it was just getting to that point that was a lot of waiting
The age of parts of the school, the surrounding area. Some parts of the school definitely show their age, some parts have been recently renovated though. Hearing about the surrounding neighborhood and the presence of security at the entrance to the school was kind of weird.
I was surprised our tour guide actually went to the school! She was a fourth year and knew absolutely nothing - like if the classrooms had wireless internet connection or what time the library closes (she says 10 but i doubt it..). Why would a school ask a mediocre student to represent them?
There wasn't much that negatively impressed me. Primarily, I felt that the cost was exorbitant, and I wasn't very impressed with financial aid office presentation. I was also unimpressed with the lack of community feeling within the medical school between classes.
St. Louis is very different from where I grew up in California. Yes, the school's facilities are a bit older, but what do yuo expect from the oldest Medical School west of the Mississippi? The school's location, although not so wonderful, was not too much of a concern because one can live far from campus (as most students do there) and then commute on not-to-crowded freeways (and the rent in St. Louis is incredibly low).
The buildings and surroundings seemed old and drab, though the weather was pretty bad while I was there. I attended some labs and was surprised by the number of students snoozing or goofing off, though the class had just taken an exam three days prior.
no patient contact unless students chooses that as elective, facilities were a bit old and outdated, tour was not that great, , st louis has some rough area
Lots of things: For one they say the metro drops you right off at the school, which it doesn't, it drops you 3-4 blocks away and you are right on a major busy road, and if you are heading straight from the airport (as I was) you have a suitcase, then it is not very conducive.
Second the students at lunch sat on the admissions committee and this wasn't common knowledge. I was hugely discouraged by this.
Third: the students weren't very enthusiatic, I asked a couple of students and they said the reason they went was because they got in.
The area surrounding the school is pretty barren (few places to eat, for example) and if you go a few blocks down it's a pretty crummy area. A student living close to the school got mugged walking to class earlier this year. But, I wasn't really all that turned off by this--it's a big city, so of course you have to be careful/aware, and most hospitals are not in great areas because that's where they're needed! The area provides a great opportunity for clinical experience/exposure in my opinion. Especially because you never have to walk around off campus, and the interior of the campus is guarded and safe. You can navigate everywhere underground through the tunnels connecting the hospitals and the medical school. Also, my host said that she never felt unsafe. If you don't live close enough to walk to school (which you shouldn't) you have to have a car.
Interview day was very disorganized. We did not even receive a school packet or a financial aid talk. After our interviews we just sat around...and finally figured out that the day was over.
The neighborhood around the school was a little rough, however there are plenty of nice places to live within 10 minutes of campus (Forest Park near Wash U).
The underground tunnel that felt like it was 100 degrees; while the students there didn't look unhappy, they also didn't seem thrilled or excited to be there.
it was a regional interview so I didn't get to see the campus... also the interviewer didn't pass out any information about the school or have pictures
Everything seemed very average. The medical student tour guides were neither excited nor disappointed about their decision to go to the school. The facilities were not brand new or state-of-the-art, but they seemed adequate and well maintained.
The students at lunch WERE ON THE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE and they did not announce this tiny little fact. This was my sixth interview and all the lunches thus far have been the same (i.e. please feel free to ask us any questions we are NOT on the admissions committee). However, during lunch at SLU the students said please feel free to ask us any questions but left the info on the admissions committee out. I evidently was one of the few who asked and they were honest and said yes, but in my humble opinion they should not make us ask. Instead they should be honest and volunteer such information.
The school seemed good but not great, and for the price you would want better than good. Nothing outstanding at all to offer here. The technology seemed outdated. No clinical experience in the first two years.
Everyone there just seemed kinda blah. All of the students seemed content with the school, but no one seemed really glad to be at SLU. Same with the city. Everyone seemed to think St. Louis was alright, but no one was like, "I love it here". That's too much money to be spending on a school to just be "ok with it".
When you travel from the airport to the school via the Metrolink, you can see that the city does show signs of poverty in certain areas. But it wasn't as bad as people have posted in other interview feedbacks.
The interviewer just asked me questions. We never really had a repoire going. He was very nice, but he didn't seem all that interested in what I said. It was almost like he had a set of questions he wanted to ask me before I got to the interview and was just looking for a standard answer.
The interviewer basically said that all my volunteer, doctor shadowing, and health care sector work experiences didn't count in her mind. She said they weren't good enough. She wanted to know why else I wanted to be a doctor. Since I have many, many reasons and experiences, I was able to satisfy her. But, I didn't like that she shot down the main reasons and experiences.
the area isnt as bad as other people on sdn make it out to be... but it's not the greatest either. while my hosts gave me some helpful advice, I also wish that they had been able to take a night off to show me around :)
The city didn't seem that great (of course, I'm from a town of about 80,000 so I don't really like larger cities): too gray, not enough trees, ugly architecture. The atmosphere during the interview wasn't that great either: the students interviewing seemed a little too competitive for my tastes, the facilities were okay but slightly more run down than others I've seen, their were no admissions or financial aid presentations (I was told there was a packet on the desk that I could look through). The faculty did not seem all that interested in the students.
My tour was led by a disgruntled MSIV who ripped on the school the whole time. She seemed to take us by the oldest and dirtiest parts of the school, leaving me the impression that it hadn't been renovated in a long time (I later found out this wasn't true).
It seemed as if he was teaching me more than interviewing me. I thought that interviews were supposed to be about me, however, in all of my interviews, the interviewer talked more than I did. Also, I had to wait about 3 hours between the tour and my interview. When you go to your interviews, bring stuff to do!
The weather in St. Louis isn't exactly ideal for me. However the town itself has parts that seem comfortable enough to live in. It's not exciting in the way the that LA or NYC are but STL is better than a lot of people make it out to be.
i just don't think much about st. louis as a city in general. if you're looking for a big city with a lot to do or are from a large city, or pretty much anywhere from the east and/or west coasts, you may find it challenging to adjust to midwest life. the downtown was cool but nothing really to do there. st. louis university was in an OK part of town, not much around, but not as scary as some of he reviews here make it seem to be.
I didn't exactly fall in love with the city or the school. I liked it and would be happy there, but there just isn't as much there as you would expect.
The area wasn't that great (though it wasn't that bad), it was just really industrial. Cold as frozen poodles, though I come from San Diego. There's lots of ethnicities in the area, but they seem very segregated.
THe facilities were old and not very nice. It also seems that the school is trying to disown its Jesuit heritage, which is very disappointing. St. Louis is also a pretty putrid city.
A lot of the students seemed to suffer from low self esteem perhaps from the proximity to UW. Fairly disorganized place, nobody told us we were done for the day so we were left sitting in the conference room until we elected some one to go to admissions.
The facilities were awful...and I had heard that before, but man. WOW. The carpets were stained, the walls were dirty and dented in, and the whole med school building felt like a dungeon to me. Our tour guide was terrible. He didn't smile once, couldn't say anything exciting about SLU, and told us the only reason he's going there is because it's the only place he was accepted.
Talking to one of the students, I asked, "So what made you pick SLU?" He said, "It was the only place I got accepted." He didn't seem thrilled about it.
The price. Saint Louis U ranks 12th expensive out of the 51 private medical schools yet only ranks 32nd in financial aid. My buddies who go there say they've been extremely proactive with fundraisers, etc so hopefully those stats improve.
The library. Nothing inspiring about it. Gets the job done I suppose but as with many schools, I think alot of studying gets done in and around stl.
The cockaroaches. Well, I saw two in the hallways so maybe its just coincidence.
It was a little intimidating to be in an interview group with 30 other people. I know that most schools typically interview 30 people a week, but not all on one day. Also, since you are only given one interview, if it doesn't go well you're screwed. I wish they gave you 2 interviews.
the school is a bit stacked on top of itself, it's in a not-so-nice area of STL. I was asked what schools I had interviewed at and been accepted at - i felt like if i told them i was already in a few places that they'd not consider my application as heavily or something. it made me uncomfortable to be asked. Financial Aid session was LONG.
Price, block style curriculum, and the price. The medical student giving the tour told us that about 20 students fail the boards every year, and that the faculty doesn't care about student concerns.
Interviewer seemed somewhat disinterested. One of the med students said he'd do residency anywhere but St. Louis since he'd been there his whole life. Too many people were there in one day to interview; I felt like we were being herded around in a pack.
The student giving the tour was not too outgoing, but I still think he liked it there. The least impressive part is the cost, but that happens at almost any private school.
Many applicants wished they had known about the conversational and low-stress nature of the interviews, the amount of downtime between activities, the need for comfortable shoes due to walking and stairs on the tour, and the importance of being prepared but also relaxed during the process. Additionally, some applicants highlighted the lack of specific information about the interview format and the school's location, as well as the varying experiences with interviewers and the diverse range of activities throughout the day.
It was going to be very open-ended, it might have been my interviewer but she asked me very general questions that didn't necessarily have a "right" answer or one that I could have scripted
I wish I had known that some interviews take place after the tour and lunch. I was fortunate to have my interview before, but there were people who showed up around 10:30 for the tour and lunch then interviewed later in the afternoon around 2-3.
There's a lot of down time depending on your interview slot: Each applicant gets a 45 minute interview block, starting at 7:45 running to 3:30 (skipping 11:00 - 1:00 for the tour and lunch). You might end up waiting for the tour / lunch or for your interview.
That my sandwich had onions on it; to bring flats for the tour and something to do during a lot of downtime; I'd have 2 interviewers (both so nice); not to be stressed; that I would like the school so much!
The tour includes umpteen billion stairs - bring flats to change into if you're a lady and wearing heels to the interview. Also, if you interview early in the morning you will have a lot of downtime before the tour/lunch/fin. aid presentation.
I did end up taking the Metro system and it wasn't nearly as bad as I had previously heard. Believe me, I was sticking out like a sore thumb, but it was relatively quick and cheap ($2.25). Also, don't stay at their Water Tower Inn... it's fairly cheap and that's about it.
the school is a jesuit university BUT that does not factor into the curriculum and is hardly noticeable though it is mentioned several times and also that i would have almost 2 hrs between the end of my interview and the beginning of the tour
The interview day is more like a few hours, not a lot of presentations from different committees and departments (which I actually like btw, you get a chance to meet more people from the school)
i stayed with a friend, a med student at slu. sleep on the couch is not very confy, med students get up really early, four hours bus ride down to st.louis is not as convenient as i had hoped.
How isolated the classes in the medical school seem to be from each other. M1s and 2s seem to know each other pretty well, but that cohesion seemed to be lost as 2nd years become 3rd years. For me, it seemed like opportunities for mentoring between upperclassmen and underclassmen are really lost.
I wish I had stayed longer to meet more students. The ones that the school picked for us to meet over lunch all seemed uninteresting and knew little besides their own experiences (which were rather mediocre). No one was super excited to be there.
I wish I had come with an even more open mind about the school; I came pretty open-minded but I could have come in more and it would have helped, for biases only blur the truth about the school. Find out for yourself; don't take other people's words; it couuld just be their personal bias.
St. Louis is a really cool city--I was worried that the midwest might not appeal to me since I've grown up in California, but I was really impressed with the numerous parks, museums, organic food stores, nightlife, etc. According to my host, "St. Louis is a great place to be a medical student--there's enough to do so that you aren't bored during your free time but not so much that you are missing out when you need to study."
Interviewer would be condescending and that the interview was actually an hour session through which I am supposed to get to know him better, since he did all the talking.
nothing major, but our tour group was large with only one student leading us, so if you were not standing right by him it was hard to hear and ask questions.
It's so easy to get from the airport to the campus on the metro, and it only costs a couple bucks. In the interview packet, the metro is mentioned, but they made it sound confusing. It's not! Use the metro! I could have saved $20 on a shuttle ride.
Getting off the metrolink and "waiting" for the shuttle to pick me up. First, the directions are a little misleading. After you get off the metrolink and go up two flights of stairs you will be directly on the street, there is not a covered area or pull-off from where the shuttle can pick you up (Pretty much just a bus stop on the street). Also by an all day ticket for 4 dollars at the airport. One way is 3 so you might as well save the 50 cents on your way back.
If you get to the conference room before your interview, they have a great breakfast spread, so don't waste your money buying breakfast or coffee somewhere.
I didn't realize it was so cold. I'm from Southern California where the weather is mild but what I experienced in St. Louis was insane. Truly cold weather even though there wasn't any snow.
Make sure to take a coat and possibly gloves, because your hands numb up quickly.
Also this school gives decisions quick. I interviewed at the school in mid-December and got an acceptance mid January.
Good stuff.
The location was crummy. If you walk on the street, you are asking to get mugged. If you park your car on the street, it is your fault if someone breaks in. This is according to the security guard at the front of the building.
THe shuttle from metrolink is hard to find, its not to far of a walk from the metrolink station to the hospital,(15mins). Also, the metrolink stations were kinda sleazy
if you fly into st. louis, you should know that the cheapest way to get to the school is the metrolink train. for some reason my student hosts didn't want to pick me up at school and so they gave me directions to their place and i had to pay a $40 cab fare to get there... the next day I paid $1.50 to get from the school back to the airport using the train.
The neighborhood is not nice, but its not too bad, the campus is pretty and "green". The Dean made a comment regarding websites such as these :)
SLU interviews a lot of people. I was sure that I would not get in, which I think actually helped me because I wasn't nervous when it came time for my interview. I ended up getting in anyway.
Not all interviewers use the same techniques. Other candidates I talked to indicated that their interview were informal and conversational, whereas mine was intense and extremely uncomfortable.
The public transportation system in St. Louis isn't nearly as good as I expected and the city's not that safe (especially around the medical school campus). I would almost have to have car to function at SLU.
Man, I stayed at a baller place. Renaissance Grand Hotel. http://www.renaissancegrandhotel.com Book a week or two in advance. It's worth it though...and it's in the heart of their downtown area which is really looking good (I been to St. Louis like 5 years ago and it was dump) so I was definitely surprised. The metro isn't to far and you can take that to the med school.
Hmm..if you need to kill time before your interview, you can chill in the lounge area I suppose next to the library. I struck up conversation with a few med students there and they gave me the ins and outs of SLU.
that there was going to be so much downtime and the prospective students were going to be treated like pieces of meat...also financial aid presentation is a little long-winded
That "The Exorcist" is based on events that took ploace at an SLU chapel. Also, I would recommend using the student host program for lodging.
Applicants generally found the interview experience at the school to be relaxed and conversational, with friendly interviewers who focused on getting to know them. Some expressed concerns about the facilities or the location of the school, while others were impressed by the supportive atmosphere and student community. Suggestions included providing more structured presentations, better organization of interview day schedules, and ensuring clarity on financial aid information.
Such a chill, fun interview day. The admissions officers seemed genuinely excited to tell us about the school, and there were many opportunities to get all of your questions answered. Seems like a great place to be.
The facilities are a little dated, overall the students seemed to like SLU however I didn't talk to any that chose it over another school. Students either did a program in undergrad at SLU that allowed them to get in early decision, or they applied to many schools but only got into SLU. My interviewer was reading my primary application while talking to me and her questions seemed to be geared towards figuring out if I remembered what I wrote on my app.
I think the interview doesn't allow students to really express who they are. Thirty minutes isn't much. The tour wasn't very impressive either. While I understand they want to maximize our time with students to hear their perspectives, it would've been nice to hear from more faculty as well.
Dr Willmore likes to ask about details- if you mention something, make sure you know a fair amount about it. He pushes to the point where he knows you won't know something. When that happens, just say you don't know. I interviewed with Dr. Graham. He only interviews one applicant a day (Dr. Willmore interviewed about half the group). Dr. Graham is a pathologist, so he gets to the point, and may not act incredibly interested. But don't worry, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
They had awesome refreshments and lunch. I liked that you only have to interview with one person instead of two. Very laidback day. Kind of seemed to drag out for a long time for some reason.
Short interview day. No admissions presentation...overall I felt like the day was not very structured. I also do not like the 1 interview method, I think you need at least 2 interviewers to give a reliable assessment of a candidate.
I really see myself here, and I've lived on the coasts (west & east) my whole life. It's a great school with friendly students and an outstanding curriculum.
I was keeping an open mind about SLU until I met the person who interviewed me. It was very disappointing and I wish the admissions office would send people to regional locations who were more qualified.
The interviewer read questions right off a script...I much prefer the conversational interviews I had elsewhere. The interviewer also interrupted me twice with phone calls. Not very professional.
Although SLU seems to have a good program and the students seem content, the location and high price of attendance were turn offs IMO.
My interview was only about 20 minutes of question asking, and then my interviewer just went over the curriculum with me for about half an hour. I thought that was a bad sign, but I got accepted.. so yeah, it worked out
I was pleasantly surprised by SLU. I kind of added it as an afterthought but I would absolutely love to go there.
2 interviewers is not standard, they were breaking in a new interviewer on me.
Great interview, laid back and friendly but also very thorough. No "tricky" questions whatsoever just wanted to get to know the man behind the papers.
Hotel- The hotel was close to the school but the lack of internet access really sucked because it was almost impossible to look at SDN and the school website, which I like to do the night before.
The student tour was great, given by a 4th year who was not necessarily out to sell us. She answered all of our questions thoroughly and gave an honest and realistic view of the school, including the things she didn't like - This was refreshing.
Financial Aid Talk - Standard Financial aid Talk
$X in need based grant/scholarship the rest is subsidized/unsubsidized fed loans and another graduate PLUS Loan if needed. Nice because it was short and to the point.
The school is great, the medical students seem very happy and are helpful on interview days! All in all it was a very positive day. Lunch was pretty good as well
I expected my interview to be more conversation-like. Instead, my interviewer had a piece of paper with a list of questions on it, and asked me those questions one by one. As I was answering, he would write notes down on the piece of paper. It ended up being a rather one-sided conversation, because he was quite silent when I was answering the questions. He also asked me about my research...but it was obvious that he already knew the answers to the questions and he was just testing me.
My interview was very laid-back, and Dr. Frankenstein (no kidding) was awesome! She admitted that she didn't have time to read my AMCAS beforehand, which turned out to be much more interesting that the usual going-through-the-motions kind of interview. She seemed genuinely interested in me as a person as well as very enthusiastic about the school. My favorite interview of all my med school interviews.
The impression I got from seeing the students is that the student body is very laid back and not overly serious about their studies. I was told that while most people study a lot, the class of 07 is a "semi-alcoholic" one meaning that a ton of people go to bars throughout the week. So the overall impression I got wasn't of a very serious study body as a whole. The admissions staff did not give us a warm welcome by any means and that leaves me with a negative to neutral taste in my mouth of SLU after leaving. The facilities are nice however. The interviewer, Dr. Cooper, was not especially nice and cut me off several times when I was answering her questions to keep the interview going.
I had an afternoon interview, so I arrived via taxi around 10:15a for the tour scheduled for 11:00a. I talked to the other interviewees, had the tour, then lunch with M2's, then waited around 20 minutes for my interview. I had to go from the school across to the hospital across the street but the directions were excellent.
The interview was really laid back and I actually enjoyed this part of the day the most. Definitely very low stress, nothing tough and mostly just casual conversation. After the interview I was free to go (around ~2:15p).
Pretty good. Dr. Westerman is a tough-ie, but he is a very knowledgeable physician. He asked some difficult questions, but in retrospect, it was a fluid conversation. I initially had reservations about SLU, but I feel more comfortable in my decision to apply there.
Very conversational, and fairly low stress. It was my first interview, and I think it was a good experience. Just make sure you have everything accounted for on your amcas.
The interview was stress free, even though I was very nervous since it was my first one. Dr. Furman did a great job to make me feel at ease. We talked about SLU and some things I like to do. Nothing too hard.
Hope, pray, do a dance, fast for 2 weeks! Do whatever it takes to get an interview with Dr. Willmore. One of the most memorable experiences of my life!
overall, it was pretty good. the interview was a lot more relaxed than i was expecting. i didn't even get asked the ''why do you want to be a doctor'' question or anything else really related to medicine. the tour seemed kind of pointless though...
I thought I had performed very poorly, but was accepted about 4 weeks post interview. Going into the interview I wasn't too sure about the school, but after the interview and a later visit to St. Louis I was very impressed with both the school and the city. I will likely be matriculating here this fall.
My interview seemed short. It was only for 30 minutes but the first and last 5 minutes (10 minutes total) were just introductions, farewells or questions. Compared to my interview at another school, I felt that I did not really get a chance (not enought time) to express my self completely. But since I got accepted, maybe it is not something to be worried about.
After arriving at the Embassy Suites at SFO (actually in Burlingame), I was set up with my interviwer in her hotel room. It was a little strange having an interview on a couch (in addition to being very sick with a cold). I had minimal contact with other interviewees, since we were scheduled at almost exact 30-minute intervals. The questions were mainly of the ''elaborate on parts of your application'' variety, including some information on my hometown, life before college, and explanation of some questionable grades and MCAT scores. Were it not for trying to get to know my interviwer before I left, I would not have thought I did too well! (Since this posting, I have been accepted to SLU.)
Overall the interview was pretty good. I had a good feeling from the interviewer who seemed genuinely interested in what i had to say. Didnt really flow as a conversation though because she was required to complete a questionnaire and kind of read the questions off of that and seemed more intent on getting to everything than really getting to know me.
The interview was very laid back. He started off asking me if I had any questions. Then he really tried to sell the school to me. He then asked the typical questions.
It was a little standoffish at first, but it was a run of the mill medical school interview, Why medicine? tell me about yourself? where do you see yourself in 10 years
The interview was short, sweet, and to the point. This is what all med school interviews should be like. At this point in the process the med schools know almost everything about us, grades, MCAT, extracurriculars, experiences, etc. The only thing they don't know is our personalities, which can be discovered with a simple conversation. Grilling students with tough questions is pointless. Way to go Saint Louis on doing it right!
Overall very laid back. My interviewer asked some questions that he wanted specific answers to, more to make a point then to see how I felt about the issue/topic at hand, which was a little strange. However, the students were great (I stayed with two M2s, which I highly recommend, good advice and less stress coming to a city for the first time). Although I was assured that this wasn't typical St.Louis weather, it was snowing pretty hard the whole time I was there, so be prepared!
Overall okay, besides the schedule conflict, there were only 5 other people interviewing today, so it was a pretty small group, but everyone was nice, the tour is short and sweet, lunch with M2s is great, they were really honest and friendly, and they clarified the whole safety/crime issue of St. Louis for us, they say it's not that bad as long as you don't get lost in a bad part of town, or walk alone at night, they have breakfast set up for you, and lunch is the basic sandwiches ect. A financial aid coordinator informed us that the tuition is over $40,000 . . . yikes!
The interview was really short. I almost felt like it was too short to get to know me but there are many interviewers so it just depends on who you get...
i interviewed at a regional location, so the only activity for the day was my interview. i met the interviewer at her hotel room. the entire conversation was very relaxed. she had a list of questions that she was required to ask, but other than that, we had a normal conversation.
This was my first of four interviews and was by FAR the most difficult. But it was difficult in an insightful way; the interviewer really dug into my file (he practically knew me better than I did). So, in the end the difficulty was appreciated. ;)
Relaxed...almost like talking to a friend I hadn't seen in a while. He was very courteous and interacted with me instead of just asking questions and blankly staring at me for answers.
The day was very short except for waiting for my late afternoon interview. I was kind of annoyed because I initially had an early interview and was e-mailed the day before to change it to late afternoon (by then I had already made travel plans and had to change them last minute)
It was a very casual experience. I made it harder on myself by putting more pressure on myself. I wish my interviewer had asked me some more questions so he could get a better idea of who I was.
The interview was laid back and fun. The other students were very friendly, open, and helpful. The faculty seemed friendly and available. The interview is all about the experiences you discuss in your application.
Wierd interview. I don't think it was typical, just my very old interviewer. The tour was given by a 4th year med student who seemed to keep emphasizing that SLU wasn't his first choice, but that he liked it anyway.
the interview day didn't really impress me, the facilities were not so great and the students basically told us that all med schools were the same and that there is no specific reason that we should be interested in slu
i really enjoy the day there. i wish i had gone to bed earlier. i stayed with an old friend. we basically chat for a long time that night, though i learned a lot about the school from her. the tour guide was really enthusiastic about her school. it's always encouraging to see such a positive attitude.
It was very low stress, and a fairly enjoyable interview. It was based on my AMCAS application, and he didn't ask me any difficult questions. I led most of the conversation.
There around 20-30 other applicants on interview day. The day started with a tour of the school/facilities and hospital given by a med student. We then had lunch with the med students with a talk given by the dean. The dean seemed really nice and genuinely interested in our success. We then returned to a conference room for a financial aid talk and then waited for our interviewers to get us.
Overall, the day was less stressful than I thought it was going to be. The interview was very conversational about my application and allowed me to tell my story/insight into medicine.
i was nervous for the interview since it was my first, but i ended up getting in a few weeks later. slu has an organized day for its interviewees with a welcome, tour, lunch, and interview. i wasn't overwhelmingly impressed with slu, but i defintely think it's a solid choice for others.
My interview was great. I felt that matched me with an interviewer who shared my interests in research. Overall a good interview.
Can't say much more about the rest of the day. My tour was so uninformative. At one point, we walked through the hospital and I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking at..
My interview was very thorough and enjoyable. It was very laid-back and conversational - no stress at all. My interviewer was really interested in my background and asked many questions pertaining to the composite profile that she was responsible for compiling for the admissions committee.
Great experience, good first interview. They ask you no moral or ethical questions and it is very conversational. Bring a book, you will have some free time.
It was really relaxed. There weren't any difficult questions. They didn't even ask why I want to be a doctor. They have your AMCAS and your supplemental app, so they know your academic background. In the interview, they are just trying to get to know you on a personal level.
It was an easy, conversational interview. It was made very clear from the beginning that this was an opportunity for the interviewer to get to know me, not to trick me or make me uncomfortable.
My experience was overall enjoyable. I learned much about the campus during the tour. Our tour guide was very informative. And the finicial aid session was very thorough. My interviewer made me feel very comfortable. He made sure he learned as much as he could about me. Lunch was very delicious and the student that I had lunch with answered all of my questions and was very nice and helpful.
My interviewer was very nice, understanding an d funny. He was very honest with me about the school and how they select applicants. He was also very thourough in responding to my questions about the school. I was extra impressed by the training possibilities in and out of the city, the childrens hospital, and the students with whom we ate lunch.
The interview was positive. My interviewer was the dean of admissions and he was quite laid back. He asked me about my family, my goals, general questions and he didn't make me feel uncomfortable. His questions seemed truly genuine.
The interviewing day was very relaxing, just a good time for us as prospective students to learn about the school and for the school to learn a little bit about us. They did a great job at making us feel welcome and the interview was nothing to get stressed over. It was a very pleasant experience for me.
I'm not saying that SLU is a bad school but it just wasn't for me. This was my backup school and as soon as I got at one of my top choices I withdrew my application here. The admissions staff was very accomadating(my flight was late and they were very understanding).
The first thing on my itinerary was the tour. I took the metro there and just barely got there in time. After the tour we had lunch and were taken back to a conference room where the interviewers came to get us. My interviewer had a sheet with all my info on it and he had already begun to take notes. He basically confirmed a bunch of info from my app and then asked a few questions.
The interviewer had a sheet with my information, most of which had been filled out and he just asked to fill in the holes. Other students said they had similar experiences.
Most questions were biographical. The interviewer know a lot about my application which was impressive. He also liked to talk about his experiences, which was refreshing.
Dr. Willmore was extremely nice and put me at ease-- did not ask obvious questions like why do you want to be a doctor, why SLU, why did you take the MCAT twice or even why I got a C in physics. I was surprised that I didn't get asked those sorts of obivious questions (but not disappointed!) Our talk was very conversational, he seemed interested in all of my clincal experiences and asked me many questions about my thoughts and feelings during those experience. He asked about my family and what I like to do in my spare time.
My interviewer was a doctor at the hospital. He was very enthusiastic about life in St. Louis and very confident in the school producing great doctors despite its lack in rankings. He was very unreactive and expressionless towards my responses to his questions so it made me nervous and it was difficult to read how I did. He also got a phone call towards the end which cut the interview a bit short.
My interview started out well, but it seemed clear that she either didn't like me or was trying to rattle me a bit. Definitely stay with a host and talk with them about the interview experience - that was helpful and cheaper than a hotel.
This was a regional interview, it was real conveniently located, and the interviewer seemed genuinely enthusiastic about me, gave me lots of compliments, made me feel good about myself. A very positive experience.
So realize that interviews run until 4:30pm, which is later than other places I have been. The interviewer had a very awkward style in asking questions and instigating conversation (if any), I didn't like it but perhaps other interviewees did. It seemed as though a decision on me had been made before I even stepped in.. but I guess we will see. Also, I emailed one of the students on the admissions committee for information on something, and found the student to not be that helpful.
Given some of the negative comments I'd heard about SLU, I was impressed overall. They are building a new research facility, but it won't be done for a few years. All other facilities, including the hospitals are old. I repeatedly asked about the safety of the city and it seems that by avoiding certain areas of the city, one can remain very safe. My interviewer showed up 45 minutes late, and the presentations about the school were short and lacked important information. My interviewer had a strange style, but I liked him.
I was surprised because this was the first school I interviewed at where there was not a single student who completely LOVED the school. No random students came up to us saying "you guys should definitely go here!" Even our tour guide, when she asked her how it was basically gave the impression that it was "ok" While there seemed to be positives about the school, it seemed as if everyone had something to complain about. When we were on the tour, our tour guide said she couldn't show us the anatomy lab because of OSHA regulations. I didn't really care too much because I assume every anatomy lab looks pretty much the same, but I was confused why she cited OSHA regulations when I've been able to see anatomy labs at every other school. I was also disappointed that we didn't get to see the children's hospital because it is supposedly a nice facility. While I realize that SLU is not the highest ranked medical school and probably feels as if it is in the shadows of its neighbor, it seemed as if the entire school already accepted its inferiority and was trying to hide the fact instead of focusing on its strengths. My interviewer asked me where I had interviewed, and when she heard and looked at my stats, she said "Oh, I'm sure you'll get accepted many places" and I got the vibe that she was implying I wouldn't attend SLU because I was too good for it. I think I would've been more impressed if they showed pride in SOMETHING, but it felt more like being on a date with someone who lacked total confidence in him/herself.
i arrived to the conference room with all the other interviewees to wait for the tour to start. there were about 25 of us there that day. the tour was very comprehensive, except we didn't get to see the anatomy lab or the "robot patient" simulators. lunch was served in a classroom, it was sandwiches and salad, but there was not enough salad for everyone, so if you want some get in the front of the line. we had a short presentation from one of the faculty members and the finacial aid person during lunch, and go the chance to ask more questions of students. then we went back to the conference room and those of us with afternoon interviews waited. i ended up being the last one to interview (even though i was scheduled for 1:45, i didn't go until around 2:15) and was sitting by myself for a while. the interview was very nice and relaxed.
It was quick (like half an hour). It was obvious my interviewer was using a lot of pre-scripted questions and filling in the blank spaces on his sheet. Other than that, it was a good experience.
It is a very laid back and unstressful day. My interview was in the afternoon, so my first event was the tour. The facilities are okay to other schools I've seen, but the Eddie simulator was cool. (you'll see it on the tour for sure.) Then there was a luncheon with some students and faculty. They give short presentations about the school while you eat. Beware that some of the students there are actually on the admissions committee. After that those who already interview leave, and then those who have afternoon interviews wait together. (there were about 10 of us.) I interviewed with Dr. Swierkosz (or something like that) He is the dean of students at the med school. He is very nice and conversational during the interview. He really seemed to want to get to know me as a person. Overall it was a good experience.
I arrived on monday night and my host (a 2nd yr) picked me up at the airport and introduced me to some of her friends and roommates. We made dinner and chatted for a while. We went to class at 9am - Hemotology - and then she dropped me off at the admissions room where 24 other "penguins" were sitting in silence. Why don't people have conversations in these situations? Then we had our tour of SLU and a bit of the hospital at 11am. At 12 we had lunch in an auditorium and we had the opportunity to talk to students (who were on the admissions committee) and three physicians (who are also on the committee). I attended a class on Death and Dying with my host and then I returned to the admissions room to wait for the interviewers to come get us at our scheduled interview time. My interview was with Swiercosz (swear-cost) and he was running a bit late. He is the dean of student affairs and very friendly. We went to his office and chatted about my AMCAS application. He took notes while I talked about my application and highlighted the important parts. We talked a lot about my research and about fellowship options and graduating from SLU with a distinction in research. We ended up talking for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Everything went great and I was VERY impressed with the staff and student's friendliness and enthusiasm. Afterward, my host took me out with a group of her friends to sightsee and we went up in the arch and then to the landing for drinks. It was great!
I had my interview at 9:30 am with Dr. James Drake. He was really nice and the interview was very informal. We then went on a tour from 11-12 and had lunch at 12.
As everyone promised, Dr. Wilmore is indeed very nice and cordial, but the interview was still slightly more stressful than anticipated. He was a bit cold/professional at the very beginning, and at the very end, but generally the interview was conversational. I was shocked that a few obvious questions like "why do you want to be a doctor" and "why do you want to come to SLU were not asked".
It was extremely conversational, nonintimidating, and pressure free. My interviewer was laid back, but seemed very interested in what I had to say. Talking with him was the highlight of the day and sparked my interest in the school.
I had a great interview. From the questions it was obvious that the interviewer really wanted to get to know me. The technical aspects of my file, stats etc. were not very important. We talked about personal hobbies, family, sports, and the war.
The facilities weren't the nicest and newest, but who honestly cares about stuff like that? If you have great professors and nice fellow students, you will be happy learning medicine. I liked this school. It was my very first interview and my first acceptance. I will decline it because it's so much more expensive than my alma mater, but I am sure I would be very happy if I chose SLU.
I liked SLU, I think having heard everyone else's opinion has led to a little prejudice but I still can see myself getting a good medical school education. One thing I think SDN is right on the head about is the non-chalant attitude of the students. None of them seemed to be enthralled with their medical school. Second, when I asked about clinical experiences your 1st two years they said it was pretty much up to yourself, and then started talking about all their different simulations and standardized patients in your second year. Most other schools had choices to get their young physicians out learning how best to interact with patients.
I arrived the night before my interview and spent the night with a student host. It's really easy to hop on the Metrolink outside of the airport and I met him at the stop near the med school. The host lived about 1/2 hour away from the school, but he was very nice and made me feel right at home as he answered all my questions about the school. My interview was at 9:00 or so the next day. All the applicants just sort of hang around in a room with some snacks and wait for their interviews. It was sort of a fun time to get to know the other applicants. People were there from all over the country. The interview was pretty good. My interviewer was switched at the last minute, and I was warned that my new interviewer could sometimes seem a little harsh. I didn't find her to be that way at all. She was very nice and I could tell that she just wanted to get to know me. It looked like all of her questions came from a sheet, and she sort of filled in the blanks as the interview went along. Some of my answers were pretty lame, but she never made me feel bad about any of them. After the interview we were split into groups and had a tour through the medical school. The tour was pretty thorough, and when we ran into doctor's they all answered our questions and chatted with us for a few minutes. After that there was a lunch and the day was over. I walked back to the metrolink and rode it to the airport. We missed out on the finance talk because the presenter wasn't there on the day of my interview. It would have been interesting to see it, though, because the tuition there is so much. For me, that's the only negative of this school. They sent me a letter 3 weeks after the interview informing me that I got accepted. It's nice that they respond so fast - they were the first school I got an interview invitation from and the first school to get back to me. Awesome service when it seems like there are so many other schools that don't make it easy for their applicants.
I really enjoyed the entire day. The interview was easy and laidback. While St. Louis may not be the best school in the nation, its still a good school. Besides, an MD is an MD. The questions were typical and not really surprising and the woman I interviewed with was very friendly. I only wish I had thought of some more questions to ask her.
Overall, it was a pretty straightforward interview with normal interview questions. I didn't like how the interviewer typed on her computer while I interviewed.
It was overall awesome, good people all around. My interviewer was fabulous and our 45-minute interview lasted for over two hours. I felt so incredibly welcome and the interview was like a conversation, not at all stressful.
It was in the interviewer's hotel room. She had an interview sheet to fill out so she kept writing throughout the interview. I didn't get any difficult questions - except for the one about what other schools I've been interviewed at. Since I don't have any others lined up at the moment, I couldn't tell if that was a turn-off for her. After she asked me all her questions, she explained SLU's 4 year curriculum. It wasn't too bad except for her yawns throughout the interview. I couldn't tell if she was just tired or I was boring her.
Overall it was a good experience. If you interview at the school, you can take the Metrolink to the school from the airport. It is basically a train for short distances and is very convenient and cheap. Seemed safe enough. I stayed at the on campus hotel, I think it is called the Water Tower Inn. It was a decent hotel.
There is a shuttle from the hotel to the medical school, which is about 5 or 6 blocks away. You could theoretically walk it, but it was freezing cold in the morning.
The schools interview setup is a tad unorganized for my taste. Basically, they have students (around 20-25) interviewing all day with different faculty. I had a morning interview while others had afternoon interviews. I interviewed at around 10 AM and got to the school at about 9 AM. There were a couple of students who had already interviewed and were just hanging out. But at around 11 AM, what seemed like all the potential interviewees were waiting.
My interviewer was a good guy. He was very calm and relaxed and didn't grill me about any ethical situations or things related to the healthcare system. He had previously read my personal statement and the rest of my application and we just talked about my various experiences and why I wanted to attend SLU.
Overall, very low stress and very comfortable.
That's when we were divided and taken on tours of the school. A fourth year student led us around and was very helpful and honest. She seemed to sincerely like the school and the community.
After that, there is a lunch with the Dean of Admissions as well as current medical students. The grub was actually better then what I have eaten at other schools. But the Dean was a good guy who was open to questions and made a couple of jokes.
He made everyone feel comfortable and even sat and ate with us, which was pretty cool.
The only negative I could think of is the lack of financial aid information. There was none but since I had interviewed at other schools before, I knew the situation well. But I think it could be a problem for first timers.
But all you need to know is, fill out your FAFSA and apply for scholarships, but in the end, prepare to be in debt.
The interview experience went well overall, especially considering I got into the school. I read some of the other interview feedback posts that have been written, and a lot of people go off on how the city is a ghetto, etc. It's your typical big city which means it has its good and bad parts. SLU happens to be in a busier and less glamorous area but it wasn't in fear of my life or anything. Everything was safe and calm.
I arrived at the hospital to find out that the tour (which was first) was at the medical school across the street. The tour guide (a 3rd year) showed up late to take us, but was very apologetic and made sure we saw everything we wanted to see. We ate lunch with 3rd and 4th year students. They were helpful in answering questions. It was all very laid back. Then finally the interview.
Very negative. She said that my hospital volunteer work didn't count. That my doctor shadowing experiences were not long or extensive enough for me to have learned anything at all about medicine. That all my experiences that happened in high school don't count, even toward my motivation to wanting to become a doctor. She would cut me off and not even let me mention any of them. I had to go through my whole life to prove to her that I was worthy for her.
Great school, I almost did not attend this interview but came out of it with SLU a top choice. The area aroundthe school could use a coat of paint, but with that aside the students, Faculty, and staff were all great. The facilities were nice, and the adjacent hospitals are excellent
Overall a very relaxed interview itself. The rest of their presentation wasn't the best since all we did was a quick tour and they gave us some packets, but I still liked the campus and the students in their first year class seemed pretty motivated and disciplined which was nice to see.
The interview was a good experience. Everyone was friendly, and students would stop by the waiting room just to say hello. The tour was led by a 4th year, which was neat.
Everyone was incredibly friendly at the school. I went to a class and kids flocked around me trying to answer questions. However, I didn't get the same enthusiasm for medicine out of the students that I did at a lot of the other schools. People were most excited that they had a whole lot of downtime and did a bunch of social activities rather than being thrilled about classes or being involved in student run clinics, etc. that I found at other schools.
I can't say that I really enjoyed myself during this interview. The students seemed very nice, but the city is just not for me. It's kind of depressing and ugly. I was surprised at the lack of interest in providing information to students: the directions to my interview (in the hospital across the street from the school) were not very clear and I had to ask four times for help. When I asked about financial aid and admissions info, I was told "the financial aid process is the same here as at all the other schools" (not a big deal if you've already done other interviews, but I felt bad for the students who were at SLU for their first interview experience) and "there's a packet over on the table". The interview itself was pretty low key and conversational. At first my interviewer did not look interested--she didn't make eye contact, kept interupting my answers to her questions only to backtrack to the original question after interupting again. But after the first 15 minutes or so, things were going much better, and my interviewer seemed more interested and alrert. The conversation was quite pleasant after that.
Everyone's interview was "laid back", was not laid back or easy, more of a lecture/learning experience. Unique. My interviewer was friendly, but was teaching more than conversing. Not necessarily a bad thing, I feel more prepared for future interviews now. I felt like I accomplished something after the interview having made it through a difficult interview. Also, was late in the day and ran long, so I left town during rush hour :( SLU is a solid med school, but I would be uncomfortable racking up this sort of debt unless it was a name school.
Overall a nice school, nice people. Interview day was short and really didnt give me a good chance to experience the school. I would rather have had it been longer so I felt like my trip was worth it.
One-on-one, open file interview with Dr. Cooper (anatomy teacher). She is a very strong lady and will guide the interview to find out what she wants to know. Don't be intimidated, she is always like that when it's about business, but she's very nice outside of class.
I've read a few of these reviews about the '07 class being partiers, and they are all true. I'm in the '08 class and we are quite opposite - studious and everyone is nice, even the gunners! If they keep getting classes like '08 you will see SLU moving up in the national rankings.
We had a tour and then lunch with other med students and doctors. Then the financial rep talked us through this packet of information. She was kind of rude. She seemed really ticked off that we hadn't read through it ahead of time, even though we hadn't had the chance to because we had been doing stuff since we got there. Anyway, after that we all did our interviews and went home.
My interview was surprisingly not stressful. My interview was with the dean of admissions, so I knew going in that he has a big say in who probably gets in. Some of his questions were "tricky." I felt like he was testing me on some things, trying to elicit a response, or just getting at something. Overall, I was really impressed by the curriculum, and the facilities. St. Louis isn't so bad either. It wasn't in slum village like some other people made it out to be. Cost of living is pretty good.
this was only my second interview so i was still pretty nervous going into it. i prepared for the usual questions (i.e. what sets you apart? what is your biggest strength/weakness? what would you do if you couldn't be a physician? etc.) but my interviewer didn't even ask all the questions i was expecting. she basically covered everything in my file and asked me about my activities, my research, my family, everything that any applicant should easily know the answers to. overall, i think she did a good job covering what needed to be covered and for my part, having even one interview under my belt helped boost my confidence tremendously. she kept telling me that this would be the most stressful part of the day, but it wasn't even that stressful.
My interviewer was very unfriendly, and seemed to go out of his way to make me uncomfortable. This seems to be the exception rather than the rule, though.
The tour started at 10:45am and the entire process of fin aid etc ended at 1:15pm...my interview was originally at 3:30pm so I had quite a few hours of wait...the interviewer was awesome, extremely polite and open to get to know me as a person...he didn't ask any ethical or technical questions...just wanted to know about me...
It was really fast and conversational. We just talked about my family and what I've done... So relaxed! Afterward, I felt like it may be difficult for them to distinguish people because it was so conversational and they don't really challenge you at all. However, I am just used to really tough interviews, so what the hell do I know!?
Overall it was good. I like the non-confrontational style and the brevity of the day (it wasn't all drawn out). SLU makes a real effort to welcome you into their community and show you what it would be like to be one of them.
There was nothing impressive about this school. Our student interviewer said that the faculty members are really dedicated. But there was nothing impressive about this school.
This interview experience was really good. The interviewer came to the Seattle area and was very nice. He did a good job of explaining the school and the programs offered since we cound not see the campus. There were no ethics questions, just questions about my family, what I do for fun, what I want to do in medicine, etc.
Good. The interviewer seemed to really be just checking to make sure I was human and that my personality matched that of the school's. The entire interview day was totally chill, and I left thinking that I could see myself there.
My interviewer was changed so I ended up being interviewed by the Dean. He would read parts of my file and ask me seemingly random questions from it. He was really friendly, but he was also bringing up questions about things like psychology which was 5 years in the past for me. I wasn't sure how well the interview went, but I got in, so it must have gone well enough.
Overall I really liked the school. The area is sketchy, but if you're in class the whole time I dont suppose it would be too bad. The area my student host lived in seemed real nice too. Oh yeah, my student host was awesome! Very nice and welcomed me right in. Come to think of it, all the students I met were really great. They all seemed very happy to be there. The food at lunch was actually good for once!
I had a great time. The interview was extremely relaxed and I felt like the school was trying to sell itself to me as much as I was trying to show them I was a qualified applicant. They were organized and impressive.
first off, nothing to stress over...all the other interviewee's were cool to talk to also...interviews are supposed to be open-file but at the last minute my interviewer couldn't make mine so I got assigned to someone who hadn't looked at my file and so it was like a closed-file for me...so be aware of that...but overall nothing to stress about...just be yourself
Got their at 9:00. Had my interview at 9:30. Went back to the conference room and chatted with the other applicants (really friendly group). Went on a tour with a 4th year. It was a little long and we didn't see the hospitals even though they are connected to the school. Had lunch where the dean came and spoke. Then had a financial aid talk. That was it, some people had their interviews in the afternoon instead.
Overall, a great interview experience. All the interviewees got along well, nice chat, etc. The staff/faculty was very nice and gave a nice sales-pitch about the school
i stayed with a student host and she was really helpful. she picked me up from the metrolink station and we went to dinner together. she had a guest room with bathroom so i stayed there the night before and i went to her first class with her to kill time before the tour and lunch. my interview was after the lunch so i was a little nervous. the tour was given by a fourth year and so it was really thorough! one of the student said that you could almost get free food everyday...they were giving out free cookies to the students the day i was there (the prof was announcing it like 5 times during lecture)
i stayed with a student host and she was really helpful. she picked me up from the metrolink station and we went to dinner together. she had a guest room with bathroom so i stayed there the night before and i went to her first class with her to kill time before the tour and lunch. my interview was after the lunch so i was a little nervous. the tour was given by a fourth year and so it was realy thorough! one of the student said that you could almost get free food everyday...they were giving out free cookies to the students the day i was there (the prof was announcing it like 5 times during lecture)
This interview is extremely low stress. Any preparation I did was not necessary as the interview consisted of nothing but a conversation with a doctor who really did not feel the need to ask any difficult questions. Also, be prepared to sit around a lot, because there was about a 2 hour wait between my interview and the tour plus financial aide session. The most impressive thing about the school was undoubtedly the match list. It seems that students here can get residencies wherever they would like.
Overall, it was a very low-key day and relaxing. My interviewer was very conversational and didn't ask any of the classic difficult questions. It was mostly just explaing my activities on my AMCAS. Surprisingly, I didn't even get why medicine? or why SLU? The campus was nice, although fairly small. The students all seemed very happy and not overly stressed. Also, many people stopped along the tour to talk to us and answer questions, which was a great sign. Overall, a low-stress and informative day.
Overall, the interview date was a good one. The students were nice and our tour guide really seemed interested in the school. My interviewer was a bit stoic at first and he asked me a lot of questions but at the end he lightened up and we actually had a nice conversation.
Much more traditional that other interviews though. My interviewer stuck to a list of questions and kept taking notes. But she was extremely friendly and made me feel very comfortable.
I really liked this school! This school has the most efficient application process! I've heard this from other applicants and now have experienced it myself. They vote on you and mail the letter very quickly after you interview.
I actually had fun at this interview, which I never considered to be a possibility.
The whole process moved SLU much higher on my wish list of medical schools
Everyone is really positive about SLU, the current students said the faculty really care about you, and they give that impression in the interview. My interview went really well, my interviewer said she was my advocate to the admission committee and she acted that way. It was a good day.
The interview itself wasn't bad at all...just a few provocative questions. Lunch was average. The student hosting program was kindof a pain in the ass...you have to pay $25 just to stay with them, and then you have to pay anywhere from $40 to $60 in cab fare to get to their remote locations. Not good. I could've stayed in a hotel closer to the school for cheaper!!!
Good day, went to a neuro review w/ my host. 15 interviewers, only one of which was a girl. I was impressed w/ the other applicants. Tour was pretty cool, SLU has alot of good facilities, don't believe people who badmouth the school on those grounds. Lunch, then a Financial aid Q&A. Interviewer was very nice, we had alot of common interests. I would describe it as mostly conversational, nothing difficult but there were some pointed questions outside the overall relaxed mode.
It was a good experience. I got there about 10:30am, chatted with some other interviewees (about 11 in all), some of whom had already had their interview. Then we went on a tour given by a 4th year. He loved the school and the tour ended up lasting about 20 minutes longer than planned, so they had to shorten lunch and cancel the financial aid session. The facilities seemed nice. We had a nice catered lunch in a conference room with some medical students. They talked to us a while. Then I had to go to my interview. My interviewer was nice and it was really conversational. Then I filled out an evaluation and left. I was there from 10:30-2:30, so it wasn't too long, nor too short.
I liked this school alot. Not the most awe inspiring school visually, but it seems to be they type of clinical institution that would prepare you well. I saw the matchlist in the hallways and I was equally impressed. Hmm..out of the 4 jesuit med schools (Creighton, Loyola, Georgetown, Saint Louis), I think it would be rank reputation wise and matchlist above Loyola or below or compareably to Georgetown, but I'd have to check that. Don't stress the interview. Research some valid points why YOU would fit at SLU and you should be in good shape. Defintely talk to students.
I was impressed with the positive nature of the students at SLU. The tour was typical of other med schools. From observation, SLU may not be as diverse as other big city schools.
my interview was really long---about 90 min with the same guy and he asked me every question possible about everything on my AMCAS application as well as other general questions.
The interview experience was great. I had the anatomy prof for my interviewer, she was really cool and a bit eccentric. The day was full with an interview in the a.m., a full tour, lunch, and an in-depth financial aid session.
The whole process was completely relaxed. Everyone is really really nice. Even the security guards! They took a couple of us in their van to the train station just because we had just missed the shuttle, which would have come by in another 20 mintues anyway! My interview was very relaxed and conversational. To prepare for the interview, I would just suggest reviewing your app and essays. My interviewer had all my info in front of himn with stuff in my essays highlighted that he wanted to talk about. Don't stress!
The school was a lot alrger that I expected. The architecture on campus and in the city was beautiful. The school is very expensive. The students seemed a bit boring. The students of color did not seem pleased with the environment.
Very conversational, however, did not feel like an interview. The interviewer kept questioning my interest in medicine, insinuating that because I don't come from a family with a medical background, I wouldn't be well-suited for medicine.
The interview was held at a hotel. Once I got there, I did not notice my name on a sheet listing the day's interviewees. Later, I asked my interviewer for some clarification and she said that it was probably a mix-up made by the admissions office. Then she also told me that the office did not give her my file so instead of an open-file, I had an closed-file interview.
The school was generally what I expected. The students and staff seem to like it there and they are all very nice and friendly. The school is not really located within in the heart of the city. I thought the interview day was very organized and informative. No campus housing per se, however, finding an apartment does not seem hard and everyone said the cost of living in St. Louis was relatively low.
I liked the facilities, and the students seemed overall pleased with their experiences. We spent most the day talking to other applicants rather than faculty or students though
The interview was not at the school, it was onthe opposite end of the country...cheap, but I still dont know any more about the school than I did before.
They start with a quick tour of the medical building and nearby hospitals, then they give you lunch and a history of the school. After that there is a financial aid question and answer session. Interviews are either before the tour or after lunch. My interviewer was very nice and did not grill me on anything.
Overall, the interview experience was disappointing. The interviewer never even introduced himself and was incredibly cynical throughout the entire encounter. He sought pleasure out of "grilling" me about my experiences and activities. The tour was at best "ok" and the facilities immediately turned me off from this school. The only positive thing about the trip (other than my steak dinner) was that it gave me interview experience in a place that is relatively unattractive.
Overall, my experience was extremely positive and I was very impressed with the university, curriculum, students, and other applicants. I think most of us had a good experience.
I had a great time. I ended up talking with my interviewer for 2 hours, and I didn't even realized it. The interview is totally laid back and all we did was just talk about my life and other open-ended questions.
My visit to St. Louis was relatively positive. I didn't know very much about the school when I applied but after I visited, I had a positive impression of the school. The electives that appear in the website aren't really cracked up to be what they appear to be--according to my student host.
Do not take a taxi if you have to. I took the Metro Train and it's much, much cheaper ($3 to the university and $1.25 back to the airport). It takes you directly from the airport to the university.
Depending on when your interview is scheduled, you may be stuck in a large conference room with other applicants. If you have an afternoon interview, it might be in your favor as my interviewer spent more than an hour with me. From what I heard from the other applicants, the morning interviews lasted about half an hour. Then again, it may depend on who your interviewer is.
Since my interviewer was MD/PhD, we talked a lot about research. It was very casual, the only hard question was the roommate one, which I wasn't expecting. But overall, very positive.
so my host took me to the admissions office. just down the hall is the conference room where we waited until 1115 for the tour guides. some people had already had their interviews, some, like me, had to wait until afternoon. everyone's interview seemed similar: basically 30 minutes of conversation, just getting to know you, asking you to expand on a couple of things in your application and clarifying any questions they might have. no ethics questions. one interview.
tour: pretty cool, but my tour guide was very quiet, so i wish i had learned more. it all looks nice though came back for lunch. during lunch, several med students were around eager to answer any ?s about the school, applications, whatever. they were begging for ?s all very nice.
after lunch, financial planning Q&A. some people had interviews that started during the Q&A so they left to go find the offices of the interviewers. some had ints after, so they stuck around. my interviewer picked me up from the room and walked me back to her office
my flight was scheduled a couple hours after the interview ended, so i took the metrolink (it is really!!! easy) to get to/from SLU from STL:
from STL airport to SLU school of medicine:
walk outside the baggage claim area and follow the signs to the metrolink go onto the platform and buy a ticket ($1.25). wait on the side that says " to college " wait for next train. you'll go all the way to the end of the line, Grand Boulevard station. when you get there, go up (the elevator or the couple of flights of stairs). From there, Larkin Transportation provides a free shuttle between campuses. You want to board the shuttle heading south and exit at the Medical School (if that's where you're going) there are specific directions in the info SLU sends you, on the back of the directions page. it's probably taken me longer to type this than it actually takes to travel.
when you're going back home, just do the reverse
the whole interview was very conversational. she started out by saying that she had no intention of making me nervous. when we mentioned names of interviewers to the med students at the lunch, the med students all nodded and smiled and had positive comments to say about the interviewers.
St. Louis is a great place to visit and you should try to do the applicant hosting program. I had my interview in the morning before the tour, which turned out to be really nice b/c the rest of the day was stress-free; oh, my interviewer was typing during the whole interview; it was fine--I think she was taking notes, but I had trouble when she asked what I wanted her to tell the admissions committee for me. I kept envisioning her typing everything I was saying word-for-word and so I had trouble focusing, and I wasn't expecting that question.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggested that the admissions office should better coordinate interview times with presentations, provide clearer directions for interview locations in advance, offer more detailed information during presentations, and consider offering more personalized or interactive interview experiences. They also mentioned the importance of providing feedback to rejected applicants and improving overall communication and organization throughout the admissions process.
Don't schedule interviews during presentations and other activities. Make sure everyone can attend them in their entirety and not have to leave 5 minutes in to the financial aid presentation.
Make the location of the interview known to students ahead of time, rather than at the check-in point (some of the interview places were very far from campus and required taxi/car)
Inform the applicants prior to the interview date that after checking in at the admissions office, the applicant will need to walk and find the interviewer's office some where else on campus.