Iowa City, IA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
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Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 17% 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
8.6
Above Average
Higher scores indicate a smoother, more positive interview experience with professional staff, organized logistics, and a supportive environment.
Based on 1,055 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.
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 area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools revolve around ethical scenarios like organ donation and blood transfusions, as well as personal motivations for pursuing a career in medicine. Many respondents also mentioned questions about teamwork, handling patient beliefs that conflict with medical treatment, and addressing healthcare challenges, indicating a focus on ethical decision-making and problem-solving skills in the interview process. Some responses alluded to an MMI format, suggesting a structured interview with specific scenarios and potential nondisclosure agreements in place.
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What are the ethical considerations regarding organ donation?
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Tell me about a time you worked in a team to solve a problem.
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What would you do if you had a patient who needed a life-saving blood transfusion but their beliefs prohibited them from accepting it?
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What are the ethics of AI in medicine?
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Describe a time when you taught someone something, and what did you gain from that experience?
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What are some activities that you do in your free time?
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Why medicine?
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Why do you want a career in medicine
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Why are you pursuing medicine?
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Based on your expressed passions, where do you envision your career in 5-10 years?
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If a person needed a blood transfusion for a life-saving procedure but doesn't want a blood transfusion due to personal beliefs, what would you do?
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Why Medicine
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Question about solving organ shortages
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How do you believe the rising cost of healthcare is going to affect the delivery of healthcare in the future?
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How would you deal with healthcare costs?
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Why do you want to be a doctor?
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What would you do if a patient refused a blood transfusion due to their beliefs?
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Why do you want to pursue a career in medicine?
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Please introduce yourself. Why do you want to be a physician?
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1. Why Iowa
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Why are you interested in medicine?
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3 structured questions: why medicine, how would you treat a patient who refuses a blood transfusion based on religious beliefs, name a time you went above and beyond and what did you learn from the experience
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Tell me about yourself.
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Why do you want to go into medicine?
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tell me about yourself. why medicine?
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Tell us why you chose a career in medicine.
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How would you lower the high costs of health care?
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Why did you choose to become a doctor?
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What would you do if someone refused blood transfusion for religious reasons?
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Why CCOM?
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Tell me a little something about you?
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There are 3 structured questions. The three they asked me were: 1. Why do you want to be a doctor? 2. You are considering performing a life-saving surgery on a patient that requires a blood transfusion, but their religious beliefs do not allow this. What do you do? 3. Describe a time when you went above and beyond the call and how it impacted you. The structured portion is awkward because the interviewers are not allowed to clarify the question--they will only re-read it. They are also not supposed to show emotion or interact with you in any way (to make sure your response is not affected by them at all). It was a little weird and felt unnatural to me.
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Why medicine? How would you solve the problem of high health care costs? If you find out that one of your classmates is addicted to drugs/alcohol, what would you do?
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Describe a time when you needed to ask for help.
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How would you increase the number of organ donors?
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How would you address the shortage of organ donations?
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Why do you want to be a physician?
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Ethical question about Jehovah Witness blood transfusion
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Why MD?
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Why Iowa? Why medicine?
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Something about the cost of healthcare.
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Very poorly worded question about telling people difficult news, I think??
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How do you deal with stress?
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Tell us something about yourself.
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Why Medicine? Why do you want to be a doctor?
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If a patient came in that needed surgery and a blood transfusion but refused what would you do?
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How would you address the shortage of organ donors?
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See above
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When did I show compasion to someone else?
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Why Medicine?
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Why do you want to be a doctor.
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What do you do for fun?
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Describe a situation where you went above and beyond.
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What characteristics would you want in a physician who was taking care of you or a family member of yours?
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What makes you want to pursue medicine as a career?
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Why did you choose a career in Medicine?
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What would you do about the current organ shortage?
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Why do you want a career in medicine?
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Why have you chosen a career in Medicine?
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Tell me about your research.
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All of the questions are here on SDN Why medicine, Drunk classmate question, what do you see being your toughest challenge, etc.
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Describe a situation in which your interpersonal skills helped accomplish a goal.
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Why medicine? What can we teach you here?
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Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
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Why Medicine? What do you do for fun? What qualities do you look for in a physician? What challenges do you think you'll face in medical school? What has been your greatest achievement so far?
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If a patient needed a blood transfusion and didn't want one for religious reasons, what would you do?
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What problems do you see in the current health care system and what would you do to solve them?
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What is the most challenging experience you've had over the last 4 years?
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Why do you want to be in medicine?
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How will you deal with frustrations of being a doctor?
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What makes you want to go into medicine?
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What would you do if you knew one of your classmates were abusing drugs/alcohol?
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The good old why medicine question.
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Experience that pushed you into becoming a physician?
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All the questions I was asked are already up...structured portion = 4 of those questions...unstructured is just time to talk...I think I spent a little to much time on the structured...try and pace yourself oh and the knock on the door sort of through me off once we passed the 30 minute mark...grrr
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Name a problem with the US healthcare system and discuss possible solutions.
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Why medicine?
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Why Iowa? Why Medicine? What do you do to relieve stress?
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What qualities do you have that you feel will make you a good physician?
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Why Medicine? The most interesting question. The most difficult question. And What would you do if a patient or a colleague had different beliefs than you?
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What was the most influential experience of your life?
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How do you handle working in a difficult situation with many different people?
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Why medicine? What is one problem with the health care system and what can physicians do to change it? What qualities would make you a good physician?
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Why medicine/Iowa?
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"Well, you probably are expecting this one: Why do you want to be a doctor"
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These are in addition to the two I mentioned above: Why medicine?
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How would you help a friend that is an alcoholic?
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Why do you want to become a physician?
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Read any books recently?
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See website for questions
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(MD only): Why do you want to be a doctor?
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Why Medicine? Why Iowa?
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How did you decide you wanted to become a doctor? How do you handle conflict?
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a time you showed compassion
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Why medical school?
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Why medicine? What skills will you bring to your entering class? What would you do if you thought a friend was abusing alcohol? Describe a time you had to use your skills to complete a task with others.
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Why did you decide to pursue medicine as a career?
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Why Iowa?
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Why do I want to enter medicine?
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For the med half, you can look up the exact 5 questions to the med school portion online. They don't change much year to year.
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1. Why U of Iowa 2. Why Medicine 3. How would you help a friend who is addicted to alcohol? 4. Discuss a time you showed compassion 5. Discuss a time you needed help
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Why did you choose medicine for a career?
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Why medicine? Qualities of a good doctor.
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Why do you want to go into medicine and why Iowa?
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See above, plus biggest medical issue and what qualities would make you a good doctor?
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What do you think is the biggest healthcare issue facing americans today and what should physicians do about this?
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Why have you chosen to pursue medicine as a career? What would you do if you knew one of your classmates had a drug/alcohol problem?
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Why do you want to be a doctor? What personal characteristics would make you a good doctor?
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What characteristics do you possess that would make you a good physician?
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Why do you want to practice medicine?
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How do you handle stress? How would you help a friend with a drug/alchohol problem? When have you shown compassion?
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Why medicine? How do you handle stress?
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What made you interested in becomming a physician?
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Why did you decide to pursue medicine?
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Med-school is stressful, how do you plan to handle it?
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What personal qualities do I have that prepare me for medicine?
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Why Medicine? Why Iowa medicine? What is a big health care issue today adn how can we solve it.
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How do you handle stress
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How do you handle stress?
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What characteristic do you possess that will make you a good physician?
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, including addressing US healthcare system changes, identifying important physician traits, sharing personal accomplishments, discussing stress management, and exploring ethical dilemmas like dealing with patient non-compliance. The interview format appears to be structured with standard questions followed by informal conversations, with a variety of thought-provoking questions related to healthcare challenges, personal experiences, and ethical scenarios being common themes.
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How would you change the US healthcare system today?
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You've worked in a variety of different healthcare settings. What do you see being the biggest problem in healthcare?
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What trait do you think is the most important for a physician?
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So, you mentioned earlier that you participated in cellular biology research. Tell me a little more about what you did in that experience.
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What are signs for you that you are too stressed and need to take time for yourself? (note: I was interviewed by a psychiatrist who really enjoyed talking about self care and mental health).
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What are you most proud of accomplishing in the last 4 years?
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Name one moment in college that either impacted you very positively or negatively. And what did you learn? Why IU?
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What do you like to do for fun
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N/A - they were all pretty straightforward, basic questions.
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The structured question about the rising cost of healthcare
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How should the medical field battle cost issues?
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What are your hobbies?
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During the second half of the interview we had a more informal discussion about my aspirations to do humanitarian work as a physician and that was an interesting conversation.
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Follow up to my answer: Why do you think physician burnout is such an important issue?
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We talked about music and why I chose my school.
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What's your favorite place to rock climb? (after talking about gap year)
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What was the most exciting experience during your undergrad?
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Describe one positive experience and one negative experience from you undergraduate years.
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Talked about my rabbit and why I would recommend getting a pet rabbit!
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What qualities would I want in a physician for myself or my family members.
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What do you do to manage stress?
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what do you do with a patient who opposes life-saving treatment due to religious reasons?
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Thoughts on alternative medicine?
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How would you deal with a patient who was non-compliant?
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If you had to choose today, what specialty would you go into?
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Follow-up questions... What would you do if you couldn't be a physician? What are your interests? Tell me about a volunteer activity you have done? What's your biggest accomplishment?
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What would you like us to know that isn't on your application?
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How to help combat the cost of medicine?
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Tell me a negative aspect of your undergraduate career
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Why do you play tennis. ( I said that I play tennis as a repose to what do you do for fun)
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Do you think healthcare is a basic human right?
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Can you deal with the shades of grey involved in medical decision-making (I have an engineering background)?
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What is something you're most proud of?
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After the three structured questions they asked me several additional questions: What do you do during your free time outside of school/medicine? What is your greatest accomplishment in the last 4 years? Tell us about yourself? Tell us about your research? How would you go about working with someone who had a very narrow opinions that contradict your beliefs? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
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None
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Name a specific example of how (insert volunteer experience) changed you?
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tell me about your research
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1. How would you integrate your artistic background into practice?/What value does it bring? 2. You've talked a lot about your research. How will you use it in your future practice? 3. You mentioned growing up on a farm. How will that impact how you serve the community? 4. This rural doctor you shadowed - how did it affect you? How did he work in and with the community and the patient population? 5. What specific challenges might be faced in a rural setting?
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The blood transfusion question - everything else I was asked was pretty standard.
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How did you like "X" college class and do you think the teaching methods were effective?
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Ethical question: Someone needs a blood transfusion but it's against their religion. What do you do?
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Conversation part of interview.
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There is a shortage of organs for transplants. What do you suggest as a solution?
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Probably the organ donation question.
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Nothing really. I mostly expected them, but somehow forgot to practice Q3. They did ask what type of medicine I was interested in, since I want to do global medicine.
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How do you feel about alternative medicine?
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They were all pretty standard.
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What will you do as a physician to address the problems in healthcare?
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What was your biggest failure?
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How do you handle stress?
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Don't remember.
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None were interesting.
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How do you deal with stress?
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none, but one of the interviewers fell asleep during the interview. The other interviewer wrote on a business card telling me he has parkinson's disease...kind of an awkward situation.
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The healthcare system one.
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The organ donor question.
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How will you use your public health background in this job?
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How do you plan to integrate your environmental interests into your future medical career?
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What would you do if a patient just wouldn't listen to your advice? (prompted by discussion of smoking)
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Specific to me (Why change in career)
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Specific to my file.
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Describe a time when you needed help and asked for it.
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When was an example of when I've shown compashion for someone?
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Discuss a current topic in medicine and your opinion on the physician's role in it.
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What type of medicine would you like to practice?
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What was my proudest moment?
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What characteristics do you look for in a physician for yourself or your family?
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Would you give a life saving blood transfusion to someone who didn't want it because it was against their beliefs?
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If a colleague was abusing drugs or alcohol, what would you do?
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What do you do for fun?
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Propose a solution to the organ deficit problem.
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Have you ever had a family member abuse drugs or alcohol.
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What qualities would your ideal physician possess? (Pretty standard, all of the Q's were like this)
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If you needed to give a life-saving blood transfusion, but the patient had cultural beliefs against it, what would you do?
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How do you see technology advances changing the field of medicine? (Besides imaging...)
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How would you solve to problem of rising health care costs in America?
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What is your most meaningful experience?
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Propose a solution to the deficit of organ donors.
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What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of from the last four years?
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Nothing. It seemed like they didn't want to know anything personal about me and couldn't seem to come up with any specific or interesting things to ask me.
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How would you deal with the organ shortage ?
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What would you look for in a physician who would be treating your family member?
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If you had a patient that refused to follow your advice, how would you handle the situation?
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Elaborate on your performing arts experience and how it relates to your desire for a career in medicine.
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Have you met any scientist who's amazingly bright and you genuinely admire?
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What do you think it is going to take to close the gap between socioeconomic groups so far as healthcare is concerned? (Asked during unstructured portion)
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If we had to sell you to the admissions committee, what else would you want them to know?
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What about healthcare in Africa surprised you most?
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What were the best and worst experiences of your college career?
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What does the name Proteus mean? (I worked for a mobile health clinic, Proteus, Inc.)
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What would you do if you found out a doctor friend of yours was a boozehound?
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What's one way you would improve healthcare
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There is a continuing shortage of organ donations, do you have any ideas to help the situation?
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Health care costs are high. Suggest ways in which this could be improved.
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What made you choose a career in medicine?
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If there were a shortage of organs, what would you suggest to increase the number of organ donors?
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What is your great achievement so far?
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How do you feel about the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry?
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The structured questions were interesting in that the interviewers made no comments or real reactions other than polite smiles. I just kept talking until I was done, and then it was on to the next question.
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Describe a situation in which your interpersonal skills helped accomplish a goal.
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What is one non-medical experience in your undergraduate career that led you to consider a career in medicine?
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How will you prepare for the frustations of being a doctor (i.e. patients not following your advice, continuing smoking, not taking meds, etc.)?
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If a patient needed a life-saving blood transfusion but it was against his.her religious beliefs, would you give it to him?
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Where do you see yourself in ten years?
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Would you give a blood transfusion to someone against thier religious beliefs?
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What other challenges besides the past year have you experienced?
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If you had to work with someone whose personal beliefs were vastly different than yours and it caused problems at work, what would you do?
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They asked me to describe a situation where I showed compassion.
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How do you think you can make it through medical school while being a father/husband?
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What would you do if you had 24 hours and could go and do anything in the world?
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What was an example of when I went beyond the call of duty? How did this impact me?
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What would you do if you knew a friend in medical school had a drug or alcohol problem?
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Name medically and non-medically related books that you've read recently.
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How would you be able to interact with a person who has extremely different beliefs than you?
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none really
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I didn't find any of the questions particularly interesting or difficult because I had seen them all before on this site.
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How would you handle a patient with different social/cultural/religious beleifs than you?
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How will you work with a colleague/patient who has different beliefs than you do?
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Standard questions.
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Identify a problem in Medicine and tell us what doctors can do about it?
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What would you do if you had knew a fellow medical student had an alcohol or drug related problem?
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one advantage and one disadvantage of a small school
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Would you take in a stray animal or child?
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Describe a time you went above and beyond the call of duty.
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What will the hardest part of medical school be for you?
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What would you do if someone with different religious or cultural beliefs disagreed with you?
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Since you like water sports, what would you do in Iowa City where there are no lakes? (I previously mentioned I'm an avid windsurfer)
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None really, because I anticipated most of the questions.
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What would you do if you knew a colleague of yours had a drinking/drug problem?
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If a fellow medical student who was also a friend had a problem with drugs or alcohol, what would you do?
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What would you do if medicine was not an option?
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Which aspect of being a physician are you least looking forward to?
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Tell about a time when you asked for help. How did you ask?
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What would you do if one of your colleagues had a drinking problem?
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What achievement in the last four years are you most proud of?
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One of my responses to a question was a story about the injury of a friend and my involvement with the paramedics,etc. and the interviewer asked me how the experience affected my choice to become a physician.
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Can you help me with my research?
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How would I handle a friend with a drinking problem?
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I mentioned that I was interested in practicing in an underserved (rural or inner city) environment. The interviewer asked me how I felt my experiences had prepared me for that.
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How would I feel going from being one of the most popular people at your undergrad to being virtually unknown?
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If you were in a market in Ghana and an HIV positive person collapsed beside you and was bleeding, what would you do? You have no gloves.
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Why not MD/PhD?
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what do you do when you are wrong?
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no surprisingly interesting q's
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What do you like to do for fun?
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How will you contribute to the class if admitted?
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The interview was sooo laid back, that it was just general conversation. The hardest questions were the first 4 structured ones, and those weren't even that hard because you knew them in advance.
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When was an instance that you went above and beyond the call of duty, and what did you learn from the experience?
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Name a situation in which your interpersonal skills helped towards a resolution to a problem.
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How do you react to a personal conflict situation
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The University of Iowa interviews are set up such that they ask four standard questions to all applicants. After those questions are answered (during which no feedback is given by the interviewers), a more informal conversation occurs. The most interesting question I was asked related to my experience as a substance abuse counselor, and how I managed to establish rapport with clients.
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The questions weren't surprising, they were the standard Iowa interview questions.
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What is a important health issue and what can physicians do to remedy the problem? What do you forsee as the biggest challenege you will face in medical school?
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What kind of media do you us for painting/have you ever shown your work?
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Describe a time when your communication skills helped you achieve a goal.
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What would I do if a friend had an alcohol/drug problem?
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The breakfast at the director's house yielded a great many interesting conversations. That is a great time to chat up faculty about mutual personal interests.
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If you had 24 hours to do anything, with no financial constraints and the laws of physics don't apply, what would you do?
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Why did you choose Iowa?
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So, do you hunt and fish like all good Utah boys?
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All of the questions are on the website and are pretty generic questions. The intersting part of the interview is after you get asked your standard questions and then you can just have a normal conversation with your interviewers.
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Why medicine?
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How do you know when to ask for help and how do you do it?
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If your friend, who was also in medical school, had an alcoholism problem, what would you do?
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See below.
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How do you know when to ask for help?
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Name one current problem in health care and address various ways that physicians can help remedy it.
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What is a major problem in today's healthcare system, and what can physicians do to remedy it?
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None were all that interesting. If I had to choose one, it would be what is a health care issue today and how can doctors remedy this issue?
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What type of art media do you prefer to work in?
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In your mind, what is a one of the largest health problems in the world and how, as a doctor, would you solve it?
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What does it signify when an electrical outlet has a horizontal line across one of the outlets?
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What do you think about alternative medicine?
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What do you like to do in your free time?
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Why do you want to go to Iowa?
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What is a major health problem in America today, and what can physicians do to remedy it?
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During the unstructured portion of the interview, I was asked what I would do if I am not admitted to medical school this year.
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strangest question: if a fellow med student had a drug or alcohol problem, how would you help them?
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What are some of the health care issues facing physicians today?
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What is the name of the mechanism by which that occurs? (explaining my research)
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None really struck me as interesting.
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What do you do to get rid of stress?
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No interesting questions
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What is the biggest problem facing health care today?
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Nothing real interesting. There was a structured impersonal section followed by an open more personal conversation.
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If you found out your good friend was an alcoholic, what steps would you take to get him help
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What have you done in your year off?
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When was a time that you showed compassion?
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What are your hobbies
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If a friend of yours in medical school was displaying signs of alcoholism, how would you try to help him?
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1.What was an instance when you showed compassion? 2.Describe a time when you had to ask for assistance.
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, including ethics of organ donation, impact of rising healthcare costs, personal accomplishments, and future career aspirations. While some encountered challenging structured questions, others faced ambiguous or unexpected inquiries, with a few highlighting concerns about handling ethical dilemmas involving patient care.
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What was one good experience and one bad experience you had in undergrad?
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What do you think is going to be the most difficult part of medical school/ being a physician?
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What are the ethics of organ donation when there is an organ shortage?
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How will the rising costs of healthcare impact the delivery of healthcare in the future?
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What was your biggest accomplishment during your undergraduate career?
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Is there anything else you'd like the admissions committee to know about you?
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How do you think rising costs of healthcare will impact health delivery in the future?
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What speciality are you interested in?
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Talk to me about healthcare in this country
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A confusing, poorly worded question about the good things and bad things of my undergrad program—I answered it about the pros/cons of my double major but the question was too general and the interviewers couldn't provide clarification
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Nothing really, the questions were pretty standard. But one of my interviewers had a very thick accent which made it difficult to understand him at times. They are allowed to repeat structured questions word-for-word if you didn't catch something.
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How would you deal with healthcare costs?
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What do you think will be the hardest part of transitioning to medical school?
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What would you do if a patient refused a blood transfusion due to their beliefs?
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How do you work with people who have very different personal beliefs?
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You mentioned volunteering in a nursing home, how do you keep yourself motivated? (wasn't too hard, but they only ended up asking me 5-6 questions total)
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When have I gone above and beyond?
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Do you plan to include research into your career?
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The practicing physicians question. It was unexpected and was only the second question (after tell me about yourself) so I was still pretty nervous. However, the female interviewer smiled and nodded while I was answering which made me relax a bit.
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Tell me your thoughts about healthcare and the affordable care act.
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Describe a time you had to deal with an unexpected or disappointing outcome.
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none as long as you are prepared for the ethical/situational question
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N/A
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How would you handle the death of a patient?
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What are you most worried about coming in to medical school?
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Tell us about a specific example of a time you solved a problem.
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What specific type of medicine are you interested in?
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None
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It was pretty straightforward all the way through. The interviewers were very considerate and didn't try to pressure you.
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Explain in less than three sentences why you would be the best doctor ever.
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What would you like to see implemented in the health care policy by the government?
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Tell me about yourself. I really dislike this question and unfortunately it is asked at almost all interviews. I always feel so awkward answering this one!
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How to reduce the cost of health care?
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I felt the structured questions were most difficult because they were rather awkward.
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the first three questions were structured so that the interviewers could give no feedback. sort of stressful.
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How to decrease healthcare costs.
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None of the questions were difficult - they genuinely seemed to want to know more about me as a person.
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None. Almost all questions were standard interview ones.
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Describe a time when you needed to ask for help (just caught me off guard).
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How do you know when you've done enough?
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The organ donation one.
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Same as most interesting
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The 'caring' question, just because it was so ambiguous and so difficult to pinpoint one exact situation.
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Q3, I sat in silence for at least 45 seconds before coming up with an answer, which involved a Russian patient that I impacted at the local hospital.
-
Where do you see yourself 10 or 20 years from now?
-
None were difficult.
-
What do you do when you have to work with someone who you disagree with/don't get along? (never experienced this...so answer was probably rough)
-
Nothing really... just trying to deal with the deadpan expressions on ALL THREE of my interviewers simultaneously interviewing me.
-
What are most proud of accomplishing in your last four years as an undergrad?
-
An ethical question that was awkwardly worded and didn't even seem like a question.
-
The poorly worded one that was barely a question.
-
What solution do you propose to reform the current healthcare problem?
-
The healthcare system one.
-
Ditto. I missed the obvious answer. "Encourage people to sign their organ donor cards."
-
None were very difficult. I guess I was well-prepared.
-
What do you think will be most difficult about medical school?
-
What will be most challenging for you in medical school.
-
solution to the rising cost of healthcare
-
Specific to my file.
-
What would you do if a fellow student were heavily abusing drugs or alcohol?
-
none really because I was prepared
-
Propose a solution to the deficit of organ donations.
-
See above answer.
-
How would you solve the problem of rising healthcare costs?
-
Would you give a life saving blood transfusion to someone who didn't want it because it was against their beliefs?
-
Propose a solution to the deficit of organ donors.
-
How would you solve the rising healthcare costs?
-
nothing.
-
Organ donatations are very low, what would you do to fix the problem.
-
Give an example of when you were caring or compassionate.
-
Describe a life-changing experience in college.
-
How would you solve the problem of rising health care costs in this country?
-
How would you solve the problem of rising health care costs in America?
-
How would you solve the rising costs of health care?
-
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
-
There is a continuing shortage of organ donation, do you have any ideas to help the situation?
-
see above
-
How would you propose to fix the problem of rising health care costs in America?
-
same as above
-
There is currently a shortage of organs available for donation and transplant. Do you have any ideas to help alleviate this situation?
-
Talk about a situation where you go above and beyond.
-
Tell me some negative things about yourself?
-
Tell us about a time you used your interpersonal skills to complete a project.
-
What can be done about rising healthcare costs?
-
None...all of the questions were very straight-forward.
-
None were terribly difficult, but the Proteus question definitely threw me for a loop.
-
Tell us about a time in your life that was very influential?
-
The questions asked were pretty straightforward. One of the interviewers pressed the organ donation question further in the unstructured part. He cited a solution that Pakistan has derived to help combat this problem and asked what I thought of this solution.
-
Health care costs are high. Suggest ways in which this could be improved.
-
How will you use interpersonal skills in medical school?
-
Name an event that had a large impact on your life and how it affected you.
-
What challenges do you think you will face in medical school?
-
Tell me about a time in which you went above and beyond.
-
Nothing too bad really. The
-
Describe a situation in which your interpersonal skills helped accomplish a goal.
-
If a patient needed a blood transfusion, but it was against their religous beliefs, what would you do?
-
Describe a negative experience in your undergraduate education.
-
above
-
What would you do for a patient who needed a blood transfusion but couldn't receive one due to religious beliefs?
-
All pretty straight forward...unless you would give blood to someone against thier will...then that might be hard.
-
What would you do if you knew a classmate was abusing drugs or alcohol?
-
Tell us about a problem in the medical field and a possible solution.
-
No difficult questions from my perspective.
-
What is you proudest achievement so far in life?
-
Why do you want to become a physician?
-
See above.
-
Tell us about an influential moment in your life.
-
How would you handle a conflict with a patient or colleague who had different cultural/religious beliefs?
-
When has communication helped play a role in the completion of a project for you?
-
none really
-
Describe an influential experience in your life.
-
How would you handle a collegue/classmate that had a drinking/drug problem. This was only becuase they kept wanting me to elaborate, but this lead to an interesting discussion.
-
What is the biggest problem you see in healthcare today, and what do you suggest doctors do about it?
-
Explain a time you went beyond your call of duty and how that impacted you.
-
What qualities would make you a good doctor? I don't really like talking about myself.
-
"What would you do if a patient did not comply with your recommendations/orders?"
-
describe a time when you asked for help
-
What would you do if you had knew a fellow medical student had an alcohol or drug related problem?
-
What are the biggest problems in health care and how can doctors solve them?
-
What would you do if someone with different religious or cultural beliefs disagreed with you?
-
Tell me about a time you used your communication skills in a leadership setting to achieve a goal. (I was like..."WTF, mate!?", but I squeaked through :-p
-
Tell me about an influential moment in your life?
-
If a fellow medical student who was also a friend had a problem with drugs or alcohol, what would you do?
-
nothing too difficult...
-
Identify a problem with the health-care systtem. How can doctors change it.
-
What is the one quality you would look for in a physician for one of your family members or yourself?
-
Why would you be a good contribution to the class (hard to articulate)
-
I'm not big on talking about "issues" in the medical field and I was asked to give my opinion on an ethical issue facing medical professionals today.
-
Why Iowa?
-
How would I handle a patient who refused to follow advice?
-
Same question.
-
See Above.
-
Nothing was really too tricky.
-
What is the difference between a doctor and a physician? What do you feel is the biggest problem facing health care today?
-
None really-the questions were the standard ones I expected after reading this site.
-
none, they asked the four basic questions
-
Nothing. What do i like to do for fun. Seriously, that was the most difficult question.
-
What is your opinion of embryonic stem cell research and how do you define the beginning of life?
-
Nothing was too difficult.
-
What makes a professional? Define 'professionalism'. This was related to an answer I'd given to a previous question.
-
Everything was pretty standard, nothing out of the blue.
-
No questions were too difficult
-
Describe a time when your communication skills helped you achieve a goal.
-
How do I determine when I need to work in a group?
-
A speculative series of questions regarding cellular mechanisms of synaptic adaptation in the songbird auditory forebrain (this was loosely based on my research).
-
What is your greatest asset?
-
none - I was asked exactly what I thought I was going to be asked from the website.
-
Although I have millions of reason why I want to study medicine, I still consider "why Medicine?" the toughest question for applicants because giving the one best answer to this question is a always challenging.
-
What qualities do you possess that will make you a good physician?
-
What was an unpleasant situation that you experienced during your undergraduate career?
-
What is your opinion on healthcare?
-
What is the largest problem facing medicine today, and what can doctors do to help solve it?
-
Why medicine?
-
If you had to choose between getting a PhD and an MD, which would you choose?
-
If you could only do one (MD or PhD), which would you choose and why?
-
What qualities do you have that will make you a good physician?
-
How do you know when you need help and how do you ask for it?
-
Why do you want to pursue medicine? ( With the no reaction, no conversation style, this was ackward. Too many reasons to sum up in this format)
-
Name a specific time when you had a problem you couldn't solve and how did you go about solving it?
-
None were difficult, if you are given an interview they send you the questions you will asked during the structured part of the interview.
-
How do you know when you need help? How do you know when you don't need help?
-
Do you think you will go into research?
-
What would you do if a fellow classmate was abusing drugs?
-
Nothing to difficult. They just want to get to know you.
-
How do I ask for help when it is needed?
-
When do you know when to ask for help or to just do it on your own?
-
Let's explore the stem cell debate further...
-
When do I need to ask for help. Misunderstood the question at first and had to regroup to answer question...
-
What is a health issue andhow can doctors solve it?
-
If you thought a friend in medical school had an alcohol problem, what would you do?
-
How do I know when to ask for help/
-
What is a major problem in health care and what would you do to fix it?
-
How do you deal with difficult situations?
-
How do you know when to ask for help?
-
What do you see as a major problem with healthcare today, and what should physicians do to change it? I should've been prepared for that one, but for some reason it threw me..
-
When was a time you showed compassion
-
None were exceptionally difficult - but the standardized portion of the interview was a little wierd.
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How long was the interview?
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?
Applicants commonly prepared for the interview by utilizing resources such as Student Doctor Network (SDN), mock interviews, reviewing common interview questions, and researching the school's website. Many also practiced answering questions out loud, discussed with peers or mentors, and familiarized themselves with their application materials and current healthcare issues.
-
SDN
-
Prepped with student doctor network questions
-
Mock interview, SDN
-
I prepared by reading generic interview questions.
-
SDN, mock interviews
-
mock interviews, read an interview prep book
-
Viewed questions on the interview feedback page and did mock interviews with my partner.
-
Mock zoom interviews
-
Mock interview, had previous interview experience at other schools
-
I did a mock interview before all of my interviews
-
Mock interview, quizlet flashcards with interview questions on them, reviewed the Carver website and prepared a few questions to ask the interviewers
-
Review primary app and their website
-
None
-
Review my application and read healthcare articles.
-
Mock interviews
-
Looked on SDN and practiced the questions, talked to other people I knew who interviewed there to get tips and questions
-
Mock interview, SDN, school website
-
Carver College website, UI Healthcare website, SDN interview feedback, having student host, mock interviews with peers
-
Read this guide, reviewed my secondary
-
Just looked at previous survey results and thought about how I would structure some responses.
-
SDN, read school's website
-
Looked up common Iowa questions on SDN, looked up common interview questions, in general, and practiced saying my answers out loud to myself first, and then with my research mentor and girlfriend. Listened to their suggestions and tried to implement them.
-
SDN, practice questions with friends and colleagues.
-
Mock interview, went over my answers to the standard interview questions, used sdn.
-
SDN, prepared answers to common interview questions
-
Review interview feedback on SDN, study medical ethics, write out answers and practice outloud
-
looked up questions on SDN. mock interviewed with friends and worked together to come up with good answers. lots of rehearsal after that.
-
SDN, website, talked to alumni
-
Looked at feedback on SDN, practiced my answer to "Why Medicine," familiarized myself with my app and secondary essays, etc.
-
Read the MSAR and interview feedback
-
Wrote my answers out to a list of questions I made from SDN
-
Practiced answering the questions that would definitely be asked. Looked through Iowa's website. Looked through SDN interview feedback.
-
SDN Interview feedback!
-
answered a list of 20 questions that I compiled from checking SDN then memorized the answers.
-
read interview feedback, mock interviewed with friends
-
I didn't.
-
Reviewed planned answers to structured questions based on SDN, reviewed my essays because the closed file format meant it was fine to regurgitate that info, and researched the school extensively.
-
Reviewed SDN, UI website, stayed with a medical student (this is HIGHLY recommended, I learned so much more about the school from this student)
-
SDN and SOM website
-
I made a list of all the questions that were on here and attempted to type out answers to them before hand...this helped me form a mental outline of what I wanted to say during the day of the interview. 2/3 questions that I had prepared for were asked in the structured portion!
-
Read through some books, SDN, interview real doctors.
-
Read through my AMCAS Application, my secondary application to Iowa, looked up current news about research at the university (especially biomedical research), as well as a brief glance at the curriculum and research opportunities available to medical students.
-
sdn, online
-
Interview feedback, read SDN, researched the school
-
Talked to students already in the program, SDN, and did a mock interview.
-
Went over AMCAS & secondary apps. Read SDN interview feedback & thought of answers to common Qs. Familized self with major healthcare issues/ethical dilemmas thru Wikipedia and news.
-
Looked at SDN interview feedback, read "The Medical School Interview" by Jereemiah Fleenor, carefully read up on the school through their website.
-
SDN and practiced with friends
-
Spoke with friends.
-
SDN, website
-
Read SDN, Read my app, etc.
-
SDN, and researched the school. Really only here on the interview feedback, that's why I am filling one out, so I can help others, since this site prepared me so well!
-
This website, practicing to myself, reading about the healthcare reform, mock-interviews at my undergrad institution
-
Read the school's website.
-
SDN, washington website, interview feedback, researched UofI website
-
SDN, health care resources, uwashington bioethics page
-
Talked to med students, SDN, read about the school, read about healthcare issue
-
Had previous interviews, school's website, mock interviews, SDN interview feedback, etc.
-
Mock interview. Practiced answers by myself. SDN interview feedback.
-
SDN, mock interview, practiced questions with family members, kept up on current issues
-
SDN, mock interview, etc.
-
Read SDN feedback, looked over AMCAS application.
-
Student Doctor Network, writing out points to make, interview prepartion with friends.
-
Read over my AMCAS application, answered practice questions, mock interview, read Jeremy Fleenor's The Medical School Interview, got tips from current Iowa students, read SDN.
-
Looked around on these forums, read some articles on health care costs, presidential candidates plans, etc.
-
SDN, mock interview with school career center
-
SDN Interview feedback
-
I read SDN, reviewed the U of I website, and practiced with family members.
-
2 mock interviews and reviewed questions from SDN
-
SDN/Mock Interviews
-
read interview feedback, current health news, reviewed my notes about the school's programs
-
Get to know myself and my accomplishments more. Went over the general questions that you can get from most websites.
-
msar, sdn, website, amcas app., secondary
-
Reviewed personal statement.
-
this feedback site schools's site and spoke to people from Iowa city
-
Reviewed questions on secondary applications, SDN.
-
Thought about answers to common questions.
-
SDN, parents.
-
SDN, articles on healthcare policy, my application, school website
-
SDN (really helped!), reviewed my application
-
SDN, application, read up on the website, reviewed prepared questions.
-
This was my first interview so I felt I honestly under prepared. The usual SDN, school website and mock interview preparation, plus I made flash cards with 75 sample questions and I practiced answering them during the drive to IA. Don't worry about researching IA too much for the purposes of the Interview, they give you a lot of information during the day and they didn't ask me any ''Why Iowa'' questions and I'm hella OOS.
-
SDN, web-site, application, read Intro to Health Care Policy by Bodenheimer, read up on current events and health care legislation.
-
SDN feedback, looked over my AMCAS, researched the school.
-
Read website, Read Iowa info, SD Network, Reviewed my Application
-
Prayed, read MSAR, studentdoctor.net questions, talk to students
-
SDN interview feedback, reviewed AMCAS and personal statement
-
browsed SDN, read healthcare system and policy info and various current science articles
-
SDN, AMCAS
-
my file mostly, some sdn
-
SDN, prepared answers to common questions, interview coaching
-
SDN, AMCAS application, secondary application, talking to my mom (nurse)
-
studentdoctor.net, review Kaplan interview tips, revisit amcas and secondary essays.
-
SDN feedback, overview of facultys' research interest
-
SDN, school's website, AMCAS, and Secondary responses
-
SDN, developed answers to the ''typical'' questions (why medicine, what are your best qualities, example of when you were compassionate, etc.)
-
SDN, read over application, UI website
-
Looked at studentdoctor.net, looked over the school's website, reviewed my application
-
Looked over my application, talked to some friends in medical school.
-
Reviewed my secondary application, wrote up responses to questions posted on SDN, spoke with my advisor and had a mock interview.
-
Along with your interview invitation, they give you a general idea what will be covered during the ''structured'' part of the interview. I prepared for that, and did some research about the school.
-
I browsed through this website familiarizing myself with the questions from the structured part of the interview. I reviewed my application materials not only to Iowa but also to the other schools which I apply to. I also browsed through the U of Iowa website and Carver College of Medicine website to familiarize myself with the school and program.
-
I didn't
-
SDN interviews. Preparing responses to broad questions ahead of time.
-
This website, practice interviews.
-
Reviewed feedbacks on SDN, AMCAS and secondary application, read up on the school on their website,formulated answers to some common interview questions
-
SDN, review AMCAS application and website
-
SDN feedback, read up on Iowa, figured out things I wanted to get out there...25 minutes is a short time! Definitely read through SDN though, the structured questions are around.
-
Prepared for what was given in the invitation
-
SDN, read through applications
-
SDN.
-
SDN, read an ethics book, read over my essays, practiced
-
SDN previous questions (very important for this interview)
-
Looked over my stuff, the schools stuff, and all my secondaries. Thought about life.
-
Read their website and my application/secondary.
-
Read this website and previous feedback.
-
Reviewed AMCAS applilcation, secondary application, school website and SDN.
-
didn't really, I have already been to so many. (I researched the school a bit)
-
Read school's website, read some articles
-
I researched the schools web site.
-
this website,
-
SDN, career center resources, outlined my ideas but didn't rehearse or practice because I wanted to have my answers be though out but still spontaneous.
-
SDN, read some ethics books (no ethics questions), re-read my application, thought of good ways to summarize my research
-
Got snowed in at O'Hare airport and drove the following morning.
-
SDN, school's website
-
This site, AMCAS application, and secondary questions.
-
This site, talked with others, outlined answers to questions beforehand.
-
SDN, AMCAS, secondary, school's website, AMA.
-
This website
-
Read some news
-
SDN, Reread my AMCAS and Secondary, US News and World Report.
-
SDN (all the possible structured interview questions were here; they ask you four); mock interviews with friends; writing down answers to the possible interview questions.
-
looked at this website, talked with med students about their interview experience
-
SDN and mock interviews
-
Reviewed the school's website, mock interview, reviewed AMCAS and secondary, SDN.
-
This website, SDN, the school's website
-
SDN, talked to other previous applicats, talked to previous interviewers
-
Read SDN. All the questions they ask are on this site.
-
Read through SDN site, pored over UI's website.
-
SDN--all the potential structured questions are on this site, mock interviews, just relaxed
-
University website, this forum, friends at Iowa
-
Looked at this website and the Iowa Medical School website.
-
SDN, practicing interviewing with my wife, looking at their homepage
-
SDN. There is a group of 12 potential questions Iowa uses. 4 will be asked. You will find all of them on this site.
-
Read about the school from books and website. Practiced questions with friends.
-
SDN, UIowa website
-
UI website, this site
-
Mock interview, SDN, looked over practive questions and wrote out responses.
-
Read SDN, read papers from those I would interview with. Re-read my research experiences. Read about each lab I would visit.
-
Looked at the school website Looked at this website
-
SDN, read over my AMCAS
-
SDN, Reviewed my research, Mock Interview
-
Read SDN, Iowa website, practiced answering the standard interview questions.
-
This website, compiled list of possible questions, answered them on paper, but did not memorize.
-
SDN. The U of I web-site. Spoke with students at Iowa. Reviwed my application.
-
read SDN, talked to others who interviewed, read basic information about the College
-
sdn, u-iowa webpage, think about q's to be anticipated
-
Read student doctor, my AMCAS, the school's web site
-
mock interview at the career center and sdn
-
Mock interviews, Studentdoctor.net, re-read amcas and secondary. I think my interview was more laid back than others
-
SDN, website, reread essays
-
This web site, Iowa website, and friends that had already interviewed there.
-
SDN, Iowa site.
-
Read SDN, read up on current events, read up on the school, did three mock interviews.
-
Read this website, thought about health issues, and practiced with a friend.
-
Reviewed questions from this website and my personal statement.
-
Researched the school, read up on current health issues; spoke with current students
-
Read at least one article written by each interviewer. Read recent reviews in my field. Reread papers from my old labs.
-
think of answers to the questions for the structured part of the interview
-
Browsed through this web site. Sought counsel from some of the doctors I work with as well as going to the school a day before the interview to orient myself with the environment.
-
Read the web site
-
Read SDN interview feedback, read the school's website, read my personal statement.
-
Wrote responses to possible interview questions. Browsed this website. Read over my essays, had mock interviews, and prayed.
-
I looked at this site, read my AMCAS and secondary application, and talked to a friend to get possible questions that may be asked.
-
I went over possible interview questions, their website, SDN, and my AMCAS.
-
Researching the school and SDN
-
SDN, U of Iowa website.
-
Current events, SDN, School website
-
Read all the Iowa materials, reviewed my research, checked out this website, re-read my AAMCAS application and my Iowa application.
-
Standard interview preparation: read up on the various parts of my application, work my interviewers were doing and various interesting aspects of the school
-
carver website, read articles authored by UI doctors, SDN
-
read this website, read U Iowa's website, went over AMCAS application
-
Read over my applications and personal statement.
-
Read my applications, relaxed by candle light the night before, reviewed the topics that would be covered.
-
Read this interview feedback forum, prepared answers and practiced, reread AMCAS and secondary essays.
-
Read AMCAS, SDN, Secondary, Practiced themes that they asked us to think about in interview invitation letter.
-
Read over the information they gave me, thought about why I wanted to go there and become a physician
-
Read AMCAS, secondary app, thought about topics they gave us, did a mock interview, relaxed.
-
Read this site, talked to Iowa students the night before, thought about the interview topics indicated in the invitation letter, read my applcation
-
I knew the topics of the questions ahead of time based on the letter they sent me, so I thought about what I would say. I also thought of some questions to ask the interviewers.
-
I read interview feedback, reviewed the literature they sent me, and visited the website.
-
Read my application, read about the school, reviewed my research
-
read up on school, went over AMCAS and secondary apps, typed up notes on questions for structured format
-
Reviewed AMCAS application and Iowa secondary application. Looked through website offerings for the school.
-
read the interview feedback here, talked with currect med students
-
Read over my AMCAS, checked out the website, relaxed.
-
Read info on school website. Read journal articles by the MSTP faculty that I was to meet with.
-
Read this site, Iowa web site (very helpful!), my applications, etc. Looked over the 5 questions adn prepared general answers.
-
SDN, read materials from university and my own materials
-
Prepared for why medicine and why me questions by listing points I wanted to make and examples I could use to back up these points
-
Looked at this site, prepared answers to the questions given in the invitation to interview
-
Thought about the topics they sent in interview invitation.
-
Read EVERYTHING I could find. U of I has a huge website and database of information- use it. There is a publication posted on their website called Becoming a Physician or something like that-- it was helpful in getting their veiwpoint.
-
Read this website and my applications, ie, AMCAS and secondaries.
-
Looked over my essays and my AMCAS application, perused the website, re-read the invitation letter
-
Read SDN, and interview invite
-
Read through AMCAS app, Iowa website, prepared answers to standard questions that were provided in interview confirmation letter.
-
Read the materials they sent me, looked at the webpage
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendliness and warmth of the staff, faculty, and students at the University of Iowa. The state-of-the-art facilities, the focus on community and support, the integration of case-based learning sessions, and the school's emphasis on student well-being were highlighted as key positive aspects that left a lasting impression on interviewees. Many also appreciated the curriculum, the sense of camaraderie among students, and the opportunities for research and community service at the school.
-
The interviewers were friendly
-
The friendliness and attentiveness of the staff. They walked you through the entire day right when you got there so there were no surprises.
-
The people! The facilities.
-
The school is absolutely amazing, and it seems like it has almost anything to offer its students to succeed.
-
Amicable nature of faculty members eased my nerves
-
very welcoming and relaxed atmosphere
-
Everybody seemed so nice and transparent about the day and the process. I really loved the facilities, and we got to go up to the 12th floor of the children's hospital where they do "the Wave" on football gamedays. It was such a great view. Overall, I was also impressed by the curriculum and the general feeling of comradery that I felt. My interviewer even mentioned that her reason for staying at Iowa for residency and beyond was how helpful and kind all the faculty are and how the culture promotes wellbeing and teamwork.
-
Friendliness of admissions staff and interviewees; everyone was very warm and welcoming. Great transition to online platform to create that full interview day experience.
-
Everyone was very welcoming and tried to make us as relaxed as possible.
-
The community wow they sold me
-
The abundance of resources and size of the school, as well as the feel of Iowa City itself
-
The staff was extremely friendly and receptive, the students well eloquent and had good advice about the school and coursework. Also, we got to go to the top floor of Stead Family Children's Hospital and see the view over Kinnick where the Wave happens!
-
I thought the wave tradition was really nice. The practice CBL session was also quite unique/fun. Facilities were a lot nicer than I expected, especially the new children's hospital. The admissions faculty were transparent about the whole process and seemed genuinely excited to meet potential students.
-
Friendliness of staff, current students
-
Everyone I met and the school overall
-
The interviewers were very nice, nodding and smiling while I answered.
-
The admissions staff and interviewers were so nice and welcoming. I got the impression they genuinely wanted you to do well.
-
How interactive the day was. A lot of time for questions.
-
The curriculum, especially the distinction tracks
-
Iowa City itself and facilities
-
Friendly medical students, beautiful facilities, new curriculum
-
Friendliness of staff and medical students. Everyone seemed to have an enjoyable and fun day. The staff encouraged us to relax and be ourselves.
-
Everyone was incredibly nice and helpful. It felt more like a recruitment day than an interview day. Also, our interviews were in the morning, which took the stress off the rest of the day and made it more enjoyable.
-
The facilities are beautiful, everyone is really nice, and the academics seem top-notch. They are implementing a new integrated curriculum in 2014-2015, and they fully briefed us on the changes. Seems great. The Case-Based Learning session with 4M students is really a fun and interactive way to spend part of an interview day.
-
great facilities, nice people, great curriculum
-
The facilities and learning communities
-
everything! students were engaging and enthusiastic, staff was welcoming, and the facilities were top notch.
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The MERF building is great, and the proposed curriculum sounds like a great way to streamline the program like a few other schools have done.
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I like the CBL session.
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The students seemed very happy. The learning communities were awesome.
-
The interviewers were very nice and talkative
-
How friendly everyone was. The school really tries to cater to the students. The CBL session was pretty fun.
-
The CBL session was awesome, glad they included it in the interview day
-
The school and how happy the students were
-
CBL was awesome
-
friendliness of staff and students, great facilities, and great programs
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Everyone is really nice.
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Case-based learning was very well-led and interesting. I have interviewed at this school twice now and the quality of the CBL facilitator makes a very big difference.
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Friendly, family environment.
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Facilities and environment
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The CBL session was really cool and the school has a lot of opportunities for research and community service. I've really wanted to go to Carver College of Medicine ever since I started my undergrad. at UI, and after the interview, I am even more impressed with the school! I seriously hope that I get accepted here!!
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The friendliness of the faculty as well as the students on campus.
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The research facilities. MERF is awesome, and they are building a ~200 million dollar building devoted entirely to research, to be completed 2014. From what I understand, they also have extensive bus routes (because parking is expensive), and monthly bus passes are $10.
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facilities are top noch. The students were extremely friendly and didn't seem too stressed. very friendly atmosphere. The faculty of the school are also incredible. They bend over backward to make sure the students are happy.
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The other candidates, the admissions officers
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The Case Based Learning session - it was a lot of fun!
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New medical school building. Abundance of extracurricular programs & support systems. How nice students/admissions staff were. Plenty of info about school & admissions/interview process.
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How friendly the staff and students were. Random students I passed that day wished me luck. The other interviewees were very friendly, we were a small group, I felt like we "bonded" in the short time we were together. Also, we got to meet several of the deans themselves, a lot of personal attention. 1-1 time with the Admissions staff at the end of the day. Crazy!
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Financial aid for OOS. The entire staff and faculty who were so welcoming and warm. Met with the deans and I could tell that the school and faculty would be there for me during my four years.
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The community feel of the school. The number of programs and tracks available. The support and encouragement given to students. Iowa city is much cooler than I'd imagined. Decent financial support available. Low cost of living in IC. Nice facilities. Friendly people.
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CBL in first semester
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The facilities are freaking ridiculous, the administration seems very VERY responsive to student needs and feedback.
-
Friendly. The Case Based learning (CBL) I was scared about. It was so easy. You get a book, and flip through it, more info at each page along the way. It was a great feeling getting to play doctor. There was 7 of us in group, and just chime in. I loved it, and by far the best part of interview.
-
The CBL activity and the med student learning communities... and how surprisingly cool Iowa City is.
-
Although the interview at Iowa is structured, my interviewers were still very friendly and expressive.
-
Everyone at the school was extremely friendly and really welcoming. I definitely got the community feel that everyone talks about. The MERF building and facilities were amazing and really nice. The community rooms were also nice and everyone seemed to be pretty close and to really love the school. The students were very helpful in terms of answering question and were very open about their experience and why they chose Iowa.
-
awesome facilities, happy students, nice CBL session
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Nice campus, students, the case based learning was way better than I thought it would be. The med students leading it were really fun and gave us some really great insight into opportunities abroad during med school.
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Nice buildings and hospital. Research & Service Tracks.
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The facilities. Service and research opportunities. Learning communities are a cool idea. Tuition is reasonable.
-
The campus was gorgeous, all of the students and faculty were really friendly,CBLs, really everything impressed me positively.
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The school is highly ranked in it's orthopaedics program. Student body is very diverse. The campus is state of the art and there are a lot of resources available to help students succeed. Their students perform better than national average on their boards.
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Everything. Even Iowa City.
-
Friendly staff. Great facilities. Study pods. The CBL exercise.
-
The questions they had about me due to my answers to the quesitons.
-
The friendliness and non-competitiveness of the school. Everyone was concerned about everyone else doing well. Also, they have a really nice new building for the med students.
-
The interviewers were very nice, and the fact that people who are high up in the college and have a million other things to do still take the time to conduct interviews was great.
-
Everyone was very friendly. Great facilities!
-
The amazing opportunities to work in rural communities as well as the the great support system built in to make sure students succeed.
-
Everyone was really nice and even though the interviewers are said to be rather stoic mine were really nice and talkative
-
Case Based Learning (CBL) was absolutely awesome. It really preps students for the 3rd year wards. Students were really nice and supportive and the global/research opportunities are outstanding.
-
Really friendly people - everyone was very nice, and it was low-stress.
-
The people were great and so were the facilities.
-
Everyone was very nice! The facilities are beautiful and impressive but still comfortable.
-
the number of non-traditional students
-
The presentation was very professional. It included a folder with tidbits about the medical school, a welcome session, a financial aid session, a group talk with the assistant dean of admissions where you could ask him whatever you liked, a fun CBL session to see what the curriculum was like, friendly tour and lunch-in, etc. The whole day was like they were actively recruiting you. It was probably the best interview experience I've had to date.
-
Everyone was very welcoming and friendly. They seemed to genuinely want to help us obtain any information we needed to make a decision about the school.
-
Everything. This was my first time in Iowa and I wasn't quite sure what to expect but it was a great experience. Everyone I met was very friendly. The school was VERY impressive, I can't emphasize this enough. Interviews were held in an efficient manner and the CBL was interesting. The learning communities is a really cool idea.
-
The admissions staff was incredibly friendly and the student guide was enthusiastic. The facilities seemed nice and the quality of the education seemed very high.
-
people were very friendly.
-
There are so many opportunities for research. I really liked their student support network. The students I stayed with were very helpful in providing information so I advise you o take advantage of the host program. The Case based Learning session was very fun and provided a preview of what to expect during your first year. Their facilities were very nice especially the architecture. The city is a typical college town that provides a great social enviroment as well as everything you need. Do not be discouraged just because it is Iowa! :)
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People were very warm and friendly. It was obvious that you were important to them.
-
A lot, they really focused on selling the school. Friendly, COMMUNITY atmosphere is the most significant draw at Iowa. M1 and M2's actually have descent contact with students doing clinical rotations, seems nice. They really highlighted a lot of opportunities for pursuing interests outside of lecture. Oh, and everyone says the Health Library is a bunker but its actually quite nice, and reasonably sized, it's at least more impressive that some other health library's I've seen (Rush). Descent public transportation (in Iowa! who knew).
-
THey worked very hard to give me a student host, and they were very enthusiastic. The admissions staff was great. The school was beautiful and the facilities were new and up-to-date. Many opportunities for research and a good amount of out-of-state students.
-
The assistant dean of admissions (Dr. Cooper) and my two interviewers were awesome people and very friendly.
-
The people were fantastic. I had taken a tour a year ago and was not as impressed. Everyone was very nice and very enthusiatic about this program. They had lots of research opportunities and ways for students to get involved. They told me they really encourage first and second year students to have ''non-study'' activities. Overall it seemed like a very supportive environment.
-
Great friendly environment, amazing facilities,
-
The opportunities for research fellowships even before your M1 year.
-
everyone's hospitality
-
The hospital and medical education buildings were awesome. Many opportunities to be involved in a variety of activities.
-
how nice people are in Iowa
-
People were friendly, but didn't seem to lie about their school in order to recruit. They were honest about the demands of medical school...unlike another school that said ''our students find that they have so much free time they can ace their classes, learn to play the banjo, become foster parents for rehabilitating shelter dogs, and save the starving children in Africa.'' It seemed a little unrealistic, but Iowa let us know how it is - fascinating information that takes a lot of time to learn, enough free time to maintain relationships and have fun, but not time to be involved in eighteen extracurricular activities. Some of their brand new facilities were impressive. Also, many details of the curriculum that make life easier for students were identical to the “big name†school I had visited.
-
Enthusiastic, caring attitudes of the faculty and students; outstanding facilities and opportunities
-
Amazing facilities. Their CELLS student support program seems to be a great asset.
-
The people: Amazing, simply amazing. I arrived early in the morning and they sent two MSTP student just to pick me up from the airport, drive me around the city, show me the facility, take me to lunch and tell me anything I wanted to know about the U of Iowa. By the end of the interview, I was the last to leave and another MSTP student volunteered to take me to lunch. Also, there was a PARTY( with beer and food) at a student's house on the evening I arrived. It was the greatest time ever because you really get to know the students and other applicants in a relaxed atmosphere. The facility: The new building was probably the most awesome med building I've ever seen. It's got huge windows all over the places and each year has its own study lounge and staircase. ..wow. Oh, and they paid for everything, including that King size bed for three nights.
-
Let me say that, the University of IOWA is a great school, point blank. The facilities are great, the people are great, the curricula is great, the school is outstanding. I was blown away at all the oppurtunities to study. The school was really great.
-
The admissions staff treat the interview as if you are also interviewing them. Before the interview you speak with them and they literally say, ''If you get multiple acceptance letters, we want you here. What can we do to convince you to come to Iowa?'' Also, they have a 5-year program so you can stretch out your M1 and M2 years into 3 and take a lighter course load.
-
The facilities are amazing and the students seemed very enthusiastic, happy, and close to one-another. Staff, students, and faculty were very friendly. All physicians at UI Hospitals and Clinics are faculty of the school of medicine.
-
The enthusiasm of the students and staff
-
The facilities are not only asthetically pleasing, but also top of the line.
-
The folks who came to speak with us were all very enthusiastic about the school and us as interviewees.
-
The facilities are unbelievable. Also, very warm atmosphere.
-
The facilities were very impressive. I have been around the campus over the past few years and have seen all of the construction and the hassles it has given everyone. After seeing the new facilities, it is clear that any hassles or inconveniences the construction may have caused were well worth it.
-
Their interest in the comfort of the student and their prestige in multiple specialties
-
The school wanted everyone to be comfortable. They described the entire process of the interview and admissions, and gave me all of the information I needed to make a decision.
-
The students, faculty and facilities. The other people being interviewed are very friendly.
-
The Student Learning Communities called CELLS-- pretty much every student from MS1 - 4 are put into 4 communities, each community has a lounge area where they hang out, interact, plan events, mentor and learn from each other. Pretty cool concept.
-
Everyone was really friendly and laid back. The med school building is newly remodeled and the hospital is huge. All of the students seemed happy about their experiences there.
-
The facilities are pretty much amazing. Everything is ridiculously new and nice, and the students seem to get along pretty well. I student hosted the night after my interview and they all seemed pretty tight.
-
The facilities are amazing. State of the art. It is a very student oriented school. Lots of small groups.
-
facilities, enthusiasm of staff and students, CELLS program, distinction tracks
-
Great facilities. I like that it's very much a college town.
-
Everyone was very friendly, the day was efficient and ran smoothly, and they tried to make it as stress-free as possible.
-
Iowa City is a really nice Midwestern town, everyone is generally really friendly and wants you to genuinely succeed.
-
CELLS is cool. People are nice. I look forward to working with the renowned faculty. Great facilities and hospital. Saw people I knew.
-
The facilities were great and the faculty and staff were very nice and welcoming.
-
This school is amazing. I almost didn't apply but I'm very glad I did. You actually feel like you're being recruited when you go there.
-
The school facilities, although not new (it was 4 years old), were very comfortable and appears very conducive for learning.
-
The facilities are amazing! Most of the medical school is in a new building its great! The people there were nice and seemed very genuine.
-
The friendliness of the people at the school and their willingness to answer questions honestly.
-
The hospital is the most beautiful I have ever visited. It is like walking through an art galley. A 100 yards form UI's Hospital, there is a large VA hospital too. The medical education buildings are at the corner of these two hopitals. The new medical education facilities are beautiful. I am drawn to the curriculum at Iowa.
-
Iowa seems to really care about its students. Every student I talked to said how accessible and approachable the professors are, and the quick responses from the admissions office confirmed that Iowa values its students.
-
Admissions staff is incredibly friendly and helpful and once you interview they really seem to encourage you to keep in contact, the facilities are top notch, the learning community breakdown and CBL are both big positives.
-
Everyone was very friendly. Plus, their facilities were awesome! A lot of support is built into their curriculum, etc.
-
Great facilities and research.
-
The facilities; how nice everyone was; the other interviewees
-
The entire experience was positive. Everyone was extremely informative and helpful. The facilities are great.
-
All of the extracurricular's that students are able to participate in, counseling services for personal, academic, and professional development.
-
They really take what students have to say to heart and try to implement changes based on such recommendations.
-
The facilities are outstanding, and the communities seem to be an excellent idea to facilitate interaction of students at different educational levels. I was also impressed with the focus on patient interaction within the first year.
-
The campus is very welcoming, the students are friendly, and the facilities are up-to-date. I liked the idea of the communities across M1-M4.
-
Everyone was very friendly and cordial. They enjoy working with prospective students and that was nice. The interviewers were very nice.
-
THE ADMISSIONS STAFF IS SO NICE! It really made the UI Med School seem like an actual community. Also, the opportunities to get involved in CELLS (student communities) with community volunteer activities, and the opportunities to do research or electives internationally.
-
kindness, facilities, enthusiastic students
-
The steps the faculty and staff took to keep us clam and relaxed.
-
The facilities, I didn't know the medical student building was so new until I got there.
-
The new facilities are beautiful. The hospital is one of the nicest that I have been in. The student tour guide was extremely helpful and outgoing and provided more than enough advice not just about the school but about the application and interview process and his own experience making a decision last year.
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The staff and students are soooooo nice and friendly. They really, really try to make you feel comfortable and at ease. The facilities are amazing, brand new.
-
Nice facilities
-
The friendliness of the admissions staff (they seem like they could be your mom) and the laid-back students.
-
How friendly and enthusiastic everyone was, including my student host, the interviewers, the tour guide, and the dean of admissions.
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The new facilities are great. Also the learning communities are impressive. I likes the idea of getting together with M1-M4's and sharing thoughts and hanging out. Also, all the changes Iowa has made over the last few years are geared to helping students succeed.
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Facilities, Iowa City, research opportunities, clinical facilities, noncompetitive atmosphere
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Everyone was really nice. I really liked the small town atmosphere of Iowa City.
-
The University of Iowa has fantastic medical facilities and the staff and administration really want the students to succeed. I love that they stress humanism in medicine so much.
-
People, Facilities, Location was much better than expected
-
The school's desire to help students and make them comfortable.
-
Brand new facility, awesome atmosphere
-
the facilities, med student "houses" to encourage interaction between students at different levels
-
The facilities at U of I are NEW and extremely impressive. A lot of money goes into the medical school from many sources and it is clearly a higher tier school. Also, the U of I hospital is wonderful!
-
The level of research at Iowa is fantastic. I was floored by the shear volume of publications coming out of the graduate department I interviewed with. It was on par with other mahor MSTPs I interviewed with, including Duke. Worth checking out. Also, the MSTP program seems VERY well integrated. It is obvious the directors bend over backwards to help the students. Iowa has a program called Clinical Connections which allows you to stay up-to-date with your clinical skills while picking a specialty to focus on during the entire PhD years. And this allows their MSTP students to reduce the amount of electives required in year 7. Lastly, UIowa's Hospital is amazing. Very highly ranked, and seems like an awesome place to learn clinical medicine.
-
Relaxed atmosphere Link between research and medical education
-
Really nice facilities, successful graduates, lots of opportunities for research and community service
-
The facilities were awesome, and everyone was sooo nice. When I went into the town the people were still very friendly. Even though it is fairly slow it is a great environment for learning.
-
Nice facilities, huge teaching hospital, lots of research opportunities
-
The new medical school building is great. Everyone was very nice.
-
The facilities are new and amazing. The students were all very cool and friendly plus I already knew several students. I liked the community setting so that every student has the opportunity to interact with M1-M4's. The office staff and the Dean were all very friendly!
-
friendliness and professionalism
-
the atmosphere was collegial, faculty, administrators and stundents alike; facilities are great
-
The facilities were amazing. Faculty seemed very open and interested in the students.
-
the facilities were really impressive, the interviewers were really nice and friendly
-
The architecture. Surprisingly, Iowa had a sense of humor and culture about its buildings
-
The communities are very unique and seem like a very positive support network.
-
Everyone was very nice, friendly, and laid back.
-
Very nice new student building
-
EVERYTHING! Great school! New, state of the art facilities, great curriculum, fantastic interest in student's needs and well-being. Everyone seemed very enthusiastic, open, and helpful. I was impressed also with the size of the town: it's smaller and I like that. If you like big cities with lots of places to hang out (clubs, bars, etc.), this is probably not the place for you.
-
The facilities are incredible and the continued construction on research buildings is impressive. The school is really reinvesting in itself and building on its reputation.
-
Facilities are good, all of the staff was very pleasant, and other interviewees were very friendly.
-
Everyone was very nice. I could definitely see myself going to med school there.
-
The clinics are really new and nicer than I expected, the little med student "families" or whatever they call them seem nice
-
Everyone was so nice. University of Iowa is a very strong school with many opprotunities. The campus is very pretty, too.
-
The program was even stronger in Neurology and basic neuroscience than I had expected. The Damasio group is lively and doing some great clinically oriented work. The culture in Iowa City is actually rather vibrant, with a great literary scene (see prairie lights books) based around the Iowa writers' workshop, perhaps the best creative writing program in the country.
-
amazingly huge facility. big complex of buildings. I hear they keep adding new stuff constantly. The lecture halls, every chair has an outlet and a jack for internet access. People seemed quite nice. My drivers refused to take my tips to them.
-
The kindness of students and faculty. Students were very optimistic about their school. The curriculum is excellent.
-
The new building, the students, the staff, Iowa City, The level of organization, the easy going nature of the interviewers
-
Everyone is really nice and helpful. I liked the learning communities the school has set up for students.
-
The design of the medical facilities, the support from the student and faculty, and unlimited opportunities to explore your own ideas and become a leader.
-
Everyone is really nice, from the administrators to the students.
-
The tests were paced very well. The facilities were great. The students seemed to like it there.
-
The new Medical Education and Research Facility dedicates it's first two floors to students. They also have communities which divides the classes into four groups and withing each group there are M1-M4's and this is supposed to help you interact with students from your same year as well as from the other years.
-
Facilities seemed really nice. Iowa City is a nice town, and everyone was really friendly.
-
Incredibly friendly ppl, community arrangement (CELL) among faculty/students seems to be really helpful to a great med school experience
-
The lab facilities and teaching facilities are AMAZING. Iowa City is a swell town and the MSTP seems like a really close-knit fast-paced program. THe faculty really care about the program and are really involved.
-
Beautiful new medical education center; recently renovated laboratories; enthusiastic students and faculty; the "downtown" bar area on Saturday night
-
the learning communities are fantastic- very high tech facilities, brand new buildings. the admissions office staff are wonderful. great reasearch opportunities.
-
the school is beautiful, small town, change of weather (ie- it gets cold there).
-
The school is beautiful and they have student communities inside a brand new building that seem to help the students out a lot.
-
The school is amazing, the support for students is awsome, hummanities inclusion, elective programs, facilities are top notch.
-
The new facilities are very impressive and the study areas are modern and conducive to student's needs.
-
The facilities. They were nice and new and very comfortable
-
Their facilities are very nice and very new. They have small group learning sessions, and lots of new technological things that help you review your performance in patient interviews. Everyone is really nice and friendly, they aren't very stressed out.
-
Really impressive facilities, all the staff and students were incredibly nice. They gave us free parking vouchers. The interviewers were very friendly.
-
Everyone I met was extremely friendly and helpful. Strong focus on primary care and community medicine in which I'm very interested
-
The students maintain that Iowa is THE best place to go for medical school. The examination rooms that could potentially become the sight for patient interaction testing.
-
The facilties are ultra modern.
-
The people are friendly and genuinely trying to convice people to come to the school. The students love their school.
-
everything-the students and staff seemed very supportive and friendly; the committment to the patient; the facilities
-
The newest facilities for medical students, the structure of the CELLS program, and the kindness of the faculty and staff that visited with applicants during the interview program.
-
the admissions staff is VERY friendly, and so was one of my interviewers
-
The students were really nice, as was the admissions staff.
-
They wined and dined me. =)
-
The people there are VERY nice and friendly. The new building was nice.
-
The facilities are fabulous
-
Facilities are incredbile; Iowa City is quaint, if cold; students seemed really nice
-
Interviewers were very talkative after the structured portion of the interview
-
The interviewers were very friendly even through the structured portion of the interview where it was apparent they were making a conscious effort to be stoic. The student tour was good. The new medical student building is amazing. The lecture halls, clinical rooms and student lounges are all brand new and really nice. I liked the atmosphere.
-
The staff was very friendly. U of I is in the midst of building a new facility. The CELLS program is really interesting- I heard nothing but good things about it. 98% of their students pass the Step One USMLE.
-
The new medical building and the friendly speakers and office personnel
-
I'm an undergrad at the University of Iowa, so I was really familiar with the whole thing. The "communities" are really cool though. They take 1/4 of each class and put them all together, so the M2s on up can mentor the students that are just starting. Each "community" has its own study space, etc.
-
Communities of students
-
New facilities, med school campus is separated from undergraduate campus, CELLS program (check website)
-
They're building a new med school facility that is very modern and really nice.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants were often disappointed with the lack of information sessions about the curriculum and school features, as well as the brevity of the interviews. Many found the structured interview format uncomfortable and wished for more interaction with interviewers during the process. Suggestions included providing more comprehensive campus tours, incorporating more engaging activities during the interview day, and ensuring a more inclusive and informative experience overall.
-
The interviewers did not speak English well
-
I wish we would have interviewed in the morning instead of waiting until the afternoon.
-
Honestly not much
-
I was a little disappointed that the interview day didn't include any general information sessions about the curriculum or interesting features about the school like the learning communities or distinction tracts. I understand that we can find all of that information out by researching the school on the web, but it still would have been nice to hear somebody speak about that stuff in person.
-
Nothing really, I thoroughly enjoyed my day.
-
Would've liked more time to hear about logistics of the curriculum
-
The interviewers aren't supposed to respond at all during the structured portion of the interview, so that was a bit off-putting. But, it wasn't that big of a deal. Overall, very nice and welcoming interviewers.
-
The food they gave. Eat before coming to the interview.
-
The case-based learning was a little challenging and the environment was stifling/uncomfortable, and it was unclear how we were being evaluated. But it did give me a good opportunity to see how CBL works as a student here
-
The interview was a little dry, but I'm personally not a fan of closed interviews. They will ask you 3 structured questions and then move onto the unstructured part, where it's more conversational.
-
Building was super cold
-
The interview beginning was 3 questions the 2 interviewers could not respond to, which felt weird.
-
The interview was awkward because they could not directly respond to your answer during the formal questioning. It loosened up considerably after that was over, though.
-
The printed materials could have been more informative, and I was skeptical after the interview because of how few questions I was asked. They stopped you at exactly 25 min, but it seemed they stopped asking me questions at around 12-15 min mark and it became my turn to ask questions.
-
Nothing. Great college tow, friendly, helpful people.
-
The tour could have been structured a little better.
-
Nothing.
-
Iowa City seems like a small city, but I'm in NYC right now. By all accounts, it's a great town so I don't really have any negative impressions.
-
out of state tuition is pretty expensive
-
The cost of attendance for non-residents
-
nothing. i think i can survive the cold.
-
Iowa City itself came off as more of a party town oriented to the co-eds.
-
The tour was not great. There are some big curriculum changes coming but everything is up in the air now so I don't like not knowing what the curriculum will be next year.
-
The curriculum was very traditional. There wasn't much clinical exposure before 3rd year.
-
Seems like there isn't much to do, but perhaps I'm wrong. I grew up in a small town so I don't think living in Iowa City will be too big of an issue.
-
None
-
Food was not enough
-
Nothing. Really.
-
The interview format consists of three "structured" questions and then free-form for the rest of the available time. The three structured questions must be answered without any feedback from the interviewers, which makes it a bit uncomfortable.
-
All the corn! haha. I am going to CCOM next year, and the only thing I am unsure of is the location. But really, I'm not going to have time to travel anyway.
-
The weather. it was subzero temperatures but im sure its nice.
-
Nothing really.
-
I was afraid I'd be turned off by the small town, but after seeing it, I think it would be a great place to live and study. honors, near honors, pass grading.
-
Parts of the hospital were a little older. Not what I'd base a decision off, though.
-
The campus tour wasn't what I was expecting. It was at the end of the day and the medical students giving the tour didn't really seem into it. I've already seen the campus but if I hadn't, I think it would've turned me off from the school.
-
College town surrounded by lots of corn fields.
-
Once you leave Iowa City there's not much till you reach Chicago or Des Moines
-
Honors. Near Honors. Pass. Fail... and the cold.
-
Interstate 380!
-
Big research school...and I mean BIG. Not what I am really into, but very prestigious for those who care about that.
-
Iowa was very very very cold. Also, they have an exam every week. Students didn't seem to necessarily mind, but still seems worrisome.
-
No feedback during structured portion of first three Qs. Very intimidating, even though I knew this was the way they interview.
-
It's Iowa... you have to have an appreciation for the rural-ness of the state to be able to live there.
-
The interview was REALLY short, but I can't hardly complain about that.
-
I can't think of anything about the school. I didn't mind the structured interviews either. My interviewers did at least smile and nod during the 3 structured questions. They were both really nice as well. This was my first experience with more than one interviewer at the same time. My only complaint obviously is the location in general.
-
The interviewers are instructed to not respond, verbally, physically, emotionally, or in any way to your responses. That doesn't make for a very natural conversation/interview. It definitely felt very stiff and really left me with a negative impression.
-
weather
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The tour was very brief and did not highlight any of the great aspects of the school. The first two hours were basically Q&A with people trying to compete with each other to see who was the most interested in the school The result was little new information and the school did not really try to sell its self at all. CBL felt like everyone trying to compete, once again, for attention and good answers. The grading system is basically a curve giving the top 15% honors, etc. This hardly seems non-competitive.
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Their attitude both at the interview day and before/after was that they were better than me and I was a lowly applicant with no options other than to do exactly what they ask. They messed up things on my application and were unfriendly in every interaction. I was really rooting for them, but came away disappointed. Also, the tour was way too short and was not informative at all. The medical campus is absolutely beautiful and the tour could have been done much better. The grading system is very undesirable. I do not want to compete with my classmates, I've been doing that for four years and want a more collegial atmosphere.
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It was snowing like crazy there, but they did say that it was unusual for Iowa to get that much snow.
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Nothing, just wish I would have had more than 25 minutes to talk about myself.
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Our guide was not a "go-getter." He gave me the impression that students didn't really have to go to classes.
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Nothing, really.
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Nothing!
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Nothing
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I'd have liked a little more time to chat in the interview.
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It was extreemly cold.
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Part of the interview was structured (the interviewers couldn't talk). This was a little intimidating but not too bad.
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Probably the location. While Iowa city is a nice town, the state of Iowa is kind of in the middle of nowhere. That's okay though, because the school itself and the opportunities there that they provide more than make up for it.
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Iowa was covered in a nice thick layer of ice. Not really a big deal to me though.
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Iowa City was a lot colder than I remembered.
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nothing. I just don't like cold weather but I would be willing to deal.
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Iowa city isn't as nice a college town as Madison, and it seems expensive for IA, but I guess that's nitpicking.
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The location. It's beautiful, but its a small town--a really small town. Its also expensive for out-of-staters.
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I felt the interview itself was too short. They ask 4 standardized questions to all interviewees, then just go from there.
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Iowa City is a great town given it's size, but it's just not very big. Also, it cost $10 to park and other schools I've been to paid for my parking. The box lunch they provided was pretty bad.
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Iowa City aint all that bad, but I was not happy about the way the interview was done. It is difficult for me to operate when our interviewers were told not to give ''nonverbal'' feedback.
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The inability to sit in on a lecture.
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tuition costs
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I didn't like the interview format and the other students that we saw on our tour seemed very snobbish and were not friendly. Even our tour guide wasn't that friendly and acted annoyed when we asked questions.
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the cold weather
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We didn't get a chance to see the hospital. I understand that we wouldn't have been able to see patient rooms, etc, but it would have been nice to have the student take us through some areas to see the building we would spend 2 years in. Also, we didn't get to meet many current students - I met three the entire time. We split up into smaller groups for lunch, but I think it would have been better to eat in a big room with a bunch of current students so we could have gotten a better feel for the people we will potentially be hanging out with.
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n/a
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The structured interview format is a little strange at first, but the second part of the interview is more conversational and natural.
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A little bit flat( well, I'm from Virginia)
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OK pay close attention. I feel that my tour guide gave away some things that he really did not want to tell us. First, he said that the school encourages its students to go to rural areas during the during the summer. He said that it is really nice beacause they actually need you. And the way that he said it made me feel like they do not need you at the hospital in IOWA CITY. So that is the most negative thing. There is not that much oppurtunity for clinical learning at the University. YEA BIG ISSUE
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Parent's income MUST be included on FAFSA to be eligible for UIowa grants & scholarships, even if you're married and have kids of your own.
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Lack of good exercise facilities close to the school
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The cost for out-of-state students
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My tour guide did not seem very enthusiastic about the program.
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The University of Iowa is located in Iowa.
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$60,000 a year out of state, and you can't get in-state status. Although, apparently they do give a lot of scholarship money.
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The tour was short and unsubstantial
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I got the impression that I would be lost in the hospital during my entire M1 year.
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Everything: the ride from cedar rapids airport-- I've never seen so many corn fields in my life, iowa city is small and the neighboring outskirts seem rural to me, there doesn't seem to be much going on here-- the medical students didn't have too many exciting things to say regarding recreational activities. I didn't like the structured part of the interview-- I was so nervous that my voice quivered a lot because the interviewers were just staring at me with no expression on their faces while I answered the 4 questions and would often jot down notes. The remainder of the interview beyond the structured part wasn't necessarily that much different-- my interviewers were still pretty stiff and did not help me relax at all. I got a bit emotional when answering one question and it was so awkward because they just kept staring at me. They neither asked follow-up questions nor ask me to elaborate further so it was hard to know when to stop talking or what they were thinking. It was basically a question and answer session rather than a conversation. Nothing laid-back about it at all. Also, as an ethnic minority, i'm not sure how comfortable and happy I'll be spending 4 years here given how homogenous the population is. The school tries to diversify its class, but I can count the number of minorities I saw on campus during the tour- not very many. Unlike in my other interviews, I didn't get to meet any minority student, neither did I meet with the office of minority affairs staff or SNMA members. I would have loved to talk to them about their living and academic experiences both in the school and Iowa city. Don't get me wrong, it's a really good top-ranked school-- it just may not be the best choice for me. I have to think about it.
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Iowa City is definitely a smaller town, but is still a college town...not too much else going on though.
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Location. It'a a tiny town and its freezing cold.
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Very homogeneous student/faculty/patient population. Even one of the associate dean's admitted it's very white.
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I wish we had more contact with the students.
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Iowa City is a little hard to get to.
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Lunch was hurried, but good. Having to wait without communication for an admissions decision. ha.
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There were really no students around since it was the end of the semester so we didn't really get a feel of what the students were like.
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Map of directions to the interview location was a little confusing.
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Nothing really, other than some of the wierd art work that they had in some of the hallways.
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The Iowa City Area
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I would have to learn to like real winters.
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Interview was way to short...my interviewers were defintely looking to talk a little more about why I choose MD over MSTP and about the collegial research enviroment but they only let us go five minutes over :(. Not a huge fan of the non-biased interview approach where the interviewers are not members of the committee
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It seemed like the only thing to do outside of school was go to bars and watch TV with friends. Don't get me wrong, I love these things, but every once in a while it would be nice to mix it up.
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Iowa is extremely flat.
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Does not seem very diverse (culturally)
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Interviewers only write down your answers and give to admissions committee - they don't have a say in the "final" decision.
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We didn't get to see much of the hospital or medical school due to access restrictions.
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Not anything I can think of.
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It wasn't really a negative impression, but when I asked the interviewers how Iowa its medical students for issues such as Medicare and other hurdles to providing patients the care they need, the interviewer kind of grazed over the answer--seems they don't really have an actual place in the curriculum for students to study it.
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Nothing sticks out.
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Structured interviews are odd. The doctors interviewing you ask you four questions and all they can do is nod and smile at you; they aren't allowed to comment until later in the interview, after you have jabbered on for fifteen or twenty minutes about yourself.
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The Medical Education Building, while new, was a little too industrial for my tastes. Walking through it you would think that wood didn't exist on planet earth anymore, only aluminium.
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The school's in Iowa. I'm from big Los Angeles, born in the mean streets of Taipei, so the rural life may take getting used to.
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The weather. Typical Iowa--you never know what you are going to get. October 3rd and it was hot and humid (90 degrees)
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tour guide's lack of enthusiasm, cost for out of state students, lack of financial.
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Not much...
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Iowa is pretty empty. The sheer flatness of the land is difficult to get used to if you're not from the midwest.
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Tour was pointless
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I'm from the midwest and the overall setting of the school seemed bad to me. I looked at U of I for undergrad but I had forgotten how tiny the town was and how out of place the huge university seemed.
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Really nothing. However, I was a little upset the football stadium was not completed yet.
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A lot of financial information
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The standardized format was a little scary at first. After that was over, though, the interview wasn't too bad.
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The lack of other minority males. Are we becoming a dying breed in medicine.
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They didn't have too many interviewers, so if you were one of the last students to be interviewed, you could be sitting there for 3 hours or so.
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I would have liked a longer interview day - and a structured "goodbye/goodluck"
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The majority of the interview took place in one room. I don't feel the interviwers really got to know me with the standardized interview setting. Waiting for my interview time in the room with the other students was worse on my nerves than the actual interview.
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nothing really
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nada
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The cost. If you are out of state it is rediculous and unlike other schools you cannot gain state residency unless you are in the state for 12 months not as a student. Also it seems like everyone applying there has some connection to the other applicants since most are from the state or go to school in the state, leaving us out state people wondering if we will feel isolated during medical school here as well.
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the lunch wasn't that great
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The tour was laid back and given by a nice student, but who didn't have enough clinical experience at the hospitals to tell us anything too interesting.
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None of my fellow interviewees wanted to talk while we were waiting for our interviews. It made the atmosphere more intense, anxious and uncomfortable.
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They didn't show us the science building or the library, both of which are older
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It rained all day, but who can help that? I didn't feel like I had much time to eat lunch, but got to see a lot more of the facilities because of the rush.
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The tour could be a little more inclusive, because they don't show you any labs or hospital wards.
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I felt like the interview day was pretty short. A few brief meetings with admissions staff, financial aid staff, a short tour of the med school building/hospital, and then the 25 minute interview.
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Some of the interviewees were really nice and friendly, but about half of them were just talking to their friend from their hometown in Iowa. I have a feeling the school might be sort of clickish in that sense. (I'm out of state)
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There was nothing that negatively impressed me.
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No matter how much fun the college-town is, and it is a nice place, this IS Iowa city. The patient population will be drawn in from all over the state, and they have an extensive neurological registry, but the opportunities for clinical exposure that one might find in a large city simply are not going to be available here. Many students make the 4 hour trip into chicago for big city entertainment.
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Hmm... I don't know about the rest of Iowa City, but the part near the school seemed quite empty. Not much going on. A lot of farmlands.
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The cold weather and how small Iowa City is. They dont' even have a Starbucks.
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Not a lot of celebration of cultural diversity in the downtown area.
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The lunch that was provided was small, I suggest you eat a good breakfast in the morning because you will be waiting some time to be called up for your interview.
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The bus transportation didn't sound like it was the greatest and they did not provide any medical student dorms.
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Sitting and waiting for a long time in small conference room. Wish interviews were before the other presentations.
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Parts of campus seem less modern than other campuses
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Not much.
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Iowa City is pretty small and the public transportation system seemed a little inadequate for how many students need to use it every day
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the interview itself was rather impersonal- i don't much care for interviews with standardized questions, and the fact that all the interviewers do after asking these questions is smile and nod- i do understand the rationale for this sort of practice, however. the interview was also pretty short. the info sessions lasted 2.5 hours in a room that was much too small for the 16 people there.
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Far from home
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Iowa is cold.
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The structured portion of the interview was really ackward. It was hard to know how much information to give and how long to talk when they didn't converse during this part. The conversational part at the end was much better and I hope they will take this into account.
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We were rushed through the tour because the interviews were held very early in the afternoon.
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The wait time for interviews. I waited 2 hours for mine to start because they were running behind.
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Most students come directly from small colleges in the midwest, and I am a little older and have lived all over so I felt a little out of place. Even though its kind of pass fail students decide what courses they want to honor in and then focus on those. The patient population, and the student body is very homogeneous, though they are trying really hard to give students multiculural experiences and help them be culturally sensitive.
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not much... the room we sat in was hot, but it wasn't their fault.
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interview was a bit awkward --the few set questions with no feedback, and the fixed, allotted 25 mins was too short.
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It was the dead of winter and freezing cold.
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The fact that there are no big cities in Iowa
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I'm from the east coast, so Iowa itself was a little scary-flat and brown- although Iowa City is not too bad
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I was put off by a comment made in passing by one of the admissions staff, but it was more likely an overanalysis of what was said on my part.
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my other interviewer was not so friendly and was slightly condescending
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One of the students didn't like the small town of Iowa City.
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The city
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The medical students didn't seem to be very well rounded individuals. I tried to get info about what else students do besides join committees and serve adn study... adn there was nothing.
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the fact that you have to park light years away from the hospital
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structured interview seemed contrary to what they preached about medicine -- very cold, minimal human interaction
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The info and financial aid session were boring - but the info and finanical aid sessions were boring at every school, so I think it's just me
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Not much impressed me negatively. It was a little chilly :P
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The tours were really unorganized and not truly helpful. I had a lot of questions for the interviewers, but they didn't offer up much conversation after asking these questions.
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Disorganized tours
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---
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Too narrow a focus on clerkships in the state of Iowa during 3rd and 4th year.
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We spent most of our time there in the same little conference room. I had to wait an hour between the tour and my interview, and it was really boring just sitting there.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wished they had known ahead of time about the structured nature of the interview with strict time limits, the relaxed setting of the interview day, the importance of preparing concise answers for specific questions, and the emphasis on group dynamics during activities like the Case-Based Learning session. They also highlighted the need to be prepared for a long day with various segments, from tours to interviews, and to know more about the school's culture, such as the emphasis on the Hawkeyes and the relaxed atmosphere of the interviews.
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That you would be removed from the interview at exactly 25 minutes, regardless of whether or not you finished answering/asking questions
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The interview itself flies by.
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How cold it would be!
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I wish I had known that they had a place for applicants to store their coats, bags, and luggage if needed.
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The Case Based Session is student led and it doesn't require any prior knowledge; just be able to work with a team (that's what they're looking for)
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The CBL that you do is very casual and a ton of fun (I thought), so no reason to stress about that. The medical buildings are also all connected via skywalks/tunnels, so you really don't have to go outside to get from building to building if you don't want to, which would be very nice in the winters.
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Nothing, the information here clued me in to what was going to happen on interview day.
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To eat breakfast before the interview
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The entire tour is indoors, so no need to worry about going outside in the snow during the tour
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How short a 25 minute interview is!
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That the CBL portion is probably the least stressful part of the day! It was really fun.
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More about football, it is a very big topic of conversation at the school
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That there would be a healthcare systems question.
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That the BONGO website has a trip planner, helping you know what buses to take. It's great! There is a also a very nice natural foods store, the New Pioneer Co-op, that I enjoyed a lot.
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I wish I had read up more on the learning communities so that I could have asked better questions.
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How cold it was going to be (I'm from CA and it was 55F in Iowa City).
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I wish I had known that the interview itself would be such a relaxed setting. They pour you water and really want you to relax. It's not that bad once you start talking.
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How warm it would be! It was unseasonably warm and the conference room the interview group was stationed it was roasting. The whole group was uncomfortable.
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the morning talks were quite long, but otherwise there was nothing unexpected.
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The existence and content of a proposed, new curriculum.
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I wish I would have known how nice/friendly the interviewers were going to be - I had been expecting them to be tough & scary.
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that the interview would be at the end of the day
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that you will get half a sandwich only.
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The interview would be at the end of the day. The day can kind of wear you down in this structure.
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I wish I had known to schedule on a Friday for a morning interview, so I could really relax and enjoy the lunch tour and discussions with M1/M2 students.
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I wish I had talked to current medical students beforehand, so I was more prepared for my interview.
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No breakfast snacks served, I was starving.
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If you have one of the later interview times in your group, there is this sort of awkward waiting time in the atrium outside of the conference room. You just have to wait there with some other interviewees, and just know that everyone is probably as nervous as you are! It was kind of nerve-racking to just sit there and wait for the interviewer to come get us!
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I wish I had known the interview would be near the end of the day--without the nerves, I would have been able to stomach a breakfast.
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interview is at the end of the day. cbl is fun, not at all stressful.
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That I wouldn't have a chance to grab my folder with questions before the interview. That lunch would be so short (only got half my sandwich eaten!) That we would be expected to go around and ask questions of the curriculum director (he's not there for every interview day, though.)
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Not to be so nervous about the interview.
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Problem-Based-Learning session is very low-stress.
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To relax.
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iowa is really cold.
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Bring a scarf!
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Nothing. SDN gave me everything I needed to know.
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That it would be three degrees when I landed.
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Nothing, prepared. I am instate also, so this question is not applicable to me.
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That the structured nature of the interview would be completely fine.
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Nothing really...I guess that the interview day would end much earlier than the stated time as far as making my travel arrangements.
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Meh. I had an idea that interviewers were acting this way on purpose, but I had no idea how far they took it... jeeeeeez.
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I was really nervous about cbl for some reason (because i had no idea what to expect), but it was really laid back.
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How short the interview would be and how little time there was for the unstructured portion. I felt I had very little time to actually tell them about myself.
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The interview is over before you know it.
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That the interview would be before lunch.
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How long of a day it would be. 10:30-Assistant Director of Admissions-intro and explanation of admissions and interview process 11:00-Director of Finanacial Aid-Financial Aid 11:30-Assistant of Student Affairs-Curriculum and student life 12:00-Lunch and tour of the school with Medical students 1:30-Interview 2:00-Case-Based Learning Session 3:30-Wrap-up *The morning section was long and boring. I was wasted by the time I had to interview.
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That 25 minutes would not be enough, and that I would need to be sure to keep my answers short/concise.
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The CBL exercise is a group dynamics exercise, so be ready to work with a group of other applicants.
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The set-up of the room was awkward, not a typical place for an interview.
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That my interview was going to be at the end of the day. But the activities before hand helped me relax, which helped my interview go better.
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That the interviews would be friendly! I was told by everyone that they would just sit their stone faced the whole interview. Although they didnt talk back to me during the structured part they did smile. They were very conversational during the second part of the interview.
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It went as expected - reading the other posts on this site was a huge help.
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The college does not provide food till almost the end of the tour. Make sure you eat a heavy breakfast. The Heartland Inn is a great place to stay and provides a shuttle to and from the university
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That their CBL sessions are for learning the techniques of critical thinking, and students are not expected to get much of their medical information from this method and/or self-study.
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That the CBL session was going to be so fun and stress free. I was kind of worried going into it, thinking I would have gunners to compete with, but it was nothing like that at all and the M4 proctoring it was a cool guy too.
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The group "activities" (tour, lunch, financial stuff) are over in the early afternoon. If your interview isn't until 3:30 or so, you have a lot of free time to hang out in the conference room, but it's actually kind of fun to get to know the other people interviewing.
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they said it was only 2 standard questions but it was actually 4 - no biggie though
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Wish I had known more about the topic in the case-based learning portion of the interview.
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The interviews are timed. 25 minutes and you are done.
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I wish I had known how low stress the interview is because I was so nervous!
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That I didn't need my coat for the tour.
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N/A
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Nothing really, I felt pretty prepared.
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25 minutes for ONE interview is a NOT MUCH TIME! Only 10 minutes is unstructured, so think about how to get everything you want to say and ask into 10 minutes.
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The interviews are actually 2-on-1. You have to focus your attention on two people and you have questions coming from both ends.
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Nothing
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That interviewers are allowed and encouraged to smile!
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-
-
They ask everybody the same four interview questions and in the same format. They just ask you questions and offer no feedback. Look on another posting for the exact questions.
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The student body makes up a substantial portion of the city. The town is adorable, but definitely caters to that population. It seems every 3-4 shops you find a bar. Not that it’s a bad thing, but coming from a small school in a big city, I’m not quite sure how I will like hanging out in a small town with such a large undergraduate population.
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That the food was goign to be terrible. BOX LUNCHES. They should really revamp that. Maybe let us go to the hospital cafe and eat there. You hear me admissions, let the students fgo eat at the cafe!
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There can be a lot of down-time between the tour and your interview.
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How odd it feels to speak to two people who will not respond. The first portion of the interview is structured and the interviewers are not allowed to respond to your answers, it doesn't sound that odd, but it is.
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That there are 350 in-state residents interviewed, and 90 seats in the class are reserved for in-state residents.
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I knew my interview was at 1:30 but didn't realize that it would be the first interview after lunch. There wasn't much time for eating lunch or the tour of campus.
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only 20% of out of state intereviewees are accepted
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I was fairly ready for this process.
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That I had to wait awhile from the tour until my interview started.
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Shuttle or Taxi from Cedar Rapids airport to the school is approx. $30 - $35.
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Nothing really, I already knew a lot about the school.
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You may have a long break between your tour and interview, be prepared to occupy your time.
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How nice the new medical education building is.
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They have only been interviewing for 10 years, so they have a unique style for sure.
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Out of state tuition is ridiculous - with fees, tuition, etc. it comes to about 60,000 a year!
-
There will be many other students in the waiting room with you. This allows for good conversation as everyone is nervous.
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The map that they give you to get to the building can be a little confusing.
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I did not ecpect to be so impressed by the campus, the sourrounding university, and the town.
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That up until 6 years ago Iowa had an interview optional policy...and that I get the feeling the interview is not weighted as heavily here as at other schools...
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What an awesome school Univ. of Iowa is! Great facilities, nice college town, fantastic faculty, good reputation, great research, and ample opportunities for medical students.
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There were many non-traditional students; I would see nothing but open-fields and farmhouses on the way to the school from the airport; it would be snowing when i got there
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I knew this but many others didn't- they have a student host program.
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About the Mobile program to underserved areas, which is different from the community outreach program.
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There is a 45-minute financial aid presentation, which I knew about from this site, but it was LONG. They did have helpful information, though. Also, the WHOLE DAY, every single person you meet, will ask you if you have questions--the admissions counselor, the admissions chair, the financial aid person, the students who take you on tour, and the interviewers themselves. Also, the lunch is a turkey sandwich, an apple, cookie, and bag of chips--if you're a vegetarian, you should let them know when scheduling the interview. Also, bring some floss in your purse or bag so you don't have a piece of lettuce stuck in your teeth during the interview! (didn't happen to me, just thought about it.)
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I was really nervous while I was driving to the school as it was my first interview, but the whole process was definitely more laid back than I expected, and I was very calm by the time of my actual interview.
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How unstressful the day would end up being.
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That half of the other applicants would be non-traditional. We even had a professor of anthropology in our group.
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How cold it was going to be. They told me that only a couple days ago it was 88F, but when I got there it was in the 50's. Also, interview included NO BREAKFEST!!! They only left a basket of candy on the desk! Would it kill someone to have some bagels?
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Which part of the building to go into. They are all coneected so it was a bit confusing. Give yourself plenty of time to get there.
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nothing...
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The school has a program where they will set up housing for you with a current medical school student, but I didn't know this until three days before my interview.
-
Interview format. I would have prepared responses for each of the potential questions.
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I wish I knew more about the MSTP directors.
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Nothing.
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I wish I knew how much they really loved their hawkeyes.
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Iowa City is a cool town. People thinmk because it is in Iowa it will be a small lame, but it is a great college town with plenty going on it you know where to look.
-
They have a lot of abbreviations for buildings and things making it difficult to find your way to the building you need to be in without understanding their abbreviations.
-
the admissions building was a little hard to find
-
How long i'd be waiting for the interview
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Iowa says they are pass/fail, but it's really high honors/honors/pass/low pass/fail....sounds like ABCDF to me.
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What a great place U Iowa is, and what a great town Iowa City is!
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I didn't need to know it ahead of time, but I thought this was interesting: our student guide told us that the admissions staff monitor this website and take any criticism to heart. I hadn't heard of this website too long ago, so it surprised me.
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That I should relax more because they do not try to stress you out.
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The lunch isn't that great, so I would have eaten more breakfast. No way for out of state students to get in state tuition. Scholarship money seemed less than adequate.
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I already figured that there were not many minorities there, but I didn't realize how few they were. But that's not a problem for me; I welcome the change.
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The odd format of the medical school interview was not over-emphasized. You will face two interviewers who are mostly (they do smile and nod occasionally) expressionless. They will alternate questions, with one always watching you closely during questioning. You will speak a monologue about why you would be a great doctor.
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I actuall discovered this before I went but it's something that I was really impressed with. There is a med fraternity that allows interviewees to stay in their frat house for 15 dollars a night. It is walking distance from the school. I had a great time staying in the house. They are wonderful people there. I highly recomend it to anyone going to interview there.
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That I will have the opportunity to meet so many members of the admissions committee at the dinner gathering.
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Once again the size of the lunch.
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Not much.
-
Even when it says "casual attire" (as in for the MD/PhD interview weekend events), everyone else is wearing khankis and button up shirts and sweaters. DON'T WEAR JEANS.
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The format of the med school interview -- five questions + two "completely objective and expressionless" interviewers (closed file) + 25 minutes = weird
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that i'd be waiting in a room for an hour before my interview.
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Be prepared to wait around up to an hour and a half for your interview.
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I wish I would have prepared my answers a little better. I also didn't know I would be sitting in a small room with 11 other candidates for three hours.
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I wish I had known more about what questions would be asked and prepared a little better.
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That being on the campus would feel kind of like going back to an undergrad at a large state university.
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The structured portion of the interview wasn't as weird as you think... and when that's done the rest of it is fine.
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That the visit and interview were very relaxed, and everyone was nice. I didn't have to be so nervous. (It was my first interview)
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If you get an interview, your chances of getting in are about 50% regardless of residency status--residents and non-residents are considered in separate pools.
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The unique cultural activities that are at the University of Iowa.
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I was well prepared, so nothing.
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I'm from Iowa City and am quite familiar with the medical school here, so it was hard to discover any surprises.
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i'm a U of I undergraduate, so nothing surprized me too much, except there are a lot of other opportuniteis Iowa has to offer during med-school than just classes
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none
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That I would definitely get those five questions so that I could prepare perfect responses for them.
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That parking ramp 4 (where I parked) was 1/2 a mile from the office I needed to be at
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Parking is expensive...
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How to get there, lots of construction
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I already knew, but be familiar with the interview format... You get 5 standardized questions and the interviewers can't respond or give feedback. Then you are free to discuss whatever you like for the rest of the time. Be ready with some questions, if you have any.
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The interviewers REALLY don't have a clue who you are, so you should decide what you want to convey to the Admissions Committee and make sure you mention it to the interviewers. You wouldn't want to be TOO redundant, right??
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Info on the CELLS program
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The structure of the interview. There were five standardized questions that the two interviewers read off but couldn't elaborate on or provide feedback. After those questions were answered, the remainder of the interview was conversational. After 25 minutes someone knocked on the door, and the interview was over.
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally found the interview experience at the University of Iowa to be enjoyable and positive. Most appreciated the friendly and welcoming atmosphere of the faculty, staff, and students. Some noted the structured nature of the interview, where interviewers did not provide immediate feedback, as a unique aspect of the process. There were mixed opinions on the interview format, with some finding it a bit awkward while others found it relaxed and conversational. Overall, many applicants expressed a high level of interest in attending the school due to its facilities, opportunities, and supportive environment.
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The CBL was interesting. They really just want to see how you are in a group, and they couldn't care less about what medical knowledge you already have
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This was an incredible interview experience. I can't say enough good things!
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I had an excellent experience.
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Interview day was great.
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Overall, I really enjoyed this school and it is definitely a top contender for me. The welcoming atmosphere of the faculty, medical students, and other people in the building was amazing. During class passing times, students would see us in the hall in our suits and wish us luck with our interview, which I thought was super kind.
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I saw a lot of people on their phones or distracted like picking their nails. Idk about you but for me that shows disinterest in the school.
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Carver is a fantastic program and I would be very happy to attend here! Great opportunities for clinical rotations at UIHC and the VA, also the brand new children's hospital. Classes are all recorded and scheduled in the mornings back to back in MERF auditorium (plug ins at every desk), many of which are optional, with learning community spaces right down the hall. The financial aid office is really there for students—they meet with each student every semester to help them budget, apply for aid, etc. Multiple options for distinction tracks which allow you to individualize your education in a structured way. Good opportunities for global health experiences too! Also, Iowa city is a hub for literature and arts, and there are always lots of events going on at the Englert or Hancher Auditorium, with great student discounts!
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I wish they expanded a bit on the Learning Communities since it seems to be a unique part of their curriculum. Overall it's a great school with great people, but Iowa in general isn't a very diverse place.
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This school does a fantastic job of making applicants feel welcome. The staff takes extra care on Diversity day to showcase the opportunities through a mini fair of the educational tracks available.
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I loved the school.
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People seem genuinely happy to be here and work here, which was the most impressive part of this school.
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I was really impressed by this school. I did my undergrad at Iowa and thought I knew everything I needed to know about the medical school, but I was blown away by the friendliness of the staff, the school itself, and the opportunities that I would have if I was a student there.
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Very laid back and fun . Great school and I hope I get in! They interview 300 out of state and offer about 120 acceptances OOS, so if you are at this stage you have a great chance. Be sure to try and get a student host. Talking to my host definitely helped me feel more confident. I also enjoyed speaking with SNMA students and hearing about how open the administration is to new ideas and actually implementing quite a few of them.
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Great interview day. I have lived in urban, rural, West Coast and Midwest. Iowa will not be the most exciting place to visit, but there is a lot the school has to offer.
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I've lived in IC for 4 years already and would love to make it another 4. Great school.
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The case-based learning was really enjoyable and interesting. There was some waiting time depending on your randomly assigned interview time. The new curriculum looks promising, but it is still being implemented. Lunch included wraps/sandwiches, cookies, chips, fruit, and soda.
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My interview was in the afternoon. The interview on 9/19 seems to have been in the morning, which I thought was odd. Expect either. Different people most likely have different preferences on time, but it's out of your control. The day itself went by quickly and was very enjoyable. I am a pretty anxious person when it comes to interviews, but just truly be yourself. They seemed to respond well we I spoke enthusiastically about my experiences. Aside from the interview, it was a great day and I learned a lot about CCOM I hadn't already known.
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The case based learning session is nothing to be stressed out about. It's fun, the moderators were really nice, and it's a great way to feel engaged with the school and your fellow interviewees. Enjoy!
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This is a great school and I would love to get an acceptance from this school. Would likely matriculate!!!!
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fantastic school. had no idea what to expect but was extremely impressed. would love to go here.
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Impressed by the school, not by the location.
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The case-based learning activity is really nothing to be afraid of. It is pretty fun.
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Very nice school.
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Iowa is a lovely school and many of the OOS students at my interview day reported that they had added Iowa to the app list on a whim and were pretty surprised at the gem they stumbled upon.
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GREAT school!!!
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Just be confident and be yourself. It will all work out in the end. The 25 minutes go by REALLY fast...it felt like 10 minutes when someone knocked on the door to indicate that 25 minutes were up! Just pace yourself and spend about 10 minutes on the structured part and 15 on the unstructured.
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Great school, Excellent research facilities, solid curriculum, and overall very nice students. Seems that students M1-M4 really get along well.
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It was seriously a great interview day. The faculty was very hospitable, the students were very friendly. I'm also very glad I stayed with a student host. Before I went, I would have graded Iowa a 5 or 6 out of 10. After interviewing, I'd give it an 8 or 9. very impressed.
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Carver is such a great school! There is a real focus on rural /underserved healthcare, but at the same time, great research. There are opportunities to do away clerkships all over, particularly in Iowa; they even have a program set up to spend a great part of M3 in hospitals in Des Moines.
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Interview day started at 10:30am with about 1.5 hrs of presentations on school's admissions/interview process, programs (global opportunities, service/research/teaching distinction tracks, etc.), financial aid, etc. You get hand-outs of info covered so you don't have to take extensive notes. There's also coffee, water, and candy available if you get thirsty/hungry. After the presentations, you get split into groups of about 5 applicants per medical student tourguide, eat lunch, then go on on a tour of MERF. After lunch, half of the interviewees for the day (about 10) get their 2-on-1 interviews while the other half go thru a sample PBL session. The 2 groups then switch. After your interview, you go thru a 5-minute exit interview. Day ends at around 3-4pm.
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I really liked the school. I am comparing this school to USC, UCLA, and U of Mich.---just to help give people some perspective on where I'm coming from.
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great school!
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So the structured portion of the interview was really not as bad as I feared. My interviewers nodded and smiled, they just waited until you seemed done before moving on to the next question and didn't give you feedback on your response until the unstructured portion. Also, the CBL exercise was very laid back. Our student facilitator told us off the bat that she would be giving us all 10s unless someone said something repulsive, and so we were all relaxed and were able to just concentrate on what we were doing rather than worrying about performance.
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please go to youtube and type in username "reedsposer22" to see amazing Iowa hawkeye football videos.
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Don't sweat the interview; they are very nice people.
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Great school, great facilities, really great programs. Seems like a wonderful environment to learn medicine and I don't doubt that I would be surrounded by amazing people. Even the other interviewers on the day were extremely friendly and talkative.
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Great school that is certainly right for some... just not me.
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Good school and lots of opportunities to get involved with research, global health, and pretty much anything else without it totally consuming your life. Iowa City is a really cool town, despite what most people think of when they think of Iowa.
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The CBL was alright, though the leader was laid back to the point that it was annoying and he seemed to think he was extremely cool. Also, the other interviewees were typical pre-meds trying to impress each other with their EC's and I was not interested in this. Also, the general feel from the students (not admins) was that the school was "alright" and "wouldn't hurt your future". The students were unenthusiastic about the school and seemed as if they went their because it was their state school (i.e. "cheap") or was their only option. ** Disclaimer: I only interacted with a few students and others may behave differently. Plus, I still like the school because of the wonderful facilities, research opportunities and pretty good hospital. Give it a chance and I truly hope you have a different experience than I did **
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The literature given states different rankings in every brochure. Some say "among public schools" bringing the ranking up to the teens which is misleading. The brochures are all from different years, making for inconsistent ranking numbers. They make such a point that the acceptances go out via mail and "not to stalk your mailman", yet they go out via email prior to the mailing. This was misleading and should be mentioned during the interview day.
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I was really impressed with the school and what they have to offer medical students. The faculty and staff seemed very focused on making sure each student succeeds.
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My #1 pick. Here's to hopin'!
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They respond to what they read on these boards! Since the "Environmentally Friendly" rating was added, they've reduced the lunch packaging, and don't give students folders and plastic bags anymore.
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Good interview to start with. Thought the process ran smoothly and efficiently.
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Great school, would love to go here.
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really good - a little nervous that I could have performed better, but felt that overall it was a good day.
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It was great!!! The experience shot Iowa right towards the top of my list. I'm glad I gave them a chance.
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I had a great interview day! It was a shorter day than at other school, which was nice.
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I was impressed with Iowa. It was my first time there, and I admit I went there thinking it was going to be kind of hickvillish. While driving there was worrisome (all I saw were plains, corn, and cows), Iowa city actually seemed like a nice town and the school itself, the teaching hospital, and the opportunities provided were very impressive. I am now seriously considering attending there if I don't get accepted to any of the top 10 research schools I'm waiting on. In closing, if you're granted an invite there, I'd recommend checking the school out; I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised. The school and the city is certainly better than I perceived it to be and I'm glad I took the interview.
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Some people seem somewhat affected by the interview format, I actually enjoyed it and found it to be just fine.
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Overall, this was a very positive experience.
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This was my 2nd interview and it made a huge difference having the first one under my belt, I was much more confident. There are 4 standardized questions that everyone answers and the interviewers can't respond to. Then there is an informal portion where you can ask them questions and you converse more casually. Both of my interviewers were very nice and it was not very stressful. I was a little surprised when there was a knock on the door signalling the end of the interview, it flew by. It was much nicer to have a morning interview because I was much more relaxed during the tour.
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My interview was at 11am. I drove up the night before, and stayed at the Iowa House hotel. Before the interview, we met with the dean of student affairs, and dean of admissions. After that, we met with an M4 for the CBL session. The CBL was so much fun, and very relaxing. The M4 student was also friendly and made the session relaxing and enjoyable. You don't need any medical experience to be able to answer questions, because the case was not difficult. After that I interviewed with two faculty members, had lunch with an M2, and a tour of the school. The interview was as short as usual, and I feel like there were a some things I could have added. The M2 tour guide was really nice and approachable. Overall, I had a positive experience.
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The day began at 10:30 with a presentation by one oth admissions officers. She provided plenty of great information. Then there was a financial aid presentation. After that we split up into a few groups and ate lunch with first years and then took a tour. The students were very enthusiatic and happy with their selection of Iowa for school. Next was the Case Based Learning session with 2 3rd years. Some people began their interviews at this point and did the CBL afterwards. The CBL session was so fun! The interview itself was very laid back. I was nervous at first because this was my first interview but I eventually relaxed. The interviewers simply take turns asking questions for the structured portion (4 questions. The unstructured portion is a chance for you to tell them any other information you wat them to know about you and they also ask further questions to clarify some of your prior answers. Overall there is no reason to be nervous. Just be yourself.
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The day was very enjoyable. Case based learning session was interesting and a good tension release. People were very friendly and more than willing to answer questions. Four structured questions, and then a few unstructured. Structured period of the interview was a little awkward in that they couldn't really respond to what you were saying. But overall very relaxed and enjoyable.
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My wasn't positively or negatively impressed because I had a pretty positive, and I think well-informed impression of UI Carver COM going into the process. Iowa City is a small mid west college town, which is what I was looking for, but many Coast kids seem negatively impressed by IA (what did you expect? Malibu?) so think about where you're comfortable living for 4 years. Show up in the morning, and get three talks about the admissions process (they try to explain as much as possible), financial aid, and quick group chat with the Asst. Dean of Admissions/Chair of the Admissions Committee. This would be a good opportunity to appear engaged and ask questions, so be prepared, she is also a very nice and impressive woman. Then a quick lunch and very quick tour (the buildings are mostly new, wi-fi most places, nice 160 person lecture hall where most classes will be, nice practice pt. encounter modules. Four community area/lounges for students a-la harry potter which were VERY nice, seems to aid a lot to community but they seem like they would get very crowded when 300 people have lunch at the same time.) I learned for about thirty years from the sixties to 1995 Iowa didn't hold any interviews, which is very weird, and the interview process at IA is designed to be as standardized as possible. You will get the same four questions for the first half of your interview as everyone else! (Why Medicine, describe attributes of an ideal doctor, describe a time when you showed caring or compassion, how would you lower health care cost). The second half of the interview is less formal, but expect more standard questions. The interviews were conducted by two volunteer faculty members who were also very nice and encouraging (they can't venture from the script in the formal half but they will still smile) Try to give plenty of opportunities for the interviewers to get to know your personality, because there isn't much unstandardized time. The case based learning demo at the end is strange in that I'm not sure how much they learn about you as a applicant and CBL isn't the primary didactic method for M1 and M2, its really just a weekly exercise to get you in the habit of thinking analytically in terms of the patient encounter. The M3 or M4 facilitator will be very willing to answer in remaining questions, remember though they will report to the ADCOM on their impressions of you. The experience, like the school it self, is designed to be very supportive. If you practice 2 minute answers to the standard questions you'll be fine, so don't worry. If you a borderline candidate, there's not many opportunities to distinguish yourself, so practice selling yourself in a really short amount of time. But at the same time, there's not many opportunities to freak out and put a foot in your mouth, so don't stress. No worries! And remember, its closed file, so your in the drivers seat! If there's something really cool about yourself that you want to talk about, bring it up, because they have no idea who you are or what you've said in your essays. Be strategic about this!
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It was really great. I got to the building a little before 8:30am, and we talked to the admissions staff about the school and financial aid. Interviews started at 10:00am. After that, we had an hour long case based learning session. I didnt feel like people were fighting for position. It was a great experience. Then we had lunch and a tour. Overall, very positive.
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Had 3 short presentations (admissions info, school info, financial aid) from 8:30 to 10:00. At 10:00 we were split up and about half of us did the CBL session with an M4 while the others interviewed. It was fine, although I partially felt it was a bunch of pre-meds jockeying for position... At 11:00 the other CBL session started and our group interviewed. The interview portion was way too short. Prepare yourself for the 4 standardized questions (I listed all of them here). I tried to bring up other things about me that I wanted to talk about in my answers. After the structured part of the interview, they went straight to the things I mentioned so it worked nicely!
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The day began at 8:30am with three presentations, two from the admissions office and one from financial aid. The group was only 12 people, so it allowed for a lot of questions and time to get to know the other applicants. The interviews began at 10am. Mine was at 10 and then I had to do the Case Based Learning section at 11am. That took one hour and was in a group of five, including the M4 proctor. That was actually lots of fun. The day was closed out with a bad box lunch and a tour from two very enthusiatic (even to the point of silly) M2 students.
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It was an overall good experience. I like the school. I just wish the interview structure was a little different.
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Overall, it was a pretty laid back atmosphere. All presentations are relevant and put together. The CBL session is a great opportunity to see one component of education at CCOM.
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While I was awestruck by the facilities and reputation, the actual interview itself was the worst of all my interviews. It was mostly the format with the structure and the awkwardness of them just sitting there looking at me, not smiling or conversing at all. The questions were very generic and broad. The tour was good and the rest of the day wasn't bad. I just wish that they would change their interview format so that they can actually get to know their applicants as real people.
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I thought it was great.
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The day started mid-morning, so I got to sleep in a bit (which was nice after a 7 hour drive). Met interviewing students, who all seemed pretty nice. We were greeted by admissions staff, had a brief financial aid session, then split up into smaller groups to eat lunch with one current medical student. That student then took us on a tour of the med campus and brought us back to the admissions office. I had my interview in the afternoon, so I participated in a group activity that was meant to teach us about the group-based learning that is part of the curriculum. Iowa is thinking about adding this as an interview component. I’m not sure they will gain much about interviewees from the activity, but it was nice to see how students work through cases. I then interviewed with two physicians. During the structured part of the interview, I was asked 4 questions and they could not respond. It was a little awkward, but they didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. In the remaining time, the interview became much less formal. They really wanted me to ask them questions, so HAVE QUESTIONS PREPARED. Most of the last half, I asked questions about the school and they tried to sell it to me. I then had a one-on-one closing session and the day was over.
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The two faculty interviewers did a wonderful job of making me feel comfortable. The structured part of the interview was a bit awkward, but only because the interviewers could not verbally respond or ask follow-up questions. Nevertheless, I felt the time went by very quickly, as they had wonderful senses of humor and seemed truly interested in getting to know me.
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Great facilities at a great school. Really well thought out support systems for students. Probably one of the best if not THE best medical school west of the Mississippi River and east of California.
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Most awesome group of people ever. By the end of the day I even started talking with the program director about cameras and photography( it's our common interest :D)
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DIVERSITY DAY DIVERSITY DAY!!! We arrived in the lobby and was directed to a conference room on othe 2nd floor. There we had a sit down with all the deans, which was really nice. They answered alot of questions. Then we left and went over to the interviewing area and met with another campus representative. She was really nice. She reads these SDN feedbacks. HEY!! We then had our interviews in two groups. While one group interviewed the other group went to a really nive fly lab on campus. It was awesome. UIOWA really pushed its students to do research. So after both groups did the interview and the labn tour we got back together to eat lunch. THE WORST LUNCH EVER. WHY BOX LUNCHES IOWA, WHY? They could have just let us go to the hospital. Anyway, there was a female students who was really helpful and authentic. You could tell she was beign completely honest. Her name was Marie Colbert. Ask for her!!! We ate and had a very interesting conversation and then we left to take tours. Now this is where UIOWA was knocked down a little in my book. My interviewer, forgot his name seemed to be really unaware of how to navigate the hospital. Which made me wiery. Think about it future physicians. We know nothing right now of being doctors. Do you think we are going to learn by sitting and working in classes, NO!! We need to get in there make mistakes and learn from them. My tour guide was adimate about not having experience in his fifrst year,. HE said that there is not reason for it. ''You would not know what you are doing?'' Well, you wont know what youa re doing your third year either. And because of the small nature of IOWA you can not expect to have your own patients and stuff. Bigger medical centers can offer you more in this area. Last we went back to the conference room and had a panel discussion with students. Where UIOWA took another hit. One students asked the panel, Do they feel that they are being preped to deal with a diverse population of patients and everyone was silent. The seem to be stomped. I smell an NOPE! Well, long story short, UIOWA was a great school, but i think it is best left a damn good backup school!
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Awesome. While the interviewers weren't able to speak during the ''structured'' part of the interview, I could tell during our discussion during the ''unstructured'' part of the interview that they really wanted to get to know more of me in order to make a case for me to the admissions commitee (interviewers aren't part of the committee at Iowa). They genuinely seemed interested in me.
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It was laid-back and very much felt like a conversation. My interviewers seemed genuinely interested in hearing about my experiences and my opinions on healthcare, and they were very enthusiastic about the program and the Iowa City area, as well as in answering any questions I had.
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Overall it was very laid-back. The interview is a little odd in that the during the first four questions, which all interviewees receive, the interviewers cannot comment or respond in any way. After that, it becomes more like a conversation and you get a chance to ask questions.
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It was not bad, the interviewers were both very nice and encouraging.
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The University of Iowa is my top-choice school, and I think that my genuine interest in this school helped me succeed in the interview process. I had just enough adrenaline to make it apparent that I took the interview seriously, but not too much as to make me uncontrollably nervous.
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I really loved the school, but there's a large price tag. And, while Iowa City itself isn't bad at all, it doesn't seem like there's much beyond it...(not that medical students have time for recreation anyway)
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I appreciated the organized nature of the entire visit. This was my first interview so I do not have much to base my impressions on. I did overhear another student talk about how he was grateful that the interview and visit were not drawn out over the entire day. He had said that other schools were as organized and were quite repetitive with the information they shared during the visit. Overall, I thought it was pretty painless, and nothing to get overly worked up about.
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It was two PhDs dressed casually that traded off asking two questinos a piece without responce (why do you want to be a doctor, ways for improving costs of health care, how would you handle working with someone of different cultures and beliefs and explain an instance in which you displayed compassion). This was followed by open discussion, which felt very similar to the first part. they traded off again asking questions about who has been good mentour to me, how do i deal with stress and what do i fear most about medical school. It was not intimidating, but it was difficult not being in a conversational setting.
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The morning was spent with admissions and financial aid staff, who described the interview and admissions process, as well as the costs of attendance and available funding options. We had lunch and a tour with a current medical student, followed by a 25-minute interview with two faculty members. Half of the interview was based on specific questions, the second half was more free-form.
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It was a great experience. I now know why it is ranked so highly. The first part of the interview was a little tricky, however after that they really opened up.
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Look under negative experience
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The day went by really quickly and was pretty informal. The students answered questions thoroughly and honestly. They told us exactly when we would hear back from them if accepted.
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The structured format of the first part of the interview is kind of weird at first, as is addressing two people at the same time but that fades pretty fast. The day was pretty short - started at 9:00, done by about 1:30.
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They have 4 structured questions at first. After that they ask you whatever they want.
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It was a good experience.
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Overall a good day. Lots of time spent with fellow interviewees, who were all nice. The admissions people let you know that the first four questions are standardized and that the interviewers aren't allowed to ask follow-up q's. I felt that all my questions were already formulated, they were reading off a sheet. Nothing too tricky though.
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Overall, the interviewers were friendly and relaxed. The beginning section is odd because they give you questions but can't respond. It's also odd that they haven't seen my file and know nothing about me, so it was difficult for me to bring out all the points I wanted.
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I was very impressed with Iowa as a school. I hope I get accepted and if so would very strongly consider attending.
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It was great. Questions were easy and I think I really connected with my interviewers. They really provided a sense of the community present at Iowa.
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The interview was a bit stressful since it was two interviewers at the same time. The interview was also very structured and there were two different portions of the interview. A portion of just questions where the interviewers gave no feedback and an informal portion where interviewers could ask you anything.
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The interview is laid back. They give you water but you won't need it. Four formal questions, and then they do followup questions after that. The interview time is much too short to get everything in so talk about your biggest points first. This school is a rising star. I think the only people who would discount it are people who have not yet gone there.
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The day started with an orientation about the school and about the actual interview process. They tell you beforehand how the interview is structured and how the interviewers are supposed to react (or rather not react) to your answers. The interview itself also starts with both interviewers repeating the same instructions. They ask 4 standard questions and they are not supposed to react, and then any questions or discussions after that would be anything under the sun. We stayed in one room (only 10 or 11 of us) while we waited for all the interviews to get done. Then lunch was served, and the day was conluded by a tour with one of the medical students.
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Overall it was very good experience. The day started with presentations about the school and financial aid. They did a good job of selling the school. Then the interviews. The interviews here are very structured. You actually sit down with two people at the same time and they ask you four standardized questions and aren't allowed to respond. Then the remaining time is more conversational. The interview only lasts 25 minutes and they are strict about that. Afterwards there is lunch and a tour with some of the students.
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My interview experience overall was very positive. Since they time the interview, as soon as your time is up, someone knocks on the door. The knock on the door was a bit rattling since I was in the middle of a sentence. The students were honest and answered my questions thoroughly. Overall, I left thinking that Iowa was a good place.
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The interview was enjoyable. It was a little wierd during the first 4 queations as the interviewers were not allowed to show any signs of response. After that, it turned into a conversation.
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Great! Very laid back. The interview was not at all intimidating, and it wasn't that weird that the interviewers could not respond during the first four questions. They still smiled and nodded, but just did not say anything.
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Great experience...my fellow interviewees were mainly residents and all very friendly...unstructured presentation about "Why Iowa?" was a great involved way to sell the school...the tour was very brief so I took a little time to see the other facilities...I mean for 35k a year and 4 years of my life I figured I needed to see all that was available not the terrific new MERF building.
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The interview process was very low key. Plan to bond with the other interviewees b/c you'll be in a room together most of the day. Also, the structured portion of the interview is fine. I figured that the worst thing I could do is drone on and on b/c nobody could stop me =) I'd recommend sticking to the point. You only have 25 minutes total. You will have a better chance selling yourself in the unstructured portion, so don't waste time.
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Admissions was extremely accomodating. Since we were delayed at O'Hare with the blizzard, they reshuffled our interview schedule.
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Overall, my interview experience was okay. The school is great, and there are many prestigious people associated with it, but I just don't think Iowa is a place I can be for the next four years.
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While I was nervous to begin with, the interviews put me at ease. Even though they could not comment during the structured portion of the interview, they seemed very receptive to my answers. The 25 minutes really flies by once you get going.
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Overall I thought it went well. Not as bad as others made it sound on SDN. At first I was skeptical about the closed-file interview, but I think that the interviewers got to know other aspects of me other than my MCAT and GPA. We even ended up going over the 25min time slot. The other interviewees were great, we all got along really well and even exchanged e-mails with a few of them. I was really pleased with the entire experience, especially since it was my first interview. I got an acceptance letter three weeks later!!
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U of IA is an awesome school. The staff was very friendly and enthusiastic, as was the medical student ambassador that took our group on a tour.
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I liked the fact that we interviewed before the tour. The faculty members were right in the admissions office so it was much easier to meet them. The structured portion was somewhat unnerving, because the interviewers can only smile and nod at you. Afterwards, the conversation/unstructured portion was much more relaxing.
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I was nervous going in and the structured protion was awkward in that they didn't say anything other than the question, but after than that I got to converse with them more.
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The structured portion of the interview is four questions long, and the two interviewers take turns asking the questions. THEY SMILE! Don't believe the rumors that they are supposed to be stone-faced--they can't say anything, but the interviewers can smile and nod. After that, they asked me if I had any questions for them, and I did (see above for one.) Then they asked their own questions...one was "What hurdles do YOU think you'll face in medical school?" (a follow-up to a question I asked them), "What would you do if a patient did not comply with your recommendations/orders", and then they went back to the other structured questions! Glad I was prepared for all of them, and glad I found this site before my interview!
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its was actually fun
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I had a great group of other interviewees to talk to while I waited for my interview, which helped to relieve a lot of nerves. The ladies who gave the introductions were both very nice, and my tour guide was extremely peppy...maybe a little too peppy.
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It isn't as bad as you think it could be. Also, it was fun to meet some other applicants from all over the country.
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Overall I think things went relatively well. I buzzed through the first 4 standardized questions in 10 minutes, but luckily they kept asking me more informal follow up questions so the interview still ended up lasting the 25-30 minutes. All the faculty, staff and students I interviewed with were super nice and low key.
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Arrived 5 minutes early and had presentations on "why iowa", financial aid and how the interviews were going to work. Next, we met a student and went on a tour through the hospital and medical education facilities. Then we all sat in a room together waiting for our interviews. There were 4 interview slots: 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00.
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Overall the day went pretty well. Don't expect breakfast because the day doesn't start until 11:00 AM, which is nice because you have time to get your wits about you. The Admissions staff were extremely friendly and laid back, as were the other students in our group. The dean joked that it was good to see such a livid bunch, as the past week's group were deathly silent the whole time. I think they wasted too much time (almost 50 min) talking about financial aid. Why not tell us all this info AFTER we're accepted? I would have prefered to have had a longer time seeing the campus itself, as the tour only lasted about 35 minutes, partly because of the long finance talk and because the tour guides had to go to class. The school has nice facilities, but it's lacking in warmth (i.e. metal everywhere). The interview itself went really smoothly, and the format wasn't as awkward as you might come to expect. If you have Tom and Tom as your interviewers, don't sweat it. They're awesome guys!
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There were about 20 interviewees gathered in a conference room; our group had great chemistry and almost immediately hit it off, especially after everyone had been called for their interivew and were relaxed. Everyone was cracking jokes and you couldn't shut us up. The actual interview was not as hard as I thought it would be. Although the interviewers don't talk during the structured portion, they nod, smile, and even laughed when I threw in some wry comment. After asking their 4 official questions, they very sneakily threw in a "5th" question by saying "now we'd like to see if you had any questions, and to know in general how you arrived at Iowa; that is, what made you want to apply here".
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It was a great interview. It is 1/2 structured: they will ask you four of 12 possible questions (all on this site)which you will answer and the faculty cannot follow up with a prompt. It wasn't as weird as I thought it would be. The second half is unstructured and very casual. Afterword, you meet with the admissions coordinaotr for any further questions you may have about the school and she is really funny and laid back.
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A very informal group setting in which we talked with deans and financial aid people. The interview is supposed to be non-stressful, but I think I drew a bad interviewer and therefore had an abnormal experience. The structured part is different, as the interviewers are not allowed to respond.
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It was positive. Iowa moved up on my list after the interview.
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The University of Iowa is a fantastic place. Iowa was a little disconcerting to me at first because it's very sparsely poplulated in comparison to other places I've lived. Nonetheless, everyone that I met was incredibly nice and the faculty and staff were no exception. The University really stresses that patients are humans first and that a good doctor's job always involves more than simply diagnosing a disease. They have a brand new medical research building which is really nice and the hospitals they're affiliated with are fantastic. My interviewers did their best to make sure that I was relaxed and were very friendly.
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Enjoyable day. The People were very nice and the facilities were modern and impressive. Iowa seems to be a school intent on improving all aspects of its progam. I was certainly impressed.
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Incredibly laid back, the interviewers just really want to get to know you, not scare you.
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Ok, this was a great interview. The tour was fun and the new medical education building beautiful. The UIowa Hospitals and Clinics is really impressive as well.
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It was an ok experience. The pre-interview stuff was pretty uncomfortable and my group didn't have much to say to each other. After we had interviewed things were less stressful, but waiting around for an hour and a half after the interview got long. My student guide was totally unhelpful and didn't really have an insight to offer. However, the hospital was amazing and the classroom facilities were impressive as well.
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The interview was the best MSTP interview I have had. They seem to care so much about the students, and they really want to attract those interested in their school. The first night was a nice catered orientation event. On friday, you interview with three scientist/physicians for the MSTP interviews, and you also have to go through the basic MD interviews (X2). The regular MD interviews were a little strange. Very formatted (closed file, no expressions, talk yourself into a hole if not careful). But the MD/PhD interviews were very relaxed. And, EVERTHING was paid for.
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It was a very relaxed interview. The first 5 questions were structured. The interviews are not allowed to respond; however, they can smile or nod. The next part is informal. It was a very positive interview experience.
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Good overall experience. I was a little nervous, especially since the first part of the interview is standardized and the interviewers can't respond. I wasn't really surprised by any questions, most of what I was asked was either specific to my file or some version of what's already on this site.
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My experience was very good. It began 11:00 which gave you time to get up get ready and find the building. While we were there we were all in a room for a few hours some of which they spoke with us about the school and finances. My fellow interviewees and I engaged in conversation but there were a few awkward dry moments. The interview was very pleasant they asked the standard question but they seemed happy to get to the informal portion so they could really get into who I was. We even kept talking at least five minutes after the interview was supposed to be over.
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Overall, I really liked the school. The new facilities are some of the nicest I've seen. U of I Hospital is very nice, but it is a total maze, so if you leave to wander around while you're waiting for your interview, give yourself enough time to get lost trying to find your way back. The students seem happy to be there, even though many said they were hesitant to live in Iowa. That was good to hear. Iowa City is a nice, liberal college town, so it's not as if there is nothing to do, but it is pretty small.
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Sat down with 2 faculty members, interview questions were "structured" - meaning they gave no immediate feedback. They did however acknowledge my answers and smiled. It was followed by the unstructured part in which they asked minor follow up questions.
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It was a very positive experience. I would reccommend staying with a student to increase your contact time with students otherwise student contact is limited to the tour. The group size was around 12, not too big but not too personal either. I enjoyed the fact that the interview was only the afternoon. It wasn't drug out like other interviews I have been to. I interviewed with a great bunch of students that I would love to have as classmates!
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went very well.
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very relaxing, supportive atmosphere during the interview (and throughout the day really). the interview seemed almost too short to really engage in a more detailed discussion. overall a very nice experience!
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I think the school seemed great, the structured interview was difficult because the interviewers are not allowed to react to anything you say, basically leaving you with the feeling you are rambling.
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This was my first interview and I'm glad it was at Iowa. The interview questions were straightforward and the school was really nice. They asked me four questions during the interview, they were simple questions. The rest of the time they asked follow-up questions and I had the chance to ask questions I had. Come prepared to ask questions, because even though the interview is only 30 min, they stop early and leave time for your questions.
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Overall a good interview. The staff at the school is a strong point, from the assistant dean and financial aid lady to the doctors i met during the interview. The lunch is not great, and we spent a long time waiting in a small boardroom for our interviews to begin. It was fun getting to talk with the other applicants. Everyone was very friendly, so that helped the time go by.
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Overall it was a very positive experience.
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Very friendly and relaxed.
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You interview with about 15 or so other students. The situation is set up such that you are together in the larger group for the admissions and financial aid presentations (very thorough), and in groups of about 4 for lunch and the tour with a current student. The tour is impressive! Then you come back for your interview, which runs about 25 minutes or so. It really goes quickly--make sure to tell them anything you want to point out as soon as the standard questions are over! After the interview, you do a quick exit interview with admissions and then you're free to go.
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It's been described previously, it doesn't change much. I liked that the interviewers knew virtually nothing about me and therefore could not make any biased assumptions or inferences about me or my experiences. The structured questions are not intimidating, although they could be if one didn't know them initially. In a previous interview experience, my interviewer kept on interrupting me, but with this type of format I felt like I was able to finish my thoughts.
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Being that it was my first interview I was very nervous, but I was so relieved because it was pretty painless. The interviewers have to ask the 4 formal questions with no feedback, but afterwards you get to talk more informally with them. I ended up asking my interviewers questions for a good portion of the informal part. Also, we had to sit in a conference room with all the other interviewees for quite awhile while others were interviewing. It was actually really interesting getting to know all of them and they were all really nice people.
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Overall I liked the school, but it didn't give me that warm fuzzy feeling that I need to justify going out of state. I withdrew a few days after the interview due to an acceptance at a top 15 school.
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The interview was great! There was a part where they ask five questions and provide no feedback, then there is an informal part where there is an actual conversation. Overall, it was a wonderful experience.
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The MSTP at Iowa is solid. It doesn't offer the same level of clinical exposure as some other places, but the research side, especially in neurology, is strong. The medical school is well organized, with ample study areas and "communities" of M1-4 students grouped together (the M3-4's can give some insight to the younger guys about what will be important during rotations). Cost of living is very low, with some students buying houses on their stipend. As far as free time, Iowa city is a liberal, cultured place if you look in the right areas. If you look in the wrong areas, it is a college town of 80,000 surrounded by farmland.
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The structured part of the interview was not fun for me, someone who's not comfortable with talking about myself for extended amounts of time. They take a lot of notes between questions. And it seemed like they didn't like to talk much.
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The conference room setting was very conducive for interactions which relieved some tention before the interview. The orientation about the school and getting feedback from medical students calmed my nerves as well. The interview part was not at all what I expected. Although the two faculty members conducting the intervew did not give me feedback during the structured part of the interview, they were not inhuman, they managed to ease the tension in the room favorable for answering the five questions they alternated in asking. I only managed to ask two questions and answer one of their questions for the informal (second)part of the interview, before someone knocked on the door to indicate that time was up.
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The whole day was very structured which I liked and wasted no time. The interviewers and I had a great visit after the 5 formal questions....I do hunt and fish and so did he.
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I didn't realize how much I was going to like this school. It is now one of my top 2 schools.
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This was my very first interview and the very first diversity weekend event held at the school. It was well organized, extremely informational, and very rewarding interms of the support of the staff and students who helped put everything together.
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This was my first interview so I was nervous. I read this forum before my interview and it made me nervous because of the way the interview was described. It is true that the 2 faculty that are interviewing you will show no expression to your responses during the structured portion of the interview. However, they do smile and nod (they are not completely without emotion.) After the structured part it became more of a conversation. So you should relax, there is nothing to worry about. The most stressful thing for me was just waiting for my turn. Once I was called the stress level went from a 7 to a 1 during the interview.
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Overall I thought the experience was good. The other students were extremely nice and I thought the interview went well.
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To prepare for this interview all you have to do is go to their website and look under "Interview Process". In the 25 minutes their is a structured part and a non-structured part. During the structured part they ask five questions which come directly from the "Interview process" paragraph. After you finish the structured part they you can elaborate on other things and ask them questions. Also, they are not supposed to talk when you are answering those five questions so don't take it as a bad sign.
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When I saw the other postings, I stressed because I thought all applicants were interviewed as a group. That wasn't the right impression, but there were 2 interviewers that interviewed just me, and they were really friendly.
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The Iowa interview for the MD is odd. It's "standarized," so there's no feedback. Just you and two people in a room. They ask you a question and you answer until you feel like you are done. They wait a few seconds to make sure you are done, then ask the next question. No interaction. It's really important to get through all the questions, because after the structured segment, they have unstructured time when they can ask the questions they have about your answers and your application. The PhD interviews were relaxed conversations with really neat scientists. Not at all scary. Just really interesting.
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The MD/PhD weekend is, overall, a fabulous experience -- a lot of time to talk to students/faculty and explore the city. The interview day is long, with the med school interview and four other MD/PhD interviews. I briefly summarize the med school interview below. The MD/PhD interviews were pretty standard, focusing largely on the research that I've done and my reasons for applying to a dual-degree program.
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It was a good experience as my first interview, the interviewers were very laid back and made you feel very comfortable.
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The day itself was not terribly stressful, but the interview was odd. The questions were really open-ended and vague, which makes it hard to "sell yourself" during the structured interview. The rest of the day was great, very nice staff, students there are really happy, Iowa City is a great town.
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Overall good. I had the chance to meet 14 other students who were interviewing on the same day.
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Everyone was really friendly and nice, and their facilities are top notch. I just realized over the course of the visit that it might not be the best place for me personally.
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Overall, it was really great. The people were nice, the facilities were impressive, and the interview was more enjoyable than you'd expect. Definately a top choice.
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Great people, many opportunities for students -- both academic and extracurricular Expensive tuition for out of state, cold, isolated location
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My interview was relaxed. Five questions were asked. During this time the interviewers were not allowed to respond or give feedback. After that, it was like a normal conversation. Make sure you have well thought of questions to ask your interviewers.
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The interviewers are nice. They are interested in hearing about your research and why you want to be in their program.
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Got there, had an intro session with the 15 other interviewees, financial aid session, interview, lunch, discussion with student life/curriculum dean, tour with student; you are given 4 questions beforehand, but they asked me 5, and only 2 were ones that I had prepared answers to; one of my interviewers was a surgeon who got paged and left before my interview, so the dean of admissions took his place
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I really enjoyed meeting the two faculty members I had met during my interview. The structured interview format is a bit weird because you're not supposed to get feedback, but I think it all went well. The unstructured portion of the interview was quite lively and we talked about a number of things related to medicine, research, and public health.
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overall, it was good
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Interviewers were extremely nice and helpful.
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It was a fun weekend. They provided lost of food and everyone was friendly. The faculty members and the students all really believe in the MSTP program and want the students to succeed. The med school portion of the interview was a little weird, in which they ask questions off of the list and don't respond. But they explain why they do that. Very friendly people. MSTP faculty were all friendly and interested in the research that I've done. The only thing is that they only had donuts in the morning! NO BAGELS!!!!
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It was very low stress, adn the people were really nice. The interview is predictable adn relatively easy.
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Iowa seems to be a great place overall, very patient oriented and great facilities...
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Very positive, beautiful new facility, hospital is very nice
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This was my first interview, which may have contributed to the stress. We all met on the campus and then went over financial aid. The staff was very friendly and eased our stress a bit.
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Very pleasant experience. Everyone was so nice and eager to help you out.
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Very positive, great time socializing with staff and other prospects
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The interview experience was typical of most experiences except for the interview itself. You are interviewed by two faculty members who have a set list of questions to ask you. These interviewers have not seen your file, nor will they ever. The interviewers will also not react nor probe further on your responses, but do allow you to add things after the standardized portion is over during the informal session.
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Once we arrived at the school at 11, there was a brief introduction by an admissions office staff member, followed by a financial aid presentation and a brief chat with one of the deans. Then we had lunch with two students and took a tour of the med school. After the tour were the interviews, and we were free to go after that.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
The most common feedback and suggestions shared by applicants for the admissions office include providing more opportunities for student interactions, improving the organization and content of informational sessions, enhancing the interview experience with longer and more engaging interactions, reducing paper waste, and sending out a detailed schedule in advance. Additionally, there were positive comments about the friendliness and enthusiasm of the admissions office staff.
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Maybe provide some residents who went to Iowa or successful alumni to come and speak about how they benefitted from Iowa.
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nothing.
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n/a
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The food needs to be better.
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Keep doing everything as you are, the day was extremely positive.
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I'd almost prefer to knock the interview out as early as possible, but everything was enjoyable overall.
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Have better printed materials, maybe a power point in the beginning to show pictures of the place or a video? Also, after giving out handouts, please give interviewees time to scan through the materials and come up with questions. I liked the healthy options for lunch (apple/banana), although there was also plenty of soft drinks and chips available. The case-based learning session was a little long and not as organized as it could have been. Loved the coloring books and sudoku puzzles for the interviewees waiting to have their interview. Maybe having an organized wellness session too would be nice (leaving a even more positive impression on interviewees)? Something like meditation or strategies. Besides the financial counselor, we didn't get to speak with the social support staff, which might have been helpful.
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Nothing. They are fantastic.
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None, they were great!
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None! They are extremely friendly and the interview day is well-organized.
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none. they are great!
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It would have been great to see the science building on the tour.
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Give us a folder instead of a bag - a folder would be much nicer and easier to carry around throughout the day.
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Quit printing so many papers and present a powerpoint for the orientation session. Hand out the slides of the powerpoint and direct applicants to the website for more info. Seriously, I don't want like 100 pages of papers that I'm not going to read.
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It would be nice if a general schedule was sent out before, via e-mail. I knew what to expect because I live in the area, but some other students came hungry expecting breakfast or didn't realize we would interview in the morning on Friday (as opposed to afternoon interviews for Mon/Wed interviewees).
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The admissions office is extremely friendly but I didn't discover this until I visited in person for my interview. It would have been even nicer to receive an email a few days (or a week) before my interview as a friendly reminder that they were anticipating my arrival. Other than that, the admissions office was fantastic and great to work with!
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The adminssions office staff was really friendly and welcoming.
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Nothing overall. Extremely enthusiastic, I felt like they wanted me to go there. I felt like a recru
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Keep up the good work.
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maybe a better lunch
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Change the interview format. I understand that you are trying for consistency among interviewer reco
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Be kinder to your applicants. Every interaction I had with the office was very unimpressive.
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Respond to emails in a timely fashion (i.e. less than two months). Be nicer to students calling in.
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The early morning Powerpoint session was rather dry and impersonal. It could either be spruced up,
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Please make these 25-minute interviews a little longer!
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Sitting in that small conference room for the first hour and half was a little long, but the amount
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I think both myself and the interviewers would have benefited from a longer interview (~50 minutes).
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It would be great if future interviewees could get time to talk to other students in addition to the
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It would be great if future interviewees could have time in between activites to talk to more M1 and
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none
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Everyone was great!
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Keep up the good work, it really shows you care bc you are so prompt with communication. I know t
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None.
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More unstructured interview time, please. Like 15-20 minutes. I know Iowa wants as standard and fair
📍 On-Site Experience ▼
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents are out of state students.
What were your total hours spent traveling?
Most respondents spent 4-6 hours traveling to the interview.
What was your primary mode of travel?
Most respondents traveled by automobile to the interview.
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
Most respondents spent less than $100.
What airport did you fly into?
Respondents who flew to the interview generally used Cedar Rapids Airport (CID)
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CDC
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CDN
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CDR
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CID
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CID Cedar Rapids