Duluth, MN
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
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Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 24% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview generally impressive with a low stress level and felt they did well.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
SDN Interview Experience Score
8.0
Above Average
Higher scores indicate a smoother, more positive interview experience with professional staff, organized logistics, and a supportive environment.
Based on 222 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 low 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 (83%)
Negatively (10%)
No change (6%)
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
Great (40%)
Good (40%)
Average (14%)
Bad (5%)
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally provided feedback on their interview experiences, emphasizing the importance of feeling welcomed and supported during the process. They appreciated conversational interviews, friendly staff, and the opportunity to discuss their interests and attributes, while some noted the need to be prepared to discuss specific topics like rural medicine.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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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
💬 Interview Process ▼
Length, number, and type of interviews
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Length:
56 Minutes Average
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Number:
2 Interviews Average
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Interview Type (Interaction):
100% One-on-One
0% Group Interview
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File Type:
98% Open-File
2% Closed-File
UMN-Duluth-COMP interviews are an average of 56 minutes, with an average of 2 interviews. 100% of interviews are one-on-one, and 2% are closed-file.
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include discussing grade trends, future practice plans, interest in rural or family medicine, experiences on AMCAS, personal attributes for being a doctor, and hypothetical scenarios. Many respondents also mentioned questions related to being a family practitioner in rural areas, indicating a focus on this aspect during interviews, potentially in an MMI format subject to a nondisclosure agreement.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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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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Explain your grade trend to me.
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Where you do you see your future practice?
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What would you do if one of your patients came up to you on the street before a long weekend and asked for their prescription? Their only other option they have is a $300+ emergency visit.
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 career plans, ethical dilemmas, personal values, and hypothetical scenarios. The interview format may have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) based on the variety of questions, and respondents might have been subject to a nondisclosure agreement given the diverse and specific nature of the questions asked.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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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?
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by reviewing their application materials, researching the school, reading through Student Doctor Network (SDN), practicing mock interviews, and staying updated on current health issues. Many also sought advice from current students or physicians, reflected on their experiences, and practiced answering common interview questions to feel more confident and prepared.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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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 was the most difficult question?
Students said the most difficult question asked at University of Minnesota Duluth Medical School discussed a wide range of topics, from patient interaction scenarios to healthcare challenges and personal motivations for pursuing medicine. The interview format may have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) as some responses alluded to nondisclosure agreements, while other common themes included questions about healthcare reform, social justice, and career intentions in medicine.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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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?
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were consistently impressed by the friendly and welcoming atmosphere at the school, including the approachable staff, faculty, and students. They appreciated the small class sizes, sense of community, and the supportive environment provided by the faculty and administration.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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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, negative interactions during interviews, limited student life activities, cramped or outdated facilities, and a strong emphasis on rural medicine to the exclusion of other interests. Suggestions included improving interview etiquette, providing more diverse extracurricular opportunities, updating facilities, and broadening the scope of medical education beyond rural practice.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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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?
Applicants commonly wished they had known ahead of time about the conversational nature of the interview, the importance of researching the interests of professors, the emphasis on commitment to rural and family medicine, and the significance of shadowing a rural physician. They also highlighted the small class size, the need to prepare for questions on healthcare reform, and the unexpected elements of the interview process.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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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.
🤝 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 commonly suggest that the admissions office should prioritize character over numbers in interviews, provide more support for local aspiring physicians, and improve communication processes by sending emails instead of paper mail and providing interviewer names in advance.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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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.
📍 Travel and Logistics ▼
Airports Used
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MSP
33% interviewees used MSP (MSP), with 33% using dlh (dlh) and 17% using msp (msp) and 17% using Duluth International Airport (Duluth International Airport).
What was your primary mode of transportation?
Most interviewees traveled by automobile to the interview.
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22% Airplane
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69% Automobile
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6% Train or Subway
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3% Other
Hotels Recommended by Other Interviewees
Most interviewees stayed at the Edgewater Resort (average ranking 9/10), with some staying at Edgewater (average rating 8/10). (Top 3 displayed)
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Edgewater Resort
9/10
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Edgewater
8/10
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Bestwestern Edgewater
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 Hotel or at a hotel.
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
Student (100%)
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
Discouraging (3%)
Enthusiastic (88%)
Neutral (9%)
All Responses
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