San Francisco, CA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
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Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 6% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a low stress level and felt they did well.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
SDN Interview Experience Score
8.7
Above Average
Higher scores indicate a smoother, more positive interview experience with professional staff, organized logistics, and a supportive environment.
Based on 454 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 average 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 (84%)
Negatively (5%)
No change (10%)
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
Great (23%)
Good (62%)
Average (14%)
Poor (1%)
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally found UCSF to be a great school with friendly people, offering diverse opportunities for research and clinical care. The interview day was well-organized, with interviews that were conversational and relaxed, providing a comprehensive view of the school and its community. Some applicants expressed concerns about the competitiveness among students and the financial challenges of living in San Francisco.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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It's a great school with cool people. There are lots of opportunities for research, community work, public health, clinical care, or whatever might interest you.
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The entire interview is genuinely conversational and meant to get to know you and your motivations. no crazy curveballs or ethics questions. really one of the most laidback and relaxed settings ever
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Great school overall! But vibes change year to year it seems so I hope that the incoming class is cool
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I love UCSF! The people here are what make me excited about the school--amazing faculty, amazing students.
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I found the students to be a very good resource. I particularly enjoyed attending the MS 2 pathology lab. The students were friendly and inclusive. Anecdotally, it seems like Dr. Wofsy's introductory remarks are quite uplifting. Such was not the case with Dr. Ohara. He's honesty was appreciated though I did not understand the point of some comments (like saying our acceptance could depend entirely upon who interviewed us that day / whether they liked us)... I don't think that was helpful at all.
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Awesome!
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When I applied to UCSF, I didn't really expect it to be one of my top choices. After interviewing there, I can honestly say that it is my #1 choice of medical school.
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Eehhh! This has always been my dream school, but for some reason it completely dropped the ball! Wow...so surprised!
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LOVED IT! Especially the library!
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This school is great!
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I didn't even consider UCSF before my interview (I thought that it was way out of my range) but now I think I'm leaning heavily towards UCSF as my top choice school! It's a great school, people there are nice (Nor Cal people seem nicer than So Cal people...), and I love the cool weather.
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We started at 8am with a brief overview of the day. Admissions then discussed our individual schedules for the day. The dean discussed different aspects of the school. By 10am, we were taken to a 1st year lecture. Afterwards we had lunch with 4th years, who didn't seem as welcoming as I would've liked. Afterwards we were given a campus tour. The interviews with a faculty member anda student followed. Interview times varied with each applicant. I got lucky and was done at 3:30 rather 5pm like the interview email said, although some students interviewed until the. Both interview were really cool. I enjoyed my convo with the faculty about my opinions about healthcare today. Also, my student interviewer was very down to earth and it was very conversational.
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PRIME applicant. Great school. No, excellent.
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This was my last interview of the season but also one of the best experiences I had. From the opening talk by Dean Wofsy to my last interview of the day, I thought the school did a great job of showing applicants many different aspects of UCSF. I audited a class, met with 3rd year and 1st year med students, and admired the view from the anatomy labs. My interviewers were a primary care doctor and a sub-specialist, so I felt like I got an idea of the range of opportunities for clinical practice too. The day was great and I sort of fell in love... bad idea...
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Wish we could have gone in the hospital during the tour!
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Interview day was great. No stress at all. Great school. Most affordable.
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This was the best/most comprehensive interview day I've been on so far, really got a good idea of the school and a warm welcome from students and faculty.
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The school seems to have very good people. The school excels in many areas of medicine.
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During the morning, we are given a very pleasant talk by Dean Wofsy. He definitely sets a positive tone for the interview day. Breakfast is included and is very nice (odwalla, fruit, bagels, granola). My first interviewer was very enthusiastic. I had a student for my 2nd interviewer and she was composed yet encouraging. Overall, the interview day should be fun!
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Arrived, met with other interviewees and had breakfast in library, then had a talk with Dean Wofsy, then financical aid talk, then satin on a class, then lunch, then two interviews. Very full day.
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I knew going into this interview the reputation of UCSF but was constantly reminded of it throughout the day. The students seemed really nice but I could definately tell that there is competitiveness between students. I was sick on my interview day and could not stop coughing during my interview which was a big distraction
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Met with dean, met with financial aid, met with more admissions peeps, had lunch, had tour, had interviews. The meetings in the morning were long but informative, the lunch was just time to hang out with other interviewees, and the tour was basically whatever we wanted to see. In the afternoon I met with my interviewers, one at the main campus and one across town. Both were relaxed and just wanted to get to know me. The second interviewer was interrupted three times by phone or knock, which was annoying, but they were both nice and genuine.
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The schedule is the usual introduction from the Dean, followed by a financial aid session, then lunch, and then a tour. Some interviewed early while others interviewed later. Those who interviewed later had to stick around all day before their interviews. The N-Judah is not to be trusted, but if you drive, expect to pay upwards of $20 for parking. The $6.50 lunch coupon is cutting it close and for some it was not enough for their sandwich and drink.
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I interviewed first with a student who was very friendly without a hint of arrogance or the like. We had a very conversational interview and there were plenty of opportunities for me to express what I wanted to about myself. My second interview was with a professor and she was also very pleasant. I found that as I explained my reasoning behind things she would question about my thought process and logic quite a bit. She seemed to be doing this both out of curiousity but also to gauge my thought process as well. In the end we talked a lot about literature and got into a nice conversation. She even drove me to BART so I wouldn't have to take the bus. =)
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My faculty interviewers were wonderful conversationalists. They both asked me to briefly introduce myself and derived follow-up questions from what I disclosed. One of my interviewers incessantly took notes as we talked whereas the other interviewer took no notes. I was entirely relaxed during both sessions.
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The med school is practically in a Hospital. The facilities are top notch in terms of technology, though they may not be as pretty as some of the Ivies.
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I love San Francisco and enjoyed visiting the city very much. It's hard not to be nervous before/during a med school interview, but the interview itself usually turns out to be more casual/relaxed than what I envisioned. So, be yourself and let yourself shine.
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I liked every minute.
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Started at 8am, the first 2 hours of info/finaid session was tough to stay awake through but at least you get food. the admissions ppl were very good, provided customized packets w/ maps and shuttle schedules to guide you to your interviews. pretty good lunch, then followed by a student tour. 2 interviews that can range anywhere from 1pm to 4:30pm.
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Great to see students thriving at UCSF...and to have a life that does not just revolve around lectures and books. Students appear to have time to pursue other medical/extracurricular interests. Great Associate Dean. As for the actual interview- wonderful student interview, challenging faculty interview.
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This seems like such a wonderful school. My first interviewer was so great and we had the best interview, but then my second interviewer seemed to be grilling me and made me feel like she had right and wrong answers in mind and damnit I better say the right one. Overall, the day was nicely planned and there were opportunities to observe classes and meet with various students.
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I would say it's really relaxing. One of my interviewer is student. She just wrote down what I talk, clarify the things... seem ok. The second one is a professor... We talked about my homeland mostly and my experiences there. Both of us know an oncologist at UCSF who happens to be my role model as well. Now my file rests to the panel.
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The interview starts at 8 (with continental breakfast), Dean Wofsy gives an intro talk (that is incredible and very sincere and informative), a talk by the financial aid staff, and then they hand out individual packets (9:30 ish). Unfortunately, school was out of session, so we couldn't sit in on a class. We had lunch at 11 am (only lunch I've been on that didn't have students at it - it was just the interviewees), a tour at 12, and most of us had interviews at 1 and 2:30 at different locations (like SF General Hospital) - they were great about getting us to our shuttles, and traveling was easy. The interviewees were by far the most diverse and intersting group of people I've seen at any interview. Would love to be classmates with them. Overall, great day. My two interviews were with faculty - one woman and one male, both physicians. Very laid back, and conversational.
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The closed interview can be good or bad. You need to keep up with the conversation, while also remembering to say everything that is not on your application that you want them to know. If they don't bring it up, you have to work it into the conversation without sounding too awkward. Some interviewers also say that if they forgot to ask something that you want to talk about, just tell them.
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My interview was very challenging on all accounts. My standard responses to questions were questioned. It turned out to be a very thought-provoking day.
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This school has been my number one for the start, and I would probably nearly die of sheer joy if I got accepted. I'm only exaggerating a tiny bit. Be optimistic, because they accept nearly half the people who interview. Sometimes interviewers let you know that you're a great candidate and will likely get in, but, perhaps because it was closed-file, these interviewers had poker faces so I really don't know what to expect. Anyway, if you interview on a clear sunny day, like I did, expect to melt when you see the views. Take some time to explore the fantastic city of SF afterwards, too.
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Met with 1 MD committee member - closed file, 1 MSTP student - closed file, 2 MSTP committee members - open file, 2 research faculty of my choosing - open file. Got some fine lunches at the cafeteria, a great tour, saw a cadaver, great dinner at a pub complements of the MSTP. A great experience all around!
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The interviews themselves were incredibly (and purposefully) relaxed and conversational. I had a prime opportunity to share myself outside of what I'd submitted on paper.
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More then I expected. Wasnt my first choice coming in, but was coming out.
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I LOVED UCSF. They were not my first choice but now have become number one for me. Really it is the environment that I truly love. Additionally, the curriculum seems phenomenal, and you can have clinical experience right away if you want it at some local clinics throughout the city. This has made me even more excited about medicine and the possibility to help others in some meaningful way. Oh, and they are starting a new program, the PRIME-US program which aims to prepare physicians to serve the urban underserved, which is something I would love to participate in.
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Really un organized.... lots of mistakes I was sent to the wrong place twice... didnt leave until 6:30 PM b/c of faults on the admissions team. They didnt impress me much...
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Fantastic! it's also cool that they outright say that thank yous are not necessary.
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Positive. Really sold me on the school.
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It's closed file, so be prepared for questions like
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Great---one of my first choices.
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Poker faces from the interviewers though both were friendly and conversational. Format is wide-open, you can really take it wherever you want.
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So incredibly mellow. I loved the physicians who interviewed me. They were people I could have a real conversation with, and I was very impressed by their candor and enthusiasm.
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The day was really well organized. Don't worry about having to go off-campus for an interview, the admissions office is really helpful in making sure you know your way to the interview and back. The interviews are very low stress, getting to know who you are is really emphasized as the main point of the interviews all day long. The students are amazing too, everyone was very approachable and interested in answering your questions.
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Decent interview experience - my first interviewer was coming off the floor and seemed a bit stressed, but that's understandable. First interviewer asked straight interview questions, the second (med student) was much more of a conversation. Advice to all applicants: DON'T just base your decision on "rankings" or a school's prestigiousness, unless you have absolutely nothing else on which to base your decision (in which case you might want to rethink your career choice). This school is top-notch, yet I talked to so many students who seemed to regret their decision to go there. It seemed like a lot were attending merely because of the school's reputation, and are now unhappy as a result.
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The students were super nice, I heard that the interviews at UCSF were grilling but I didn't get that at all. It was challenging but not off the wall crazy.
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Hmm... the interviews were pretty chill. As it was my first interview, it was hard to know what to expect. I was told by a previous member of the adcom that the interview weighs heavily on the decision process, yet both interviewers stressed the opposite -- that the interview is a small factor. You be the judge. Both interviewers came across as impartial questioners, but I felt more comfortable with the second interviewer, as he seemed to read me much better. We shall see.
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Very laid back and overall extremely impressive.
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Pretty much ideal. Transportation from the airport is a breeze. The city is incredible as are the facilities, the people, the research etc. Not a negative thing to say except that its quite a bit more pricey than the UW for me.
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Interviewers were friendly and open. Nothing too challenging was asked. Both interviewers wanted me to ask a lot of questions about the school. i would suggest knowing a lot about the curriculum .
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Very relaxed atmosphere, they try their best to make you feel at ease. both my interviewers were very amiable and gave the impression that they just truly wanted to get to know me as a person
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Pretty good. The school is definitely one of the best. You would definitely encounter a broad range of patients.
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The day was awesome. First breakfast (which reminded me that bagels are not readily available in SF) then an info session with the new dean, who is very friendly and straightforward, telling us everything about the admissions process in detail. Attended a cool lecture, had a delicious lunch during which a 4th year student answered questions, a tour and then interviews. My first interviewer was incredibly relaxed and interested in getting to know me. Even when he asked tough questions (like the tax law one, haha) he wasn't trying to trick me, just genuinely wanted to hear my opinions on things. Well maybe that one question was trying to gauge my knowledge of current politics which I of course miserably failed at, but in general he was the warmest most enthusiastic guy. My second interviewer fell asleep a couple times and didn't really ask me anything interesting. His lack of good questions made me into a pretty boring person so I'm not surprised he was falling asleep. Besides that one part, I had a great day and absolutely loved the school, as I predicted I would. If I get in then I am headed out west!!!
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The student interviewer was awesome and I really felt like it was a conversation. The faculty interviewer was good as well, but inherently is going to be more stressful. The staff at UCSF is awesome and really act like they care about the students and their well-being.
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Ran from 8-5pm. Interviews started in the afternoon. Both interviews were about an hour. The first interviewer just gave me the whole hour to ask questions about the school after giving a brief biosketch. The second interviewer asked some interesting questions such as the ones I posted.
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Basically the first day is the medical school interviews. We met as a group in the library with the Associate Dean, admissions staff, and a couple students. The Dean gave a great talk and let us introduce ourselves. Everything was very informal. Next a financial aid counselor talked to us and gave us information on average debt, scholarships, etc. He also was very nice and made me actually want to go to the financial aid office! Afterwards we left the library and attended a first year virology lecture. Then lunch with a 3rd year who was very nice and last a tour with a 2nd year. We got to see the awesome view from the anatomy lab (which impressed me despite living in SF for two years!). After that we went on to our respective interviews. Most people had two interviews- one with a student and one with a faculty member. All closed file. MSTP applicants met up at 5 for dinner with 2 first year MSTPs. Dinner was great and it was nice to spend time with the other two applicants and newly admitted students. For MSTP applicants there is a second day filled with more interviews, hurray! The second day consists of two interviews with MSTP committee members who are usually faculty researchers and two interviews with graduate faculty of interest. In between the two sets of interviews you have lunch with an MSTP student. The second day went smoothly, although long and tiring, and it was great to meet many faculty whose research I was interested in.
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I was a little nervous about the interviews since they were one of my first and I wasn't used to closed-file interviews. But you just have to decide beforehand what you want to focus on about yourself, and guide the conversation along.
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Encouraging and exciting.
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I came to the school expecting much snobbier and arrogant people, but they turned out to be generally friendly. Great curriculum and outstanding faculty. I was impressed to hear how nice the school tries to make the college-med school transition.
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UCSF was my top choice before I went in. The interview day only enhanced my view of the school. Great students, top notch location, and an overall enjoyable atmosphere
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This interview was for the Joint Medical Program for UC Berkeley-UCSF where you earn an MS and an MD in 5 years. I arrived at 8:15, received an orientation, and then received two faculty interviews. After lunch with a student, my day was over by 1:30. The interviewers were low key, and everone at the office was incredibly kind and helpful. If this sort of program and such a small class-size appeal to you, then it seems like a perfect setting.
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I arrived at 8 AM for a short orientatio, then off to my morning faculty interview. After that, I attended part of two classes, which was really awesome. The professors spent a lot of time discussing the patient side of medicine, psycho-social implications and the like. There was also a guest at one of the classes who discussed her experiences with in vitro fertilization. Then there was lunch and a tour. After that was the second interview, and I was done by 4 PM. This was the best interview day at what I now consider to be the best medical school I visited.
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The student interview was great, a real conversation; the interviewer seemed to really want to get to know me as a person. The faculty interviewer used more "formulaic" questions.
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Great school, left me with a good feeling. I was much more relaxed than I thought I would be. My interviewers were extremely interesting and informative.
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An excellent school with a great and well-deserved reputation. The actual interview day seemed somewhat clumsily put together, though, and I can't say I had a better idea of what UCSF was all about after my visit there.
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I had a fabulous time - See + and -
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Both my interviews were much more like extended conversations than question and answer sessions, so there weren't really that many specific questions. They both talked almost as much as I did. They were both extremely interested in my clinical experience abroad.
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UCSF is among the most amazing of the world's medical schools, and I would love to go there. It's a school on par--if not better than--other prestigious institutions such as Harvard and Johns Hopkins. I think the big selling point of UCSF is not only the schools amazing amazing research and clinical programs, but also its location.
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What an amazing school. i was pretty nervous but the interviewers try to put me at ease. lunch w/an upperclassman gives you an idea of the clinical years.
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The interviews are closed file and the only thing the interviewers know is your name, so there were a lot of "tell me about yourself" questions. The day was well-planned and the students were all really nice and seem to like UCSF a lot.
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Overall, I liked UCSF and its curriculum; just wish some of the faculty/students were more welcoming.
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Open interview, so a lot of the time was simply used up restating things alreaedy mentioned in my essay or application.
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This school is one of my top choices, but I am liking Stanford over UCSF by a large margin. UCSF doesn't offer much financial aid even though my family makes nothing and I really need the help. Stanford, however, is begging me to take their money. Also, Stanford has a very relaxed atmosphere compared to UCSF. UCSF has honors/P/F grades during the clinical years and outstanding/superior/excellent/good bucketing in the dean's letter while Stanford has no grades, ranking, or bucketing at all. The website www.stanford.edu/~ralphc was really helpful. UCSF has an amazing reputation but just too many financial issues and too stressful of an atmosphere for me to go there over the other amazing Bay area school, Stanford Med.
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Very pleasant and relaxed. The closed file nterview is interesting because you basically control what areas you will explore by the information you give. I think it is a good idea to have some thought to how you will present your application to someone who knows nothing about you. It is a very different format from other interviews.
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My first interview was with a peds doctor who was really mellow. He asked me to talk about my experiences and asked a few questions along the way, but it mostly felt conversational. Specifically, he asked about the events in my life that led up to me wanting to become a doctor, and if there was anything in my application that might come as a surprise to him. The interview ran about 40 minutes. The student interviewer was really nice and again, most of the interview felt like a conversation. She ask more detailed questions as I expanded on my experiences, rather than just saying something like, "oh, that sounds cool".
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The interview day was very relaxed, which I was very surprised about. All of the students I talked to seemed very happy at UCSF and thought that SF is a great place to live. The admissions staff really went out of their way to make sure the day went smoothly and to tell us all the great things that UCSF has to offer. I would definitely say that this was my best interview experience!
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Overall a pretty fanastic day, they do their best to make you feel comfortable even though they know that it's likely to be your first choice school.
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Both interviews were blind, so they both started out by asking me about myself. My faculty interivewer was laid back, and didn't ask too many specific questions. My student interviewer asked a lot more detailed questions based on what I brought up during my oral autobiography. Basically, be prepared to defend (with clear cut ideas or concrete examples) things that you say are important to you in life. For example, if you're interested in acadmic medicine - make sure you talk about past teaching/tutoring experiences. If you're into research - talk in detail about your past research and plans for future research projects. Or if you're interested in community health issues, you must back up your interests with tangible volunteer activities and clinical experience. UCSF students have varying interests in medicine, and they are encouraged in their search to find the niche of best fit. This school is definitely one of my top choices. It's a health-science professional school for self-motivated and extremely hardworking individuals. There isn't much intermingling between the different schools there (e.g. nursing school, dentistry school, etc). There was a lot of camaraderie; however, between the med students. Everyone of them said in no uncertain terms that being a UCSF med student is very hard. Some students were quite happy to be there, but most had mixed emotions. I guess everyone is comforted that being in UCSF guarantess an excellent medical education and your pick of outstanding residency programs afterwards. On a final note, tuition fees in CA for the next year will be increasing by about 40% (food for thought if you have to decide between as UC or a private school with lot of funding)
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Exciting, nervous wreck, glad it is over. The two month wait for a response afterwards is dreadful.
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Very relaxed. Since it is a blind interview you will have to tell your life story twice. Not one question was asked about my grades or MCAT during the interview. But the people are so intelligent and interested (or feign it very well) that the whole experience is very easy. The financial challenge of living in San Francisco is daunting; it is detailed in the Financial Aid presentation.
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The visit was a very positive experience. The atmosphere seemed communal in that there is no competition between classmates (it is truly pass/fail). The cirriculum is incredible...the have lecture+small groups+PBL. Its everything you want plus awesome elective choices.
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Interviews were very relaxed...everyone involved in the process (in the admissions office, tour guides, etc) was very nice. All were happy to answer any questions. One interviewer seemed to just emphasize research and clinical experience...liked the diversity of the class...overall a very positive experience...increased my desire to go there.
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UCSF is a pretty great school. The students all said that they loved it there and were very open to talking to you. After my first interview I sat in on a class and a nice student took me along with her to the problem session (which I recommend sitting in on). The views are amazing and you can't have a better reputation. If it weren't for the blind interviews and the sorta old facilities I would probably love the school even more.
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Everyone has different interview times during the day. there were only 3 of us interviewing that day. since me and another guy had the whole morning to kill we basically did our own tour and saw everything they showed us later on the tour. the faculty interview was VERY open-ended, which is not my favorite format because it is very easy to get TOO comfortable and get off track. you have to stay focused and remember that you're still in an interview. the student interview was actually more challenging because she asked me to elaborate more on everything. a 4th year student told us how our applications are processed. basically, if both interviewers really like you, you're in. if they're not sure, they discuss your file with the committee, and then each of the 10 members that day votes on you on a scale of 1-10. they determine a certain cut-off number, and whoever gets a score above it is in, everyone below is on the wait-list in order of their score. it was nice of him to tell us so that we finally have some idea of the mysterious admissions process. overall a pretty standard interview.
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I love the school even more after the visit.
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Great! It made me want to go to UCSF even more.
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Since the interview was closed-file. the interviewers took a lot of notes on what I said, which makes me nervous. one of my interviewer had to answer a phone call while interviewing me. however, both interviewers were very friendly, approachable, and conversational.
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My first interviewer grilled me about research and challenged many of the points that I made. The second interview with a student was much more relaxed and I also got to ask a lot of questions about student life, community service programs, etc.
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UCSF is a great school for us Cali applicants. I think the only people who may not like it are those that want a campus-type feel. B/c UCSF is only a graduate school, it doesn't have that atmosphere. It has so many opportunities and the new curriculum seems great.
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The Admission Office staff was very friendly. Pointed out exactly where we needed to be for our interviews. The reason that I said the interview impressed me: "no change" was because I was already impressed with the school, and if I were any more impressed, I would be obsessed.
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I absolutely loved everything about UCSF. I wondered what all the fuss was about, and now I know.
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One interview with an M.D., one with a Ph.D. Both pretty free-form interviews, not much directed questioning from the interviewers.
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UCSF is a great school. The students all seem really happy to be there (as it was most of their first choices) and eager to provide advice. The school is totally a health sciences campus and you really feel like you are part of a larger medical community. I was much more stressed for this interview than others as it is my first choice. The interviews were very conversational although it was a little wierd that they knew nothing about me. I told my interviewers that UCSF was my first choice and I would attend unless something happened in my life that I could not predict(a good caveat, since then it isn't breaking my word if I don't go). I actually thought the interview had gone poorly, but I got in less than a month after my interview (by snal mail). So you really never know. Just be relaxed, conversational, and be yourself. I also think answering questions by recalling past experiences (e.g., why do you want to go to medical school? and answering it with concrete experiences in your life) is a good way to let an interviewer know what you've done that makes you "special."
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I had a good time at the school. The interviewers were very amiable and asked nothing I was unprepared for.
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This was an interview for the UCBerkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program. The day started out with a short one-on-one briefing about the new curriculum (this was not an interview), then I met with a 5th-year student to interview. This was completely relaxed and conversational. I was then able to talk with 1st years in the computer room about the curriculum and then I went out to lunch with a 2nd year student. In the afternoon I had an interview with a faculty member which was also very comfortable and conversational. Lastly, I was able to sit in on a class before I left.
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My interviewers were both very nice. One interviewer gave me a chance to bring up anything else we hadn't talked about towards the end of the interview, which was a nice. I had to take a shuttle to another hospital a ways away, which was annoying, but it was fine.
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Everyone (from the interviewers to the student tour guide to the admissions office) was extremely positive, open to questions, and the enthusiasm seemed quite geniune.
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Look at the impressed section - it was a great relaxing couple days. the first day was 2 med school interviews - both were really chill. the are CLOSED(blind) interviews - while your mstp are not. basicaly you have to reconstruct yourself as an applicant since they don't know anything aobut you - and also come across as a good person etc... its a good thing. there are 4 mstp interviews - 2 committee members and 2 faculty. committee is of course the most important. they interview 60-70, and accept 12 outright, and 12 on the waitlist. there only main competitors for the program are cornell/tri-institutional, harvard and hopkins. so its pretty tight. happy people.
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I was a bit apprehensive that my first interview was at my top-choice school. However, the incredibly friendly people(esp Deborah)in the admissions office put me at ease. The relaxed feeling continued with the first interviewer who expressed a great deal of interest in my life, my goals, and my botany degree. We talked more about organic gardening and heirloom tomato varities than about health care issues-for which I was glad. The student interviewer was a bit more forceful in his examination of my credentials. But again, this was a closed file interview so it was more of a conversation
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UCSF was by far the most impressive school that I visited. I may be a bit biased, for I have been wanting to attend UCSF for years. The interviews were very low stress. They truly want to get an honest depiction of your character, your motives, your ambition, and a sense of who you are outside of the classroom. I think they give great priority to those with interesting life experiences and seem to admit a great amount of non-traditional applicants. My interviews went for 80 min and 85 min. At times they felt like conversations that I would have with someone that I met on the train or something, while other times they were more rigid and formulated. I had a faculty interviewer (a pediatrician) and a MS-II interviewer. I left there feeling that I 'clicked' with both of them and was very pleased to be informed (17 weeks later!!!) that I was accepted.
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1 interview with a 2nd year student at the school, the second interviewer was with a member of the clinical faculty at SFGH.
💬 Interview Process ▼
Length, number, and type of interviews
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Length:
51 Minutes Average
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Number:
2.1 Interviews Average
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Interview Type (Interaction):
100% One-on-One
0% Group Interview
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File Type:
4% Open-File
96% Closed-File
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Interview Modality:
100% Virtual
0% In-Person
UCSF-SOM-COMP interviews are an average of 51 minutes, with an average of 2.1 interviews. 100% of interviews are one-on-one, 0% are in-person, and 96% are closed-file.
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include inquiries about how applicants unwind, handling conflicts, background information, GPA and MCAT scores, motivations for pursuing medicine, family background, involvement in extracurricular activities, and views on healthcare challenges. Some respondents mentioned encountering detailed questioning in MMI format interviews, possibly under a nondisclosure agreement, focusing on personal experiences and reasons for choosing medicine.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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What do you do to unwind?
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Tell me about a conflict you faced and how you reacted to it.
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Tell me about yourself (both)
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Why medicine?
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Background questions, including what High School I went to and my parent's education level / occupation.
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What is your GPA and MCAT score?
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Tell me about yourself?
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Tell me about yourself. (by both interviewers)
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What do you do for fun (non academic please!)
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Tell me about yourself
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My first interview was the most stressfull of my entire application cycle. This suprised me since most interviewees/past student said that their interviews were chill. The guy was a PhD and kept questioning/commenting on almost every sentence that left my mouth. Don'e get me wrong, he was super nice, but just wanted to delve into detail about everying phrase that came out of my mouth. His questions were basic: Tell me about yourself? Why medicine? What experiences have led you here? By the end of the interview, he said he hopes to see me at UCSF which was nice, but man did he stress me out. If you get someone like this, remain calm, and clearly think and talk through your answers. In the end, I actually liked the interview because it made me deeply think about why I was going into medicine.
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Tell me about yourself. Tell me about your family. Tell me about your immigration. Why did you choose to go into medicine? You mentioned X activity... how did that inspire you to pursue medicine? Tell me about your involvement with dance.
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Tell me about yourself/your family? What does your parents/siblings do?
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Tell me about yourself and how you got here.
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Since they were closed file interviews, I spent a lot of time providing a brief background about myself and my interests and path to medicine
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Tell me about yourself.
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Asked about MCAT scores
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Implementation of universal coverage will probably lower physician pay, how do you feel about that?
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Explain your involvement in research
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How was you volunteer experience in ______?
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If you could change one thing about the state of healthcare in America, what would it be?
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When did you decide to enter medicine?
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Why UCSF?
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How did this experience convince you that you wanted to be a doctor?
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Tell me about yourself...
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Tell me about myself.
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Why do you like to help people?
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So tell me about yourself, where you grew up, what school you went to, what your parents do, etc
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Closed file so a lot of background information.
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What do you expect will be the most challenging aspect of the program for you?
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Tell me about yourself...where you grew up...your school...
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What are some personal qualities that you would like to work on while you are in medical school?
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Could you summarize who you are in about five bullet points?
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Tell me about yourself....
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All things from my AMCAS and activities that came up in the conversations.
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What's wrong with health care today? What would you do to fix it?
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Research questions.
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See above.
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My research
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What type of medicine are you interested in?
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Why medicine
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Tell me about how you decided to go into medicine.
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What is one thing you would like to change about yourself?
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What do yuo think an IRB is for?
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If not medicine, what profession would you take?
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Tell me about your research, or tell be about your project in the _____ lab.
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How do you think UCSF fits you?
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Why do you feel you'd fit in here?
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When did you first start wanting to be a doctor and why?
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We just talked about my life experiences. The first interviewer focused on my international travel and volunteer experiences; the second did not focus on any one area of my life.
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Tell me about your path to medicine.
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What was the most important thing you learned as an undergraduate student?
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What have you heard about San Fran? What do you look for in a med school?
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Tell me about yourself. (Every other subsequent question was built upon this on. As I mentioned above, before going to the UCSF interview, or any closed-file interview for that matter, know how to answer the following question: TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF. There is a 99% chance that you will be asked this, because all the interviewer knows about you is your name. So you have to develop a portrait of who you are, what your accomplishments have been, why you will be a compassionate doctor, and why UCSF should take you.)
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What are going to be the biggest problems in medicine in the future?
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Tell me about yourself. (take advantage of this question cuz you can kinda control what you do and do not want to share about yourself to the interviewer)
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Which classes whee your favorite in High school and College?
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Will there be any surprises when I finally get to read your application?
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Why do you think you will be a good doctor?
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What clinical experiences have you had? (be specific)
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What should I know about you?
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How did you decide you wanted to be a physician?
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Why UCSF, Why medicine?
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Tell me about your family
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Tell me about your experiences in Latin America.
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Tell me about yourself (Both interviewers started off this way)
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How does your family feel about your decision to return to school to become a doctor? (I am a non-trad app.)
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What do you see as a health care problem of the future?
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What do you do in your free time?
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Most questions other than the ones I listed above generated themselves naturally through the conversation.
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Why UCSF? Why medicine?
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Why medicine over other health-related professions?
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Tell me about yourself--where you grew up, where you went to school, etc.
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What is your greatest strength? what is your greatest weakness? give me an example...
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"Tell me about yourself"
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What led you to pursue medicine?
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Why do you want to come to UCSF?
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at University of California San Francisco School of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, including barriers to improving medicine, fears about entering the field, importance of healthcare aspects, and opinions on medical care systems. The interviews varied from free-flowing discussions on personal experiences to specific inquiries about healthcare disparities, ethical dilemmas, and the role of physicians in society, with some encounters focusing on public health, travel experiences, and personal qualities.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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What barriers do you see that would hinder you from improving medicine?
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Nothing, really
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Do you have any fears about going into medicine?
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No question stood up, but the conversation stayed interesting throughout. I might be biased, though. After all, who does not enjoy talking about themselves?
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How did you like Vietnam (talking about travels)
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Nothing really stood out, our conversation was mostly about my life story and its relation to pursuing a medical career.
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Tell me about the best prank you were ever involved with? (going with the flow of the conversation...also by the good interviewer)
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What do you think is the most important aspect of healthcare these coming years?
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Why medicine?
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Specific questions about public health and health education. (I lead him to these tpoics so dont worry if it is not your forte)
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How do you feel about healthcare today? Your solution?
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Interviewer: "Tell me about what think of ____." Me: "(answer)... as long as it's not like House. It's just not realistic." Interviewer: "Yeah, also he's just... rude." Me: "No, he's a jerk. I would hate working with him, and having him as a doctor." Interview: (laughs) (10 minutes on House and everything wrong with it).
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I had a very interesting discussion about performance measurement with interviewer #1. With interviewer #2, I had an interesting discussion about his area of interest, sexual dysfunction.
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We were talking about Medicaid/Medicare, then interviewer asked me what I thought the answer to healthcare disparities was. Discussion about universal healthcare and rationing followed.
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None
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What would you change about the current medical care system?
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Do you think that there are less "arrogant" doctors these days because of the increased diversity of med school classes?
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Closed file interview, so the questions flowed from my answers. Both began by asking where I went to school, what I studied, why and when/if I graduated.
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At this moment, what is your favorite memory?
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How can we justify spending money and research time on diseases of aging when there are sick children suffering? (I'm interested in geriatrics...)
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Who is your favorite Giant's player (I really like the giants but choked during this question)
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What difficulties will you face as a physician? (closed file = many getting to know you Q's)
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Where else have you been interviewed? Did you send your applications early, in the middle or right before deadlines?
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Give an example of someone who was very difficult to deal with and how did you resolve the situation?
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Questions were largely based on what information I gave - a sort of free association type interview - so it's hard to choose one.
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Describe how religion and faith groups operate in a socialist country like China. (I was in China for a year)
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Why do you feel that medical treatment is necessary before surgical treatment?
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What is the meaning of a ''balanced life''?
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What can I say to defend your weakest point in your application?
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Do you think coming from a family of physicians gives you an advantage over those who haven't?
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Pretty standard questions
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If you were walking on the beach one day, and a genie in a bottle popped out and offered you one wish for improving health care, what would it be?
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Nothing in general.... Some research.. about using virus in inducing a gene.
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Why do you like to help people?
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Where have you traveled to?
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How would you deal with the political situation in Country X?
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Name your best and worse qualities.
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How would you design an experiment to reveal with absolute certainty that so and so does such and such...
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Part of the conversation delved into my high school life
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It was a free-flowing conversation so there weren't many direct prepared questions asked of me... we just talked, VERY laid back.
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Nothing really, closed File, so just talking about myself alot
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Tell me about your research in history.
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Is that fact that a patient like their physician more important than having a physician that provides quality care? (In the context of malpractice).
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Lots of questions about homelessness policy (which is something I'm very interested in)
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Do you believe Western medicine can have bad effects on a nonwestern culture?
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What type of advocacy do you see yourself doing?
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Regarding my love of the outdoors. Nothing spectacularly strange. *note: stress level above was due to joy in being invited to interview, not due to anything anyone did.
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Since the interviews were closed file, the most interesting and most difficult questions were follow-ups on things I brought up.
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How is your family important to you?
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What is the biggest risk I have ever taken?
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High school life questions -- wasn't prepared for that, quite a long time ago. :) Also, what other classes have you taken outside your majors that were interesting, and why?
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How would you remedy the declining state of healthcare.
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It was more of a discussion than a questioning session. They asked me about my hopes and dreams.
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Whose personality to you take after more, your mother or father?
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Since the interview was closed file the interviewers just really wanted to get to know you as an applicant and a person...questions like "why medicine" etc
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Had to do with an abortion scenario
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Do you cry?
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Questions about my high school career
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How do you compare how a jazz improv band works to how a physician works?
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How do you explain the way you described the Japanese educational system (not very strict, kids who skipped class) with the high performance of Japanese students compared to American students? (I lived in Japan and taught English there for one year)
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Where does this desire for public/community service come from?
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How would your friends describe you?
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How effective was Castro's health care on the health of the average person in Cuba? (I mentioned I had traveled there a few years ago)
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Why do you want to pursue a masters as well as an MD?
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What are your favorite books/movies and why?
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Nothing out of the ordinary
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Where were you on 9/11?
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If you, in the future, had a patient who wanted to follow an ethically controversial medical procedure that you didn't believe was ethically permissible, and the patient had no recourse at all but to go to you, would you refuse to recommend that procedure to your patient? Basically, would you force your own ethical code onto your patients? (Question was a follow-up to a response where I unwisely delved into the discussion of medical ethics.)
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Nothing too unusual or hard
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What do you think has gotten you to this point (med school)?
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What is one joy and one frustration that you find in research?
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Did you see the T-mobile SF bike race?
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Given the current discussion about how primary care isnt working and people are dissatisfied, how does that affect your desire to enter the field.
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Nothing out of the ordinary.
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What is one of the most critical issues in medicine and health care today in America?
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What would people say at your retirement party?
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No unusual questions
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How do you think we could provide healthcare for the millions of people who don't have access to it?
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What exactly are you looking for in a med school?
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What scares you the most about going into med school?
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Why do you think you were the first person in your family to go to college?
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Could I manage to leave my family behind?
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What type of patient do you think you would be able to help the most?
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Nothing really, since the interview is blind you spend an awful lot of time talking about things like where you went for undergrad, what you do now, etc.
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How much do you think politics is involved in medicine?
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What do you think about Bush's plan to cap medical malpractice?
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What are some negative sides to medicine for you?
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What areas of medicine are you interested in?
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What do you think about the current political situation in the US?
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What religion is your father? Does he practise it?
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What was the lab book you read? What was the last restaurant you went to? (I had talked about eating as a hobby).
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What was the most important thing that I wanted the admissions committee to see from my application?
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Talk about your senior research project.
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Is it a waste of resources to trains physicians who then go into just research?
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Most of the questions were very typical. What do you think is your most positive quality? Have you done any research? Tell me about those experiences. I was asked what I thought about the ending of a book, but I brought up that book in the conversation. My faculty interviewer was great, seemed more intent on convincing me to enter his branch of medicine than on evaluating me, and was very frank and down to earth about the stats of getting in (I guess about 1/2 of interviewees get in). At times I tried to interject information about myself but he rolled over me and kept talking!
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Talk about your current job.
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Do you think the government should pay for health care for those who don't have it?
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What are your fears about medical school?
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If you could step back from your study - where do you see it in a larger framework - what would you have done differntly, what are your future plans.
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Tell me about composting
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You seem to recognize that the career of a physician is a stressful one. How then should physicians relieve their stress?
How did you prepare for the interview?
Applicants commonly prepared for the interview by conducting mock interviews, reading the school's website, reviewing their application materials, and practicing responses to common questions. Suggestions included reflecting on personal motivations for medicine, researching the school's curriculum, and being prepared to discuss their story effectively during the closed-file interview.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Mock interviews, read up on the school and programs offered
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SDN, read the website, stayed with a student host
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Really thought about the usual questions, "Why medicine? Why UCSF?" as well as, "Tell me about yourself."
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Looked up recent changes to the school curriculum; specific programs / fellowships i would be interesting in doing at this school; read the AMCAS app (wish I had read it again the day before the interview);
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Mock interviews at the career center & with friends, researched the school, prepared responses and questions to ask
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See previous interview prep
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Relaxed, read over some research stuff, practiced for a good answer to the question "tell me about yourself?"
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Calm my self, review old apps
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SDN, school website, secondary, primary
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SDN, AMCAS, getting to know myself. In hindsight, I would really reccomend practicing a way to get "your story" out the the admissions committee. They don;t want a cookie cutter applicant, but someone who has PASSION in whatever it is they do.
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SDN, talking to med student hosts that I stayed with, attending an elective the day before.
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Reread apps, SDN
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Closed file, so no prep necessary. Depending on how you guide the conversation, you could be putting yourself in the corner, or bashing on House. =) Just be yourself, be honest.
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Just relaxed, read up on SDN/school website, talked to students I know who go there
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Read about school, read interview feedback, read Bodenheimer's "Understanding Health Policy"
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SDN, school website
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Because it was closed file, I retraced my steps from HS to interview day, reminding myself how I got from there to here (I've been out of school for a while). Reread my primary/secondary application materials.
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SDN, school website, earlier interviews, read the news
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SDN, personal reflection
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SDN internet feedback, school website, mock interviews
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Read the school's website, went over AMCAS, talked to current students
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SDN, mock interview, reviewed AMCAS app, school website, talked to students
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Re-read primary application Visited this website.
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Previous interviews, Mock interviews, Read interview guides, Relaxed, Exercised,
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Research on the website, SDN, reviewed my application
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Wrote out responses to FAQs, mock interview with friends, ate breakfast
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Read website, talked to student host
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SDN interview feedbacks, my AMCAS, mock interview, thinking about why I want to become a doctor
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My file, sdn
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The usual
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SDN, review personal statements and UCSF website
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Read the school's website, read this website, practiced most commonly asked questions.
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SDN, Make prompts about myself, what i want them to know...
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Read UCSF website, interviewed elsewhere
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Read the feedback here, practice interview, read about the school on its website, reviewed my application.
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SDN, website, and students
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SDN
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Read research papers by my interviewers, read the UCSF website, thought about the meaning of life
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The usual cocktail: SDN, health care and ethics reading, VOTING, previous interviews, reviewing my app, etc.
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Prepared by reading SDN, contacting my student host about what to expect, and reading some prototypical interview questions. I was very serious but not very nervous.
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Didnt, I prepped for Vandy
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SDN, school website, reviewed amcas, spoke with current students
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The usual.
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Looked up past interview questions.
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Studentdoctor.com, read over apps, research papers etc, school website
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Practiced "telling my story". Since it's closed file, there's not much point prepping for questions on your app. instead it's about figuring what the five most important things you want to convey about yourself are.
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Nothing out of my daily routine. Was myself. Listen to NPR, read newspapers, stay interested and think about subjects pertinent to medicine, since it's my responsibility as a future physician to know about these things, in my opinion.
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Mock interview, looked at website, SDN feedback
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Thought about my own profile, and the reasons why I want to become a doctor. Didn't memorize answers to questions - this probably helped since it was a closed-file interview and both interviewers seemed bent on keeping it casual (and keeping me off-balance, in a way).
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I didn't
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Made lots of notes, prepped myself heavily, mock interviews. This was my first interview of 5 scheduled, and my anticipated top choice, so I wanted to make sure I was extra ready. Of course, I promptly forgot all of my talking points, but I still felt practicing was useful, just to get an approach style.
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Reviewed AMCAS app. and browsed their web site.
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SDN, school website, reviewed my own file so I could best explain it to them.
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Read SDN, mock interview, read newspaper about current medical news, read school website, talked to current students
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Read their website, SDN
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Read about school. SDN. Asked my host some questions
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SD.net, school's website, read my AMCAS application
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Read everything I could about the school and did some thinking on how I wanted to best present myself in a blind interview. Made a list of what I wanted to make sure the interviewer knew about me before I left.
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Studied the website, read SDN, talked to friends at the school (MSI)
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Read the school's website
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Read personal statement and research statement. Mock interview with career counselor. Thought about responses to common questions and wrote down key points.
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Read about the school, reviewed my primary and secondary application, major current health issues.
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School's website, online list of questions
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Reviewed school website.
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Reheared my opening statement. Since it is closed file, they are bound to say at some point early in the interview, "So tell me about yourself"
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SDN, Joint Medical Program website
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SDN website, spoke with friends at the school, forced friends to mock interview me (since this was my first interview)
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Sdn, school website, came up with a few talking points i wanted to cover
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Read sd.net, browsed the UCSF website, prepared questions to ask my interviewers.
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Website, my app
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Application, school's website, this site
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Read the school's website the night before.
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I read through my application and the UCSF website. Before going to the UCSF interview, or any closed-file interview for that matter, know how to answer the following question: TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF. There is a 99% chance that you will be asked this, because all the interviewer knows about you is your name. So you have to develop a portrait of who you are, what your accomplishments have been, why you will be a compassionate doctor, and why UCSF should take you.
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Read ucsf website, read packet from the admissions office, sdn.
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Read the UCSF website, studentdoctor.net, read up on healthcare.
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Talked to friends who went to UCSF or already interviewed there; SDN; UCSF website
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SDN, and read over my application
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Reviewed this site, read my app materials, and read UCSF site.
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Review AMCAS, UCSF website, talked to friends at UCSF, drove up the day before to look around and go to lectures
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Sdn, read the local newspaper, reread my application
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SDN, mock interviews with docs and friends, NYT Health, read over application,...
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I re-read my application, but I probably should have spent a little more time reviewing it, since one of my interviewers wanted to know everything on it.
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SDN website, MSAR, talked to current students, and tried to get a good night's sleep (easier said than done)
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UCSF website studentdoctor.net interview feedback CNN key word- doctor under the knife
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Did not.
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This website and looking up stuff about the school on the internet. Be ready to talk about yourself. The interview is close-filed so they know nothing about you. You have opportunity to say WHATEVER you want.
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SDN, CNN Health, NYtimes Health
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SDN, look at UCSF website
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Interview feedback, talked to others that had interviewed there
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Read SDN, UCSF website, mock interviews.
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Read this website and UCSF website
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On-camera practice interview, read cnn/health keyword search "Doctor Under Knife", read medical ethics, review applications.
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Read SDN, went over my application.
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Read this site, talked to friends who are students there
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I read over interview feedback, read over school website, practiced some answers on my roommates. Practiced answers to myself as I was walking to class, taking a shower, etc.
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Reviewed application, personal statement, and website
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Checked the pre-requisite classes.
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I tend not to prepare much for interviews. I feel like what I rehearse is never what I end up saying. Since it is closed file, I just came prepared to be honest and forthright.
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Read this website, browsed through their website.
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I spoke with a few UCSF students, read extensively about the school from its website, re-read my AMCAS application, checked out this website, and did a practice interview with a friend. I think it was especially helpful to gain a good understanding of the recent curriculum changes, which are listed on the school's website.
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Review my AMCAS application...the interview is closed-file however...so they don't know anything about you.
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Read all about the JMP--the info they sent me, the website, spoke with a graduate of the program, practiced responses to various questions I thought they might ask.
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Read over my application.
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Reviewed my ACMAS application & some of my essays, reviewed a list of potential interview questions from essayedge.com, formulated a list of questions to ask the interviewers
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Go to 7 previous interviews.
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Gleaned the website, looked over my application
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By that time I had been on a few interviews and felt pretty confident about answering any generic medical school interview questions. I did spend some time thinking about my reasons for 'why ucsf'. Mainly, I ate a good breakfast, did some relaxation exercises, and affirmed to myself that if they are interviewing me they think highly of me. Just tell yourself to be yourself. You will do fine.
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Read over my UC application, AMCAS, and looked at the school's website.
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at University of California San Francisco School of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, but commonly mentioned questions about healthcare disparities, ethics scenarios, and personal motivations for pursuing medicine. Some respondents referred to their interviews as MMI format, indicating multiple mini interview style with possible nondisclosure agreements in place.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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What barriers do you see that would hinder you from improving medicine?
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Nothing, really
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Can't really decide... both interviews were very conversational.
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About the health care system in my native country (it has changed quite a bit since I left).
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What is the future of healthcare? I didn't know how to really answer this question gracefully although I should have.
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A question about research - only difficult because I was hoping to focus on other activities I was involved with at the time.
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My first interviewer was evil, completely unprofessional, disrespectful, and asked me questions that were illegal. He asked me questions such as: "How do your religious views affect your outlook on science/decision making process?". Then the conversation moved into Christianity vs. evolution at which point he gave a monologue about his opinions and his problems with fundamental Christianity. Then he asked me about how I would deal with a patient who wanted an abortion, and then disagreed with my answer saying that there's a dichotomy since my opinion and morals go against the patient's preference. Then he went on to give a bad analogy to compare to the abortion example. Lastly, he asked me why I chose to be involved with a christian club during my undergraduate years.
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What is your view on euthanasia? (he said it differently, but this was essentially the question)
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None
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Pretty much every question my first interviewer asked lol.
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With the current problems with healthcare, how would you come about solving it?
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Nothing Difficult
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Tell me about how you could foresee yourself changing for the worst during medical school, and what would cause you to change?
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Do you have any questions for me? (This was difficult only because it was the end of the day and I'd been asking questions the whole time!)
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Discussing healthcare disparities and how to fix them. (no right/wrong answer)
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None were particularly difficult.
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What will you do to make sure you dont become an arrogant doctor?
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What challenges do you foresee as a physician?
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See above
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What do you think about funding for abusive men to get counseling instead of abused women
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Same
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What did you learn from your illness?
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Nothing too challenging. They want very in depth answers for the significant questions though, so don't be surprised if they keep asking you ''Why medicine?''
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What do you think of certain religious factions and their antagonism toward scientific discovery? (e.g. stem cells)
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Really, why do you want to become a doctor? The interviewer didn't seem to be satisfied by my answer so he kept digging for further information like if my parents were physicians and if I had any traumatic life experience related to medicine.
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Why did you get involved in this activity? why did you really?
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See negative impression comments
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Is health care a right or a priveledge--if priveledge, what sort of model would you put in place to provide care to everyone? What do you love?
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Nothing difficult... about my life in general...
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Why do you want to be a doctor? (this was the 9th interview, i've never had problems with this one, until this time!)
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After everything you've been through, what would you tell someone that you have leanrned from your experiences in life?
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Standard questions, why do you want to be a doctor...no really why?
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Use 3 words to describe yourself.
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Same as above
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Ethics scenario--although it was preceded by a generous disclaimer
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How did I connnect two things from my youth to know I wanted to be a doctor
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Why do you think teen pregnancy rates are so high? (related to my work)
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Have we been too successful in recruiting women into the medical field? Should the incoming class be 50-50 men/women no matter how many women apply?
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If you couldn't go into medicine, what would you into? Why San Francisco, would you have a support network here being from the East Coast?
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How will you manage med school with your family responsibilities?
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No difficult questions. It's closed file, which is like improvisational music- you start talking and they'll fill in your blanks. If you're comfortable with yourself and your life experience, you'll have no problem.
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Nothing very "difficult", the interviewers are just trying to get to know you and get a sense of who you are.
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What would you do if asked to perform a procedure with which you disagreed for non-medical reasons?
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Describe your most favorite book.
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Given you have been trained for a PhD, haven't you invested a lot of resources for what you are now relegating to an avocation? What do you feel your responsibilities are to the institution and state that trained you? How do you feel about repaying your debt to society for being trained here?
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Tell me about yourself. (Since it's closed file I had trouble deciding where to start)
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None- they just got to know you
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If you didn't get into med school, what would you do?
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Just a conversation to get to know you better
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None stand out
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What do you think of the new tax law? (I had no idea about this new law - was informed that it had to do with tax on mortgage payments)
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What do you think an IRB is for?
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How do you feel about silence?
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If you had to drop the MD or PhD, which one would you give up? Do you know how old you will be when you graduate? When you get your first job?
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Nothing was too difficult.
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How can you say you want to go into medicine without having any experience working in a hospital?
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None really.
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How to address the issues of corruption in Honduras (I volunteered there)
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Is it possible to change the US medical system (considering the citizens' attitudes toward money dedicated toward providing a greater safety net, etc)?
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How do we improve access to health care in the US?
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Why will you make a good doctor?
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What do you think the role of religion should be in medicine?
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If you had one question you could ask President Bush, what would it be?
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None, most were pretty ordinary
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Nothing at all difficult. Just a lot of personal questions.
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Nothing too difficult.
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What specific actions/efforts would you take to address this critical issue in American health care?
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No really difficult quesitons... just general ones asking about your application.
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If you had to choose a career outside medicine, what would it be?
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Do you think we should provide healthcare for illegal immigrants?
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You talk about wanting to serve the medically indigent, what concrete experieneces have you had with that so far?
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No real difficult questions. Mainly based on what you talk about.
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What do you like about the culture of medicine?
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None (and I'm not kidding).
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What type of patient do you think you would be able to help the most?
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What do you want me to tell the admissions board? (both interviewers asked me this)
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How would a friend describe you?
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What do you think about the number of uninsured American who needs health care or emergency care?
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The faculty interviewer asked a lot of questions about my research.
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Who are your role models? Who are your role models in medicine?
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I had said that I wanted to some international medicine. So the interviewer asked me "What kind of conflicts do you foresee bt your Western medical standards and morals and the beliefs of the places you want to practice."
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None of the questions were difficult. Most of them stemmed from the basic flow of conversation.
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When did you decide you wanted to be a doctor?
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What do you think about the state of modern health care. Tell me about the positive and negative aspects.
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I was asked "Why medicine?". I dislike that question because it is so broad, hard to answer without sounding cheesy, and it was asked in a closed file interview so the interviewer didnt know anything about me before and I had to explain everything.
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How would you solve some of the problems with our health care system?
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What is the difference between medical futility and simply focusing on the quality of life during end-of-life care?
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No difficult questions: mostly open-ended, conversational, getting-to-know-you questions
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What do think think about smokers needing more antibiotics than the average person and thus contributing to antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria?
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How would your best friend describe you? If you were given 1 million dollars how would you change the health care industry?
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None! The interviews were both very conversational.
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the supportive and kind faculty, the welcoming and laid-back atmosphere of the school, the emphasis on community and social justice, the enthusiasm and happiness of students, the amazing views of the city from campus buildings, the transparency of the admissions process, and the opportunities available for research and community service. Suggestions for improvement were minimal, with most feedback focused on the positive aspects of the school, its location, and the overall experience during the interview day.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Faculty interviewer was really supportive and kind, students seemed chill and laid back
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Even as a top research school, ucsf is VERY community-oriented and for social justice advocacy
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Super justice-oriented school, seems genuinely invested in activism
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The faculty here are AMAZING
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The interviewers interested in the details of my background, with less focus on my academic accomplishment. Seemed like they really wanted to get to know "the road traveled".
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The down-to-earthness of everyone I met there (including the Dean)
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Dr. Wofsy gave an incredible talk to us at the beginning of the day. The students seemed very happy and I was impressed by the range of opportunities available at the school.
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The students. It was also one of the rare days in SF with great weather!
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How excited the students were to talk to us
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This is the first interview where I felt like things just clicked. This school is totally amazing and sooo unpretentious which i really appreciate. The students seem to get a quality education and still have time to have a life outside of school. San Francisco is great and it would be amazing to live there.
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Everything. Students, opportunities, location, the non-snootyness of a top 5 school.
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The enthusiasm of EVERYONE at the school. The med students there are clearly happy to be there. The curriculum is very good too. The city is very nice, and the school is located right next to the Golden Gate Park.
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That the school was not as concerned about more research and less primary care than I expected
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Everything.
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The entire experience. I am local so have heard many people sing UCSF's praises since birth. But the interview day really impressed me in that the school exceeded my (high) expectations.
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Opportunities in the community
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The dean's message was very complete. I learned more about the process our application goes through than ever before. He was very clear and honest.
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Everything. I think I have a crush on Dean Wofsy, I entered the interview completely nervous, but by the time he finished introducing us I was completely calm and ready for the rest of the day. The interview day was very well planned, everything was set up well and we had no awkward extra time or similar stuff. Those of us who had to interview at SFGH (on the other side of town) were shuttled over without any confusion. The whole day was great.
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The Dean's speech/transparency of the interviewing and application process, my first interviewer, the anatomy lab, convenience of the gym, class we sat in on was pretty interesting.
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Students were very friendly, the anatomy lab has an amazing view of SF, Wofsy was a very straight shooter.
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The students, Dean Wofsy!, San Francisco, pretty much everything
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Everything! The students are interesting, humble and passionate about medicine, the administration was kind and welcoming, the facilities are amazing.
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The kindness of admissions staff really helped reduce any anxiety
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Pretty much everything - in particular the students are exposed to clinical medicine from day 1, and get to see an incredibly diverse patient population. Also, the asst dean of admissions gave a talk and was very open about the process and what would happen next.
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Nice office staff. Awesome library and hospital right on campus.
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The view from the top of the anatomy lab
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The students all seem very happy, the faculty has a sense of humor, the view is amazing from most of the buildings, the anatomy lab isn't in a stuffy basement (the cadavers were a little ripe when we were there though . . .).
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The Associate Dean of Admissions warmly welcomed our applicant group and set the mood for a relaxing day. We met at the Lange Reading Room in the UCSF library, which has a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
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San Francisco is an excellent city to live in.
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How organized and cordial the admissions staff were. I also appreciated having Dean Wofsy explain to us how the admissions process at UCSF works. The ''campus'' tour and the lunch w/a 4th-year were also very helpful.
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Everyone seemed genuine and happy.
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I love SF, anatomy lab's very well ventilated, straight pass/fail!
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Associate Dean of Admissions is engaging and welcoming. All the students appeared happy there and have a lot of pride in their school. I also was impressed by their curriculum structure and ''affordability'' for the quality of education.
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The students were all soooooooooooooo happy
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The associate Dean, he's awesome and nice.
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Everything. The faculty interviewers were great, the students were great (and diverse!), the campus is great and in a great location, the opportunities endless and the Dean of Admissions gave the best talk I've heard at any interview I've been to thus far.
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EVERYTHING. SF is an amazing city. The students are really smart, but you don't get a stressed out vibe. You are encouraged to have a social life. There are numerous hopsitals you can rotate at, and everyone is big on community service.
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The facilities and the reputation
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The unbelievable view from the library and gross lab, the happy students, the structure and support for things like research and going abroad. I liked just about everything I saw because I already loved the school and I really really hope to go there.
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The students, the faculty, the city, and especially the Mission Bay campus. Pretty freakin awesome! They have beautiful labs an amazing view, and an incredible new rec facility.
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The energy ebbing from students and faculty is crazy. People are truly passionate about this institution.
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The students love their school.. my host turned down Harvard, Hopkins, and Cornell to come here. The school has amazing diversity and plenty of things to do nearby
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I think it was mostly the student host that I was staying with because she really laid everything out for me and told me anything I wanted to know. The city was amazing as was the curriculum of the school. They do have interviews at other locations but they lay it all out for you and there are shuttles to take you just about anywhere--really a great transportation system.
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Amount of money for funding and focus on international health care
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Too much to list! Amazing view of the bay and golden gate bridge from the school, enthusiasm of students, opportunities to do global outreach
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Students LOVE their school.
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The city is amazing and every room they took us in had a view of the Golden Gate bridge. All the students seem to love it there.
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The dean of admissions was awesome! the other interviewees, medical students, school facilities....
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Activities of the students outside of class, location in San Francisco, small group classes
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Where to begin?! Visited a 2nd year class, and I loved the teaching style of the prof. The students were open to questioning- a lot were available to us. Everyone was super friendly and willing to answer anything honestly. Autonomy abounds at this school.
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The curriculum, the activites students get involved in, the facilities were really nice!`
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Not much - had previous familiarity with the school, so the best aspects (location, research facilities, etc.) were already known
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The nice attitudes of the interviewers, we were able to sit in on classes, see anatomy labs, dissections
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Students are very eager to get involved in all kinds of activities, and very pro-active. They all seemed to love the school.
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The facilities, faculty, and most of all the students. I had envisioned a stuffy atmosphere and to my surprise everyone was very nice and laid back.
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I loved the closed file format. The students were solid- really engaging, interested, happy. The interior of most of the facilities were awesome. Its right in the city, and I happen to think San Fran is one of the coolest cities in the states. The views from the school (library/anatomy lab) were incredible
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Beautiful landscape and architecture of the school, positive, energetic students, very nice interviewers
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How invovled even the first years were...my tour guide told me she scrubbed in a surgery and was able to observe as well as participate in a few things!
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Students seem much less stressed than I had expected. opportunities for lots of different activities. Very diverse. (Close to home, Im from the bay area)Anatomy lab and library have great views
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Enthusiasm of students, effort on the part of the faculty and administration to emphasize that having made it to the interview meant they thought favorably of us (made a big effort to get us to relax).
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I have never met a student body so enthusiastic about a school before. It took them a very long time to even think of something that they didn't like about the school...and even that was trivial!
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Presentation of the curriculum
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I was very impressed by UCSF's responsiveness to student feedback. From looking at SDN responses from last year and also talking to current students, it seemed like a lot of people felt that past interviews were disjointed and not very organized. This year was totally different. We spend the whole morning together as a group and even got to have breakfast with the Associate Dean who did a great job of summarizing UCSF SOM philosphy and the benefits of UCSF. We were also able to attend a lecture together and have lunch with a 3rd year student. Also many people had interviews at another campus location (Mission Bay, SFGH, VA) and it was great how the admissions staff provided personalized maps in each of our packets with our destinations and shuttle times highlighted for us. The students that I talked to were very laidback and not stressed because of the pass-fail grading system in the first two years. Everyone seemed very happy to be at UCSF.
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Location of the school, the friendliness of the students, the curriculum, the awesome faculty.
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The low stress level of both the interviews as well as the student body in general sold me on UCSF. The enthusiasm and eagerness to help of every student I met was very encouraging.
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The enthusiasm of the students was great. San Francisco is a nice city.
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Everything
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The student to faculty ratio was impressive. Since there are only 12 people in the program, the class size is incredibly small, and there is apparently no difficulty seeing professors outside of class for help. The student tour guide was very honest and informative.
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They had a great tour that really showed off the assets of the school-- such as the amazing views from the library and anatomy lab. Also, the general attitude of the school was quite unique-- much more patient-centered. Also, there was a list of classes that we could attend, and I was able to sit in on a few.
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Everyone seemed really enthusiastic about the program; they all seemed happy to be here. The program is very flexible; the areas of interest program provides outstanding opportunities for research, international work, etc.
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The view from the anatomy lab is breathtaking. I got a really great vibe from the students and the administration.
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The caliber of students and faculty at UCSF. I sat in on a small group discussion section, and it was wonderful to see how encouraging the instructor was and how easily and intelligently the students worked together to learn the material. Obviously, UCSF's reputation and quality of education are among the very best in the nation, and its research and hospitals are also excellent. It also has plenty of international opportunities even to countries in Asia, and has electives that I've seen nowhere else such as Medical Cantonese and Medical Mandarin. My interviewers seemed interested in my application and asked me thoughtful questions.
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I loved San Fran and the school. The view from campus is amazing. It is in a safe area where you can walk home without being too worried. The students were very friendly and seemed very happy. The curriculum is a good mix of lecutre and PBL, and you have the opportunity to work with a faculty that the students rave about.
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Laid back atmosphere, students are friendly
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The genuine care of the people I met and the constant aim to improve and expand the system.
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SF is among the best cities in the world (other than the nasty traffic and treacherous driving conditions). The location of the medical school--on one of SF's hightest hills overlooking the entire bay--is breathingly amazing. Too bad it's foggy most the time. Also, the curriculum and non-emphasis on lecture are attractive. For sure, UCSF students are not only incredibly friendly, they are happy and humanistically inclined.
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City is awesome, clinical years good. p/f for years 1 & 2. electives offered in 1st and 2nd year give students exposure to topics such as racial health disparities. curriculum intersperses topics of public health and policy. anatomy lab is on the 13th floor.
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Everything - UCSF is a great school and I was more excited about it after I left.
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The campus is sweeeet-very nice facility and it's in SF, which is a town I dig
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Great views from inside several of the buildings.
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SF is a great city. The library is really nice and has great views. The online journal access is superb. Great researchers here.
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The students and faculty are vibrant! They are doing great things (clinical/basic research, social service, international outreach, etc.) while remaining interesting and fun people. Everyone I asked if they liked UCSF got a huge smile and said "definitely." The school is very supportive of whatever you want to do! You can make it happen here.
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The interviewers were very mellow and interested in getting to know me. I sat in on a lecture and not only was it packed, the students applauded after the lecturer finished. Many times throughout the day I was approached by random students who told me how much they loved the school, the curriculum, faculty and the city. It was nice to see everyone so happy with their decision.
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San Francisco and the UCSF campus are amazing. There are great views from all over campus, esp. from the library and anatomy lab. The student who gave us a tour was great!
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The school is gorgeous, the students enthusiastic, mature intellegent, the faculty seemed focused and fascinating. I liked the fact that they were honest about the chances that we were going to get into other schools as well as UCSF and didn't ask any of those silly "where else have you interviewed?" questions, since they knew that if we were there we really wanted to be there.
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The diversity in the classroom and student population! The amazing views from my facutly interivewer's office, the anatomy lab and the library. San Francisco is truly a beautiful place to live in.
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UCSF is my number one choice, so I was already impressed. However, I also learned that even first year med student have patient interaction as part of the curriculum.
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It is a massive institution, and all of it is dedicated to medicine. The curriculum is the most interesting I have encountered. It seems to be a place of endless opportunity.
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The ambience...it was stress-free everywhere we went. The interviewers were relaxed, the students were relaxed. The view is incredible from anywhere on campus...the anatomy lab, the library, the gym!
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Happy students, interesting interactive classes, great views, nice library, great location, basically loved it all
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The students were all happy and the campus has the most amazing view of the city. The small problem groups were also impressive (you can sit in on them if you want)
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The location is ideal for me, having grown up in the Bay Area and wanting to live in San Fransisco. I love the fact that you share buildings with other health profession students and can interact with them so you don't only get to know medical students.
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Pretty much everything! People are so cool and chill.
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The interviewers tried their hardest to put you at ease. The student tourguides were extremely friendly. The environment of UCSF was also extremely friendly. The view was spectacular.
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The interview day was very organized. students seem to love it there.
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The weather, the library.
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The type of student UCSF chooses seems to be a little older,non-traditional, mature, diverse. Great clinical and research opportunities. Friendly admissions office.
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The anatomy lab and the anatomy professors. Very down to earth. The tour guide addressed them by first name. One of the professors did a little monkey dance.
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The overall feeling of community among the students and faculty. The curriculum is absolutely amazing, there was definitely a lot of time spent finetuning it.
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The attitude of the students.
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The faculty and students. The clinical facilities are great and I actually like the campus. Very urban, very medical and GREAT views as others have said. The library has an amazing reading room (read=sleep room) that overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay). It is also in a very accessible area of the city. The admissions staff leaves you alone for the day. I hated interviews where they talk to you and try to sell their school for hours.
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The campus is up on a hill so it has a great view of SF. Most of the students, though coming out of exams, nonetheless seemed fairly relaxed.
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The anatomy lab and library were amazing, with a view of the entire bay! I liked the student interviewer as well. Both interviews were very laid back and enjoyable. I felt a lot less nervous when I realized that neither interviewer was intending to be stern or to ask difficult questions.
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The students, the anatomy lab (incredible view), San Francisco is a great city
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The faculty and staff were so warm and really excited about the program. The students also loved it.
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The anatomy lab and library (both had amazing views of the city), the fact that there's only a limited amount of class time so students have time to do other things.
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How happy and relaxed both students and faculty appear to be
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What a powerhouse of research and clinical work this place is. just amazing. the best biomedical research in the world in my pre-educated opinion. the city rocks. the weather rocks. the people are happier than any place i've been. such an awesome school.
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The anatomy lab on the thirteenth floor-The contrast between the view of the city and bay, and the cadavers being picked over by med students was surreal.
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The accessibility. Within one block you will find the nicest library that I've seen on my tour of interviews, a gym that has an awesome view of goldengate park, the lecture halls, the anatomy lab, and a great student body.
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The students.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants were commonly concerned about the lack of negotiation for financial aid, the older facilities, and the unimpressive campus appearance. Suggestions included improving transparency regarding financial aid, updating facilities, and enhancing the campus experience to create a more positive first impression.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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People sounded a little aloof at times...
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They don't allow negotiating of financial aid and look down on applicants leveraging other offers to get better aid here :/
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The interview lunch wasn't that good
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It is a public school, so the facilities are not as "shiny" and impressive (at first glance, on a tour) as those at equally-good private schools
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Was surprised I had been asked for my grades and scores. Thought the interviewes were closed file precisely so that these factors would not play a role in your impressions of the person. Felt the question defeated the purpose.
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Not attached to an undergraduate university, not many dual-degree programs
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Nothing :)
-
Almost everything! I was pretty surprised at how awful my experience was. But the evil interviewer I had definitely left a mad taste in my mouth for the rest of the day.
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Kind of difficult to get to interviews, since they give you directions to get to the correct place, but sometimes the professors/doctors are in other campuses of UCSF so its difficult to get there on your own. However, it was fun to explore on my own, given that they gave such good maps/directions.
-
The facilities are a little old but that bad. The anatomy lab and library are really lovely
-
The only thing (which didn't even bother me that much) was the the facilities are slightly older and worn. Other than that, nothing.
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The fog. My first interviewer decided to write everything down too (that's very nerve-wrecking).
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The campus looks old, the city is really crowded, they do not get much time off to study for boards, maybe 4 weeks.
-
The rain... but that wasn't UCSF's fault.
-
Old buildings and classrooms. That was offset by the beautiful views
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Facilities aren't as new as I was expecting.
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Nothing
-
A couple of other applicants rubbed me the wrong way. Otherwise, nothing!
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The tour was given by first years who didn't have much to contribute or really know where they were going (didn't get to see the hospital except for the lobby)
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The facilities aren't the greatest, but theyre good enough
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One of the other interviewees...
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Housing seems difficult to find.
-
The constant reminder that UCSF is a top medical school and the other interviewees seemed very snobbish
-
The interviews were all in the afternoon, and we had a long day before we interviewed - I was already tired by the time I met with my interviewers.
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Dead time of interview day.
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Some of the MSTP students were anti-social, arrogant personalities that I would not want as my classmates.
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The lecture hall is a little more cramped than I'd like. Other schools have more spacious seating in comparison.
-
Not much.
-
Nothing really.
-
UCSF doesn't really have a ''campus.'' The Parnassus campus consists of 4 or so tall buildings. I wasn't able to see much recreational/study space for the students.
-
Very cramped lecture halls w/ very small desks, lab facilites are pretty old
-
My faculty interview contradicted the relaxed tone set earlier in the day. My interviewer seemed to be finding faults with my reasoning...much more negative in approach and in turn did not make me feel comfortable.
-
?
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We didn't get a chance to be in class. The school is not in session.
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Nothing. or, maybe the smell of the anatomy lab, but from what I've seen, it's normal.
-
There are more homeless people in the city than you may be used to seeing, some of whom also ride the public transportation. So if you have a problem with that, this may not be the place for you. It didn't bother me.
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Location, fringes of SF
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Only because it's painful to wait, but the fact that it takes so long to find out whether or not I'll be going here next year. That and the fact that they don't have any sweet shirts at the bookstore...
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Ha. Not much, my friend.
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Nothing. This is the place to be.
-
Nothing really
-
The campus SUCKS! It is ugly and smack dab in the middle of SF. I hated it!!!!! The students didnt seem that happy to be there... Just didnt get
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Some interviewees had to take a shuttle; staff in hospital was not helpful in helping me find the location of my interview
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Classrooms were cramped and hot.
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Financial Aid people were not ready to meet with us on time, but pulled their act together quickly.
-
In the words of Dr. Evil, "Riiiight...."
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Nada
-
Neutral-to-hostile attitude of the school toward financial aid and supporting student travel
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It was two days long
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Not much in the way of a campus tour, probably because the campus locations are throughout the city, and are in nondescript buildings. Except for Mission Bay, but we didn't go there.
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Nothing really, other than the school has no student parking.
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The gym wasnt that sweet- pretty small and cramped. The buildings arent that aesthetically pleasing from the outside.
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I was concerned that there are not enough seats in lecture halls for all the students during some classes.
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I felt a bit overwhelmed by the city. I don't think I could drive there, so I might feel confined.
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In the lecture we went to it didn't seem like there were enough seats - it was packed and many students were sitting on the floor and standing up in back. I like to learn while seated and relaxed.
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Just the price of living and the fact that its foggy and cloudy a lot on that side of SF
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The school's physical appearance
-
MD interviewer was a little random and didn't let me explain my research or motivations very much. Probed a little too much into private information- relationship with parents and siblings and also asked me about other schools I had interviews with.
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The grounds aren't very visually impressive, but the view from the anatomy lab makes up for it.
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The price of the school will rise about 10% each year for the next few years, nearly to the price of a cheap private school. Also, my interviewer was a bit cynical.
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We did not get to do the financial aid discussion, and our tour was rushed due to other people with early interviews
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There are only 12 students, and the coursework is entirely problem-based learning. Furthermore, these 12 students take all classes at UC Berkeley for the first three years and do not see the other UCSF students until the last two years. While this might be appealing to some, I do not think that it would work well for me. It seems like there would be a lot of isolation and not much room for building a large, diverse group of friends from your classmates. Also, only doing PBL with no lecutres (except for the summer anatomy course) seems like it would get old really fast (as the student tour guide confirmed).
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My faculty interview was in the OR! Well, in a non-operating room in the OR... but that meant that the doctor was on call, and he had to leave after less than thirty minutes, which was not nearly enough time considering that it is a closed-file interview. However, the interviewer did offer that I could come back and shadow him in surgery if I had time during the interview day... Luckily, the student interview lasted more than an hour, and I had plenty of time to get my points acrossed.
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Tour was cut short because we needed to make it to interviews. However, everyone is very friendly and more than willing to show people around.
-
The med students didn't show up for our lunch together, but I had a nice chat with the other interviewees. Also, there were no classes to attend.
-
The interview day seemed poorly organized. Our morning consisted of 2 interviews and sitting in on a small group section, but with all the dead time in between, we found ourselves in the admissions office chatting amongst ourselves a lot. There was no introduction or overview of the curriculum or the merits of the school. We also ate lunch together in a room in the gloomy basement and, though told that a med student would come join us to answer our questions, no one came. The financial aid officer was late to meet us, and our tour with a med student was unusually short and hurried. These were all just small details, but altogether, it felt that the admissions office hadn't put a whole lot of effort into advertising the school.
-
Nothing too major - a few little things. some of the facilities seem a bit run down. The student lounge for instance.
-
A lot of waiting throughout the day
-
I had a 9am interview at SF General, and they put me on an 8:30am shuttle that didn't get to SFGH until after 9. The interviewer didn't care at all, but it sucks to show up to your first interview late.
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SF is damn expensive. Furthermore, my tour guide never showed. This was a huge disappointment, as I had to do a self-guided tour and was not exactly sure what to see and where to go. Furthermore, my student lunch "date" was 45 minutes late and was honest enough to admit that he "plain forgot." Nonetheless, this student was so kind and helpful. Also, the check-in time for UCSF is 8am, and I was there much earlier; however, the admissions staff did not arrive until 8:30am. But the school is awesome nonetheless.
-
Cost of living, difficulty of housing. people become competitive in clinical years in order to distinguis themselves for residencies. but i gather that its common at many schools.
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Nothing.
-
The interviewers weren't very responsive to my questions; though the interviews are closed file, this may actually not be beneficial to you because the interviewers spend a lot of time writing down what you say in response to their questions; this left me with the feeling that they weren't very engaged in the interview/conversation; some people told me that the interviews would be kick-back but I didn't sense this at all from my interviewers, which was a real disappointment; also, I've been told that some of the students there are a little bit disrespectful of the UCSF residents
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An atmosphere of competition and stress. also many of the buildings are under construction... and the financial situation at the school is going to get a lot worse, which may effect several factors in the next years.
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Several prominent professors have left due to the financial and other problems with UCSF. It's cloudy here alot compared to east side of SF. The facilities are old. Tuition expense, financial aid, and other forms of fudning for research, traveling, etc are poor.
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The facilities are a little old, but who cares if you have the right people and funding. SF is expensive to live!
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Not one thing.
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The campus has a different feel than I'm used to because there is no undergraduate campus.
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Nothing, the school was really fantastic
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Nothing really, except some buildings and offices were quite old. The student lounge is pretty small and old too. But I know UCSF is an excellent school, despite the unattractive facade.
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Parking costs a lot--$20.00 a day.
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The facilities are old.
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Not much
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The facilites are sorta run down (the signs indicating the buildings are all missing letters and the buildings are obviously old).
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The way the day was structured. my interviews were at 1 and 3:30, but i had to be there at 8. i lost a lot of enthusiasm by the time i actually did my interview because i had been just killing time all morning.
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The fact that there is no campus, just a bunch of buildings.
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There is no campus. everything seems to be cramped in on spot.
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The student(s) who were supposed to meet with the interviewees for lunch did not show up. Also, for anatomy lab, a large number of students (9 or 10?) are assigned per cadaver. Prosections, not dissections are done where students observe a pre-dissected cadaver.
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Cost of living in SF
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One of my interviewers seemed really formal. I had expected her to be more laid-back because everybody told me that UCSF interviews are very casual and conversational.
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Difficulty of using public transportation to get to school.
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Support for research, international experiences, et al doesn't sound as free flowing as at some private schools. This is to be expected though.
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The weather was rainy (typical for SF). The lunch was with two rather unenthusiastic students, and they did comment on how because this is a state school they don't throw as much money at you as a private would - not that opportunities aren't there, you just have to look a bit harder I guess.
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It was a long day, particularly with my back and forth travel to a hospital about 25 minutes away for my second interview.
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The campus isn't all that attractive
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Some of the buildings are a bit old
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The campus is going through a time of transition - moving to mission bay, which in a few years will be awesome, but while i'm there it may be a bit of a logistical mess. its something that will get worked out as you go though - so it shouldn't be that much of a problem (so i'm telling myself). secondly - the public vs private school thing shows - they don't have the much money to through at you - but it depends what your priorities are. if you are an independent/self motivated person - this is the place for you.
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Parking in SF
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The fact that they have very little to none on-campus housing. I plan to live off campus, but it is always nice to know that you have that option.
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The weather! Foggy, rainy, and all around dreary.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wish they had known ahead of time about the multiple interview locations and shuttles, the downtime during the day, the cold weather in San Francisco, and the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the interviews. Suggestions included bringing something to read during downtime, dressing warmly, and being prepared for closed-file interviews where applicants do most of the talking.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Just to prepare well in advance and stay relaxed on interview day
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That food here is expensive :(
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I am familiarized with the different campuses but if this were my first time coming to the school I think I would've been stressed having to take shuttles to interview at locations other than the main campus. Having to find your way around the campuses might be an added stress for some applicants, though I understand this is a needed practice.
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I knew that some interviews are done at other locations, but I didn't realize the almost all of us would have interviews at other locations. It is definitely the norm, not the exception. Be prepared to take a shuttle.
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N.A.
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That the student who was supposed to interview me knew me and therefore couldn't interview me. That's actually why I ended up with the evil interviewer, he was the replacement. I had no student interviewers.
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There would not be as much traffic as I thought, so I did not have to leave that early!
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Nothing
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How to better lead a blind interview.
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I wish I knew that there would be so much down time in the middle of the day so that I would bring something to read or some music to listen to. Just sitting around the campus looking lost just made me very nervous. Many med students were kind enough to stop and talk to me though!
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That it would rain
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That it would have been really cold and rainy.
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That I would actually be kept busy the entire day - 8-5.
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How cold SF is!
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That I would get stuck in hellacious tarffic on my way to the interview
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Not really anything
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The Areas of Concentration program is not well promoted on the school's website but seems to be a big deal at the school.
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Students told us that by 3rd year it is really necessary to have a car which makes it difficult in SF
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The schedule for the day - everything about the interview day is closed. I didn't know anything about what to expect until the morning of, plus one of my interviews was on a different campus.
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The library was our initial meeting point, not the admissions office.
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You may be shuttled to the other campuses for your interview and there is a lot of down time. Bring a book.
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San Francisco is actually pretty cold!
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That my interviews were back-to-back after lunch and my day didn't end until 4pm.
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Lot of down time during the interview
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Everone there is so nice you can relax (unless you get my second interviewer)
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It's cold
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The cost of living in SF is pretty high. Rent is comparable to any major city, but the price of utilities is about double what those on the east coast would expect. Gas prices are also the highest/pretty close to the highest in the nation.
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It is very much a state school, so there are budgetary constraints
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It was really cold in the library. Drink coffee to warm up or bring a jacket that looks professional.
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That it's possible to achieve residency within your first year of school...
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Nothing really
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If you bring luggage, go right to the library with it. there will be an opportunity to drop it off at the admissions office after the initial orientation. also, both of your interviewers need to be present at the admissions meeting for your application to be considered.
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That the admissions committee doesn't begin meeting until December.
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That some of us would have to take shuttles to our interviews (UCSF has multiple campuses and the interviewers were dispersed among all of them)
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Closed interviews mean a lot of random conversation. Come prepared to bring up weak points in your application because the interviewers won't know to bring them up.
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Closed file interviews are a bad format for people with a complicated life story. You end up spending your interview time telling this story instead of talking about where you are now in life. I guess I wish I had known that they do get to look at my file after the interview...I would have done things a little differently.
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That fees are increasing, significantly.
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The library doesn't open until 7:45am, so if you're trying to get there earlier, you'll have to wait outside or find something to do.
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School's inflexibility toward taking time off and students travelling on electives - we're all human here; people have varying interests and needs.
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That I was going to have my interviews at 2 different locations in the city, and I was going to need a find a way back from the second place (Laurel Heights) instead of traveling back to the first place (Moffitt/Long)in a roundabout way of getting back to my residence.
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That walking into the interview I had a 50% chance of being accepted, it would have lessened my stress level.
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SF has lots of hills.
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That attending UCSF, even as an in-stater, is only slightly less expensive than many private schools!
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That my interviews weren't going to be until 3 and 4 PM
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How much I would have to explain since the interviews are closed-file.
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I wish I'd had a chance to talk to some of the students prior to interviewing.
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The school is a bit tough to find! Mapquest is not much of a help here, but it gets you in the general location. There is a lot of down time.
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There's a lot of downtime in the middle of the day
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See above.
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That place is a maze!
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N-Judah line was confusing; don't rely on the destination signs posted on the cars.
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Nothing, no surprises
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San Francisco is very cold and windy for most of the year, and it was no exception on the day of my interview. Be sure to dress warmly if you don't like the cold.
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If you are riding public transport to the airport give yourself at least 1 and a half hours - no matter what your host says
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Interviews are blind, so you do most of the talking, and you can kind of choose what to focus on
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If you've got a 9am interview at SFGH, take the early shuttle.
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UCSF, being situtated on the top of a hill, has its own weather: foggy most the time. If you can't put up with fog, someone told me, this isn't the place for you. But is is easy to find sunshine by taking a 10-15 minute bike ride to the bay.
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The anatomy is 1/2 prosection, 1/2 disection. recently changed this year.
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Nothing.
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For the most part, the students at UCSF were pretty cool; campus is very nice but having a car and driving to school is impossible (it's like $20/day to park!)
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Like others have mentioned, the down time.
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There is dead time during the day. I would make some open appointments with professors and students if you have the opportunity.
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There was a lot of down time. I did attend a class and walked around a bit, even still, it felt like there was a lot of waiting time between activities. There was a two hour wait between my first interview and financial aid meeting. A third year student was supposed to have lunch with us, but was not able to, so about 9 of us sat around in a classroom having lunch. Unfortunately, most of the kids in the group were not very talkative.
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I was very nervous going to this interview because it's such a great school and it's my top choice. But there was no reason to be nervous! The interviewees, interviewers, and staff were all very friendly and conversational!
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How tiring the day was going to be! I was exhauted by the time I had my second interview, and I may even have phased out a bit towards the end (I hope my student interviewer was not offended).
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I wish I would have done more mock interviews. This was my first interview. Also, the interviewers do not give any type of feedback--I felt like I was boring them.
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Some interviews take place at SF General, a short and easy shuttle ride away.
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How relaxed the entire visit was.
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SDN feedback gave a pretty good overall view of what the day would be like. so no surprises
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I wish I had known how much time I would be on my own during the day. Also, the buildings are all connected and you can easily end up in the wrong building.
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That i would have to take 2 different shuttles to get to my interview locations. and since they were both after lunch, i got drowsy when i got to my interviews
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I should have been more relaxed. It was my first interview and at my top choice so I was kind of nervous and talking a bit too fast.
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Both interviewers just said in the beginning, "what do you have to tell me?" and I was stunned. I thought they were going to actually ask questions, but I was able to tell them the stories of my life and what not.
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Signed up for a student host as early as possible.
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How many are accepted or given high priority
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It rains a lot. I should have known. Bring an umbrella or a waterproof jacket with a hood.
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A large percentage of the students do an extra year and the variety of opportunities is somewhat endless for different fellowships/research/combined degress etc.
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Parking was ridiculously expensive ($20 for the day at the nearby garage). If you plan on driving up, park somewhere else and take public transportation!
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The entire curriculum is now small-group, PBL.
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That the curriculum is very patient oriented--they bring in patients and doctors into classes pretty frequently and you get pretty early exposure in the clinics.
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How easygoing and relaxed the interviews would be!
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The hills kill - wear comfy shoes!
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That almost half of the people interviewed at UCSF are offered admissions
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I guess I would have liked to have known that almost 50% of those interviewed ultimately end up accepted. That is a nice factoid to carry with you throughout the day.
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That there was NO need to stress over this interview!
🤝 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 suggested improving the social aspect of the interview day, such as having more student interactions during lunch and ensuring a welcoming atmosphere. Other feedback included improving communication about the admissions process and decision timeline, as well as providing more opportunities for student engagement throughout the day.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Everything was fantastic, though I did feel a little hungry throughout the entire day.
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Having a more social lunch hour (i.e. Have more med students answering our questions during that time). There was only one student when I interviewed and I was hoping to hear a different perspective on the questions we were asking.
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Keep doing your thing. I had a great time at my interview (meeting Dr. Wofsy was especially memorable). You guys did a great job of showing me why UCSF is one of the best places to learn medicine in the world.
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Most people were nice. One person in particular needs to change their body language because they make you feel like you are a burden to them.
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Have the admissions committee meet more ofter, phone call acceptances would also be nice.
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Great job at making all of the students feeling welcome!
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Good job UCSF!!!
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Catering for lunch, also more students are needed for lunch as some people ended up sitting alone.
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Don't have first years give tours in November.
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The wait for a post-interview decision is a little mystifying. Admissions could be a little more tr
📍 Travel and Logistics ▼
Airports Used
✈️
SFO
52% interviewees used SFO (SFO), with 24% using OAK (OAK) and 4% using SMF (SMF) and 4% using oak (oak) and 4% using Oak (Oak) and 4% using None (None) and 4% using --> SFO (LAX) and 4% using SJC (SJC).
What was your primary mode of transportation?
Most interviewees traveled by airplane to the interview.
✈️
44% Airplane
🚗
40% Automobile
🚆
11% Train or Subway
🚲
5% Other
Hotels Recommended by Other Interviewees
Most interviewees stayed at the Carl Hotel (average ranking 7.5/10), with some staying at courtyard marriot downtown (average rating 9/10). (Top 3 displayed)
🏨
Carl Hotel
7.5/10
🏨
courtyard marriot downtown
9/10
🏨
Days Inn Civic Center
9/10
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 (2%)
Faculty member (3%)
Student (95%)
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
Enthusiastic (91%)
Neutral (9%)
All Responses
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| Application Cycle ▿ | Impression | Performance | Interview Location |
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