San Antonio, TX
Osteopathic Medical Schools | Private Non-Profit
Faith-Based
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 43% of interviews, indicating it is moderately regarded. They found the interview mixed with a moderate stress level, and felt they did okay.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
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.
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
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include inquiries about the applicant's motivation for choosing osteopathic medicine, experiences with diverse patient populations, personal values aligning with the institution's mission, handling ethical dilemmas in healthcare, and coping mechanisms for personal hardships. Additionally, some respondents mentioned facing MMI-style questions and nondisclosure agreements during the interview process, indicating a structured format with scenario-based and ethical dilemma inquiries.
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Tell me about yourself.
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What would you do if you saw a classmate cheating?
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Why UIWSOM? Why osteopathic medicine?
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Why osteopathic medicine?
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San Antonio has a significant Hispanic population, do you have any experience with caring for this type of patient population, if so tell me more?
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine discussed a variety of topics such as designing a new country's constitution in a group MMI activity, opinions on healthcare being free, experiences with family members smoking, non-verbal communication challenges, and explaining application changes. These diverse questions indicate a focus on critical thinking, ethical reasoning, personal experiences, communication skills, and self-reflection during the interview process.
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For the Group MMI activity, we were instructed to work with our team towards starting a new country and making a new constitution for this country.
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Should healthcare be free? Why or why not?
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Have you ever had a family member that smokes cigarettes?
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Give instructions to your partner to draw what you see, but don't say the name of what the object is.
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Free responce to explain any changes or discrepancies in your application.
What was the most difficult question?
Students said the most difficult question asked at University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine discussed various challenging scenarios, such as ethical implications of funding healthcare, addressing discrepancies in qualifications for acceptance, and coping mechanisms for trauma and discrimination. These responses indicate a diverse range of challenging interview questions that applicants may encounter during their admissions process.
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Discussing the ethical implications of a casino funding healthcare
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Discuss discrepancies in GPA/ECs (but when I entered the room, the interviewer elaborated that it was a question of why I should be accepted among other applicants????)
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Trauma, stress, and discrimination are part of life experiences. Please explain how you have coped with these types of situations and how you plan to continue these methods through your medical education.
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of more than 50 minutes.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 5 or more people.
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.
📍 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.
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents rank the facilities as below average.
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 San Antonio International Airport (SAT)
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San Antonio International Airport
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San Antonio International
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San Antonio
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SAT
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Hotel or at a hotel.
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
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Motel 6
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La Quinta Inn San Antonio Brooks City Base
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Hyatt Place San Antonio Airport/Quarry Market
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Holiday Inn Express
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Hampton
How would you rate the hotel?
Most respondents rated their hotel as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
Most respondents would recommend their hotel.
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What are your comments on where you stayed?
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It was decent hotel to stay at, a reasonably-priced hotel with free parking compared to the higher cost hotels near the city center.
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If you can swing it, stay on the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio for a weekend. Touristy, but worth the visit.
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Many applicants prepared for the interview by using resources such as Dr. Gray's Medical School Interview book, YouTube videos, and practicing with mock interviews. They also emphasized the importance of researching the school's values and mission, reviewing sample MMI questions, and seeking guidance from mentors with interview experience.
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SDN, YouTube videos, Dr. Gray's Medical School Interview book, Dr. Katta's Interview Book, Mock Interviews with friends, mentoring from physicians
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Wrote out my answers to the most commonly asked interview questions.
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I worked with my physician mentors and friends who had experience with MMIs before to run through 3 mock interviews.
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Answer sample questions found online. Researching the school, specifically the values and mission.
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Dr. Gray's interview book, youtube videos and MMI book by BEMO
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the welcoming faculty, the collaborative and innovative culture of the school, the friendly and diverse community, the well-organized interview day, the emphasis on mental health, and the supportive and experienced faculty members. Additionally, the state-of-the-art facilities, innovative curriculum, and personalized approach to student success were key factors that positively influenced applicants' perceptions of the school.
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Faculty is really welcoming! I think touring the school gave me a better idea of what it's like being a student here and I realized I can see myself attending here even though when I first began applying I didn't think I'd like the school nearly this much. I really like the culture and collaborative values the school has.
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This school is very friendly to non-traditional applicants. The San Antonio area is really nice, warm weather, adequate study space. The anatomy lab and OMM lab are also great facilities too. The teaching faculty are diverse as well as the student body.
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The answers to questions about the school from the admission staff.
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I'll be honest, I was wary going into this interview. The stats aren't great on paper, their timeline for applications was strict and aggressive, and they were one of the only places to demand an in-person interview. I thought it was going to be a bunk experience. However, after seeing the place in person, I get why they took this approach- the place was phenomenal. It doesn't look like much from the outside, and the area of San Antonio isn't the best suburb, but the interior of the campus? Second to none. One of the most cutting-edge programs I saw, major history behind the campus location, and an incredibly impressive cirriculum that tailors itself to the success of individual students and their goals for specialization, rather than a blanketed "one-size-fits-all-primary-care-enthusiasts" plan that most DO schools I've seen employ. We had something crazy like 10 MMIs and a group interviewer, and each and every single interviewer was friendly, provided feedback, was enthusiastic, and down-to-Earth. Every student I interacted with - even outside of the student leaders - absolutely loved the school and the administration. I was pleasantly surprised and moved this campus from a "safety school application" to a serious consideration after touring and interviewing.
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How sweet the admissions/director/dean were.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about restrictions on providing honest feedback, the lack of resources for competitive specialties, mandatory lectures, and the large interview group size. Suggestions include encouraging more open communication, enhancing resources for competitive specialties, and improving the interview experience by reducing group sizes.
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I wish the students were allowed to be more open about what they think are cons for the school. Faculty were in the room during the Q&A and the current students weren't allowed to be too critical.
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Mandatory lectures, their match isn't great, they seem adversarial to those who are seeking to be top of the class and wish to pursue competitive specialties. they don't have the resources or opportunities available to help people who want to seek competitive specialties other than connecting with dermatologists or orthopedic surgeons the school knows which isn't that much help.
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Someone interviewers were much better than others.
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The medical campus is very nice, but could have more resources on site (fitness center and dining options are at the main campus).
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The curriculum
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wished they had known the interview duration, to bring something for note-taking, and that traditional interview questions would be asked during the MMI. They also highlighted the relaxed nature of the interview, the school's community support, the importance of professional attire, and the provision of food after the MMI.
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I wish I knew that the interview was about 30 minutes. I wish I brought something to take notes on during the presentations they give.
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They offer food after the MMI.
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Nothing
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How well- respected there school already is in there community. For a new school, it is really impressive that they are already getting such great support and feedback from the local medical community.
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The interview is very relaxed. Do not stress yourself off by trying to prepare for it. Know the general workings of MMI and certain aspects of the school itself.
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally found the interview process at UIWSOM to be well-organized, welcoming, and not overly stressful. They appreciated the personalized approach, friendliness of interviewers, and positive interactions with faculty and students, but some expressed concerns about campus rumors and the school's location.
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The interview was overall chill! I believe they try to pair you with someone with shared interests based on your application and they emphasize how the interview is to figure out your mission fit at UIWSOM - not test you on your stats or academic ability. Your interview questions seem to also depend on your interviewer because I can tell the questions mine asked were oriented based on what she teaches as a faculty member. I'm not sure if my interview was actually closed or open app but I treated it like a closed application.
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Interviewer was extremely friendly and responsive. Overall positive experience.
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The interview was well organized and the admissions office was gracious to offer us food and some time to talk to the faculty and med students over dinner. They are really invested into the applicants they selected for interview.
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It was a long but very smooth process. Everyone was very nice.
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I was nervous for the interview beforehand, because it was MMI format, but it actually ended up being an enjoyable experience. Each station felt more conversational than the standard MMI's usually do. Overall a good interview experience. I only wish I could have visited the campus, but the interviews were virtual due to Covid-19.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggested providing informational packets or materials for presentations, making the interview day more eco-friendly and organized with a clear schedule, improving seating and refreshments for large groups, and offering opportunities to connect with current students. Overall, applicants appreciated the professionalism and friendliness of the admissions office.
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If a packet of information could be provided with the same material from the presentations to take home, it would be nice! Or something to take notes with during the presentations as needed.
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Make the interview day more eco-friendly, give a clear schedule of events to occur (intro lecture, MMI time, dinner, etc.)
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I love the opportunity to connect with current students via Zoom chats. I appreciate that several of these opportunities are available.
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Have more seating in the reception area if there is going to be that large of a group and you're also serving refreshments - makes it hard to have a drink and a plate of snacks if you're standing.
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None
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