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Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 19% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview generally impressive with a moderate stress level and felt they did well.
Higher scores indicate a smoother, more positive interview experience with professional staff, organized logistics, and a supportive environment.
Based on 772 responses
Score Reference:
9â10 Exceptional8â8.9 Very Good7â7.9 Good6â6.9 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.
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
Most respondents rank this school above other schools they applied to.
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the areaâs cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
đŦ Interview Questions âŧ
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include inquiries about handling conflict, learning styles, ethical dilemmas in medicine, opinions on healthcare policies, approaches to patient care, and motivations for pursuing a career in medicine. Some respondents mentioned being asked questions specific to MMI format interviews, which may involve nondisclosure agreements.
What is a time that you have felt invisible, and how can you help others who feel so because of their background?
Hypothetical question about a patient who was terminal but whose mother wanted doctors to do everything possible because she believed in a spiritual healing by way of medical interventions.
Do you think it is ok to use mice for research purposes? What about dogs? What about monkeys? What about humans? Why don't we just experiment on the prison population? (I work in a lab that uses animals).
tell me about a medical ethics question, excluding (examples given of most common 4-5 medical ethics questions). followup to this - now if you were in this situation as a physician (related to my example) how would you approach it?
If I brought my father in and he was basically non-verbal and dying and I asked you to do something to make the process quicker and painless, what would you do? (the interviewer was a lawyer)
Besides that experience which you did for like 2 months, what else did you do? what else? She repeated this making my accomplishments seem insignificant.
What would you do if you saw someone rustling through papers while taking a test (they have an honor code system, so you can take your tests anywhere)?
You are a pediatrician with a patient who is 24 weeks pregnant and beginning labor that you will most likely not be able to curtail. The child has a high likelihood of being born with cognitive and developmental problems. How do you counsel your patient?
Tell us about your strengths and weaknesses. I skipped strength and went straight to weakness. I figure the best strength a person can have is to understand his or her own shortcomings and to be able to communicate them. So maybe I faked a move toward weakness and demonstrated strength.
What are your strengths/weaknesses?
What is the best/worst thing that's ever happened to you?
These are harder than you think -- definitely put some thought into them, esp. your weaknesses -- try to put a positive spin on them
A woman with a family history of breast cancer wants her employer to pay for genetic testing to determine if she has the defective gene. What do you think should be done?
Describe signigicant medical experiences that may not have been detailed in the AMCAS application (interviewers only have access to the essay and secondary experiences from the AMCAS).
Students said most interesting question asked at University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, including personal experiences, ethics, healthcare reform, and career motivations. While the questions varied, some respondents mentioned specific scenarios like dealing with difficult patients, ethical dilemmas, and the integration of personal values into medical practice, reflecting a holistic approach to assessing applicants.
What is a time that you have felt invisible, and how can you help others who feel so because of their background?
Most were pretty standard, but the interviewers were SO laid back it was hard to judge their thoughts... Seemed to care a lot about what I do outside of school/work.
So you have seen the great medical capabilities of the CU campus and also have some experience in rural medicine. How would you bridge the gap between the urban and rural medical environments?
Say you have a couple walk in, and the woman is pregnant. They are not married, and tell you that they do not want an abortion. The mother is addicted to crack/cocaine and refuses to give it up. What would you do? Would you recommend abortion at all?
A patient comes in with calf pain, you do a work-up on them which is negative a send them home. The next day the die. It turns out they had a DVT and then a PE. How would you deal with the patient's family and how would you proceed?
What is the difference between someone with a PhD and an MD? I thought kind of obvious...but wasn't sure if interviewer was looking for something in particular?
''Would you say that our healthcare system is relatively on task with the complications of such a complicated issue or does the thought of US healthcare make you sick?''
The number of male applicants to medical school is declining while the number of female applicants is increasing. In 10-15 years, what will be the implications of this?
I was given three different terms (diligence, empathy, and honesty) and asked to choose the one I thought was most important to the practice of medicine and explain why it was.
As an older student I was basically solicited to tell the story of my convoluted path to medicine, with occasional very specific questions where apropo to my research, and concerning medical ethics (euthanasia) and health care systems (uninsured)
What does the Colorado motorcycle community feel about mandatory helmet laws and Colorado's lack thereof? (I put on my AMCAS that I ride a motorcycle.)
What kind of role should the government play in ethical issues? (specifically in the context of really expensive palliative or Terri Schiavo-type care)
i was asked some pretty obscure questions relating to my non-science degree that aimed (I'm thinking) to see how well i thought on my feet and could articulate on short notice
As a woman, how will you handle the pressures of family life and being a physician if you were to get married? This was somewhat difficult since I am not planning to get married any time soon.
How will you help patients to improve their long-term health? (based on my AMCAS essay; testing to see whether I had a realistic perspective on how much the physician can do vs. what the patient needs to do)
If you were a doctor treating somebody in a life- threatening situation and the family members came by and asked you to stop treatment, what would you do?
Nothing that was truly interesting or unexpected. Questions about my activities for the past year (how I am different from last year), What other career I may choose if medicine was not an option, and the standrad ethical questions.
How would you fix the current health care system? I answered, and then we talked about the answer for about thirty minutes. The interviewer was involved in introducing legislation to change health care coverage systems, and was very interesting.
As chief of operations for a major hospital, you must decide which of two patients receives a heart for transplant; either a 65 year old philanthropist who is a pillar of the community, or a 15 year old gangbanger with a history of drug abuse.
Students said the most difficult question asked at University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine discussed various ethical scenarios, including euthanasia, end of life care, and ethical dilemmas in healthcare. Many responses indicated challenging ethical questions, while some mentioned Group interviews and open-ended inquiries about personal values and experiences, with no specific mention of MMI format or nondisclosure agreements.
What is a time that you have felt invisible, and how can you help others who feel so because of their background?
Tell me about one of your core values driving you to become a physician (Difficult only because it was in a Group interview, and it was hard to create a discussion around this question).
One of my interviewers canceled last minute and I was given another interviewer who had less time to review my file so the first question was " Give me a run down on all that is in your application, including your personal statement, in less than 15 minutes". Least fun question.
Being a resident of Colorado, do you think you will be missing out on experiencing different health care set-ups (both domestically and internationally)?
The difficult time in your life questions, because the interviewer seemed extremely unsympathetic towards my story and that was hard for me to manage, emotionally, so I nearly cried!
It was a follow up to what I already said. I talked about medical disparities in mental health and my interview asked, "What if I told you that 70% of people with mental health issues had access to medical care, but did not take their medications? What would you do then?"
The Colorado Governor recently said he would consider placing restrictions on who could get surgery. Example: A 90 year-old man may not be eligible for a heart transplant. What are your thoughts on this?
What are some limits to quality health care in underrepresented patient populations on an international level? (the interviewer made me use a whiteboard to list my answers and explain)
questions by one of the two interviewers indicated that they felt strongly about funding and implementation of universal healthcare, and their stance was very different from my opinion. Needed to answer questions with this in mind so as to respect the interviewers opinions and continue the interview in a positive way.
Tell me about yourself--it's easy to start rambling and end up boring your interviewer...try to come up with a 30-40 second blurb about yourself, it helps a lot
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a big problem on Native American reservations. What measures would you take to combat that and should expecting mothers be forcibly prevented from consuming alcohol there?
What changes could be made to fix/improve the US medical system?
-Not a difficult question; a stand-by in mock interviews.
Why I want to pursue the various things I do, and how I can actually make it all work.
-Again not difficult if you've talked about it with other people.
Name three people who you would like to eat dinner with. Some people that day got variations on the question restricting them to dead, non-family people.
What are the pros and cons of using stem cells from aborted fetuses to treat diseases? What was difficult about this question was formulating a response that would keep my religious and political views concealed.
How would you fix health care? Although the interviewer was really nice understanding about how difficult this question was I found myself talking on and on.
Tell us about your parents. I had discussed them in my AMCAS essay (they are both lifelong civil servants in education for low-income children and in health care for minorities). I just simply didn't anticipate such a fat pitch to hit out of the park.
How would you fix health care in our country? How would you propose to pay for it? (The interviewer continued to ask me questions until I had to say that I didn't know exactly how to fix it)
What's the worst thing that's ever happened to you? But a student in my group was asked "What was the most dishonest thing you've ever done, and what did you learn from it?"
Please explain your research as if you were explaining it to a high schooler. (This was really hard to do since I did Immunological research on integrins)
If you give a pt a medication that they can take at home to end their life, what is this process called? (but the question was asked in a very confusing way) Is this legal in Colorado? In which state is it legal?
If you had one heart and two patients who needed a heart transplant, who would get the heart? This question was asked in various forms by the same doctor - with one patient having HIV or a serious disability or living an unproductive lifestyle.
Explain a problem in health care and describe how you'd solve it. (They asked me this in both interviews and one of them hinted that they had to, so be prepared)
Give me a concrete answer to how we should fix the health care system. What is wrong with it and what kind of legislature could be implemented to fix the problem?
I didn't think that any where horribly difficult, but some were thought provoking ethical situation questions, and one about at what point did I think life starts (i.e. fertilization or not).
You have a patient with Parkinson's who is no longer responding to conventional treatment. There is a procedure to inject stem cells into his brain. The stem cells come from aborted fetuses. Would you advise him to try the procedure?
What would I do if I had a patient whose care was going to require a significant amount of time and emotional energy and I find out that he/she is a child molestor (or something that would bother me personally, be against my ethical/moral stance)?
If a patient came into your clinic who suffered from widely metastatic cancer and was bleeding and in pain, but was an illegal alien without any health insurance, what would you do?
Please give 3 areas in which you believe there are problems that need to be addressed in medicine, and give your suggestions for changing the status quo.
Most respondents had an interview of 20 - 30 minutes.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 2 people.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
What was the style of the interview?
Most respondents had a one-on-one interview.
What type of interview was it?
Most respondents had a closed file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at the school.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by reviewing their application materials, practicing common interview questions, researching the school, discussing healthcare policies, and engaging in mock interviews with friends, mentors, or online resources like Student Doctor Network (SDN). Many also focused on staying updated on current events, reading about bioethics and healthcare reform, and ensuring they could articulate their motivations for pursuing medicine and their perspectives on key issues in healthcare.
Reviewed my application and Colorado state laws on subjects that may be controversial in case they came up (abortion, medical marijuana, ACA, PAS). I talked about electronic health records in one of my answers and it helped to review some of the specifics on HIPAA and how physicians and patients felt about changes to the EHR system.
Read allllll about the University. Wrote journal style, answers to generic interview questions I found on U of Delaware website, reviewed my essays to the school.
SDN and a list of top 100 interview questions from CU-Boulder's undergrad premed web site. Read over primary and secondary, and make sure you do too!!! That's mostly what they asked.
Read over my application, kept up on current events in health care, knew my research inside and out, made a wicked awesome steak for dinner the night before and tried to get some good sleep
SDN, bought a book by a U of Colorado person about med school interviews, spoke with med students who'd been accepted (and not accepted) after interviewing at the school.
mock interviews, SDN, reading the school's website, reading over my secondary and AMCAS, reading into current healthcare issues and political issues, getting advice from coworkers/patients/doctors/family/friends, practicing at home.
Reading. SDN. Lit in my research areas. My abstract. LOTS about health care (found a presentation on their web page about the health care system given to this years med students, www.gooznews.com, candidates positions, Gawande. . .)
I read the NYT each sunday, kept current on new medical developments, read over my application essays, and made sure I had solid opinions on current medical issues.
Mock interviews, SDS, review primary and secondary essays, reherse common questions (why medicine? Why my major? weakness? what else do you want us to know about you?)
Studentdoctor.net, mock interviews, attending a panel presentation of pre-health interviewers, researching ethics and current medical events, researching the UCDHSC SOM website.
mock interviews (some of the med students hosted a mock interview and dinner the night before), SDN, applications - AMCAS, secondary essays, researched school, ethics, healthcare
I researched important/relevant bioethical current issues and health care policy problems & how to fix them, had mock interviews, talked to students who have experience with interviews and looked at this website.
I read newspapers, Time, and Scientific American. I have a list of 50 commonly asked interview questions, and I made sure I could answer every one. I also read what other students wrote on SDDN.
Considered how best to play my weaknesses (age 33, 3.4 gpa) to my advantage. So I was prepared to discuss my former career as news reporter and my 37 MCAT score, but neither came up. Nonetheless, the prep helped improve my whole outlook on the process.
Read up on ethics (U of W ethics page -- good), read interview feedback from previous years (I was asked some of the exact same questions), read a book on Healh Care Policy, read CU website.
SDN, read current health news headlines, refreshed my resolve for why I'm doing this and what makes me a great candidate, discussed ethical scenarios with friends.
Read lots of SDN reviews, read the newspapers, esp. articles on health care, read over my AMCAS and 2ndary apps, stayed overnight with a 1st yr med student.
This site, talked to students, had previously heard presentation by student on committee, presentation by dean of admissions. Re-read my AMCAS essay and secondary.
Read school's website, read SDN interview feedback, tried not to "pre-answer" questions - just thought about subjects that may come up and my feelings on them, this helped!
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendly and welcoming atmosphere of the staff, faculty, and students, as well as the state-of-the-art new campus facilities. They appreciated the positive, laid-back environment during interviews and the emphasis on student support and well-being throughout the admissions process.
They share so many resources and support throughout the process. Also most high tech and efficient and well run virtual interview. Amazing faculty and students. Very cool curriculum.
The facilities are all very nice and brand new. Also, they talked about this computer program that the students have access to for learning anatomy that looked pretty great. The campus was great too. I like the idea of everything being in one spot for the most part.
New and expanding facilities, how happy the students were, Dean Winn (the coolest dean of admissions ever), simulation center, green spaces on campus, Denver & the state of CO (relaxed culture and awesome outdoor/recreational opportunities)
everything! the new campus is gorgeous and the resources they have available are second to none. everything is brand new. the two interviewers were both nice and made me feel at ease, I truly enjoyed the day...which started with an intro from the director of admissions, and was organized so nicely.
The balance between clinical training and research. CU really does have some incredible researchers but also provides great clinical training between the University and Children's hospitals. The tour was also informative.
The facilities! Top notch, beautiful, all kinds of natural light in the buildings. Incredible resources range from faculty, to library, to their standardized patient center.
The amazing facilities for primary care. The brand new buildings. The playful student community (on the tour, walked into an unused lectured hall to find gamers playing mario kart on the projection screen)
New school, amazing place, people were friendly. Ended the interview at the Children's Hospital - for a reason. The lobby is honestly like Disney World. Everything is up to date - the library is cool.
The beautiful new facilities, the spread out campus with lots of outdoor space, the students who love it there, all the medical experience you can get within your first few weeks in med school
Campus was in great shape and designed with nice touches, like fridges & microwaves in each "bay" along with 30 or so lockers on the first floor. Students were very nice when we had lunch with them.
the tour guide was really great. The campus is beautiful. The technology is top-notch. The school really listens to feedback of students. You can take tests wherever you want because of the strong honor code!
campus is brand new, and they've put in some great technology. The people were a lot more friendly than I was told they were by other applicants. CU has solid rankings for both care and research.
The new campus is fantastic, the students leading the tour made a great impression, and the interviews were well conducted. If you don't get the humor of the administration, expand your mind. :)
Some of the new technology is impressive (3D holograph of the human body, mannequins that do nearly everything that humans do, artificial labor and babies). Nice campus that looks attractive.
The facilities are first rate. The surrounding area is developing very fast. The students were generally happy, not stressed out, down to earth, were very helpful and friendly.
The new campus and Colorado are beautiful. Emphasis of the curriculum on functional units eg Blood and Lymph rather than academic divisions. Preceptorships beginning first year.
the new anschutz campus will be amazing. the cirriculum seemed streamlined and understandable compared to others that i've seen. interviewers really knew my application and asked questions relevant to my essays and experiences--gave me a chance to represent myself as well as possible.
The new facilities at Fitzsimons campus--there is a LOT of building and development going on, and lots of room to build some great facilities. The director of the MST Program was very personable, he got to know all the applicants and was very honest about how they were developing the new curriculum. The new curriculum impressed me...you take graduate school core courses while in medical school, but they replace some medical school courses. Thus, the grad school course is more geared toward what you need rather than the medical school course which is trying to bring everyone up to speed on the topics. The people were VERY nice, and it sounded like they knew how to relax and have a good time. They worked hard and played hard. Also, I like that the second years take the USMLE Step 1 in March--very early--which allows for MSTP students to do a lab rotation earlier.
the new campus, the happiness of the students, the friendship between the students, the comm service opps, a global health track, the elective classes, the shuttle between the old and new campus even after the old campus closes (for students still living near old campus) Starbucks giftcard
Laid-back atmosphere, great new facilities at the new campus. Everyone was great and very helpful. After day ended I wanted to attend here more than ever. Easily my first choice.
The new facilities are going to be amazing. The staff was incredibly friendly, the entire experience low stress, and the students were interesting and sincerely love the school.
The new campus is going to be nice, there is a well-organized preceptorship program, and the students were pretty relaxed, even though they had just had a test
I was very impressed with how the school & interviewers genuinely backed up their claim to want to just get to know me rather than trap me intellectually or make me feel uncomfortable. Also, the future campus at Fitzsimons will be incredible.
The new Fitzsimons campus is amazing. Colorado would be my number one choice if they had already moved to the new campus. Also, everyone was really nice (including administration).
The school seemed very progressive, they have just recently updated their curriculum in a positive way, they will be moving into all new facilities in about two years, and Denver seems like a very pleasant place to live.
Not only were the interviewers friendly, but those being interviewed were great. I would love to attend school with them! The new campus and curriculum are amazing, and CU is quickly becoming a top school.
Students were happy and laid back. UC is awesome in both clincal education and research. New campus will rock. Denver is where I want to live the rest of my life!
The new med school facilities that they are building look really nice. The other people who were interviewing at the same time were pretty laid back and chill.
The interview environment was designed to minimize stress on the part of the applicant. The other students selected for interviews were all very outgoing and friendly.
Friendly people, a strong focus on learning, and the faculty seem to really care about the studentsâââ¬â⢠success. Denver seems to have more to do then I expected.
My interviewers - they made me feel so comfortable and really had good conversation. Acted genuinely interested in me and made me feel like they really enjoyed talking to me.
The students spoke in depth with and those that I met in passing on the tour all seemed very down to earth, very friendly, and very, very happy and upbeat about the school.
laid back, cool interviewers (one old, retired, chill doctor, and a younger doc who spent more time getting to know me as a person, that by the end of the interviewer we were talking about skiing, football, etc.)
They were very familiar with my application and asked numerous questions about my work experience, my personal interests, and my family. Made me glad I wasn't 22-year-old punk who hasn't done anything in life but attend class.
The Fitzsimons campus is going to be amazing, and what they already have built sets high hopes for the future. The school seems to have a lot of programs that really work to help the students succeed.
Everyone was SO nice and laid-back. The students seemed really cooperative instead of competitive, so that was nice. The new Fitzsimmons campus is going to be awesome, but it's still under construction.
My interviewers were very nice unlike the rest of the staff... The new buildings are nice, BUT there are still funding issues and no education buildings yet with a ground-breaking date of who knows when.
The dean and faculty were very nice, welcoming and laid back. The new Fitzsimmons campus will be amazing. The weather-Colorado has 300 days of sun a year! It seems like a great learning environment.
The faculty and staff were very laid back and put us to ease, especially at the beginning when we were the most nervous. Fitz is as beautiful as everyone keeps saying it is. The students who took us to lunch and gave us our tours were very enthusiastic, loved their school and said they had plenty of time to do extracurriculars unrelated to med school.
CU is very technologically advanced. Great science campus. Fitzsimmons will be nice in a few years but it is kind of out of the way and there currently isn't much housing close by. That most of the questions I got asked came verbatum from this websited so I had responses ready.
I was most impressed by the way the admissions staff made me feel very much at ease. They were very friendly and made the interview process much easier.
Admissions staff were extremely helpful, knowledgeable, organized. Interviewers were relaxed and friendly. The school is apparently responsive to student demands for changes in courses, clinical experiences, etc..
The school is moving, and modifying it's curriculum. The entering class 2004 will do year 1 at the old campus and year 2 at the new campus, and be subjects in the curriculum modifications. Going here will be a challenge, but rewarding.
Students are very happy with their school and their voice is important in the planning process both in regards to the developing curriculum and physical construction of the new medical school facilities.
The mentor program they have with the physicians. I can't remember the name of the program, but you get paired with a Dr. your first week and you get to be them for three years. You can switch docs if you'd like though, and it seems to be a very hands on learning experience.
Interviewers were interesting; the breadth of electives available from the first year (homeless medicine, etc. that get you into the community and into the clinical setting with a variety of populations right away) plus the gimme of wilderness medicine, which, in Colorado, would be a lot of fun
The office personnel and the dean were very nice people, very helpful and answered all sorts of questions. The weather was in the low 60's...gotta love Colorado!
The conversation I had with my second interviewer. He was a fascinating individual with interests similar to my own. However, I know that he had also asked the guy before me, "How does a battery work?" He liked physics and chemistry a lot.
The admissions staff were very nice and had great senses of humor. They really seemed to want to help us. The students we met were very nice and seemed happy. The new campus that they are building is going to be AWESOME!
I was really excited to interview with a faculty member I had met a few times before during a summer internship. He recognized me and knew a lot about my experiences other than what I put down on my application. He also phrased questions in ways that were creative and put me more at ease.
The first interviewer, very no-nonsense and direct. All the current med students we met seemed pretty happy about their school, and gave a very good impression of the students' camraderie.
Applicants commonly expressed negative impressions about the formality and rigidity of the interview process, feeling grilled by interviewers, lack of conversational tone, short interview times, lack of healthcare-related questions, financial aid presentations, lack of amenities like a gym, perceived unprofessionalism of interviewers, lack of diversity in the location, ongoing construction, disorganization around the campus move, old and inadequate facilities, long and packed interview days, and unenthusiastic or uninformative student tours. Suggestions included making interviews more conversational, allowing more time for questions, ensuring professionalism of interviewers, improving campus amenities, providing more transparent information about the school, and addressing issues related to campus moves and facility improvements.
Interview was super formal because the staff had to follow a script. I would have preferred if it was more loose.
One-on-one interview felt way too short (15min), especially with multiple interviewers. Long interview day. Group interview q's weren't the most conducive to discussion.
The interview questions were like a joke and seemed like the interviewers didn't take me seriously. Basically didn't get asked any healthcare related questions.
During my student interview he mentioned that the University is very caring and supportive but he said it is a place where you have to push yourself to succeed. No one is going to show you exactly what to do to get the residency you want. Not that this is a negative in my opinion, but it was something I thought should be made more clear to applicants.
One of the students who joined us for lunch seemed to be very negative when discussing the benefits of going to class and the collaborations with the nursing, PA, and dental schools.
East Colfax . . . ew. Also, as a result, students live scattered around Denver/Stapleton so everyone commutes, hard to get around/hang out with people without driving.
This is likely a reality at many schools, but I could see the distinction between the "25 yr old" and the "35 yr old" student body, they followed very different extracurricular paths and seemed to stay together in groups. The area is still pretty undeveloped related to restaurants and cultural things, but this will likely change in future years
Aurora is in the middle of nowhere, the students have trouble finding housing. They didn't build a gym on the campus or much in the way of student life amenities.
The interview day was very packed - a talk from the Dean from 8:30-9:00, first interview and 9:00, second interview at 10:00, more talking until lunch then a tour. Not much down time.
My interviewers were rude and put me on the defensive. Both asked questions condescendingly and somewhat belittle my achievements and goals/aspirations.
Sean's attitude...playing the sarcastic jerk. Just wasn't funny.
My first interviewer was a jerk but said I did well. I found the whole day unprofessional compared with some of the other schools I interviewed at. Although the facilities are great, there is no gym, no close amenities, a sense of mediocrity amongst students and general lack of intensity I found on the East Coast. Moreover, the interviewers didn't have my GPA or MCAT score but asked about them anyway which I thought was totally stupid!
Everything was a little disorganized because we were the first group that they had interviewed for the year and it was the first time students had been interviewed at the new campus.
The new campus is a bit isolated - 15 minutes from other downtown hospitals, housing, etc. Current students report some classes are very strong; some (biochem) are very weak due to cycling of professors.
Out-of-state tuition is high, and one cannot switch to in-state costs during the four year program.
i didn't like the large group (20-25 students). at other schools, it has been a group of 5-10 at the most. it made me much more nervous at first to be around so many applicants at the same time. also, there was a lot of waiting time because of this.
The fact that our first semest (Fall '07) will most likely be at the old campus and then we will move to the new Fitzsimons campus. This comes with logistical complications that I would rather not deal with during my first year. There isn't really an undergraduate campus that is associated with the medical school, and some medical students missed that culture. The library wasn't very impressive, most students don't study there or go there at all.
its been a bumpy road to building the new campus, overall not really worried about the politics of CO though, more interested in being at a good school with good people
Fact that I may not hear anything till March. Also, one of my interviewers seemed to present their viewpoint as fact that stifled any contructive dialogue.
The old health science campus is old and run-down, but the new fitzsimmons/anschutz campus will be incredible (opens Jan 2008). Very large group of interviewers in a very small HOT waiting room....grrr!
Their 9 credit English requirement (I only took 7 I find out at the interview) that despite a masters degree, being a year out of school and getting a 13 on the Verbal section of the MCAT, they are being rigid about. The interview day was too long - many of the speeches could have been shortened to 15 minutes.
The new campus is far from being done at this point, although starting to look good. I am disappointed that they would not be moving the classes there until December 2007 as the old campus facilities are not really very nice.
The length of the day. We started at 8am and did not leave until after 3pm. Most of this time was spent touring the old and new campus. It was just too long.
The current facilities are shabby, but it's sort of a moot point because by the time the current interviewees show up for school, they'll have at worst 3 or 4 months at the current campus.
They only had 4 veggie sandwiches and ran out before I got to the front of the line. Once you're done with the interview, you can opt out of the tour (sneek away), it gets old really fast. Oh yea, out-of-state tuition is insane.
The current campus facilities are obviously dated, (but this is the last year for studies there). The student guides seemed a bit apathetic, but to their credit, they did just get done with exams. And they want to increase the class size to 156 this year, but I don't see how their classrooms can fit that many right now.
The fact that the new medical school education building isn't going to be ready for a couple years. This means sudents will have to do their first couple years in the old building on the old campus, and after you see the new campus the old one seems run down.
Limited student services, besides the things that happen in school students are left, for the most part, on their own. This works really well for some and not as well for others.
The tour was a waste of time. The students giving the tour did not know their way around the Fitzsimmons campus. During the tour, rooms were locked and the people who were supposed to give the presentations were missing.
Also, my first interviewer was 20 min late for a 40 min interview.
Poor facilities. New construction will be an improvement if it is ever completed, but it currently splits the faculty- you may have to drive across town to speak with a Professor.
The students seemed one-dimensional...this is not your place if diversity is important. Also, the admissions guy that spoke to us before and in between our interviews was easily the biggest idiot that I have encountered on my interviews. He reminded me of David Brent from "The Office." A complete moron that was made a terrible first impression.
The lunch they had for us. Come on, if you're going to make us be there for 7 hours you can at least give us something more than a measly little sandwich and bag of chips.
Cu is piloting a new curriculum for 2005 AND a new campus. . .lots of changes going on that could be fantastic, but will no doubt be bumpy. In particular, the curriculum doesn't seem fully developed yet. Also, they have little or no resources dedicated to developing community among the medical school students and faculty.
The interview day lasts really long. Ladies I would really recommend taking tennis shoes or wear really comfortable shoes because its a lot of walking.
The old campus is a bit rundown and not very cohesive. Also, the transition from the new to old campus will be complex and probably difficult at times for the students and faculty. Finally, medical schools are often not known for their diversity--ethnically, religiously or otherwise, but U of Colorado medical school seemed especially homogenous.
They tried to make you nervous before the interviews...telling us how they go about selecting people. They then talk about how if you are out of state, your chances are not very good...it just seemed to cast things in a very negative light right prior to the interview, which wasn't cool.
I was grilled by my first interviewer over and over as he kept changing the question I said was the most difficult. He kept trying to get me to say that I would get the MRI done. I don't have any idea what he was getting at. It was really annoying. Many of the students, and the STAFF treated us like we were worthless basically, especially if you are out of state.
The tour wasn't very helpful. There wasn't much to see in the old campus and the new campus really isn't built yet. Construction seems to be taking longer than anyone expected, so it's hard to tell when the new facilities will actually be in use.
They said last year the 2005 1st-years would spend all there years on the new campus. This year, they pushed it back saying it would be the 2006 first years. Since funding is caught on in legislation, who knows when the new campus with REALLY be open. Also, they're implementing a new systems-based curriculum in 2005 which sounds great (it's what a lot of other schools have already done), but I don't know if I want to be the guinea pig for CU's first year on the curriculum.
The new campus has a long way to go, and the students (who were really nice and enthusiastic about the school) who gave the tour got lost and weren't quite sure what they should show us.
The first interviewer didn't let me speak. He kept interupting me and critizing my essay. This was a student interviewer, and I didn't feel comfortable being judged by a second year student.
That the whole school will have to move in a couple years, which will probably create some problems. Also, it doesn't seem like there are many research opportunities unless you do MD/PhD.
My 2nd interviewer was fairly nice, but was sort of gruff and would interrupt me in the middle of my stories to ask me the next, totally unrelated, question. Luckily this allowed me to talk about some things I wouldn't have thought to bring up on my own.
Very science/research intensive campus. Interviewers were old, very old, and asked a ton of ethical questions. Both seemed relatively uninterested in me as a person and interrupted me numerous times when talking about things I am interested in.
I was negatively impressed by the fact that staff from the financial aid office could not speak to us about paying for medical school. It would have been very helpful!
Minimal lunch, no morning snacks or drinks or anything - eat a good breakfast or get a coffee at Starbucks across the street (you will have time between interviews to do so). The school is finally undertaking overdue curriculum changes, but the class of 2004 will be caught midway through the curriculum change AND midway through the campus change. This will be an awkward first 2 years.
Ancient facilities, the fact that I would be caught in the middle of a major move of campuses not to mention curiculum changes, lack of organization and time wasted listening to praddle, the English requirement
There is a lot, I mean a lot of down time between the interviews and lunch/tour, about 90 minutes. The staff was around to answer questions, but there weren't enough for 90 minutes. The tour is worthwhile, so duck out and get some Starbuck's across the street and relax while you .wait
my first interviewer had someone elses essays in front of him and by the time he retrieved mine there wasn't much time left for me to tell him about myself
The switching of the campuses. I think the new one will be great, and I really don't think the current is bad, but it will be hard to try and be on two campuses at once. Also, there's no student housing.
They don't let you know about acceptance until March.
Out of state tuition is 67,000, although you can apply for in state tuition after the first year so it does even itself out.
They scheduled me for an interview with someone I interviewed with last year, so I had to wait for them to fix it and ended up being late for the discussion with the head of admissions.
The departments do not communicate. Consequently, you end of being taught the same thing in several classes, due to a lack of communication. Rediculous. Also, they are having money problems at the moment while building a new facility. Staff is so caught up in it, I fear for the incoming students.
Even though the facilities are up to the task, the school has been catching criticism for focusing too much on the move to the new Fitzimmons Center; students will start there beginning in 2005. It might not be the best time to be going to UCHSC, but overall it still seems like a quality institution.
I wouldn't get to benefit from the new campus because it won't be ready for awhile. The current building is pretty old and depressing and the parking situation is bad.
This is a school that doesn't seem to have a sense of its own identity or mission. To its credit, in the coming years it will be altering its curriculum and possibly changing locations/facilities; but for the incoming class, all this means is that we would be the last group to enjoy an outdated program. The student tour guide acknowledged that she was unhappy with her choice to attend, and even the associate dean of admissions had offhanded negative remarks about his own school. For the tour, we were walked through a single classroom, shown the exterior door of the anatomy lab, and given a perfunctory glance at the library. 10 minutes later, it was over. The only good thing students seemed to be able to say was that they could ski alot.
My first interviewer was really nice, but totally random! He didn't ask me any questions that seemed to be related to anything. We discussed Shakespeare's Henry V and the battles that took place for about 10 min. and he told me about his friend in Japan for about 10 min. as well. I kept wondering if it was a bad thing that he talked a lot more than I did.
The student tours--very unorganized and uninformative. Understandable given the fact that the students had to run off to their anatomy exam as soon as the tour was over.
The facilities were pretty grim. Unless of course you're the type that loves cinder blocks and flourescent lighting. The student giving our tour constantly kept apologizing for "how ugly everything was." Also, my faculty interviewer was a JERK. The first thing he said was, "So, it looks like you don't know what you want to do with your life."
Hard to decide between the unbelievable arrogance of the medical students already there and the white collar, good-old-boy, stuffed shirt attitude of the faculty.
Applicants commonly wished they had known more about the specific structure of the group activities, the relaxed and stress-free nature of the interviews, the semi-open file format where interviewers have access to personal statements but not grades, and the importance of being prepared to discuss unique experiences or topics from their application during the interview process. They also suggested bringing comfortable shoes for the campus tour and being aware of the location and potential costs associated with the interview day.
More of the structure of the group activity. There are only 3 students and 2 faculty.
Wish I had known the school was in the middle of nowhere, and that the interview was going to be pretty stress-free and easy. It was a good warm-up interview :)
Nothing really. Remember that the interviewers have read your personal statement and secondary essay. Afterwards, they review your whole file. Both interviewers actually asked about GPA/ MCAT and if there would be any surprises. This was at the end of the interview, so I think they really wanted to give me a chance to explain any lapses in my record.
That I had a chance at getting in!! I sure wish I had paid more attention during the talks...I was so worried about not getting in I didn't give the presentations my full attention and will have to do research now.
the schedule is presentations until 10:00. Then the two sequential interviews with either faculty or student; one-on-one, who have studied your personal statements but know nothing else. Then lunch and tour with current MSI's.
I did know that you could hear the other interviewers through the paper thin walls, which is maybe the reason it was so distracting. I also wish I knew how darn expensive the school is.
to keep my tour/walking shoes with me... Sean took our stuff up to the office and I didn't have time to grab them before the tour. at least my interview shoes are fairly comfortable :)
I'd been to the campus before so this was OK, but would suggest that any visitors get there a little early as parking is somewhat confusing to get to/figure out.
The interviews are half open-file - they have access to your essays and activities list, but not your scores or grades. It's actually a pretty good way to do it - they know what kind of questions to ask you without judging you about your GPA.
Parking was terrible. The police didn't show up to do their job of arranging parking. So some other guy tried to handle the parking, and he was a real parking nazi. He made me drive all over the campus for no reason. Once the police arrived, I was able to park.
Your file is partially blinded before the interview... they have access to your personal statement and activity summaries. They find out everything else right after they give you your first score.
A lot of the questions from one of my interviewers were about Native Americans because the interviewer had worked with Native Americans for much of her life. So I suppose wish I had known more about Native American issues.
i had heard that CU had a reputation of being laid back and having more 'conversational' interviews. i would've liked to know of some others whose interviews were not so relaxed... mine were not at all like this...
You are required to buy a lap top and a PDA for your first year, but you don't really use the PDA until 3rd year. And they strongly encourage you to get a PC instead of a Mac.
''OOS'' tuition is not $72K for 4 years. It used to be $72K for first year, then in state for last 3 years. OOS is ~$47K for all 4 years now, and it should be reflected in next year's MSAR/USNews pubs. I'm probably going to go here for med school and I almost didn't apply because of that.
One interviewer had obviously chosen not to look through my file while the second interviewer asked me about the most miniscule details of my applications. Know your materials well.
CU did a lot of the work for the Visual Human Project. They gave us a presentation on it late in the day, but I may have aksed questions about it from the students and interviewers.
This was my first interview, wasn't as bad as I was planning/thinking/fearing. I was interviewed by 2 faculty, instead of one faculty + one student. There's a Starbucks across the street***
I had a pretty good idea what to expect from reading what other students wrote. I would like to stress that the interviews are first thing in the morning, so eat a good breakfast or your stomach might start growling during your interviews. Plus, it's hard to think when you're hungry. Also, the Bonfils building where they have the interviews is hard to find because it's tucked away and it doesn't have a sign.
I learned that although out-of-state students pay and exorbitant amount of money for their first year (about $80,000), they are all eligible for state residency by their second year and pay in state tuition for the second, third and fourth years.
It was my first interview with anyone, and I was real real real nervous, and I wish I'd known there's no reason to be! The whole process is a lot less painful than you think, if you haven't had an interview yet. Don't worry about it!
That could have skipped the tour. The new campus looks nice, but we didn't do much other than walk through a couple of buildings. I didn't learn much on the tour.
That only 15% of the class is out of state. I knew this, and how it would impact my chances. But I did not think how it would effect the class composition.
Ground hasn't even been broken on the educational buildings at Fitz so unless you are planning on doing mostly research, there is no chance you will be over there for the first 2 years.
I had heard about the new fitzsimmons campus, but it isn't looking anything close to complete, so the 2005 entering class probably won't be enjoying it until later on.
The interviews are semi-open, meaning they have read your essays and seen your extracurriculars, but they don't know what your grades or test scores or like. I wish that I had a better prepared response to "Is there anything I should know before I look at your file?"
That UCHSC was moving up in the world of research so quickly. Also pleasantly surprised about student/spouse support services. Would have been more serious about the whole trip, instead of so ambivalent that I barely found the motivation to go.
The interviews are FIRST THING in the morning (9am and 10am). I thought I would have a little more time to collect and calm myself throughout the day, but nope ... they hit you with the hard part right up front.
Although the interviewers do not know your GPA and MCAT scores before they meet you, they are able to look at your file after the interview, so if there is a problem with your scores, bring it to their attention before hand.
The move to the Fitz campus is planned, yet a time/date is not set in stone. In otherwords, it could be this year's or next year's class that takes their first courses over there--no one knows for sure at this point.
The $4 parking lot they tell you about that's a block down from the school does not accept bills under $10!! Be warned, I had a parking fiasco and was late to the debriefing at 8am (luckily the admissions counselor was very nice and welcomed me right in).
That the curriculum is so intensive. I interviewed at Boston U. and the medstudents there were much less stressed out about the work load. CU is very intense in general.
I wish I would have known that black suits are way to common and slightly boring; I'm sure I just blended into all of the other prospective medical students.
That my faculty interviewer was a 75 year old redneck from rural Colorado ... that way I could have tried to speak more plainly and "good ole' boy."
There is a group exercise in which you must work together as a team and problem solve. One person must be a leader, and the remainder must work well with that person and each other. It is a timed exercise and they highly frown upon the group not solving the problem (which consists of composing various lists for medical practices, etc.) in the alotted amount of time.
Applicants generally found the interview day at the University of Colorado to be low-stress, enjoyable, and informative. They appreciated the relaxed atmosphere, the friendliness of interviewers and students, and the emphasis on personal experiences in the interviews. Some suggested improvements such as more personal interactions in interviews, greater diversity among students, and a more organized tour experience.
Super great school, I just wish the individual interview was more personal.
I thought the students really sold me on the school. My tour guid and others that came by to say hello during the lunch were all enthusiastic about the school and its location. It said a lot that new first years and second years just wanted to stop by and recommend the school even though they weren't part of the group leading the tour or lunch.
This is a fantastic school with amazing rankings and a supportive and enthusiastic atmosphere that surpasses all other schools I have looked at thus far
Very well done. Dr. Winn's opening speech was lively, humorous, and educational. The day was long, but it was always interesting to listen to the speakers, med students, residents. The med students in my tour group chose CU out of other acceptance offers. They had no negative comments or weaknesses to offer regarding the program (despite the fact we all kept asking them!).
They're building a new workout facility to be opened next year. A great example of how student feedback is taken seriously by the school.
Pretty low-stress interview. They really just wanted to talk about my experiences and how I'd arrived at a point where I knew I wanted to apply. They didn't ask anything difficult or surprising. Be aware of health care issues, and be prepared to defend them. The interviewers didn't seem to care whether you had solutions for health care problems, but did want to see that you were knowledgeable about both sides of the issues and willing to stand your ground in the discussion.
bring walking shoes for tour. got a blister from wearing new shoes that weren't broken in yet. all the guys looked like clones... everyone in a suit with white shirt.
Denver is a great area and has so much to offer. Definitely check out CU if you have the chance. First interviewer was a retired MD. Second interviewer was Ph.D. While interviews are scheduled to last 30 minutes, an hour is actually given. My second interview went about 50 minutes because we talked about my research fairly extensively; it was nice not to be cut off.
Almost all the questions were derived from my personal statements...have those memorized and be able to defend/discuss every phrase. Also, my interviewers were obviously hand picked to match my application (I applied to the rural track and my first interviewer was Mark Deutchman, director of the track). They are scheduled to be 30 minute interviews each, but they allow for 1 hour each, so no need to watch the clock. Travel time was long because of a snowstorm, which made many people late.
Great interview! First with a dean who was awesome, and then with a physical therapist who kinda gave me a hard time but I liked it. Probably a good idea to tell them if there's any surprises on your app.
school seems to be pretty oriented toward more experienced candidates (at least a few years' work experience after college) in my opinion. Colorado is a very laid back state in general, although not nearly as culturally diverse as large east coast/west coast cities.
One interview by an MD faculty, one by an MS2. Each interview lasted 30 minutes. The format was extremely laid back with the MD, very conversational. The MS2 had a list of questions, but it was still very laid back. He explained to me how he wanted to get as good of a picture of me as he could to present to the adcom, so it would make sense that he wanted to know certain things about me.
despite the fact that they are dead last in terms of state funding in the nation, they are basically the most amazing school I have ever seen. The people (students and faculty) are amazing!
The interviews I had were in general really good. The ethical questions were right in line with what I expected, but are always hard to answer. The interview was about 30 mins plus time for questions, which seemed short.
Overall, the interview was excellent. The interviewers were well prepared. This was the first interview of the year, so things were still falling into place with the move to a new campus, but still a positive experience.
the room is colld so i thought i was nervous but then when i was in the interviews i was fine. Mr. Spellmen (the admissions director) is only funny to 50% of the people in the room but he has to effect on your acceptance so it doesnt matter. The interviews were relaxed and they really just wanted to get to know me and how a year of being rejected changed me. The campus is amazing and the students seemed in great (yes great) and relaxed moods.
First interview was amazing. Really nice woman with intelligent and probing questions. The second interviewer was an old guy who had little or nothing to say, and the silence was very uncomfortable at times. He also kept looking me up and down inappropriately, and that added to my discomfort.
I arrived late to some talking. Then waited for my interview in a room with other nice people. Then waited for the second interview. Then had lunch and walked around the campus.
The day began at 8AM, ended at 2:30PM. Long walking tour and bad parking situation. I basically had two one-on-one hour long interviews. One interviewer barely gave me enough time to answer his questions and the other name-dropped good institutions that person worked at as if to validate the school. Big focus on primary care. Not a lot of scholarship money.
It was an interesting experience. The tour guides were a bunch of students that were learning the campus as much as we were, and it was still very much under construction, but everyone seemed really happy to be there.
arrived in the morning with the large group of applicants, got briefed about their process and the school. 2 interviews in the morning, then lunch and tours of the old and new campus, including information about their new simulation center and virtual cadaver software which sounded great.
I interviewed with a JD and the director of the Rural Med program. Both were very focused on my international outlook and what I thought about current world events. Little emphasis on why I wanted to be there or why medicine. Very laid back and very conversational (esp with the J.D.)
It was a very smooth and relaxed process. They do have the routine down and despite the negatives that I saw while there, which were few in number, the new facilities and the school itself are impressive
Very positive. We arrived Wednesday night and didn't start until noon the next day. We had lunch with the director, then a tour and several interviews with MSTP admissions committee members. At night we had dinner with some students. The next day we started early with the other medical school applicants. We had two half-hour interviews for the medical school, then lunch with some students and a tour of the old campus. Then we were bussed to the new campus for more MSTP interviews. At night we were supposed to have dinner at a current student's house, but due to weather we had to cancel and ended up going out to dinner close to our hotel with some students.
It was a very relaxed atmosphere. My first interviewer warned me at the beginning that he would continuously interrupt me and boy did he hold true to his word. My second interviewer knew my app very well and picked good points for me to elaborate on.
I have to admit I am biased as this school has only given me positive impressions, however, I felt the interviewers were extremely thorough and seemed to do a great job of letting me more or less lead the interview the way I wanted it to go.
I was nervous with my first interviewer because he was extremely old and it seemed as though he wasn't paying attention to my responses (i.e. no follow up questions, no eye contact, no nods or gestures). My second interview was a lot better--although there were some topics that the interviewer and I disagreed about, overall it went very well.
Overall a good experience. The tour was helpful - the tour of Fitzsimons was interesting (albeit at the end of an overly long day), the interviewers were open and seemed to genuinely want to get to know me - i had one 4th year medical student and one MD.
Overall it was low-stress and very informative. The whole day was very long but the students were enthusiastic and really seemed to love their school. They even invited all of us to go out with them that night if we were staying in town.
Interviewing at CU was pretty stress free. I think that the 1st of the 2 interviews everyone has is generally more of an interview and the 2nd is more of a friendly chat.
Colorado looks like a good school. The students seem happy, the faculty I met were enthusiastic. The new facilities look like they will be nice. Don't let the somewhat lackluster presentation by the admissions staff put you off.
I wouldn't call it laid back, but it wasn't unnecessarily stressful. The students were great and the staff were very open about the admissions process.
The chat before the interviews imparted more in the way of bad jokes than information. The first interviewer was very aggressive, while the second one (the attourney general of CO) was very engaging. The meal was low-class and the tour served no purpose.
We met in the morning in a single room packed with 25-30 other applicants and this admissions guy explained what our day would be like, went through our packet of info., and tried to entertain us for a while. Then the assistant dean of admissions came in and went through a power point presentation about the history and stats of the school, answered questions,etc. He was a cool guy. We had a break for like 15-25 minutes, and then our interviewers lined up at the doorway and called names one-by-one. We went to an empty classroom and talked for about 30 minutes, then I came back and had a break for about 10 minutes and had a similar second interview. Then we had some time before some of the current med. students took us to lunch and then showed us around on a tour of the current campus facilities. Then we took a bus ride to the new campus and toured that.
Arrived at 8:00am, started with the orientation and Powerpoint presentation. Interviewed by two UCHSC faculty members separately. The first interviewer was very enthusiastic and very interested in knowing my background and history on how I got to the United States, and she let me guide the direction of the interview - which was nice. The second interviewer was more succint and straight to the point, and his style was more to obtain your opinion on issues in healthcare. All-in-all I thought it was a pretty well-balanced interview experience were you can show both your personal attributes and your professional demeanor.
I had two interviews, one with a physician and one with a med student. When I said I think I performed at an 8, I actually think I did about a 9 with the physician and a 7 with the med student. It's funny that the med student intimidated me more than the doctor. Also, I was starving by the second interview (w/the student) and this may have affected my performance.
Relatively relaxed. They asked more about my research exp's than I wanted to talk about, since I dig family medicine and not producing research per-se. They have an outstanding rural family medicine track, which is why I want to go there so badly.
My interview day went really well. Most of the other interviewees were fun to talk with and interviewers seemed to take their jobs seriously. One interviewer was very casual and friendly. The other was more aggressive, but asked great questions. Students gave us a tour of both campuses, which took a while, but I appreciated it.
Really pleasant. One interviewer was extremely nice, the other one was pretty good too. It was extremely easy-going, I felt comfortable the whole time after feeling sick to my stomach the whole previous day and that morning. The tour went a little long, but I was just so relieved with being done with my interviews that I didn't mind too much. Also, the new campus looks real nice, the old campus is not so impressive.
First interview was with a practicing MD...just trying to figure out what I was about and what my vision for the future was. The second interviewer was a bit more vague. The entire time, she kept asking me how I would conduct the entire interview to find what I was looking for.
Overall, I really liked CU and thought it was a good day. My interviewers both asked very specific questions about my file and about health care. But they were both friendly and non-intimidating. Having interviews in the morning was nice.
Good experience. The interviews had read my essay and statments about activities but hadn't seen my scores or grades. It was good becuase it gave me a chance to explain why I got this one bad grade before they had a chance to see my GPA etc. They also really read your essays and hammer you on the content (why did you do this internship? Pick that major? Talk about experience Z) So review what you've written.
i thought my interviews went very well; i wasn't asked easy questions, and i wasn't always perfectly articulate, but i felt like the interviewers were truly trying to get at what i was made of
Being my first interview, the University of Colorado gave me a very stress free introduction to the process. I was truly surprised at how friendly all the other applicants were and how easily we all got along. The whole interview day (including tour and lunch) does get a little tiring by the end of the day though as the adrenaline leaves your body. Getting the nerve wracking part out of the way in the morning is a great idea however.
I had mentioned a potential interest in Colorado's exposure to rural medicine (I never said that I definitely wanted to practice rural medicine). The interviewer basically said that a lot of people BS that rural medicine angle, then pressed me really hard to see if I was lying. I'm sure I answered his questions fine, but it was just awkward and left a bad taste in my mouth.
Overall this was a great experience, albeit a long day. You get there at 8 in the morning, have interviews and some sessions in the AM (with lots of unattended down time), have a small lunch, then tour both campuses with a student. My interviews were totally laid back and conversational - very comfortable. New curriculum change might be a hard transition for the first class to go through, but I think it will be a change for the better. Overall this day just really got me excited about going to CU.
All the applicants assembled within a small meeting room at 8:00 AM. I was suprised to see that everyone was dressed in black as in a funeral. For interviews it is recommended that you wear neutral colors, not necessarily black. Each person was handed a packet that contained a schedule for the day, who our interviewers would be, and information about the admissions requirements. During the first half hour we were entertained by an admissions faculty member. Afterwards, the dean gave a lecture about the history of the medical school, the class profile, and the new Fitzsimmons campus. The interviews started at 9:00 AM and lasted until 10:30 AM, with a half hour break in between. Both of my interviewers were physicians and in their 70s. My first interviewer was writing a lot when I was talking, and did not seem to be too responsive. She eventually warmed up towards the end. My second interviewer was very conversational. After the interviews, we were taken to lunch by the first year medical students, and had a chance to talk with them. That was followed by a tour of the old campus, and finally the new Fitzsimmons campus.
My first interviewer seemed very interested in getting to know me and our "interview" seemed more like a personal discussion with a friend. The second interviewer was pleasant, but certainly had her list of questions to fire at me.
I ended up really late due to the snow. Don't underestimate the stupidity of Denver drivers who can't drive in the snow, and leave early. One of my interviewers was really laid back, we had a great conversation. The other one grilled me for half an hour, i had 4-5 ethical questions asked.
It was good. The people I interviewed were really great and I enjoyed talking with them. At the same time my group had 38 interviewees and this was a large group that we didn't fit most places and was a little intimidating.
UCHSC is in a period of transition and will probably be an amazing medical school in a few years. But right now I think it lacks diversity and fails to inspire its medical students to become truly thoughtful and wise practitioners.
I thought the first part of the day was informative, and the interviews were laid back. One of my interviewers asked me exclusively about my expereinces, while the other asked some more generic questions about health care and ethics. I wasn't asked one question that I wasn't prepared for after reading over the feedback on this site.
There were two interviews. The first one was pretty straightforward...asking questions form my AMCAS essay and experiences. KNOW YOUR AMCAS APPLICATION FOR THIS INTERVIEW!!!! The second one was a bit more difficult, the guy kept on screwing up my research projects and mixing up my experiences with someone elses. That didn't feel very good.
I have to agree with someone who wrote before that people were very arrogant. Students made comments and laughed about how the interviewees would be out of breath walking around because we are not used to the elevation, one was specifically directed at me, and I was asked if I needed to stop. I was in much better shape than the tour guide, so I took a lot of offense to these comments, and they were just plain unnecessary. Plus Sean Spellman had no idea where I was from. He needs a globe or something to see that I lived no where near Indianapolis, nor was I a colts fan. Later I sent emails regarding my english class credits numerous times and never got a response, and when I called, the office acted like the never had received them. I'm sorry but when I send 4 emails to the exact addresses, I find that hard to believe. I don't know about other people, but they treated me like I never should have applied. Thank God I got into a much better school.
Overall, my experience at Colorado was amazing. I am from Florida, so I went several days before and made a trip to Vail, what a beautiful drive. The interview was extremely laid back, and the interviewers were very conversational. Make sure to know your AMCAS front to back and be prepared to expand on any part. Just be yourself! I was also impressed at how soon they responded to me about my acceptance. Great school, great city...good luck.
CU goes to great lengths to keep you relaxed. They were very organized and things ran smoothly and on time. As my first interview, it was nice to have such a mellow experience.
current school is run-down and there is no known time for completion of new facilities. tour was very bad. students didn't no where they should take us and tour stops were unaware that we were coming. the interviewers were nice and the atmosphere was pretty relaxed.
More interested in attending now than before. Glad I went to meet the people. Felt good to get acceptance offer less than two weeks later. May actually enroll. Also, my wife and I are tired of being just another straight white couple in a sea of people just like us and would look forward to the diversity of the city.
It is a fairly long day. You start with a presentation in the morning by the admissions staff, followed by two 30 minute interviews (Partial open file, they see your personal statements and reported activities) over a 2 hour time period. After the interviews are completed there is another presentation by Dr. Sondheimer before lunch. After lunch you get a tour of both campuses, make sure you wear shoes you can walk a lot in!
This was my first interview, and I feel much more relaxed about the rest of them now. The interviewers (one a med student, the other a physician) were low-pressure and really seemed interested in getting to know me. Both asked question directly from my essays, so know those inside out and be ready to explain even a single sentence. Although I think they have a great program, they didn't really show us anything exciting. I don't have a frame of reference yet, so I'm not sure how they might have made the day more interesting. It was a really long day (8-3), so bring a snack for the morning.
It was my first interview, so I didn't know what to expect. I was interviewed by a Doctor and a student, and they were both friendly. The physician was a more conversational interview, while the student had questions written down on her pad that she asked me. All in all it was a laid back, comfortable environment
I just don't like this place. It is low class. People are not humble, which is a trait I see essential in a physician. When I heard back about my place on the wait list, I was sent the wrong email by Sean Spillman, which then was corrected by another email. I pay alot for the application fee. Give me a piece of paper in the mail at least, and when you screw up, call and fix the problem, don't just send another email!
As an in-state applicant nothing suprised me too much. The program seems to attract "outdoorsy" people, and the use of a ski pole as a pointer by the director in his welcome speach was hilarious. The MSTP program is smaller but the research is good and they seem to take care of their students. The transition between the old campus and the new medical center will be a little rough, but it will be a good place to be in a few years. Wear comfortable shoes for the tour of the new site. MSTP interviews include interest faculty, committee members, and then a couple of regular medical school interviews. The medical school class is older than most with alot of in-state students (no wonder with $65,000/yr out-of-state tuition).
My first interview was with a MSIV and was very conversational. She was very easy to talk to and I think it helped me that she was an actual med student. We just talked about my personal experiences mostly and why I want to be a physician. Typical questions. The second interview was with a PhD. Much more esoteric questions and not very conversational. She just had a list of questions she kept asking. I couldn't tell how it went- she gave no indication one way or another.
The admissions staff was very nice and helpful. They spoke to us for about an hour before the interviews began. My first interview was with a volunteer interviewer who was a doctor from the community. He was very welcoming, and I had a nice conversation with him. My second interview was with an anesthesiologist who was on the faculty. He wasn't particularily reponsive to my answers either way. He also seemed to think that he should try to antagonize me when asking me hypothetical questions (euthenasia and health care reform). The tour after lunch was educational.
Two forty minute interviews, one with a MSII, one with a PhD. MSII was cool, PhD was amazing. It was VERY comfortable and everybody seemed quite personable.
It was a long day with a tour to the fitzsimmons campus (definetely take the tour!), a lot of down time. Interviews themself were good, I got accepted 5 weeks after I interviewed. Sometimes the hardest interviews you thought were bad turn out to be your best ones!
The day was long, with lots of waiting in between interviews and info sessions, but the people and school were great. Both interviewers were invested in the process and very courteous. The information and encouragement I received from the current student's helped make this my #1 choice so far.
You start the day off listening to the administrator give a little talk about the interview process and the school. He is pretty funny and kinda puts on a comedy show. Then the Dean gives a talk. We have 2 interviews which last about 30 minutes each. The interviewers have only read your essays-they do not know your GPA/MCAT scores. They want to know if you have a funky score, so tell them before they find out when you aren't there to defend yourself!
After the interview day, I wanted more than ever to attend UCHSC. The people, including my fellow interviewees, were very friendly and the classes and clinical opportunities offered seem wonderful. Fitz will definitely be a wonderful change, and although a lot of ppl were disenchanted with the current building, it's not really THAT bad. By comparison to Fitz it's kind of shabby, but it's more because the halls are cramped and the paint is from the 70s. Most of the classrooms and lecture halls themselves seem pretty comfortable. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to arrive on time, and don't feel obligated to wear a black suit -- everyone wears a black suit. Wear a gray or beige one if you're daring. Maybe the interviewers will remember you a bit more. Bring a bottle of water. You'll do great!
Interview day is very poorly planned. There is noting to eat all day except for a sandwich and chips at lunch. I was hungry. Lots of down time with out anyone from the school hanging around with us. (This could be due to the fact that most of the students were already on break) No questions out of the blue, SDN did a good job of preparing me. I left the interviews feeling like I had talked too much, my interviewers were very interested in me, and that over all it was a so-so interview. Fortunately I got accepted 3 days later, so I guess you really never know.
My interview experience went fairly well. My first interview was with a retired physician who seemed to be interested in my past experiences and my personality. My second interview with an MD/PhD was a little tougher because a lot of the questions were about ethical issues in which he never seemed to think my answer was correct!
Interviewers have everything EXCEPT grades, MCAT scores, LORs. They grade you after the interview, then look at the rest of your file and give you a second grade. They were really well prepared, had read my file carefully and prepared questions in advance; I really appreciated their effort.
The interviewers were good and in no way tried to destroy me. The current facilities in no way shine. It was disorganized compared to other interviews.
This was by far the best interview I have had so far. The faculty and interviewers were extremely laid back. The interview was more like a simple conversation rather than an interrogation. The students seemed extremely happy and motivated. This is probably because of the honors, pass, and fail system of grading. It promotes commaraderie rather then competition. The new fitzsimmons campus is amazing, the standardized patients model was amazing, and the visual male human was amazing. I simply can not say enough about this school. Anyone would be extremely lucky to attend such a school.
The day started at 8:00 and there were about 20 applicants present. We chatted for about 15 minutes before somebody from the admissions office basically entertained us for 20 minutes before the Dean of Admissions appeared to give us a slide presentation. At 9:00 the 2x30 minute interviews started. Around 11:00 we gathered back in the room for another presentation by the Dean. Soon after 1st and 2nd year students came by and took us to lunch and then to the new campus for a tour. Things wrapped up around 3:00.
Very enjoyable and relaxed. One interviewer was a judge, which surpirsed me. The morning consisted of interveiws, and the afternoon included tours and lunch. Fitzsimmons will be a great place to be in 2005-2006.
Overall, the interview was low stress and fun. I had some time to chat with other interviewees, and they were great. It was a long day with lots of walking, and I was pretty wiped out at the end of the day - luckily the interviews were first thing in the morning!
Overall a good experience. Relatively low stress interviews with older more comfortable (for applicants) interviewers. Be sure to tour the new campus since you will be spending 75% of your school career there.
I had a great time in CO. I came away impressed, but I love CO. The interviewers were not trying to "trick" me in any way, but still asked tough questions. They want to get to know you, even though I am not quite convinced this can be accomplished in 30min with lots of healhcare questions.
This school seems very dedicated to building a close-knit class of caring and capable people. I liked being able to talk candidly with our student ambassadors, they were frank and forthcoming about going to school there.
UCHSC is a good school that is definately going places. The school is in the middle of changing many things with changes in the curriculm and teaching facilities being the largest and perhaps most time consuming. As for the interviews, THEY GO BY QUICKLY! You are only scheduled to meet for 30 minutes and you don't have much time to ask questions at the end (some interviewers interview 2-3 people so they tend to rush through the interviews with each student). I was lucky to extend my interviews a little longer but that was not the case for everyone else. Be ready to talk about yourself, your desires in medicine, your past experiences, and at LEAST 1 ethical question. For the most part the interviews are very relaxing, just be prepared by looking at this web site and the types of questions the school tends to ask. Go on the tour of the new campus...it will definately impress you. Also, stay with students if you can. They are nice and candid about the medical schools pro's and con's.
This was my first interview, but I think it was an overall positive experience. The interviews were over first thing in the morning which took the stress off of the rest of the day and we got to see both the present and future campuses. The students were very nice (although not always enthusiastic) and I had plenty of time to ask them questions.
I had a great experience. The student body was very diverse in age and in life experiences. The interviewers were, yes old, but nice and just wanted to get to know me. They didn't try to trick me and they had both really read through my personal statement and essays. They were very prepared and the interviews were personal, not scary.
I thought the staff did a great job at making us feel comfortable. Our tour of the school was given by students which helped us to get a good impression of how well they liked the school. They were extremely helpful in answering all of our questions, even the tough ones.
There was a lot of down time and the other people who were interviewing weren't very friendly, but I had a positive experience with the interviewers. I was excited to know that they are planning on moving the med. school by 2004.
Actually quite stressful. Both interveiwers were physicians from Children's hospital. First one seemed a bit jaded with the profession. The second person was a pretty fun guy. Both interviewers were reasonable people, I thought it went ok.
Not too stressful; interviewers didn't try any dirty tricks. Interviewers had not seen our file outside of the personal statement and bio info; they presented their findings, and others looked just at numbers and recommendations. Interesting approach. This means that you're free to wow the interviewers with the intangibles of why you want to be a physician. They did say, "is there anything I should know?" and it was emphasized that weaknesses in numbers, if they existed, should be covered, so be ready to explain any problems.
A very relaxed day, the students seemed happy and everyone was very helpful and nice. It sounds as if a lot of effort is made by the faculty and students to create a cohesive, happy class. I think this is ideal for establishing a support system in Medical School.
I had a really positive experience. Everyone was very nice and helpful. I stayed with a first year student the night before and I would recommend that to anyone. It was interesting to see a typical evening with them and hear what they had to say (what admissions might not tell you).
Overall it was a great day. There was a whole bunch of down time during the day, and financial aid never showed to talk to us, but besides that the day ran smoothly.
Having been in love with Colorado for years, I wanted so badly to like this school . . . just couldn't do it. Few of the applicants seemed to really like the school, but instead were there b/c it was their state school, or they were from a neighboring state with no med school of its own. Really dissapointing.
I had 2 interviews, one with a younger MD faculty member and the other an older PhD faculty. Both were very nice and easy to talk to you. They seemed a lot more interested in my experiences (places I had lived, research, etc.) than in trying to trip me up with ethical questions. They didn't ask me any ethical/moral questions, but most of the other students said that they got at least one. The school is in a nice place and people there are pretty cool.
Overall, it was a very relaxing, dare I say it--fun interview. Nearly the entire group of interviewees was made of out-of-sate students, including myself, and was a good crowd. Both interveiwers could not have been nicer, an the interview was more like a laid-back conversation than an interrogation. The students giving the tour did their utmost to give a balance picture of the difficulties and fun that can be had in medical school.
I was very surprised at how laidback my interview was and at how cool all of the other applicants were. I'd heard that I would be interviewed by a medical student and some old decrepit retired MD who is about to die. However, both of my interviewers were docs and both were young- in their 30s or 40s. They were very polite and held door open for me and asked me very interesting questions. The other applicants were very friendly and we all discussed random things such as our favorite fruit and movies rather than MCAT scores and GPAs. The people running the process were very nice and helpful. I was really stressed out before I got to UCHSC, but as soon as I stepped into the room, I was immediately put at ease. My advice to anyone interviewing here is to relax, be confident, and look forward to two interesting conversations with really cool doctors who sincerely want to get to know you.
I was told before I got to CO that the interview there was tough. This is not the case. The interviewers ask challenging questions but nothing a person truly interested in medicine shouldn't be able to answer. Be yourself and things will go smoothly.
There were two interviews: in my case, one was with both a med student and a doctor, while the second was with only a doctor. They seemed to focus primarily my application, asking about each activity I listed on the AMCAS application.
Generally an unimpressive interview. Everybody in my group was a Colorado resident and all the students kept extolling how great the price was. True, but look what you get. If education is all you care about from a medical school (a valid attitude but not mine), UCHSC would be great. There are no recreation facilities at all, no gym, break room or anything. And why retired faculty do the interviews is mystery to me!
I had a good cop/bad cop interview, which I thought had gone out with the dark ages. One interviewer, a very short, egotistical man, spent 30 minutes trying to piss me off with questions about AIDS, religion, and homosexuality (don't ask me why, I'm not gay nor appear to be). The next interviewer patronized me and spent the better part of the interview asking me philosophical questions that had little to do with anything. Overall, the interview experience, though I felt I did very well, was the worst of my medical school application process. I was accepted at several other schools, and not at CU, and had the worst experience of my life there. By the time I left I wanted nothing to do with the place.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggested that the admissions office should conduct interviews earlier in the day to prevent fatigue, update their website, introduce more faculty members, improve interview logistics, and provide timely updates on application status. They also recommended diversifying interview locations, reducing unnecessary talking, and ensuring a smoother secondary application process.
Interview us before showing the 3-4 hours of presentations about financial aid, curriculum, or branch campuses. Especially over Zoom, I was pretty tired after sitting in my chair from 9am to 2pm.
