Mobile, AL
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
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Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 26% of interviews, indicating it is moderately regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a low stress level and felt they did well.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
SDN Interview Experience Score
8.3
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.
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
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
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
💬 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 motivation for pursuing medicine, their reasons for choosing a specific school, their opinions on healthcare challenges and solutions, their interests in medical specialties, and their personal qualities and experiences relevant to medicine. Some respondents mentioned questions related to the Multiple Mini Interview format, indicating they may have been subject to a nondisclosure agreement during the interview process.
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Tell me about the PRE-Path program you are in.
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Why do you want to be a physician?
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What do you want to know about South?
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Why would you like to attend South Alabama?
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What specialties are you considering going into?
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at University of South Alabama College of Medicine discussed various topics such as personal interests, future goals, healthcare challenges, and ethical scenarios. Additionally, the interviews may have been in an MMI format, with questions involving role-playing exercises and ethical dilemmas, possibly under a nondisclosure agreement.
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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 including handling disagreements with work leadership, reasons for retaking the MCAT, views on healthcare rights, changes in healthcare, and ethical dilemmas. The interviews may have been in an MMI format as some responses mentioned nondisclosure agreements, while others highlighted challenging questions related to personal statements, academic background, and ethical scenarios.
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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 Preparation and Impressions ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of 20 - 30 minutes.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 3 people.
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.
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.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Applicants commonly prepared for interviews by engaging in mock interviews, reviewing their application materials, researching the school's mission and values, and practicing potential questions. They also sought advice from past interviewees, utilized online resources like Student Doctor Network (SDN), read up on current healthcare issues, and discussed the school with current students to gain insights.
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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 enthusiasm of the staff, faculty, and students at the medical school, as well as the personalized and conversational interview process. They also highlighted the small class size, hands-on clinical experience, and the state-of-the-art facilities, particularly the Women's and Children's Hospital, as major positives.
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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 were commonly concerned about disorganization in interview scheduling, outdated facilities, lack of diversity, and the requirement to travel off-campus for interviews. Suggestions included providing better directions, updating facilities, enhancing diversity, and possibly consolidating interviews on-campus 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 wished they had known ahead of time about the relaxed and low-pressure nature of the interviews, the need for transportation to off-campus interviews, the scattered and potentially confusing interview locations, and the emphasis on South's unique qualities and friendliness. Suggestions included preparing for driving between interviews, researching the area for accommodations and transportation, and being aware of the interview format and location logistics.
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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 interviews at South Alabama to be relaxed, conversational, and stress-free. They appreciated the friendly interviewers, the emphasis on experiences over numbers, and the warm atmosphere of the school. Some noted the ease of conversation, the informative tour of the facilities, and the overall positive impression of the institution.
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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 suggested the admissions office to consider offering a mix of open and closed file interviews to reduce stress and streamline the process. Additionally, there were recommendations to eliminate snail mail in favor of online systems for quicker communication and updates.
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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
📍 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.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents are in state students.
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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MOB
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Mobile airport
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PNS
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Hotel or at a hotel.
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
Based on the responses provided by the users, the most commonly mentioned hotel they stayed in is the **Hampton Inn**.
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Best Western
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Best Western Ashbury Hotel & Suites
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Courtyard by Marriott
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Drury Inn
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Hampton Inn & Suites Providence Park/Airport
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 are your comments on where you stayed?
No responses
All Responses
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