New Brunswick, NJ
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
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Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 34% of interviews, indicating it is moderately regarded. They found the interview generally impressive with a moderate stress level and felt they did okay.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
SDN Interview Experience Score
7.6
Good
Generally favorable experience overall, applicants reported positive interactions with some minor issues noted.
Based on 470 responses
Score Reference:
9–10 Exceptional
8–8.9 Very Good
7–7.9 Good
6–6.9 Mixed
< 6 Needs Improvement
The SDN Interview Experience Score (SIES) is a composite metric that represents applicants overall impressions of their interview experience, based on multiple factors such as professionalism, facilities, responsiveness, and stress levels.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
Positively (77%)
Negatively (9%)
No change (14%)
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
Great (30%)
Good (43%)
Average (21%)
Poor (4%)
Bad (1%)
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally found the schools to be welcoming with friendly faculty and students, though some noted concerns about campus facilities. Feedback indicated a mix of conversational and challenging interviews, with a focus on ethical questions and a need for preparedness on healthcare topics. Overall, the interview experiences were positive, highlighting the school's value, opportunities, and supportive atmosphere.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Schools seems really great to attend, yes the building is a bit old compared to neighboring Public Health and Pharmacy schools but Rutgers is very quick to fix anything, whether its a broken light, wobbly desk, any technological issue, etc. Everyone is extremely friendly and welcoming and from what was shared, it seems that the faculty really care about the students and their wellbeing. MMI was a bit tough because it was a new experience but after the first few prompts, you get used to how to present yourself and answer the questions.
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Be prepared to think a bit during the interview and answer everything in a consistent manner. Don't let the time frame dissuade you from finishing your discussion with your interviewee.
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Great school for the value. Some people are turned off by it because it is VERY suburban, but it's super easy to get to the city....and let's face it - you're going to be studying most of the time. You can see how the school keeps the tuition low by cutting down on the non-essentials (for example, you have to pay for the gym).
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Underrated school--great place to be with tons of opportunities.
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I interviewed in NB and went to the tour in Piscataway.
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Great place, people were very nice. I interviewed at the Camden campus and got to be interviewed by the Dean of Students. He even gave me a tour of the facilities afterwards. Really nice guy.
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Be prepared for ethical questions. Know about health care.
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The interview was the longest (90 min.) and most intense so far. There was a good presentation about the school and financial aid. And the lunch they provide was really good and they sent in a lot of students to talk with us.
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The curriculum is great but what makes the school so attractive is the cheap price tag for a school that can get you into any residency.
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Got there at around 10am and had an interview with an MD/MPH pediatrician at 10:15, which lasted for 45min. Attended the orientation session at 11am which included the standard (overview, financial aid, student lunch/tour)
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Interviewer was not the warm and bubbly type, but still got to know me pretty well. The hospital is beautiful, but the med school itself is quite dull.
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Overall, the interview seemed nice. The hospital isn't state-of-the-art but they are building new additions. The interviewer was very pleasant and it was more of a conversation than a Q&A session.
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Overall, I think it went well. He basically just asked me to explain my primary AMCAS application further.
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My intervew day was at the New Brunswick campus, which is not where the medical school (1st/2nd year) is. Orientation, lunch with students, tour (which was basically only seeing the lobbies of the hospitals) and waiting for about an hour before my interview
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I had a great interview - it wasn't super easy or hard, but she asked me a good mix of questions about myself and my interest in medicine. She also commented on the difficulties of being a woman in the profession. Very personable and friendly. I enjoyed meeting the 2nd years, and the other interviewers that day were a great bunch of people.
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The interviewer was really nice and friendly. Went over some of the information from the primary to allow me to elaborate. The interview was kinda long, but that's because we discussed rotations, ethics and such. It was a very pleasant laid-back experience.
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My interviewer was so nice! We pretty much went over my file, talked about my family, and my activities. Then there was a presentation given and a tour of the hospital. The students were great with answering our questions honestly.
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The interview took place at the hospital, which is a couple miles from the pre-clinical classrooms on the Rutgers campus. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and my interviewer was refreshingly informal. It lasted about an hour then all of the students gathered for a video and info session with a rep from admissions. Then we broke off into smaller group tours with 4th year. The student was not there to evaluate us, so it was a chance to ask more candid questions. They also served us lunch (sandwiches) while the applicants chated with each other.
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The interviewer asked me lots of hypothetical questions. She asked me a lot about my family and even asked me how I would raise my kids if I had any.
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Really honest interviewer. Played up the school and stated interesting opinions about some of the curriculum choices. I didn't get many ethical questions like other students who interview at RWJ
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The interviewer knew my file pretty well, and did not have to refer to it. The interview was very relaxing, very conversation like, even the medical ethics parts... HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT ETHICS! I think it always comes up here.
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It was at a Dr's office. It was mostly conversational. He did ask some specific questions that the committe wanted answered, but mostly we talked about my background, whether I'm suited for a career in medicine, the state of the profession today, and what his practice is like.
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It was a very positive experience. My interview was very conversational and fluid. I really enjoyed talking about myself and discussing the school with my interviewer.
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Pretty relaxed. interviewer was an oncology doctor at the hospital, and was nice.
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The interview was good. My interviewer was extremely positive and gave me a good feeling about my performance. Afterward there was a powerpoint presentation about the school, a financial aid presentation, lunch, and a 15 minute tour of the hospital, cancer center, and children's hospital.
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Interviewer greeted me as "Yo dude what's up" and explained the whole admissions process while making sure I knew that he was my advocate; my most relaxing interview out of four so far, very conversational, and wanted to ask me questions that he knew the adcom might ask so that he could refute them. Unfortunately, hadn't read much of my file beforehand, but still asked about the red flags to see if he could help me out.
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This was a great interview experience. My interviewer was very nice and the interview flowed nicely (even though it wasn't conversational). We toured the hospital and saw each of the great facilities, including the child care center, etc. The tour guides seemed very enthusiatic about the school! Overall, this was great interview experience! Good luck to all!
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My interview expereince was great. Everyone was really warm and friendly and very easy to talk to. I felt like I could easily fit in there. Nothing was awkward or tense and there is a great financial aid counselor who goes out of his way to help find funding for students.
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I accidently got to my interview late, but my interviewer was really laid back and put me at ease immediately. After the interview, he took me to a private dining room in the CAB building, where a presentation on the school was being given. After the presentation, we had lunch and some med students came and talked with us and gave us a tour around the facilities in New Brunswick.
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Lots of ethical questions - be ready to talk about diversity/discrimation, end of life, beginning of life, abortion, genetics.
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Had to wait 20 minutes b/c my interviewer forgot the appointment. But otherwise, he was really nice, no difficult questions. I was impressed that he knew my application thoroughly! He even memorized the names of the people who wrote my recommendations and asked details about my work with each them. Asked a lot of ethics questions, and wanted to really get to know my personality.
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All the applicants who had interviews that day were brought to one room to wait, so we chatted and relaxed until our individual interviews. Then we had a presentation on the school by the Assoc. Dean of Admissions, who was great. We were supposed to have a financial aid presentation too, but the dean went overtime so the financial aid person gave us her number to call with any questions. After the presentation (which was pretty interesting and not too long), we had lunch with some of the first- and second-year students, then they took us on a tour in small groups (two students for three applicants). Then the day was over.
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My interviewer was very pleasant and had really studied my AMCAS app before meeting me. Her questions covered every topic I could've predicted, from ethical dilemmas requiring me to to role-play with her, to my past and current research projects, to my hobbies as well as standard questions pertaining to healthcare. Somehow the time passed very quickly. The kids who gave the tour were extremely enthusiastic about RWJ and did a great job of answering our questions. Unfortunately my tour only covered a few classrooms on the New Brunswick campus so I didn't get to visit a hospital. I was left with a very positive impression of the school and the kids seem truly happy there.
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Just read over what negatively impressed me and you'll get the gist
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Amazing hospitals... brand new facility and classrooms... the school is a bit dingy looking... the people are not overly stressed and know to have fun... dedicated admin... great opportunity awaits graduates
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So the day started at the Piscataway campus with two interviews, the first one very interesting and the second with a professor who was running late for another meeting. I then drove to the Hospital in New Brunswick (what if I didn't have a car) following some very accurate printed directions for a second round of interviews and tours. While the hospital was amazing, the actual medical school in Piscataway seems a little dingy and I did not get to tour that campus. Anyway, one interviewer kept saying well, this isn't Harvard but it's an OK place; and seemed really discouraging about the pursuit of the MD/PhD degree. I really thought he was ignorant. Anyway, I guess the bad thing about the school for me was that it felt wrong. I don't think that I'd be happy there.
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I had a very good experience at Robert Wood. I felt welcome and everyone (interviewer, students, etc) were very enthusiastic. My interviewer was really funny and it was the most layed back interview I've had.
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My interview was really long, almost 2 hours!!! But it was very conversational, and although we touched on many various topics, it seemed very smooth and not stressful at all. Students at RWJ seemed very normal and I was surprised that they arrived to give us a tour considering that 2nd years had an exam the very next day. Would love to go here!
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The man I interviewed with at the Piscataway campus was a very nice, very old man. He had a great deal of questions that seemed rapid fire, but at some point we broke into a more conversational tone. There were a lot of ethical issues asked about. This was followed by an admissions session on the New Brunswick campus which was quite boring and did not have all that much information. The tour was pretty useless as we did not see a great deal.
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I'm not sure my interviewer read my file. He knew a few things about me (GPA, MCAT, schools attended) but not much else. This let me dictate the conversation. At the same time, he hada few false impressions based on those few things he looked at. Was a bit aggressive about my financial status and assumed my parents were paying for everything (which is not the case and a bit offensive). We ended up coming to terms talking about public health (something I am passionate about) and I think the interview ended very positively.
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I had a bad interview, but a good tour. The admissions staff and students were very welcoming and knowledgable. However, the interviewer asked off-the-wall questions and I often felt belittled.
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It was very positive. RWJ is one of my top choices as a NJ resident. I was impressed with the school, the Assoc. Dean of Admissions was very personable and even encouraged me to consider the MD/MPH program.
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It was a bit difficult finding the school and even finding the admissions office. The first thing I did when I got there was the interview which was in the morning. The students were really cool and the facilities are IMPRESSIVE. It is also in a college town so lots of stuff to do. Oh and the most awesome thing is the fact that you can do your clinical rotation at the Jersey Shore at the Piscataway Campus.
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The interview was fairly casual but he did push me to come up with several ethical issues and problems with healthcare. I just kept giving examples until I couldn't think of anymore.
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I had an interview in the morning so first I came in and got it out of hte way. Dr. Dubin was really sweet and although he asked a lot of questions he didn't make me feel like I was under a lot of pressure. Next came an information session which was pretty boring--I wish they hadn't used powerpoint and instead had actually shown us the hospital (although this would have been difficult considering it's not next to the school). Next was a financial aid information session which was pretty dull. The tour was the only worthwhile part of the post-interview part of the day. Seeing the faciltiies gave me a better feel for the place.
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Overall very positive. The day was well organized and the tour of the classes and labs was nice. The interviewer seemed sincerely interested in getting to know me better.
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Dr. Johnson - remember the name - she likes the ethical hypothetical role playing scenarios.. be prepared!! She was tough, but not impossible to crack - she told me I did wel when it was done - and 6 weeks later I got accepted - good luck guys!!!
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Discouraging b/c I felt I did not interview well.
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The interview was overall a very laid back and genuine experience. I let the interviewer know very early that Robert Wood was my number one choice. He was impressed and we simply talked about my application and the work I have been doing the past four years of college. I was accepted to the school five weeks later.
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THe interview had a lot of ethical scenarios and "thinking" questions. My interviewer was very nice though. The facilities and the school were nicer than I expected.
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My interview was really good. The dr. was really interested in culturally competent care and though she threw tough ethical q's at me that stumped me for a couple of moments, she seemed to be helping me through it as well. She was very open and mentioned that she would recommend my application. (which after all these out-of-the-blue q's was a big relief!)
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The day was a bit disorganized, but most interview days are. the tour was very impressive, but i could hardly hear the presentation about the school. there was a mixup with my original interviewer and i had to be rescheduled for the afternoon. i was dropped off in an empty conference room, 2 hours before my interview, and i twiddled my thumbs there until it was time. thank God i brought my ipod.
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Im from Rutgers University NB. and work in the research towers so I felt really comfortable knowing that i had an interview with a phd. I think I may have been too relaxed becasue 1/2 way into the interview I felt like i was being grilled about my project...understandable....But I found it a bit nerveracking that he really made me prove why I want to be a doctor and seemed to question all my answers. BUt in all, It went pretty well. I hope I get in
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I was a bit disappointed that the orientation started 15 minutes late and they picked a tour guide last minute so I had to wait an extra 10 minutes to have the person come in... the tour guide was soooo talkative and we spent 15 minutes standing at one spot while he blabbed away...my interview was at 2 PM at New Brunswick and here I am at Piscataway campus medical school and the tour just ended at 1:10 PM.. I had to grab and eat my lunch super fast and left at 1:20 to go to New Brunswick for my interview... I was there at 1:40 and the parking deck was entirely full...i had to go around and look for other spots and eventually the deck opened..this was at 1:45... then I was circling around for 10 whole minutes without a single spot open and I was freaking out already so I resorted to valet parking and ran to the place where my interview was at made it at exactly 2 PM... regardless of that inconvenience, the interview went well. Dr. Tannenbaum was such a nice man and he liked me so I hope I get in!
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It was a great interview. I talked with Dr. Terregino for what felt like an hour (probably was) and then was introduced to Mrs. Oglesby who is the counselor/recruiter for the school. Even the staff was wonderful. Catherine Porter is a hoot. Overall I had a great time, felt right at home, and I hope that I receive an invite into the class of 2005! I can't really outline specific questions because most of the questions were tailored around understanding my unique and complicated academic journey.
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I was extremely impressed by the school, faculty, and students although New Brunswick is not the most gorgeous part of NJ.
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Dr. Dickson was so great. She was really friendly, and all of the questions she asked me were really tied into the conversations that we were having. What I liked about her was I felt like she took the questions she had to ask, but really made them a part of our discussion, so I didn't feel bombarded or nervous.
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Good- i like RWJ even more
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It went well and Dr. Tannenbaum was a great interviewer
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As with everything, I think if you go in there knowing yourself and why you are there, you'll always be fine -it's just a matter of being yourself and feeling comfortable to express that -no one is out to get you or give you a hard time, at least not in my experience or that of most of my friends. It was overall a very nice conversation and I really enjoyed learning about the amazing things my interviewer had accomplished in her career in medicine throughout the course of the interview, along with learning about everything RWJ has to offer. It was a very laid back and pleasant experience -I hope I get in!
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I thought the interview was enjoyable. It wasn't a back and forth conversation(basially she asked questions and I answered), but it wasn't stressful at all. There were no difficult questions.
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It was a great interview experience. I interviewed with one of the deans of admission and she was super-friendly and very personable. She focused more on my activities than anything else. I also interviewed with a second-year. That was more of q-and-a session rather than a conversation but the questions weren't at all challenging.
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Positive, low stress. they were very warm and welcoming.
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Before my interview I wasn't sure that I would want to attend this school. BUT, after the interview I could definitely see myself there.
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Overall, I was not impressed. Yeah the facilities were impressive, but I was not treated in a friendly manner by most people there.
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Overall, I think it was a positive experience. I really enjoyed speaking with my interviewer and getting to know her. She concentrated more on getting to know me and slipped a few academic questions in our conversation. Which made it alot less stressfull.
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It was a great interview. I felt really good about it afterwards. The interviewer even told me that I did really well at the end of the interview.
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It was stressful. He was very tough of an interviewer in that he was drilling on academics and your ability to act as a physician now even though we aren't at that point. He never gave you an approving or disapproving response. He was very very very neutral. It was hard to read how the interview was going.
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This was a informative interview process that included more discussion than the typical question answere session. I like the process and got accepted in the first round of admissions. I will attend this school.
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The interview was great. I had a great time. My interviwer read my file and made me feel as if he had known me from a long time. I felt totally confortable. I came out of the school wanting more to be a physician and feeling good about myself.
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I had a good experience and enjoyed my visit to the school. I would come here if accepted. The anatomy labs were the cleanest that I have ever seen.
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The interview was at the New Brunswick campus and was more of a conversation, and less of an interview. My interviewer was not trying to trick or grill me but rather trying to get to know the real me. Everyone was very friendly and the facilities were very impressive.
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Overall my interveiw was comfortable,the interveiwer was very friendly which took away the knots in my stomach.This was my first interveiw experience which was very pleasant and low stressed.
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Initially, I felt uncomfortable because my interviewer didnt seem interested in me, but towards the end of the interview she lightened up and showed some sense of humor...guess it was just too early for her
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The experience was very good overall. The interview was pretty laid back, everyone there was very nice, the students were awesome, a lot of good information was presented, new facilities. The day's schedule kinda fell apart toward the end.
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Extremely positive. I had the nicest interviewer, who asked a lot of thought provoking questions. The questions were mostly ethical questions, very challenging but enjoyable. The tour was given by a med student, who was friendly and extremely thorough.
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I knew that RWJ was my top choice before the interview, but I've walked away from my interview experience wanting to go there even more. My interviewer made me feel totally at ease, she was absolutely wonderful. She asked some tough questions, but she gave me alot of good advice and feedback.
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Overall great experience! Would definitely love to come here.
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My feelings were positive. The school seems to have strong academic plans and growth goals. Students place well for residency. I just didn't know if I would be happy as a student there. However, I only met a very select group of students.
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The parking lot was almost full so I had to park on the roof. Some people who arrived later than me had to do valet parking. I had my interview after the orientation, tour, and lunch. My interviewer was a basic scientist who was not very conversational. To top it off, he has minimal interactions with medical students so he couldn't answer questions about the medical school. He interrupted me often to ask another question. He also proceeded to tell me that my anecdote in my personal statement is stupid. Maybe that was a joke but I sure didn't appreciate it. Overall, I felt my interview was rather stressful.
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My interviewer went out of his way to make me feel comfortable and at ease during the interiew. He had obviously carefully reviewed my application and had prepared questions in advance about it. The tour was very short but only because the interview was the day after Christmas so the hospital was not very busy and all of the students were on vacation.
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Robert Wood is a fantastic place. I was so impressed with the facilities. They all look like they've been built within the last 5 or 10 years. All the doctors I saw and spoke with were really positive and good natured. The Admissions staff was also very friendly and answered all my questions. The inteviewer was totally laid back and prefaced the inteview by saying that he didn't ask specific ethical questions cause he thought they were unfair. He was also very up front on the admissions process and how it worked. Totally relaxed atmosphere, but that was partially cause I had gotten accepted to my first school the day before, so I knew I was at least going somewhere. But, seriously, RWJMS is a fantastic place and I would definitely go there if accepted.
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It was ok. no stressful ethical and difficult questions
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I school had a good feel to it. I liked the people I met and the student body seems happy. They are doing a lot of expanding and I think that means that there will be more opportunities for the students. There is a good cross-section of the population that uses the hospital, so I think you would get a well rounded education. It doesn't hurt that it's a train ride away from Philly and NY.
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I felt that the interviewer talked more than I did and will really have no way to know who I am or anything about me as a candidate. The interview was conversational and easy but I came away feeling empty and disappointed more than anything else. I shouldn't have bothered to review any ethical stuff.
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Very good, seems like a great public school with nice facilities (brand new anatomy labs etc.)
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Robert Wood Johnson was great, I really loved it, and I got accepted. My only problem is that I have to go back to revisit the school because I did not get to see it during my interview day. I only have my experience with my interviewer, a tour of the hospital, and a slide show to compare with other schools.
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Overall, it was a relaxed day and well organized. They made sure you left there with answers to any questions you might have had. In terms of the interview, despite the fact I was asked numerous medically and ethical related questions, it was not in any way "nerve racking". Just pick your side, explain your position, and STICK WITH IT...don't change your mind no matter what.
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This interview experience was GREAT. Very relaxed, informative, and motivating. First, I had orientation and a tour from about 11 am to 1 pm. We were shown a video, given a financial aid presentation, and given free calculators as gifts. Then, students came in, broke us up into pairs, and we toured the campus. Robert Wood has ALOT of stuff going on, the school is definetly one of the best I've seen. Multiple researcha nd clinical buildings, active community programs, and MAD close to the city. I loooveeed it. After the tour, we had lunch with the students. We were able to ask questions, etc. After lunch, I had my interview at another site, which was about a 10 minute drive away. The interview was EXCELLENT. very relaxed and very personal. couple of ethical questions, that's about it.
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The hospital was nice, out of the six interviews i had so far this was the worse in terms of the interviewer. she was very rude and interpeted me many times.
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Some of the questions asked were a bit inappropriate (ie abortion etc). The interviewer only asked about grades for a good portion of the interview. It made me feel that the interviewer didn't have time to read about my extracurriculars and essays from my application. The interviewer seemed pretty negative and I thought there was at least something positive in my app. otherwise I wouldn't have been asked for an interview.
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I felt a very good vibe from the time I walked in. The staff was very receptive and friendly. My interviewer wanted to know about me and he asked a good balance or personal experience and academic experience questions.
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A short orientation is scheduled from 11am - 12pm, then a tour/lunch from 12-1pm. The whole thing seemed a little unorganized, but it was probably bc it was exam week and everyone was a little frazzled. Some people had interviews before; mine was scheduled for 3pm, on the other campus (about 5-10 minute drive). For out-of-state people w/o cars or anything to do, might want to look into how to get over there, if necessary (not many taxis around). For my first interviewing experience, I think I was really lucky -- my interviewer was really nice, the whole thing was very conversational, and even the scary "ethical questions" turned more into a discussion of what both of us thought. Overall, great experience!
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My interviewer was extremely warm and welcoming. The interview felt more like a conversation than mere questions and answers. There were no questions that seemed "out there".
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Was for MD/PhD, had the MD interview first, went well except for maybe the difficult question I listed above, that was tough, but the interview was friendly, it was conversational. The scientists I met (3 total) were also not there to grill me, wanted to know my research and why MD/ PhD, the usual.
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Overall, I had a good experience down at RWJMS. It seems like much funding has gone into both the basic science and clinical campuses, which I think will provide a good learning environment for 4 years. Students seem to enjoy themselves here, and seem to like block scheduling.
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I missed my train so I showed up late at the interview. I called ahead of time to let them know this I still felt negatively about the entire thing and I doubt my chances at the school. Plus, I was interviewed by the dean of admissions so I am sure my tardiness wasn't seen as a great thing. Oh well..another one bits the dust.
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While I was extremely impressed by the overall quality of the school, I definitely did not gel well with my interviewer in the least. I am of Indian origin, am a biology major at a selective college but have a significant disparity between my MCAT and GPA (high MCAT, average-mediocre grades). At one point, my interviewer, who was also Indian but was a scientist rather than an MD, commented on the fact that I had done significant work in journalism, and that there were very few of "us" in journalism, so wouldn't it make sense for me to go into that field instead. When I explained that my strengths lay in medicine, he suggested that I was simply too overcommitted throughout my college years. While I do wish my grades were higher, I do not regret the fact that I invested my time heavily in very worthwhile extracurricular activities like the campus newspaper, in residential life and in heading up a service group. I felt as the interviewer had a specific ideal candidate and I wasn't it. I think my experience was an anomaly, in all honesty - everyone else I've spoken with (who had a different interviewer) felt very good coming out of the interview and didn't feel stressed in the least. I would love to get into the school, but my interviewer soured the experience significantly.
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The whole experience was very laid back, and it seemed like my interviewer really wanted to get to know me and my motivations for going into medicine. We seemed to click very well. It was very conversational.
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Just a wonderful day! The admissions staff is warm and friendly. They are so happy to answer questions and be helpful in any way.
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It was actually really nice; after the interview, there was a presentation by the dean and by the financial aid office. I came in with an "eh" feeling about the school, but left with a really good impression of it.
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The interview was very low key. I had my interview in the morning, while other had theirs after the orientation. There was a formal presentation given which was very informative, as well as a financial aid and admissions presentation. Everyone was really open about how the admissions process works. The tour was a little disappointing because we didn't get to see much, and there were too many people to all hear the one speaker.
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Got in, love it here.
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People are nice; location is crappy.
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My interview was a good experience. The students and administration appeared to be passionate about the school. I was really impressed.
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I interviewed w/the Asst Dean of Admissions and had a good time b/c we had a lot in common. I was really impressed w/the school and am excited about going here..if I get in of course.
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I was very surprised at how chill the whole thing was. My interviewer makes time to interact with the students (one of my tour guides visits her often for advice and stuff), as do all the professors (it seems). I didn't get to see the hospitals, although we were offered to be taken there. The interview group was really small (8 applicants), and we had sandwiches and cookies for lunch. As a gift, we were given small calculators.
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Overall very positive, my interveiewer made it clear he was not there to intimidate me, very laid back. After the interview i just wanted them to accept me...i was very impressesd.
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It was great.
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I think I was feeling a bit burned out at this interview. I was *very* tired and almost fell asleep during the financial aid presentation. I didn't get pumped until I was already sitting down and talking with the interviewer.
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Low stress and overall positive
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Interview was pretty laid back. My interviewer asked a lot of questions and covered a lot of topics, however I did not get the feeling he was trying to intimidate me. I think he just wanted to make sure I knew a little something about medical issues. Most of the questions were pretty general.
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The interviewer was very impressive. He was very knowledgeable and well read so we talked about the English literature. We talked about the work he did in his field, as an academic MD as well as a practicing physician and how he tries to incorporate both. I gave me my opinions about his field which I truly respect and luckily very interested in. It was really relaxed. The students were very wonderful and very accomplished.
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My interviewer was definately a cool guy. He didn't stress me that much until he started asking me about cities. Still though, he was nice and explained the commanilities to me.
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I didn't really have high expectations of RWJMS going into the interview.However after speaking with the students and taking the tour I really got a positive feeling. The interview itself was kinda long and the questions were tough (lots of ethical situations). The interviewer definitely asked questions that were specific to my educational background. I only wish I had read the NY times Health section that morning. But other then that it went well!
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I had visited RWJ before and I came away from my interview once again overwhelmingly impressed with the school. They are making a tremendous effort to increase their reputation and the research at the school while remaining very supportive of their students. The Dean said, "We are confident that we can help our students achieve whatever they want." The facilites of the New Brunswick campus are wonderful. The student giving the tour said that she was glad that she went to that school (as opposed to other "better name" schools). She said that she thought they were strongest in primary care medicine.
-
Know whats happening w/ healthcare, stem cell research, cloning, genetic intervention, long resident hours,....know as much as possible just in case.....i was indifferent towards the school
-
I had been to the open house RWJ held in June, which involved tours of both the Piscataway campus and the hospital. Frankly, the hospital's a lot more impressive (especially the new children's wing). This was the most traditional, least conversational interview I have had, so it was a bit more stressful. The video shown seemed to be pushing research, so I guess they want to become more high-profile in that area, while still being strong in community medicine.
-
I had a challenging interview. The interviewer had thoroughly reviewed my file and designed his questions to probe the weaknesses in my application. I felt it was a fair interview and was impressed at how much time he had spent preparing for the hour-long conversation.
-
I thorougly enjoyed my interview. I arrived about 1 hour early, and was given a handout to read. A fifteen minute video is played before you interview, it summarizes the school and what they have to offer. This was my first interview and I did not know what to expect. I was interviewed by a PhD who also teaches in the medical school. He was very friendly and we had the interview in his office. I was asked many questions about my background and I could tell that the interviewer was sincerely interested in me. After my interview, I was given a tour by a medical student. She was very informative and she described the school for me. She was happy here and said that the other students also enjoyed it. I drove around the surrounding area for about six hours. There is a town nearby called New Brunswick, which is pretty nice. The area is rural, but there are still many activities and it is only a 45 minute drive to Newark or New York City if you like the big cities. I found that it is not a problem to park in nearby towns. At night, I stayed with a medical student (they have a hosting program). I spent about three hours speaking with him about the medical school and the programs offered. He was accepted to multiple schools and chose this school because he liked the atmosphere, the education offered and the surrounding neighborhoods.
-
It was a very good experience. my interviewer was really friendly and nice, but she did ask me 2 very hard questions.. but overall, i was very impressed with the school, and it's definitely one of my top choices.. since the tuition is much cheaper than the private schools!
-
It was a pretty laid back day. There was a video about the school, a question and answer session with a dean of admissions, a student led tour, lunch and a short financial aid presentation. I had my interview after lunch, but some people had interviews in the morning.
💬 Interview Process ▼
Length, number, and type of interviews
🕐
Length:
48 Minutes Average
🔄
Number:
1.3 Interviews Average
👥
Interview Type (Interaction):
100% One-on-One
0% Group Interview
📁
File Type:
94% Open-File
6% Closed-File
💻
Interview Modality:
100% Virtual
0% In-Person
UMDNJ-RWJMS-COMP interviews are an average of 48 minutes, with an average of 1.3 interviews. 100% of interviews are one-on-one, 0% are in-person, and 6% are closed-file.
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include inquiries about motivations for pursuing medicine, handling ethical dilemmas, discussing strengths and weaknesses, experiences in healthcare, views on controversial medical topics like euthanasia and stem cell research, and personal background including family and academic history. Some respondents mentioned being asked about their opinions on specific scenarios related to patient care and medical ethics, indicating the interview format may have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) with potential nondisclosure agreements.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
Why medicine?
-
Why medicine (instead of research)?
-
If I were to look at your transcript, what would be the lowest grade on it? And why?
-
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
-
Tell me about yourself
-
The Ethical Dilemma Q
-
Questions about my file... Tell me about ____.
-
What do your parents do, what does your brother do?
-
What would you do if someone refused a highly successful treatment plan (otherwise they will most likely die) based on their religion?
-
Tell me about this activity...(and they went down the list on my AMCAS)
-
What are some experiences that solidified your choice to go to medical school?
-
If you had a patient with very treatable leukemia who refused treatment after consulting with their family, what would you do?
-
Tell me about your research
-
What patient contact have you had? Have you seen a lot of doctor/patient interaction?
-
Biggest challenge overcame
-
Give me three ethical issues that MDs face, explain them, and tell me what you would do.
-
Tell me about yourself.
-
Why is stem cell research an ethical issue, and what is your stand on it?
-
What does your sibling do?
-
If you had to design a program for teens who were drinking and smoking, how would you organize it?
-
Went over amcas activities
-
When did you decide to go into medicine?
-
Who's your role model?
-
Why didn't you get a masters degree (I'm a postbac)?
-
Talk about current job.
-
Why engineering? (I major in e/ce), Why Medicine then?
-
How would your friends describe you?
-
Tell me about your elementary-high school. (He grew up in the same town as me)
-
What was your proudest moment? What was your most frustrating moment?
-
How will you deal with the reality that you may not always achieve the grades you would like?
-
What is the research you're doing now?
-
What's your opinion on reviving extremely premature babies? (NICU)
-
Describe yourself in one sentence.
-
Tell me about your family and how you grew up.
-
Why did you decide to take a year off? Tell me about your current research job. What are some weaknesses of the study?
-
See above interesting / difficult questions and read over what NEGATIVELY impressed me
-
What would you do if your patient refused the treatment you suggested?
-
Where did you go to high school?
-
How would your enemies describe you?
-
What do your parents do for a living?
-
Justify paying tens of thousands of dollars for trauma care for a patient whose injuries are fatal with not being able to provide a pap smear to a 19 year old woman.
-
Numerous questions about my family and their educational choices
-
Tell me about your experience taking Latin
-
Refer to interesting question
-
Why do you want to be a doctor?
-
Describe your parents.
-
Moral dilemma - Jehova's witness and blood transfusion.
-
Discuss three issues that are controversial in medicine - an dhow do you feel about each
-
Why RWJ
-
Why Robert Wood Johnson?
-
Clinical scenario of an uncooperative patient and how I would deal with it.
-
Name 5 adjectives your friends would use to describe you.
-
Name one problem in healthcare today (i named the rising cost and a possible solution). what else? (i named lack of coverage for underserved communities). what else? (this continued on until i was running out of ideas)
-
Describe 2 event from your past that stand out.
-
Why Robert Wood Medical School?
-
How would you deal with patients who want to persue alternative medicine?
-
Why medicine
-
Why don't you want to be a PhD? Why do you think you're suited for an MD?
-
How do you feel about abortion?
-
Basically, many of the activites that were on my application were discussed and in a conversational way -we touched on my family, my extracurriculars, and my academic career.
-
How would you change healthcare today?
-
You've done a lot of different things before. Why medicine and why now?
-
Computer - brain question (this may have just been asked of me because I'm a neuroscience major)
-
Health care issues, stem cell research (which is big at this school)
-
What has your past experiences given you that may make you unique?
-
Why do you want to become a doctor?
-
Medical School will be difficult, how do you plan on getting through the courses? How will you attack an obstacle that comes your way? Your academic record is clearly very good, but how will you handle a bad grade?
-
Why medical school and (particularly for me) why now.
-
What do you think about euthanasia?
-
How did u prepare for MCAT, tell me about yr grades
-
I heard your high school was extremely competitive, what did you think abou that.
-
You are a resident and have been working for 50 hrs. your friend is suppose to come and relieve you but when he comes you smell alcohol on his breath,what do you do.
-
Discuss your views on abortion, physician assisted suicide, euthanasia.
-
When did you first become interested in becoming a doctor?
-
Should we use animals for biological testing?
-
Why do you want to be doctor? Why RWJ?
-
What attributes/ skills do you have to offer RWJMS?
-
Please see the treatment of a pregnant woman above.
-
Explain ___ about your application
-
Asked a lot about my family
-
What do you do in your spare time?
-
Tell me about this or that on you application.
-
What attributes do you have that would make you a good physician?
-
If I had one day to do anything I wanted, what would I do?
-
Questions pertaining to interests, likes/dislikes, family, etc.
-
I need to write a letter about you to give to the admissions committee. tell me whati should write that will compell them to accept you.
-
What is the major problem with health care in the US?
-
What do you think of physician assisted suicide
-
What are you currently doing? MCATs, grades
-
Name one negative aspect about yourself.
-
Tell me about yourself, your strengths
-
What are the major issues in medicine that you feel will affect your ability to practice medicine?
-
What are you looking for in a medical school? Describe your clinical experiences?
-
Gave me a situation involving medical ethics and authority
-
Describe my work experience.
-
Why did you decide to be a doctor?
-
What is a chemical buffer?
-
What do you consider your greatest weakness?
-
- Name four of your strengths, and 2 of your weaknesses - What are the three biggest problems you see in medicine, and elaborate
-
How do you see yourself changing your community by being doctor?
-
Discuss some current controversies in the medical field.
-
See above
-
Who was your greatest influence in seeking a career in medicine?
-
How can you be sure you can handle the rigor of studies during the first two years?
-
What do you do for fun?
-
Y do u want 2 b a doc?
-
Why do you want to go into medicine?
-
Describe a situation where a member of your team made your job difficult. How did you deal with it?
-
What was a challenge you dealt with when you volunteered in emergency rooms?
-
Euthanasia, stem cell research, abortion: pick one and discuss both sides.
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School discussed a wide range of topics including ethical dilemmas, personal motivations, and hypothetical scenarios. While some responses indicated a focus on ethical issues like euthanasia and abortion, others highlighted questions about personal experiences, patient care, and the impact of technology on healthcare. The interviews may have been MMI format as multiple responses mentioned ethical scenarios and some respondents noted a nondisclosure agreement.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
Tell me about an ethical issue you've thought about, and argue both sides of the issue.
-
How should I sell you at the Admissions Committee meeting?
-
Do you typically go to others for advice?
-
Tell me about a positive and a negative shadowing experience and how that will impact you as a doctor?
-
What is the lowest grade on your transcript?
-
Biopyschosocial medicine...relating to my shadowing experience. Cool topic.
-
What do you expect to get back as a doctor?
-
What do your parents do? What do your siblings do?
-
How has the internet (availability of information) affected doctor-patient relationships?
-
What worries you most about entering the profession?
-
What gives your life meaning
-
So you're studying economics, what do you think about the recession?
-
What are you proud of?
-
Do you have an ancedote or quote you live by?
-
Your patient is undergoing a dangerous procedure that will most likely require her to need extra blood. But she is a Jehovah's witness and refuses the extra blood. Would you give her the blood if her life depends on it
-
What motivates you?
-
Which of you experiences was the most rewarding for you and why?
-
It involved an ethical question about euthanasia. An old lady with terminal cancer can have a radical treatment. Her family wants you to do all that you can, she is unsure.
-
How would you raise your children, if you had any?
-
If you had a year off to do anything, what would you do?
-
Can you separate your morals from your work as a doctor?
-
Give me an instance where someone put you in a bad situation but you turned it around, and tell me how you did that.
-
What do you do to relax?
-
How would you deal with a woman who came to the ER requesting the morning after pill and a doctor who refused to give it to her, saying she was abusing the system?
-
Have you ever had a time when sh*t hit the fan? (verbatim)
-
Why do you still want to go into healthcare despite the healthcare issues?
-
How do you deal with criticism?
-
Do you have a sense of entitlement about going to medical school?
-
Describe a situation in which you would find it difficult to treat a patient, and how you would react.
-
Nothing really. Pretty basic stuff.
-
Do you think doctors are "entitled"?
-
Do you feel like you are entitled to anything? What do you think MDs are entitled to?
-
He asked me to name some ethical issues in medicine
-
What would I do if I had a pregnant cancer patient who refused chemotherapy to safeguard the health of the fetus.
-
What do you think is the most difficult situation you could face as a physician?
-
Why did you go to your high school? (not expecting that one!)
-
How do you feel about abortion? While I know how I felt, I was a little concerned about revealing my political views during an interview.
-
Do you think Hester was to blame in the Scarlet Letter?
-
How is waitressing like being a doctor?(This is without her knowing I had waitressed in the past).
-
The most interesting question I was asked was why a patient would not follow a doctor's treatment plan.
-
What are some of the problems doctors face today?
-
You have a patient who needs a minor surgery. She also happens to be a Jehovah's witness and has said specifically that she won't take blood transfusions. You assure her she won't need one. It turns out there are complications and unless she gets a transfusion she will die. Do you give her a transfusion?
-
What is cultural competence and how is it attained by doctors?
-
Hypothetical Scenarios... Dr. Johnson seems to like these ethical scenarios... b esure you keep an open mind and try you rbest not to crack under the pressure... She was a tough cookie!!
-
Cultural Competence.
-
Why would you want to go to school in one of the nation's worst cities. (He was referring to the clinical years at Cooper Hospital)
-
What does diversity mean to you in patient care and medicine? (something like that...it was about diversity)
-
If you were going to capitol hill, name 3 intl' health/cultural competence recommendations you would like mandated. ( related to my specific interest)
-
What do you think about abortion? (I responded that I didn't think I'd encounter that issue since I'm not interested in OB). He insisted that I pretend I was.
-
Describe 2 events from your child hood that stand out
-
Describe yourself in one sentence.
-
What attributes to do you feel you bring to the profession
-
We discussed my parent's decision to pursue alternative therapies in treating my handicapped sister, and she asked me how I would deal with parents like them as a doctor.
-
Tell me about your sisters experience in medical school
-
If I thought there was a relationship between self-esteem and learning.
-
If you had to care for a woman 28 weeks pregnant who suffered a trauma and you could only save her or the baby, who would you save and why?
-
Nothing to interesting was asked. I just got the typical questions. I got a decent amount of questions about my AMCAS application like my major, extracurricular experiences, and work experiences.
-
What do you want your legacy to be?
-
What is the most difficult moral situation you expect to encounter as a doctor?
-
Do you think computers will ever be able to mimic the human brain in its entirety? explain.
-
What healthcare issue pushes your buttons?
-
This was for the BA/MD program. What traits do you posses that will make you a good physician.
-
This was exactly what was said "they told me to ask you this. so.. pick a major controversial issue in medicine and tell me your viewpoint"
-
You completed your undergraduate education in 3 years, were you in an accelerated medical program? He kept emphasizing this fact.
-
Pick an issue facing health care in the US and comment on it
-
What do you think about abortion?
-
The question regarding a heart transplant for a person who doesn't want a blood transfusiob if required.
-
If you could fill those two empty seats with any living people in the world, who would you fill them with?
-
Tell me about a doctor you like what qualities does he/she possesses,then a doctor you dislike tell about qualities he possesses.
-
None
-
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
-
Should we be allowed to use prisoners to do biological testing if they give their consent to it?
-
Was I familiar with Dr. Kevorkian, and how do I feel about physician assisted suicide?
-
What positive attributes/skills do you have to offer RWJMS?
-
If you can not obtain consent for a pregnant mother who is involved in an accident, how do you decide the best course of treatment?
-
What do you think will be the biggest ethical dilemma you will face as a physician?
-
An ethical question on what if a patient refused a third treatment after the previous two failed.
-
None really - they were all questions about things i'd done
-
Explain a medical ethics issue that you are passionate about
-
What I would do if I heard a fellow student telling a patient that birth control will give them brain cancer? The student's religion forbids contraception.
-
I don't remember exactly how he presented the situation, but it was something like this...You are a cardiac surgeon and someone comes to you that needs a valve transplant. You know that there is a good chance the person will need a blood during the operation but refuses to except it due to their religion. Do you operate? If you do decide to and they in fact end up needing a transfusion or they will die, do you give it to them?
-
You are attending medical school. You see that your fellow classmate, your best friend, is taking drugs and alcohol. What do you do?
-
Do not you think that the problem with access to health care is that people don't like to go to doctors? ( i think she was serious)
-
How would I break the news to a terminally ill patient
-
What is something that you feel the most accomplished with?
-
What type of medical experience do you think is the most important?
-
Questions from my application ("so tell me how you got in to All-State Chorus...")
-
How do you feel about late term abortion?
-
Was asked about the problems facing physicians today. One of them is that doctors cannot give tests / treatments they want because patients cant afford, no insurance, whatever. So I was asked how I would help a patient who I knew needed an MRI to diagnos but couldn't get one. I evaded the question first, but she was insistent on me answering the question as was, patient has no chance of getting this test and you think they need it, what do you do?
-
If you were given unlimited funding, what program would you implement to address the obesity problem in the U.S.?
-
Questions about my family/my past/my country of birth. How come I sent in the same LOR as I did for my previous application?
-
What is your favorite piece of classical music?
-
What do you think you can do to change the HMO crisis?
-
Explain the fact that my school has no majors and how I was still able to prepare for med school.
-
There weren't any really interesting questions - just the usual, why you want to be a doc, etc.
-
If you are a doctor and are religiously against abortion, can you refuse treatment to a patient?
-
If a patient needed an MRI and their insurance did not cover it, what would you do?
-
Did I think Bill Gates was insured or uninsured and why?
-
Name one ethical problem and talk about it- it was so open ended.
-
Nothing that i wasn't expecting.
-
What area of medicine gets your blood flowing...peaks your interest?
-
How did I handle seeing the extraction of a chalazion?
-
You are covering for a doctor in a pain clinic. He thinks a patient is faking back pain in order to continue receiving narcotics. He wants to give her a placebo. Ok, now I'm the patient... "My pain is really bad today. Are you just going to give me the Demerol like usual?"
-
My opinion on physicans accepting gifts and dinners from pharmaceutical reps.
-
How will technology aid your practice?
-
Describe your undergraduate school and why you chose your major.
-
What is the commonality between the following cities: Providence, Camden, Philadelphia, and New York?
-
Did you have any difficult patient care experiences?
-
No interesting questions at all...all questions posed were ethical and or medically related
-
Every question was typical
-
As a future leader in medicine, what will vision do you hold to help us pay for the rising cost of health care?
-
Describe your youth growing up.
-
What was it like to come to the States at the age of 10?
-
What would you do if you were a physician and your partner (another MD) had a substance abuse problem?
-
I was given a scenario question-What would I do if a diabetic patient who refuses to take his/her medication?
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by reviewing resources such as Student Doctor Network (SDN), mock interviews, school websites, and current medical issues. They also focused on reviewing their AMCAS application, reading about ethical dilemmas, and discussing with current students or faculty members.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
I didn't.
-
SDN, looked up MMI and the types of questions that could be presented, read up on healthcare (recent events/newa and political views on the matter), brushed up on previous interviews.
-
SDN and Casper
-
This was MMI style interview so I read about this style online, ethical dilemmas and topics as well as did mock interviews with friends
-
Practice questions from SDN, mock interviews with my school's Career Development office, reading up on current medical issues and legislature, reading the RWJ brochures and website.
-
Past interviews
-
SDN, talked to students there, read the news
-
SDN, MSAR, website,
-
SDN, mock interviews, read my file
-
SDN, mock interview, lots of research
-
Mock interview, school website, SDN
-
SDN
-
SDN, school website, Interview Feedback, Random sites on interviews
-
SDN, mock interview, school website
-
Interview Feedback site, website
-
Read SDN, mock interview, researched ethics issues (wasn't asked a single question about ethics, or given any hypotheticals)
-
SDN, UMDNJ website, Read my AMCAS
-
SDN, reviewed AMCAS, website, etc.
-
The usual
-
Sdn, reviewed primary app, had a couple of books ''how to get into med school,'' attended the open house and spoke to students and faculty.
-
Read SDN and website. talked with current students
-
Read school's web site, this site, and went over AMCAS.
-
Read the SDN website.
-
SDN, read amcas, read up on medical ethics
-
SDN and the website
-
SDN, RWJ website, reading the NYtimes and Medical Ethics papers.
-
SDN, school website, reviewed AMCAS application
-
Looked at RWJ website, consulted students at school, read over AMCAS
-
Student doc forums, rwj website
-
SDN, School website
-
SDN, other interviews, mock interviews, relaxation
-
SDN, application, school website and spoke with a fourth year student
-
Re-read my AMCAS, SDN feedback and forums, school's website, just relaxed.
-
Talked to people I knew who attended the school.
-
Studentdoctor.net, my school's interview reports, UMDNJ website
-
Reviewed my AMCAS application, read comments on SDN
-
SDN, read over application
-
SDN, Re-read primary and seconcary applications, read books on ethics.
-
SDN, mock interview, RWJ website
-
Read over website, mock interview with friend, read newspapers
-
Read SDN, RWJ website, and AMCAS application.
-
Read school website, current events, SDN feedback, my application
-
Mock Interview
-
I reviewed sdn, my AMCAS app, and school web-site
-
No preparation. Just cold turkey
-
SDN, school website, research online.
-
Studentdoctor.net, went over AMCAS
-
SDN, RWJ website, AMCAS app.
-
SDN, mocks, read application, researched the school
-
SDN, reviewed application, studied RWJ website, caught up on current health issues, discussed with doctors
-
I read over my AMCAS and did some research online. Reread my publications.
-
Read amcas
-
Sdn, website, my application materials.
-
Read the website, read SDN, read my app
-
SDN, research paper, amcas app, internet
-
This site, went over my personal statement, reviewed my videotape of my mock interview, cnn.com for health issues
-
Pulled info from their website, review SDN, made a sheet of possible questions and outlined what points I wanted to make in the interview, reviewed my grades, reviewed my personal statment, reviewed my CV, and spoke with a MS I student who attends the university.
-
Mock interview, read up about the school, reread my research
-
This website/RWJ website/current events
-
SND, reviewed my AMCAS application.
-
UMDNJ website
-
This website, looked over the material they sent and their website. Also talked to a student who attended RWJ before the interview to get a basic feel for the school.
-
School website
-
SDN, healthcare books, talking with MDs
-
This website, RWJ website
-
I read about the school, read this website, that's about it
-
AMCAS, RWJ website.., ethics in medicine topics
-
SND, spoke to other students who had interviewed, spoke to my physician, career services
-
I read a lot of websites, including this one, about med school interviews. I also researched information about ethical and controversial issues.
-
Read your application, read their website, talk to students who either go there or have already interviewed there.
-
Read up on the school and its programs throughly Read up on recent healthcare issues Talked to many physicians about their experiences
-
SDN, Friends, School website
-
Website, this site
-
Talked to current students, Read AMCAS app, looked at website.
-
Iread up info on school website,bioethics.com; student doctor site;three mock intewrveiws.
-
Sdn, amcas, read the school's brochure and website, previous interview experiences
-
Read SDN, read school website, reviewed AMCAS, brushed up on current events
-
SDN, read some books on ethics, and looked over application.
-
SDN, RWJ web page, reread my ethics text book, looked up info on managed care, medicaid/medicare
-
Looked up info related to medical ethics, medicare, etc. on the internet. Did a mock interview with an M.D. Reviewed AMCAS application
-
Read SD.net and read the school web site
-
Read SDN and read up on bioethics
-
RWJ website, read AMCAS application, kept up with news and recent medical ethics issues.
-
RWJMS webstite, AMCAS application, SDN feedback
-
SDN, U of W School fo Medicine Bioethics Topics, newspaper, outside reading, reviewed my application, checked out their brochure
-
Read website, reviewed ethical issues, AMCAS app
-
SDN, read over file
-
School Webpage, read over AMCAS application, Student Doctor Network Interviews
-
This website and theirs, mock interviews, and kept up with current events.
-
I read over all of these interview questions...thought out answers carefully....then visited bioethics.com
-
Read SDN
-
Read website, read amcas
-
Read responses from this website, reviewed AMCAS application, reviewed sample interview questions, bioethics.com
-
Went to med school interview workshop, mock interview, read sdn, read over my application
-
Studied AMCAS application, read up on recent related topics in news, thought about possible questions and answers ahead of time
-
Website, read over my app, same old stuff
-
This site, reviewed my amcas application
-
I interviewed at the school last year and I already knew what I needed to know.
-
Read over the website, re-read my application.
-
Read up on medical ethics, reviewed AMCAS application, lots of good info on school website.
-
Read the health news and school website
-
Read over AMCAS, school website
-
Read SDN, reviewed their website, read over AMCAS
-
I read the school's website, looked over my application, and read about others interview experiences.
-
Read past interview experiences on this website, read about the school on its website, asked a friend about good responses to ethical questions
-
Read up on ethical issues
-
This website and school website.
-
Read the school's website, reviewed my AMCAS application, and went to my school's career center for a mock medical school interview (which was taped).
-
Spoke w/friends who go here, SDN, read over AMCAS & app
-
Thought about possible questions, read over school's website, read interview feedback.
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Read school's website and read my AMCAS application.
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I read over the school's catalog. I read some articles on current medical issues. I thought about possible questions and re-read my amcas essay.
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School's website, their handbook, SDN, Interview Feedback, read up on ethical issues
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Website, read amcas, talked to students, this site
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Interview feedback on this site, reread my personal statement
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Look over my application, read up on current issues in medicine.
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Re-read AMCAS, read articles on managed care and on ethical questions, and talked to a friend who was already in the medical school
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SDN, Read up on the school, looked at lists of frequently asked questions.
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Read the brochure and reviewed my AMCAS application.
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Read over my application and tried to read up on some current events in the healthcare field.
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Sdn, my app
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Read over the school info/web page
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Reviewed AMCAS application, Robert Wood website, and this web site.
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I read interview feedback on this website, I read information from their website, I read my AMCAS application and I spent four hours driving around the nearby neighborhoods.
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Read about RWJ
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Search of school on SDN, read website for RWJ and looked over my application.
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Read over the school brochure. Got extra questions from the web. Read over my application.
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School discussed various ethical dilemmas, healthcare challenges, and personal reflections, including scenarios on physician-assisted suicide, patient noncompliance, and uninsured individuals. The interview format may have been an MMI, involving role-playing and hypothetical situations, with some respondents mentioning nondisclosure agreements or confidentiality constraints.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Tell me three words that completely sum up who you are as an applicant.
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Nothing too difficult.
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Would you tell a patient about a treatment that you were morally opposed to?
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What is a hidden talent that no one close to you knows about?
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Ethical dilemma
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None really.
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A very open ended general question- what are some ethical issues in medicine? I talked about abortion, refusal of treatment for terminally ill patients and in religious circumstances, euthanasia
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Tons of healthcare and ethics questions (assisted suicide, abortion, genetics, etc.)
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What gives meaning to your life?
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What would you do if you had a parent of a patient who refused to have their child vaccinated?
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What would you do if someone came to you with no insurance and wanted your medical care?
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Who do you reach out to when you are having difficulty, and when is the last time that happened?
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Aside from what was written in your personal statement, what challenges have you had to overcome?
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How do you overcome adversity?
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See above
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None really, just some questions that required some thinking before answering.
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None
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Why are your early grades poor?
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What would you do if a belligerent patient confronted you and told you she wanted to go to another doctor?
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Choose an ethical topic and tell me the positives and negatives of both sides.
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What makes you special -- why accept you instead of somebody else?
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Nothing really difficult and super nerve racking. very fluid and conversational interview.
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Role Play: Convince a mom that her daughter should learn science in this day and age. (Based on an activity I took part in).
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Describe your greatest weakness and the most stressful situation you have experienced.
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What is the number one problem for physicians and healthcare today? (I found it hard to pick just one)
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Ethical question on abortion
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Some of the ethical scenarios we discussed were tough, e.g. how would you deal with a noncompliant patient? What would you say to a pregnant cancer patient refusing chemotherapy?
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He asked me if his mother and a two year old baby were lying next to each other in hospital beds, who would I save and why....
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Why do you want to be a doctor? I hate being asked that!
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None, really.
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Have you ever failed? When/how?
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What would you do if you live in a state where euthanasia was legal and the hospital did not have a policy against it and one of your patients was an 80 year old man with a terminal illness. He has exhausted his options for pain management and nothing has worked. He is in a great deal of pain and will die in a few months. What would you do?
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How do you think The Scarlet Letter compares to To Kill a Mockingbird?
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Does alzheimer's depress you?
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The most difficult question was an ethical question. The question was: What would you do if a terminally ill cancer patient refused chemotherapy? Adress both sides of the issue.
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How would you solve the problem of uninsured individuals in this country?
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Why do you want to be a doctor? (For some reason I had a hard time answering it today.)
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Name issues in healthcare that need to be fixed and lobby for the changes you feel necessary.
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A whole bunch of ethical hypothetical role-playing.. what would you do if........ (fill in the blank) - could be quite intimidating, when you're asked to think on the spot!
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Role-play, hypothetical situations where you are the doctor.
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None. The interview was very laid back and we struck normal conversation.
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Complex hypothetical role plays galore!! Just make sure you think carefully about how you answer- always think from a perspective of being sensitive to the finer details of patient care and you wont go wrong here. And dont lose your cool!
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Don't you think tort reform is unfair to people who actually have a case against the doctor? Where else did you get accepted? Why would you go here over that school?
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Why a MD and not PhD?... not so much hard... but he made me really prove that I had enough experience in both to make a decision for md over phd
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Ethical questions and scenarios.. if you were a surgeon and had to choose between saving the mother or the child ,which would it be
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All of the questions centered around my checkered academic past. This was only difficult because I was interviewed by the Asst. Dean of Admisions. However, I'm thankful that she did that because it forced me to be myself and open up.
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We really went into depth on an independent research project I had done, so I was glad I had reread my work.
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Why don't you want to do an MD/PhD or just PhD instead of MD given your experiences?
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If you got in here and Dartmouth, convince me you would come here.
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What would you contribute to the entering class?
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Same
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What healthcare issue pushes your buttons
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What do I think about FDA not approving Plan B as an over the counter drug
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If somebody is dying and his or her family asks you not to tell the patient that he/she has a terminal illness, would you follow the family's request?
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Explain your MCAT score and your one course grade that is lower than your others
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Same as above
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Is it cruel to use animals for research?
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How do you feel about the environment. Last Quest: Make this easy for me what should I write for your evaluation.
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Pretend that I am a teacher,I was given paper and pen to teach my interveiwer mitosis and meosis.
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Ethical questions
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What do you think about euthanasia, doctor-assisted suicide, and abortion?
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How do you feel about physician assisted suicide?
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If one of my lab partners suddenly changed dramatically and I had a suspicion they were doing drugs, what would I do?
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None of the questions were too difficult. All questions had to deal with my personal experiences, background. No ethical questions.
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Do you believe that animal testing is ethical?
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None of the questions were really difficult.
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How could I explain my not so stellar performance during one of my semesters at college.
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There were no ethical questions
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The above and how do you feel about physician assisted suicide.
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Woud you be able to pull the plug on someone?
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Nothing difficult
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What do you think about abortion
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No real difficult questions
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N/a
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What do you think of physician-assisted suicide.
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I didn't think anything was too difficult or unexpected, at least
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Why was I pursuing my masters in public administration? What is the most daunting problem regarding healthcare in the US?
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How to solve the US healthcare crisis
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Ethical dilemmas...
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What were my views on the new 80 hour work week limits on residents?
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Same as before; nothing difficult.
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Would you turn in a fellow medical student for [various offenses]?
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How would your friends describe you
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What is a chemical buffer. Though I certainly know what it is, I went completely blank because I didn't expect a question like this. His point was that this was the most difficult concept you would ever learn. Med school is not hard, just overwhelming.
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What happened with my grades during my sophomore year?
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Upon talking about medical economics, she asked why there are there so many uninsured people.
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Suppose you are already a doctor and want to do something for those not covered by insurance. You are speaking in front of Congress: what do you say to them?
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Your GPA is excellent but your MCAT scores are just ok...what happpened?
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None of questions were really difficult.
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What is culturally sensitive medicine? (Good thing I had just finished "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down")
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Difference between the art of medicine and the science of medicine
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What's an ethical dilemma you saw while volunteering?
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What qualities would make you a good physician?
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See above. (Disclaimer- it related to my interest in urban health)
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What would I have done if I was the physician in this situation: A baby born prematurely with mental damage and deformaties only will live to 18yrs. Do you suggest conservative treatment that will make her life comfortable or radical treatment (ie surgeries) that may prolong her life but will be costly and painful?
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What do you think about managed care?
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(euthanasia q) the interviewer gave me a very intricately detailed description of a patient w/ lymphatic cancer that has spread all over, no chance of recovery for patient, blah blah, blah....basically wanted to know if i would assist in helping end the patients life so that the patient wouldnt have to live in pain
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Nothing difficult. He asked about physician-assisted suicide, stem cells, and abortion. (I'm in my campus pro-choice group)
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From a macro-economic view, why are so many of our urban areas impoverished?
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What do you see as the biggest change in medicine, that is in its early stages right now, but will change medicine in 50 years or so? (I had to really think about this one, but I eventually figured it out).
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Why do you think doctors complain about managed care? and given that, why do you still want to go into medicine? and this questions turned into a very specific one: "if you know this patient needs a MRI to be diagnosed but his insurance does not cover for it, what would you do?" ????!!!
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Explain Low Verbal Score?
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were positively impressed by the community outreach opportunities, friendly faculty and students, modern facilities, strong emphasis on research and community service, variety of joint degree programs, relaxed and supportive environment, and the continuous expansion of facilities and resources. Many appreciated the warm and welcoming atmosphere, the high level of student satisfaction, the flexibility of the curriculum, the focus on clinical experiences, and the affordable tuition options.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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The amount of community outreach opportunities, clubs with unique opportunities, and activities they have to offer outside of the academic aspect of medicine. The faculty and students are very friendly. and the administration is very attentive to their students' needs. The fact that they give exams on Friday, offer podcasts of lectures that aren't mandatory to attend, and provide students with iPads is definitely a plus as well.
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The way admissions committee made us feel so welcomed out there during the interview day and how warm everyone else was.
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Interviewer was very positive about the programs, community outreach opportunities, etc., available on campus. The Admissions office was friendly.
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Seems like a solid program, with many opportunities for research and community outreach, and at a decent price. Not bad at all.
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The school is constantly revamping their curriculum so that it provides what students actually want. The faculty seem like they are truly concerned with how the students do on the boards and getting into residencies (and it shows). Students seemed happy. Lots to do in New Brunswick and other stuff related to Rutgers. Interviewer was extremely smart and chill.
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Clinical emphasis of school, diversity of class, medical center and research at RWJ
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Warm and laid-back style of the interview
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The curriculum and price tag of the school are well worth it. Multiple paths 3/4 years. Just a great place to earn your degree, in my opinion. The new wing in Cooper Hospital is also very, very nice.
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In state tuition
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Students were happy; they give out some full tuition scholarships!
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Organization, how nice the admissions staff was, Research opportunities
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My interviewer. She was so friendly, compassionate, and encouraging. Also, the admissions office was really helpful and warm.
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The hospital (New Brunswick) is the best in the state. Ultra modern and beautiful. The curriculum is also very cool (P/F first two years), great match list.
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School is a very tight community, with a strong focus on community service. Camden is a great area to see interesting cases. Close to Philadelphia, most students actually live there.
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The interviewer was friendly...it was more of a conversation than an interview.
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The hospitals in New Brunswick are really state of the art
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The hospital was gorgeous - the students very friendly. everyone was very professional. free yummy food and complimentary calculators:)
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Really friendly staff. the facilities including the children's hospital, the stem cell research institute, and the cancer institute.
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Really nice interviewer and the tourguides seemed to love the school. Hospital and cancer institute are very nice.
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The university hospital in New Brunswick was very impressive. And many other clinical institutions were being built.
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The facilities were really great, and I love Robert Wood Johnson Hospital.
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The faculty and administration are really focused on the students and are really willing to take an active role
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RWJ seems to have a really good reputation in residency programs
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Everyone seemed really nice.
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Interview was laid back.
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All the new construction, ability to do 3rd and 4th year and cooper, the overall academic achievements of the student body
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My interview was at the cancer institute which is pretty new. all of the hospital buildings are pretty new and the facilities are very nice. lotsa money going there.
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Interviewer was really nice and gave great feedback. The hospital is really beautiful as well.
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People were really friendly, school values diversity, high board scores, Children's Hospital, Cancer Institute, common dual degree programs
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The facilities are amazing, everyone seems to be there to help people and it seems like a lot of research is going on...
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The warmth from the Deans and staff. The students were really down to earth and helpful and the interview was really relaxed.
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My interviewer explained the admissions process at RWJ to me in detail, which I greatly appreciated. The facilities are all new and the staff and faculty that I saw were very enthusiastic.
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Rapidly expanding research and clinical facilities.
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Lot of money in the school (really old lecture halls, but the rest of a facilities are new: brand new Public Health building, Stem Cell research center, etc). Plenty of computer labs, study areas, etc. Very good camraderie among the students. Everyone seems ready to help each other out. Low competition according to the tour guides. Faculty seems very supportive towards students. They like to push the dual degree programs; you can get scholarships towards the MPH, JD or MBA part of your degree. Excellent Residency match stats.
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My interviewer. She was really excited about the school, intent on making my interview experience a relaxed one, and had interesting questions that made me think without putting pressure on me.
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My interviewer seemed to have prepared thoroughly for my interview and we covered every imaginable topic in the course of an hour. She had taken notes on my AMCAS app and also came up with multiple new questions relating to each of my responses. The tour guides were really proud of the school and obviously happy with their experiences there, which was motivating.
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Students seemed REALLY enthusiastic and the lecture hall was nice and updated
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A match list as good as any of the ivy schools i've checked out... a packed student lounge... dean knew lots of students' histories and seemed like she care about their future and res. placement
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The hospital facoilities were really amazing- brand new.
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A really excellent institution. I was especially impressed by all the funding for the children's hospital, stem cell research institute. The match list was as impressive as the ivy's where I interviewed. Students were very enthusiastic.
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Wonderful people (staff, students, administration), really seemed like they wanted you to come there and succeed; very nice facilities that are all in one place; fact that so many students came to give us a tour even though they had classes/exams coming up
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They have built a huge amount of new facilities and seem to be constantly building which is always a very good sign.
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Students very enthusiastic...Cost.
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There are tons of new facilities. The childrens' hospital is really nice!
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The amount of community involvement that the schoo has, volunteer opportunities, and early clinical experiences.
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I LOVE the fact that they have high emphasis on research and they are recognized for their stem cell research program.
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The quality of the facilities.
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Anatomy labs high tech, students seemed enthusiastic, grading system low stress (everyone does well), block exams
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The liberal curriculum, renovated classrooms and Public Health options
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The enthusiasm of the students, the facilities, and the friendliness of the dean of the admissions committee.... made the day quite comforting
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Facilities
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The closeness of the students. They are such a tight knit group because their class size is so small.
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School itself is nice looking for NJ.
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The students seem to like it there. I was very impressed by their graduate placements and opportunities re dual degree and intl health. Lunch was great! The student lounge area was so busy. New Brunswick has a lot of bars, restaraunts etc.
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Beautiful hospital (they have a hired pianist playing in the lobby) but still cater to a minority underserved population. the squibbs children's hospital was very impressive. the amount of money that the school has is phenomenal, since there seems to be buildings going up everywhere (new Child Health Institute, new stem cell research facility, etc.)
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Since Im there practically everyday,i thought the school was small, but the tour made me realize that it was actually bigger than I thought
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The facilities were so nice, clean, and newly renovated. The staff were courteous and friendly.
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I was impressed with the whole presentation. From beginning to end. The financial aid section was quick and highly informative--explaining the different types of loans the max amount and stuff all in handout {table format}
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The expansion of facilities and flexibility of the curriculum.
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The interviewer and the staff were really great. My interviewer was late (it was a rainy day), but the department chair of pediatrics just came in and made me feel really comfortable. The people were really nice.
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Students were very helpful and friendly campus is under renovations-new facilities coming up
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Everyone was very professional and knowledgeable. The place is beautiful, especially the BMS children's hospital.
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The students really liked it. The sister of a friend goes there, and she came and found me and told me she loved it there.
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I was extremely impressed by my interviewer and I think she really made me walk away loving the school even more because she was such an amazing person. The facilities were excellent and very new and the students were all so active in the surrounding community. I just liked how much opportunity seemed to be available at the school. They have a flexible curriculum that lets you take off a year in the middle of your education if you want to do a masters or law degree or even some international volunteering. I was really impressed by everything the school has to offer its students.
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I liked the student that I met who gave the tour. He seemed to like the school a lot. The environment of the school seemed very friendly as well.
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Very new facilities, campus was beautiful, friendly staff, quality of dual degree programs
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Nice facilities
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I really enjoyed the interview. It was really really conversational, and fun...in a sense. The students were really nice, honest in regards to their opinions about how the school is, etc etc. I liked the facilities and surrounding area.
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The school has nice facilities, wireless ethernet, stuff like that
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My interview was very friendly, and was very interested in my life and experiences not just academics
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I was applying to the joint BA/MD program and I had two interviews. This post is just about my first interview. The interviewer was very enthusiastic. She was very nice and I liked the fact that she was enrolled in the BA/MD program. She made the interview very comfortable. It was her first time interviewing anybody and it was my first interview. She was very laid back and made me feel as if I was just talking to one of my friends.
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The extent to which the school went to make the interview process comfortable There was no attempt to 'stump' me during the interview
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The way the school is expanding. The flexibility of the curriculum. The cost of the tuition. The opportunities to work with the community.
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The facilities were top notch, school is on the rise; one of the best in the nation
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The fact that most of their facilities are brand new and that RWJ is growing further at a rapid pace. Also, great residency placements.
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The student seemed very happy and energized about the school;everyone is friendly and new buildings at hospital;very creative architecture.
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The admissions powerpoint presentation was really interesting, there are so many joint programs to choose from, and the COST- UMDNJ is CHEAP!
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Admissions people were very nice, interviewer was very nice, day's schedule was very organized, orientation session, information given, new facilities, area
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The staff, students, and interviewer were extremely nice and friendly. The school looked quite new. The facilities looked up-to-date with lots of computer access.
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The students seemed generally easy going and very happy. RWJ does not curve, so it seems like the students genuinely help each other out and work together. Also new labs and small group discussion rooms.
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Students were very friendly and very enthusiastic about RWJMS. Laid-back environment, staff and students very supportive. Students seem genuinely happy. New and up to date technology, labs, computers, etc. Nice facilities.
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The amount of resources being poured into the school and the affiliated hospitals.
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Nice people and a lot of new buildings. The New Brunswick/Piscataway area is nice too.
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Laid Back environment of the interveiw
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The admission staff was super friendly. After the interview they had an orientation session in a conference room, and there were admisssions officers chatting with the other interviewees. Also, the interview was held in the department office of the doctor who was interviewing me. The other doctors there seemed to be having a good time and were joking around a lot.
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Facilities are pretty new and nice. lots of renovations coming.
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The diversity of the campus, the students seemed happy, there is no curve so the students are happy and laid-back.
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Everyone was so friendly and accessible.
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Interviewer and student guides both great. Facilities very nice.
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The school is on the rise, my interviewer was great, the hospital was really impressive. The choice of Camden or New Brunswick gives you the flexibility to try new things. Also, if you change your mind later, everyone usually gets a switch to what they want.
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The school is taking action to become a top ranked program. They just renovated basically all the classrooms (except the lecture halls). They are constantly building new facilities, both academic and hospital related. The faculty, staff, and student body appeared to be very happy.
-
The school is absolutely gorgeous. The campus is beautiful, classrooms have a modern look and feel, ANATOMY lab is really, really nice. everyone is really friendly, from students to faculty.
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We got to see the hospital because we were interviewed there
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Friendly staff, nice neighborhood
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The organization and the orientation that the staff gave about the school
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Everyone is very friendly, they have all-new, state-of-the-art multimedia classrooms, the students seem genuinely happy there, faculty are very hands-on, concerned with students, etc
-
The architecture is impressive - at least on the inside of the buildings, students play a part in making improvements in the school, classes can be small, described as not very competitive, lower in-state tuition, diverse community
-
Really friendly environment, students are happy to be there. What really impressed me is that this school is on the upswing, there is SO much construction going on (new Children's hosptial, new labs) they really want to become the place for sick NJ people to go. If you are from NJ, you know that if you are really sick you to NYC or Philly. So it would be cool to be at this school while all this is going on. Plus New Brunswick is a decent / smaller city, not a ghetto huge metrolpolis like other schools.
-
I was impressed by the breadth of clinical facilities and hiphop community health initiative in new brunswick, as well as the availability of rutgers facilities (gym, libraries). Apparently the piscataway campus has undergone renovation w/new classrooms, but we did not tour the campus
-
Nice attitude of the staff
-
The quality of the facilities was excellent, as was the excitement of the staff and students.
-
EVERYTHING! flexible curriculum, get to choose from lots of electives, small group learning, lots of community outreach, new children's hospital, students seem to have a lot of say in what goes on! Free fifth year!
-
New facilities, very friendly people
-
The friendliness that is contagious in the school! When I got to the school a random student showed me where to go and wished me good luck, the secretary inquired about my trip and hoped that I had no trouble finding the school. The student tour guides are so gung-ho about the school, it just wants to make you come there.
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The Student Scholar Program. Students get to take a free fifth year (at any time during school) to pursue an additional degree or independent study. You could also design your own masters degree - one guy did a masters in Bioethics! I talked with the dean, and she said that I could definetly arrange to do a masters in International Medicine by taking some abroad rotations and taking some public health courses during that year. VERY cool!
-
I was impressed by all of the student organizations that are invovled with the community. I also like that there are a lot of new facilities near the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital.
-
The interviewer was really picking my brain with ethical questions, and the interview lasted almost 2 hours. While a little nerve-wracking, it does show how they gave (and would give) considerable attention to me.
-
The interviewer was really nice and we had a very friendly conversation
-
If you can get a place to live and establish utilities before the first day of school, you are considered a resident ($10,000 less). Worst case is you have to wait one semester to get in-state status. Lots of different affiliated hospitals, so would get to see a very diverse patient population.
-
Everyone was very pleasant. The environment was extremely comfortable.
-
I had a lot of fun b/c my 2 good friends gave me the tour so I felt really at home.
-
The curriculum, the student-run community service organization called HIPHOP, the administrators, the fact that on the boards, that the students perform above the national average
-
The environment was good, everyone seemed willing to bend over to help. They have a dynamic curriculam that is influenced by the students' imput.
-
The students were very friendly. I got a very personal one-on-one tour with a student who answered every question I could think of.
-
The interviewer was way cool, and was impressed by me :D
-
Ability to change to nj resident status after 1st semester, can get in-state tuition afterwards
-
The interviewer REALLY went through my file and asked specific questions about me, not just the general expected questions
-
The students I spoke to seemed to be enthusiastic about their experiences at RWJ.
-
The diversity in the student body and the expected diversity in the knowledge body of the students.
-
How close the Camden campus was to Philadelphia.
-
How modern all the facilities were and the friendliness of the students.
-
The medical center and the school are both very friendly. I was also very impressed with the amount of new research and patient care facilities that are springing up all over both the medical school and the hospital.
-
Nada
-
The new classrooms being built in the basic science building
-
Match list from 2002.
-
The school's atmosphere and the surrounding neighborhoods. The area around the school is really safe. There is a security car that drives around and many students walk to school. I like the medical student's curriculum and the hours spent in class (Fridays are half days).
-
The MD/MPH joint program and other joint programs... the school pays for the 1 year of MPH degree! and also they are doing major renovations, adding 20+ PBL rooms, and i really liked the curriculum.
-
Students seemed happy and friendly. The school is upgrading its technology.
-
The students were very relax and the environment was non-competitive.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed negative impressions about the lack of engagement from interviewers, dated facilities, disorganization in scheduling and tours, emphasis on research over clinical exposure, fragmented campuses, necessity of a car for commuting, unenthusiastic students, and unprofessional conduct during interviews. Suggestions included improving interviewer training, enhancing facilities, providing clearer information about campuses, and fostering a more positive and welcoming environment for applicants.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Interviewers were 2 min late to a 7 min interview, none of them asked followup questions or engaged with me, they just took notes the whole time I was speaking and seemed disinterested in the conversation
-
The adjust in timing of the interview was a bit odd, spent about 40 mins waiting at one point but it's not as bad as other interviews. Some MMI scenarios were a bit heavy to answer given we only had two minutes to plan it out while being a bit anxious for obvious reasons (especially since this was my first MMI interview). It also didn't help that, because MMI tries to eliminate biases in interviews, it was hard to gauge how well my responses were from my interviewers. Lastly, the facility is pretty dated but the administration does do a good job in taking care of any issues that would arise.
-
It hard to gauge from the MMI style how I performed and some of the scenarios that we had to discuss were definitely challenging.
-
It was difficult to schedule the interview and tour, especially because they weren't available on the same day.
-
They are cutting the class size from 140 to 105, and apparently didn't even know about this change until Sept (after they started interviewing...) :/
-
The first-years have lecture in the same room all year. The library is VERY small - pretty much the size of a classroom (they have access to the big biomed library at Rutgers too though). No housing on campus, so pretty much everyone has some sort of commute.
-
Location in suburban NJ
-
Not much... though it was strange just going straight to the interviewer's office and knocking on the door.
-
Nothing really. Camden is a ****hole but I've known that for awhile.
-
How suburban Piscataway is. The medical education building has very 1970's concrete architecture. The tour guides were first years who haphazardly showed us around, didn't show the level of maturity I expect in med students, and didn't make a strong case for RWJ.
-
The tour was very short and we didn't really get to see anything besides the anatomy lab and the classroom
-
The day was sort of anti-climatic, after the interview you just go home. Wanted something more I guess.
-
The school building...it's kind of like a high school and the architecture could be updated.
-
The building looks like a prison. The study space, lecture halls, and overall facilities at the actual school look like they haven't been touched since they were built a century ago. The school also seems to put a huge emphasis on research at the expense of early clinical exposre.
-
Since it is not on the main campus, it is far away from administration and students have felt neglected in the past. Also, Camden is scary at night!
-
N/A
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The multiple campuses (makes the school seem disjointed), not being able to actually see the campus where you spend your first 2 years, need a car to get around
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Some miscommunication in where I was supposed to report for my interview - turned out fine in the end
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Hmm, nothing really. having a car is almost exclusively a requirement (unless you have good friends who'll drive you)
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Not being able to see the Piscataway campus.
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Nothing really. My interviewer was fifteen minutes late because he was working-very understandable.
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The interviewer asked me really strange questions.
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Students seemed less mature than at other med schools
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The main lecture halls are really old and dark.
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The building looks like a sub-par junior high in some areas.
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Stinks that you need a car to get everywhere.
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Have to drive everywhere
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Students didn't seem very enthusiastic.
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Block-scheduled exams, separation, of first two years (Piscataway) from last two years (New Brunswick or Camden), very little talk of curriculum during info session
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Nothing really, i didn't get to see the school as i interviewed at the hospital.
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Teh school is kinda in the boondocks although their "downtown" is not too far away. Guess I just don't know too much about the area to say.
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We didn't get to see the medical school campus, which was a little disappointing. It would've been nice to see where we'd be going for 2 years.
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The students seemed a bit stressed. The admissions officer was unenthusiastic.
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It's a high school! They have cliques of geeks, cool kids, and jocks. Only difference, everyone seems genuinely nice to each other. The class is relatively young, and it seems like a lot of them went to med school b/c their parents made them. I got the impression few of them have ever spent a day working in their entire lives. Bummer for non-trad applicants who won't have much in common with classmates. No real patient contact the first two years, just actors. Also, they only have two hospitals where you can do your rotations.
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We didn't get a chance to tour the hospitals and new facilities (cancer clinic, for example), which was too bad. But I didn't really come across anything negative.
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The tour of the NB campus was limited to a few classrooms -- I would have enjoyed seeing more of the school. Student life at RWJ seemed very much like life in highschool.
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Get ready for the list: 1) The location stinks and you MUST have a car 2) My interviewer was sexist and anti-semitic. He told me that "dermatology is for Jewish American Princesses" and that "RWJ had to increase its class size to accomodate for female doctors who weren't willing to work as much full time." 3) The interviewer said that I was arrogant for not applying to UMDNJ in Newark 4) The hospitals are not on campus 5) I had to wait 3.5 hours for my interview and drive to an off campus location 6) My interview was constantly interrupted by the Dr. that I was interviewing with taking phone calls. 7) It seemed like way too much of a sales pitch rather than the staff being honest 8) the list goes on and frankly, I'm getting pissed off just typing about it
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Seemed like a high school and din't have a professional feel to it
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RWJ was very cold and unwelcoming. I asked five hospital workers (including 2 physicians) for directions to one of my interviews and was basically shrugged off by all of them. One guy had the courtesy of actually responding with "I'm too busy for that ask someone else."
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Presentation was kinda boring...
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Medical school is across river
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That research is so integral in the education. I felt like they stressed it more so than most other schools (even those that are top in research). I especially felt that the only research opportunities were basic science based and not more open in the clinical fields. I was also not impressed by the admissions presentation (check out one of the slides where they spell experience wrong all over it). Also, the campus is so fragmented with half in Piscataway and the other half in New Brunswick and Camden.
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That we didn't get to see the hospitals. The Piscataway campus is not too exciting. I would have liked to have seen the hospitals that they are so proud of. Tour should be expanded to include a visit to see them.
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The interviewer was condescending and just plain mean.
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Nothing really, New Brunswick isn't the flashiest town, but I'm used to it.
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I wasn't a big fan of their gross anatomy lab.
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We toured the hospital, not the actual school.
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Lecture via powerpoint, how split up everything is (first two years from last two years, two campuses), how you're almost expected to do a dual degree program
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The lack of a centralized medical library, although study facilities and online resources are abundant.
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Not seeing the hospital (located in New Brunswick), the two campuses (Camden)
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Location
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I didn't get to see all of the facilities the school had to offer.
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Grading system. Need to drive between hospitals and medical school (everything is very spread out). Some students were not overly enthusiastic about the school.
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Almost all the classes are taught via power pt which personally, puts me to sleep. Heard cafeteria food isnt so hot. (I guess thats why they cater our lunch:) Heard that many ppl dont go to class- but this is something at all med schools that bugs me...I really wish I had a chance to see the hospital! Everyone says its really great but I wanted to see the classes and med school bldg too.
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The tour was of the hospital and not of the school. it would've been nice to see the lecture halls and the library (where i imagine i'll be spending most of my time for the first two years)
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I had to sit on a couch that was lower than the interviewers seat, so i kind of felt intimidated. The interview wasn't conversational. I did NOT get to ask any questions.
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That my interview was located at a different place, New Brunswick, from the lunch/tour/orientation.. the parking there was hell.. if I didn't take the valet as a last minute decision, I would have been late for my interview and would still be circling around looking for parking at the deck...
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The only thing that negatively impressed me was the class size. Other people talk about the beauty of the campus but for me that's no important at all because I feel very rarely am I going to be outside. The class size is about 144 students.
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I feel like the school is really deceptive. I was bothered that they hold the interviews on the New Brunswick campus, because there is a large chance that you may not spend any time there. They were very unclear about the fact that classes were on the Piscataway campus, and I feel like they held the interviews at the hospital in New Brunswick because they don't want you to know that the actual campus is in the middle of industrial park nowhere.
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Nothing really
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Nothing gave me a negative impression.
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It's not in a great location- lots of traffic and the main building is not very nice looking though the classrooms were great.
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It would be nice if they had some dorm style living, but that is just a tiny downer in overal positive picture.
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The campus is isolated.
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The tour was not very extensive, how students are divided between two campuses in the third year
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Tour guide's comments lacked sensitivity toward patients
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Nothing really.
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My interviewer never showed, i waited 45 minutes until someone else did the interview.
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There was a short wait and delay as my iterviewer was running late. But it was not too bad.
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There was not really anything I found negative about the interview. I was just surprised at how relaxed I felt at this interview. The interviewer definitely made me feel comfortable.
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I was interviewed in their Camden Campus. Their surroundings weren't very attractive. The students who were taking me around for the tour were saying how they didn't really want to come here, but they ended up coming anyways.
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Nothing
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Possibility of speding 3rd and 4th yr in Camden
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The Piscataway campus is a little too rural.
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Did not get to tour the school
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The tour was givem by students who took way too long explaining unimportant things and made us miss half of the lunch time
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Traffic, parking, tour and lunch was not very well organized, weather!
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The school seemed a little small and there was a lack of public transportation. The grading system here is high honors, honors, pass, low pass, and fail.
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Lack of parking. I got there an hour early, and still could not find a spot. I had to park in a snow bank.
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Cafeteria at the Medical School is extremely small, limited food options.
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The students had a slightly more exclusive air about them than at less well funded public schools.
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No 1st or 2nd years to talk to. Students are spread out across 3 campuses. No student housing.
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It was right in the middle of the holidays, so there weren't any students around to talk to. But that's really more my fault for scheduling the inteview on that day.
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Didnt like the area that much
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Nothing.
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We didn't get to see the hospital
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My tour guide kept saying "this is a good school, but it's not the Ivy League."
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Nothing really...just if I hadn't seen the hospital before, I wouldn't have seen it that day. Unless you interview at the hospital, they don't tour there and vice versa.
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The interviewer was rude and kept saying why after every answer.
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The students weren't all that enthusiastic
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They seem to have a little chip on their shoulder regarding reputation and US News' new ranking system (We were told multiple times that in the old ranking system, RWJMS was consistently in the top 10). But really, it's a great school, and anyone who visits can tell that right away
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Class is split in third year between Camden and New Brunswick area
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Not much
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The fact that we only toured the clinical campus and not the basic science campus, and the fact that I was not able to ask any questions in my interview
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The fact that I showed up late despite all efforts.
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The interviews were one-on-one, and my interviewer was not an MD and seemed overly confrontational.
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Not a lot of clinical experience in your first year.
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That the medical school is relatively far from the clinical buildings. 1st and 2nd years don't really interact with the 3rd and 4th years.
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That the medical school is about 10 minutes driving distance from the hospital.
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Interview room was a little too warm
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Didn't look very organized. New Brunswick is a crappy little town in crappy New Jersey.
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How much the students seem to study here. They're pretty close to NYC and all sorts of fun stuff in New Brunswick, but it doesn't seem like many of them have time for it
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I was not able to see specific areas because of renovations and construction.
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I wasn't as thrilled with the school as I thought I would be. Just didn't click as well as I anticipated. But I'm not sure if that's enough of a detractor from the fact that I like their relatively traditional curriculum and the area is decent.
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The tour- there were no students to give it & we didn't see the classrooms, only the clinical buildings
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There was a lot of construction going on. However, I have been told that they are working quickly and it should be over by next year.
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The amount of debt students graduate with considering it is a state school.
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Nothing really. The way the two clinical campuses (Camden and New Brunswick) are different can be a bit confusing to understand.
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Interviewer did not care to ask me anything about myself or my experiences
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Since the basic science/admissions building is in Piscataway, while the main hospital is in New Brunswick, interviewees don't get to see it (unless the interview is held there).
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Student tour guide was soured on Medicine.
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Nothing really.. i really liked it!
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The academic building seemed a bit drab. The main teaching hospital for the New Brunswick clinical campus is 10-15 mins away from the school, and there is often heavy traffic.
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The school had no dorms.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wish they had known more about the specific details and logistics of the interview day, such as the locations of different campuses, parking challenges, and the potential for delays. They also highlight the importance of being prepared for ethical and healthcare questions, as well as the significance of understanding the school's emphasis on dual degree programs.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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News and updates occurring at the school. Wished I would've practiced answering MMI questions ahead of time.
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Different components to each scenario that we were asked to discuss during the MMIs.
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Nothing.
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Nothing, was an easy stress free day.
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The first two years are spent in Piscataway. The last two you can choose between New Brunswick and Camden, the majority of Camden folks live in Philadelphia and commute to Camden
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Be prepared with healthcare and ethics; we didn't get to see the hospital since I interviewed at Piscataway
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They aren't out to get you, the interviewer is your advocate at the adcom meeting.
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How out of the way the Piscataway school is...I mean it seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere!
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That my interviewer at the hospital had moved to a new office a year ago. I had to have a kind secretary show me the interviewer's new office on another floor.
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I interviewed in Camden, where they don't give a presentation or let you meet other students. I was done by 10 AM, but I prepared for the whole day.
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Nothing really
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You have to chose whether you want to do 3rd/4th years at New Brunswick or Camden when you're accepted
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My cell phone didn't have service there.
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Hmm, nothing really. Make sure you get to the interview on time (check and re-check the directions). They give you lunch.
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That my interviewer was going to be a half hour late and how to get to my interview from the train station
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There are two clinical campuses (New Brunswick and Camden) and you get to choose where you want to be.
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I assumed that the interview was going to be easier than it actually was.
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Parking sucks. the lot fills up quickly
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They give you lunch.
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Nothing really...
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Nothing really other than how great the facilities are
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Nothing
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The driving directions weren't very clear, I should've taken the train in.
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The CAB-MEB-hospital is a maze.
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Rotation choices are limited: RWJ in New Brunswick or Cooper Hospital in Camden.
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A little more waiting time than I'd expected, but I'd brought a book.
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Nothing really.
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That I was gonna be interviewed by a jerk who would make me wait forever
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That the waiting room was filled with other stressed out candidates.
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How difficult the Piscataway campus is to find and how horrible the morning traffic was going to be.
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Couldn't find the parking garage---then again I'm really bad at directions! I also wish I had brought something to read after my interview.
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Nothing, sorry!
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I wished I had known how much they emphasize the dual degree programs.
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Parking is hard to find. Directions that school gives are a bit vague. Give yourself some time
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I wish I had known what the traffic was going to be like.
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How hard it is to actually find the school. Their directions stink!
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That RWJ is a very good school.
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That my interviewer was really, really, really intense!
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That the hospitals are spread out all over the place and you won't get to see them.
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You definitely need a car if you go here.
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My interview location in east brunswick is further from the school location of piscataway than i had anticipated. it's also hard to find the parking lot.
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--
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Nothing reallie...
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NJ turnpike!!! TOLLS! SO BRING SOME MONEY! THANK GOD I LEFT WITH $40.
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I wish I had known the details of the separation of campuses, etc.
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Your interview can be scheduled during the tour... luckily a student gave a me a personal tour after my interview
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That my interviewer did the same research that I did as an undergrad.......she grilled me about my research findings.
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New brunswick and piscataway are full of people with cars, parking is difficult.
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Nothing in particular. It was my first interview ever, so i was nervous, I wish I had more experience
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I wish I had known exactly which medical school classes I would have the choice of taking in my junior and senior year of college if I was accepted into the BA/MD program.
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That the interview was going to be so enjoyable
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The student interview did really matter, the amount of ethical questions that I would be asked
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That RWJ is great for pediatrics and the student body is very close.
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This school allows for out-of-state students to apply for immediate residency, so you won't have to pay for out-of-state tuition. Must need a car in order to get around. Parking is very limited.
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That all the students were on break.
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I was under the impression that you could walk to campus from the train station. I was already running late (because of the snow storm) and we had to wait a while for the cab and it was about 15 mins away. Everyone was very understanding.
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Student Scholar Year, HIPHOP program , all the new construction going on
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If you interview on Friday, you only get to see the hospital, not the school.
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I learned alot about the dual degree programs. wishi had known earlier about that so that i may have prepared questions.
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That I wont be able to see the medical school campus
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The details about the different campuses
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No real surprises
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The directions weren't very accurate...
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Take the train! the new brunswick train station is a few blocks from the interview site, so this was definitely an easy commute--apparently parking is pretty bad in N.B.
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That the weather would be lousy!
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That the tour would require a lot of walking - I would have brought flip-flops!
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Robert Wood Johnson has a new medical scholars program where students can take a year to do research or medically related activites in addition to the traditional four years of training.
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Ehuthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide are very different things
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That there at 43mill people uninsured not 43 thousand like I thought. I mensioned that number to sound smart and she correncted me. Ooops
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During orientation (after interview) informed us that the class was full, so we were interviewing for spots on the wait-list.
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Exactly where my hotel was in relation to restaurants, shopping areas, bus lines etc... I didn't have a car (I flew in from out of state), so not being able to leave the hotel without calling a cab was kind of a downer.
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That the lunch would be disgusting pizza.
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That AMCAS calculated my GPA wrong!! I found out during the interview that it's significantly lower than what's on my transcript and what they had previously verified it to be. And now I have to go through the hell of dealing with AMCAS at the last second. Maybe that's why I didn't get interview invites to some of my favorite schools... :(
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You have to pick which campus you want to do your clinical rotations on before school starts
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Although there are three available lots, parking is hard to find.
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That Philly was just across the bridge.
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That the atm close by was not working and I should have had some cash on me to pay for parking.( I found one a couple of blocks away).
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How high the tuition/avg debt is -- the costs are about $15k less than private schools, but compared to other state schools, it's a lot.
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That the driving directions that they give has a slight problem. The directions say to turn left onto Hoes Lane, but the road actually reads "Johnson." Be aware of this.
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My interview was open file, but I wasn't asked any questions about anything in my file.
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I was interviewed at the Hospital and the school was where the orientation was held. The hospital is quite far from the school...you will need a cab. Luckily there were two other students(one had a car) being interviewed at the hospital, so I had a ride.
🤝 Campus and Facilities ▼
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
How would you rate the Location and Cultural Life?
0 = Low, 10 = High
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants suggested that the admissions office offer practice MMI questions, reduce the waiting time for decisions after interviews, improve scheduling efficiency for tours, provide clearer travel instructions, and consider offering snacks in waiting areas. Some also mentioned combining the interview and orientation sessions on the same day, providing longer tours, and quicker decision-making processes.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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It would be helpful to offer some practice MMI questions, either before or during our interview day (prior to the actual interview itself) so we can get a since what we're getting into.
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Waiting time to hear back is so long !
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To get back to their interviewees a bit quicker in giving out final decisions as its nerve wrecking for us to wait so long after the the interview to hear back from them
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Make it easier to schedule a tour visit. Even though I chose dates from a list they provided, I tried scheduling for three different dates before they said that one fit their schedule.
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It would be better if the interview & orientation session were on same day
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Snacks and coffee in the little waiting room would really help the time pass!
-
The travel instructions could be confusing to non-locals. Parking is a mess.
-
Longer/more extensive tour would be nice
-
Accept me
📍 Travel and Logistics ▼
Airports Used
✈️
EWR
40% interviewees used EWR (EWR), with 40% using PHL (PHL) and 20% using JFK (JFK).
What was your primary mode of transportation?
Most interviewees traveled by automobile to the interview.
✈️
7% Airplane
🚗
81% Automobile
🚆
7% Train or Subway
🚲
5% Other
Hotels Recommended by Other Interviewees
Most interviewees stayed at the Radisson Hotel (average ranking 10/10). (Top 1 displayed)
🏨
Radisson Hotel
10/10
What was the cost and time spent traveling?
Cost: Low Cost to High Cost
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents are in state students.
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Friends or family or with friends or family.
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
Admissions staff (5%)
Faculty member (1%)
Other (1%)
Student (93%)
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
Enthusiastic (83%)
Neutral (17%)
All Responses
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No responses found.
| Application Cycle ▿ | Impression | Performance | Interview Location |
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