Applicants generally provided positive feedback on the interview experience, expressing appreciation for the conversational style of the interviews, friendly staff and students, and the school's curriculum and facilities. Suggestions for improvement included shortening the tour, addressing the waiting time between interviews, and enhancing the organization of the day's schedule.
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Loved the interview, school, staff!
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Everyone said the interviews were conversational but one of mine was more like a formal interview.
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Great school
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The interview style is very laid back and not at all high-pressure. The only stressful part is the uncertainty of waiting between interviews and the long day (8:30am-4:30pm).
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This school seems to have the entire package. Great curriculum, devoted faculty and student body, plenty of research/service opportunties, and a great network of teaching facilities in the area. You are making a mistake if you are a New York State resident and do not apply to UB. Out of every school that I have visited and dealt with during the application process this year, UB definitely is the only school that is actually interested in you as a person rather than your numbers. During the interview, the interviewers do not have access to your numbers (GPA, MCAT) and focus solely on you and your experience.
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This school seemed organized and well run.
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The tour is wayyyyy tooooo long! I wish somebody important would see this is a problem!
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Great safety school.
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Please please please make the tour shorter.
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It's a decent school and I wouldn't mind going but if I had a choice, the distance and the weather would make it a much more unattractive prospect.
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If you stay at the Holiday Inn - Amherst before 6pm on Tuesday night, they have all the beer and wine you can drink, plus free food for Manager's Welcome. It rules. Stay there.
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I love UB. I'm from UB for undergrad and I'm excited to go here for med school. Praying I get in!
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There is an essay you take just before lunch.
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Not bad.
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Apply here and hope you get in, its getting more competitive, and for good reason, they're an amazing school.
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Definitely check out SDN for interview feedback. Do not stress over the interview as much, because the committee really wants to have a conversation with you, nothing to debilitating. Just relax, power up with some caffeine early morning, and rock it!!
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Very good interview day! Enjoyed it.
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I was pretty impressed by UB. I enjoyed the interview day a lot more than I was expecting to. I would be happy to go there. By the way, don't stress too much about the interview. The worst part for me was waiting for the interviewers to come and get me. Interviews start around 1 pm, and can last until about 4:30 pm. Each interview seems to usually last 30-50 minutes, and you don't know exactly when you will have interviews within that time period.
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The school just really impressed me. It's one of those schools that is very personal and cares a lot about its students.
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Buffalo seems like a pretty nice school, especially for a NYS resident because the tuition is so low. The students were all very friendly and seemed to like both the school and the area.
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Great school with a great historical town. This school will not be the first choice for those looking for prestige (which matters very little in reality), but it is a solid school looking to improve and grow without sacrificing student success.
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Had two interviewers. The first was a substitute interviewer so he didn't really know my file. He seemed to be testing me on whether I was truthful. First he asked where my school was and its location in relation to Hershey medical center in PA. When I told him, he said: "Oh right, I knew where Hershey was.". Then when he asked about my research, I mentioned using PDMS. He asked what it stood for. When I told him, he said: "oh yea, they use that a lot.", as if he knew it all along. He really hamered me about why I wanted to be a doctor. He said I didn't have clinical experience, so how do I know I want to be a doctor. In reality, I did have a lot of clinical experience but he said those aren't similar to real situations...
the second interview went much better and was much more conversational. I ended up on the waiting list.
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It seemed like most of the candidates (including myself) were interviewed by a student and a dr. My student tended to follow more of a script asking some of the same types of questions posted on SDN (see other posts)
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I thought I rocked my second interview considering how combative the first one had gone. I ended up being mid waitlisted.
fyi- apparently they used a 1-5 rating system and average the scores of the two interviewers
1- accept
2- high waitlist
3- mid waitlist
4- low waitlist
5- reject
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Very impressed, liked the school a lot. They will ask you some questions that seem to come out of nowhere, but you can take a second to think about it before you speak.
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The school def. went up my list after the visit. I enjoyed everything except being wait-listed!! I got my first acceptance the day after being waitlisted so I am not too discouraged. I am hoping I come off the waitlist though because UB moved into my top 5!
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Really clicked with an interviewer.. long-time faculty, I wouldn't be surprised if he played a big part in my acceptance; accepted 10/15.
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Everything was okay, but the faculty interview just ruined it for me. The student interviewer was extremely friendly and nice though.
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I highly recommend staying with a student host(I did). It a gave me a chance to better familiarize myself with the school and its students before my interview. My student hos was great and very helpful. If you want to contact me to ask me any other questions, just e-mail me at
[email protected]
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Hellish questions.....describe the theory of muscle contraction, kreb cycle, explain a situation when you stood up for something you believed in which disadvantaged you, what do you know about the east coast (I'm from the West), why did it take so long for you to graduate, why didn't you apply a year ago etc.....I was grilled
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I came into the interview with the impression that the school is close to crap. Their website is very, very outdated and the weather was horrible to say the least. However, despite these things and a 2hr tour, it was a very good experience. I ended up liking Buffalo and their facilities are clean, neat and fairly new. They are fixing up the anatomy lab, which makes it look brighter and more ''welcoming.'' The admissions committee READS EVERYTHING that you gave them so be prepared. Lucky for me, I didn't have horrible interviewers so the conversation flowed very well. However, some of the interviewees did get some of the crazier questions like the study of physicians that stopped smoking and a method of measuring body fat of a person. Overall, a good experience at Buffalo.
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The first interview was a detailed discussion of my application. The second was more philosophical and asked questions about what it means to be a doctor and things of that nature.
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I enjoyed the school, especially the students and faculty who were very enthusiastic about their experiences. It's a great place!
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We arrived at 9am, and had a lengthy tour of the neuro museum, anatomy lab, computer lab, clinical skills center, and library (ladies, wear flats, because some of those people like to talk, and a lot). We then had a presentation on their curriculum, ate lunch with some current M1s, and then waited for a long time in a student lounge for the interviewers to come and get us. It was a long day; I wasn't done until almost 4:30. Bring reading material with you in case you're left by yourself in the lounge.
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Thanks for the free lunch ... would go there ahead of Guatemala.
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Buffalo was the very last place I applied to, but became my top choice after my interview.
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First interview was more conversational. Second had a specific list of questions
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I interviewed first with a second-year medical student and then an orthopedist. The second interview was supposed to be more of a ''get-to-know-you'' type, but both interviews felt like more of a Q&A session. Both my interviewers were nice, but seemed to be just focused on plowing through ''committee-written'' questions rather than engaging in a conversation to get to know me. Also, before the interviews, we were given a ''pop quiz'' which asked ''What was the most challenging experience you have gone through and how did you deal with it?'' I think the ''pop quiz'' question changes for each interview day.
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Very laid back during the actual interviews. The tour was cool, but the library tour was boring (it was supposedly optional, but everyone went on it).
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My first interview was about 1.5 hours and he asked me sooo many unexpected questions about my culture and history type questions about my country (which I left when I was 2). He also asked me how I felt about current political situations and presidents about my country, which the most i ever hear about is from my parents talking... and then he pulled out newspaper clippings out of his pocket and read me bit of it and asked me how I felt about the situation and what I would do. geez. but i really liked my second interviewer and the interview was much shorter too.
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First interview went about an hour, awesome guy - completely laid back, more conversational than anything. Dropped a few questions here and there. Even gave me a few questions where I could pick from and chose which I could give the best answer for, really worked to get the best out of you. Second interviewer was also a faculty member which is unusual - usually it's a student. He was much more serious but asked me a lot more personal questions and seemed to get to know me a lot more than the other guy did about my family and research. Great experience overall - was a lot happier with the way it went than I thought I would have been.
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Overall, very easy to deal with. Both interviewers wanted to have a conversation more than covering the questions they were given. Conversational atmosphere helped reduce the stress and allowed for a better flow of discussions
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I had no intention of even going to buffalo when i applied, but having visited and having had such a positive experience, i am definitely considering it in my top 2. the facilities are gorgeous, well-kept, and certainly up to date. very impressive school.
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The interviewers were very nice, but also genuinely curious about why I wanted to do medicine, what qualities I could bring, etc. I felt that really preparing to ''present'' myself..who I am, what I want, why I'm prepared for medicine...was super impt. It wasn't just idle conversation, it was real getting to the core of why I'm applying to medical school. also, some other poor applicant got a retired professor interview him by randomly pulling out old newspaper articles out of his pocket and asking the applicant what he thought. so that stuff actually happens! going through SDN left me totally prepared for the interview though.
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Went to the lobby with about 23 students, mostly OOS. lined up on the order of being there and had couple of presentations. about 90 min of tour of the facilities and other places which was kind of boraing. back to the roon and had a essay and then lunch alone with other applicants. went to the first interview. They were super friendly and talked for about 40 min, back to the room that we were but no one was there as everyone had been moved to another room. I was lucky that another person had brough all my belongings to the second room. was there for about one hour till second interview arrived with a 2nd year student which was also very nice as well. they went back to the room and waited like 5 min for confirmation that I can leave. Overall the environment was very firendly even though the planning of the whole process was kind of lagging.
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I arrived and had a seat in the lobby. We went into a conference room and filled out paperwork. We took a tour and then came back to the conference room where they talk about the curriculum. A staff person will give you an essay question/topic and do take the time to answer the question fully. After that you wait for your interview and are called in. Some people were in the middle of eating so make sure you are prepared if you were first in line.
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It was honestly a nice day. I liked the tours and the staff/students. I didn't get grilled in any way in my interviews, which was a nice suprise. It reinforced my desire to attend the school.
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Everyone starts by sitting in a lounge, waiting. They then ask you to wait in line in order that you came in. They present some info about the school. Take on tours, seeming endless, around the brain museum. Offer ''optional'' library tour that everyone felt obligated to take, where they show exhibits about the history of medicine. Presentation, lunch where they quickly run out of food. Then you wait for your interviews. You have no idea when it will be, you just wait until someone comes to get you. No option to sit in on classes. A most unusual interview day.
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My interviews went SUPER especially compared to some other applicants who were getting outrageous social questions. My interviewers seemed to ask me questions I was able to answer and made me feel very comfortable. Mr. Rosso is also very charismatic and motivating! We were lucky that the weather cooperated for this interview date - 48 degrees and sunny with a slight wind in December...awesome!
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Very low stress... conversational. Be prepared for a lengthy tour.
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9:15 check-in (show up earlier to ensure you finish the day earlier); 10 intro by admissions; med school/library tour until 11:30; boring and confusing curriculum presentation until ~12; pop quiz/essay (define ''empathy'' as it means to you) just as lunch started; lunch w/ med students; entire afternoon in student lounge - killed time watching post 2006 midterm election coverage and playing pool. i was the LAST person to do their FIRST interview, and i was the LAST person to finish the day. was not required to do a third interview.
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Very positive.
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The two interviews were with a professor and a 2nd year student. Both were more of conversations than interviews. It was very relaxed and went well. The only problem was that it was difficult not getting too comfortable and using slang terms instead of more professional diction.
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People at UB are extremely nice, and it is a very non-competive friendly environment among students. Also, the medical student lounge has a ping pong table, a pool table, and a large HDTV.
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I thought it went really well. Both interviewers had definitely read carefully through my file, and were really easy to have a conversation with. It was friendly and non-confrontational.
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Show up, and find the people with black suits who look nervous. Line up in arrival order (you're kidding, right? no.) becuase then you're interviewed in that order. Sort of. Introduciton. Tour. More Tour. Pop essay "describe a moment when you volunteered that helped solidify your decision to choose medicine" then lunch iwth students. Except there were no students at my table. Interview 1, waiting in the lounge, Interview 2, went home.
I went to UB for my MS so I'm pretty happy with the school already and would just like to get in so I can relax this year.
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Nice people, good school, I'm going there.
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Very positive and relaxing.
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A somewhat long day. The long tour gets you a little tired out, but then you go eat lunch and listen to the dean and a faculty member (who are the BEST). Then they take you one at a time to do your interview. Then they take you to the student lounge where you can play pool or watch tv and talk to students and other interviewees. Then again, they take you from there for your final interview. Done.
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My interview experience at Buffalo was very pleasant. Try to talk to current medical students, that was the highlight of my trip. The interview is very relaxed although they do ask you a lot of the questions that are posted on the site. If you read through the questions posted here you should be prepared.
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Positive. it was a long day but that was nice because it made my long journey worth while. also the tour gave me a good feeling for the school
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I had one with a faculty member and one with a student. They were both friendly. Remember that your student interview counts just as much at this school, so don't get too informal/comfortable.
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Overall, it was a good experience. The dean of the school is really friendly, and they want to know who you are as a person there.
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I arrived at 9:15 am, but it was nearly 10 am when they started. In general, there was a lot of waiting. After the tour and lunch (tiny sandwiches and soda) we all went into a student lounge and just sat there waiting for hours, not knowing when our interviews were going to happen. Some students already had two interviews, while others were still waiting for their first one. The interviews themselves seemed formal. Both interviewers had identical list of questions and randomly asked from it. I even got the same question twice. Overall, I liked the school, but the interview day itself was poorly scheduled (in my opinion).
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This interview is basically for them to know you as a PERSON. They just want to know that you're not crazy and that you'll be able to work within a team. The tour was really long and tiring (so make sure you get a restful sleep the night before).
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Low stress. conversational.
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Very relaxed and pleasant day. But it was raining, haha.
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See negative
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It was awesome. my first interviewer was amazing and said he didnt believe in the questions the adcom gave them all to ask. my second interviewer asked me all questions from that list.
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Relaxed, laid back, one second year student and a community doctor volunteer. They both wanted to get to know me as a person and asked many questions about my background. They both were open to questions from me. It was very conversational; both of the interviews flowed.
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It was pretty good. The facilities were decent (I did not like the library, however). Mr. Rosso was REALLY enthusiastic and really sold the school. The other interviewees were very friendly.
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I enjoyed my day. I went over with a group of students who were all staying at the same hotel. there was a really comprehensive tour, possibly a bit too long, info about the new curriculum and admission info (the Dean seems great, and apparently the students really love him), lunch with students and then the interviews. There are 2, I had one with a retired professor and another with a doctor. 12 students are on the admissions committee though, it was just my luck of the draw. we waited around in the student lounge, which was nice because students frequently came in and were hanging out or talking with us, and the wait was never too long.
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I arrived from the airport and took the bus; it dropped me off infront of the school. I was early, so I had a chance to talk to the other applicants. The tour was given by Dr. Rosso, and he was very EXCITED. The interview was with a doctor and then a student. They were both really cool, and I really clicked with the first interviewer. The second interviewer was a student, and she was very nice, but very hard to read.
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Overall, extremely positive even though it wasn't my top choice. Completely impressed me, esp. the positive attitudes of the students and staff. very collaborative, seemed to have a great time.
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Great experience.
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It was not stressful at all. Both the physicians were very nice and so was the med student. They really want to get to know you personally and inquire about your past experiences. Be prepared for some situational questions.
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Overall, it was ok. For those who get waitlisted, if you are in the middle of the list you will most likely get in. Their waitlist moves ALOT. I was in the bottom of the upper third and got in middle of May (the waitlist is split into 9 sections: upper(upper, middle, bottom), middle (upper, middle, bottom), and bottom (upper, middle, bottom). From my experience Mr Rosso can be a bit deceiving in terms of letting you know where you are on the list. Basically, the reason I chose not to attend was I got into my state school (not NY resident), so it was much cheaper than Buffalo (120k in debt as opposed to 180k thats all without interest). Also, I got a better vibe from my state school. Overall, I wanted to like Buffalo and I did to a point, it was just some of the ways they represented themselves to me that was a turn off. I hope others have a better experience and I am sure they will. Its a good school, just not for me.
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I had a great experience with my interview, and it was actually my first (and last- I applied for the Early Assurance Program). The staff are down to earth and concerned with your well-being as a student and a person. The new curriculum they have just implemented seems very efficient and is a huge improvement over the former one.
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It was a very positive experience which played a big part in my coming to SUNY Buffalo. The interview was wonderful, and I have enjoyed my schooling here thus far.
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The interview was very relaxed.
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Overall, it was fine. Nothing exceptional. By attending the University at Buffalo I'd be freely throwing my autonomy to the state of NY.
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Great! It was very relaxed and fun.
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Overall, I really enjoyed my day. I got there at 8 am (with my bro) and sat in on his first class (something about cell membrane potential - eeks). The lecture hall is really spacious and the students are just happy - really relaxed. At 9:30am I met up with the other interviewees and we sat around until check in. After check in, Mr. Rosso gave us a really thorough tour of the facilities, including the anatomy and computer labs, the multipurpose rooms and the library. We then had a talk by Drs. Reynard (about the recent changes in curriculum) and Severen (he cleared up some rumors about UB, and talked about the school's mission). After this, we were handed an essay question - write about your most significant challenge - and given about 5-10 minutes to finish it. As I was totally caffeine deprived and STARVING (LONG TOUR), my answer was remedial, at best. But I don't think it really matters. Then we all just waited for our interviewers to come and pick us up. At the end of the day, after both interviews, we were notified when we could leave.
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They forgot to put my name on the sign-in sheet and it seemed as though the woman thought it was my fault and i wasn't supposed to be there, so that freaked me out. They she explained that she just forgot...so thanks. The tour was pretty interesting but they didn't show the classrooms or the hospital (which i guess is kind of far away) but it would have been nice to see. I checked out the classroom later and the seats seem very uncomfortable, they were a hard plastic. The interviews were at the end of the day which made me stress for the entire day (until 4 o'clock)rather than just at the beginning, so that sucked. The school seemed ok though, i think i just had a negative interview experience. I liked the schedule of classes and the range of different hospitals associated with the school.
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Overall the day was great! im more or less expecting to get waitlisted as im an out of stater, but a girl can hope! and the pop essay was fine and neither of my interviewers brought it up. as a side note, though, each interviewer has a packet of questions - each page is titled "leadership skills" or "personality" and then has a list of questions, so expect some of the typical "who would you interview?" and "tell me a funny childhood story" questions as mentioned on other posts
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The university is aware that they are not Ivy league, so they make sure they treat their students/faculty very well. "Pop" essay before lunch was very unnecessary.
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Pop quiz essay before lunch! The question I received; discuss how a particular volunteer experience (not necessarily medical) contributed to your decision to be a doctor, what did you learn from this experience. The tour was fun and the tour guide was extremely enthusiastic. There were two presenters, and both were also extremely excited to have all of us interviewees there. The environment was very friendly. Be confident and let U Buffalo know who you are, and if you are the right fit, the interviewers will respond positively. Another note: if you are interested in a very unique and competitive specialty; neurosurgery, orthopedics, etc....if you are accepted to the school, you will be put on a little bit different curriculum track in which you start doing research in your area of interest starting your second year at school. This is all done in an effort to ensure you the best possibility of getting a residency in the specialty you choose. Really good idea I thought! Goodluck!
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I decided to interview at this school because it looked as though other schools weren't taking an interest in me. Then when i got a bunch of other interviews i was seriously considering canceling my interview. When i got to Buffalo, the city, my first and lasting impression is that a lot of people are resentful pricks. However, the school and the faculty are awesome and they really like getting to know you. So this school moved from being at the bottom of my list to somewhere near the top.
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I think Buffalo is a very good school. I love the fact that students are in class until noon mostly. Also UB has a really laid back feel to it, but supposedly, the stigma that UB students get in residency is that they are very hard working (or so i hear).
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You start with the tour. Right before lunch, they make you answer a question on paper (they give you 5-10min). It was like having a pop quiz. But it wasn't that bad- my question was, What was one of the biggest challenges you have had to face? Afterward, they move you to the student lounge where they have a huge TV, pingpong, pool...pretty nice, really. We watched the post-election news. You don't have to worry about finding your way around because the interviewers pick you up and drop you off. Both my interviewers were both really sweet and conversational (i had a 2nd year student and a "compliance officer"- some kind of lawyer). The lawyer and I seemed to have a lot in common, and she loved me. After all the interviews were over, all of the interviewers and the admissions staff gathered in a room to discuss. This is one of the few schools where the interviewer has to make a presentation about you in front of the admissions people.
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I ended up liking the school more than I expected I would.
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The day started with a tour of the campus, seeing the brain museum and the medical library. Then there were info sessions on the curriculum followed by the pop quiz then lunch with the students. The two interviews were in the afternoon. There were about 14 other students there with me that day.
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I wasnt sure about this school when I first got to Buffalo, but now it is definately my top choice. The pop essay during lunch is nothing to worry about, mine was on "whom do you admire most and why?" All the other questions are posted on this website.
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I was interview by two faculty members who were older male doctors and taught a little at the school. Some interviees were interviewed by students and they had more fun experiences. My interviewers read questions off the sheet of paper and the interview was very formal.
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Everyone at the school was very nice, they all wanted to make sure that we were comfortable and had all our questions answered. There is a pop essay at lunch but it is not hard. My question was what would qualities would you expect in your docotor. THe tour is slightly boring, but not too long.
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The interview was a whole-day affair, as I was there for about 6 hours. It was well-organized and everyone was friendly and nice. The interviews were decently stressful but the interviewers had a nice demeanor and seemed genuinly interested. I was well-prepared with SDN questions, and I felt very comfortable as I had already thought about answers to almost every question that I was asked. I was also asked several questions specific to my file, particularly regarding what I learned about medicine from my volunteer experiences. They were hard but fair questions that delved pretty deeply into my personal statement and AMCAS (so be familiar with what you wrote).
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The interview day starts at 9:30 with a brief outline of the day's events. You then take a tour of the campus facilities. Next, you listen to two presentations about the school; one by a faculty member who helped redesign the school's curriculum five year ago and the other by the dean. Afterwards, we were given an essay question to answer. The essay question was "describe two characteristics that you possess that will help make you a good physician". The essay should not be a source of stress. The essay is placed in your folder and the interviewers have a chance to read it over before meeting with you. We were then served lunch. After lunch, the interview process started. All the interviewees hung out in the student lounge and watched TV, played darts, etc. while waiting for their interviewers to come get them. After the two interviews, you are either allowed to leave or are given a third interview (this happens when the first two interviewers do not do not agree on their impression of you).
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My second interview was by a 3rd year student & she was really nice. I got to ask lots of questions & she even gave me her email address. The interviews were really not bad at all, pretty relaxing actually. You also get to come back to a common room & watch TV & play pool & hang out with the other interviewees while you wait between interviews so you can get some feedback about their experiences as well. The tour is long, though--probably longer than necessary!
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The whole process was pretty smooth. They manage to keep the interview almost on a conversational basis and both interviewers seemed really interested in what I had to say. I stayed with a first-year and he helped me out a lot. I highly recommend doing that instead of staying at a hotel. After the interview the committee ranks you from 1 to 5 (1=acceptance,2=top of waitlist,3=middle of waitlist,4=bottom of waitlist,5=rejection) and I heard that most of those on the top get in while most at the bottom don't get in. I was fortunate to get accepted right away but they tell me that some people don't get accepted until august so don't give up if you don't get in right away.
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It was great. The interviewers were really nice, although they did press me on ethical questions and health policy stuff. It was okay, though, since I am knowledgeable and well-thought-out about these areas. The school seemed really great. Had it not been in Buffalo, this could have been my #1 state school choice.
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The experience was extremely laid back. All the questions I was asked are posted on this website so if you look at these questions, you will be very alright! I just didn't like that they didn't tell me ahead of time that I was interviewing for the waitlist.
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I was pleasantly surprised at UB. I really like their new cirriculum (half day of classes, small group work, early clinical exposure all apprealed to me). The dean made an emphasis on remembering that we're people, not just med students, while we're there and seemed understanding about personal issues (marriage etc). The anatomy lab was bright and sunny (has windows - wow!) and there was wireless internet everywhere. Students seemed VERY happy there. (And not just the ones who ate lunch with us) Overall, I could definitely see myself there.
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It wasn't a bad interview by any means. The first interviewer was a 3rd year student who obviously hadn't looked at my file. She stumbled around a bit, and I think I caught her on a few "things" she should have known if she even GLANCED at my file...The second interviewer was a faculty member. He was a bit more organized and to the point. Both were very low stress and conversational.
Being out of state, I was not surprised to be placed on "Hold" only one week after the interview...
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Really not stressful. the dean of admissions is really nice,he calms your nerves in the beginning, explaining that you've gotten this far b/c your grades/mcats are good enough, and the interview is just about getting to know you, and he means it. the students are really nice and helpful. there is a paragraph that you are asked to write before lunch, but it's along the lines of "whom do you admire most?" nothing difficult, esp. after MCAT writing section.
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Overall, the day was not as stressfull as i was expecting, whenever we had downtime there were always lots of people to chat with so the day flew by... my first interview was with a dr, and the second with a 2nd year med student... both were pretty relaxed and i left with a very positive feeling about the school... since then i've received notice that i'm wait listed, so i'm hoping to eventually receive acceptance
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Drink lots of coffee because the morning was pretty slow. the interviews were relaxed and conversational, the interviewers came up with some interesting questions stemming from my own application.
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First headline read from a Buffalo newspaper upon my arrival "Icy Winds Expected..." The blasts of winds were strong enough to literally knock me off my feets. Buffalo is also likely the only place in NY you will hear about "lake-effect snow". Regardless, the medical school itself is quite welcoming. Twenty people came to interview, beginning with a tour consisting of: the brain museum, computer lab, anatomy lab, and library. You will pass a number of small classrooms but the lecture halls weren't part of the tours. If you arrive at the school earlier than scheduled (9:30am) then I recommended that you take a look at the 1st lecture halls, which was quite nice. The tour ends with two presentations by faculties, one on the curriculum and one by the student dean. Before lunch we were asked to write a 10-minute essay on "the person most influential in our life". Before you write anything silly you might want to know that the interviewers will have your essay on hand during your interviews. Sandwiches, cookies, and soda for lunch (where's the nutrition). We were greeted by the first and second year students while in the adjacent room the admission comittee prepared to administer interviews. Any downtime was hardly noticeable since anywhere you go there will be people to talk to. Interview questions were similar to those stated in other interview feedbacks, which stressed ethical responses (they know you have the stats, so they need to know that you also have the heart of a physician). Both interviewers will have a standard set of questions to ask but they also pick out parts of your application that particularly interests them. No hypothetical situations, they wanted you to draw from your personal experiences. Interviewers were friendly and welcomed good questions. Finally, SUNY Buffalo in-state tuition is a bargain at around $17,000.
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Very positive. I came to Buffalo thinking that this would be my last choice, but it no longer is. Despite the crappy weather and the particularly conservative social environment, the professors appear very committed to helping students achieve their career goals. Also they obviously read your file and care about who you are during the interview process.
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The pre-interview spiel was very formal and up-tight. The interviews themselves were more mellow. One student and one faculty (although they said it would be 2 faculty). All the facillities are in 1 building. Stay at the Travelodge across the street, it's cheap and easy.
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Students seemed a little sadder than usual. The library is good and they appear to be making some much needed changes. It is cheap too.
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Outside of the tour (which was otherwise pretty standard) everything went great. remember the "pop" essay before lunch! it's not hard though.
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Overall, I was impressed by the school. I got the sense that UB is moving up and really cares about their students.
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Overall, the school exceeded my expectations. They remade their curriculum several years ago, so now they have patient contact starting in the first year. They're requiring all entering students to have PDAs, which I think is a sign that they're trying to keep up with advances in technology. The tour was done by an admissions advisor. He conducted the tour and the rest of the day very well, trying to have a small one-one conversation with almost every student. The interviews themselves were very conversational, although some people got asked questions like "How many McDonald's are there in the US?". They give an essay at lunch. The topic was "What are your plans if you're not accepted anywhere?"
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This website helped a lot and calmed my nerves since I knew what to expect. The interviews were very much conversational and interesting. They do ask questions from a standarized list, and my interviewer even said he hated the questions. Try and steer the interviews as more of a conversation and they won't ask too many of those "ethical" standardized questions. And watch for the essay question before lunch, eat a snack during the morning so you aren't starving while writing.
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Essay question: If you did not want to be a physician, what other career would you choose?
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Overall the experience was great.....the group I spent the day with was very friendly. Just read the questions already posted on this site and you will be ready
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First interview by faculty was great, second interview by medical student didn't go to well because he just asked random questions from a set that they have and wrote down the answers... nothign from my file or anything... it was disconcerting.
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My interview experience was positive overall. The first interview was a little short (20 min or so) and I was asked the wacky manhole question, but my second was much better. My interviewer ( a med student) was more relaxed and it was very conversational. The questions were the easy type I'd prepared for so there were no suprises there.
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Overall this was a positive experience for me. I was given a tour of the medical school campus and most interesting the gross anatomy laboratory. Each person from U.B. Med, from the librarian to the Computer laboratory personnel to the the admissions staff to the interviewers were positive and that made me more positive.
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Very good in general. Interviews went pretty well. One interviewer was a non-MD professor, the other was a practising MD volunteering in the admissions committee, who was very nice and understanding.
We had to write an essay on 3 of our favorite books before lunch started.
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Great time they asked all standard questions people above listed. If you get Dr. Manka hes great, hes also a ER Doc so I talked to him about that.
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Before the interview I was somewhat apprehensive because I thought that it would be more difficult than my prior interviews, but it turned out to be much less stressful and more enjoyable than the rest. The ethical questions that I had expected were easy and straight forward, which is something that made me a little timid going in. Overall it was a very enjoyable experience and was not stressful at all.
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Buffalo was one of my best interview experiences so far. The dean of admissions and basically all of the faculty members I met were so, so nice. Their curriculum changes are also really good - most days classes end by noon. They seem very committed to keeping up to date in terms of technology, etc. My two interviewers were very relaxed. It didn't seem like they were reading questions off of a list. The day was very organized and it just ran very smoothly.
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Positive
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Its a crappy school for medical school. I wouldn't want to go there, i think it was just the school's personality i didn't like it just felt strange compared to some of the other schools. I don't like it when i am asked all sorts of crap questions.
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One of my interviews was excellent- the interviewer was very helpful and very open about their own experiences in school and in medicine. The other was nice even if there didn't seem to be as much of a connection.
Definitely prepare answers for every single question other interviewees have mentioned, they WILL be asked. Some interviewers also throw in hypothetical ethical questions, but those aren't what's on the standard question list.
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I really liked Buffalo and had a good interview experience. It seems to provide a great community with large resources. The new curriculum is a good balance and you're out of class almost most days by noon. Basically, people move to Buffalo for a reason, and it's not a snow fettish. They like being around smart, interesting people without the hassel, expense or attitude of a large city. I like that. The school is forward thinking and will provide anything you need - you just have to seek it out. Great value, solid medical education.
My interviewers tried to make the standardized format as low key as possible and admitted they didn't love the questions. They change the pop essays all the time, it seems, so don't stress.
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While the anatomy lab is fairly cramped, no adjoining medical center, and still a couple kinks in the curriculum, I thought UB was a great value school with tuition much cheaper than private.
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Good interview experience. I was impressed with the social atmosphere. They tried to make it as painless as possible. My interviewer actually said, you've done the hard work to get here, so we don't think this needs to be stressful. UB is a really nice place.
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Actually I think that it went fairly well and I walked out with a more positive attitude than I would have thought.
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We all had two interviewers. My second interview was very laidback and very good. It was very conversational but informative. However, the interview that I started off with was a different story. He analyzed every word I said. He would also act like he took what I said in the most selfish and wrong way possible, forcing me to defend my position and restate my opinions. Every one of my answers were responded with a why? why not? or how? And in the rare occasion when my answer was sufficient, I felt like I made a grave mistake or something. HIGH CONTRASTS between the interviews. (In all fairness, at the end o my first interview, he looked at his watch and said that my torture was over.)
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The inteview program was decent. However, the admissions/interviewing staff seemed rather unorganized.