Chicago, IL
Allopathic Medical Schools | Private Non-Profit
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 10% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview mixed with a low stress level, and felt they did well.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
What was the stress level of the interview?
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 include inquiries about applicants' motivations for pursuing medicine, experiences with underserved populations, academic and extracurricular activities, coping strategies for stress, and reasons for choosing a specific medical school. Additionally, questions about failures, research experiences, future career plans, personal interests, and scenarios related to ethics or patient care are frequently discussed. Some respondents mentioned being asked about MMI format, nondisclosure agreements, and specific activities detailed in their application.
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tell me about your research
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What do you look for in a medical school?
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Why medicine?
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they asked a lottt of questions concerning why UChicago: what are u looking for in a school, what made you apply to UChicago, what made u apply to ur undergrad, what would you do if you had multiple acceptances. i kinda ran out of things to say bc they asked it so many different ways.
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Tell me about an experience working for underserved populations?
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Tell me about yourself + why medicine?
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What do you do for fun?
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Very app-specific questions
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What are the three most important things to you in selecting a medical school?
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Tell me about yourself
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When was a time you learned from someone with a different socioeconomic status or different way of thinking
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When was a time you were stressed, how did you deal with it?
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Why a physician specifically (instead of NP, PA, Nurse, etc.)
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Tell us about a time you failed.
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What are the non-academic activities you like to do outside of school?
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Why our school?
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Have you been to Chicago before?
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Tell me about a time you failed.
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What did you learn from your research?
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Tell me about your experiences shadowing.
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Tell me about your research.
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Why Pritzker?
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Tell me about activities XYZ on your application
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What are your hobbies?
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How did you decide to study [insert major]?
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What have you learned from your peers that are currently in medical school?
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Why do you want to be a physician?
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Describe a time you failed or an instance you regret.
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How do you de-stress?
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Describe your favorite patient interaction.
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What is the EC you are most proud of?
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What is one thing you would have me tell the admissions committee about you? (faculty interview)
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What was it like learning to communicate with the patients you saw in one of your activities?
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Will you take a break before coming to medical school? (administrator interview)
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How do you think your involvement in martial arts will help you in your medical school process?
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How is the pre-med life at UChicago? (I go to undergrad here)
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If you didn't pursue medicine, what career path would you follow?
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Asked about my research
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How did your parents being doctors affect your path to medical school?
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What made you want to do x activity?
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Can you give me a book recommendation?
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Tell me about activity X--this was the majority of questions.
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Why did you choose your undergraduate institution?
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Why UChicago?
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As a Californian, do you think you would actually go here?
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At Chicago we work with underserved populations such as Hispanics and African Americans, have you had experience with underserved populations?
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Tell me about experience X, research Y
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MD/PhD vs MD?
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Describe your most important extracurricular activities at school.
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Tell me about <my undergraduate institution>.
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When did you decide that you wanted to pursue medicine as a career?
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How are things going with your job?
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Tell me about yourself (very conversational)
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What do you like to do for fun?
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How would your experiences in X help you be a better physician?
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What was the biggest influence that helped you succeed?
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Why MD?
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The last interviewer was curious about my increasing academic trend on my transcript.
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What are you most proud of?
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What do you define as success?
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Student interviewer focused mostly on activities, really chill to talk with. Also asked about diversity experiences.
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Why did you get ____ on your verbal section? What happened in your junior year to lower your GPA?
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What do you think of the healthcare crisis?
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Why do you want to come here?
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How have you prepared for the emotional and mental stresses of medical school?
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What is one thing that you are passionate about?
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They asked me particulars about my activities, particularly community service and research.
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What hobbies I have.
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What type of physician I'm thinking about being
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What interests you in University of Chicago?
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What makes a good doctor?
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What type of medicine would you like to go into?
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Why are you interested in University of Chicago? How do the goals of the school match your own goals?
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Why do you want to be a doctor?
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Tell me about X (activity from AMCAS) (talked about this for a little while). With my administrative interview we talked about my homecity for a while
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tell me about Y (activity from AMCAS) (talked about this for a little while)
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tell me about Z from AMCAS (talked for a little while)
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How did your time at ___ program change you?
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Tell me about a book you've read recently.
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Who do you go to when you need support?
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How did my research/volunteering help me to decide that I wanted to become a doctor? Tell me in detail about your overseas experience.
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How is my fall semester going? What am I looking for in a medical school?
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What do I like to do in my free time? What specialties am I interested in? Questions about my research.
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What interests you about Pritzker?
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What kind of support system do you have?
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Whats the hardest thing you've gone through in the last 3 years?
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Tell me about where you grew up. What does diversity mean to you?
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What are you passionate about? What makes a good teacher?
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Why Medicine? Tell me about your research?
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The student had clearly read my app and asked me a lot about my PS and ECs
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I highly recommend that you marry a psychiatrist or a teacher's daughter. Why do you think that is?
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What kind of things do you like to do in your free time
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Why are you looking forward to living in a big city?
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How will you attain work/life balance?
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What is empathy?
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Tell me about X activity....
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What would you do if you didn't get in to medical school this year?
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Why are you a good fit for Pritzker?
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What does diversity mean to you?
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What is your favorite book?
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How would your friends describe you?
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how will you deal with the amount of gang violence you'll see at the hospital?
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is there anything you were hoping we'd talk about that hasnt been brought up yet?
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why not go for an MD/PhD with all your research experience?
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Tell me about ___ experience.
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If I were to ask one of your closest friends to describe you with one character trait, what would they say?
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Tell me about your research during PSOMER.
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Why Pritzker? (if you dont come prepared to answer this, you're in trouble)
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How would a friend describe you?
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Why pritzker ... all interviews
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Why shoudl we pick you
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How have you liked your undergraduate experience at (blank) University?
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Is there anything you think may not like about attending our medical school?
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You seem like someone who would find the initiative to pursue something you're interested in. Give me an example.
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How did you evolve into the person you are today and what things have happened in your life that have brought you here to this point?
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Why University of Chicago?
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explain your grade in such and such class?
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how have you prepared for a career in medicine?
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how will you transition to life in Chicago?
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all 3 asked ''why pritzker?'' very conversational.
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a lot of questions about volunteering i did abroad
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lots more questions about music
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questions about other ECs
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Tell me about your research, travel, shadowing.
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What is your favorite novel?
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How can you be sure that you want to be a doctor?
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What have you learned from your interactions with people from other cultures?
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Tell us about your expereinces (AMCAS)
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Tell us about your research.
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Why medicine and not nursing?
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Tell me about your Personal statment. Why medicine?
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Why not teaching or SW?
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Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
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Why Chicago?
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What do you see yourself doing ten years out of medical school?
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What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?
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Why do you want to come to Pritzker? (all 3 asked me this)
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In what way do you think the medical profession is enriching?
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In what ways have your leadership roles helped you?
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Why Pritzker? I was asked this by every single one of my professors.
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anything you'd like to add?
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describe your research
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How do you like to learn and study?
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Scenario question: you find out that a class mate has been lying about some lab results and data during one of your rotations, what do you do?
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What have you been doing since graduation?
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What do I expect Pritzker to offer me?
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What have I done to improve my academic record so drastically?
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What would I do if I didn't do medicine. I think this question is ridiculous; if you wanted to do something else, then you wouldn't or shouldn't be interviewing.
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Tell me about your experiences in Mexico (I volunteered there while in high school with my church to build bathrooms with plumbing and other needed facilities)
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Tell me about your experiences playing water polo (I'm a collegiate all-american goalie - so much fun!)
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Who are some of the biggest role models in your life?
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tell me about ur research
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Why medicine
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why pritzker
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Student Interviewer> 'Memento,' thats a great movie! When I saw that I had to watch it again just to make sure I got everything. So what did you like about the movie?
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Student Interviewer> It really was a unique movie, wasn't it!? If you liked that movie, you'll probably like 'Identity.' Have you seen it?
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Student Interviewer> So what is your favorite movie?
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tell me about yourself. Why U of C?
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why did you choose your undergrad?
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About how my research changed how I see medicine (admissions staff)
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About my motivation for medicine (student, several times)
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About my reseach (faculty)
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Can you be religious without being ethical?
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If your employer had to describe you what would he say about you?
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What is one thing you like about this school and one thing you don't? Ouch, the latter was very hard to answer.
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Lots of stuff about AMCAS, know your research and if you have any updates about your profile bring it!
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Lots of questions about my AMCAS and secondary essays. (All interviewers.)
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Questions about my research. (Faculty interviewer)
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What activities are you still involved in, and what are you doing next semester? (Director of Admissions)
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Most of the other questions focused on activities, hobbies, family, and other things in my application.
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What are the qualities of a great physician? How have you modeled each of these?
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What is the biggest challenge facing healthcare?
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Why U of C?
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How is history related to medicine (I'm a history major)? What type of research do you do? Why do you want to be a doctor? the usual suspect questions
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What type of medicine could you see yourself practicing? Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
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Why Pritzker? Why do you want to come back to Illinois (I grew up outside of Chicago)?
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Tell me about your research...know you're research cold. This school is really hardcore about research and they'll play devil's advocate with you about it too.
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What do you do to relieve stress?
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Why Pritzker? What experiences brought you into medicine?
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What am I looking for in a school?
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What does Pritzker have to offer me?
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What has inspired me to pursue a career in medicine?
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Describe a situation where you encountered conflict ...followed by a hypothetical ? about a disagreement with another physician/student about how to treat a patient
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how did you become so driven?
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the dr. asked about where else i was looking and if i was geographicaly restricted and if I thought i would stay in my homestate (WI) if I get in
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Tell me more about experience X?
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Describe your involvement in ----- group.
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What is balance to you?
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What is the most spontaneous thing you've ever done?
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what did you do with your summer after your research position ended? (ended up talking about vacations)
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Why did you choose your undergraduate university?
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Do you have a medical role model?
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How do you feel about Hyde Park?
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Tell me about _____ (study abroad experience, research, etc.)
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What are your future career plans?
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Why University of Chicago, why leave UMich (cause I'm from MI)?
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How have you been a leader? What were your strengths and weaknesses in this role?
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How would you deal with verbally abusive patients from different ethnicities of your own?
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With what positive and negative expectations of Pritzker did you come here today?
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what have you been doing/done since submitting the application?
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who are your role models?
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What are you career goals?
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What's your weakness?
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Why are you interested in Pritzker?
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See above
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What 2 activities have been most meaningful to you and why?
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What are the things that make you questions your decision to pursue medicine?
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I cant remember all the questions. Most were just to get to know who you are and how you have dealt with specific situations (e.g. how did you cope with a given situation?)
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Basically, it was more me doing the asking to feel out the school . ..
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How did so and so impact your life?(based on AMCAS essay)
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Have you had any experience with people from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds?
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Have you overcome any major obstacles?
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If you could do anything to fix the medical profession right now, what would it be? It's ok if it's idealistic.
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Tell me about you college experience
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What books have you read
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Why University of Chicago over University of Illinois? (I'm an Illinois resident)
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The questions were all very specific to my application.
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What was your favorite class as an undergrad?
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What was your least favorite class as an undergrad?
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Who do you turn to for support?
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Favorite show, movie (from student interviewer).
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Why Pritzker? Why Chicago?
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Will it be necessary for you to maintain long-term relationships with patients? (this related to my stated interest in ER)? How flexible will you be about the other specialties (you might hate ER rotation).
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see above.
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Very specific questions to my file were asked. Know your file.
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Describe your research to me as if I were a four year-old.
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Name five strengths and out of those the most important one a physician should possess. Discuss a time you have displayed this quality.
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What is your weakness? Describe it for me.
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A lot of questions specific about organizations and activities that I did.
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Describe a time when you have displayed leadership skill.
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Tell me about your research.
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What inspired you to become a physician? What kind of medicine do you want to practice?
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Why Pritzker? What is different about Pritzker than other schools?
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Asked a lot of questions about my research
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Asked questions specific to my essays
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What do I do for fun
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Have you ever been really really angry at someone? What did you do?
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Have you ever been tempted to do something less than ideal? (unetehical, such as cheating, lying, etc. etc.)
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Pick a moment in your life that you feel was a turning point for you. Describe the event and how it affected you.
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look above.
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they didn't really ask me questions, we just kind of talked.
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tell me about a time you failed
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what activities do you do and why?
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Get-to-know you ?'s
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Why doctor?
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same as above.
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How would a friend describe you
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what makes uchicago different from other schools you applied to? what do you like about the other schools you applied to?
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what was your undergrad like?
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What other schools are you applying to?
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What's your favorite restaurant in Chicago?
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Why MD and PhD? (not from everybody, just the tough guy)
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Explain your research
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Name 5 reasons why you want to come to Pritzker
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Why did you go to your undergraduate school
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All of the questions were specific to my application...
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What area of medicine are you interested in?
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What makes you stand out?
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Why Pritzker? Why medicine?
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What were your greatest influences.
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Where else did you apply?
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Why medicine? Why UChicago?
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Tell me about yourself.
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What sparked your interest in medicine?
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What specialty interests you?
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Name someone who doesn't like you and why they don't.
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Was there ever a time when you let someone down?
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What types of current events do you follow?
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Describe a difficult time and the what you did to overcome it.
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Who will you look to for support while in medical school?
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How will you stay motivated to do your best at a pass/fail school?
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What are you looking for in a medical school?
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What speciality are you consiering? (both interviewers wanted to know...)
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How do you plan to finance your medical education (I'm a Canadian citizen, so I'm not eligible for some of the common loans). Why do you want to study medicine in the United states/ what do you think of the healthcare system?
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Which of your extracurricular activities is the most meaningful to you and why?
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If you could meet anyone from the past whom would it be and why?
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Tell me abbout yourself.
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what is your source of motivation and support?
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the questions were mostly taken from my application... reread amcas, that is the only thing the interviewers have seen.
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What is the hardest problem you have overcome? Do you have any hesitations about starting med school?
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Why Pritzker?
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tell me about yourself (I got this at both interviews...and it's one of the hardest questions to get started on answering).
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what do you think of pass/fail?
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what kind of support system will you have when you are here?
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What do you do to cope with stress?
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What was the last book you read? (Then I had to talk about it, what I thought about it, how it affected me, etc.)
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Tell me about yourself and your childhood background, neighborhood, etc.
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When did you know you wanted to be a doctor?
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If you could go anywhere right now, regardless of costs, where would you go and who would you take?
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Teach me something.
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What would prevent you from coming to Pritzker?
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Describe coping skills during a particularly challenging volunteer experience.
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Describe your research.
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Talk about a time you were not planning on being a leader but then became one.
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What questions do you have about Pritzker?
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Why a doctor and not a nurse or some other profession more needed in the health care sector?
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They asked pretty standard questions about my background, interest in medicine, what interests I have.
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see above. mostly they asked stuff about my own application. The interviews were very conversational and relaxed. :)
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What can I tell you about the school?
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What do you do on a weekend if you have no work to do?
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Assume all the stuff in your AMCAS are nonexistent (Grades, activities, etc.) Tell me about yourself
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How do you define maturity?
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What kind of qualities do you look for in your 103 other classmates, if you actually come to here?
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how do you handle stress
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tell me about your family
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How will you define success as you pursue the medical profession?
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Why Pritzker? Why medicine? What goals do you have for yourself?
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What are you looking for in a med school?
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What should I tell the adcom?
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Tell me about yourself? How do you find the different research opportunities (I come from a small school)? Explain your research projects.
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The typical: why md/phd? why not just md?
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Where is Earlham College?
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A physician interviewer asked me what he should write in my evaluation.
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What do you do in your free-time?
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How are u gonna deal with you family being so far away?
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How do u cope with stress?
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Do you have any fears/concerns about entering the field of medicine?
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What book are you reading right now?
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What kind of support system will you have out here in Chicago when it gets tough?
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Administrative interview (about 15 min)--so how's your research going?
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Faculty (1 hour+)--What in your application would need further explanation, or in some cases, justification? (Asked so she could defend my candidacy, if necessary, during AdCom meeting)
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Student (1 hour+)--so . . . tell me about yourself.
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What should we know about you that is not in your application?
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What types of books do you read?
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-What do you like to do in your spare time? -What other medical schools have you applied to?
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-What was your hardest course in college? -What course did you enjoy the most?
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-Why did you choose to graduate from college in three years? -Why Pritzker? -A few ethical scenario were set up involving dealing with an authority figure that is in error and another question about a friend who cheated to get into medical school.
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A series of ethical questions (see above for examples).
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If you get multiple acceptances, how would you choose the right school for you?
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Biggest leadership role.
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Do you think there is a set way to get into medical school? Or certain requirements/activities you need to do to get in?
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Tell me your biggest obstacle you overcame
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Describe the biggest obstacle in your life.
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Describe your greatest accomplishment.
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Is there anything else you would like to tell me that we haven't discussed today.
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Do you want to add anything to your application?
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What will you do in the upcoming year? These are the standard questions, be ready to have a conversation with friendly and helpful people.
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Tell me about your family. How will you cope w/o them?
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What concerns do you have about med school? What a Dr? What are you looking for in a med school?
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What do you do for fun? What was your most challenging class and why? How do you deal with problems? Who do you admire and why? How would you describe yourself?
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If you weren't accepted to any medical school, what would you do?
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Why would you want to come to Chicago? (I'm from San Diego)
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Do you follow politics?
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Tell me about your grade and high school experience. My interviewing was trying to see if I have had any interaction with African Americans since the patient population at primarily African American.
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What has been your greatest challenge? Who do you go for emotional support?
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Explain your research to me and then explain it as if you were talking to a fourth grader.
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If you could go anywhere in the world and money was not an issue, where would you go?
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When was the last time you cried?
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Has any of your information changed since you completed your AMCAS?
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What is the biggest ethical problem in medicine facing the United States today?
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Anything you want to add to your application?
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What are your plans until you enter medical school?
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Are you comfotable working with a patient base that is mostly African-American, and from varying socioeconomic backgrounds?
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How do you juggle all of the activities you do?
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What made you apply here?
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what's your biggest strength? what's your biggest weakness?
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why did you do the activities you did
What was the most interesting question?
Students said the most interesting question asked at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, from personal qualities like maturity and favorite books to scenarios involving ethical dilemmas and cultural experiences. While there were no specific mentions of MMI or nondisclosure agreements, the questions appeared to be diverse and aimed at getting to know the applicants on a deeper level.
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if you are someone with social justice in your application be prepared to back it up
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Tell me about your research?
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Specific to one of my most meaningful experiences
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What qualities do you think separate a good coach from a bad coach?
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What books have you read recently?
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Question about a very specific sentence I wrote in my amcas. My interviewer found it interesting and asked me to clarify what I meant to say.
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What do you do for fun?
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How have you changed since freshman year of college?
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What is a book you recommend?
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What would you say to an intern who was having trouble effectively communicating with patients?
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What was it like learning to communicate with the patients you saw in one of your activities?
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Can you recommend a book for me?
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All pretty standard easy questions about yourself. Nothing really out of the ordinary.
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Do you have a book recommendation?
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Student interviewer asked generally interesting questions that weren't difficult and more just to get to know who I was beyond my application.
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Was your decision to go into medicine an "ah-ha" moment, or more of a process?
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Why did you use your AP credits the way you did?
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How did your study abroad experience affect you and your studies?
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How did your desire to help others develop?
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What books I've read lately
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1. What is maturity? 2. What doctor would you want to have lunch with?
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Did UChicago do the right thing with the Urban Health Initiative? (Policy question)
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Asked me if I was interested in the new 'scholarship/discovery' program in their curriculum and which field i think i would pick to do my project in. also asked if i spoke other languages.
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If you could go anywhere, at any time, where would you go and why?
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What is a quality you have picked up, or would like to, from a doctor you have worked with?
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What do you want to know about me or Pritzker?
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What makes a good teacher?
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none
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nothing too interesting--mostly conversational
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You've been out of school for a while. How will you manage a work/life balance?
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What would you do if you didn't get in to any medical school?
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the usual
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It seems you have not really failed before. Everyone fails at some point in medical school. How will you handle failure?
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in your travels to canada and europe, what did you learn about the various cultures you came into contact with
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Do you see yourself in academic medicine or primary care medicine?
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None.
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What do you think you took away from your experience in Sri Lanka?
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What was your least favorite class?
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What do you think are the biggest problems facing healthcare and why do you think they are problems?
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What is emotional maturity? kind of caught me off guard b/c it came out of nowhere, but I handled it very well
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nothing out of the ordinary. very conversational.
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pretty much everything was straightforward and off my file
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Do you have any hesitations before entering a career in medicine?
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What have you learned from your interactions with people from other cultures?
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Are Physician Assistants relevant?
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Why not teaching or SW?
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None they were all basically just to get to know me as an applicant.
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What question do you wish I had asked you?
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What do your friend call you? What does your name mean?
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describe a time you truly helped someone
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Teach me how to do something non-academic or medically related.
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What biases do I have? (referring to other people)
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What ties do you have to the Hispanic community? (I am applying as a URM but I got none of my Mexican mother's looks and all of my dad's Irish looks - plus, his Irish last name!)
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About my background and moving to the US
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Didn't really have one.
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It was an interesting question specific to my research.
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How has your research changed the way that you approach (and talk to) patient's families?
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Being that you're not from Chicago who will you turn to if something happened to you, for instance you fall sick?
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Why will i be a good physician??
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How does your interest in existentialism relating to your interest in medicine? (student interviewer)
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Can you please show me where you live on the map behind you...
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What do you look for in a medical school?
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What are current problems in incarcerated medicine that need to be addressed (from my essay)
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If you had to get out of your burning apartment in 2 min, what three things would you take with you?
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If there was one question that you would want someone to ask about your application what would it be and what would be your response?
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Lots of stuff about my previous career.
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hypothetical situation questions asked by the studet regarding reasoning, conflict, ethics, and such
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Teach me something that is not medically or scientifically related.
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What is balance to you?
-
What career would you pursue if it wasn't medicine?
-
what is my favorite kind of music and why is it important to me
-
The questions were all interesting, but all directly related to me as a person or to my application. All of my interviewers knew my file inside out.
-
What about your personality do you think will make medical school difficult?
-
Tell me a negative trait you dislike in a person and how would you deal with this in a patient.
-
Why and in what ways do you think China's society differs from our own... (prompted because I began studying Chinese) this question led to a 15 minute discussion about international politics, which was interesting!
-
what books have you read lately for fun?
-
We discussed a doctor I had shadowed, and she asked if there was something I observed that was negative or unprofessional.
-
Why now?
-
If you were stranded on an island w/ 10 people (and you had everything you needed to survive) what would you most like to learn from them? What would you most like to teach them?
-
What do you like to do?
-
Why do you think you are drawn to fields of medicine which deal with terminally ill patients?
-
I usually like my interviewees to teach me something. You have 5 minutes to teach me anything you want. [It's hard to come up with something fun and interactive (that you know TONS about) off the top of your head.]
-
Tell me about your experiences with the doctor you shadowed in Maine. From there my interview developed a conversation about how ridiculous it was that doctors complain about decreasing salaries.
-
If I were to talk to your best friend, favorite professor, and a family member, how would they each describe you? My student interviewer asked me to just "talk about something."
-
What would you say to a couple who comes in asking you to genetically alter their next child to have blonde hair, blue eyes, and be male?
-
Everything related to my file and from the conversations I had. The closest would be given your experiences with unethical practitioners in the law (I had remarked about a few cases I encountered but also pointed out that this was not the primary reason for my career switch), how would you react to a situation where you believed a doctor acted unethically or erronously? Nothing too out of the ordinary- Why Chicago? Why Pritzker? It was clear that they take a lot of time and effort to make sure that the right students are matched up with the school.
-
What do you think your greatest challenge will be as a physician? How will you be able to overcome that challenge?
-
about community service i guess
-
You application was very well written; I didn't see any gaps to ask you questions about. Do you have any questions for me?
-
A question asking about specifics of an EMT experience I had.
-
Why the rush to enter medical school, is there a reason you aren't taking time off?
-
Nothing, everything was related to my application.
-
How do you think the peace process is going to change now that Arafat is dead? He died the morning of my interview so I had no idea that he had until asked that question, needless to say I was surprised at first.
-
A man runs into your house looking panicked. He then runs out and you see him run to the left. Another man walks in with a knife and says, "Where is that guy...I'm going to kill him!" What do you say to the man? (In the end, I was told that the true answer is to tell the truth...) I said that I would like to say, "I DOn't know" but in reality, if I was scared for my life, I would probably tell the truth. (I think they were looking for the idea that you would not lie)
-
who would you bring on a road trip?
-
i am a CA resident, so the faculty interviewer posed a good question: i look at CA applicants every year and they inevitably are drawn to CA, even if they get into one of the lower ranked UC schools. why should we offer you admission when I know that you will still choose a UC, even a lower one, instead?
-
Do you think you'll use biomedical engineering [my major] as a physician?
-
You are in a windowless room with 3 light switches, labeled A, B, and C, each corresponding to a light bulb in an adjacent room. You may make only one trip to the other room. How can you determine the identity of the light bulbs?
-
See below.
-
Can you tell me what happened to you during your undergraduate career? (Based on what I had written in my essay)
-
All of the questions were pretty much based on my file. None of the questions jump out as being super interesting.
-
nothing, pretty standard conversational interview questions
-
An eccentric billionaire grants you ten million dollars and all the equipment you want. What kind of experiment would you design?
-
What's the formula for the volume of a sphere
-
What did you think when the doctor you were shadowing told a mother what her child had told him?
-
The interview was very conversational. There weren't any questions that really stood out. Of course I was asked why I wanted to go to that school and also why I chose medicine.
-
What are you reading?
-
Drawing from your experience tutoring, what did you learn that you can apply to your future career/profession?
-
What is your favorite movie?
-
What would be your position if the hospital you worked for had severe budget cuts and had to turn away non-emergency patients without adequate insurance?
-
What do you think of the medicare bill going through the Senate today?
-
How has your father impacted your life (I mentioned somewhere in my application that I was raised by a single mom)
-
What was the greatest and most significant moment of your life and why?
-
You have a lot of clinical research experience, but no lab research experience? why not, and would you be interested in doing lab work?
-
What would you do if you were an ER doctor in a hospital with a policy to refuse non-urgent care to patients due to budget constraints? (this was a no-stress question because the interviewer told me he just wanted to hear what i thought, since there is no right/wrong answer)
-
the questions were pretty standard, straight out of my application.
-
What do you think it was like for your parents to immigrate to the US?
-
What would you tell a high school senior about your major and how it would prepare someone for being pre-med?
-
what could our current leaders learn from the ancient greeks and romans (evolved out of another question)?
-
If your AMCAS was blank, no activities, no awards, no scores, how would you describe yourself to me?
-
All were very standard, ie why medicine, problems in the field today.
-
Why not vet medicine?
-
What would you change about your undergraduate school?
-
Imagine you're driving on I-55 and you have no one to talk to, and your radio's not working...what would you think at this point?? (I have no clue what this is supposed to mean)
-
asked detailed questions about issues with my father, but that was in my personal statement so it was no big deal,
-
Describe your ideal medical school candidate and where you rank yourself to that ideal.
-
Nothing really interesting, just stuff about my file
-
There really weren't any questions, mostly just clarification and explanation of things from my application.
-
What kind of things I did in the past 6 month outside of academics?
-
The medical student I interviewd with asked me to tell him what questions he should ask to get to know me better.
-
who do u turn to in your time of need?
-
What would your friends say about you?
-
The faculty member asked me to teach her "something" on any subject I chose.
-
How does your research apply to everyday life? My response: Ummmm, not at all really. But it is interesting no? (psychophysics is not exactly a useful subject for short term application)
-
An ethical scenario was set up about a brain dead woman who was pregnant.
-
What do you think about euthanasia? What about abortion?
-
Given a scenario of how i would handle a situation.
-
How would you improve yourself?
-
What would you get involved in at Pritzker?
-
Why do you want to be a doctor and not just an EMT?
-
What are your plans before you enter medical school?
-
Would you accept money for Nestles (candy company) to assure that children will have meals to eat at school? (We were talking about childhood obesity.) What's the most populous animal that is the same size or slightly larger than the cat? (Seriously.)
-
How do I define 'mature'?
-
The Dean asked me, "What makes you unique?" When I answered the question, he said, "I already knew that but I just wanted to hear you say it."
-
I asked a question about the participation between the medical school and the surrounding area of Hyde park which has a bad reputation and the doctor looked at me and said "are you asking me if Hyde park is a safe area". He pretty much cut to the chase and I sputtered out a clarification of my question.
-
What do you do if your patients are apprehensive towards you?
-
What career would I choose if the health fields did not exist?
-
If you could be any organ, which would you be?
-
How can you explain/prove how your experiences have affected you?
-
It was very conversational, talked about books, Sept. 11, etc. I am non-traditional and was asked if I would be willing to take a summer course to get me back up to speed, if the admissions committee required it.
-
what would your parents say if you suddenly decided to become a manicurist?
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics including teamwork experiences, personal failures, challenges in medicine, ethical dilemmas, and reasons for choosing medicine over other professions. The interviews varied from standard questions to more probing inquiries, with some students mentioning thorough reviews of their files and discussions on personal statements and activities to assess their fit for the institution.
-
nothing actually hard - they just were clearly fishing for commitment to uchicago
-
None, all pretty standard and application specific
-
None - all were pretty easy
-
Describe a time you had to use teamwork, how did you go about it
-
I was talking about how medicine isn't all-powerful and can sometimes disappoint. Then my interviewer asked whether I've had experience with this kind of scenario in my shadowing experience...
-
None - very casual conversation (more so than other schools who claim the same thing)
-
Describe a time you failed.
-
What is one thing you would have me tell the admissions committee about you? (faculty interview)
-
Nothing really. All the interviews were pretty conversational and they specifically said that they don't want to ask any difficult questions or questions to trip us up because they were confident that if we were chosen for an interview we could all take on the course load. They really just wanted to get to know you as a person.
-
All pretty standard easy questions about yourself. Nothing really out of the ordinary.
-
What was the most important of your clinical experiences?
-
What do you think will be the biggest challenge for you in medical school?
-
Describe a situation when you had to work with someone from a different demographic than your own.
-
Why are you a "fit" for this institution?
-
Tell me about yourself
-
What was the biggest influence that helped you succeed?
-
What kinds of volunteer activities have you done? (in addition to the MCAT/GPA questions).
-
The student interviewer said I had a lot of community-service oriented activities and noticed (in my personal statement) that my father is paraplegic, so he claimed that I was too emotional to be a physician and then asked if I think I would waste hospital resources because of that.
-
You struggled academically your freshman year of college--how would you deal with the adjustment to medical school? How would you find a support system if you don't have any family/relatives around?(Really dwelled on this question and since it has been 7 years since I was a freshman in college I thought that he was pressing the issue too much--it is clear from my upper class years and postbacc work that I have been able to handle myself academically with success)
-
Nothing in particular
-
Administrative asked me if i thought i could leave my home state to come to Chicago
-
Teach me how to incorporate that trait into my life
-
None.
-
none
-
Nothing was difficult
-
Really pressed the why do you want to be a doctor question. Asked once, then I answered. He asked again saying, why not just MPH. When I responded with another answer, he kept pushing and pushing--probably just to see how you handle the stress
-
What do you think is the main problem with the auto companies? (I am from Detroit)
-
What is empathy?
-
nothing really. Mostly just talk about different activities.
-
no real difficult questions
-
What should I tell the admissions commitee on your behalf?
-
given the limited experience you have working in a diverse environment, how do you think you'll be able to cope working with such a diverse student and patient population in hyde park?
-
None really...they were honestly all 40 minute conversations. Just know your file really well because they WILL ask you questions about your experiences.
-
How do you think you would react to a situation where a colleague or patient wanted you to do something that you were morally opposed to?
-
What do you hope to get out of medicine
-
What do you think are the biggest problems facing healthcare and why do you think they are problems?
-
How will you deal with possibly leaving your family? difficult for me b/c i am very close to my family
-
''''
-
something about leadership experience that i flubbed
-
Tell me about X (difficult experience)
-
Are you sure you want to go through all this to be a doctor?
-
Whay not nursing?
-
Why not teaching or SW?
-
Again none...very basic questions
-
What experiences have you had in interacting with people different than yourself and what have you learned from those experiences?
-
The student interviewer had typed questions that he asked me about my personal statement and my activities. It was not difficult, just thorough.
-
none, really
-
What will you do if you don't get in besides apply again?
-
None really. They all were from this website.
-
What kind of relationship do you have with your mother?
-
What was the biggest personal failure or disappointment in your life
-
Didn't really have one.
-
Why should we accept you? What can you personally bring to Pritzker?
-
About Woody Allen (I said that he was a pervert, but then realized that that sounded judgemental, but you have to admit that his behavior runs against societal norms)
-
How would you fix the problems associated with the U.S. healthcare system?
-
biggest problem in medicine today?
-
"Well, don't you think that somebody is going to have to pay the phone bill?" (faculty interviewer, in reference to my comment about not wanting to go into private practice because I want to focus on patient care rather than spending a lot of time running my own business)
-
How will your family cope without you there?
-
What is your biggest failure?
-
A question about my personal statement that totally caught me off guard. What type of research do you see yourself doing?...honestly nothing all that difficult.
-
nothing too difficult...pretty standard questions
-
What do I foresee as my biggest challenge in medical school?
-
What are your professional goals? The tone of the question was interested not confrontational, but the implication was "is this the right school for you"
-
hypothetics questions by student
-
How do you know your mature enough to begin medical school?
-
Ethical questionn about what I would do if I saw a colleague lying to one of the attendings about an exam that they had done on a patient and what I would do. It was not that hard, but i just had to phraise it correctly...I hope i did
-
What qualities in a person should make them avoid a career in medicine?
-
same
-
Ethics question regarding 14-year old 2nd time heart transplant candidate who hadn't followed the prescribed treatment the 1st time and now needed another transplant.
-
not much, really
-
What's you weakness
-
The questions were very straightforward; though several required some personal details to answer as fully as I wished. But all the interviewing was exceedingly tactful and gentle and fair.
-
See above (toooooo many things to learn! Who would want to learn just one?)
-
Describe a situation where you had a moral dilema? How did you respond.
-
(Probably the question above)
-
See above. I was also asked what I would do if a roomate or friend got heavily into cocaine.
-
The interviewer probed me about how to improve the uninsured/underinsured problem. Listing the problems and giving a very ideological solution wasn't enough. He wanted to know how it was going to actually be fixed.
-
Nothing difficult.
-
How would you treat migrant workers/immigrants who don't want to be treated or are afraid to be treated? (I'm very interested with working in the underserved communities)
-
My faculty interviewer had thoroughly reviewed my file and was citing items for further clarification/explanation that she felt members of the committee might bring up and she wanted to be as prepared to speak on my behalf as possible (ex. support system since I was from NY and never lived or even visited Chicago before, a grade in Chemistry, MCAT breakdown, diverse background and incorporation into my future career as a physician).
-
(I'm a teacher) How is teaching like medicine? What about the human contact to you like?
-
a tie: how do you see the future of medicine? how would you fix the healthcare system (both followed by a blank stare and my responses were met with blank stares as well)
-
After saying all of this, why do you think that UC would be a good fit for you?
-
Why do you feel that you would make a good doctor, and why medicine?
-
Nothing too difficult, just the standard. The phrasing of the above question made it seem like she thought it was a bad thing that I didn't want to take time off, so I had to adjust my answer slightly to cater to that attitude.
-
n/a
-
see above
-
Tell me what you know about the current healthcare system in India.
-
same as above
-
tell me about a time you failed (this was from the student interviewer)
-
Will high crime deter you from coming to U of C?
-
Our curriculum is pretty similar to several other schools across the country. Why choose Pritzker based on the strengths of its curriculum? (By the way, don't tell them the reason you want to go there is because of the strength of its curriculum...bad idea.)
-
Give me an example of a time when you had to make a difficult decision and stuck with it against opposition.
-
What is the reason you want to come to this school? (He countered many of my answers by saying that other schools had similar attributes)
-
None. They were all simple, straight forward questions
-
more detailed questions about the experiment I proposed.
-
Name five reasons you want to go to Pritzker
-
None-- they were all related to my application, and it was casual-- more of a conversation
-
What makes you stand out? Not difficult at all, but none of the questions really were.
-
Tell me about a time when you failed.
-
Discuss a chalenging experience in your life and explain the coping skills used to help you work through this problem.
-
How do you define maturity, and how can you demonstrate to me that you have it?
-
same as the most interesting
-
Which faculty members here are you considering working with?
-
Why do you want to enter medical school when you are still in 3rd year undergrad. Why the hurry?
-
There really were not any difficult questions....just though provoking.
-
Everything felt very conversational...but if I had to pick something - "What do you see yourself doing in the future (as a physician)?"
-
my first interviewer was a little intense. he pulled things out of my application that were out of context and basically tried to have me prove to him why i should be accepted to chicago despite these things.
-
My interviewer pointed out that I spoke about my research less enthusiastically than about my volunteer experiences, and I had a hard time explaining that while not being too critical of doing research (since it's so research oriented)
-
Tell me about a challenge you have faced.
-
same question
-
Relate a time you had truly failed.
-
My faculty interviewer didn't want to put me on the spot with difficult moral questions, so he poised very general questions which made them difficult to answere because it was hard to see what he was getting at. It seemed obvious that he was following a set of guidelines provided to him.
-
If you were a physician and your patients wanted a genetically engineered baby, and even wanted to plan the due date, what would you do/say?
-
None were that difficult
-
Pharmacy, Nursing, etc. are all allied health fields that are in shortage...why do you choose Medicine
-
none, pretty straight forward, How do you handle stress was asked
-
What do you when conflict arises? How do you resolve disputes?
-
What are the components of the Celsior preservation solution (it is related to my research)? Almost all of the questions were fairly standard. Just relax and be yourself!
-
Do you think pharmaceutical companies should have a cap on their prices? If so, do you think this will hinder future research?
-
How does your mother's death affect your thoughts on medicine?
-
What your mother say, if she were sitting here now, that you would need to improve upon in order to be a better son?
-
same as above.
-
None. All the questions were intended to get to know me better.
-
What was your most difficult academic experience?
-
Describe a situation in which you were criticized and identify the coping mechanisms you employed.
-
I have two graduate degrees--Do you really want to spend four more years in school?
-
Why Chicago? (I'm from warm and sunny CA)
-
See above.
-
What is a problem with the US Healthcare system and what is my solution?
-
None. I did get a few ethical questions but they were all presented in a conversational format.
-
Is it fair for people to be judged based on first immpressions? (The interviwer thought that it was fair,as he was judging me on his first impression!)
-
If a patient came in with chronic pain, but I found nothing wrong with them, would I prescribe painkillers to them?
-
A particularly complex ethical question regarding a brain dead mother and her unborn fetus.
-
What has challenged you in life?
-
what makes you a weak canidate? why should we reject you?
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of more than 50 minutes.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 3 people.
What was the style of the interview?
Most respondents had a one-on-one interview.
What type of interview was it?
Most respondents had an open file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at the school.
📍 On-Site Experience ▼
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents rank the facilities as below average.
What were your total hours spent traveling?
Most respondents spent 4-6 hours traveling to the interview.
What was your primary mode of travel?
Most respondents traveled by airplane to the interview.
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
Most respondents spent less than $100.
What airport did you fly into?
Respondents who flew to the interview generally used Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
-
Ohare
-
ORD
-
OHR
-
O'Hare
-
O Hare
-
Midway Airport
-
Midway
-
MDW
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either With students at the school or with students at the school.
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
-
ramada
-
n/a
-
Wyndham Downtown
-
Ramada Inn Lakeshore
-
Ramada Hotel
-
Palmer House
-
International House
-
Hyatt Regency Chicago
-
Hyatt Place
-
Hyatt - McCormick Place
-
Hyatt
-
Chicago Lake Shore Hotel
-
"International House"
How would you rate the hotel?
Most respondents rated their hotel as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
Most respondents would recommend their hotel.
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What are your comments on where you stayed?
No responses
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Applicants commonly prepared for the interview by reviewing their applications, practicing with mock interviews, reading SDN feedback, researching the school's website, and staying updated on current events and ethical issues in healthcare. Many also engaged in conversations with current students, shadowed medical professionals, and familiarized themselves with the school's curriculum and mission to feel more comfortable and prepared.
-
Looking at SDN
-
SDN questions, mock interviews
-
Practice with lots of different people
-
Hung out with students and smoked
-
SDN questions
-
Looked over SDN Qs, reviewed school website
-
Reviewed the website, reviewed my application, came up with points in my head to generic questions (why this school, tell us about yourself)
-
Read SDN feedback and read Pritzker website
-
Read my app, read about Pritzker
-
Looking over my app
-
I read over my app and secondary, had someone ask me interview questions every couple of days for about a week or so, researched the school, and researched some interesting things about Chicago
-
Reread my application, researched the school
-
SDN, previous interviews, or mock interview if you can.
-
Pritzker website including podcast transcripts, SDN interview feedback
-
Mock interview, went through every question on the interview feedback here on SDN, talked to my reflection a lot
-
Looked over my apps, the school website and SDN.
-
Researched the programs they have and knew my application front to back, especially research
-
SDN, read through my AMCAS and secondary, read about the school
-
Reviewed my AMCAS and secondary applications and talked to students about their experiences at UChicago
-
Read my application, went on their website
-
SDN, UChicago Website, Looked over AMCAS
-
school's website, admissions videos, reviewing my application, etc.
-
Practiced answering questions from sdn, re-read applications and reviewed my thesis and past research, mock/practice interview with friend, watched pritzker reels and admissions videos
-
SDN, school's website, re-read application
-
I looked at their website, consulted the MSAR, and reviewed posts on SDN.
-
SDN, re-read application, refreshed on all my activities, mock interview at school
-
Listening to the podcast
-
Had my friends ask me interview-type questions, researched online.
-
Studentdoctor.net, reviewed my secondary, school website, answered a packet of interview questions from my pre-health office, contacted students I know at the school for advice.
-
SDN, talked to students, read their website, read my application.
-
Listened to the podcasts, read the website.
-
read SDN, read book on health policy, re-read entire application, read online about UC, talked to my host about certain aspects of the school
-
SDN, read the website, reread my secondary
-
SDN, stayed with student
-
Reviewed their website, SDN, my primary and secondary
-
Overstudied questions from SDN, looked at primary and secondary
-
Re-read secondary and PS. Listen to the podcasts on the website. SERIOUSLY!!! Don't look at anymore interview feedback. The podcasts on the website will tell you what Pritzker prides itself in and what you want to touch upon in the interview.
-
Re-read AMCAS, supplemental application. Read SDN Interview Feedback. Mock interview at my undergrad.
-
sleep, stayed with student
-
website, sdn
-
Read through primary and secondary apps
-
Read the school's website.
-
sdn
-
Reviewed my AMCAS, essays, and abstract for research.
-
truthfully, i over prepared for my first interview at rochester. after seeing how relaxed and conversational interviews at pritzker were (by reading SDN and talking with current students), i realized all i had to do was be myself and feel comfortable talking about my path to medicine
-
SDN, mock interview, school website, primary/secondary essays
-
This site.
-
Pray, read studentdoctor.net, look in my MSAR, looked at my AMCAS and secondary
-
sdn, internet, mock interview etc
-
SDN, School Website
-
Re-read my AMCAS, my secondary, SDN.
-
reviewed AMCAS, secondary, healthcare issues, ethics, mock interview at undergrad institution, one previous med school interview, student doc. net
-
went to dinner with a 2nd year the night before, SDN interview feedback, website
-
this website, mock interview at school, good night of sleep
-
Read website, SDN, my application, spoke to people who'd interviewed here this cycle
-
Pritzker website, studentdoctor.net, re-read essays.
-
SDN, website, brochures, website etc.
-
SDN, typical questions, school's website, talked to student host
-
SDN...schools website
-
SDN, MSAR, reviewed AMCAS and secondary applications, school's website
-
I re-read my personal statement and my secondary essays and watched the admissions DVD and read the brochure.
-
this website, school site, amcas application and secondary essays
-
mock interview, read the website and other info, SDN feedback
-
Re-read AMCAS, secondary, Pritzker website, studentdoc
-
Other interviews, SDN, their website, yoga, sportscenter :)
-
read through application
-
Mock interview at my school, reviewed my application, looked at UChicago's web site.
-
Read SDN, Amcas primary, U of C secondary
-
Read SDN interview feedback, Personal statement & secondary app. Got lots of questions about the personal statement
-
SDN Interview feedback, website, previous interviews.
-
SDN, website and read AMCAS
-
Printed out the website and read it on the plane, brushed my hair a lot (Chicago really IS the Windy City!!!)
-
SDN, Primary/Secondary Apps, Mock interviews with friends and co-workers.
-
sdn, previous interviews, current events and ethics
-
scoured the website, looked at this site, talked to a friend who went there, knew my AMCAS and research like the back of my hand
-
sdn, school website, amcas
-
Read over application, Student Doctor, school's website
-
SDN, School's web site, read over my AMCAS
-
SDN, school website, med school book
-
School website, SDN, Talked with current M1 students.
-
SDN, school website, reviewed AMCAS and secondaries
-
SDN, reread personal statement and secondaries
-
SDN, Students, web site
-
Looked over my AMCAS and secondary, This web site, the school's web site.
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read SDN interview feedback, school's website, my own application
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Reread my app, SDN interview feedback, U of C website, pumped my student host for info
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Read over AMCAS, secondary application, researched school website and read "Healthcare in America: can our ailing system be healed?"
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interview feedback, web site, mock interview with premed advisor
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School & hospital website, SDN, read newspaper
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This site, website, AMSA student reviews. Also have been reading MDLinx for a couple of years.
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I read interview feedback, read about the school, re-read my application and my research papers.
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SDN, my secondary, my primary, kept current with the news, etc.
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read about the school online, read over secondary application
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read SDN website. asked questions of current students
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I read SDN posts, reviewed my applications, and read through a great deal of the website.
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looked on this website, surfed the Pritzker website a few times, watched some news specials on current healthcare issues, tried to catch up on current events (which is hard when you only have new newspapers and can't really do much to find out about the background behind these events), talked to my advisor at my University, talked to my summer research mentor who is actually on the Pritzker faculty
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SDN/U of C website
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Read sdn.net, went over the website, AMCAS application, and supplemental application.
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SDN, U of C website, reviewed my own application
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reviewed Pritzker's web site, SDN, stayed with a student host and asked questions, visited classes
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web site, sdn, looked over my file and research
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read this site, looked over my secondary
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Read SDN, my application essays, and the Chicago Tribune.
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This site, U of Washington's bioethics site, read over application
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Read a lot about my research, studied their web site and familiarized myself with current news and health ethics.
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reviewed application, looked at uc website, read studentdoctor.net
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Read the website, SDN, looked over my essays
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Answered a bunch of interview-style questions, read up on current events, looked at the Chicago's website.
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read this site, read over secondary, read read read
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-this site -made three lists (and updated continually): health news, world news, uchicago news -used uwash med school ethics site for great case studies of diff ethics situations -mock interview at my school
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website, O-week guide, SDN, secondary review
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Pritzker website, MSAR, read my secondary essays over, talked a LOT with my dad who is on faculty there, and shadowed 3 academicians the week prior
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SDN, school website, read over AMCAS/secondary, brushed up on ethical/health care issues.
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SDN, U of C pamphlets, and the book Understanding Health Policy
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SDN, practiced mock interviews, read about the school
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read their website, all the info they sent, talked to current students, sdn
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website (a little), this site, reviewing my app
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Read over my secondary. Read the schools mission. Read the postings on this site.
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looked through my secondary (very important for this one, glad I did) and read this site
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Looked at the school's website, interview feedback, and went over my application. I also stayed with a med student the night before so I got a pretty good perspective of what the school was like.
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Read about the school (internet, pamphlets, etc.), mock interview x2, read current events, and SDN.
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Read this site, talked to friends, thought about AMCAS, read the website from U of C
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looked over sdn, my app, walked around the campus the night before to figure out where everything was
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I looked over the entire uchicago website to get a feel for the curriculum and school. I also reviewed my application and amcas. I looked on a few bioethics websites to get the latest info.
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Showered, shaved, dressed. :) Read website, packet that came in mail, AMCAS and secondary essays.
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sdn, brochure/ school website,read appl, practice interviews $ workshops
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I generally keep up with public health issues which aided in conversation ease and flow. we discussed everything from malpractice to physcian shortages in urban areas. I went to the bioethics sight for University of Washington. This sight is pretty up to date on bioethical issues. There is also the Kaiser Permanente sight for health care issues. I also made sure I knew my research. If you have ever done any research they will match you up with someone in that area of reasearch. Know the ends and outs of your project. Reading their paphlet was very helpful.
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read about the Pritzker, used sdn, practiced with friends
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read SDN, school brochure, my app
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sdn, talked a lot to myself the night before the interview.
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SDN, Interview feedback, Website (though it doesn't have that much information), pamphlet
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Read inteview feedback on SDN, read over my AMCAS, looked at the booklets they sent in the mail.
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sdn, school's website and mailed material, reread applications
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read brochures on school, read amcas, health and human services website
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SDN, U Chicago Materials, reviewed my secondary
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Read interview feedback. Read over my secondary application and AMCAS application. Talked with my pre-med advisor.
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Read U of C materieal thoroughly, read SDN, read a book on Universal Health Care, read U of Wash's bioethics website.
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Reviewed personal statement, school materials
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Read Over Primary & Secondary, SDN, my reseach reports
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sdn, read app, read brochure
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Talked to current students, SDN, reviewed application materials
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Read the brochures, this site
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Read my AMCAS, secondary essays, material they had sent, and this web site
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Website, application material/essays.
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Read SDN, looked at school website, read over my AMCAS, practiced interviewing with professors
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Read over application and talked to host student
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Read their website, interview feedback, etc...
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SDN, mock interview with UofC faculty member, reacquainted myself with all essays
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Looked over my app. and the school website.
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Looked through the SDN Interview Feedback pages and read over my AMCAS and secondary applications.
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Read AMCAS, secondary, this site, and the school's brochure.
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SDN. Pamphlet about school. Secondary application!!
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Did a Mock Interview, SDN.
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Read over my AMCAS and secondary. Talked with faculty and students, read materials sent by admissions, read articles published by faculty, and talked with other premeds that have interviewed at U of C.
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Reread my personal statement and secondary application
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Look over personal essay, website, study brochure
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Reviewed over AMCAS, talked with students, read secondary application
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The school's web site.
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Read about Chicago.
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Read SDN and discussed ethical questions with friends
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Read the newspaper, read my file/amcas/secondary, looked at the school's website, did a mock interview at my undergrad school
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Read the brochure! Listen to the Dean of Admissions carefully.
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AMCAS, website, reviewed secondaries
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Relaxed!
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Looked over secondaries and AMCAS
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School website, re-read my AMCAS and secondaries. Tried to relax.
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practiced interview questions with doctors at the hospital i work at-read over their mission statement and thought of reasons why i felt like a good fit for pritzker
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendliness, genuine enthusiasm, and sense of community exhibited by the students, faculty, and staff at Pritzker. The emphasis on health equity, strong mentorship, generosity in scholarships, and opportunities for academic and research exploration were also highlighted as major positive aspects of the school. Suggestions included maintaining the supportive and inclusive atmosphere, continuing to prioritize social justice and community outreach, and enhancing opportunities for research and interdisciplinary studies.
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Everyone seemed very nice and genuine, people here really care about health equity
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Health equity emphasis, how nice and candid all the students were, all faculty/staff were super kind and chill
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"Teacher of teachers" mindset - very strong mentorship at Pritzker. The S&D program. The students were VERY nice. One of the best schools for placing physicians in academia (https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/2015/05000/What_Makes_a_Top_Research_Medical_School__A_Call.20.aspx). Great match list. VERY generous scholarships!
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Students, the school's ability to self-criticize, admissions staff, food, campus, neighborhood, community outreach programs (they actually walk the walk)
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The atmosphere and culture; interview day was so relaxed and everyone was so welcoming!!
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The student body was extremely friendly and nice
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Everyone at the school was super nice and friendly, they all wanted to get to know the interviewees. The interview itself was structured so that applicants could relax and be more like themselves. I liked the school's emphasis on social justice and serving the Chicago community. Interview food was also pretty good in comparison to other programs (deep dish pizza!)
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The interviews here were among the most chill and friendly ones I've had.
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Small class size, lots of clinics
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Faculty, staff, and students were all very laid back and friendly
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The students were all very nice and close with one another. They were all very honest with their answers to our questions, and would pop in and out of class to come sit and talk with us, even the first years who had a big exam that day! The head of diversity at the school was also amazing, she radiated positivity and you could tell that she was truly invested in the students and making a difference at the school. Everyone I met was super passionate. They were also extremely accommodating of my special diet which was very sweet.
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Diversity, commitment to students, student satisfaction, interest in interviewees
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Everyone was very happy and excited you were there, the students were genuinely happy being there, the curriculum is well designed and allows for you to go above and beyond.
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All the people I met spoke very highly of the cohesiveness, positivity, and diversity of the Pritzker community.
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Everybody -- all the staff, faculty, students -- were absolutely the nicest bunch of people that I've ever met. And all the students that I talked to seemed genuinely happy to go to Pritzker and they all seemed very passionate about their involvement with the different activities at Pritzker.
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Friendliness and sense of community.
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Everything! They were all really friendly and I felt I had a good conversation with each of my interviewers. What's more, I felt like my interviewers had really read my application more than at any other school.
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That the curriculum allows students to explore their research and extracurricular interests throughout all four years. The work-life balance here seems AMAZING.
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Everybody at the school is RIDICULOUSLY nice. I've never encountered so many nice people in one place. The staff, faculty, students, everyone...
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My host was very kind.
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Curriculum including Scholarship and Discovery Program, P2S2, the people are great
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The students and faculty were exceedingly helpful.
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the amazing educational and medical facilities at the school
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Everyone is SO. NICE. And interesting and smart and very positive about Pritzker. The people are awesome (including the other interviewees!)
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school's emphasis on their philosophy, integration into their other graduate schools, neighborhood full of character, awesome students.
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LOVE THE ENVIRONMENT. Class is really tight-knit, non-competitive. Everyone seems really kind and helpful toward each other.
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The interviewers seemed very interested in me as an individual applicant. They were very open about the positives and negatives, but mostly had great things to say about the school. Also, I am completely confident that the admissions office is looking for students who are a great fit for their institution. Students were also awesome! My student host was really generous and caring.
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The campus is beautiful, and the med students are happy and friendly.
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The school was absolutely beautiful, and you can tell the admissions office really took the day seriously and wanted you to have a good day. Also the pizza was AWESOME.
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Facilities, students seemed really happy. Admissions office was nice about accommodating my dietary needs. Changing curriculum to be more integrated. Start with anatomy in the summer.
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The school is absolutely dedicated to its students. Ridiculously so.
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beautiful campus, nice neighborhood, seems like a very 'together' curriculum with interesting changes for next year (scholarship/discovery aspect especially). i think they give out a lot of financial aid also.
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EVERYTHING. Everyone was incredibly nice and open. The campus is gorgeous, and Chicago has so much to offer.
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friendliness, peaceful campus
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How anatomy is taken by itself. Opportunities at free clinics and abroad. Health disparities course. Kindness and enthusiam that I saw in every person that I met there.
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Everything. Everyone is extremely relaxed and tries to make sure you're relaxed.
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Everything, pizza, interviewers, people, school
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Everybody totally wanted to sell the school to us. They gave us a folder with brochures, a pen, pad of paper, match list, etc. The students and administration alike LOVE the place.
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students seem to really like it
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nice facilities
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Everything. The biggest surprise was the level of attention the admissions staff gave us during our visit. However, the campus, the financial aid, the classes, the hospital facilities, the location, student housing, etc all impressed me.
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The supportiveness of the staff, the closeness of the Pritzker community.
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admissions staff knew the name of every applicant, they really seemd to focused on the students
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Great school, in a great location. The admissions staff is very thoughtful; they had a laptop and a printer so we could print off our boarding passes.
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the school's facilities, the many opportunities to conduct research, the amount of scholarship money available to students (merit and need based)
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Everyone there made all the interviewees seem so welcome and wanted. From the admissions staff to the students around, we were constantly asked if we needed anything or how our day was going. All the students we talked to had nothing but compliments for Pritzker.
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What an amazing school and city! Everyone was super friendly and easy to talk to.
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This school has an amazing hospital and it is on the regular undergraduate campus, so everything is much closer.
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The campus just seemed vibrant and of a different 'breed.' It really seemed like, ''Yea! This school rocks!'' They weren't cocky, and yet they have one of hte nations best programs
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The students enthusiasm for the school and the prospect of new students.
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The entire school in general. It is on the undergraduate campus which I think is awesome. The students there were really nice and really excited about choosing the school that they did. The admissions staff were all really nice and really seemed to care about us and how we were feeling about the day. The campus is beautiful, not too far from downtown Chicago. The school is highly ranked and highly respected, can't beat that!
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I really like the architecture, there are a lot of cool older buildings and new modern ones, the children's hospital is so cool! the elevator changes colors on every floor, the students were so nice, the admissions staff is wonderful, they really go out of their way to make the day as stress free as possible, the multicultural affairs and diversity committees are excellent, there are a lot of great community service opportunitie, the facilities are really nice, great hospitals, ect.
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their philosophy. stress cooperation, but at the same time they dont baby you, but again at the same time they're always there to help with anything. Dr. Abelson - he gave the best introduction to the day at any school I've been to (and I've interviewed at hopkins, upenn, upitt, vanderbilt so far). such a straightshooter and genuine nice guy.
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the students here are a different breed than the ones i met at other schools, all focused and intellectual, but not intense or competitive. the school seems to
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Nicest Deans ever. I also interviewed with a great bunch of people. Definitely one of the least awkward interview days I've had. If the interview pool on my day is representative of the admitted students, it will be a great class.
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Facilities. Hyde Park is much nicer now than it used to be. The administration really takes care of and listens to the students. Students there are really happy. Stuffed pizza for lunch!
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Diverse student body, opportunity for inter-disciplinary study with any department.
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general knowledge of all students, 4 students to a cadaver, student run organizations, campus architecture
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The students all really loved their school...the facilities were awesome...i love chicago...the admissions staff rocks and the pizza at lunch was ridiculous
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The amazing facilities (the lights in the children's hospital elevator change colors!), in a good, interesting part of Chicago, I liked that all the facilities were right next to the other graduate schools, the students and faculty both were very friendly. Also, the third-year seems to prepare students very well for clinical practice.
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The friendliness of the students, the administration and the faculty. And their HONESTY!
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the hospital seems very state of the art and they are building a new childrens' hospital
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Organization of the day, their info packet is great, students were really friendly and approachable, the OME office was awsome, deep dish pizza for lunch!
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The administrative interview is really what made me feel comfortable. Also, lots of students talked to the interviewees throughout the day.
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The staff was the friendlest bunch of people I have ever met! So genuine and very honest.
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The admissions staff were SO welcoming and friendly, the students seemed to really love their school, the other applicants the school was interviewing
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Very intelligent students. Nice faculty.
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The school is amazing. The people, faculty, and students are really nice. The building is new and the hospital is the best in the state.
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Facilities & faculty. I interviewed the same day as the person before & our group got along really well, playing chess with each other while waiting for interviews.
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Warmth and sincerity from admissions people, facilities, students seemed to really enjoy being there.
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The school has amazing facilities, and their match rate is REALLY high. Students seem enthusiatic and there are sooo many opportunities at this excellent school!
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The Director of Admissions (Joni Huff) is the nicest woman you will ever meet. I was fortunate to interview with her. The facilities are also amazing and all located in the same area (you don't need a car). The children's hospital is brand new, and has lights that change colors in the elevator (sooo cool!). Hyde Park is an amazingly diverse area...I love that.
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The University of Chicago is a WONDERFUL school. The faculty and students were awesome. Throughout the day the students stopped by to say hello and answer questions. There is no reason to leave Pritzker with unanswered questions. The facilities are great and you have access to the library and other buildings 24/7 as a medical student. The children's hospital is MAGNIFICENT.
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The school has amazing facilities and the faculty, staff and students are amazing. The school will go up on your list after you visit.
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Chicago is amazing!! Virtually no other medical school has such an amazing location. There are so many hospitals (including the new pediatric centers and Children's Hospital) and opportunities to do community service. The patient population is amazingly diverse. Also, this school is honest when it says that it wants students who are not just science-majors. I cannot tell you how many times someone emphasized that they had students who are pursuing their PhDs in English literature or JD or MBA. Pritzker really seems to want its students to pursue everything and anything that interests them. The tour guides are so excited about the school and completely laidback. No one seemed stressed out and the other interviewees I got to meet were completely unpretentious and genuinely interesting people.
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Campus and facilities are really nice. Lots of opportunities for students and the school really tries to foster a good student community
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All of the students were enthusiastic, and looked healthy although they were in the middle of test week.
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Everyone loved the school and at the same time was honest about its strengths and weaknesses
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Almost everything - I loved the area and the campus, the students were friendly and loved the school, the admissions staff was so nice and helpfull and enthusiastic, the lecture halls and gross lab and study areas were really nice
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The facilities are all new, the students seemed genuinely excited to be there and were happy with their education, the numerous service opportunities, the outstanding hospitals, the location of the medical school campus is integrated with the main campus, the research opportunities for medical students.
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The school was amazing! I really enjoyed the people and the area. Plus, they provided some very convincing evidence about sticking with a traditional cirriculum.
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the campus was really pretty, even Hyde park seemed like a great area to live in, if a little eccentric and grubby, all the students were incredibly nice
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The students seemed like a mature and interesting group who loved their school. Pass/fail. Located on the UofC campus, which was sweet
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The overwhelming love of the school from everyone there...students, admissions staff, faculty...everyone I met loves the school and everyone is amazingly supportive and friendly. A fourth floor anatomy lab with windows is a nice bonus too!
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pretty much everything! the med school is part of the main campus, so it still had a college feel and is on a beautiful campus
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Academic facilities were brand new, very nice, students were friendly (they recognized the suit and went out of their way to make nice), beautiful campus, tons of research and international opportunities, U of C hospital only US News ranked top hospital in Illinois (what about NW?) anatomy lab didn't stink too badly
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very erudite atmosphere, superb facilities, emphasis on diversity, admissions staff seemed very interested in acommodating our needs, Pass/Fail system, students were genuinely happy...
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friendliness--and how they encouraged the interviewees to get to know eachother. the responsiveness of the administration to student input.
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The schools commitment to its students. It will support you with any project or aera of study that interests you. It's very accepting of people taking time off to do other things and doesn't give students a hard time with this.
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The school is magnificent: lecture halls, labs, facilities, are all top-notch: not to mention the ***** (5-star) professors. The administration seems thoroughly respectful of and responsive to the students' wishes--with a caveat (see below):
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Everybody is so nice and it really feels like they are recruiting you!
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The campus is beautiful and its location is much better situated than I thought. It's six miles away from the loop, so it's far enough to make it a very livable area and close enough to let you go downtown whenever you want. Moreover, they don't use a PBL approach, but they back up their curriculum with sound evidence. They also use a strict P/NP system, unlike most schools which
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Everything. The administration, the students, the facilities, and the general cooperative, enthusiastic vibe of the school. The new children's hospital is amazing and the new gigantic research building looks very high tech. I think they are putting a lot og money into the school, which good thing for us fellow applicants.
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very nice, collegial atmosphere. They stress research, but research can be anything (i.e "having a question and finding the answer")
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1. There is an "intellectual buzz" (I can't think of another word) at Pritzker that is really invigorating. I could feel it even though I was only on campus for the day. The students all seem so fired up to be doing what they're doing. 2. Participation in research during the MD years seems emphasized in a good way. 3. The school strictly adheres to a Pass/Fail system (as opposed to the masked letter grade system of: honors, high pass, pass, etc.) 4. The facilities are fantastic! 5. The students were very friendly, sincerely took an interest in who you are, they seemed tighter as a class than many other schools I have seen. They seem very driven toward personal but also group success... (certainly not the competition you would expect from such a highly-ranked school). 6. I sat in on a class and the professor was extremely engaging -- you could tell he was enjoying lecturing to students.
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The attitude of the students. Everyone really seemed to like the school and the learning process. It didn't seem like they were just pretending.
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The students were so enthusiastic about becoming doctors and were much more involved in extracurriculars and student run organizations than students I met at other schools. I also was impressed my the faculties commitment to teaching and to their students.
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Everything was amazing! I was particularly impressed with how well the interviewer knew my application. She obviously went through it very thoroughly.
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I was very impressed with U of C. Everyone was extremely nice and welcoming. My interviewers really knew my application and tried to make me feel comfortable.
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Everything. I am a non-traditional student and prefer traditional lecture-based format to PBL. The classes were entertaining and well-organized (and of course, extremely informative). The students were all highly intelligent, articulate, genuine people who obviously cared about the school and each other (my student interviewer was representative of the class and we had a wonderful conversation and I hope we can be friends next year if I am fortunate enough to get in). I don't understand how anyone who visited the school can characterize Pritzker students as competitive with one another. They push themselves but they collaborate so everyone passes the classes (the system is pass/fail. Students tutor one another and even share review sheets). There are a number of older students at Pritzker and my student host (who is one of them) said that they refer to themselves as the "post-bac Mafia". To me, it showed what a good sense of fun everyone has. In addition, the administrative staff was fantastic and truly interested in making the process as painless as possible. The facilities highly impressed me- esp. the gross anatomy lab with the negative pressure air system. If anyone else has allergies like I do, know that you can barely smell the formalin (I have been to other schools where the smell nearly overwhelmed me).
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when I walked into the school, I said, "This is what a medical school should feel like." I had the gut feeling. pass fail system, happy students, ample research opportunities, strong traditions of success.
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not much, student interviewer was nice and they have a nice free clinic
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The attitudes of the students. Everyone really loved attending school there, especially working in the non-competitive environment fostered by the strictly pass/fail system.
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Pretty much everything, but especially the students. U of C has an extremely friendly and cooperative atmosphere for the students.
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The students and the program itself.
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The students were very layed back. I loved the scholarly environment.
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The students are happy. They love the school and all had positive things to say about it.
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Everyone was very nice and respectuful. They took their interview process very seriously.
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I LOVE THIS PLACE. the students are great and everyone is really welcoming.
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-cooperative spirit (ie pass/fail) - students are AWESOME so helpful and kind - i really really want to go there now!
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Everything! The students were awesome and the facilities and just everything!
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Pritzker has a very nice hospital and new outpatient and advanced medicine building, very nice and intelligent students which I honestly hadn't experienced before, and is a very solid, academic-feeling school. The students seem to really have a desire to learn and have fun at the same time. I honestly met zero uncool people.
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Unsurpassed academic/intellectual environment of the place; integrated, cooperative campus; really cool helicopter; interviewers were friendly, but still got to the point and asked the difficult questions. Excellent orientation/interview lady.
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The residency matches, the flexibility of fourth year students, and the facilities.
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Everything. I will be attending this school if accepted
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i liked the extensive integration of undergrad and med campus (and education), the large number of grad students, med students seemed excited and intelligent, staff was friendly, great opportunities to do research as well as clinical volunteering. people in the hospital were really friendly and everyone asked if they could help me find something (which was really helpful because the directions to the interviews were bad). new hospital coming.
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The close-knit feel of the MD/PhD group; the integration of different research disciplines
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The interview was extremely laid back. Facilities were excellent
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the students, the new children's hospital, the new gym
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All of the students are so happy to be there. There is a big sense of togetherness and cooperation among the students that I think is fostered by the pass/fail system.
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How easy UChicago makes it for their med students to get joint degrees.
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The students seemed very happy to be there and very impressed with all the facets of their medical education at Pritzker. Even those students that had exams came out with smiles on their face it was pleasant.
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The whole day was really well-organized, and even the down-time was ok bc the other pre-med students were really nice/interesting. Everyone was really helpful, funny; really got the impression they wanted you, plus the campus is BEAUTIFUL
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Everyone was extremely helpful and friendly. It is a really laid back, noncompetitive atmosphere.
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Anatomy lab, pass/fail system.
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The staff and students are nice. I asked a question at the begining (during orientation) and the faculty member I asked didn't know the answer. By the end of the day (about 7 hours later), she had gathered so much information and another staff member so that my questions were more than answered.
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Words can not express my shock when I discovered, how happy the students were, the falcutly and staff go out of their way to help the students, and the level of support just might be unmatched. For example, if for some reason you can not take all of the classes of a quarter and perform well there is the option of decompressing your course load and only take half the classes. now, you will have to stay and extra year or two, but you only pay for four years. This is great if you want to do research or start on an academic medicine path.
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the students are so happy
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Friendly, genuine interviewers & fun group atmosphere of the interview day (students very involved, enjoyed meeting other interviewees)
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the school's attitude towards its students and the philosophy towards teaching them to be good doctors. i hadn't really considered u of chicago too much before going to the interview and after i left, it had climbed to the top of my list.
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The med school is completely integrated with the undergraduate campus and students take classes in other schools, TA for undergrads, and are very much a part of the community. The campus is very nice.
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The students and staff were VERY enthusiastic and friendly and nice and genuine. The facilities were also pretty nice. And the apartment my host student had was ultra swanky.
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everything. the campus was beautiful, i liked how it was intricately connected to the undergrad school, the facilities were great, every student i met was wonderful, the anatomy lab was bright and well-ventilated, the relatively new bslc was high tech, chicago was wonderful, everyone from the admissions staff to the students to the interviewer were sooooo friendly
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The integration of the school into the university, Hyde Park, clinical facillities
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Almost everything, the integration of the school into the U of C campus, the hospitals, the honesty with which the students spoke about the school, the support the Office of Medical Education gives to its students.
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Everything there is amazing, the students are happy and intelligent. The facilities are top notch, and they serve an underserved area, so unusual and rare diseases are often presented.
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The people were AMAZINGLY friendly and welcoming. I felt truly honored to interview there...and the campus was beautiful. The opportunities to do interdisciplinary stuff was GREAT.
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How well the students and administration seemed to get along. Also, the students were very helpful and really sold the school for me.
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Nice hospital, friendly admission staff, P/F grading
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facilities
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students, facilities, and overall flexibility medical school provides
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P/F system is truly P/F; there are no rankings for the 1st two yrs. Impressive match list.
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The staff and students were incredible. Everyone I encountered was first rate. I loved the architecture and the design of the buildings.
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The people - everyone was extremely friendly. All four research faculty I met with were extremely friendly (although they were tough with their questions). The director is definitely unique (in a good way) from any other MSTP directors I have meet so far. He is serious but relaxed and funny at the same times. For example, one of the girl (interviewee) uses cream in her coffee and the director was walking around trying to find her some cream.
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Everybody was so happy!
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Facilities, they have free spanish classes, DIVERSITY
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Diversity of student body, the campus, proximity of the hospital.
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I had heard about the positive attitudes of the students, but I was blown away by their warmth, friendliness, and high opinion of their school.
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The students I met were very nice and down to earth. The school was also very nice and up to date. Great view from the gross anatomy lab.
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Everyone was extremely nice and inviting. You did not get the sense that they were trying to weed you out and find a reason to reject you.
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The pass/fail system during the M1 and M2 years.
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Friendliness, facilities.
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School's reputation.
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The people. Faculty, students, and staff were friendly and helpful. I could tell that students are happy at Pritzker.
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The students are all top notch and the facilities are beautiful. The cadevars are cremated at the end of each year and a memorial service is held with the family members of the deceased. It gets pretty emotional and students sometimes even write to the family for years afterward.
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Friendliness of administration and students. The facilities were impressive.
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Happiness of students. Students are actively involved in the admissions committee as indicated by their involvement with intervewing applicants.
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The introduction given by the admission's officer (Top 10 reasons to attend U.Chicago).
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The history of Pritzker, its commitment to scientific-biomedical training, happy balanced students.
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The friendliness of the students - what is the chance that two separate, BUSY medical students will offer to take time to drive an interviewee to the train station? They were extremely friendly.
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How everyone was SO DAMN nice. The deans of admission just want to help you so there is no way to feel nervous or anxious.
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The campus is beautiful. Amidst the old buildings rise new hospitals. The students are proud of their institution,and are so relaxed.
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Pretty much everything. I stayed with a medical student overnight and that was great. People were A LOT more outgoing then I anticipated - they aren't just introverted researchers, which was my impression before the interview.
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The admissions people were incredibly friendly and the facilities were stunning.
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Facilities were very nice
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The efforts they took to make us feel comfortable on the interview day. It was meant to be relaxing, not weeding out.
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-the people -the curriculum -the research facilities
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about the surrounding area of Hyde Park, safety in neighboring neighborhoods, long lectures, lack of excitement about the clinical years, stressful atmosphere, traditional curriculum, and unfriendly interview experiences. Suggestions included better organization of interview days, more enthusiasm during tours, improved communication about admissions timelines, and addressing safety perceptions of the location.
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nothing
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The surrounding area isn't too great. Hyde Park (where Pritzker resides ) is pretty safe, but if you go further south or west, may run into some more unsafe neighborhoods. Not as bad as Baltimore, MD or St. Louis, MO but you still need to be "street smart" if you're out in the evenings frequently.
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Honestly, nothing
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Nothing!
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Facilities weren't fantastic, but not falling apart either
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Pritzker's admissions timeline is a little less transparent than other schools. I interviewed in October, and was told that we might hear back anytime between then and March...
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Match list is midwest-heavy
-
I had another interview in Chicago in December, and it was 3 degrees. Literally... And then for the school specifically, it was a bit difficult to get to my last interview, but in the end we found each other and had a great chat.
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N/A
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There was little concrete description of, or excitement about, the clinical years, especially third year.
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My student interviewer seemed a bit bored at first and almost felt like she wasn't paying attention to me, but I think that was because she took down the most amount of notes and was so focused on that. She was, in the end, very helpful in answering questions and very nice to talk to as well.
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the weather. I interviewed in one the coldest periods, so that was not fun.
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Really nothing :)
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Students seemed much less happy than at other schools. The area felt dingy, and the professors we met were unenthusiastic. Probably will not attend if I am accepted.
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The school is in the Southside of Chicago, which looked to be pretty ghetto
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It was very strange to have administrators (no medical degree nor any educational role in the school) interview candidates. I felt like my administrative interviewer had no idea what he was doing, had only glanced at my application, and was unnecessarily harsh about minor blemishes in my application. All of my other interviews have been at schools higher ranked than UChicago, and they have all praised my record, not denigrated it like my UChicago administrative interviewer. It seemed like they were more interested in talking to me about my numbers than actually meeting me and assessing fit (unless the "Pritzker Fit" is simply being able to justify a less than perfect record when interrogated).
-
Interview day was not that well organized (last minute interview location switches), lots of down time between interviews
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the area around the campus; the South Side of Chicago is a rough area...
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Not crazy about the location, facilities are average/fine.
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don't travel too far west or south...
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The neighborhood can be a bit intimidating, but as long as you have common sense you should be OK.
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Tour was only okay...but not bad!
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Nothing. The Health Care Disparities in America presentation was a little disappointing because it was rushed.
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The student interviewer; he was extremely rude and started talking about all the negative aspects of the school without me even asking, and didn't even bother to mention any positives. Also we're required to do a research project now in order to graduate.
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Hyde Park may not be the best neighborhood in which to live.
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it seems like they ask a lot of their students, but if you are up to the challenge i think its a great place. i didn't like that the students that gave us the tour/ate lunch with us were on the admissions committee, i think they should have used other students.
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seemed a little too quiet
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Nothing.
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Nada
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Interviews were too short, had to run between interviews.
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The thought of being in cold Chicago which is notorious for its loooong winters.
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they spend SO much time in class and seemed stressed because of it.
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hyde park isn't great, and the students seemed kind of unexcited
-
The amount of time spent in lecture, the frequency of exams.
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Though the students were happy be at Pritzker, they seemed more stressed than at other schools. The school day is also pretty long.
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not a huge fan of hyde park and the surrounding neighborhoods
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Nothing, would go this school in a heartbeat.
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nothing that I can think of
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nothing really
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Heavy level of lecture hours for 1st and 2nd years
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the curriculum is not systems-based for second year, and histology is still taught with microscopes, the previous school i interviewed at uses digital images, but anatomy labs have plasma flat screens so you can follow along with TA's and also look at x-rays ect. while dissecting, so i guess that kind of makes up for histology
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the tour could be better organized and less of an elevator spree. It's freezing and its not even close to how cold it will become.
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seemed like students didn't want to live in hyde park and thus move all over the city. one thing i liked at some of the other schools i visited was that everyone lived in the same area and hung out a lot.
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Lots of lecture.
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Not much.
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Location and I thought buildings were rather old.
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Nothing...really nothing
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The students shrugged off the rather high $145k of grad debt, also the curriculum is not very
-
The thin walls at the international house. The guy next door got a phone call at 6 or something and I heard the whole thing.
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the neighborhood is sketchy
-
I did get a slight feeling of arrogance and snottiness at the school that was not appealing at all.
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That there weren't enough hours in the day to see everything I wanted to!
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The students were cocky. They kept emphasizing that they don't get good Board scores, but that they don't have to because residency programs want people from UChicago. I know they meant it as a good thing, but for me, bragging that they are behind in a category other top schools do well at turned me off.
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It was 10 degrees and windy and we went on the tour outside to see the campus and surrounding area.--- does anyone really care?
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it was 2 degrees when I got in, 9 inches of snow fell the during the day, an airplane slid off of a runway at night. I learned later that there have recently been several carjackings in hyde park.
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Hmmmm, not much about the school per se, but it was about zero degrees when I visited and it snowed heavily. Oh yeah, if I had to say one thing about the school it would be the fact that the buildings are not interconnected.
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The cost is a little steep, but not much worse than competitors.
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My faculty interviewer was a real jerk. He looked surprised to see me when his secretary told him I was there for my interview. Then he sat slunched over with his foot on his knee sticking his pencil in his shoe. Halfway through the interview he asked me if I did such and such at BAYLOR, and I was like "uhh, I don't go to Baylor." He kept asking me who was going to pay the phone bill in my future lab (even though I told him I didn't want to have my own lab and was more interested in the clinical aspects of medicine). He also complained about the patient population on the South Side of Chicago because they were pretty poor...this was his response to the fact that I had worked with underserved inner-city patients in the past and enjoyed it. Then he berated what was probably the most meaningful experience of my life by saying "well, medicine isn't all about little kids with cerebral palsy." Every question he asked was antagonistic and began with "well don't you think that..." or "well, what about..." He made it pretty clear he spent 100% of his time in the lab...which probably explained why he had ZERO people skills. Thankfully, my other two interviewers were INCREDIBLE and made up for this guy. And I got in anyway, so either he was just trying to stress me out and I passed, or the other people on the committee didn't care what he had to say about me.
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Lack of rural clerkships and Hyde Park
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Nothing. Everything was very laidback and friendly!!!
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nothing really.
-
So research oriented during the first 2 years.
-
the tour was not well planned and we didnt really get to see that much, but she said it was her first one so its not a big deal
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The traditional style curriculum (lecture based). Most of your day as an M1 and M2 is spent in the same lecture hall and in the same building. The interviews were spead out all over campus and that you were basically given a map and told to go find your interviewer's office.
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Interviews were pretty spaced out time-wise.
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it was unseasaonably hot
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Expensive, curriculum is very traditional, spending lots of time is lecture halls
-
Nothing really. This was definitely one of the most enjoyable interview experiences I could have had.
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hyde park can be sketchy
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Tour guides were really un-enthusiastic (monotone and boring), parts of hospital old and dumpy-looking, traditional curriculum (8:30-5 lecture in same room each day zzzz), Hyde Park is not a very nice area, not much to do, hard to get around, expensive to live in Chicago :-( - U of C is soooooo expensive (gulp)
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Hyde Park can be a negative and the dean of admissions who interviewed me gave my application a cursory lookthrough. When I answered his questions, I had to watch what he was writing because a few times, he misinterpreted my answers regarding discrepancies in my coursework.
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nothing really... my only concern is the location of the school
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Hyde Park area.
-
The admissions staff was, at least before us as a group, rather unwilling to concede there were any drawbacks whatsoever to attending the U of C. Really? Even the weather is wonderful? One student, whose honesty I appreciated, conceded that the scores on the Boards might well be lower at the U of C than they might be elsewhere--though admittedly this doesn't seem to matter much on the match. He came close to saying that he wondered whether the $250,000 price tag was entirely worth it (and for those with good state school from which to choose, and little money, that's a nontrivial decision!). Some students have asked for problem-based learning--i.e. the case method, i.e. fewer lectures, and more real medical problems. However, the office of medical education sticks to its guns, and so at U of C, for better or for worse, the first two years it's a smidgeon of clinical observation, two years of quite detailed (but non-Board-relevant) hard-core science lectures, and no formally supervised small-group learning. Those first two years are pass/fail, though, so the students band up to get through the exams.
-
Nothing major. I wish we could have met some of the faculty.
-
I was concerned about the more traditional curriculum but after seeing what PBL is like at other schools, it seems sort of like a waste of time. I like that class is optional but that you still have the opportunity to learn from a leading MD/PhD in the field. Class interaction with faculty is very high
-
The expenses! It's probably one of the most expensive medical schools.
-
1. It was very cold in January -- it was 6 degrees on the day that I interviewed. If you're not used to that, it could be a big deal to get used to it. 2. Hyde Park does seem a bit sketchy. The school is well aware that the area is not the greatest, and said they have taken precautions accordingly, but it's hard to really assess how dangerous the area is until you are in it, I guess. The word from students is that, as long as you have some street smarts about you, there should be no problem. 3. They give you a Q and A session during lunch with a panel of students. They intended for it to be a low-key, ask-the-questions-you-really-want-to-ask-but-are-embarassed-to thing, but one of the students on this panel had been introduced previously as a member of the admissions committee. I don't know in what capacity he serves that committee, but having him there (although he was a really nice guy) seemed to defeat the purpose of their candid lunch session. Needless to say, we interviewees didn't ask too many interesting questions. 4. My fourth comment is really a neutral point, but I thought I'd include it down here since I've already listed so many positive impressions. It is: the curriculum is extremely traditional. The feeling from the students is that they would prefer to learn all the material comprehensively as it is presented in lecture as opposed to piecing together the information through problem-based learning. I actually agree with that format, and am a bit weary of PBL, but it's a good thing to keep in mind if you are looking for a school with far less lecture time.
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My faculty interviewer did not know much about the first 2 years of medical school.
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It is kind of difficult to get to Chicago from Hyde Park
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There is a lot of down time between interviews. It's not really a bad thing just come prepared to get to know the other interviewees.
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That pepsi is in the soda machines. I am a diet coke fan-- but do not despair, they sell diet coke in the 2nd floor cafe. That is the only thing I can think to write. I know some people pick on Hyde Park. I thought it was charming. In addition, public transportation although decent is not as convenient as NYC (at least not that I saw in the New Hyde Park area). The chinese food in the area is pretty bad-- but that will be good for my diet.
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Chicago is a beautiful city but horrendously cold. The price.
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the faculty interviewer was a real loser, didn't even know my name and thought my middle name was my first name, was falling asleep and was very unfriendly and cold. the students at lunch and giving the tour were unfriendly and weird ,compared with other schools. also this is a place that emphasizes intellectualism for the sake of being an intellectual it seems. a ton of pressure to get a phd in something, even non-science related. also my host was horrendous, left me stranded and was a spoiled little rich girl
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There weren't many windows in some of the buildings - I am guessing because the view would probably not be too plesant.
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Only the neighborhood, but it really isn't that bad.
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The cost ... damn, the cost.
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The price... but I knew that coming in
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The tour was a bit jumbled and the student interview was at the end (so I was already very tired)
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Maybe the crime/area but I knew that coming in.
-
Absolutely nothing.
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Neighborhood is ok, but nothing special. I know the hospital is one of the best, but for some reason, it didn't really impress me during the tour. Very cold outside.
-
The moolah (costs a lot to go here). It's cold! (I'm from Cali)
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Nothing. I liked it all
-
the maps they give you to the interviews aren't very good. audrey sparks is rude. and the talk in the morning is too long and kind of boring. the construction of a new hospital on campus sucked, but on the upside, a new hospital will be open by the next academic year.
-
Don't know if I like the Gothic style of the buildings.
-
Not being able to interact with more students. Not seeing any minority students. But I knew they were there.
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there isn't much to do around hyde park and even though there is public transportation in chicago, the el doesn't stop near the school, so you need a car.
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A little on the expensive side.
-
My med student interviewer was a no-show. But they paired me up with one of my tour guides so I was really relaxed with him and it went well.
-
Nothing it was a very positive day.
-
there's very very little to do in Hyde Park without a car-- no downtown like other campuses (you know, restaurants, stores, movie theaters), everything is really spread out. public transportation is also a little confusing and takes forever to get anywhere
-
How full of themselves some of the students there are.
-
I didn't get to see that much of the school. The tour was kind of short and rushed
-
I could not believe that I bought into all the wrong rumrors about this school I almost didn't apply...talk about a big regret.
-
High price tag.
-
my first interviewer seemed distracted and a bit aggressive. i had heard that the interviews were very relaxed (and appartently everyone else who interviewed had a great time), so this was a bit of a surprise. i still felt ok about the interview and it didn't detract at all from the excellent impression the school made on me.
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Not much around in terms of grocery stores, food, bars, things to do... The tuition increases by ~9,000 dollars from second year to third year! Two of the first years who came to talk to us said that they leave the school at 8pm, study until 2am! I don't know if this is the norm or if they are just crazy.
-
My feet hurt from walking a lot. And all the construction was kind of annoying to navigate around.
-
i'm not so sure about the 8 hours of lecture a day. hyde park is a great area, but the neighboring areas are some of the worst neighborhoods in chicago.
-
The preclinical classes are mostly taught by PhD's who don't have a clinical focus.
-
There are no small goup discussions, all courses are the intire first year class, and you spend almost all of your time in two large lecture rooms. Though nice, could get boring after awhile. Patient contact is very limited in the curriculum in the first year, but there are volunteer and shadowing opportunities availible if you have time and are interested.
-
Hyde park is far away from downtown Chicago.
-
Buildings were relatively old. Students claimed that the board scores weren't very high (U of C doesn't aim at training students to take the board exam).
-
nothing really, the staff and ad com were friendly, but one of them was kind of annoying
-
My first interview was with a physician and he asked if I had a CV to give him. I didn't, of course, and although the interview was supposed to be open file, he hadn't received my materials. After a few general questions, his beeper went off and the interview was over. Not too good.
-
Hyde Park was a little difficult to navigate, I suggest you take a taxi.
-
. . . having all the interviews in one day. I was so drained at the end of the day.
-
One of my interviews was at the hospital and it was confusing to find the room I had to go to.
-
Took a long time to get hooked up with host student. They are in class from 8-5 for the first year. ARGH!
-
Nothing...
-
We couldn't see the gross anatomy lab b/c the door handle had fallen off. Must be a high-traffic door.
-
The tuition-- its definitely pricey.
-
One of my interviewers kept questioning my answers and put words into my mouth before I had a chance to answer in my own words.
-
Price ($50,000-$60,000)/year. The host told us to solicit our aunts and uncles for money (pathetic). One of my interviewers was the interviewer from hell. Very large focus on academic medicine. I didn't like the Hyde Park area either.
-
One of my interviews was not at the medical school. I got lost.
-
We didn't get a tour of the school, only the hospital.
-
Tuition in the fourth year for 12 months is over $60,000! Not much to do in Hyde Park--most of the entertainment stuff is in downtown.
-
Hyde Park.
-
The incredibly confusing layout of the hospital. I got lost twice going to the cafeteria but fortunately, a security guard led me both times in the correct direction.
-
How cold it was-hey i'm from california
-
That every other person interviewed was from Hopkins.(hahaha)
-
One of my interviews was scheduled during the tour of the hospital.
-
The weather in Chicago that day was beastly.
-
Med student lounge was kind of gross
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Many applicants wished they had known ahead of time that the interviews would be low-stress and conversational, the emphasis on working with underserved communities, the importance of flying into Midway Airport instead of O'Hare for convenience, the amount of walking involved during the tour, and the supportive and friendly atmosphere of the school. Additionally, applicants suggested preparing conversational answers, bringing comfortable shoes for walking, and being aware of the cost of transportation options in Chicago.
-
Not to panic if the info sessions took a little bit to enter via Zoom--I think it took a couple minutes and I definitely got paranoid I chose the wrong link or something
-
N/A
-
How much truth everyone here was telling. Such a relaxed interview.
-
A bit more about how much they emphasize working with underserved communities
-
I wish I had prepared some of my answers better, but it was also my first interview so whatever
-
How closely my interviewer would have read my app
-
long day.
-
That I would be walking around the campus a lot so I could look at a map ahead of time.
-
How easy of a day it is.
-
I wish I would've known how stress-free the entire day would be and that you'd meet so many great interviewees during the day.
-
Nothing really.
-
That the tour would involve so much walking. My co-interviewees who brought extra shoes to change in to had the right idea.
-
The interview was not stressful AT ALL. It was just conversational
-
Although generally relaxed, the interviews also depend a lot on who you get. I got somewhat unlucky.
-
Take the 55 Bus from Midway to 55th and Ellis for $2.25 (The area you travel through is pretty sketchy but be smart and you'll be OK) instead of a cab for ~$40. The travel time by bus was around 50mins.
-
that Midway is definitely closer to the school than O'Hare
-
That it would be SO low-stress, no tricky questions, just a "getting to know you" kind of thing.
-
that I packed the wrong suit coat, lol
-
To take the snack breakfast they give you before the orientation! Otherwise you're stuck until lunch.
-
How nice everyone would be.
-
Not to judge a school strictly by your interviewers. Also-- I knew this but most didn't-- USE MIDWAY AIRPORT IF YOU'RE FLYING IN it's way closer!
-
Fly into Midway instead of O'Hare. It was a long subway and bus ride to Hyde Park from ORD.
-
Nothing
-
there would be lag time between activities during the day.
-
How much I would like the school! Also, flying into Midway would have been a much better idea!
-
how tiring it would be to go back to back interview days
-
That I didn't need to be stressed out about anything.
-
That I wouldn't have had to prepare so much.
-
Nothing at all. I was OVER prepared if anything.
-
That the school is amazing
-
hyde park really isn't that nice and you almost definitely need a car!
-
Pritzker is very proud of the diversity of their patient population.
-
Flying into Midway would have been better.
-
nada mucho
-
They have over $10 million dollars for student scholarships to give out.
-
nothing really because I spent the summer doing research here
-
That taxi's rip you off!
-
Research is encouraged, but often there is not enough time to maintain a consistent involvement in it for the duration of the 4 years.
-
how crappy some of the surrounding areas are, basically stay close to campus so as not to be frightened
-
this was my first interview so i was a bit nervous. they aren't tough interviews, but i suggest trying to schedule a school you are less interested in attending before going to a top choice like this was for me.
-
How to take the CTA from the airport (wasted $$)
-
How happy the students are. Everyone was really friendly, the administrators know all the students, and they really work closely together to make sure that everyone's happy.
-
found out from student host to take 55 bus straight for $2 to campus (45min)
-
The bus costs $2 to get to the school from midway airport...taxi i took was $30
-
nothing, really
-
You are interviewed by 3 separate people and the student interview will probably be the longest.
-
That they let you volunteer in the NICU as a baby cuddler....I am sold!
-
Hyde Park is not the safest neighborhood. A student told my wife (who came with me to look at the campus) that since the beginning of school (in late September, it was then late October) there had been multiple armed robberies, a couple rapes and a shooting. My wife and I obviously would not care to live near the school.
-
The price tag. Second two years pretty expensive. Definitely still interested but it just took me by surprise.
-
Wanted to let other applicants know Hyde park is actually really beautiful, its the surrounding areas south and west that can be dangerous. (I grew up in the area so Im telling you first hand.)
-
Chicago is so windy! Should have flown into Midway (much closer than O'Hare).
-
How many great people I would meet. The other students who interviewed with me were very personable and I enjoyed conversing with them during "down time" between interviews.
-
That two thirds of the spots for the class are already given in early november so if you apply late... you are basically out of luck!
-
It was the first day of interviewing for the year and so there was a problem with the air conditioning. It was miserable for the interviewees to sit for over an hour in the admissions office conference room in suits and ties. People were sweating buckets and this was not a pretty picture. However, the admissions office seemed really sorry about everything and insisted that this was not a test.
-
Get there early to find good, free parking on the street.
-
How stressfree the day would be.
-
lots of walking - and uneven side walks - bring good shoes!!
-
The proximity of the hospital, the research buildings, and the undergraduate campus to the medical school.
-
That no one was going to drill me with hard questions about current events and that everyone at this school truly wants you to succeed and just wants to learn about who you are.
-
how much fun and low key the day would be!
-
That the parking garage in my student host's building didn't take credit cards - then I wouldn't have spent my last $20 on her dinner and had to borrow it back the next morning :-(
-
The great extent to which faculty are responsive to students and how highly students are regarded in the hospitals... full-length white coats as 1st year med students!!!
-
hmm... i had known this before my visit, but it's useful to know that they don't start classes until the end of sept so it's hard to get student hosts before then.
-
That altogether U of C like most other private schools will cost about $250,000 for four years. That parking around the office is difficult on Tuesdays due to street cleaning. That rental cars in Chicago do not, as they do in Los Angeles, come standard with air conditioning; you have to ask for it: Chicago in September was 91 degrees Farenheit, with 40% humidity.
-
How close downtown chicago is to the school and how nice Hyde Park is. Its nice to have the school a little separated from downtown on a really nice campus but close enough that you can get downtown in 10 min.
-
That Chicago is really cool and that people go out into town. If I had known, I would have booked my flight to leave the next day instead of the same day, so that I could go into Chicago and see the city a little more.
-
It's really tough to prepare for that type of weather, unless you're from an area that is regularly that cold. It seemed like a lot of places would often over-compensate for the cold by cranking up the heat indoors to sweltering levels... Go in layers.
-
How incredibly nice and laid back the interviews would be
-
It had been a few months since I last interviewed. I discovered that my interviewing skills had become a little rusty in the 3 months off.
-
That the student interviewer would ask such open-ended questions.
-
If you plan on flying in, make reservations to fly into Midway. (much closer) If you take a taxi, have them take the roads rather than the freeway. (it'll save you about 15 bucks)
-
How expensive it is to get a cab to O'hare- can we say $50! Ouch!!
-
I was really blown away and loved the school. I didn't know you ended up paying more some years with the quarter system. I didn't know how beautiful Chicago was.
-
what a bad area its in, how much they value basic science research and how weird the students were, how little PBL there is
-
The faculty and doctors are very accessible during the entire med school experience. It is very much like a small undergraduate school experience.
-
That this is a true Pass/Fail school, many others still have some form of grades.
-
The residency placements are really incredible.
-
It is a pass/fail school, they are heavily into research, and the weather can be cold.
-
how not nervous i should have been.
-
i wish i had known how great it would be, would have saved me a lot of nervousness! my faculty interviewer had not even read my app, so we talked about sailing, bush/kerry, baby boomers. i was concerned that we had not covered my app, but at the end he said that he prefers to get to know the student as a conversationalist, person, rather than just a student/researcher/etc
-
I did a bunch of research on the school, but I should have stayed with a student.
-
-
-
Being interviewed by a psychiatrist was a little nerve-racking.
-
The schedule of the first and second year med students.
-
How wonderful the joint degrees are, particularly the MD/MBA
-
they've just renumbered the elevators in billings hospital, so if you have an interview there, it's probably better to ask how to get there when you get to the hospital. i thought i'd be able to handle the cold in chicago in january, but it really takes a lot out of you! and everyone kept saying it was balmy compared to how it usually gets.
-
The committee system - degrees are granted by committees comprised of faculty and students from different depts but with similar research issues.
-
Where the building was. It was so cold (0 degrees!), and looking for the building was unbearable. Pritzker emphasizes ACADEMIC MEDICINE
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how friendly the students were-- I expected it to be like U of C undergrad (I have friends who go there) which is very dog-eat-dog, and it was very laid back. Also, while I knew this, the third year is graded, so it's a bit more stressful according to students.
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They want applicants who are interested in being leaders in the medical field. They aren't looking for people who want to be primary care. They want people who are going to be the best at whatever field they choose. Also they have a MD/MPH program where you enter the MD program at UChicago and after two years you go to either Harvard or Hopkins for the MPH (1 year), then return and finish your 3rd and 4th years of med school. Very appealing!
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Not only are joint degrees possible but it seems as if they are encouraged in some way.
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nothing really
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Chicago is cold and the campus is huge...bring comfy shoes and a warm coat.
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Other than the superb support nothing else.
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all of the student support programs available...
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This school is not as research-intense as its reputation says - there is a great diversity of interests among the student body.
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wish i had known more about u of chicago before i filled out my secondary, just to stress all the points where i felt i fit in very well with the school, but when you are applying to 15+ schools, it's really hard to make such an effort towards each one.
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The METRA train station is very far away from the medical school! It seems like there is not much public transportation to the school, it's better to drive or take a cab. It's also very far from downtown Chicago itself.
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that i would like it so much - probably would have spent some more time preparing
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The supportive environment, very different than what people usually think of when they think about University of Chicago.
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nothing, I am very familure with Chicago, and I had done a fair amount of research on their programs.
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That this is the most awesome school ever and I wish I didn't spend so much money applying elsewhere...
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O'Hare is farther than Midway from Hyde Park
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Hyde Park has a larger African American population than I imagined.
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My student interviewer stated clearly that for those of us looking into family practice or peds, Pritzker is not the place for that. You'll get a better education at much less cost elsewhere (e.g. state school) for that.
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The pass/ fail grading system
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the amount of walking involved in the tour
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I just wish I had known more about the area.
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I wish I had known how supportive and reassuring the interviewers were going to be, that way, I wouldn't have had the stomach knots I experienced before I left in the morning.
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That the bus ride to the airport from the school would pass through a ghetto. Avoid it late at night.
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nothing.
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I don't think they offer much aid in terms of scholarship, or grant money at all.
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Price of the university.
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Nothing - I was familiar with the school.
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That you should look like you come from a big name school, even if you don't...ie. executive pen, a nice binder, leather attache case (50%+ of the interviewee's had these)
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Students raved about the pass/fail system. The patient population is relatively homogenous--primarily African American. There is a Hispanic population in Chicago but they appear to elsewhere for medical care.
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That it is really cold in Chicago in mid-October.
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That I wouldn't have any PILLOWS or TOWELS in the international house!! (Using sheets as towels was definitely an experience that I won't forget!)
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Don't stay at the international house-its creepy a la the shining
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How relaxed the atmosphere is: I was extremely nervous, and there was no need.
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That the neighborhood surrounding the university is NOT THAT BAD. Everybody told me it was in a terrible neighborhood, and while not the greatest, Hyde Park has its own personality.
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P/F for both years
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make sure to listen and look at the map. you end up having to trek to some office buildings/ hospital offices for your faculty/doctor interview
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally found the interview day at Pritzker to be well-organized and informative, with multiple interviews (faculty, student, and admissions staff) that were relaxed and conversational. They appreciated the friendly and welcoming atmosphere, the opportunity to interact with current students, and the beautiful campus and facilities. Some applicants highlighted the unique aspects of the school, such as its strong community, supportive environment, and emphasis on academic excellence and real-world experiences.
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School is very receptive to letters of interest/intent and update letters (especially from those on the waitlist).
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Awesome, was a little skeptical of Hyde Park before coming, but truly amazing neighborhood. The student body is more relaxed, friendly, and family-like than any other including some schools that you would think would be more tight-knit by virtue of having fewer students.
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Love this school, hope I get the opportunity to attend!
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Great school, with amazing resources, faculty, and student body
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Generally enjoyable interview day
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the student interviewer and I didn't mesh so well, sadly. hope I still have a chance
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Great school, great people, would be happy to attend.
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An enjoyable day.
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Very relaxed interview with very friendly faculty and staff. The other interviewees were also really pleasant and we all clicked relatively quickly.
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Keep up the good work, Pritzker!
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Great school
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Great school, I would love to go here. Small class size and great, sociable, balanced people make it highly appealing. Its close to the city, but not in the city, which I think is a plus
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I was really impressed by the facilities, faculty and students. Everyone was very helpful and supportive of each other. Our day started at 9am with a brief overview of the curriculum, fin aid, etc. We had three interviews scheduled with a student (AMCAS only), faculty member (AMCAS only), and admissions committee member (Full File). Each interview was supposed to be 30mins but often ran over to ~40-45mins. We had Chicago deep-dish for lunch and also had tours of the medical facilities. The interviews ran from 9:30am to ~3:00pm (start times) and, for some people, were all over the campus. The interviews themselves were very relaxed and there weren't many difficult questions. Be sure to know your AMCAS reasonably well! The Pritzker website says to plan to be out by 5pm but expect to be done much sooner (I was out closer to 3pm). Also, stay with a student host if possible.
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Great, great school, awesome people!
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Amazing school with the best interview day.
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The Admissions Office does a great job of showing you a lot of different aspects of the school, and the integration between the different interviewers allows you to get a good picture of what the school is like! Also...definitely go to MDW if possible! Much easier to get to the school.
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I ended up getting into Pritkzer, but honestly didn't think I had a shot in h*ll because the student interview went so poorly because he was rude. The school itself and the admissions committee are great, but just take your impressions of the other interviewers with a grain of salt.
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Really liked this school, it might be my top choice if I get in. I felt that I really connected with my student interviewer. My faculty interviewer was really friendly/enthusiastic. Administrator interview not as good.
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Listen to the podcasts!!!
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i talked with my faculty interviewer a lot about the changes in the curriculum concerning the Urban Health Initiative, and its implications on students. We also talked about the surrounding community of Hyde Park. my student interviewer and i talked about more general stuff re:campus, student life.
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The only one who sees your secondaries and letters of rec is the person from the admissions board. The faculty member and student only see your AMCAS.
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Sweet school. Sweet town. Let's see what they say on Oct. 15!
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The student interview was about one hour and very laid back. It was like meeting a new friend. The faculty interview was a little more formal and it was hard to tell what he thought of me. He either liked me or thought I was a total loser. The day itself was a lot of fun and laid-back.
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not blown away. the tour guide kept going on and on about how they have a helicopter pad--I would expect that a good urban hospital would have this so why is it so special?? Also, not a level 1 trauma center and no burn clinic.
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Simply the best interview yet. It was intense, having three interviews back to back, but I felt they specifically chose interviewers who could speak to my background and they took a lot of time to make sure this was a valuable experience for both sides.
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Pretty stressful- had to run through the hospital searching for my interview, then that interview ran over which made me late for the next interview, etc.
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My favorite interview thus far. Staff seemed to love their students. Everyone was incredibly welcoming. Interview were surprisingly laid-back and conversational.
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You have the general orientation in the morning, followed by a financial aid session. Some interviews are held before lunch with the medical students and the tour. Then afternoon interviews and the Multicultural presentation.
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very positive and comfortable, the staff was very welcoming, the interviews were challenging but laid back, the deep dish pizza is fantastic
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Awesome school. If the price is right and I'm fortunate enough to get in, I'd love to go here.
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This interview was great. Out of four interviews so far this is one is ranked as one of the most enjoyable and better interviews.
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It was very nice. We had people who were charasmatic and enthusiastic about the school. The students were very warm and took time to talk with us and let us know to relax and enjoy the day.
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great ... 3 interviews 1 faculty 1 student 1 admissions staff very chill ... not there to stump you
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Great orientation session where you learn a lot about the school and their programs. Current students also constantly took a minute to say hello and wish the candidates good luck. Overall a very inviting atmosphere.
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The day started pretty early (8am). The Assistant Dean of Admissions gives a powerpoint presentation of the school, then we recieve our schedules for the day. There were 3 interviews total: one with a person from admissions, one with a student and one with faculty. The faculty interview si the really important one. Interviews can start as early as 10am and end as late as 4:30, so the day is VERY spread out. There was a lot of downtime to get to know the other interviewees, sit in on lectures or talk to current med students. The group came back together for lunch (stuffed pizza!) and some med students come in to talk to us and give us a tour of the campus. After the tour, interviews continue and when you are done with your last interview you are free to go.
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excellent! even though there are three interviews and they are spread out during the day, it's a nice experience, everyone is so friendly, and you get chicago deep dish pizza for lunch! it was pretty cold, windy, and it snowed, so be prepared during the tours, but overall a great school, great people, students ect.
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it was great. again ive interviewed at some solid schools and pritzker is now near the top if not the absolute top of my list. I hope I hear good news from them soon.
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three interviews, one faculty, one student, one admissions officer. i knew a lot about the school going in, so wasn't really wowed by anything in particular. the other interviewees were really, really qualified and really interesting too, so it was fun to talk to them.
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Three interviews: 1 admissions, 1 faculty and 1 student. Very nice interviews, very applicant-focused. I didn't get grilled or anything like that but I was asked to give very detailed accounts of some of my experiences. The Deans could not be nicer.
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Three very relaxed interviews, informative and funny orientation presentation, stuffed pizza for lunch, and enthusiastic tour guides. Hands down the best interview day I've had so far.
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Very laid back. Just be yourself and you'll do fine. If you get any scenario questions, remember that there is no right or wrong answer. They just want to hear your thought process.
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very relaxed, ppl friendly. overall, know how ppl see your application, as it will prepare you to answer questions specific to your app. Stay with host, get a better feel for ppl
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Incredible schools...tons of opportunities...the day was very organized with 15 interviewees...the interviews theselves were very laid back and the interviewers all very kind...school was beautiful and the students very nice...everyone seemed to be done by 4 if u need to get to the airport soon after
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Three interviews: One administrative, one faculty, one student. All were laid back and the time seemed to fly by. I had a bit of down-time between interviews but I think that was a neccessary evil based on the students' schedules. Only my administrative interview was fully open-file; my faculty member had my GPA/MCAT, my personal statement, and my AMCAS activities (but not my transcript); my student interviewer had only my personal statement and AMCAS activities -- no GPA/MCAT. ALl three interviewers had obviously read my file and made some notes in it, which impressed and mildly intimidated me, but overall all three were very relaxed.
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It was low stress. It was more of an attempt for them to get to know who you are. They provide a nice lunch and they give you a tour of the school. Everyone I met asked me if I was interviewing and wished me good luck and told me how much they loved the school. And they have a very honest administration that tells you thing other medical schools won't.
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a very nice school; chicago-style pizza for lunch and a short program in the morning. the interviews were very low stress. one student, open file interview; one open file admissions interview, and one closed file faculty interview.
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There are three interviews, all open file, but very laid back and conversational. You're really catered to the entire day, which is a great thing if you're from out-of-state.
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This interview was probably the most positive that I've had to date. While the school is very prestigious, they don't come off as sonbby at all! Everyone on the staff, from the people high up to the interviewers to the students, are very professional yet approachable and so nice to talk to. The campus and surrounding area are awesome and Hyde Park is a very cool place to get some real world experience. The school's programs, students, and faculty are all top notch - I will definitely be going here if I don't get into my top choice.
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I had a great time at Pritzker! Everyone was so friendly that it put me right at ease. You have a short interview with an admissions person, and longer ones with a student and faculty member. Both of my longer interviews were in the afternoon after lunch and tour which gave me a lot of down time in the morning and made for a long day. I think everyone else interviewing that day had two interviews in the morning and just one in the afternoon.
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The interviews were okay. The first one with the director of admission went well, she really seemed to care about me and what I had to say. My student interview was horrible. He was 10 minutes late to get me, and then talked to me about movies I'd seen. My faculty interview was in the very last time slot of the day, and I cold tell she did not want to be there. For my hour interview she only kept me 20 mintues. I imagine that my interview experience was probably just an abnormality, but I felt like I had wasted my day.
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the interview day was great 3 intervies (1--> 15-20 minute talk with adco member 2--> 45-60 min with faculty member 3--> 45-60 min with student) although there was one student that played the piano in the interview room (he was really annoying and obnoxious).
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Well it was a small interview group, about 8 or nine of us. We all got along very well. We had to be at the admissions office for 9 am. There were three interviews where the interviewers had everything in my file except my grades and MCAT score...I think. Interviews were not stressful at all, in fact it is probably the best interview experience I have had. The day I visited there was a christmas party going on for the students and it really struck me how happy everyone seemed. I really liked this school.
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Relaxing and informative
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You have 3 interviews...faculty, student (4th year), and someone from the admissions office. With the exception of my faculty interviewer (see what negatively impressed me), the day was amazing. Everybody there was nice. The administrators really seem like they are there for the students to help them reach their goals, whatever they may be. The scholarly atmosphere of the school urges you to pursue your interests and questions about anything and everything. It's a great school, and if I don't get into my top choice school, I will likely be going there!
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This was a great experience. Everyone attempts to get to know you and encourages you to ask questions. The day was low stress and informational.
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You start the day at 9:00 am with a meeting and introduction. The dean speaks for about 30 minutes and try to stay awake but I assure you that it will probably be hard because of his tone of voice. Then, you basically have 1 or 2 hrs to do what you want or go to an interview and then meet back at the same room for lunch and tour. Then go to your next interview and then go home. If you can, stay with student host! I went out with 20 medical students the nigth before my interview and we drank, watched a movie and went out to dinner... cool experience and they really love it there.
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You arrive in the morning at the main medical educational building for the school in Hyde Park. After that, you have a rather long introduction/financial concerns/our school is great session (about 1-1.5 hours). Before lunch, you have an interview with a faculty member. The interview is open-file and everything is fair game. Lunch is served in the conference room and three medical students joined us to answer any and all of our questions. This session really is open to all of your questions. I asked some pretty picky questions and I just received my admissions letter from Pritzker so definitely don't hesitate to ask questions...it won't hurt you. After that, you have a tour of the college area, the student lounges, the anatomy lab, and one of the hospitals. After the tour, you have either your very brief meeting with an admissions committee member or your student interview. Don't sweat either! The admissions member just wants to make sure that your file is accurate and just wants to get to know you in 15 minutes. The student interview is about 45mins-1hour. The student has seen your entire file and may very well ask tough questions. They just want to see whether you're the type of person they'd want in their class, so don't sweat it...be calm, ask good questions, and be sincere. Overall, the day is well-planned and everyone is very friendly! I've had 8 interviews now and I'm serious when I say that this is one of the most laidback days that you can possibly get. I got into Pritzker and I will probably go there!
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A very positive experience. I like the atmosphere and vibe of the school very much. The students were very articulate, well rounded, happy.
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really great! the day was long but I learned a lot and fell in love with the school ... you might have down time so bring a book to read!
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The stress level was extremely low and everyone was very friendly. The interviews themseleves were very conversational. I really enjoyed my time there and speaking with my interviewers and especially the current students.
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Three nice interviews
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Standard interview questions. Just know your file, no difficult questions. Stay with students overnight if possible, it's a great way to get to know the school
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The day started out with a presentation by the admissions staff...short, entertaining and very informative. There were three interviews...one short one (about 20-25 minutes) with a member of the admissions staff and two longer ones (about 60 minutes), one with a faculty member and one with a student. Lunch was very good, and included a student qustion and answer period. This was followed by the tour, which was also very informative. Overall, the day was very smooth, and downtime was easily filled by talking to the admissions staff or friendly students passing through the office.
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the weather was perfect, everyone i met was extremely nice and genuine, the campus is beautiful, and the med school has amazing facilities! i really got a feeling that all the students are innately curious as i am, which is exactly what i want in a school! i loved it even more after visiting :)
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Overall the interviewers were friendly and seemed very interested in me. Very conversational (my student interviewer talked to me outside at a picnic table) but I think I might have been a bit too relaxed!
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9:00-9:30 Orientation w/ deans and discussing financial aid 10:00-10:50 Faculty interview 11:00-11:50 Admissions dean interview 12:00-1:00 Lunch w/ MS IIs and IVs 1:00 - 1:50 Student tour 2:00 - 3:00 Student interview
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very relaxed. this was my first interview and i had a great time. the ppl are so friendly here!
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The doctor I interviewed with was difficult to understand (he had a thick indian accent). Also, he didn't quite seem to understand what I said to him. Otherwise it was low pressure and I wasn't asked any tough questions that I was expecting (like about the health care system, etc.). Student interviewer was very sweet and friendly.
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I really liked the two students who gave us the tour, and the student who interviewed me: all were exceptionally cordial and good-hearted.
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Two interviews + one Administrative interview...each of the first two is one hour long (Though my faculty interviewer had to leave after half an hour to see a patient)
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Pritzker is an overall incredible institution. The research opprtunities are unbelievable, the clinical training is great, and most of all, the administration and students are the most cooperative group I have seen (and I interviewed at a lot of "top schools." I think you can tell that the admissions office goes out of their way to respect you as a person and that is reflected in the class that they select. A 4.0/40 will not guarantee admission. After seeing the likes of harvard and yale, it was refreshing to see a school less pretentious but still just as strong in my opinion. Both interviewers knew my file very well and asked challenging, yet good questions trying to get to know me. There is an enthusiastic approach to not just medicine but other areas of interest as well. The dual degree programs are very attractive and the p/f system is a HUGE plus. Finally, the match list is amazing, which shows the respect that residency directors have for the U Chicago students. I think this school should be ranked in the top ten for sure. If accepted, I would choose this school and its enviornment for the next 4 years.
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Relaxed! One of most relaxing and least stressful interviews I have ever had. Really, really low key. The interveiwers really knew everything about you. Be sure to read up on your secondaries and your AMCAS, b/c they will ask questions.
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The motivation and proactiveness of the students and faculty, combined with having some of the best research faculty and facilities at your disposal is an unbelievable draw of Pritzker. I was extremely impressed by the school, the facilities, the students, the faculty, the MD admissions staff, and the organization of the interview day (save the lunch Q&A session). Sitting in on a class gave me a good sense of the interaction students have with their professors. The students and professors seemed mutually encouraging and fascinated by what they were discussing in class. Although the tour was a bit hard to enjoy on account of the cold, I felt I got a good sense of the school by the end of the day.
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I had a great time. I felt that I could feel free to be myself and that it was actually as much of an opportunity for them to get to know me as it was for me to get to know them as a school, faculty and student body.
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The first part of the day I met with a doctor in the hospital. He asked me fairly difficult questions and probed harder than most interviewers. Probably depends on the interviewer more than the school. He was incredibly friendly and obviously felt very strongly about the quality of the school. In the afternoon I met with a student interviewer, which was really nice because it was much more relaxed and I had a student all to myself to figure out what life was like as a Chicago med student.
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After visiting UChicago, it is unquestionably my top choice.
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Overall, my experience at U of C was wonderful. I was very impressed by the faculty and the students. The facilities are beautiful and it seems the school really listens to the students. The non-competitive atmosphere between students was encouraging and students are very happy even though it's freezing there.
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I had a very favorable impression of Pritzker before I went to the interview. I only rated the stress level as 8 because it is my first choice. If granted the privilege of admittance, I will definitely attend as I cannot imagine a better environment in which to spend my four years in medical school.
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I really liked the school and everything about my experience. I had the good "gut" feeling about the program and the school in general. It seemed a good fit for me. Even though the curriculum is traditional and the lecture days are long, it's pass fail, so you put in a 9-5 and you're done for the day. I was later accepted and it is definitely one of my tops.
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a horrible disaster. worst interview experience by far and i've been on a lot of interviews.. just got a cold, unfriendly and weird vibe from many aspects of the school.
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The interview went great. Make sure that you give yourself PLENTY of time to get to the school from where ever you are in Chicago because morning traffic is horrendous. Two people were late (and not just five minutes) because of traffic, and I know that didn't make the best impression.
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This interview was by far the most relaxed of any other school. Both faculty and student interviews were just conversations about my application.
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Relatively organized day, and everyone I interacted with was excellent. The school is great, the faculty are great and the students are great. Overall a very positive experience.
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I loved Pritzker. It's a wonderful University, although they refuse to conform to changes in education. No PBL and the 8-5 day is a bit outdated. Lots of construction and no parking so if you are driving make sure you arrive well before schedule.
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The interview was wonderful! My hosts were great, my MD interview went really well and all the students that I met were helpful and friendly. With both interviews we just chatted for an hour. Nothing really hard was asked. They just want to get to know you as a person, things that are not obvious on paper.
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It starts of with a presentation, followed by interviews, a tour, and then the second set of interviews. Both student and faculty member were very nice during the interview and I felt like they were genuinely interested in getting to know me.
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i couldn't have asked for a better interview experience. i wish i just could have done better on the interview.
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excellent, the best i could ask for- left feeling great about myself and the school, and honestly even if i do not get in, i will know without a doubt that i was treated fairly throughout the process
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Got there a little before 9, had a long but informative talk about U of C's positive points, faculty interview, own wonderings around campus/bookstore, lunch, tour (including anatomy lab!), student interview, done by 3ish
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Don't worry: I only indicated a stress level of 7 because EVERY SINGLE PERSON THERE THAT DAY WAS IVY LEAGUE. All 11 of them. Coming from a Big Ten school, that was a little intimidating first thing in the morning. Aside from that, the school is amazing and hands down my top choice, no question. My interview day only strengthened my feelings about the school. This school has zero flaws, as far as I can tell.
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There was a student and a faculty interview. The faculty one was more stressful, but he wasn't being difficult or anything, just asking the right questions. The student was more laid-back, and I got the feeling she ran out of questions to ask. I hope that's a good sign!
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Quite positive. I had such a great conversation with my first interviewer that he forgot he was interviewing me. The day was very structured, and the people in administration were very helpful.
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I loved it.
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great. pritzker seems like a great place to go to med school, and i was very impressed by the students, who seemed intelligent, interesting, and fun.
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Most of the interviews were laidback, with a lot of leeway to talk about whatever I wanted. There was one tough one, but it was interesting. Student interaction at dinners and lunch. No tour, but it's not that necessary, I guess.
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Great interview. Very chill. Almost too chill. I felt like I was just talking to them. I wish they would've asked me more questions.
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it was a great day. My faculty intervier was busy, so I interviewed with the asst. dean. She is wonderful and you should talk to her if you have a chance.
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Great school, great students, great faculty.
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It was a great experience. My faculty interviewer was very cool and relaxed. We went for coffee and walked around campus and just chatted. I was extremely impressed.
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The day started at 8:45am. There was an overview of Pritzker history and there curricula guidelines and mottos. The first interview was at 10am with a faculty member at the hospital. This took about an hour and it was very conversational and relaxed. After that I read until lunch at 12pm. During lunch we were entertained by medical students with conversation and question and answer and this took about 30 minutes. Next we went on a campus tour which showed all the new construction taking place. This lasted til about 2 at which time my stuent interview took place. THis interview was harder than the faculty interview and she asked pretty tough questions but she was so nice about it that it was easy to talk to her. THis went on for about 45-50 minutes and the day was over. We also got a group photo which was good.
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I got to Chicago the night before, checked into International House (really nice, quaint dorm, only $50/night), then figured out where the admissions office was for the next day. Went back to Int'l House, and was hoping to maybe talk to some students, but it was *really* quiet (maybe it was exam period?), not many people just hanging out, but nice nonetheless. Interview day starts around 9am, someone gives you a little one-hour schpeal about the school, then you have a 1-hr interview with a student in the morning (10am or 11am), followed by an informal lunch and tour with a bunch of med students, then another interview with a doctor/faculty in the afternoon (2pm or 3pm). Overall, I had a REALLY great time. The student questions were probably "harder" but it's really more of a see how you think kind of deal; I was a little more perplexed by my doctor interview, which only lasted 30 minutes, but she was nice nonethless. Lunch and interview were really funny, the medstudents were really great, and I could tell I'd really like it there (despite the isolation and cold weather)
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The day started at 8:45am with coffee and a long introduction to the school and its philosophies. There was an hour-long interview with a med student which was very casual and informative. Then we had lunch and a tour with current med students. We had time to socialize and ask the med students any questions we had. The last interview was an hour, with a faculty member. The faculty member was very nice and easy to talk to. I really enjoyed my visit, and it made uchicago one of my top choices.
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One faculty, one student. No tough questions, very low stress, only one "illegal" question (marital status).
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Overall a good interview. Very relazed atmosphere,
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The school was wonderful, but keep in mind it is extremely challenging. The curriculum is quarter based so it is fast. I have come to discover that more is expected of the third and fourth year students than most medical schools. You actually have patients you are responsible for. They will call in the middle of the night for you to administer care. So if you are up to the challenge and plan to be in research involved in academic medicine this is the place to be. In addition although there were not a great deal of minority students the school is very supportive of those students traditionally under representated in medicine and is working hard to recruit more talented students who fit this profile.
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the day was really mellow. during free time, they give you the opportunity to sit in on classes and talk to students. everyone was friendly and everyone wanted to help. students outside the builiding were looking for people in suits and guiding them to the admissions office.
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Great - this school really impressed me with its laidback atmosphere, fun campus, interesting patient population, and new facilities. I'd love to go to school here.
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this is a great school. if not for the price tag, it would be the one at the to of my list. during the course of the day, the staff and students do an amazing job of communicating the school's philosophy towards learning and the experiences of the students. my second interview went really well. the student asked good questions and gave great feedback.
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The day was pretty relaxing and the interviewers were very nice. I had an interview with a 4th year med student first so that loosened me up a little and then another one with faculty in the afternoon. We got a tour in between, be prepared for a lot of walking, especially once it gets cold and windy.
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I had a really great time at Chicago. The campus is beautiful and the students and faculty and admisisons committee totally make you feel at home and welcome. It wasn't at all scary or stressful. You also get a lot of time to meet the other interviewers and chill. And they gave us a picture of the group of us and a bubble pen! The interviewers were very nice and not at all scary. Very conversational feel. Good times!
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we arrived pretty early and had a paltry breakfast. sylvia led an orientation session that was very informative and helpful, she was super sweet and nice, then we had two hours til lunch. most people had at least one interview. at lunch we talked with some current and former pritzker students, then had an hour long tour. after that we finished up interviews and were free to go. it was a great, stress free day...
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An amazing school
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Pritzer is a great school. The interview process is very relaxed. You interviewers don't get to look at your grades and scores but rather your essays and activities. Make for a great conversation.
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I had a really good experience. The admissions staff is very friendly and welcoming, they want the process to be as relaxing as possible. It would be amazing to attend UChicago.
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Fantastic. Loved the people, loved the school, loved the campus.
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It was a very relaxed day. The campus was beautiful, and the hospital looked great.
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It was a hard interview; the interviewer probed a lot into my choice of medicine and my definition of maturity, and even asked a very bizarre question (See "interesting question"). I didn't know how I did. Later on, my interviewer volunteered to give me a ride to my friend's place, where I stayed, and he told me all about Chicago. I really have no clue if th interview went well or not
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faculty and student interviewer were both really nice and laid back, the interviews were both conversational and relaxed.
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My physician interview was really bad b/c he was too busy for me so I couldn't really express myself too much. That lasted only 25 min. However, the student interview was great; for over an hour and a half we just talked casually on a bench outside.
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The day started at 8:45 AM and went all the way until after 4 PM, so it was long. My first interview was with a physician at 10 AM and it was very laid back and very conversational. It ended by 10:30 and I just kind of hung out until lunch at noon. We had a tour of the hospital and classrooms by some students after lunch and it was really impressive. The students were really happy there and they seemed to enjoy being part of Pritzker. My second interview was at 3 PM with a 4th year student. It was also very conversational, but he had taken a serious look at my application and highlighted things he liked or didn't really understand. It lasted around an hour. He was very helpful and informatiove, not just about U of Chicago, but medical school admissions in general. Great place, by the end I felt honored to be interviewed there.
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It was great. Both the faculty and the students were extremely friendly.
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The interview was great. Everybody was very welcoming and my interviewers were very nice people.
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great...i love the school... #1 on my list so far
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I enjoyed my visit to Chicago. The facilities were nice, the students were friendly and it really felt like an urban school. There are two longer interviews: one with a faculty and one with a student. Everyone meets for fifteen minutes with the dean of admissions and has to answer three questions: 1. Why Chicago 2. What have you done since submitting AMCAS and 3. What are you doing this year before attending med school.
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In a word, "Grrrrrreat!"
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Very easy going and conversational every body is very nice. Be prepared to talk about your research and its application to real life.
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The interview day was very enjoyable and the stress level was very low. The interviewers were well prepared and seemed to be very familiar with her application.
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You can change into your suit when you get there and bring extra clothes for afterwards so you won't freeze! Facilities were great everything is really modern and students seem nice enough.
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Two of my interviews were fine, but the third was the worst in my life. The interviewer kept harassing me and questioning my answers to all questions, frowning at things I was saying. After that interview, I became completely uninterested in the school.
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Excellent school, students are happy and open. All interviews were conversational. Be prepared to answer "Why Pritzker?" There were no difficult questions, the interviewers are friendly and just want to get to know you.
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While I was super impressed by the school, I was not thrilled by the students interviewing with me. Also, meeting to "go over your file" with the assistant dean is an interview, NOT a time for doing paperwork.
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Dean Lombard spends about 40 minutes talking about the school's unique history and how this influences that medical education Pritzker students receive. He's easy to talk to and he asks all interviewees the same three questions: 1) How has your application changed since you first submitted it? 2) What are you planning to do between now and matriculating into medical school? 3) Why did you apply to Pritzker? Priztker has three interviews: one faculty, one student, and one with Dean Lombard. I felt that the student interview was more of a chance for the student to sell the school to applicants. The day is well organized and you will know who you will interviewing when you arrive. If you are flying into Midway, take the 55 Garfield bus. It will cost you only $1.50 to get to campus.
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The atmosphere is really friendly and the students seem really happy there. Before the interview I was not that interested in the school, however, I can now easily see myself attending Pritzer--it would be an honor.
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Great Place.
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When I got to the international house the night before my interview, I first realized that it was a dorm and NOT a hotel. I did not have a towel, a clock, or a pillow and finding a place to eat on a Sunday night was not easy. (The pillow/towel thing seems to be an exception...everyone else who interviewed with me had these supplied to them at the international house.) After a bunch of complaining, I decided to try not to let this housing experience alter my impression of the school. The next morning, however, went much better. When I first got there, we were offered food and coffee. Then, the Dean talked about why we should go to Pritzker. My first interviewer, a fourth year student, was EXTREMELY friendly. My second interview was with the undergraduate pre-medical advisor who also sits on the Pritzker admissions committee. She was also very nice. My last interview was with the Dean. He was super! Finally, my overall impression is that the students are extremely cooperative and encouraging. I had two people in different circumstances offer to take me to the train station to get to O'Hare. Overall, Chicago was great!
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An amazing university!!! Truly the "Harvard of the Midwest". The administration is amazing. The location "Hyde Park" is truly charming.
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I was really scared of this interview, and the admissions staff (the deans especially) were so friendly from the get go. I had about an hour between my interviews, which intially was a downer, but as I sat in the lounge medical students randomly came up to me and introduced themselves, and we had nice conversations.
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I was really impressed by Pritzker and the surrounding University. The interviewers were exceptionally sharp, and asked engaging, meaningful questions. The HYde Park area was also quite a surprise. I had heard that U Chicago was in a bad area, but the school is fairly sequestered from the surrounding bad areas, which really aren't that bad. In fact, they're an interesting slice of Black america which the University Hospitals serve. The facilities were also very impressive: clean, well lit, beautifully constructed architecure. And the students all seemed enthusiastic and proud without being arrogant. I loved the place!
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Great experience, really nice staff and students.
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Very positive, they were very honest.
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my interview day started in the morning. sylvia robinson gave us a brief introduction while we had juice and donuts/muffins which was a nice touch. then i had my student interview(while some had facutly)-this was open file and my student who was from n.d. was this amazingly nice guy. he was really balanced-had a life with his wife and stressed that he was really happy at pritzker. after lunch and tour with students i went to my interview with ryan who was extremely nice although asked tough questions/and checked me in a way that was meant to figure out who the "real" me was. she was trying to get past prepared answers. at the end of the day i touchbased briefly with sylvia. don't ask stupid questions at the beginning of the day. one kid in our group was cocky and asked how long he could "sit on his acceptance to pritzker as he was planning on being interviewed and accepted at a number of places". blagh!
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggest that the admissions office should maintain their friendly and welcoming approach, consider shortening or consolidating the interview day schedule to avoid long wait times and create a more relaxed environment. They also recommend improving the organization of class visits and being mindful of communication methods, such as avoiding last-minute location changes via text.
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Keep doing what you're doing. Best interview experience by far. Good people, conversational interview.
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Keep being amazing lovely individuals!
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Give more tours
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Veeeeery long interview day- either shorten it or concentrate all interviews in the morning so that students can get them out of the way first
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Keep doing what you're doing.
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The Multicultural Affairs breakfast could be better. Almost all of the interviewees went and socialized, which was great, but not the stated purpose of the event.
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Nothing really. They were some of the friendliest, most helpful group of people ever and they really made you feel welcomed.
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Can't think of any really.
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You guys are awesome.
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One very small thing that was not actually a big deal at all (this was easily my favorite interview day thus far). It would be nice if they better facilitated attending classes. I thought it would be a structured activity, but on the actual interview day it wasn't clear which classes we were even allowed to sit in on.
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Make the day feel less regimented and stiff. I understand that there's a lot that goes into organizing an interview day, but many other schools have interview days with as many if not more activities planned, and they don't make the applicants feel like they're being rushed around on a tight schedule. The hurried feel of the day especially doesn't add up when one considers that we were all told to expect to stay from 9 AM to 5 PM.
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Don't switch interview locations 5 minutes before the interview via text! I was 15 minutes late to my interview due to this!
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Great experience, thank you! Tip for being more eco-friendly: reduce amount of material in folders, it's helpful but mostly available online, and now I feel sad just tossing it out!
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You guys are awesome!
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Choose your interviewers more carefully. Pritzker had been my #1 school to attend until my interview
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Make things shorter/scheduled closer together- there were 2x during the day where i waited 45 minute
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The interview day was very spread out. I had a lot of down time between interviews. I was there from
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Nothing! They are very kind.
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