Irvine, CA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
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Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 27% of interviews, indicating it is moderately regarded. They found the interview generally impressive with a low stress level and felt they did well.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
SDN Interview Experience Score
8.1
Above Average
Higher scores indicate a smoother, more positive interview experience with professional staff, organized logistics, and a supportive environment.
Based on 622 responses
Score Reference:
9–10 Exceptional
8–8.9 Very Good
7–7.9 Good
6–6.9 Mixed
< 6 Needs Improvement
The SDN Interview Experience Score (SIES) is a composite metric that represents applicants overall impressions of their interview experience, based on multiple factors such as professionalism, facilities, responsiveness, and stress levels.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as low stress.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
Positively (79%)
Negatively (5%)
No change (16%)
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
Great (37%)
Good (51%)
Average (9%)
Poor (2%)
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally found the interview day at UCI SOM to be relaxed and enjoyable, with friendly staff and students creating a welcoming atmosphere. The interviews were conversational and not stressful, providing an opportunity for applicants to showcase their personalities and experiences. Some concerns were raised about the school's facilities and curriculum, but overall, UCI's location, student happiness, and supportive environment left a positive impression on most applicants.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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UCI SOM's interview day was very relaxed and everyone was very nice.
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Impressed with the school, the student body seems really wonderful, but concerned I may have gotten the wrong impression regarding how the school handled the pandemic, also was told iPads were given to each student but that is not true.
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Was an amazing experience.
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UCI is a very solid institution! The 1-on-1 interviews were as expected, but this year they started adding in an 8-min station called the "structured interview." It was actually really fun and tried to evaluate how well you could communicate with others. Non-stressful questions. :)
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Didn't love the curriculum, but I loved the location/students/in-state tuition.
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Had a wonderful time at my interview, no complaints!
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I wouldn't mind going here, just because of its location. Other than that, its a decent school but I think one of its strongest selling points is the location. There are a few things that bother me, like the distance to the hospital. Also, the first year, currently P/F, is going to be H/P/F starting next year, which isn't ideal. Class size of 104 is nice.
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Fantastic school!
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Before visiting I had no impression of UCI, now it's my first choice. I loved it!
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Love this school! <3
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Run pretty well. they effectively demonstrated to us that the students are actually really happy
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Tour of the medical facilities should really be included in the interview date.
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The med school has an environment which respects academia while staying personal with the students
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Feel good about the interview
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NOTE: Not every interviewee had as easy of a time as I did, but a lot of them seemed to. So keep in mind its the luck of the draw when it comes to who you get.
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Very chill. interviews can be as short as 30 minutes or over an hour, depending on how things go. very conversational. no specific questions they had to get through. just wanted to know more about me.
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Stay with a host!! Mine was wonderful and I really enjoyed learning more about the school from a student perspective. The dinner the night before was totally awesome. Be prepared for a laid-back, low stress interview day.
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UCI is a great school with even greater students. The students seemed like a diverse, friendly, and close group. The new facilities and research opportunities will definitely raise UCI's rankings. I truly hoped I get accepted here.
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I'm really hoping I get an acceptance here; this school has become one of my TOP choices! Stay with a student host - it's definitely more fun and worth it; they give a realistic glimpse into life as a uci medical student.
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Be yourself, you were chosen for an interview because you deserve, they just want to see your personality and confidence shine.
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I dont want to give the impression UCI is bad, its just that other UC schools such as davis really impressed me more. UCI is a good school which i would attend it just didnt really wow me on any level. I could certianly see myself being happy there for 4 years though. I guess i left not overly impressed but also not with negative feelings.
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It's a good school for studying medicine in California. It's rapidly growing.
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The day started with an introduction and a discussion with first year students. There was also a discussion with admissions and an icebreaker. We had a break and had a housing presentation. After lunch, we had a student interview followed by a faculty interview. Both were really conversational. I found that I really enjoyed my interview more than I anticipated.
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I think that UCI needs to sell itself and its experiences better. It's a great school and I just don't think that was conveyed as well as it could have been! But overall, the interview day was relaxed and positive and I came away from it feeling really enthusiastic about the school!
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Very friendly students, staff and faculty! I had a pleasant experience. No stress at all.
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Never been to Irvine before, but it is like the rest of southern california. Kobe Bryant's name mustve came up 100 times throughout the day because he sometimes uses the Irvine rec center. The campus is clean, modern, and located in a very suburban locale near the beach. Having a car sounded like a necessity. The most emphasized point was that the learning environment is collegial and the students get along with each other, which seemed true for 1st/2nd year students. All students we met kept telling us that it was the most relaxed interview that they went to during the application process. The student interview lived up to that claim and my faculty interview was only slightly more intense. Interviewers had no access to test scores/gpa. Brand new facilities will be complete by next year
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I am very disappointed in this school. There really isn't any early clinical exposure. The students never go to lecture, there really aren't any interesting programs. My interviews made such a negative impression that even if I did like the school I would have been totally turned off.
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The interview was open file in the sense that they had all of our application materials except for grades and MCAT scores. The school was exactly what I expected it to be: a completely chill place where students seem to have fun! They do a good job of matching you up with your interviewers, so you'll have plenty to talk about.
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I'd advise staying with a student host, because you can learn so much about the school to talk about in your interview the next day. Plus all the student hosts are extremely friendly.
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My interviewer challenged me greatly based on the way he asked his questions. After almost everything I said, he would either try to pick it apart, or ask me some tangential question based off my answer. I'm not a big fan of the (on average) more materialistic culture of Southern California, hence my low cultural rating. It seems that too many people care too much about things that dont matter at all. And it's hard for me to deal with the speaking style down here. This interview was by far my hardest, and I honestly didn't do too well. I was completely honest in the interview, and I didn't really try to sell myself too well, which I dont think helped me too much. All in all, it was a great learning exp, but not a great school. It's important to note that my views of the school are not related to my success during the interview. I will not be attending this school either way.
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Absolutely love this school, one of my top choices no doubt, could really see myself going here.
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I was so impressed by UC Irvine, that by the end of the day, it became my top choice of all of the schools that I have applied to. Why? It's simple -- Everything seemed to be very transparent. The faculty shows genuine care, advocacy and concern for the students' interests and progress. The students are very, very, very happy and it all neutralizes any sense of hostility. My faculty interview was only supposed to be 30-45 minutes long, but we ended up talking for well over 1.5 hours... simply due to the fact that everything about the school (even the interview) was so natural. I am thoroughly, thoroughly impressed.
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Chill out, it doesn't get more relaxed than this. If you've got some time between interviews, ask a current student to let you into the student lounge - you can play pingpong between interviews...
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I got their at 8 am for the optional tour. We had 1st years come talk to us a bit about their experiences at 9 am. The Dean then came in and we had an ice breaker. Then financial aid and housing spoke to us. It was very comprehensive. We had a delicious lunch starting around 11:30 am. Then my student interviewer came by at 12 pm. I was done with that interview by around 12:30 pm. Then hung around until my faculty interviewer started. The day was over by about 2 pm. Loved it!!!!
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Arrive at 8am, tour til 9am, intros and lectures on admissions, financial aid, housing, student life, etc. til 11:30am, eat til noon, interview outside (friggin awesome!) with a student for an hour, take the 15-min shuttle over to the medical center, interview with a physician for an hour, shuttle 15-min back to campus, done by 4pm
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It was a well-organized day but it was LONG. you get there around 8:00 AM and are not done until 3:30. And there is not a lot of down time. My first student interview went well, but they always go well. My second interview with a faculty member went so well that I was not asked one question. We simply talked about medicine, technology, people, problems in the workplace that people have, medical advances, and other odds and ends. It was great just to have a conversation. I think it's a good school and it's close to the beach and it will compete with all acceptances I am fortunate to earn from the non top-20 schools.
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Large crowd of interviewees ~25. Started with 8AM tour with students. Nothing special. Just a typical med school. From 9AM-11:30AM, we had a bunch of people talk to us about housing, curriculum, joint degree programs, and the admissions process. 11:30-noon = lunch. Noon-1PM = student interview. 1-2 = get to UCI medical center (only some of us had to go there for our faculty interview). 2-3 faculty interview.
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It was so laid back, the staff interview was at the hospital (near the Block) so driving was kind of bothersome but there was plenty of parking and we had plenty of time to get there. (A shuttle is available for those without cars.) They seem to pair you up with people who have similar backgrounds-- my faculty interviewer went to Berkeley undergrad and came back down South, which was my experience as well.
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Student interviewer was very nice, receptive to my viewpoints, and ungodly brilliant especially after getting a few hours of sleep and fighting off a cold. It goes to show how dedicated students are @ UCI SOM (unlike other places where they tell you off the bat that you're interviewing for a waitlist spot). I felt like I was having lunch with an old friend that I hadn't see for ages, and we were just catching up. Faculty interview off the bat was on time, read my file IN-DEPTH, and had a very approachable aspect to him. We engaged in a LONG discussion of our life, family, and interests/concerns in today's medicine. He shared a great deal and did everything he could to make me feel at ease. Funny funny guy. I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard when I was in a full suit and tie. Talking to him makes me not only want to learn under him and go into his field, but also go to UCI even more. Only con to the day was that I couldn't continue talking to my student and faculty interviewer.
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I went to this interview expecting not to like the school very much but was amazed at how much fun I had. The students had lives outside of medical school and the hospital facility was really nice. My student interviewer was a little strange and when we got our interviewer assignments even all the other students said ''Oh you got So-and-so'' with little enthusiasm. Faculty though was very considerate and nice. Most importantly I really enjoyed all of the other applicants that I interviewed with. I would really enjoy all of them as future classmates
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It was great! It was a big group-40 people! The tour in the morning was very helpful and it was nice to be able to ask questions. Then you had talks about housing, financial aid, etc. Then you had a chance to eat lunch briefly and then your interview with the med student was at noon for everybody. He was very nice and asked me about various aspects of my application (tell me about experience X). Then I had a faculty interviewer and he was very nice too. He asked a lot of questions about my future (what I wanted to specialize in, what my life would be like, etc.)
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I went to Irvine prepared to love the school and was really, really unimpressed.
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Very laidback faculty interview. I was the first one so I could get it out of the way. The student interview was little more than a conversation over lunch... literally. Great experience!!!
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Decent medschool interviewer with a rather lousy faculty interviewer who belittled the school and informed me that he wouldn't go into medicine if he had to do it all over again. Gayle is very nice though, and so is the lunch. Overall, I am no longer interested in attending this university.
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Excellent.
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Best interview experience ever. Both student and faculty interviewers just wanted to get to know me and tell me more about the school. They were more human and normal than interviewers I met at the other schools. The whole atmosphere of the school was friendly and non-competitive which I really liked. Some students were unhappy about the general location of the school but I liked the relaxed environment of the area. Most of all, Gayle was just about the nicest person I have ever met.
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I was okay. I thought my interviews went pretty good. I had to wait a little bit for one of my interview.
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Beautiful campus, nice faculty, excellent location. Definitely a Californian atmosphere which I liked and felt comfortable with.
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Interview was notable in that I spent half the time talking to him and asking him questions, which I liked.
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My interiew expereince was awesome!!!! This was my first medical school interview so my nervousness level was though the roof!!!! Im glad that my interview was scheduled for the afternoon (most people have this itnerary) b/c it allowed me to cool down. When you get there in the monrning, you get a folder with your interiewers names! During lunch i went to Berk Hall computer lab on the second floor to look up info about my interviewers! VERY HELPFUL TO DO THIS! The whole interview day is geared toward making you feel relaxed. During lunch, the 1st and 2nd year medical students had a hot dog eating contest! Its was so funny to see them all out there! LoL! THEY REALLY ARE A TIGHT CLICK! Many of them sat down to have lunch with us. They all seem VERY happy. Anyhow, when i got to my actual interiews, they were soooooooooooooo laid back! My mock interviews where WAY more stressful than my actual one! Its was about 10hour long, but felt more like 5 min! You have a faculty interviewer, a student, and if you were applying to the PRIME-LC Program a spanish interiew for 30min. YOU DONT NOT HAVE TO BE FLUENT IN SPANISH TO APPLY FOR THIS PROGRAM! Anyhow, my faulty interview was chill. She was a lecturer in the dept. of family medicine and was working to integrate the humanities into medical education at UC Irvine. She was amazing! (Dr. Joanna Shapirio, google her name!) My student interview was outside on a bench! The day was beautiful (80 degrees). That interiew just like the fauclty one was SUPER chill! It truly was a laid back conversation about me, my passinos, my interests, & how they tie in to medicine. For those applying to the PRIME-LC Program make sure you seriously demomstrate your passion for working with the Latino community. They are VERY good about reading into who really wants to be in this prorgam and those that just want to use it for selfish reasons! If you desire to work with the latino commmunity APPLY to PRIME-LC! You dont have to be Latino! Just have a passion for sering this growing underserved community. Anyhow, the day finished off with a dinner for PRIME-LC applicants and a RADICAL lecture by Dr. Micheal Montoya about Lainto health issues. He really fires you up! If your reading this, please dont stress out! Irvine is a wonderful shcool! Its my first choice! Suerte!
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I was not too interested in UCI's MSTP at first, but after going to their interview, if accepted, they would definitely be one of my first choices. Although other schools might be more prestigeous, the flexibility and the atmosphere of their program would contribute more to one's happiness than anything else (especially since you're going to be there for 7-8 years...)
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I loved UCI! The day started at 8am with an optional tour, which was great. Most of the morning was intro talks by the dean, who asked all 40 of us(UCI only interviews twice a month)to introduce ourselves and say one thing interesting about us. We had presentations on housing and a MS3 talk to us about his impression of UCI(with no faculty in the room). Lunch with med student/interview. Break then interview with Faculty at 2pm. Done by 3pm. It seems like the med school really cared about us and wanted to know us as individuals.
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Everyone was very nice and welcoming. Both interviews were very conversational and relaxed. I was really impressed. I'm still wondering about the curriculum, because I think there are some changes underway. Overall the environment was very warm and comfortable.
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UCI interviews in big groups ~40.
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The interview day was really nice. The first year students sang us a song wearing their pajamas (!), which was hilarious and made us all feel welcome.
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It was very pleasant. The student interviews were outside on benches and very informal. The faculty interviewer was very nice, and basically started out by going down the list of activities on my AMCAS application and asking about each one. Then he asked a few more difficult questions about health care. All in all, he had some very interesting questions and interesting insights into medicine as a whole.
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UCI was my first interview, so I was really nervous. The faculty and student interviews were very informal and relaxed. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at UCI.
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The interview day is very casual. They only interview once every two weeks, so the group is large. But, most of the applicants are very relaxed and fun. The student interview is usually first, and is right after/during lunch. Very conversational and friendly. The faculty interview was more interogative, but not too bad either. I couldn't help but be under-impressed with the school itself: the facilities appear very dated and in need of renovation, or maybe a lot of new construction. Still, the students are very happy and close-knit, and the location is great. Irvine is a good school.
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The day was fabulous. The faculty interview was run the way I envision all interviews--as a conversation where he was really trying to get to know me rather than stress me out and make me nervous. I really enjoyed talking with my interviewer and that in part sold me the school. I was skeptical at first because I heard about how so many students don't go to class and that seemed negative. However, after talking with a few students I found that the reason isn't because the lectures are bad, in fact they are generally good, it is that those students learn better from the text and therefore studying rather than going to lecture is more efficient. I am certainly sold on the school now and really like Irvine.
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Pleasant, laid back interview day. No difficult questions, very informative day. See elsewhere in this feedback for more. Some other posters say that they don't like the location, that Irvine is too isolated. It's not. No place to hang out? What about Fashion Island? And the beach communities are VERY close! What do they want - inner city? UCI is on the edge of the city, so you have a get-away-from-it-all comfy feeling, but are not really isolated. Good for the med student soul.
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Very impressed by the student body, especially how well they balance school and social live. Most of them are very active in sport and activities other than school stuffs. They also allegedly do very well on the board exams and residency placement.
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My interviews were very relaxed. My student interviewer was super friendly and made me feel comfortable. We had lunch outside on the steps. She also took me to the standardized patient area where i got a private tour of the "fake" clinic. My faculty interviewer made me feel at ease and just asked me questions about my experiences.
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It went well!
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Overall, I think that I would fit right into this school and I hope that I get in.
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Fantasic Day!!! The longer I was there, the more I felt like this was the place for me even with the older facilities and the fact that the medical center is 15-30 minutes away by car.
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Everything was great except my faculty interviewer really turned me off to the school. i asked what the strength was of the school and he said "well.. it's not a top tier school, third tier in my opinion, is not the best and never will be"... he should not be interviewing anymore
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Overall very positive and laid back. It was my first interview, and they did their best to put me at ease. The student interviewer seemed more nervous than me!
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So laid back and not stressful at all
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I was lucky enough to miss the little session where everyone stands up and talks about themselves because i had an early interview. luch wasn't bad but nothing extraordinary. the student interview was just to "see if i could have a normal conversation" so i hope i passed, geez, i guess it's good they aren't educating doctors incapable of that. it's as easy and everyone says - easier even.
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Overall, very pleasant. Everyone was nice and seemed to focus on selling the school, rather than interrogating me. Students seem to be happy, and lower on stress.
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We had a pretty brief tour, then had a presentation about the school's programs, housing and financial aid. we had student interviews on the lawn outside the 1st year lecture hall building and then dispersed for afternoon interviews. it was very friendly and well organized.
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We went on a tour in the morning and there wasn't really much to see. Then the dean came in and we all introduced ourselves. We had a housing talk, financial aid wasn't there but it wasn't too bad. Then we had lunch and had the student interviews first. we sat outside under the trees, really laid back! Then I had my second interview with an MD at the UCI Med Center. He was great and gave me a tour of the whole hospital! It was awesome! he took me everywhere and i had so much fun! then the shuttle took us back on campus and that was it!
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The interview day was definitely long. We started out with a tour (8AM) and then Q&A session with a few students. Continued with financial aid talk, housing info session and lunch. Then two interviews. Everyone I met seemed quite happy at UCI I'm just not sure it's the place for me. Both of my interviews were very conversational which put me at ease.
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Each interview lasted an hour for me, so it was pretty tiring by the end. The student interview was really engaging, but the faculty member basically grilled me about a few of the activities I had done and about my motivation to become a doctor.
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The interview was so relaxed. My student interviewer was wearing a chargers football jersey and was so chill. We chatted for about an hour under a tree. The low stress student interview loosens you up a little if you were nervous. My faculty interview was a little bizarre, he opened with "...So uhh do you have questions for me" After a few questions he complained about the state of health care and the low wages of doctors. He tried to talk me out of any thoughts I had of entering MSTP then he got paged so he took me with him to see patients for basically 75% of the interview. It was bizarre but also pretty chill.
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Super informal, they were basically trying to sell the school to us. Making sure that we had a genine interest in coming to the school. Great day in general, very well planned.
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Very relaxed interview, spent a lot of time talking about UCI
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Showed up at 8 to take the tour from a guy who didn't seem to care that he was in med school and empasized how much people don't go to class (that wasn't very impressive), came back at 9 for b-fast then had two 2nd years talk about how no one goes to class (sensing a pattern?). They did talk about programs that UCI has and those seemed impressive. A faculty member came in and did a summary of the day and did a "pep talk." Student interview - you sit outside and talk on the grass. That is a very relaxed conversation. Faculty interview at the med center (20 minute shuttle ride arranged by the school) - weird, but I think it was ok. And that was it.
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Excellent. I could defintely see myself in Irvine and know that I wuld be completely happy being there.
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The student interviews are SO lax. Everyone interviews outside on the benches, which is a microcosm of how lax the school is. The faculty interview was great too, no pressure at all. They really treat you well, and emphasize that they would love for you to attend the school. This is definitely the least pressured interview, and my other interviews weren't pressured at all. I might has well have been sitting on the beach, it was THAT chill.
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Good
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A low-key MSTP dinner was held in the medical student lounge the night before the interview, and was a good way to talk to some of the students informally. Overall, they seemed satisfied with the program, but not outright enthusiastic about it. The hotel was very comfortable and convenient. The next morning, there were 30-40 applicants (MD+MSTP) present at the orientation session, which was a downpoint in the experience. The orientation paradoxically seemed rushed although it took FOREVER. With the exception of a relatively short student-led tour of the campus (which was quite good), we were in the same room for 4 hours straight! All the interviews were held in the afternoon, starting with the student interviewer, who seemed sleepy/worn out/depressed. The next three interviews (1 MD, 2 MD/PhD) were straightforward and not too stressful (though not as conversational as I thought they would be). In all, the experience at UCI left me with the same feelings I had about the school.
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Laid back atmosphere--don't stress.
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This was the very first interview for me and UCI COM is my first choice. Fortunately, the interviews were very relaxed, so there is no need for stress. My interviewers were very nice, especially the student.
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Asked a lot of questions about experiences listed in my application
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I loved UCI, but it's definitely not an atmosphere for everyone. It is an extremely laid-back and relaxed atmosphere. Along with that, a lot of the students did appear to have "slacker" attitudes. So if that's something that would bug you, this isn't the school for you...but if you just want to learn about medicine in the most relaxed, supportive environment possible..you'll love UCI
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It was a great day! i met some great people. the interview was really relaxed. my student interviewer asked very few doctor questions and focused more on my personal interests. i had a really great conversation with my faculty interviewer about the state of health care. overall, the school really impressed me in every way. more than some other top notch schools, in fact. so go, have a good time, and relax and you'll all do great. =)
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Overall, this place was pretty sweet. Students were happy and really pampered by the staff. Lots of research in the summer available and lot's of help from faculty if you are struggling. Non-competitive atmosphere with great weather.
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The entire experience was very positive. I felt like they were trying to get to know me better. It was fun and relaxed. All the people I met were really friendly, down-to-earth, people. I got the sense that the students felt supported. I left UC Irvine COM feeling much more interested in the school because of the great overall experience.
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The interviews could not be less confrontational. the student interview was just like a conversation with a friend and the faculty interviewer was very candid about the process and the environment. i thought they both gave me great information to go home with.
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This was a great experience, it was very laid-back and it really seemed that everyone wanted to get a good idea of the person you were outside of your interview suit. They didn't want to stress you out at all.
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Didn't need to get there till around 11:30. Met with gayle pierce and everyone else in her office. She went over admin stuff (like housing, financial, etc). Lunch was okay...sandwiches and fruits. Interview with student was over lunch. Then if there was time, tour with your student.....sinch i knew what was over at the med school, he just showed me the anatomy lab. faculty interview was very laid back, although she threw me off by asking me a questions about my research right off the bat. Interview was standard questions. Overall, interview day was from 11:30 till 3:00. Can't complain about Southern Cali weather!! Only problem is that not much to do in Irvine itself but everyone drives so you can always drive up to LA or something.
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As everyone else says: relaxed. Faculty interviewer just wanted to get an idea of the "person behind the application" Had the student interview over lunch. She really knew the array of opportunities available at the school.
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The interviews were very relaxed. There is one interview with a student interviewer and then a faculty interviewer. Most of the interviewees seemed to agree that the interviewers were very relaxed. We meet Dean Peterson in the morning, and she starts off the day asking people to introduce themselves and add a comment about themselves that doesn't pertain to their AMCAS application. It definitely eased up the tension in the room and made people feel more comfortable. The day isn't too long, the campus is beautiful. There was a large group there though, maybe 20-30 people who were interviewing all on the same day.
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Awesome school this was the most relaxed interview I had. Just go in there and be yourself and let your personality shine through!
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I agree that the 8 am tour was worth it.
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The interview experience was overall quite positive. I would recommend to everyone to show up at 8am for the medical campus tour... even I learned something here (although being quite familiar with the campus). Plus the med students discuss the curriculum, the life, etc., and it is a great chance to ask questions about anything. After the student tour, breakfast was served and most of the morning is taken up by various presentations, regarding financial aid, hoursing, and a very fun introduction of every student present for interviews (we each had to talk a little about ourselves). Then lunch was served (and it was quite the spread!), followed by student interviews. I had a 1 1/2 hour break between my student and faculty interview, scheduled at 2:30 in Santa Ana (which is quite unusual). The faculty interview was 1 hour and 20 minutes, but only so because I think I had many things in common with the interviewer. By 4pm I was done.
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The day wasa pretty relaxed. The only reason is was stressful at all for me is because I want to go there so much. I love the school; it is definitely an amazing medical school. One interview is with a student and one is with faculty.
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My interview experience was definitely unique. The day started with a tour of the campus at 8:00a.m. in which a 4th year student took us around thje facitities. We had financial aid, housing, and various program talks after the tour. Associat Dean Ellena Peterson then came in and we went around introducing ourselves and telling her one interesting thing about us. She outlined the process for the evaluation of our applications so there were no mysteries when we got home. Next came lunch (which was great!!), followed by the student interview and then a faculty interview. The day was well-planned so that we would feel absolutely at home.
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Overall it was a pleasant day. Really long information session in the morning. And then really brief faculty interview.
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For those not familiar with the UCI campus, I would recommend the student-led tour in the morning. When you get to the anatomy lab, ask your tour guide to at least open the door to let you take a peek inside, since you're not allowed to go in. Gayle Pierce seems very nice -- but I didn't like the part where the blond lady (forget her name) has every student go around the room and talk about themselves. Food is somewhat decent - but beware of your student interviewer starting your interview while you're having lunch. So try to avoid getting chicken pieces stuck in your teeth while eating! Faculty interview follows the student one. Also for any MSTP applicants, they seem to have something like 4, 5 interviews during the day instead of the 2 we got.
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I forgot that they were interviews they were so relaxed and conversational - I could really just be myself!!
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The tour in the morning is worth it only because there is no other chance to see the campus unless you know someone or if you go back on your own later. I LOVED my student host! She was so kind and even took me out to a Tuesday night taco hangout. I met a lot of other current students, and everyone was very nice and encouraging. They had just come back from a group camping trip, and it was obvious how close everyone was. My student interviewer was also very nice, and we had a lot in common. She was friendly most of the time, but I could tell she felt like she needed to ask some pretty serious questions too. My faculty interviewer was great as well. He told me he hadn't read any of my file on purpose because he wanted to get to know me without any biases. He said he'd read my essays later. We talked for a very very long time, and it was so comfortable that I felt like we could have talked longer. I felt very good after the interview, but then got nervous that I didn't have enough concrete answers for my faculty interviewer since he mostly asked my opinions on tough issues, and he really wanted me to talk about my future a lot. But since it has been quite a while since my interview, I already know that I've been accepted :) so I know that it is best to be honest but yet always confident. O and the only reason my stress level is a 3 is because it was a UC, and I felt extra pressure because it was my only UC interview at the time. The interviews themselves we not bad at all.
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Overall, a very laid-back, fun day. Everyone is really friendly there and will go out of their way to help you. If you aren't from the area stay with a student. I did and it was great. There are no specific questions they use so the interview is like a conversation.
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The day starts at 8 am with an (optional) tour of campus. There is an informational session from 9 till lunch with students and staff. After lunch, is the student interview, followed by the faculty interview.
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It was a really nice day. You get the feeling that everyone really likes the school and loves Gail. The lunchtime spread is impressive.
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I didn't know what to expect from Irvine since I'd never been there before and didn't know anyone who went there. But I was very impressed with school, the people, and the campus. This was my first interview, so I was really nervous going in. I soon realized though that there was no reason to be nervous. Both of my interviewers were friendly and enthusiastic about the school, and they seemed to have a genuine interest in getting to know me. My student interview was very informal - it was over lunch and it felt like I was just talking to one of my friends.
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I had an awesome time, especially since it was my first interview. I was really nervous coming down, but I had the opportunity to go to a underrepresented minority gathering at Chili's the night before. I highly recommend this to anyone who is invited because the med students really put my mind at ease about the ensuing interview day. I entered the next day with composure and confidence that nothing was going to surprise me. I think the best advice I heard was from Gayle who reminded all of us in the morning that the day is just as much about the school trying to impress you as it is about you impressing them. If you are offered an interview, then that means they want you to come to their school. They are trying to get you to like them as well as trying to get to know you a little better. Finally, UCI COM is a great place and my overall impression was changed by my interview experience. I highly recommend the school and hope to some day be a part of it. Good luck everybody!
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UC Irvine impressed me alot. The interview day was long, but well run and there was alot of food available. I went on the tour in the morning and then there was breakfast and some information sessions afterwards. On-campus housing is affordable but there is an 18-month waitlist - we get on the waitlist on the day of the interview though. Also, if you do the summer program before classes start, you have priority on the list and will probably get on-campus housing. Both of my interviews were laid back - both of them talked ALOT - I barely said anything. I almost felt like I was interviewing them. I heard though that some of the other interviewees were asked alot of tough ethical questions. They accept about 1/2 of the interviewees and they encourage you to submit extra letters of recommendations to support your application in the month following your interview. UC Irvine is now one of my top choices.
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I think that overall, it was a welcoming and fun place. Irvine maybe isn't that fun, but the beach is nearby. The student admitted to me his reservations about picking UCI and I think that his honesty impressed me. The faculty think UCI has great potential and take great pride in their students.
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Tour was decent, given by enthusiastic student. Admissions director walks in and says "take off your jackets." It was very comfortable and low-stress. Student interview takes place on campus, then most interviewees are shuttled to UCI Med Ctr in Orange (15 min drive).
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Overall, my experience was really good. There are two interviews, one with a second-year student and one with a faculty. Both were really chill, and neither person asked me any questions that had anything to do with medicine or medical school. They both only asked me questions on my application - clarification, elaboration, etc. So there wasn't a question that I couldn't answer.
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Fantastic experience overall. I was really sold on the school and would happily attend. Seems like interviewers ask fairly consistent questions, according to other posts.
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Irvine was great! I went into the interview not really thinking seriously about going there, and came out of it with UCI as my #1 choice. Even though I have already been accepted to two of my other top schools, I would definitely go to Irvine instead if I get accepted there. This was the largest interview group that I have had, with nearly 30 students, but it was interesting to hear everyone's different backgrounds.
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The environment there is very "sterile", as people describe. It feels like walking through a business park. But the students all seem to be really happy and laidback.
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Overall, everything was completely stress free until my faculty interview. My interviewer asked me a lot of tough questions and I had to say "I don't know" a lot. In the end, I think he was mainly trying to see how well I could communicate, and we talked a lot about random issues - Boy Scouts, Karate, etc. However, he did try to probe how much I knew about my research, how much I remembered about my biochem classes. It was a good mix of easy going conversation and tough questions. As long as you maintain your composure and don't flip out, you will be ok.
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They talked at us for hours in the morning about housing, financial aid, etc etc. It was a little long. Then we had lunch, an interview with a student, and a faculty interview in the afternoon. It's a long day, but everyone is really nice and there's no stress at all.
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Shocking, both of my interviews were very unconventional. My student interviewer asked me if I would have depression during medical school, and my faculty interviewer let me see the recommendation form he would turn in for me and asked me for advice on filling it out. During my faculty interview, my interviewers pager went off four times, he made four phone calls, and his residents made three presentations. I don't think we talked for more than ten out of the total thirty minutes we were together.
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I thought that the school was a very nice school- newly built and everything. It is close to everything! bars, movies, the beach! The only thing was that I got stuck on a couple of questions asked by my faculty interviewer, but my student interview went great!
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The day was nice. The only thing that bothered me was how they kept mentioning how great the price and location were, which was obvious. I was hoping they would emphasize other great things about the school. Kind of a letdown...felt like the school was a lot of hype...but hey, I'll go if invited.
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The interview was laid back. I was fortunate enough to interview with an ER Doc that knew a mentor of mine (just by chance). The tour and presentations where at the School Campus. The interview for most of the 40 people there was at the medical center about 20 minutes away. We all went by shuttle. You are also interviewed by a second year student.
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Everyone was really friendly and nice, especially Gayle Pierce. When I walked into the building (where the interview orientation was taking place) all wet (since I didn't have an umbrella) and a little late, she told me that I didn't miss anything important and to go to the bathroom first and freshen up before I walk in. How nice!
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It was a great interview experience. They really don't conduct stress interviews. Everyone was incredibly nice and willing to help you out and answer any questions you may have.
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The early morning optional tour was led by a first year student who didn't really provide that much information about the school. They provided coffee, juice and muffins when we got back which was nice. There were about 40 applicants there...a large group. We all met in a lecture room where we remained through lunch time for information sessions and questions with second-year students. Lunch was provided and then the student interviewers met each of us for about an hour long interview. It was very relaxed...we met outside (the weather was gorgeous). Next some of us met a shuttle to go to the UCI Medical Center in Orange for our faculty interview (about 15 minutes away). The faculty interview lasted about 30 minutes. Overall, the day seemed really long.
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Overall it was pretty laid back. i really liked my student interviewer and we really hit it off...more like a conversation. the md interviewer was unorganized and totally unprepared to see me...he knew nothing about me and the interview ended really quick he was not at all interested it seemed. that kind of bummed me out.
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Semi-open file interview. They have the 1st page of the UC app + your personal statement. Student interviews on campus, some faculty interviews at the medical center. Tour is in the morning, no other tour after that. I did not go on the tour so I don't know much. Curriculum is standard. Not much in the way of unique things, but students claim they get along (I didn't have much student exposure so it was impossible to tell), and the location is better than I expected. The campus itself is nice, but I did not see facilities.
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Both interviewers made me feel very much at ease. It was more of a conversation. I didn't feel drilled at all.
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The inteview was very relaxed. The morning was spent going over financial aid and housing and general information. Then we had the first interview with a student, which I spent over lunch. He made me feel very comfortable and just asked questions like "tell me about yourself". That lasted 35 minutes. Then I had my interview with a faculty member, which lasted 30 minutes. She was very chill and just asked about my activities and why I chose medicine. She hadn't really looked at my file, so I made sure to repeat all the activities I thought were important. When I left, I had a good feeling and felt very happy with the whole thing.
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I had 3 faculty interviews and one student, because it's for the mstp program. the student was brutal with his questions, seemed to not be satisfied with my answers, so I have no idea how his interview would be... but the faculties were ultra nice, only wanted to learn about me a my research, I hope I don't have to interview with a student ever again.... since I went to uci for undergrad, uci is my top choice, just a pitch for the school, the campus in very nice with the a beautifal park in the center (that's the undergrad campus), the library is six-stories and claims to be the biggest in the west, the student are happy, irvine is safer that most other cities, the class size is small, .... anyways, hope that you will pick uci if you are accepted.
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Overall very positive. The administration staff, students and facaulty members were all friendly. Students seemed genuine, intelligent, and happy to be at UCI.
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Both of my interviewers were really friendly guys, and the whole experience was very relaxed. Both interviews were pretty much just describing various extracurriculars I had been involved in. There weren't really any difficult questions, and the interviewers tried to keep it as low key as possible. In fact, my student inteview was pretty much just a typical conversation over lunch. It turned out we both went to the same undergrad and lived in the same apartment complex and we spent most of the interview just chewing the fat like that. From the people I talked to, it seems as most interviewees had similar, relaxed experiences.
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My best interview experience so far. Both interviewers had thoroughly read my file and had specific questions for me. They were both easy going, welcoming, and made my experience a pleasant and easy one. In fact, my interviews there were fun!
💬 Interview Process ▼
Length, number, and type of interviews
🕐
Length:
49 Minutes Average
🔄
Number:
2.1 Interviews Average
👥
Interview Type (Interaction):
100% One-on-One
0% Group Interview
📁
File Type:
96% Open-File
4% Closed-File
💻
Interview Modality:
100% Virtual
0% In-Person
UCI-COMP interviews are an average of 49 minutes, with an average of 2.1 interviews. 100% of interviews are one-on-one, 0% are in-person, and 4% are closed-file.
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools encompass a wide range, from inquiries about the applicant's background, motivations for pursuing medicine, and specific experiences such as research projects and extracurricular activities, to questions about future aspirations and personal qualities. While the interviews were diverse, some respondents mentioned an MMI format and a potential nondisclosure agreement, indicating a structured approach with standardized questions and confidentiality requirements.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Tell me about yourself. Why medicine. Why UCI? Biggest strengths/weaknesses.
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Tell me about yourself
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If you could tell the admissions committee anything about yourself that we haven't discussed in this interview so far, what would you tell them?
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Tell me about yourself?
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What my role in research is at the hospital.
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Are any of your friends applying to medical school? If not, what do they do for a living?
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Faculty interviewer asked where I see myself in ten years.
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Why are you interested in becoming a physician?
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Just some more in-depth questions on my research work; looking at more long-term applications.
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Why UC Irvine?
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The usual, asked me about my experiences (ECs, school, family, hobbies, etc). Very conversational and relaxed.
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What is your favorite class?
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Tell me about your research
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Why UCI?
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Tell me about your family?
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Tell me about "X" activity.
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Student: what was the most interesting thing you saw in your clinical experiences?
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Student interviewer just flipped through my file and asked about particular experiences. The faculty interviewer started off asking me "How did you decide medicine was the right career for you?"
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Why do you want to go to medical school?
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My student interview was very conversational and relaxed (we walked, sat at an outside table, and ate while we talked; we didn't really talk about my application, just about uci/my life in general. My faculty interviewer focused on my amcas application and clinical/research activities that I have done: What kinds of volunteer activities have you done outside of medicine/in the community?
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Most importantly, tell me what you have been doing your year off? (Faculty)
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How do you plan to balance medical school and your family life
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Tell me about yourself, why medicine?
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Standard questions: questions about family, why medicine, undergrad experience
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Faculty Interview: Why UCI?
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What is the role of a physician in the community? What makes a good physician?
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Why this profession and not another?
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Student interviewer mostly just asked about my different activities and encouraged me to ask him questions. Very conversational. Faculty interviewer asked me 3 questions then said the rest of the time was for me to ask him questions.
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What have you been doing since graduation?
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The faculty interviewer did not ask me any questions. He just rambled for 2 1/2 hours. I am not exaggerating.
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Student Interviewer: Tell me about yourself. What is your research on? Why do you want to pursue medicine? What clinical exposure do you have? What other experiences have you had? Why did you decide to take time off? Do you have any questions for me?
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What was the one most important thing you learned in college?
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Tell me about your volunteer exp? Where they valuable? What did you do? And THAT made you want to go into medicine?
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Tell me about yourself (this was the first and last question before I went through my life in chronological order).
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Tell me about your family.
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Student: Walked me through my college career and then the years after college. Just allowed me to present my personal narrative. Very conversational.
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What specialty do you have in mind?
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Nothing too specific, more a review of my file, "I'd like you start from the beginning and explain how you got here."
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What do you think needs to change about our health care system?
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Who are you?
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(from student) What do you think are some of the problems we have in health care?
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How did you choose the topic of your thesis? (I'm a history major)
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Med school is stressful, what do you do to let loose? followed by appropriate jokes about me skipping 6th period in high school (not like other med student interviewers who make jokes when they're really not kidding).
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So I see you've worked in a free clinic. I know it's a difficult question but how do you feel when you see the patients?
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What do you want to specialize in? (When I answered that I had many interest and named a few the interviewer lectured me on how I should really decide before I arrive which i found negative considering how could I possibly decide a speciality when there is so much I haven't been exposed to)
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If you had a free airplane ticket to anywhere, where would you go?
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Tell me about your research experience.
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Tell me about X experience.
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Why medicine?
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Why UCI (what do you look for in a med school)? What other schools did you interview at?
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Why do you want to be a physician? (This question was asked for all my interviews...)
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Why do you want to go into medicine?
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What do you mean by 'social justice'?
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Describe yourself???
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Tell me about your research.
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Faculty: What speciality are you interested in? Tell me about your family. Why do you want to be a doctor? How will you deal with the frustrations of medicine?
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Tell me about you research
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Tell me about X experience from your AMCAS application.
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Tell me about your study abroad experience.
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How did you get here? Start from the beginning and talk about your experiences.
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Why don't you apply for the PRIME-LC program?
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Where do you see yourself in ten years?
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What qualities do you think would make you a good doctor?
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And when did you do this? (referring to the timeline of all 15 of my experiences).
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What is the name of the city in which that program is located?
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So why do you want to be a doctor?
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Why do you want to be a physician?
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So what would you like to talk about
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How did you decide on medicine
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What book are you reading right now?
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What are you most passionate about?
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Why UCI? You should go to UCLA.
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Tell me about yourself.
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What do you hope to bring to our medical school?
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What specialty do you want to go into and why?
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Tell me about your reasearch.
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Student interviewer just asked me about hobbies mainly. It's clear that the student interviewers just wanted to see if you're a fun person to be with, since you are going to be part of their community.
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Went over my application
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Why did you leave your former career for medicine?
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Which area of medicine are you interested in?
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Questions about my research.
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Questions were primarily "explain xxx experience"- no scenarios/ethical questions or healthcare stuff
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What do you like about Irvine (I had taken summer school classes there)?
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Tell me a little but about yourself. (This is hard because where do you start?)
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See above comments.
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Student interviewer: What is your best quality as individual? Weakest? What do you wish you could change? Why medicine? Did you family push you to become a doctor? How do they feel about your ambitions?
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What will you bring to this school?
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Why the change in career focus?
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Why did you pick your undergrad institution?
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Tell me about your involvement in (blank) activity. Tell me about your family.
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What would you do if patient didn't have insurance?
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So you think you're mature?
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What do you think of the Columbine high school tragedy? (I'm from Colorado)
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What was your little brother's name (I was in a big brother/big sister program during my senior year)?
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Why do you want to be a doctor?
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Tell me about xyz activities.
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You are a sociology major? Where's the science? Did you take enough science classes?
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Tell me about yourself, I didn't read your file?
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Specific question about my AMCAS. Make sure you know all the activities you participated in, why you did them and what you learned from them. I was asked specifics about my research project-down to western blot results!
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Why Medicine and not public health,nursing, etc.?
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How is your relationship with your parents?
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Strengths/ weaknesses
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Describe your role in the research project.
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What would I do if I didn't go to medical school right away?
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Tell me about the research you have done.
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Tell me about your self?
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Why medicine? What is your motivation for pursuing medicine?
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Tell me about a specific extracurricular.
What was the most interesting question?
Students said the most interesting question asked at University of California Irvine School of Medicine discussed a variety of topics including patient interactions, support systems, challenges with EMR, cultural values in medicine, and future career goals. While some interviews were conversational and standard, there were no explicit mentions of the MMI format or nondisclosure agreements in the responses provided.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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What two patient interactions have you had that stand out to you?
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How would you find a support system away from home?
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Nothing difficult or too interesting.
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What do you think is one of the biggest challenges with EMR physicians face? What do you think the younger, tech-savvy generation will do to change this?
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What values do you bring from your cultural background that will be useful in medicine?
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It was mostly a conversation.
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What does being a leader mean to you?
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None - standard
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I work an in an anesthesiology lab and my interviewer was an anesthesiologist. So we had a lot to talk about. She asked a lot of questions about my lab.
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They were all pretty standard
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What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?
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Pretty standard
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Tell me about your brother, what does he do?
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What are traits/behaviors that you'd like to develop as a physician? Are there any you'd like to avoid?
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What kind of doctor do you want to be? (specialty/ lifestyle discussion)
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None
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A lot of her questions made me think about "why" I did the activities that I did. I learned a lot about my motivations/reasons for doing certain activities..
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Tell me about your time in (specific country)
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None really the day was low key and really conversational. My student interviewer didnt even ask me why uci or why medicine.
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That was seriously it for questions. Very conversational, low-stress.
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Nothing
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How did u remain focused on your goals despite distractions?
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Faculty Interview: What do you think are your chances of being in medical school next year?
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Should doctors run for political positions?
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Nothing out of the ordinary
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N/A, all standard.
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Faculty Interviewer: From your interaction with medical doctors, what questions or concerns did you formulate about the field or life as a physician?
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If you didn't get into medical school this cycle, what would you do? Apply again or pursue other fields?
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What sports do you play? Is that really a sport? (seriously?) We dont have access to your GPA and MCAT, but, we will soon. How did you do on those? What do you think your prob of getting into medical school is? No, like a percentage? What about 79%? Do you really see yourself going to Irvine? Basically, I think he recognized that I wasn't too into the school, and didn't want to waste an acceptance on me (with good cause. I'll be writing the admissions committee and taking my name out of consideration. I regret wasting everyone's time).
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How will you handle stress and get your mind off school?
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Specific question pertaining to a portion of my personal statement, regarding my parent's story.
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Tell me about your travels.
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Is it a growing trend to take time off before med school? It seems like all the people I interview are out of school.
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The student told me she swore she would ask the person she interviewed the same question she was asked, because she hated it. It was: ''Teach me how to do something, like right now.''
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Something along the lines of: experience X posed a great moral challenge, tell me about that
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Questions were basic with nothing that interesting or difficult
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Go through your life 10 years from down (every little detail...from description of my life, what my husband does, how many kids, what car I drive, where I work, etc.)
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Most of my questions, especially from my faculty interview, were pretty standard.
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If you were in charge of the US healthcare what policies would you implement/address?
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I wasn't asked any conventional questions.
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Most were pretty straight-forward. My interviewer was a very interesting person, however.
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Mainly talked about my volunteer and research experiences and about the healthcare system. What do I like about UCI.
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Nothing. Just stuff on my files.
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Teach me something.
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The interview was interesting. He told me in the beginning that he was going to ask me a couple of questions, but then half of the interview would be asking him questions to see if UCI would be a good fit for me.
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What kind of relationship do I see between poetry & medicine??? (im a spoken word poet)
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What do you think about Schwarzenegger's new California Health Plan? (I sort of brought this on myself by asking what the med school will do about it)
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The student interviewer asked my opinion on one her preceptor's patient's case.
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Nothing really. Most of the questions were concerned with my experiences.
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Do you think that Doctors are unaware of what is going on in underserved communities?
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Why do you want to stay in California?
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Have you done any traveling?
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What is the most challenging aspect of teaching? (I am a teacher)
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You've had an impressive career. So why are you in my office?
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What do you think is the similarity between education and medicine?
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What would be the positive and negative aspects of medicine?
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What will be your biggest contribution to medicine?
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How is the healthcare for the Latino community different on this side of the border as compared to abroad?
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All questions my AMCAS and Secondary.
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So have you considered earning an MBA as well? (a follow up on my interest to health policy and management)
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You wake up in a room. what's in it?
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What do you do for fun
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Are you related to Osborne Reynolds?
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Detailed questions about my activities or AMCAS essay. the interview was semi-open file, which means they have your activities but not your scores. I was impressed by how carefully my interviewers had looked at my file. they really seemed to care about making me feel comfortable and getting to know me. i thought this was really nice because my student interviewer had just finished an exam and had 4 hours of class following the interview, but they still seemed really excited to meet applicants.
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Nothing really interesting, pretty typical
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If you had the superpower to change anything you could, what would you change?
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If you had a day with no work or studying how would you spend your time?
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Nothing unusual
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Why didn't you apply to UC San Diego?
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Tell me about your involvement with University Ministry. (Had that on my AMCAS)
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Nothing, very very standard questions
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Run through an average day of your life 10 years from now, starting with when you wake up in the morning. What type of neighborhood are you living in? What kind of car do you drive?
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What do you think of complementary medicine?
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How will your MPH help you in medicine?
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Tell me about your family.
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How's the surfing in northern california?
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Did you find, coming from a rural background, that you had to forge your own path to succeed?
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Nothing out of the ordinary. Standard questions.
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Has there ever been a time when someone misunderstood you?
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The questions were pretty standard and my interviewer was the nicest lady! Why do you want to be a doctor? etc.
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Teach me something.....
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My faculty interviewer basically listed off my activities from the AMCAS application and wanted a brief blurb about each one--It was so difficult trying to have a conversation with her. The student interviewer asked non-academic and very non-confrontational questions about what I planned to do in life, why I chose medicine, etc.
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What traits do you possess that would make you a humanistic doctor?
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Nothing too intereting.
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Would you work for free as a doctor?
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Nothing too interesting. Are you going to publish your research? In what journal?
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Asked questions about my second major, psychology, why I chose it, what I liked about it
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What are my five favorite things in the world? What was my favorite class? Tell me about your major and experience in college?
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How do you envision your practice in the future?
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How will you maintain a balance in your life during med school?
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What do you think about euthanasia?
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Do you think you have to be a realist or an idealist to go into medicine?
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What medical issues face doctors today?
-
I wasn't really asked any questions.
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What would you do if a patient came to you with no insurance but in a serious condition that needed immediate attention?
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What is your opinion on euthanasia?
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Philosophical-type question on how my area of research related to another.
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What will your average day be like as a medical student?
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Nothing really
-
I was asked to describe my experiences abroad
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If you were Governor of California, what would you do to change things?
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She told me about a recent case where a medical student switched two new born babies, which caused a new law to be passed where medical students can't be the ones to give newborns to their mothers. She asked what I thought of this.
-
Do you think you will ever have clinical depression (my brother has had it)?
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Where do you think healthcare is going?
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What do you do when you can't solve a problem?
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What is the most difficult thing that you had to over come?
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Would you like to practice medicine in a small town or a big city?
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What are important qualities in a leader?
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Do you watch much T.V.?
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What are your strengths and weaknesses??? (not really that interesting actually!--student asked)
-
Define consciousness.
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What would you tell a patient with ______ illness?
-
They didn't ask anything that was different than standard questions.
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What is your stance on the war with Iraq?
-
If you were accepted, what is the likelihood that you'll come here?
-
If I had one billion dollars, what would I do with it?
-
Why do you think your qualities will be well suited to being a physician, and what will you add to the UCI COM student body?
How did you prepare for the interview?
Applicants commonly prepared for the interview by reading Student Doctor Network (SDN), reviewing their application materials, practicing mock interviews, researching the school's website, and getting a good night's sleep. Many also engaged in discussions with current students, reflected on personal experiences, and familiarized themselves with common interview questions and healthcare-related issues.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Read SDN, re-read my app
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SDN, UCI website, reddit, recorded myself practicing questions, SLEEP
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Mock interviews, reviewed questions from SDN, practiced responses to common questions
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SDN, Reddit, 2 mock interviews, answered a list of commonly asked questions (including ones from this website)
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Youtube interview tips, found commonly asked questions, wrote out basic answers to common questions.
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Read interview feedback, reviewed UCI website, etc. (READ THESE QUESTIONS: some students got asked a lot of the same questions by their student interviewers).
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Reading SDN, reviewing application and personal statement, getting a good night's sleep.
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SDN, their website, reviewed my application.
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Read SDN, read my application, watched a short healthcare video. But really, relax and you'll do fine!
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Went on their website, went to the dinner, interview feedback
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Went over AMCAS and secondaries. Reviewed health care reform and ethics, though I didn't really need to.
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Practiced questions with friends, SDN
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School website, lots of previous interviews, reading a book by adcoms on what they thought of diff candidates, thinking through mock questions on SDN, grilling my student host
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AMCAS, sdn, secondary, talked to students there
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SDN, mock interviews, UCI website, application
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AMCAS experiences, secondary, personal statement, SDN feedback, school website.
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Read interview feedback
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SDN interview feedback, student host, primary/secondary app.
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Sdn/ website/ primary & secondary application
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SDN, read school's website and online resources, mock interview
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Sdn/interview feedback/uci SOM website/talk to first and second years (VERY helpful!!!)
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SDN, Website, Interview Questions prep book, My secondary and primary
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SDN, Researched UCI website, not really a whole lot of prep though...for each school I just come up with a decent why X school answer and thats about the extent of my prep
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Read website, read SDN, talked with student host.
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SDN, the Website
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SDN, reread apps
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SDN, read my primary and secondary applications, talked to current students
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SDN, school website, positive thinking
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SDN, mock interviews
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Feedback
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Look over these things on SDN (although they didn't help too much, cause in the end its all about knowing yourself and spitting the words out.) Looked over primary/secondary/research for 2 hours the night before. Mock interviews.
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Read the school website and this site
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Read over SDN and MSAR, Talked to current students, and Looked over application materials.
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Read SDN, talked to my student host / other students
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SDN, Website (which sucks. broken links all over the place. I e-mailed the admin office to get information I couldn't access through the site, and I never got a response), talking with host student about the school
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Hung out in LA for the weekend.
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SDN Interview Feedback, secondary and primary app.
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SDN, UCI website, stayed with a student night before and questioned him
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Knowing that the interview would be more personal... I spent the weekend reflecting on myself, my family, as well as my life.
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Read primary and secondary applications. Visited UCI website. Read SDN interview feedback.
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SDN, my secondary, my primary.
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Read SDN, read applications, read school's website, practice interviews
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Normal stuff, I didn't do much because I've been on so many other interviews
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SDN
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Read SDN, reflected on my life...
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Mock interviews, files, read up on issues (HCP: One-Care now & other UHC, Politics, societal issues)
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SDN, primary and secondary
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SDN, school website, mick interview
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Read about the school on their website, the MSAR, and SDN; Reviewed my application materials
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SDN, AMCAS, mock interviews, UCI secondary
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SDN, Reading my personal statement, activities and secondary essays
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SDN, and brushed up on ethics/heathcare issues.
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Reviewed my app, read sdn, learned more about the school through website.
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SDN, my AMCAS file.
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SDN, AMCAS/secondary applications, talked to first year friends
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SDN, SDN, SDN!!!! 3 mock interviews, read over primary application, read up on US health care system (Google: Physicians for a National Health Care Program!)
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Reviewed my publications, resarch experience, primary application, SDN, and the UCI MSTP website.
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I did two mock interviews with friends, taped myself. I also wrote up 6 main experiences and all the main points I wanted to cover in my interview. I reviewed it and made sure I cover those points. Read SDN, and the UCI website
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Read the website, which had a lot of ''Under Construction'' links, SDN, reread my AMCAS application and UCI secondary.
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Website, SDN
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SDN, read application
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This website. Not much else. The interviewers don't have access to your secondary applications, so there's no need to review your answers to those (unless they change things).
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SDN, school website
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SDN, reviewed my application.
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Secondaries, SDN, MSAR, school website, talking to myself...
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Read AMCAS and secondary applications. went over the 140+ list of interview questions posted on SDN, and had an answer for each and every question. Learned about lots of issues for which I was unfamiliar - difference between HMO and PPO, capitation, HIPPA, biopsychosocial model of medicine, others. Watched lots of Discovery Health Channel to keep current on recent medical issues, stories, advances. Tried to find as much as I could about the downsides of being a physician.
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This site, practice and rehearse w/ friend
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By SDN, mock interview, AMCAS, secondaries
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Here, mocks with docs/med students.
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This website, mock interview with career center, answered practice FAQ, researched the school, researched faculty in my area
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Went online to SDN and the school web site.
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SDN, had previous interviews
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Read interview feedback, prepared answeres to FAQs
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Learned about school
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Studentdoctor.net, school website, interviewers' websites
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SDN, looked over my apps
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SDN, mock interviews, reviewed school's website
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This site
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SDN, read a book on healthcare, Irvine website, planned questions for interviewers, read over application.
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Read application, read website, read up on medical ethics questions, read up on issues in health
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SDN, reviewed AMCAS
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SDN, UCI website, discussion with students
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SDN, Kaplan Book on Admissions
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SDN, talked aloud to self
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SDN, reviewed AMCAS and supplemental essays.
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Irvine website, SDN, Red Bull
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Read website, went over my app.
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SDN, school's website, read AMCAS and secondaries.
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Www.kff.org, SDN, website
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Reviewed app, student doctor, thought about "Why UCI"
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Studentdoctor.net, read current events, reread application
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SDN, MSAR, UCI Website
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Reviewed lists of questions, reviewed my application and essays, and read APHA The Nation's Health Newspaper.
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Read SDN
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Reviewed my AMCAS & Irvine apps., looked at the website
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Pray that it goes well! I went to undergrad here and this is my first choice and the only Cali school i got an interview to.
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SDN, talked to friends
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Read the website, read over my application, read up on some interesting current events
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SDN, read over my secondary, and primary application
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This site, UCI website, re-read application.
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Read over my personal statement, secondary essays, this website, researched on UCI's website, and generally thought about the usual questions (i.e. why do you want to become a doctor? Why UCI? Why you?)
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This website, the school's website, AMCAS application.
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UCI website, SDN, mock interviews, read over applications, got a good night's rest.
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Re-read application
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Reading this site, reading up on current events/news in healthcare (which ended up being unnecessary for my interviews)
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Read this site, looked up info. on the school DIDN'T prepare anything this time in terms of questions, I decided to go in with a new more relaxed motto.
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I read this site. Reviewed current health issues, my secondary app, and talked to students I knew there.
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Read my UCI secondary, AMCAS, this site, reviewed my research.
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Reading over my AMCAS and secondary application. Looking at the UCI website and a mock interview.
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Read my application over, looked over school's website
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SDN, NYT Health, mock interviewers with doctors, practiced answers to common questions, brused up on the details of my research,... This was my first interview, so I did a lot of preparing that really wasn't necessary.
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SDN website, read Time magazines to catch up with current events, re-read my personal statement & application to Irvine, and went over some basic questions in my head like why go to medicine, why Irvine, etc.
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Read my essays, read ethics websites and current news (which I found to be unecessary), read about UCI and the PRIME-LC for which I also interviewed.
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Went to UC Irvine as an undergrad (WARNING: Biased but well informed opinion), checked website, SDN.
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This website, read my application
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Read "Health Care Meltdown" by Robert LeBow and everything on UCI-COM website.
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Reviewed my application, talked to UCI med students that I know
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Read through my application, this website, read UCI's website
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This website, looked over the school's website, talked to current UCI med students
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Looked at this web site, thought about basic questions, looked at UCI's web site, read the AMA's web site - section on ethical issues
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Studentdoctor.net, UCI website, my application
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Looked at online resources about school, reread my application, pulled out my list of questions I ask at every medical school interview and made a few questions specifically for UCI
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SDN, internet
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Read primary, secondary, MSAR, CV, and med pamphlet.
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AMCAS, WebSite, and asking friends that interviewed there.
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Interview questions from this website, AMCAS, UCI secondary as well secondaries I wrote for other schools, current events and health news from cnn.com
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This website, went over application.
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Reviewed information about UCI. Read over my application.
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Sdn and i looked up some info on the school.
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Just tried to find directions to the school.
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SDN, school website, talk to many students from the school.
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Reading my AMCAS application
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This website, UCI website, read my personal statement and secondary.
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Uci's website, acess to interviewer's review form, application
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Read over my UC application and AMCAS, used this site
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Interviewfeedback.com
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I read over my essays, secondaries, and AMCAS
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at University of California Irvine School of Medicine discussed various topics such as personal challenges in medicine, future trends in healthcare, and reasons for choosing medicine over other professions. Some respondents mentioned questions related to research, school choices, and ethical dilemmas, while others highlighted the conversational and low-stress nature of the interviews.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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NA. Everything was very chill, casual, and a normal conversation! No curveballs
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None
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Why do you want to go into ___ specialty already?
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Nothing.
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What personal challenges do you think you'll face as a physician?
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My faculty interview more as less said that he didn't particularly like his job and it was a paycheck more than anything else. He asked me why I would want to pursue a profession that he doesn't particularly like....uhhh, because we're different people?
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A question about my research that I wasn't quite expecting.
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What do you think about the general trend of healthcare and medicine in the future (the way my faculty interviewer worded this was very strange)
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None, the interviews were pretty conversational.
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Where else did you apply, why, and would you go there if you got in as opposed to here?
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The faculty interview was VERY short, trying to keep the conversation going was difficult.
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If you had to choose between Harvard and UCI, which would you select and why?
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Why don't you want to do research for majority of the time?
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Nothing really too difficult
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Tell me about your research project.
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Given the reputation of the schools you have attended, do you think it will be hard to go to a school with less of a reputation?
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None.
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If you get into UCSF or Harvard, would you go there instead of UCI? Why/ why not?
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What struggles do you expect to face in medical school?
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Most importantly, tell me what you have been doing your year off? (Faculty) Hard because I did not feel like what i am currently doing is very impressive. I tried to seem as enthusiastic as possible.
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None because of the low stress and low key nature
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Why didn't you apply earlier?
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Nothing
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Nothing hard
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Faculty Interview: What do you think are your chances of being in medical school next year?
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If you're accepted to UCSF or Harvard, would you come here?
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Nothing out of the ordinary
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Student Interviewer: Why medicine and not other fields (social work, nursing, etc.)
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Faculty Interviewer: What makes you think that medicine is right for you? How are you certain that you won't change your mind?
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How do you plan on setting up international clinics in the future?
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First Question, after I sat down and made a comment on the nice weather. "So why are you here?" I stammered something about my reasons for medicine and UCI, but it really caught me off guard.
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If you like science so much, why don't you want to go into research?
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I see you've mentioned research, what kind of research have you done? (Hadn't really done research, but just worked in a lab)
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Specific question pertaining to a portion of my personal statement, regarding my life experiences.
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We tend to base the success of our health care system on the research we do, what do you think of this?
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What specifically are your goals for a career in medicine?
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See above
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Nothing - very conversational and low-stress
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Where else have you applied to and where have you gotten accepted so far? (I thought it was more inappropriate than difficult.)
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From my student interviewer: ''OMG, you went to Elite School X. You must be SO smart. What's that like?'' What the heck do you say to that?
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If you were in charge of the US healthcare what policies would you implement/address?
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Nothing too out of the ordinary.
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Nothing difficult actually, casual conversation and everything kind of flowed naturally from topic to topic.
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N/a
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Define empathy and give an example.
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What would i do if a racist anti-immigrant patient came in to see me in the clininc with a serious medical condition??? (if you consider this difficult)
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Very standard, nothing difficult
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Nothing truly difficult.
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Why UCI?
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Tell me about yourself. How did you get here?
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What do you think of nationalized health care
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Nothing really difficult
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What's the biggest challenge you've encountered?
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How do I choose a school.
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How can you balance research and clinical experience?
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How would you pay for the bills such as malpractice insurance if you work for free? A follow up question after he asked whether I would work for free.
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Name a patient who impacted you the most.
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Tell me about all four of your research experiences.
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What do you think about nationalized health care?
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Why don't you go into another field that would more globally help people?
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Why dont you go to a more well-known school than UCI?
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Would you have done volunteer work if it was not necessary to get into medical school?
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What do u think about the healthcare system in mexico (in response to an activity).
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The interviewer asked about 5 times why I wanted to be a doctor and not ___, filling in a different occupation each time.
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If you could be a superhero which one would it be?
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Tell me something that's not in your application.
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What do you look for in a medical school.
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UCI is REALLY your first choice? (with a shocked tone - rhetorical, but difficult to respond to since I was surprised)
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Do you have any questions for me? (Not difficult but it was asked multiple times and I started to run out of questions)
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What sets you apart from the rest of the applicants that are interviewing here?
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What is the biggest problem in medicine?
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Nothing difficult. Mainly tell me about X experience.
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No surprise or difficult questions
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Nothing really.
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What is your best memory? What is your worst memory?
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What will be the hardest thing about being a doctor?
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Why did you decide to use ________________(specific molecule) in your research?
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Same as above
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No difficult questions, my interviewers genuinely wanted to get to know me as an individual a bit more.
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No tough questions.
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What are you doing now to better yourself?
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Why did you decide to clinically volunteer in high school but not in college?
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Rom your experience in the hospital, what is the best part about medicine? The worst?
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Talking about the process of why I decided to become a doctor
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What do you think about the future of medicine, HMOs?
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See above... it's so hard to have the answer to that questions when I haven't even been accepted to medical school yet.
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There were no difficult or surprising questions
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What will you bring to this school?
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What are we going to do about all these uninsured people? How are we going to cover them? (This really isn't that bad of a question, they just want to know that you've thought about it a little.)
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Where do you see yourself in 15 years? What type of practice will you be in, what type of patient population will you be treating, and where will you be?
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Pretty laid back, conversation-like interviews. I guess the dreaded "tell me about yourself" was my hardest question.
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What is your opinion on euthanasia?
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Research-related questions, and what I thought of the current state of American health care plus some follow up questions.
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Is there anything else you want to tell me about yourself (not usually a difficult question but they asked this about 4 times)
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My interviewer talked a lot more than I did (in fact I learned a lot more about him than he learned about me) so the biggest challenge was to listen attentively and to insert bits about myself when given a slight opportunity.
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Asked me specifics of my biochem. lab (what was the structure of collagen?), etc.
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What do you think needs to be changed in medicine and how would you do that?
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None were particularly challenging.
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What are your weaknesses? (They asked for more than one!!!!!)
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See above.
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What are your weaknesses?
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Do you think that physicians have an ethical responsibility toward their patients to protest against the current insurance situation?
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Personal Question
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What do you think is the most important problem in health care today?
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1st md interview ???: how many schools did you apply to?? what will you do if you don't get in? what if you don't get in again after applying a couple of times??
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Define consciousness.
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How would you solve the ____ health care issue?
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The faculty member asked specific questions about my research, which I had done two years ago.
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About abortion issues
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What are your stengths and weaknesses?
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What is a quality you possess to distinguish you from other applicants?
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Why do you want to be a doctor instead of a PA, or a Nurse Practitioner?
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the welcoming and relaxed atmosphere at UCI, noting the friendliness of staff and students, as well as the supportive and laid-back nature of the campus environment. Positive feedback highlighted the sense of community, happy students, excellent facilities, and faculty dedication, contributing to a stress-free and enjoyable interview experience.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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I loved how chill the whole process was. From doing casual ice breakers in the morning, sitting through some presentations, then finishing with interviews. Everyone that I had interacted with were so friendly and welcoming. Absolutely loved both my interviewers and felt like this would be the right school for me!
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They were so relaxed, welcoming, and positive
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Everyone from UCI that I interacted with was very supportive and inviting.
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The dean of students is really laid back and positive, the student interviewers all seemed committed, their night before interview mixer was helpful.
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How friendly everyone was.
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Friendliness of staff and students!
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Friendliness of the staff, nice facilities, good food (!)
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The students all seemed to get along very well and they were very very laid back. I felt like I would fit in well there. Cool simulation center. Orange County is amazing.
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I loved that the Dean was kind enough to take time out of her schedule to talk with us. Most schools' deans don't do that. Also loved the student Q&A panel. Overall, the admissions staff went out of their way to make our day as relaxed as possible; it was a great experience.
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Location, students, faculty, how nice the campus is
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Everything. UCI is marvelously well organized, and has fantastic resources for the students. Their new medical education facilities are fabulous and provide ample space and top-rate technology for learning clinical skills (amazing simulation center!). Every student I met was intelligent, focused, supportive and happy. The professor who interviewed me was very interested in getting to know my character beyond the numbers in my application (which is probably contributes to UCI's ability to select such a great group of students). Curriculum is P/F first two years, and more than 50% of class time is "active/hands-on learning". The new UCI Med Center is huge and well-respected. More perks: free iPads are given to first years, bucolic campus near the beach, but not at all isolated.
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The teaching facilities are brand-new, beautiful, and expansive. Their simulation center is the best I've seen; it's like a full hospital wing with an OR, and several different sim patients (including an infant and a pregnant woman). There are portable ultrasounds in the student lounges available for use at any time. The new hospital building at the medical center in Orange is impressive (thoughtful design, level I trauma center, comprehensive cancer center, etc.). The students I met were composed, well-spoken, kind, and happy. Profs seem very dedicated to teaching, and to involving students in curricular decisions.
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The medical students were very friendly/approachable and just seemed happy.
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The med students are legitimately happy
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New med ed facilities; faculty constantly trying to improve curriculum; faculty interviewer really took the time to know me and answer my questions about the school;
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The students enjoy being there/supportive environment, p/f curriculum first two years, the opportunities for working with the Latino community, small class size, beautiful area
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Low stress levels of the students.
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Everyones attitude, location
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Tuition, location, friendliness.
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The family-like nature of each class and how they take care of one another; the fact that our class would have brand new facilities; the medical center; the way it seemed like they were trying to impress us with the school rather than having us trying to impress them.
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The faculty was fantastic - very accessible to students
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Both of the interviews were very comfortable. My faculty interviewer was familiar with my file and asked questions that made me think she was trying to get to know me, not that I was being questioned or tested. The entire day was laid back and low-stress.
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New buildings - new student center, new stem cell research building, new hospital - and OC atmosphere
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The students were amazing! Everyone was really nice and willing to help. The day felt relaxed and fun. The medical school itself is making improvements including a new student center and a stem cell research lab.
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My interview day pretty much smashed any reservations that I had concerning UCI. Everyone is super relaxed and genuinely happy to be at this school. Also, they are building a new student center that will open just in time for class of 2014!!! (think..new student lounge equipped with a flat screen tv, kitchen, ping pong tables..etc. and 18 new simulation/clinical rooms for med students)
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Almost everything at this school impressed me positively. The strong bond that each class has is AMAZING. They are all one family. I spent some time with the diversity coalition, and they made me feel at home, and truly put UCI as a top choice for me.C/o 2014 will all have brand new facilities to learn and work in.
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Hospital is brand new, you cant really beat the location, a lot fo construction going on to upgrade the campus.
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The weather, the faculty, how happy the students are. The main medical center in Orange is brand-spanking new.
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The friendly staff and students. The campus is amazing.
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The curriculum: early clinical training, pass/fail grading. the students seemed happy about their choice
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The supportive, friendly, and laid back student body and staff
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The interview day was well organized and they seemed really interested in making sure that the interviewees walked away with a positive impression. The school makes an effort to pair interviewers/interviewees, which results in a more interesting conversation and better interview experience. Nice weather.
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That everyone was so enthusiastic about being there, and that the students really look out for each other.
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New buildings for next year. Preceptor program. Students had interests and activities outside of medicine.
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Faculty sound responsive to student concerns and supportive of student initiated projects.
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Not much. The tuition is inexpensive for in state students. They are building a new student building on campus which should be open for next year.
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The students were amazingly nice and relaxed. Most seemed happy with their lives.
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How everyone was super friendly and laid-back. and we got lots of free food.
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The weather is amazing down there, it is fairly close to my family.
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The campus was pretty (there are bunnies on the lawns at night!), weather was beautiful
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Location of school, and friendliness of everyone. Laid back attitude of students, and comradery. Intramural sports is big, and students kick back and have fun A LOT.
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Everyone was super friendly and the location is absolutely beautiful. It is an incredible lifestyle
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Everything... I've found the perfect school for me! I truly hope that I do get accepted.
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Went out of their way to make us comfortable and make the day stress-free (which it was). Nearly all of my co-interviewees were great (minus one or two folks who rubbed me the wrong way).
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The friendly students and staff. The weather was amazing of course. How comfortable I felt with my interviewers
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Everything: the beautiful weather/campus, the laid-back students and administration, absolutely loved it!
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Awesome atmosphere, great student body, everyone is happy, low-stress, administrators are all very sincere and accomodating
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The staff is welcoming and friendly, probably the most friendly I've meet. That is really important because it is representative of how the university will take care of you once you matriculate. The weather is nice. The students are nice, I can see myself going to school with them. Some other reports suggest that nobody studies here, but I didn't get that impression. Students do study and want to do well.
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Everyone is SOOOO NICE! The weather is gorgeous as well. The administrators were also very gracious and informative.
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Student solidarity and their ability to transgress stressful monday tests; value they had for their education, especially their notoriously hard anatomy courses; receptive faculty that allow more opportunities; the fact that the admissions office personnel had to literally tell my faculty interviewer to stop and let me go (the conversation we had was THAT good I'd like to think)
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I've always liked the city and the students were nice/laid-back.
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I was positively impressed by the students and the medical center. Although the med center is located away from the school it still seems very nice and updated with a new addition opening soon.
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The students were really nice and classes first year are mostly 8am-noon
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Students seem to have a very low stress level
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Beautiful campus despite smoke from wildfires, enthusiastic students
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Students seemed to be happy. The location is very good. Honestly, if you transplanted UCI to Missouri, it would lose half of its attractiveness. The lunch was good.
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The sense of community with the students, the high USMLE Step 1 score average (230), and the caliber of the faculty.
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UCI was my favorite interview of all the schools. Gayle was the sweetest person ever and they all made us feel comfortable. I thought I wouldn't enjoy the fact that 40 other students would be interviewing the same day but it ended up being really fun to meet everyone and go through the process together. Faculty and students are genuinely happy and excited to be there.
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The area was nice.
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Amazing student camaraderie, beautiful campus, enthusiastic faculty.
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The students were really nice and friendly. The student housing is ridiculously nice.
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The comradery of the medical student body, the friendliness of the med students, the weather here (80 degrees in Feb!), and the PRIME-LC Program
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The students were genuinely happy to be there and when the current MSTP students took all us MSTP interviewees out to dinner the night before the interview, they were very receptive and eager to answer questions . The faculty were very relaxed and really cared about their students. Not to mention that UCI MSTP students have a pretty good stipend...
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The place is so warm and inviting. It has the Southern California chillness and personal warmth. The people were super nice! The facilities are very new. The student and faculty have great relationships. The Faculty was willing to delay exams so students can go to Sacramento to talk the Governor about his health plan. The research and clinical possibilities made me feel like if I go there the only limiting factor of my potential is myself. This is a important criteria I look at. The student body is really tight. At dinner I could tell the students really like each other.
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I was impressed with the sense of community, not something I was expecting to find at a UC. Everyone, students and faculty alike, seemed genuinely happy at UCI.
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The students were so amazingly nice. My host took me to dinner with other interviewees and hosts the night before. The interview day was also very well planned, breakfast and lunch were excellent.
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I really felt that the students there were happier and more united than in other schools. I really felt that the students there were happier and more united than in other schools. The school is strong in departments I am interested in.
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I was actually pleasantly surprised by the school. They have an amazing neurology dept, and a great neuroscience research dept as well. All of the students seemed really happy. I ran into a friend from high school who is now a first year med student at irvine, and she told me that she had gotten into far more prestigious schools when applying, but had gone to Irvine because the quality of life seemed better, and that if I got in, I should go there.
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The people were extremely welcoming and amiable. Everyone appeared genuinely happy at UCI. I also really liked how laid back the atmosphere was.
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Location is great, cheap housing, students are happy.
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The students seemed very happy at Irvine. The anatomy course seems well put together and students actually do the dissection (I learned that at some schools they do not). I really liked how frank everyone was with me.
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Absolutely beautiful campus, the collegiality of the students, the genuine concern of the faculty and staff for the students, the new hospital being built (to be completed in 2009 - in time for at least one year for me to in it!), the noncompetitive atmosphere, the way the anatomy course is run, the location (Irvine is awesome - see elsewhere in this feedback for explanation). The fact that UCI students score very well on the boards. The Match List for last year's graduates were VERY impressive. The MD/MBA program.
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How happy the students are and how friendly and supportive they are toward each other.
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How the students all really like the school and how happy they appeared. The faculty are more than willing to help the students succeed. Also excellent clinical training.
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The NICENESS of everyone...very welcoming ppl.
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How the students have a close relationship to one another, student-run clinic in Santa Ana, the weather, the awesome neurosci. program, available student housing, residency matching
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The students are happy, they have a good relationship with the admin, they have the opportunity for year round outdoors activities to blow off steam, they are very easy to talk to.
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The students were all great, the campus was pretty cool and everyone was enthusiastic and had good things to say
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Weather, student happiness, cost
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The students have incredible comraderie. everthing's pass/fail, so there's no competition. the other students interviewees i met were chill and easy to joke around with.
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The laid back student life
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Very nice buildings, happy students, flexible program, pretty location. Administrators genuinely seem to care about students' welfare.
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The school's facilities are pristine, the students seem happy, gayle- the interview coordinator- rally tried to make us feel comfortable
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Everyone is so happy and so friendly. the students are normal and I can see them being my classmates. they were so great! and i got a tour of the UCI Med Center and it was great!
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My faculty interviewer - his patients are lucky to have him. I was also impressed by how much the administration seemed to care about interviewees and their experience. Very friendly place.
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Student body -- everybody seemed to love it there.
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Students were very enthusiastic and seemed to be very happy with their medical school lifes, socially and academically. They emphasized that UCI admin. is very open to suggestions and change if the students express concerns with the program.
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1. Very very cohesive student body 2. Relaxing environment to study 3. Great housing complex nearing completion 4. Great support from administration
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The student body seemed really upbeat but also hard working. Also a really good relationship between faculty and students
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Communal learning, location, resident prices, accessible staff, the side programs, Spanish speaking emphasis, the happiness and niceness of the student body and faculty
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The students are extremely relaxed and seem really happy. The atmosphere was excellent and very friendly. Even students walking by wished me luck when I was walking to my interviewer's office.
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Everyone is really lax and helpful. The area is awesome, but I knew this because I went to undergrad there. Students are competitive with themselves but not with their class, as there is a lot of note sharing and so forth. Students have the highest board scores of any UC (I didn't know that, it certainly surprised me).
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Most relaxed students and schedule yet. Had a great opportunity to attend an interest group meeting the night before and was pleasantly surprised by the 3 upper classmen talking about their experiences.
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The MSTP students were nice and gave an honest opinion of their experience at UCI. The MSTP staff do a good job of coordinating the day (as well as the night before). I didn't really get too much of a tour of the research facilities, but they seemed nice. The faculty seem solid, and UCI's MSTP seminar series has some pretty outstanding speakers on the bill.
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The students were awesome, great weather, very comfortable atmosphere, the staff is supportive, many opportunities (and time, it seems) for public service, extracurriculars, and using Spanish
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Students seemed really happy to be there and friendly in general
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All of the people I met were very nice and happy. The administrative staff were very helpful. The dean was very friendly and had a good sense of humor. Students were enthusiatic about the school and the environment.
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Students were very happy
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Students are friendly and very laid-back. Interview staff was also very friendly. A lot of schools claim to have no-stress interviews, but rest assured Irvine's interview really is stress-free.
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Everything about the school... the laid back students who care about staying connected to society, the distinguished faculty, the spacious new campus, their involvement in creating the clinical skills portion of the usmle, the friendly admissions staff, the fact that they have a climbing wall
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The happiness of the students.
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My interviewers had read everything provided to them. They were interested in me and seemed to be matched to me and my interests. I felt like UC Irvine was interested in me as a person. All of the people were fantastic.
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Either the students and faculty are all very good actors, or UCI lives up to its laid back reputation
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Everyone was SO friendly and really wanted to make the experience as stress-free as possible.
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Students were happy and very tight knit.
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Cheap tuition for cal residents, EVERY student appeared very happy with their choice (and I talked to several of them)... students I talked to there turned down some very "prestigious" schools to go to UCI (and I could see why)... nice weather, MD/MBA program, excellent board scores, very close-knit small class with huge support from the faculty... I got the impression that the school focuses on providing plenty of guidance to its students as opposed to having an environment where you "fend for yourself" (something that could be good or bad depending on how you learn things)... there are opportunities to work with patients from different backgrounds too.
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The students seemed very relaxed and happy. Gayle, (the admissions director, is THE NICEST person I've met through the admissions process. She is very down-to-earth and extremely helpful.
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WOW what a great school. I was interested in UCI prior to going there for my interview but afterwards this school is by far my top choice. The students were super friendly and genuinely happy at the school. While we toured the facilities random students came up with you to tell you why they loved UCI so much and many people told us goodluck! This is the type of environment I'd want to learn at. The curriculum is great, I love the patient doctor classes in the first two years...the area is also gorgeous and the weather is wonderful! I am incredibly impressed that my interviewers really read my file before interviewing me.
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Everything and everybody seemed helpful and accessible.
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The phenomenal information about the Patient-Doctor Program! The facility in which many of the mock interviews and history-taking of standardized patients is done is quite nice and high tech. It also seemed that UCI's students have a very tight connection with each other, being such a small class. Also, the faculty (namely Gayle and Mrs. Peterson) were absolutely delightful.
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I love the school! It is amazing. The hospital is very nice, the housing is great, everyone is extremely laid back.
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Gayle (who is amazing), Associate Dean Ellena Peterson (who is equally amazing), the friendliness of the students, the way UCI goes out of its way to make sure you feel great, the low average student debt, the tremencous housing opportunities, the beauty of the school, and everything I may have left out.
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Students seem pretty happy
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You're definitely going to feel the love at UCI. I don't know if it's an act or not, but all the current students go on and on about how close-knit they all are, how they work closely together, etc, etc. Although one current student said this "closeness" got to the point of being cliquish, like high school, and everyone knew everyone else's business, and there was a ton of gossip being talked about fellow med students.
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I felt so loved, supported, and wanted by everyone. It was such a HAPPY place to be. They really shed light on the ability of a UC to be a small-knit family. All of the students like each other and are friends. 90 out of 92 med students in the class participate in the interview process - that's got to say something!!
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EVERYONE I met there absolutely loves it!! The students were very happy and the entire class is very closeknit. The new CPX exam was piloted at UCI, so obviously the students will be very well prepared when it is time for them to take the exam. Also, it was obvious that the students there were all very qualified, but most importantly very well-rounded---many had even turned down "higher ranked" schools for Irvine.
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I really was amazed by UCI. I did not expect to like it too much and now it is my top choice. The students were all so happy and laid-back and the faculty and administration seem to be very attentive to their suggestions. The campus was much nicer than I had thought it would be. It seems like there is a lot to get involved with there outside of classes.
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The students and staff were really positive about the school and the 1st year class seems really tight knit and active in the surrounding community. Also, students seem to be given good opportunity to voice concerns and/or ideas to faculty and staff.
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The people are so friendly, and Gail is a wonderful person. The beach is only 5 minutes away!
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Everyone (both students and faculty) seemed really happy at UCI, the friendliness of my interviewers and the admissions staff, it's close to the beach, it's a UC so it's a great education,...
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I was surprised at how high their pass rate is on the Step 1. Also, their students have a pretty high percentage of placing into the top 3 choices of residencies. The environment of the school is very friendly and not competitive at all. The students I talked to all said that they help each other study and that there is a huge data base for past tests to help them also. Now, UCI would probably be a top choice for me if I am accepted.
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The campus is beautiful and the staff is really nice. Students seem really happy there. The class size is small so people get alot of attention. The facilities are new and really nice.
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The friendliness of students, and Gayle was great. Dean Peterson gave a warm welcome. I interviewed for the PRIME-LC and felt that I had a much better experience than fellow interviewees including a tour of the medical center and dinner after the interview. I also thought the plans for the new hospital are amazing.
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Friendly students, great organ-based curriculum, low in-state tuition, wonderful admissions director (Gayle).
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The low stress level of the students, the weather, the campus, my student host was GREAT, the talks in the beginning of the day were very good - basically everything about the school was good
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EVERYTHING. I loved the school - the students seemed very happy and charismatic to be there, atmosphere seemed centered around student quality of life, and considerable effort was taken by hosts to to alleviate interview stress.
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Just about everything. Despite other comments on this site, I think the campus tour is worth it, since you will be spending four years of your life at a school, and it is nice to know what your surroundings will be like. I liked the fact that up to 5 months of electives can be spend at other institutions your 4th year. The PRIME-LC program is an excellent idea, and demonstrates UCI's committment to the local Hispanic community.
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My student host was great - I recommend doing that. You get to meet students and possibly other applicants. My host picked me up from the airport and got me to the tour on time in the morning. The student interview was very chill - it was just conversational and lasted an hour.
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How much support the faculty and staff provide their students and the class size. Also PRIME-LC (a new MD/MS program in Latino community health) sounds amazing. I wish I had learned about it earlier. It makes me respect UCI even more.
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Friendliness of students and staff, how laid back everything was, 2nd year students were enthusiastic about interviewing us
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The campus and facilities...it's gorgeous! How friendly everyone, staff and students, were.
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The atmosphere seems very relaxed even though the students frequently take tests. The students weren't screaming they're happy, but they looked far from tortured. Irvine's located in a nice area.
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It is a very nice campus.. cool weather but sunny.. close to the beach. The students seemed so happy there and were all noncompetitive with each other.. they were like one big group! The faculty really try to help you out, so even if you are struggling, you will noy get kicked out.
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Gail and the dean.
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The friendliness of the staff, students, and faculty. The students seem like a family group.
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Med school students do not seem stressed out, and they all seem to get along. Helping each other out seems to be their number one concern.
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Students were happy; curriculum; facilities; faculty; opportunities for hands on experience.
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Friendliness of students and staff.
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The students seemed really cool and very happy to be there.
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My interviewers were pretty cool.
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Friendliness of everyone. Very welcoming environment. Students seem very active in community service.
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The friendliness of the students and staff members. They all appeared very happy at UCI
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How relaxed the atmosphere was. Everyone seemed very chill and the students were very happy. Also, the center where they film medical students doing mock exams on patients was impressive.
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Nothing that wasn't expected
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The students. VERY friendly and loved the school. They all seemed like they would make wonderful doctors and they were really happy to be there. UCI has a very small school feel for a UC, which was surprising. Also the beach is very close!
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I was most impressed with how happy and friendly all of the students were. Unfortunately, because BOTH of my interviewers rescheduled, I didn't get to go on a tour of the campus at all, or even listen to any of the presentations. So all I had to go on was the enthusiasm of the students I met - and they really impressed me.
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The friendliness and helpfulness of EVERYONE. People seemed happy to be there. Everyone was outgoing, positive and intelligent. Also, awesome teaching facilities and hands-on extracurriculars.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants were most commonly negatively impressed by the distance between the medical center and the school campus, lack of integration between different class years, outdated facilities, heavy lecture-based curriculum, and the suburban location. Some also mentioned unenthusiastic interviewers and a lack of excitement or engagement among students and faculty. Suggestions included improving facility quality, enhancing curriculum innovation, and fostering better communication and organization during the interview process.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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NA
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The woman who gave the virtual campus tour kept mentioning bad things about the campus that put me off a little bit
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Honestly, nothing.
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Some of the students alluded to not being happy with how UCI handled the pandemic response.
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Nothing.
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Separate medical center = 30 min commute and slight disconect between MS1-2s and MS3-4s. :(
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My faculty interviewer was quite difficult to read and kept glancing at his phone and email during the interview. I thought it went badly, but--accepted!
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Mandatory lecture is a pretty big drawback for me, as is H/P/F grading during 2nd year. What was particularly shocking was that this changed from optional lecture and P/F for both years right before classes got started about a year ago. I'd be pretty pissed if the curriculum I was sold on changed right before I started and my tuition was paid. Makes you think about what they would change in the future...Also, the hospitals aren't particularly close, so I'd be commuting quite a bit in the clinical years.
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Students mentioned that tests happened just about every Monday. Take this into consideration when choosing schools; most schools do block exams at the end of several weeks.
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Hospital is a 20 minute drive (no traffic, 45 min in traffic). This majorly sucks I think. The surrounding area is nice to live in, but not for everyone. It's more of a place you'd want to live when you're older
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Nothing!
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The faculty interviewer seemed like she didnt know how to interview me..it was only 10 minutes! I wanted to say a few more things at least
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Exams almost every Monday for MS1s; geographical divide between MS1s/MS2s versus MS3s and MS4s; felt like some students only chose UCI because they were turned down by other UCs like UCLA or UCSD
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School isn't attached to the hospital, my faculty interviewer did a poor job selling the school
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Suburban location
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Nothing really
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Not a whole lot to offer. Main selling point was the people, and while that's a good thing, it's not enough. Very little student involvement in research, no patient contact until 3rd year, rundown facilities 1st and 2nd year. Hospital is nice but far, and there is a schism between MS1 & 2s and 3s/4s. Most students seemed like they were only there because it's in CA. This school is ranked fairly high, but it doesn't show at it's rank (if that makes sense).
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The distance of the medical center from the school.
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The facilities and equipment seemed a little outdated compared to other schools
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Nothing, really. It would have been nice to see some pictures or information about the new building. :) My student interviewer was a little distracted and didn't seem very familiar with my file, but we still had a nice conversation.
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My faculty and student interviews felt rushed.
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Nada.
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The rundown facilities, BUT our class would not be using those. So NO NEGATIVES!
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Not diverse student body, overall did not really seem to have a lot of opportunities for the students. Still though i enjoyed the day and UCi is a good school. The good certainly outweighed the bad
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I just don't think the OC is the right place for me right now, I'm just not much for the beach. Buildings on campus are kinda run-down. Class doesn't seem very diverse.
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Nothing
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The facilities are a bit outdated.
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The questions about the other schools I was applying to. I just don't think that it's kosher to be asking that. That the 3rd and 4th years rarely interact with 1st and 2nd years. The ultra-rich neighboring communities.
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Tests every monday and the anatomy course.
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Virtually no interaction with 3/4th years. Early clinical exposure not as great as other schools.
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No contact with 3rd/4th year students on interview day.
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The interviews were awful. My student interviewer is not involved in the school or community at all. If the students said that the school was "chill" one more time I was going to leave... what else does it offer? The students seem to be there because they got in. The hospital is 30 minutes away with bad traffic. Irvine is really dull. At lunch some students came up to talk to us but it seemed almost staged it was very bizarre
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The separation of first and second year students from third and fourth year students. The large interviewing group. The tour wasn't that great. Not too much clinical exposure is available early on.
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I didn't like that the med school is split up into two campuses that are 20 minutes apart
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I was extremely unimpressed with UCI. As a little context, I knew I was already accepted to Case Western prior to the interview, so I went to it with a critical eye, hoping to find something that would jump out and grab me. There are some major problems with the school. 1. The hospital is a 15-30 min drive away from the school. Essentially, all 3rd and 4th year students never have any reason to be in contact with 1-2 years. Major negative. Additionally, all the research that is going on, is completely separate from the hospital. Not only is this less effecient, but the research faculty and clinical faculty aren't able to work together as much 2. Orange County. It feels like the school just bought up 120 acres of coastal land, and plopped a very spread out school on top of it. Then surrounded it by rich people's houses. If you like going to school in the suburbs, then you and I differ, I prefer to be in the thick of the action. 3. First year students have a test EVERY Monday! Wow, thanks for not only allowing me to have zero fact retention, but also wasting all my weekends. 4. Apparently the international programs are weak and underfunded (host insight) 5. I talked to very few students that really wanted to be there for any reason besides it being the only school they got accepted into. There are much better schools in CA that most of the students also apply to, Irvine is not filled by students that also get into those schools.
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Most students could not give a good reason for why they chose UCI other than that they wanted to live by the beach or that it was the only California school they got into, location is too suburban for me, Orange is not near to the Irvine campus, one interviewer gave me a really hard time for not wanting to go into research--Irvine didn't seem very enthusiastic about clinical medicine in general
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Med Center is kinda far. It doesn't seem like they have much early clinical stuff establishes, you kinda have to take the initiative to do it.
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Very traditional curriculum - not organ system based, tons of lecture, very limited small group learning.
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Some reservations that I had before the interview day were utterly destroyed, smashed into bits and pieces by the students and faculty.
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Just wish UCI were in a more urban locale.
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Nothing!!
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Irvine is kind of in the middle of nowhere, at least I thought it would be more urban or even suburban. But when you get there it is surrounded by undeveloped, dead land. I expected it to be more dense. You definitely need a car to go to school there unless you live in the on campus housing (which is a good deal if you can get it!) I liked the student body but was not overly impressed with them. But then again, I've only been impressed by one or two school's student bodies. The facilities are kind of boring and plain. And the hospital is not where you take all of your classes. Minimal patient contact in the first and second years (if that is important to you.)
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Sucks that the medical center is not on the irvine campus...makes the school seem a little disjointed.
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Nothing; it's a spread out location but I come from SoCal so I'm used to that.
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Sometimes, it's nice to have a NEW NEW building, but for the class of 2012, 2nd year will have that, for the class of 2013: this does not apply
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How far away the hospital is away from the med school (It's like a 20-30 min drive by freeway). For a school that's not very old, the facilities look kind of old and run-down. They have an interesting way of doing anatomy lab, which I'm not sure if I'd like it.
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Some of the facilities on campus were not as nice as other schools I have seen
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Medical center is 20 minutes away
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Older facilities, lack of professionalism/polish to interview day, UCI Med Center is 20 minutes from UCI med/undergrad campus, a lot of the students seem to view medical school as just an extension of undergrad
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Drive to medical center (20min), expensive irvine housing
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Facilities are rather run down and the school's curriculum is not even slightly innovative. My interviewers didn't ask any questions and my faculty interviewer wrapped things up in about 25 minutes. Oh, and he mentioned that UCI isn't so great if you want to be a leader in your field. WTF?
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Nothing, actually.
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I did not like the fact that students had to drive to go from campus to hospital but then again, many other med schools do rotations at various hospitals during 3rd and 4th year so can't complain too much. There is also a shuttle so not too bad really.
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Facilities were kind of outdated.
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Irvine is tract housing land. Scary. Irvine is FULL of strip malls. Irvine is not beautiful, but it's not ugly. The hospital you work at and the place you go for medical school lectures are 20 min apart!
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Nothing really! I guess that they did not have enough white chocolate chip cookies during our interview lunch-in
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Amazingly nothing...
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Housing is not guaranteed. You do need a car because everything is spread out. The medical center is away from the campus. I actually don't mind this so much because by default you always need a car in the LA/Orange county area. So once you have the car, the hospital and the beach don't seem far away at all. The school is still developing, not like LA or SF where it seem matured. The free student clinic is a bit young(they look to Davis and SD for examples of where to develop to), international program needs more established sites. These things are not a big deal to me because I feel like I can contribute to the growth as long as I have good faculty support and peer support(which UCI has an abundance of).
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No one really wanted to answer questions regarding the curriculum directly.
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The medical center is too far away. People didn't seem to like Orange County that much either.
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Medical Center is far from the school (though that may also be a plus according to the students)
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The medical center isn't on the same campus as the medical school, and you need a car to go back and forth. Also, it isn't in the most exciting area. The interview day didn't have the greatest organization (the schedule kept switching around), but it wasn't a huge deal, and they made sure everyone got to their interviews on time.
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Medical center not on campus and long housing waitlist.
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Facilities are sub-par, hospital off-campus.
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I don't know so much about negative, but something that wasn't so great was that most of the curriculum is lecture based. However, they are working on changing the curriculum, but I don't think it will be in time for my class.
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Lecture-based learning. Not a problem, but not very progressive. Don't get me wrong, I think that abandoning traditional lecture courses entirely for a problem-based learning format is absurd. Schools that do it are buying into the flavor-of-the-day in education. Anything new and different in education makes the feds all hot and bothered (i.e. they reeeeaaally like it). I think a combination of the two approaches is the best (I was an educator, so yes, my opinion is qualified). Also, the university-affiliated hospital is what can be a lengthy commute from the university, but hey, when you are in your third and fourth years, you aren't going to be going back and forth between the two locations often, anyway. UCI SOM has addressed this spatial issue by establishing a mock clinic on site for the first and second year students.
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Nothing except for the fact that the faculty interviewer seemed a bit unenthusiastic
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The location isn't all that great.
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The QUIETNESS of the campus.
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Moderate facilities, my faculty interviewer told me that he didn't care about my research, lack of culture in the city of Irvine
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The facilities for the med students could use some paint and a technology upgrade. Compared to all the other schools I have been to their facilites are a bit ragged. I would suggest a better IT solution with smart boards instead of dry earase boards, notes given as electronic files across the board so students do not have to rescan them, online textbook access, and maybe moving from paper exams and quizes to computer based exams.
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My faculty interviewer was horrible. he kept asking me about my motivations to be a doctor, cut me off when answering, and only lasted 30 minutes when it took me 45 minutes to drive there from campus
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Grades (H/P/F), distance from school to medical center (a big problem, IMO)
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The facilities seemed a little old, and the medical center is in Orange, which felt kinda far.
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A bunch of ramdom fog made my early morning drive up from SD a little hazardous
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The hospital is 12 miles away from the Health Sciences campus.
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Its a little spread out, so you would need a car
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My student interviewer didnt really try to get to know me too much, she talked most of the time. The buildings and facilities on campus are pretty old.
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Most students do not attend lecture. Lots of talk about how much partying goes on.
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The campus itself seemed a bit old--I didn't have a chance to see the medical center.
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Appears they have a lot of class and the program is pretty lecture based. Medical center is pretty far away in an area with bad traffic. Only a handful of students get to see the Med center because of interview located there, the others don't get an opportunity.
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1. Med-center is off campus 2. Car is a must 3. A little too suburban 4. Lots of lecture time, not much PBL
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Some of the facilities seem pretty old and closed in. Sometimes it looks like a shadow of the undergrad facilities (the library is really nice). The kicker - a student talking to the group and saying the only reason she decided on UCI was because it was the only one she got into (didn't make me feel good about going there). But, in her defense she says she loves it there.
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Housing is difficult to get, but I think I would want to live in Newport Beach anyways. Also, lots of lecture hours, but it dosen't seem like many students go to class anyways.
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The lounge is pretty boring. Uhm, not much else. I guess the school doesn't have the name of UCLA, SD, or SF, but it's certainly a great place to be.
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Living in the other bigger UC's shadow. Quite evident in students attitudes. Also, Med center way off site. Mucho commuting if you go. That is SoCal for ya'
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The atmosphere there wasn't very upbeat. Students and some faculty seemed rather down. I don't know if this is due to the city of Irvine being rather dead (reportedly, fun can only be had in "neighboring" beach towns) or if I just caught them all on a stressful day. The main negative in my opinion is that the hospital is 15 minutes away (by car) from the medical school; a geographic nuissance to their hope of integrating clinical and pre-clinical experiences.
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Program/curriculum wasn't too impressive (a lot of lecture hours)
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Facilities are a bit old.
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Like others said, the med center is far from the main campus
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The fact that the campus is split between two locations 30 minutes apart.
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Our tour guide wasn't able to show us any classrooms or the cadaver lab. We were only able to see the biomedical library from a distance due to time limitations.
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Some of the facilities feel a little old. the hospital is a bit of a drive from campus. i grew up near irvine, and there ain't a lot of social life on or near the campus.
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Not as many different locations where you can do clerkships as other schools and the main hospital is bout 15 miles away.
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The school does have a variety of great research opportunities; however, I got the impression that it wasn't quite the place to go if you really wanted to focus on research... I think there are other schools out there with more resources. Cost of living is very high unless you get on-campus housing. Traffic in So Cal is generally nasty but if you stay off of the freeways it shouldn't be a problem. No tour of med center either.
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Not much. I didn't have too many expectations about the school going in, but I came out of the interview very impressed with the school.
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Ummm nothing, I loved every bit.
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I have to say I was put off by the repeated mention of the "work hard, play hard" attitude by students (this isn't high school last I checked...). Also, facilities are limited and older. The anatomy rotation schedule sounded sketchy.
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Most of the facilities are quite old (probably from the 1960s), as is the anatomy lab (which fortunately will be renovated this summer!). Also, the hospital is in Orange, and although this is only 20 min away from campus, the heavy traffic on that freeway (22) can be horrendous.
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Nothing a all!
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Students seemed almost flaky
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A HUGE 30% increase in tuition for University of California med schools starting this year, having to take a shuttle to the med center at Orange for the faculty interview, the school being in a sleepy, quiet part of Irvine where not much happens, no food places near the med school other than the very lame MedCafe (their food sucks), 18 MONTH wait list for housing, the new hospital very unlikely to be completed before I would graduate
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The hospital is far away (not that far though) but you have to take more initiative in getting yourself to go.
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The medical center is not on campus, and since LA traffic is horrendous, this could be very annoying. I was really not impressed with the small anatomy lab in the basement of one their buildings. The look of the school in general is pretty blah.
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Students only complaint was the drive between the campus and clinical rotations at the med center, and in Long Beach. The cost of living is quite high in Irvine and the area itself seems pretty boring, aside from the beach. Other parts of L.A. with more stuff to do, like Hollywood, downtown, Westwood, can be a long trip if traffic is bad.
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There seems to be difficulty getting housing and Irvine is pretty expensive. Also, the medical center is separate from the campus.
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Irvine is in something of a bland, suburban area, though L.A. and San Diego are each about an hour away.
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Probably the cost of living in Irvine - it's definitely on the high side.
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The only thing that is weird is that the medical center is a ways from campus. Otherwise, everything is peachy.
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We had to take a shuttle to Orange and wait for everyone to finish their interviews - I had to wait an hour until everyone finished.
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I didn't like that most students are older/married/non-trad. Not an exciting environment for a youngin like me coming straight from undergrad. The interview had 40 people and made me realize perhaps I wasn't so special. I also wish I had known the med center was about 15min by car from the med school in a completely different city. I didn't like that they kept on pushing their "laid-back" feel as I personally prefer a more prestigous and formal environment.
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Nothing, but my faculty interviewer was a half an hour late...
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Nothing, really
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Not a lot of people hanging out around the College of Medicine... strange, seemed like a holiday.
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They forgot to give us the presentation on student housing, which most of us wanted to hear about, but Gayle did her best to fill us in once she realized it had been left out. Unfortunately, we were left with not very much time to eat before our student interviews. Also, I wish we would have had a tour of the medical center. We only go to see the campus, where you do your first two years of class, and didn't get to visit the hospital.
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My faculty interviewer was not prepared for my arrival and the interview was disorganized and constantly interrupted. It lasted less than an hour.
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The day was super long. My first interview was at 1pm, after getting there at 8am for the tour. I was so tired by the time I had my faculty interview (4pm) that I had a hard time concentrating. Bring some energy food and skip the tour!
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Students mentioned that the classes (esp. the patient-doctor series) was not as well organized as it could be; Irvine is a sterile place.
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The day was really long, and it's nerve wracking having the interviews at the very end.
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I have to drive a car to attend school here. The students were nice but I wouldn't normally go way out of my way to get to know any of them either. A lot of the people have never even really left California, I think it would be a small culture shock for me.
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Nothing really....except that I heard that there are some students who do not pass the boards.
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Look of the school and the way anatomy lab was addressed/set up.
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Housing trouble for families. Stiff competition.
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That the interview was scheduled from 9:30 am to 4 pm.
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I guess that the hospital is about 20 minutes away. (that is where my md interview was)
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Housing options: the waitlist for on-campus housing is 18 months!
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Facilities. Nothing is very new.
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Irvine is a bit boring
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The wait list for oncampus housing has a wait of about 18 months.
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The student interview was brutal, kept following up on my answers with more questions
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That the hospital is about 20 minutes away from the med school campus. Car is definitely a necessity.
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The fact that the night before the interview Gayle Pierce called me to tell me that my interview was rescheduled and I would have to go to Orange by myself for it, thus missing all of the planned activities for the other interviewers. When I finally made it back to the UCI campus, I got to hear a few minutes of the housing presentation before my student interviewer interrupted to pull me out becuase he had to go somewhere soon, and wanted to get the interview over with. I wish the office would schedule the interviews better, or have more communication with the interviewers so time conflicts won't create these kind of problems. It really prevented me from getting a chance to learn as much about the school as I would have liked. If I end up getting accepted I'll probably have to go visit it again.
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The medical center is far from the medical school campus.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wished they had known ahead of time about the relaxed and low-stress nature of the interview day at UC Irvine, as well as the emphasis on personal fit and casual conversations rather than formal questioning. Suggestions included attending pre-interview events, being prepared for informal interview settings, and not stressing out about the process.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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RELAX!!! You will do amazing!!! If possible, go to the pre-interview mixer with the current students the night before. They really set the stage for how chill and casual this interview will be, and it truly helped me calm my nerves
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How chill it would be
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Make sure your answers are tailored towards being relaxed and having a personal life, especially for the student interviewer.
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How relaxed the interviews would be.
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How low-key the interview was. Seriously. I read all the feedback here and didn't believe it – but it was true. This is a real low-stress day.
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They try to make it as fun, calm, and relaxed as humanly possible, so chill out.
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Nothing in particular. Pretty standard interview and relatively low-stress.
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I highly recommend going to the pre-interview dinner at Gina's Pizza the night before! Great chance to meet your fellow interviewees and ask questions to MSI and IIs.
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There's a lot of students interviewing, maybe around 30
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Admissions office provides transportation to John Wayne airport after the interview day is over. Also, they provide dinner the night before the interview, and a full breakfast and lunch on the day of the interview (and it's all great food). They took care of so many details that I should not have worried about.
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That the interviews were very relaxed (both student and faculty). I was very nervous beforehand.
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It's easy to have questions along the interview, but when asked "do you have any more questions" over and over at the end of the interview, you tend to forget your questions and it feels like you dont have enough questions
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That a short interview isn't necessarily a bad thing. i left thinking i had blew it but got accepted without a waitlist (my interviewer had had a 15 minute interview at UCI also)
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It's very relaxed.
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How stress free it all was.
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That interviewers will have my experiences, amcas, and secondary essays
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That my student interview would literally be held on a bench in a courtyard. I wasn't prepared for that level of informality, even though it was nice.
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Optional student guided tour is very helpful - don't miss it!
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That the whole day would be so low stress.
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That the interviews and whole day in general would be so fun and relaxing!
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How relaxed everything was. Seriously no stress.
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How low-stress the whole thing was. The interviews were much more just conversations to see if I would fit with the school than an oral exam.
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About the interview times/locatoins
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Nothing
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That the 405 is a huge parking lot at all hours of the day.
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Nothing in particular
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To turn my brain off during the morning activities so that I could be fresher for the lunch interview and afterwards.
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I wish I hadn't gone at all, it was a waste of time and money.
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The great breakfast available on site!
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Regardless of the time of day, you will hit traffic in LA at certain points.
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That I would be so disappointed with my day at UC Irvine...I wouldn't have come.
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The students are not like other people in the OC, so just relax.
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Most people finish the day up by 3-330, so no need to book your flight for late that night
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N/A
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Nothing.
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Irvine is pretty awesome!
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That the area is truly is surrounded by dirt. :)
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Traffic in orange county is horrible.
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To not eat breakfast; best food i had on my interview tour
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1st years have test almost every Monday which means that most weekends are filled with studying
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Irvine rents are astronomical! If you're not a Socal/beach person, the value proposition isn't really there
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That it really isn't that great of school and that the facilities are dingy and old.
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The UCI Medical Center is 20 minutes from the main campus.
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Wear comfortable shoes! I found that there was a bit more walking involved at UCI than at my other interviews.
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I already knew ahead of time but the Medical Center is kind of far from the school.
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If you go to UC Irvine, you basically have to live in a tract housing.
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NOT TO STRESS OUT SO MUCH!! Its is SUPER laid back! All the interviewers have is your PS & activities. I had sooo much fun on my interview day!
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Housing not a guarantee. The place is so close to nice beaches. The dean told us while selecting applicants for interviews, they only spent 7 minutes on each app, probably true for a lot of med schools. After interview they will have a 5 member committee(of MD, PhD, staff) and spend a lot more time your app for a final decision. They will tell us 5 weeks from the interview date. Never give up hope on waitlists. Only e-mail the dean ONCE if you are waitlisted with your interests in the school. She said she had a bad impression of people who e-mailed her once a week for months.
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If you're driving from LA, make sure you allow OVER two hours. I left at 6am and still missed the 8am tour. The whole day is very relaxed, so there's no need to stress out.
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How old the school appears.
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Nothing really.
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Ahead of time? Nothing. But while there, I learned a lot about the school and program that I hadn't known before. Things (see above) that elevated my impression of the school and made it my first choice!
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Nothing, I went to UCI for undergrad so it was like home.
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How relaxed the whole day was.
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That my third interview, for the PRIME-LC program, would only have two questions in spanish--mainly about how I learned Spanish
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There is abundant on campus housing.
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That there would be so much traffic to my interview
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I wish I had known that they really don't have a strong affiliation with Children's Hospital LA or Orange.
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They have pretty nice subsidized housing. the rates are really cheap for So Cal, and a lot of the units have pools or garages for cars. one apartment complex even has a private movie theater. oh, and they provide breakfast so you don't have to eat beforehand
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Gosh, bring a map! i got lost trying to get there!
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My hotel (red roof inn) altough cheap was located under flight path of JW airport and next to the 55 freeway. Check the maps before booking. Enter the campus at Bison entrance, its right next to med school.
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1. The number of fellow interviewees ~50. They do one interview every 2 weeks.
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That the tour wouldn't include any of the labs, that they didn't have an open file, that the interview groups were groups of 40
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50% of the interviewees are accepted, and the first few interview groups have substantially higher percents (with the last few groups having the lowest percents). So pretty much, if you have an early interview, you have a GREAT chance of being accepted. Also, they have you fill out a housing request form, which is a bit awkward because I never thought about where I wanted to live. Wish I had known that one...
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The interview was how I expected it would be for the most part. However, I guess I had expected the student interview to be more conversational (he actually was pressing me on a lot of science, though not in a rude way).
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There were about 30 interviewees there! crazy! they only interview about 500 and accept about half.
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18 month waitlist for student housing.
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It was so relaxed and friendly. I shouldn't have been so stressed about it.
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It would be a really small interview group. I guess usually it's around 20 people, but my group only had 5-6. i guess b/c interviews are winding down.
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That it was such a great school
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I was a UCI undergrad, so I knew pretty much everything I needed to know going in.
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Nothing was a suprise. I went in knowing how great UCI was and just had all of my hopes confirmed!
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To not take UCI's interviews too seriously. Having read previous comments posted here about the interviews, I already didn't expect anything too bad, but UCI's relaxed attitude towards the interviews seemed a little too relaxed to me. Their attitude was "well, we just want to talk with you to make sure you're all normal, that there's nothing weird about you." Well that's good, but how are you going to select a class of 98 from 500 students if you don't bother asking them at least a FEW challenging questions? All I did mostly was repeat bits of information from my application.
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How much fun it could be!!!
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Some students live in Newport Beach, and others even surf before class!!
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Getting to see the medical center is not definite if your interviews are all on campus. I wish I had planned my trip better to have had time to drive over and see it.
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There is absoulutely no reason to be stressed; everyone is there just to get to know you and its a great opportunity to ask any questions you have.
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The first part is a student question/answer session. You also have plenty of time throughout the day to ask questions about the school.
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To make sure from now on to ask hotels how close they are to Amtrak railways. I think I slept about 3 hours max.
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The traffic going south on the 55 is still horrible in the morning. It took me almost an hour to get there from my house when it should only take 25 minutes. Of course, that is partially my fault since I left right in the middle of rush hour. (7:00am-8:00am)
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The traffic from LA was pretty bad in the morning. I should have left earlier.
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That the med center is so far away. That the student interview was going to be during lunch (I was completely taken by surprise when they came to get me as I was biting into my sandwich). That the day would be so long.
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That many people are done by 3:00, so I didn't need to get such a late flight (a lot of us went stand-by on earlier flights), and that the Statement of Legal Residence isn't really needed that day (but it's better if you have it ready)
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Glad I read up for those health care system questions.
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The med student that interviewed me was a little hard to read. I think she thought she had to be serious, because every time she seemd to start to enjoy herself, she realized she was smiling and quickly went back to having a straight face and asking tough questions. That is the only reason the stress level of this interview went up. She was about a 3, but the faculty interviewer was totally laid-back and couldn't have been any nicer. He was very enthusiastic and spent a lot of time telling me about the school and encouraging me to go there. We talked a lot about my volunteer experiences and my travels abroad.
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The tour was fine! I read some postings that the tour isn't worth it, but I think it's good to see where I might be spending the next 4 years. The day isn't any longer than any other interview day - 8 to 3.
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That the tour isn't worth going on, especially if you aren't a morning person (although students have class everyday at 8am!) Many of the interviews aren't at the medical campus but rather in Orange at the huge Medical Center there. You will need to take the shuttle. You can have the shuttle driver drop you off at John Wayne Airport after the interview so bring all your stuff with you. Also, at lunch they served these cookies that made people's mouths black. Stay away from those. I also wish I knew more about PRIME-LC beforehand. I think it's possible to apply even after you interview.
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The tour at 8 AM is optional and isn't really worth it.
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How much I would like the school and the area. So Cal is awesome.
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That it would rain that day. I wish I brought an umbrella. Friendly advice: keep an umbrella in your car. Also leave very early-the traffic on the 405 is awful in the morning.
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The optional early morning tour wasn't that beneficial. I would have rather slept in and taken a tour on my own a different day.
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That the interview is semi-open file...i said honestly how many schools i applied to but i could have lied b/c he didn't have the list of the schools that i applied to.
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Housing not guaranteed. School is actually close to the beach, not in the inland valley area. Tour is in the morning. Parking is not in Lot 81 as in the instructions!
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The interview process was so relaxed! no need to be nervous.
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Apparently a lot of people have at least one interview at the med center in Orange. So be prepared to do a little traveling on your interview day.
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Irvine is awesome! I didn't think i would like it, so I didn't prepare as well as I had for other interviews. Very close to the beach, too!
🤝 Campus and Facilities ▼
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
How would you rate the Location and Cultural Life?
0 = Low, 10 = High
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.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggest that the admissions office should improve communication by sending all interview-related information via email, ensuring a smooth and reliable process. Additionally, they recommend having more interview days to create smaller groups for a better experience and provide a schedule in advance to help applicants prepare.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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None, they were extremely kind and helpful.
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Phenomenal job! They did a good job of organizing all 40+ applicants, even on the first day of interviews. I have no complaints.
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Send e-mail interview invites to all applicants chosen to interview. There was a mix at my interview day. When you apply to a lot of schools it becomes a chore to have to check your status all the time. It was painful to get answers from financial aid and the woman I spoke with wasn't the friendliest person in the world.
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Do not put all the important information on the applicant website, as its often down for technical difficulties. Email out the address, time, etc... in the interview email
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They were amazing about almost everything. They did accidentally not send me an email about a pizza party dinner the night before however, so I missed a great opportunity to meet students.
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None. Gayle is awesome. She is really straight to the point, friendly and informative.
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Tour of hospital will be good!
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The admissions office is super friendly!
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Well organized day. I liked it!
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Email to tell me that I got an interview? If I didn't randomly check the website, I wouldntve known
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Be critical of who you have doing interviews. The students are interviewing the school as well and p
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Think critically of who you have do the interviews. Both my student and faculty interviewer was awfu
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More interview days so we dont walk around in a group of 30 students. Also would allow more flexibil
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There should be more interview days so that there are smaller groups at the interview.
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None. they were very helpful and friendly throughout. The process was straightforward
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Gayle is a life saver!
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None. Did amazing job making us all feel welcome and comfortable for interview day.
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Perhaps provide interview-day schedule before the day of interview.
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You guys are great! So friendly and supportive!
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I personally liked the atmosphere that was set during today's interview. Some people might not look
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I would have been much more impressed by a more polished interview day, where staff wore business ca
📍 Travel and Logistics ▼
Airports Used
✈️
SNA
57% interviewees used SNA (SNA), with 11% using John Wayne (John Wayne) and 7% using Orange County (Orange County) and 7% using LAX (LAX) and 7% using n/a (n/a) and 4% using LGB (LGB) and 4% using N/A (N/A) and 4% using Burbank and John Wayne (Burbank and John Wayne).
What was your primary mode of transportation?
Most interviewees traveled by automobile to the interview.
✈️
33% Airplane
🚗
63% Automobile
🚆
3% Train or Subway
🚲
1% Other
Hotels Recommended by Other Interviewees
Most interviewees stayed at the Ayres Hotel (average ranking 8.5/10), with some staying at Aryes Hotel and Suites (average rating 10/10). (Top 3 displayed)
🏨
Ayres Hotel
8.5/10
🏨
Aryes Hotel and Suites
10/10
🏨
Travelodge in Costa Mesa
8/10
What was the cost and time spent traveling?
Cost: Low Cost to High Cost
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents are in state students.
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either With students at the school or with students at the school.
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
Admissions staff (1%)
Faculty member (2%)
Other (1%)
Student (95%)
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
Discouraging (1%)
Enthusiastic (80%)
Neutral (19%)
All Responses
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| Application Cycle ▿ | Impression | Performance | Interview Location |
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