Ask questions about this school. Answers use aggregated data and are subject to error.
๐Hi there! How can I help?
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 21% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a low stress level and felt they did well.
Higher scores indicate a smoother, more positive interview experience with professional staff, organized logistics, and a supportive environment.
Based on 189 responses
Score Reference:
9โ10 Exceptional8โ8.9 Very Good7โ7.9 Good6โ6.9 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 areaโs cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
๐ฌ Interview Questions โผ
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools revolve around the candidate's motivation for pursuing dentistry, their unique qualities, academic performance including grades and standardized test scores, experiences related to dentistry, and their ability to overcome challenges. Some respondents mentioned an MMI format, suggesting potential nondisclosure agreements in place during their interviews.
Students said most interesting question asked at University of Kentucky School of Dentistry discussed a variety of topics such as experiences with diversity, favorite dental procedures, values contributing to diversity, patient scenarios, and personal attributes for success in dentistry. Based on the responses provided, it appears that the interview format may have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview), with some respondents mentioning specific follow-up questions and personal inquiries, which could indicate a nondisclosure agreement in place for the interview process.
what is something you've done to prepare for dental school
If your patient comes in and has forgotten to take their pre-medication do you not see them, give them the antibiotic and wait a full hour, or go ahead and see them as soon as they've taken the antibiotic?
Students said most difficult question asked at University of Kentucky School of Dentistry discussed a variety of topics such as personal challenges overcome, uniqueness, motivation for dentistry, and academic performance. The interviews were generally straightforward, with no mention of an MMI format or nondisclosure agreements.
None of the questions were difficult, either. Be prepared to explain anything questionable in your record and have a good answer prepared for the "Is there anything else we should know about you?" question.
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 low 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 an open file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at the school.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by reviewing their application, practicing common interview questions, and conducting research on the school through resources like Student Doctor Network (SDN) and the school's website. Some also sought advice from current students, engaged in mock interviews, and rehearsed their answers either through self-reflection or by recording themselves.
Reddit research, researching the school's website and mission statement, basic interview prep, and reviewing my own application and personal statement.
Read SDN, the interview section of the Kaplan book, checked out some library materials on interviews, went to a lot of pre-med websites on interview techniques. Talked into a video camera alot and spent 2 hours the night before talking into the mirror of my hotel room.
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendliness and welcoming atmosphere of both the staff and students. They highlighted the small class sizes, personalized attention, and enthusiasm shown by the faculty and admissions staff as major positives. Many also appreciated the emphasis on community engagement and service opportunities provided by the school.
Welcoming environment of all staff and students, all of the information given throughout multiple different help sessions such as student life and financial aid
They REALLY read through my entire application, cover to cover. They asked me about experiences and hobbies that I didn't even realize I put on their. They were so genuinely interested in knowing about me. They asked me question about my life even I never asked myself. Whether I get in or not, this was hands out my most enjoyable interview. Everyone was so so sweet. Also, they fed us more than any school has.
The friendliness of EVERYONE I met in Kentucky! From the taxi cab driver to random professors at the university, everyone was very helpful and friendly.
I was very impressed with the school overall. All of the admissions staff and students I met were extremely nice and helpful. The school also had really nice facilities.
The small class size, the friendliness of the staff, the quality of the clinical equipment and the resources available to students (med. school library, UK library, 24 hour access to the facility). Also, there were only about 12 applicants in the group. This made it easier to get to know people and was less intimidating.
Everyone in the school (students and faculty) are very supportive. The class size is small, so the faculty get to know all the students really well. The Dean literally knows every single student quite personally. It seems like the environment is extremely conducive to the success of all the students. Also, every student that we encountered throughout the day seemed very happy to be there and really felt that they were getting high quality training as student dentists.
The faculty at UK made it seem as if they were so happy to have you at their school. Their presentation was very positive and the students seemed pleased with the school. As an aside, Lexington is a great town!
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about the lack of diversity in the program, the age and condition of the school facilities, the limited patient pool for practical experience, and some negative interactions during the admissions process. Suggestions included improving diversity initiatives, updating facilities, expanding patient exposure, and refining the admissions process to provide a more positive experience for applicants.
The pediatric clinic is just an isle of some other clinics and not very decorated for kids; you don't find out about scholarships along with your acceptance, which makes things a little complicated when you're trying to pick a school
Lexington is a nice town, but there really isn't that much more to it besides the University of Kentucky campus. Also, the dental and medical students take some science classes together during the first couple of years, and one of my interviewers expressed that it was pretty ineffective to have the two departments sharing a curriculum.
Applicants commonly wished they had known ahead of time about the relaxed and conversational nature of the interview, the long and tiring day, and the importance of being prepared for lots of walking. Additionally, some applicants mentioned the need for comfortable shoes for the tour and the unpredictability of the interview schedule throughout the day.
that there are two separate groups for the same interview day
Allow PLENTY of time to get there if you're driving from a nearby hotel. I was nearly late because of all the traffic, plus I had to wait on a train, and it took forever to park and find where I was supposed to go. I got there with less than a minute to spare.
That the interview schedule would be so organized and time-efficient. At the same time, it was very laid back. Overall, much more pleasent than I anticipated!
Applicants generally expressed positive feedback about the school, including its welcoming environment, friendly staff, and strong faculty. They appreciated the informative interviews, relaxed atmosphere, and engaging activities throughout the visit, making the school a top choice for many.
Great school and faculty/staff were really nice and helping
Really nice staff, straightforward interview style, I'd really like to go because I'm tired of all the competition at other schools, its too damn cutthroat at most schools. From talking to the students it looks like they are really all in it together, working their butts off, but having a good time too.
The admissions people are incredibly nice, too.
The financial aid guy was really thorough, which is good.
I can't believe how jovial everyone was! I've been to three interviews so far and they were by far the happiest darned people I've ever seen in an interview setting!
I was very impressed with the southern hospitality at UK. The students all seemed happy. While I was waiting to join the students in their wax-lab after the interviews, a professor passing by just started chatting me up. Very friendly!
Lunch was cheap, single-topping pizza. :(
The faculty seemed very interested in helping students learn!
The day was as follow:
1. Briefing about the School and its mission.
2. Two one-on-one meeting one academic and one personal ~30mins each
3. Tour of the College of Dentistry
4. Meeting with Financial Advisor
5. Meeting with Researcher
6. Lunch with current students
7. Closing remarks
you show up with 4-5 other ppl. you listend to a presentation, have you interviews with 2 faculty members (one is open and one is closed file), you take a tour, listen to a presentation on research opportunities at the school and then eat lunch with some current students.
1st interview and I really enjoyed it. The admissions people were very likeable and nice. They seem to really care about you. 1 personal interviewer and 1 academic + personal interviewer
I had a really good time, and I didn't even expect to. I went in with somewhat of a negative attitude, thinking I wouldn't go to UK anyway, but now it's my 2nd choice. They treat you well there, that's for sure.
At the beginning of the day, we had a short intro, followed directly by the interviews. This was good, because you could relax the rest of the day. After the interviews, we toured the place, ate and had a financial aid presentation. The experience was great and was finished in about 4 hours.
I put a stress level of 7 above only because I was almost late, and didn't have time to relax, go to the bathroom, etc. The interviews themselves were completely NON-stressful. One interviewer focuses on your academics, the second does not know your grades or DAT score. Although in my case, we mainly just chit-chatted about music in both interviews since they were quite impressed with my grades and scores (academic interview) and recommendations (personal interview), etc. The interviewers spent a lot of the time trying to sell me their school/convince me to go there.
The first part of the day was just an introduction made by the Dean (who's a very nice guy) for half an hour, and then we right away broke off into our interviews. The first interview was based on academics (open-file), and the second interview was personality-based (completely closed-file). Both of my interviewers were absolutely great...very friendly, talkative, and extremely encouraging. Neither of the two experiences actually felt like an interview, they were both just conversations where I'm pretty sure the interviewers did more talking than I did! The admissions staff truly make you feel like they want you there, and thats a great way to keep you calm and confident. Absolutely nothing to worry about!
All the staff and students attempted to make us feel calm and relaxed. We were briefed with what to expect and provided with an overview of the curriculum. We then had two interviews back to back. The interviews were very informal in the professor' offices, so it was seemed similiar to visiting an undergraduate professor in the office to ask for help. We then met with a member of the financial aid office, went to lunch with dental students, and then concluded the visit.
There were 10 people interviewing at the same time. A faculty memeber gave an hour long overview of the school. We then took a tour of the entire school. The interviews were next.
The first interviewer was a dentist/faculty member that basically asked why I wanted to be a dentist and why I chose that school. The second interviewer asked about my transcripts and gave me an opportunity to explain myself where necessary. Most of the time was just chit-chat about where I live, hobbies and why I chose the major I did.
Lunch was from Domino's Pizza and 3rd year students that were happy to answer any questions. We were also given information about financial aid, admissions info for the previous year and contact information. The faculty was very warm, gracious and seemed like they genuinely wanted everybody to be there. It was a stress-free experience. The fact that it was an "interview" made me get more worked up than I should have been.
Overall, this school is definitely worth a look. They seem to take quite a few out of state residents. I think Dr. Beeman and her interviewers were extremely friendly and professional. I interviewed at quite a few schools and this was the most enjoyable experience.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants overwhelmingly praised the admissions office for their kindness, approachability, and responsiveness, with a common suggestion being to further reduce paperwork and move towards a fully paper-free application process.
The most comments on where they stayed would be the "great hotel with all amenities" as it provides more positive feedback compared to the other response.