Duluth, MN
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 25% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview mixed with a low stress level, and felt they did well.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as low stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
Most respondents rank this school above other schools they applied to.
0 = Below, 10 = Above
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include inquiries about explaining grade trends, fitting into the school's qualities, recent reading material, free time activities, challenges and benefits of rural medicine, future practice location, patient scenarios, motivations for medicine, strengths and weaknesses, and interest in rural family medicine. Additionally, many responses mentioned the MMI format, indicating a structured interview style with questions focused on assessing interpersonal skills and ethical reasoning, possibly under a nondisclosure agreement.
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Explain these lower grades and why you didn't retake them.
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How do you fit the qualities of the school that it is known for?
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What book have you read recently?
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What do you like to do in your free time?
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Explain your grade trend to me.
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at University of Minnesota Duluth Medical School discussed a wide range of topics including future aspirations, ethical dilemmas, integration of faith into practice, and hypothetical patient scenarios. Notably, the interview format may have been an MMI based on references to non-disclosure agreements, while questions also touched on personal values, professional conduct, and healthcare delivery to diverse populations.
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What is your favorite class?
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Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What kind of practice?
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How would you react if you were to fail a test during medical school?
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How high are your heels/why did you wear those shoes? (I was wearing stiletos)
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Have you had a DWI?
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at University of Minnesota Duluth Medical School discussed a wide range of topics including patient interactions, healthcare challenges, personal failures, and career aspirations. While some mentioned specific scenarios like handling stubborn patients or discussing health care reform, others described more traditional interview questions like explaining one's passion for medicine or addressing challenges in healthcare systems.
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Give an example of a meaningful patient interaction
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What would you do if a child asked you about sex?
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What role does science play in medicine? (this seemed obvious to me, but my interviewer went off on a very different tangent than what I was thinking).
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What is the biggest challenge in health care today?
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How would you improve the healthcare system?
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of more than 50 minutes.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 2 people.
What was the style of the interview?
Most respondents had a one-on-one interview.
What type of interview was it?
Most respondents had an open file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
No responses
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at the school.
📍 On-Site Experience ▼
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents rank the facilities as below average.
What were your total hours spent traveling?
Most respondents spent 4-6 hours traveling to the interview.
What was your primary mode of travel?
Most respondents traveled by automobile to the interview.
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
Most respondents spent less than $100.
What airport did you fly into?
Respondents who flew to the interview generally used Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
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msp
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dlh
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Duluth International Airport
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Hotel or at a hotel.
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
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the Edgewater
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The Edge Hotel & Waterpark
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Radisson
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Radison
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Holiday Inn
How would you rate the hotel?
Most respondents rated their hotel as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
Most respondents would recommend their hotel.
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What are your comments on where you stayed?
No responses
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Applicants commonly prepared for their interviews by thoroughly reviewing their application materials, researching the school, utilizing Student Doctor Network (SDN) for insights, practicing mock interviews, and staying updated on current events in healthcare. Suggestions included reflecting on personal experiences, strengths, and goals, as well as seeking guidance from current students or physicians, and engaging in practice interviews to enhance preparedness.
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Read my secondaries
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Researched the school, reread my application, secondary, and personal statement
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Read SDN, did a mock interview (very helpful!).
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Read SDN, thoroughly researched the school.
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Looked over my supplemental and AMCAS applications, used this site, did research on health care reform, had help from friend already in the UMD Med School
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were consistently impressed by the friendly and welcoming environment at the school, including the approachable staff, faculty, and students. They appreciated the small class sizes, sense of community, and the dedicated support from faculty and administration. Many also highlighted the relaxed atmosphere, the emphasis on hands-on learning, and the positive interactions during the interview process.
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Intimate environment and approachable staff/faculty.
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Friendliness of staff and sitting in on one of the PBL classes
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The friendliness of everyone there including admissions staff, med students, and faculty
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Everyone was very friendly and outgoing. Duluth is a great city.
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Small class sizes, sense of community, support from faculty and administration.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about feeling out of place for not being rural enough, rudeness from interviewers, limitations in facilities and student life activities, small and old facilities, being stuck indoors due to cold weather, and a narrow focus on rural practice. Suggestions included improving interviewer professionalism, enhancing facilities, expanding student life activities, and broadening the program's focus beyond rural medicine.
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Made me feel out of place for not being "rural enough", despite growing up in Duluth and having been mentored by physicians who went to UMD. PhD interviewer did not ask any questions that would gauge my abilities as a physician, but instead felt the need to dissect my imperfect GPA and said "you wouldn't be the top of your class in med school but you'd do ok" How was that a productive comment?
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The rudeness of my second interviewer.
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Didnt seem like a lot of student life activities, but Im sure theres more than they let on
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Having all lectures in just one room
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My second interview was less relaxed than my first (he blatently told me he'd prefer I had a different major), but overall it wasn't too bad.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Many applicants wished they had known ahead of time about the conversational nature of the interview, the importance of researching the interests of the professors, being prepared to discuss health care reform, the emphasis on commitment to rural and family medicine, and the significance of shadowing a rural family practice physician. Additionally, some mentioned the unique aspects of the school, such as the small class size and the necessity of finding parking early.
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How laid back the interview would be - it was very conversational.
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Use the edgewater hotel, they picked me up from airport, took me to interview, picked me up and took me to airport for free
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The interests of the professors I interviewed with
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Really do your research on health care reform and be prepared with an educated answer to what change you want to see. You will almost certainly get asked about it.
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How outrageous one of my interviewers was! Outrageous in a fun way, of course.
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally provided feedback that the interviews were conversational and stress-free, with many expressing positive impressions of the school's atmosphere, friendliness of staff and students, and community feel. Some mentioned the focus on rural and family medicine, while others highlighted the small class sizes and supportive environment as key factors in their interest in the school.
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The interview felt very much like they wanted me to prove my worth. There was no sense of "seeing if the school is a good fit". Almost every question from one interviewer was directed at my flaws and wanting me to explain why I'm good enough, rather than if I'm a good fit, and if they are a good fit for me. Very interrogational at moments and was def my least positive interview experience.
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My second interviewer made me feel like I didn't belong.
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Overall, I thought the school was great. I liked the atmosphere, small class sizes, and the city.
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Be ready to explain why you want to practice rural, family medicine - including specific reasons and examples. Great school, loved it!
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The school is exactly what I want. It's small and gives the community atmosphere that I'm looking for. Very friendly staff
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggested that the admissions office should prioritize character over numbers in interviews, provide more support and opportunities for local students, improve communication by emailing letters, and enhance the overall candidate experience by being more impressive and organized.
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You want empathetic and grounded physicians, yet you focus on numbers rather than character in your interviews. Students from the Duluth area have very limited opportunities on the pathway to med school, yet their own local med school looks down on them for not being rural enough. Shadowing is barred from local hospitals. You seem to have no desire to support your own community and aspiring physicians.
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none, had a great experience.
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They mailed my stuff to me pretty late before my interview. Other than that everything has gove smoothly.
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It would be nice if you could get the name of the interviewer(s) before the day.
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None.
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