Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 26% of interviews, indicating it is moderately regarded. They found the interview mixed with a low stress level, and felt they did well.
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 the applicant's motivations for pursuing medicine, their interests in specific specialties, their views on healthcare challenges, their academic background, and their extracurricular activities. Many respondents also mentioned questions related to their future goals, strengths and weaknesses, and scenarios involving ethical dilemmas in healthcare. Some responses indicated that the interviews followed the MMI format, suggesting a structured approach with potential nondisclosure agreements in place.
What CD would I find in your car if I looked right now? (Definately makes you pause for a moment if have stopped listening to CDs like I have and switched to an MP3 player)
So, where else are you interviewing? (UNC was one of my choices and I said I thought it was probably a reach school and he replied, ''I'll be honest, you won't get into UNC.'')
Students said most interesting question asked at University of South Alabama College of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics including personal hobbies, future career goals, healthcare challenges, ethical scenarios like managing obesity and pregnancy complications, as well as contentious issues like abortion and euthanasia. Some students mentioned questions about their military background, favorite books, and views on healthcare policies, while others engaged in role-playing exercises and discussions on music preferences. No specific mention of MMI or nondisclosure agreements was noted in the responses.
Roleplaying exercise: I am a busy single mother bringing her obese teenaged daughter in for a checkup. You are the doctor. Show me how you would inform us of our health issues.
If a woman brought her extremely overweight son to you and you could tell he was very unhealthy and at risk for diabetes, as well as other diseases, what would you do to help?
You found out a pregnant woman has ovarian cancer. If you start treatment now, the baby will die, if you don't treat, the mother will die. What do you do?
Where exactly in the Constitution does it guarantee a basic right to healthcare?(this was prefaced by me saying that I thought the biggest problem in healthcare was a lack of universal coverage)
Asked sort of obliquely about my views on abortion. I indicated that I'm interested in women's health so the interviewer wanted to make sure I'd thought about reproductive rights issues that may come up in practice.
Is there anything that could make you fail in medical school? AND
If I had the power to keep you out of all the medical schools in the world for the rest of your life, what would you do?
How would you fix the situation at USA Medical Center in that it is running a large deficit by seeing indigent patients without health insurance, and is in jeopardy of closing?
Students said the most difficult questions asked at University of South Alabama College of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, from handling disagreements with leadership to ethical dilemmas such as advising on abortions and healthcare as a right or privilege. Many respondents mentioned questions related to personal statements, academic backgrounds, and future goals, while some indicated scenarios involving non-disclosure agreements and MMI formats, including identifying chemical structures like TNT and discussing discrepancies in academic stats.
How would you handle a situation where you disagreed with work leadership?
One interviewer made me identify the chemical strucutre of TNT, but don't worry about studying organic, it was just a fun side question to test my knowlege. No problems.
Do you think physics and organic are important for medicine? (only because I said I didn't think it would be and she told me I was wrong about physics)
To explain a discrepancy between my MCAT score (high) and my GPA (acceptable, but nothing special). This was the first person to ask me that out of three different schools and 8 interviewers, and somewhat hard because I do not personally see a discrepancy in my stats!
There are obviously many problems in health care today, mainly that so many people don't have it. How do you think we can fix that problem? (they can't figure it out in Capitol Hill, so I don't think he expected me to come up with the definitive solution)
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?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by conducting mock interviews, reviewing their application materials, researching the school's mission and values, and practicing potential questions. They also sought advice from past interviewees, used online resources like SDN, and stayed updated on current healthcare issues.
Mock interviews, reviewed AMCAS and secondary applications, researched school's mission and values on website
Looked on SDN and thought about what i would say to some the questions posted. Read some stuff about healthcare and just kept current on healthcare issues.
Read up on the state's health care situation; bought a magazine about the national health care situation to read on the plane; reminded myself to relax.
I read all of the reviews by other students on this website (many questions other students listed showed up in my interviews, reviewed current healthcare issues
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendliness and welcoming atmosphere of the school, faculty, and students. They appreciated the personal attention, small class size, and hands-on clinical experience offered, along with the enthusiasm and passion displayed by staff and students for the program and the Women's and Children's Hospital. Suggestions included emphasizing the school's unique strengths, such as the board-focused curriculum, and continuing to foster a supportive and close-knit learning environment.
Friendliness of interviewers, informality and conversational style of interview
How relaxed and friendly everyone was. They really wanted to get to know you and let you get to know them. The director of admissions knew everyone's name and face when they walked in the room.
Welcome speech from Mark Scott, new women's and children's center was beautiful, the weather, class size is small and they're going to keep it that way
Everything! The hospitals seemed to run smoothly; the staff at the university and at the hospital was just wonderful; the students who we met seemed to really like it.
The interviews were very comfortable and friendly. They care about your interview and presenting you in a positive manner to the admissions board.The tour was great.
The students were mostly happy being there and thought well of the school, the clinical facilities are great, Mr. Scott has a great sales pitch in general.
The food was good and the med students seemed friendly. The school is going toward a more technology based curriculum (sp?). Pretty good Women/Children's facility and they say everyone gets a lot of clinical experience.
Everything was very personalized. The staff and students are incredibly friendly and helpful. The small class size is a real asset in obtaining lots of hands-on clinical experience 3rd and 4th years. Children's and Women's Hospital is amazing. They have recently started a lot more cooperation with the Mobile Infirmary healthcare system so I think the school is on the verge of some really great growth and changes.
The fact that their curriculum is board focused so most of their students score very well on the USMLE 1. The facilities are also being reconstructed this summer. The three major hospitals are also a big plus.
USACOM's focus on teaching; the campus and facilities were nice too; the admissions guy was entertaining which helped us be pretty calm; small class size is a plus
Everyone in the city is very friendly, students at this school get more hands-on experience during 3rd and 4th year clinicals than most other schools offer, small class size allows for individual attention, students and professors all know each other, students actually go to class (even though there is a note-taking service)
Students are really enthusiastic about the school. Board scores were pretty high this past year. Small class size (70). Good amount of clinical exposure in 3rd/4th years to prepare you for residency.
Of course, the Women's and Children's Hospital is very impressive. I was also impresed by how excited the students were by their choice in school and the amount of hands-on clinical experience you get in third and fourth years.
The students we met were SO enthusiastic about the school, and the faculty are really into teaching. The school also works really hard to make sure the students have the resources they need.
The small class size (64) and the awesome city of Mobile. Also, the brand new library that the school has built, not the biomedical library, but the big university library.
Everyone was so friendly. Students seemed like they enjoyed their life and learning experience at USA. Mark Scott, Vanessa and other stuff were really trying to make everyone feel as relaxed and comfortable as possible. The small class size definitely allows for excelent learning environment.
The admissions director Mr. Scott was really nice. Two of my interviewers were clinicians and the third was a faculty member. All of them seemed involved with the student body and really liked what they are doing. The chocolate cake for lunch was definitely a plus.
everyone who visited raved about the women's and children's hospital - and it was worth raving about. It was really nice, but was the only focus of the campus tour.
Applicants commonly expressed negative impressions about scattered interview locations, lack of organization and directions for interviews off-campus, outdated facilities like the library and medical buildings, as well as the need to travel long distances for interviews. Suggestions included providing clearer directions, organizing interviews on campus, and updating facilities to improve the overall experience for applicants.
Some of the interviewers were late to the Zoom call
Informality of the interviews caused high variation between each other (one interviewer had clearly read my file, another seemed to know nothing about it).
The interviews for some people are spread out among the school and the various hospitals (although if you don't have a car that day they will be nice and provide transportation or arrange all of your interviews on campus), some of the lecture halls are old, the torrential downpour, some (but not all) of the students seem to resent UAB and its med students.
Interviews were scattered around and they didn't have typed out directions for all of them. Interview locations were scattered around which made it very stressful because you were sort of on your own. Also, no directions to the school and it was difficult to find. The tour of the Women/Children's facility seemed to take forever.
There really is almost no clinical research, although they are building a very impressive and promising new cancer institute. The campus was eerily quiet, though I guess the 1st and 2nd years were in a test block so they were busy studying. The curriculum is letter grades rather than pass/fail in the first two years.
The poorly designed way in which they arrange the interviews. You have to travel several miles on your own to get to each interview (total of three). The directions they give you are weak, and you will probably be late to at least one of them.
Lack of exposure to medical students/facilities, lack of information provided about curriculum (not on webpage either). Lack of organization by USA administration also detracted from my impression of the school.
The school and hospital facilities seemed to be in poor shape. The school is too small, so the hallways are packed with file cabinets. The hospitals are also old and poorly maintained.
The tour did not show us anything about the school. All we saw was the lobby of the biomedical library, and the 2nd year classroom..not even the first year classroom! Plus, the tour was given by 2nd year medical students and so was the informal discussion at lunch; essentially, these guides provided no useful information for incoming students. Also, none of the guides were from America; they were all Canadian, and could not relate to the native Alabamian in terms of the criteria that a local resident would make in choosing USA. Finally, a big negative was that the school did not describe the curriculum or rotation schedule in any detail. Also, the interviews were NOT on campus, and most of us had to drive far away to get to remote places!!! You will find out where to go once you arrive at the interview orientation, but not earlier! Also, most of the class in married and white; so don't go there thinking you will hook up, unless it's with your existing husband/wife!
We were only shown the Women's and Children's Hospital... probably because it is South's biggest bragging right, but it kind of made me wonder about all the other hospitals... are they that bad? In addition, the biomedical sciences building on campus- where your spend your life for first and second year- is old, outdated, and a horrible place to spend two years of your life. The library isn't anything to write home about either.
I didn't like that I didn't get to meet too many students, and that they didn't give the campus tour. Of course, the tour to the W&C's hospital was much more informative coming from the director of admissions, but no one asked any questions... possibly b/c it wasn't another student.
One interviewer told me USA is have accreditation issues. Another interviewer didn't seem to want to be involved with admissions. You have to drive to interviews (sometimes very far away). The hospital is far from the campus.
Applicants commonly mentioned wishing they had known about the relaxed and lower-pressure nature of the interviews, the need for personal transportation for off-campus interviews, and the importance of familiarizing themselves with the campus layout and parking options. Additionally, some applicants highlighted the significance of understanding the unique aspects of the school and being prepared for the scattered nature of interviews, which may require driving between locations.
I wish I knew they would expect me to know about how South prides themselves on the friendliness of their staff and students. They expect you to know they do things differently there and if you think you fit in with them.
That I didn't need to spend a whole hour in the interview because I had to travel 20 min to get to an interview off campus. I was having such a pleasant conversation with my first interviewer!
The board pass rates are pretty great, and the residency match list pretty good too. There's a lot to learn about this school because they don't put much info out into the public sphere. Also, you'll be done by about 2:30 so you can get a 4:00 p.m. flight out the same day.
The poorly designed way in which they arrange the interviews. You have to travel several miles on your own to get to each interview (total of three). The directions they give you are weak, and you will probably be late to at least one of them.
I knew about the off campus interviews ahead of time from reading SDN; what I didn't know was that the map they provide you with is pretty much useless.
If you tell them that you will have a car, then you will have interviews at the hospital. This will cause you to have to cut short interviews which could have been longer if you didn't need the driving time.
There is so much driving! As a result, I was practically late to almost all my interviews because one was held at the Women's and Children's hospital and another in the medical school buildings. The directions to buildings are confused, so if you can, orient yourself prior to interviewing on general directions from the school to hospitals.
That South uses a 1-10 rating system for applicants; I really don't see too much room for anything but applicants' stats to make or break them. Entirely too unfair, in my mind! There's more to people than numbers!
If you have a car, they'll give you interviews in completely different buildings so you'll have to drive. Either say that you don't have a car when on campus, or if you do, then be prepared to drive. I personally didn't have a car, so I had all of my interviews in one building.
Applicants generally found the interview experience at the school to be relaxed and conversational, with interviewers showing genuine interest in their experiences rather than focusing solely on academic numbers. There were positive comments about the faculty, the campus facilities, and the emphasis on hands-on clinical training, although some feedback highlighted areas for improvement such as organization and diversity.
In some ways, an informal interview is harder to prepare for. We spent less time talking about my file than diverging into wormhole conversations.
This was my first interview, and it felt really relaxed, which I was not expecting. The interviewers put me at ease quickly and I felt like they were really interested in my experiences, rather than my numbers, which were only about average.
I thought USA was a great school. I had always thought it would not be as impressive as UAB, but I would say it is up to par with UAB for all those that are applying to both schools.
Great, no stress, interview group was more than 15 people, so it was large. All my interviews were on campus, so I did not have to drive anywhere, even though I had a car. Not much diversity:-( Many clinical opps. for students, and the Women's Children's hospital is great. The school looks clean, and they are redueing the 1st year lecture hall. Faculty is great. I Hope I get in!!!:-)
The interview day is very stressfree, the most stressful time is the preinterview portion, once the interviews start the day is relaxing. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes for the tour of the hospital and check the weather the days before you interview.
The school seemed a little old, but they were doing a lot of remodeling. The school itself seemed decent, with plenty of clinical experience especially if you are interested in pediatrics or ob/gyn. The lady who gave the finance discussion seemed a little intimidating, and the tour of the facilities by the director wasn't incredibly interesting. One of my interviewers was a little rude and very intimidating.
A very friendly little school. Great for primary care and hands-on clinical training. The faculty really care about teaching students. Not the place to go if you're really in to clinical research, though there is a fair amount of bench research.
It was a good experience; no real stress or difficult interviewers. I was really impressed by the things that Mark Scott and my interviewers had to say about the school.
The whole experience is really laid back, everyone is easy to talk to. The interview isn't hard at all - they mostly asked questions from my application. Not one ethical question!
The experience was pretty good. The interviewers told me all about USACOM and answered all of my questions before I even asked them. Everyone did a really good job of explaining what sets this school apart from the others. I left feeling like I would really enjoy going to school here but a little uneasy not really knowing how well the interviews went.
Overall, it was a great experience. Although I was late for my first interview, because i had to drive to the location, my interviewer was very forgiving and made me feel quite comfortable. I also learned that they are gutting out the first year lecture theater...so that's a plus.
It went pretty good. I met with 3 different individuals: a physiology teacher, an OB/GYN, and a 4th year med student. All were enjoyable, although the first two didn't go as well as I had hoped.
Mark Scott is excellent at using humour to loosen up and relax the students before the interviews- my nervousness was cut in half by the time I arrived at my first interview. All three interviewers were so nice, and it really felt like you were simply having a conversation with an interesting person who is passionate about the school and its important role in the community. They didn't throw anything at me that I wasn't expecting and prepared for.
Overall, I think all three interviews went really well. All three asked about the diversity of my majors (bioengineering/religious studies) and about my extracirriculars.
It was a very good experience. USA knows exactly how to sell their school to prosepctive students and most of the interviewers are very nice. This interview has definitely made USA one of my top choices.
The director of admissions is a great speaker, and explained everything very clearly and with humor. Some of the interviews were off-campus, as much as 20 minutes away by car, so that was a pain. Lunch was excellent. I enjoyed the student tour of the campus and the later tour of Children's & Women's Hospital.
South is a great school and a great medical school... I did not like how they did not provide us with detailed curriculum/rotation outlines like the other med schools do...also, for a small school it is very disorganized, requiring interviewees to drive all over the city of mobile for remote interviews! i've never seen nor heard of any other school that does this; usa should instead have panel interviews which would be more efficient...south's main strength is actually its campus; it has a brand new library and a nice campus where u can also meet undergrads...the city of mobile is also really awesome and way better than the city of birmingham...uab however is much much more organized and professional that south alabama, with detailed curriculum outlines and student tour guides who actually give a tour of the school's facilities! south alabama is a good medical school but i noticed most of the kids there are married, so it may not be a lively place to go to to get an active social life; finally, uab has a lot of hotter chicks...however, all this being said, i would probably go to south alabama over uab because it is in mobile, and the weather is hotter down there and closer to the beach...
The interviewers were extremely friendly and welcoming. They invited a lot of questions and I really got a great feel for the atmosphere of the school. They also really emphasized the warmth and camaraderie of the class.
I didn't feel that I had unidirectional interview questions but more of a conversation experience. The clinicians were interested in what types of clinical experience that I'd had and talked a lot about what they did. They asked me about my GPA and academic history - I have a somewhat untraditional academic background.
It was a pretty low stress day. All of the interviews were conversational rather than question after question. The tour to the hospital was worth going on. There was really good chocolate cake at lunch!
All in all very low stress interviews. They seem to place a lot of merit on their interviews. The first year auditorium is a bit old. The students seem happy to be there and the area around the school is nice. They are very proud of their children's hospital and rightly so. It is a very impressive facility. The interviews were one on one and conversational. If accepted here I would most definitely go.
Overall, my experience exceeded my expectations. Before visiting, I considered USA to be a joke school in a podunk town (harsh, I know), but it actually has crediblity and gives amazing hands-on experience to their med students. Furthermore, they only have about 64 per class (and interview only 180-200), so the amount of individual attention and resources you get are uncomparable. The director of admissions is very personable and will even give rides to and from the airport if needed. Also, they send out their decisions very quickly.
Overall, it was a pleasant experience. The interviewers were very nice and helpful. If possible, it is advantageous to scope out the campus and affliated hospitals ahead of time so you know where you are going for the interviews.
I was very impressed with the faculty and students at USA. The admissions director was very friendly and funny. All of my interviewers were nice and very easy to talk to. Everyone at USA seemed as if they really wanted you to attend school there.
Very positive, though one interviewer asked all the typical ethical questions. Other 2 interviews were more conversational. 4th yr. student interviewer even started talking about sports.
I really enjoyed my visit to South. I was impressed by how nice the faculty and administrators were. The students I met were very helpful as well, and one even stayed late to chat with me, as did the admissions director.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggest implementing a low-stress interview format with a mix of open and closed file interviews, eliminating snail mail for faster communication, and transitioning to an online application and status system for more efficiency and convenience.
With such an emphasis on a low-stress interview day, perhaps offer 2 open/1 closed file interview.