Mobile, AL
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
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.
⭐ 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 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.
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Tell me about the PRE-Path program you are in.
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Tell me about your research.
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What books are you reading currently?
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Elaborate on your interest in health policy.
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Why do you want to be a physician?
What was the most interesting question?
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.
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What do you do for fun outside of school?
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What have you been reading lately?
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Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
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What is one of the challenges in healthcare today?
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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.
What was the most difficult question?
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.
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How would you handle a situation where you disagreed with work leadership?
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Why do you think you would fit in at South Alabama
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Why did you retake the MCAT twice?
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Why were you rejected from medical school X?
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See above
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of 20 - 30 minutes.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 3 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.
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 Admissions staff personnel
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 Mobile Regional Airport (MOB)
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PNS
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Mobile airport
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MOB
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 Ashbury Hotel
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Quality Inn
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Mariott Fairfield
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Magnolia Blossom Inn
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LaQuinta Inn off the Interstate
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?
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.
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Mock interviews, reviewed AMCAS and secondary applications, researched school's mission and values on website
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Asked past interviewees. Reviewed file.
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I read up on USA using their website and talked with a few current students.
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I read through previous interview questions.
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Re-read primary / secondary applications and practiced possible questions.
What impressed you positively?
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.
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Friendliness of interviewers, informality and conversational style of interview
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The intentional niceness of faculty/students and conversational interview format.
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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.
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I liked the small class size and personal nature of the medical school.
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Tour of Mitchell Cancer Institute, the friendliness of the med students, especially my 4th year interviewer.
What impressed you negatively?
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.
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Some of the interviewers were late to the Zoom call
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Informality of the interviews caused high variation between each other (one interviewer had clearly read my file, another seemed to know nothing about it).
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Some students had to travel off-campus for their interview, and the bus tour was a little long.
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The library and medical school building seem a bit dated.
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The faculty interviewers did not ask about extracurricular activities - shadowing, volunteering / service, research.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
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.
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How relaxed the interviewers were
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The informality of the interview.
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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.
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That the interviews were lower pressure than I was expecting.
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Make sure you have transportation because several interviewers are off campus.
What are your general comments?
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.
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In some ways, an informal interview is harder to prepare for. We spent less time talking about my file than diverging into wormhole conversations.
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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.
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I genuinely enjoyed my experience at South Alabama
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I definitely came away with a much better impression of the school than before I visited.
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Easy interview, relaxed and informal-it is kind of a pain to drive to off campus interviews though
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.
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With such an emphasis on a low-stress interview day, perhaps offer 2 open/1 closed file interview.
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None
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Get rid of snail mail... Takes too long.
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Create an online student status and application system
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