Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 19% of interviews, indicating it is highly 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 average 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 were related to personal motivations for pursuing medicine, experiences detailed in the AMCAS application, ethical dilemmas, strengths and weaknesses, career goals, and specific scenarios in healthcare. Many respondents mentioned being part of an MMI format and being under a nondisclosure agreement, with questions focusing on a wide range of topics from academic performance to future aspirations and ethical considerations in medicine.
It looks like your only clinical experience wasa month two years ago. (Not a question, but also untrue, most of my experiences are clinical and have a current full-time job in clinical research...)
Tell me about your experiences (on AMCAS) and how they have prepared you for a career in medicine (very open)...also prompted me to discuss something others may not focus on.
Nothing really, just a very engaged conversation. He found out a lot of my extracurricular interests and then invited one of his colleagues who shared those interests in on the conversation. Very chilled out
Some of the standard stuff: Why UVM, questions about experiences on AMCAS(they only have your amcas, no letters of rec), what type of doctor do you want to be...
What does UVM stand for? my interviewer didn't ask me this, but they asked other applicants in my group. It does NOT mean university of vermont. Google it, it's latin.
Have you ever been in a conflict during school or in the ER. How did you handle it ? Do you forseee any conflicts that may arise while working as a doctor?
How did Native Am. etc.? What do you think will be hardest in med school? How can I explain to the admissions commitee that you're scores are not reflective of how intelligent you are?
If a company gives you sample drug worth $ 2000, do you think it is a fair solution to the problem that many people out there don't have health care insurance? How would you distribute them?
What are the strengthes and weaknesses of UVM?
What do you do to relax?
How do you deal with the tremendous pressure of medical school?
What is the bigest problem in health care right now?
Why medicine?
Why the University of Vermont?
If a kid comes to your office with a genetic problem and the monther says don't tell my minor kid about his/her disease? what would you do?
You seem to have a lot of both clinical and basic science research. Have you considered doing MD PhD? If not why only MD?
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Any questions for me?
Definetly know the ethical dilemmas regarding any area you have worked or volunteered with. (i.e. I have experience working with hospice so we had a long talk about end-of-life care)
Why MD/Phd? This was more of a grilling session...(the guy pretty much presented the woefully long duration of the program, difficulty level, stress afterwards to dissaude me...I just smiled.
very conversational... where do you want to settle in the future? why uvm? why medicine? are you a patriots fan? oh, and my interviewer knew my file really well (particularly my personal statement and a select few activities) so be prepared to go in-depth with your responses
So you volunteered at a clinic...(there were many of these instances where he would make a statement without any question and then wait for me to just start talking about it).
Do you think you can handle medical school? (asked 4-5 times in a row, answered something like this: yes, absolutely, definitely, infinitely sure I can hack it, I've survived X, Y, and Z, therefore I believe I can survive medical school...) (a test perhaps?)
Why do you want to come here? (asked in various ways for the first 15-20 minutes of the interview) probably important for them to ask applicants from warmer climates and big cities--totally understandable
Students said most interesting question asked at University of Vermont College of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, from personal experiences to healthcare reform and ethical dilemmas. While some interviews were conversational, many applicants mentioned a focus on their background, motivations for medicine, and societal healthcare issues, with a notable absence of standout or thought-provoking questions, indicating a standard yet thorough interview process.
None really interesting, but he seemed very interested in getting to know my family life and background. He asked me to tell him where my parents came from and their background as well as my life story... It was low stress though.
What do you think about the new healthcare reform? (It was like a day after it had passed...we spent most of the interview conversing about this topic)
Tell me about your high school visits (I went back to my HS last year and I'm going back this year again to talk to kids about college. We actually spent a good deal of time on this.)
I was directly asked the basic questions like tell me about yourself, your interest in UVM, why you want to be a doctor, and then the rest of the interview was basically just a conversation.
I showed an interest in pediatric oncology and the interviewer's response was: "Dont you realize these kids are going to die? Why would you want to be part of that?"
If someone found a homeless person passed out downtown and they were brought to the hospital, do you think that they would be denied care? Why or why not?
If you were new to an area and needed to be seen by a physician what is the #1 most important characteristic for that physician to have? (He would take "a cold fish scientist before a humanistic physician").
He asked about an article I had written for s journal. He said he hadn't heard of the disorder the article was about, but he asked a bunch of relevant follow-up questions, so he was definitely testing me.
It was a 45min exploration of ethics, the question just kept becoming more focused and pointed after I answered. The interviewer was very attentive and didn't let me get away with making generalizations
Why do you think there has been an increase in the number of cases of ADHD diagnosed over the last few years? (this question was specific to me considering my research is in the area of child psychiatry and ADHD)
Take your pick: Taiwan politics, international policy, fishing in Lake Champlaign, perceptions of Americans overseas, being a military doctor, health care policy.
Young woman (teenager), who is 17 years old, is in your office for a routine check-up, but is really there to find out if she is pregnant(and indeed she is), and her mom is outside in the waiting room, would you tell the mother about her daughter's pregnancy or not?
Many questions asked me to draw from experiences and think aobut things a little more in depth than in some interviews. For example, did a particular patient stand out to me? Has a patient/family member of a patient ever angered me? What was my favorite book? Why was it my favorite book? What about the characters could I relate to?
Students said most difficult question asked at University of Vermont College of Medicine discussed the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format where respondents faced nondisclosure constraints. Common inquiries revolved around addressing challenges in healthcare delivery, justifying academic performance, future career aspirations, ethical dilemmas, personal failures, and motivations for pursuing medicine, creating a diverse and introspective interview experience.
My interviewer, and other interviewees told me similar things, was only interested in getting to know me better. There were no ethical or difficult questions. It was very conversational.
Any failures? I tried to avoid the question by saying that whey something does not work out, I do not see it as a failure but the interviewer (he) insisted that I answer the question specifically. So I came up with something.
Who is someone you don't want to be like? I couldn't think of an answer, so she changed it to name a situation where it was difficult to work with somebody.
Tell me something that isn't in your AMCAS application. (This was hard because I basically put everything I could into my AMCAS and I wasn't expecting this question).
Why medicine? [I've answered this a million times, it seems, so it's hard to keep telling the story well and still make it seem spontaneous and genuine]
None really difficult, it was more of a conversation. But, if I had to classify the *most* difficult, it was probably: ''how do you deal with failure?''
If you are treating brothers and one has Huntington's disease, would you inform the the other brother of his family's health risk? What if he was going to have children? Do you have that right?
What do you think is a good solution to the financial problems facing primary care providers in terms of low payments from medicare and high operating costs, etc. (After I answered, he told me he didn't actually expect me to come up with "THE answer")
"I don't think you're cut out well to be a doctor. Please contradict me so that you have a chance of acceptance with the admissions committee."
Of anything in the news in the past 6 months, which news story/issue had the most impact on you, in that it had both near- and far-reaching implications?
A stem cell research question. This is an area that I had limited information so I had made a point of reading up beforehand but I couldn't ramble as comfortably as I would have liked.
How do pronounce "aptotosis?" He had reviewed my file very thoroughly and was asking because I had worked in a dementia lab over 7 years ago. Couldn't remember much about that experience at all when asked.
Who is your favorite Jazz guitarist? (I know it doesnt sound hard....but I don't really have one. I listen to alot of jazz and dont pay much attention to who it is. I felt pretty weird not being able to answer. I just hope he didnt think I lied about listening to jazz...because I do.)
See above. I messed up here. I thought he was referring to my communication skills. He later rephrased the question. Hey, it was my third interview that day and I was tired after less than 4 hours of sleep in two days.
None. My interviewer seemed to just be going through the motion of asking some standard questions. Didn't seem interested in getting to know me better and to see if I fit into the school.
Do you really think you have enough clinical experiences to know what being a doctor is all about? (This caught me off guard a bit, and I'm not sure I responded as well as I would have liked)
1 What do you think a busy month is like (# of hours) for a student/doctor? 2 have you ever had a communication problem or conflict with another person? how did you resolve it?
What are the cons of being independent (we were talking about Britain versus U.S.A). Then the interviewer went off on a strange tangent about the men in Vermont, and completely unrelated topics. I just nodded along.
Has the great twentieth-century american novel been written?
(goodness graciousness -- i now see one of the disadvantages of having a literature background)
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 reviewing their application materials, practicing with mock interviews, researching the school's website, and reading about current medical trends. Some also sought feedback from online forums like Student Doctor Network and engaged in discussions with current students to gain insights into the interview process.
I read materials about MMI as this was my first one. I also spoke with other applicants about MMI during our tour to get a sense of what it would be like.
Looked over my application file prior to interview. Know your story and what your specific motivations for going into medicine and why UVM is a good fit.
Mock-interviews, went over AMCAS personal statement, read SDN interview questions from this year at this school, went over interview questions by myself.
SDN interview feedback, review AMCAS application, review school website, review my old research material, look at current medicine and scientific articles
School's website, SDN interview feedback- made a list of previous questions and practiced answering them, spoke with pre-med dean at my undergraduate college
I overprepared; I spent lots of time brushing up on healthcare policy, ethics, current events. My interview, and everyone else's in my group was nothing more than a casual conversation. Very chill, relaxed, open, etc. So to prepare well, do some inner reflecting about the questions I've listed below.
Read this website; went over some current issues (esp. about Howard Dean since he is from Vermont AND a doctor..but no questions about him); looked over my personal statement...and of course, just be myself!
Read up on UVM and the new curriculum. Looked up info on the state of Vermont and the city of Burlington. Also ate some Ben and Jerry's and listened to some Phish (two Vermont mainstays :))
Read over all my applications. Knew the prospects and theory behind my research work. Looked up some facts about UVM and VT in general. Took a walk around town the day before- simply splendid!
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendliness and welcoming atmosphere of the interviewers, students, and staff at the University of Vermont. The positive and encouraging environment, the beautiful campus and facilities, the innovative Vermont Integrated Curriculum, and the emphasis on inclusivity, collaboration, and early clinical exposure were common highlights mentioned by applicants. Suggestions for improvement were minimal, with only a few minor comments about specific preferences or personal interests.
The interviewers were very friendly and genuinely seemed interested in what I had to say
Welcoming and friendly environment. Culture of inclusivity and diversity. Didn't feel like we were being tested, just tyring to get to know us and analyze our thinking skills.
LOVED the school, all of the students really want to be there and they all really have pride in their school. I actually liked Burlington a lot. Also, this school has an amazing and long history, I liked that a lot.
The medical school and hospital are very connected and right on the undergraduate campus, everyone was very friendly, and the facilities are brand new.
The interview was very relaxed. It was more of a conversation. This was a little tricky, though, because I wanted to get in all of my reasons why I'm a good applicant, and the interview wasn't focused on that.
The school's facilities are very new and technology driven. The curriculum is designed for the modern doctor - everything is integrated and about becoming a well rounded doctor.
Everyone was ridiculously friendly, the students seemed happy and well-supported, the curriculum and use of technology = awesome. My fellow applicants were all great too and had really interesting experiences and stories - yay for no mediclones!
UVM also went out of their way to make the interviews as low stress as possible. Seriously, they gave us cookies to munch on during the interview!
VIC and COMET are fantastic; students get their own notebooks from IS pre-loaded with COMET. The facilities (library, study spaces, etc.) are amazing & the students seem to genuinely enjoy being there & one another. UVM really fosters a positive environment that relies on cooperation rather than competition. It's definitely a place that I could see myself being happy at for 4 years.
The use of technology is very impressive. I sat in on a Convergence (PBL) class, and thought it was very neat how they used COMET to get information about the patient. Also, all material from your 4 years there stays on your COMET webpage and is organized nicely. Virtual microscope is a plus. The PBL faculty member was very nice and attentive to me. The students are chill. Burlington is pretty, but I am partial to New England anyway. I was also impressed by the undergrad institutions represented by the fellow applicants.
Everyone at the school was INCREDIBLY nice, including my interviewer. The facilities are brand-spanking-new, including the hospital, and the students seemed really happy.
Everything! Ok... I'm biased though because UVM is my first choice. But the facilities are amazing, COMET, the curriculum, all the students and staff were incredibly friendly.
The admissions office, students, $12500 UVM GRANT for students who qualify financially, how new everything is and how much more money they are planning to put into upgrades, the school is attached to the hospital, VIC, COMET, the doctor teaching the Generations class on herpes, elective rotations at any hospital in the country, massive amounts of electives, etc.
setting of school is gorgeous (right on lake with mountains in background). undegrad campus is right there so you can use gym, library, etc. This school is a hidden gem--top notch research especially with translational applications, top 5 in US for primary care, and state of the art new facilities for both the med school and hospital which is 150 feet away from the school! The facilities are just amazing, you will have to see for yourself, very 21'st century with awesome architecture. Curriculum seems very forward thinking. Financial aid talk was best I have seen and answered many questions other schools couldn't. The students we met genuinely seemed like they were stoked on the school
Pretty much everything. Burlington is laid-back and very relaxed. The surrounding area is beautiful with Lake Champlain and surrounding mountains on either side. The facilities are pretty much brand new and very impressive. Also, the integration of technology into the education is fantastic and the integrated curriculum is pretty amazing.
The staff was very professional, great presentations and nice people. The school is BEAUTIFUL and the new curriculum is something they are really proud of, for good reason. Also great use of technology.
The students! I really felt like I clicked with them. The integrated curriculum has TONS going for it. The centralized online repository for lecture notes, study materials, exam questions, and the student-updated wiki for each class. The easygoing collegial atmosphere that drips off of the students. The town is beautiful and has progressive politics. The compression of the front part of the curriculum allows students to have much more clinical time than at other schools. You receive a numerical grade that then translates into pass/fail/honors. Some students don't seem overworked or stressed at all. All exams are board multiple-choice format.
How friendly everyone was. How technology is integrated into the curriculum. Students take the USMLE Step 1 in January of their 2nd year, leaving more time for clinical rotations/electives.
Facilities are beautiful, VIC is outstanding program, students were extremely excited about being at UVM and were enthusiastic about their experiences so far. Financial Aid meeting was very informative, EVERYONE was extremely friendly. When I got lost trying to find the admissions office, the janitor walked me to the room and talked to me the whole way - that was my first impression.
I loved every aspec of my visit. I was really really impressed with VIC and COMET. The facilities are amazing! Some brand new buildings. And most importantly, the people there are so nice. Some students exchanged emails with me to help me further. I'm already getting along with the students! :) Just an awesome experience!
Everything!!!! UVM is very close to my hometown, excellent curriculum and reputation, friendly people, beautiful small ciy and a progressve community. There is no other school I want to get into more than UVM.
Great facilities, friendly students, beautiful campus. The new curriculum seems to work really well, and the students do not have to worry about competition for grades or class rank. Also, perfect place for someone who isn't that enthusiastic about living in a huge urban area for the next four years.
The school is AMAZING ... brand new facilities, great technology, every student gets a laptop with lecture notes, slides, animations etc preloaded. All the students seemed enthusiastic and loved the program. The new curriculum seems to be working quite well.
Facilities, student and faculty. The city of Brulington is small but in a good way. All the stores and bars are in a 10 block radius with a great nightlife.
Well-rounded curriculum, although still relatively new. Use of technology throught the entire program. The admissions staff were fantastic---from myfirst contact with Ms. Keefe who went out of her way to schedule (and reschedule!) my interview to the way the interview day was organized, the admissions staff were very friendly.
The med students were really encouraging and had very positive things to say about the school, the school's facilities are new and impressive, and the faculty and staff seemed happy and inviting. (You will especially love Mary Campbell in admissions; what a lady!)
VIC gets students into the clinical setting early; facilities are well equipped / newly renovated; students collaborate rather than compete and really like the program; Burlington and the nearby mountains are rad!
Everybody was incredibly friendly, the Dean of the college spoke to us and asked us for questions, my interviewer and I actually left the room to go look at things during the interview.
The town of Burlington (New England quaint yet liberal-minded and open-armed in a mid-western kind of way). I found it an idyllic place to study for 4 years, as well as to raise a family or retire.
Also - the facilities - the new medschool building, the new hospital atrium and communicore additions with a new medical library - they are simply out of this world modern and cool. There's twisting metal surfaces that remind me of Frank Gehry's Bilbao museum and the Seattle Project for Music. Small Group rooms have 20'' LCD's connected to digital microcopes, large whiteboards, 42'' plasmas, a conference table with electrical and ethernet hookups, etc. And huge windows that give on the main plaza between the school and hospital. Spectacular facilities, truly worthy of an upscale architecture consortium.
EVERYTHING! THIS SCHOOL IS AMAZING. CAN'T SAY THAT ENOUGH. I went in not expecting much, but was completely blown away. Fletcher Allen (the hospital) looks more like a mall than a hospital
The facilities are brand spanking new. The town is quite picturesque and everything is quite accessible. All the students seemed to be really enthusiastic about their school.
Facilities are beautiful (except maybe the cramped lecture hall); students and faculty were extremely positive, nice and enthusiastic about the program and curriculum.
The facilities, everything is brand NEW! The curriculum, you have class in the morning and patients in the afternoon/night. Awesome! Plus, how close Montreal is!
Beautiful location and facilities; very friendly admissions staff and students; some of the use of technology; flexibility in the last year for electives and research.
Burlington is the shiznit: a quaint, rustic little town with old-world charm, like they would film a sitcom there or something...UVM has a true cozy, east coast feeling to it. Everyone is VERY friendly, and the hospital and medical school itself are very newly redone. I'm impressed. You will be too.
student happiness; quality of life; facilities are new; COMET truly integrates technology into the VIC; cooperative spirit; Vermont Integrated Curriculum (but USLME Step 1 is in Feb!)
The library, lecture halls, common spaces, and how happy and approachable the students were. Plus, everything in Vermont in general just seems to work efficiently/smoothly and people are helpful and pleasant...as opposed to DC, where I live. Just an observation
Every single person I met was very nice and welcoming. The new facilities and buildings are great. Very non-competitive, cooperative atmosphere. Integrated curriculum. Beautiful town.
New facilities are amazing. The fact that the Senior Education Dean stopped by at lunch to speak to us and really gave a comprehensive overview of the curriculum and what makes the school unique in its educational philosophy and the way it educates students. He had me convinced that this is the school for me.
The curriculum, the support of the admissions staff and administration, the facilities. Their lunch rivaled the University of Nebraska! It was delicious!
I loved this school! All of the people were so nice, and the faculty seemed so devoted to the students. It was a really laid back, non-competative environment.
Everyone seemed so friendly and willing to help. Even random med students in the hallway asked a group of us waiting for our interviews if we had any questions about the school.
Laid-back and supportive students and admissions staff. A wonderful time to apply to UVM because of the new curriculum, new addition onto the hospital, and new medical education center on the school.
I was really impressed by the close knit community. Everyone seemed genuinely nice and willing to help each other. What most impressed me though was the VIC program.
The friendliness of the staff and students, and their enthusiasm for the VIC. Also the VIC itself and how much the school seems invested in the success of its students.
The staff and students were extremely friendly, enthustiastic and down to earth. My impression of the school is that they are very supportive of their students and encourage them to have a balance life. Given the school's devotion to their students, I can only imagine their commitment to their community and patients. I never thought Vermont would be so great!
the facilities are brand new, you can do rotations at maine, even though there may be a waitlist for those. you take exams on the computer and you are given a laptop.
Everyone at the school was so enthusiastic and happy to be there. The physician who interviewed me made the time fly by. I hope that all of my interviews are like this. The campus is state of the art and is beautiful.
1) New facilities
2) Everyone was supernice
3) The teaching hospital is a stone's throw away from lecture hall
4) HP, P, F system (not competitive)
5) Good match rates despite low selectivity rank
6) Awesome town
7) Curriculum constantly reinforces what you have learned
Everyone was SO laid-back and relaxed, students were happy and friendly, BRAND NEW facilities are beautiful, new Vermont Integrated Curriculum, you get a laptop when you first get there
The VIC is an excellent program. It allows for early clinical experience, proper and thorough intergration of the basic science and clinical sciences, ethical/medical leadership/teamwork group discussions, the re-learning method to reinforce material over the course of the four years spent in medical school and much more. Additionally, a lot of construction went into the new areas and availability of course materials. The standardized patient facility is excellent as well. Lastly and most importantly, the students, faculty and admission staff that I met with were sincere, outgoing, enthusiastic and very helpful.
The friendliness of the students and how approachable they are. I love the new curriculum and all the interest groups UVM has. It is not bad for a town. If you like snow and out door activities, then this is a good place for you. I also like the fact that students can do their residency in Maine.
Everyone was very nice including students, faculty, and staff. People seem to really form a community and bond together. The overall goal isn't competition but rather collaboration.
everyone there (students, faculty, admissions staff) seems incredibly happy and satisfied. Even though boards were two weeks away the students we met didn't seem to be dying of anxiety. High marks for the VIC
The people in Burlington, the students, and the administrative staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. Everybody seems to love it there. They were all very happpy, enthusiastic, and just simply glad that they were at uvm.
My interviewer asked very fair questions. Nothing was out of the blue, out of the ordinary. She responded to my answers, helped conversation to flow, and told me at the end that she thought the interview had gone well. It was nice that she told me what she was thinking, it showed that she was sensitive enough to know that that would be the question that would be burning in my mind when I left. It made it much easier to wait the three months it took for the decision to come. I was accepted.
The focus is not on competition. The focus is on collaboration. The students seemed very happy and were all very friendly. The new VIC seems really wonderful.
The students appeared exceptionally down-to-earth. There doesn't seem to exist the same competitive attitude that can be found at other schools. Much more collegial at UVM.
Very relaxed and supportive environment of the school & the staff. The students seem warm & cozy despite the cold weather. The small town evironment is quaint.
Just walking around, people noticed I was in a suit and they asked if I was interviewing, and asked how it went. They then told me how great the school was. Very nice staff/students!! They gave a 1/2 hour financial aid talk which was boring but VERY informative and gave very important info. My interviewer was very sweet and nice and asked many questions and I felt like I was better able to represent myself at this interview than at any others. Burlington is a very nice little town and a friend who goes to UVM says the town is a blast year round. If you don't like Burlington, you can leave for your 3rd/4th years and go to Maine, NY, and I think even Boston.
Very informal...interview was more of a conversation. Everybody was very welcoming and the new facilities look like they are going to be incredible. Tuition includes a Dell laptop and everything is done online. The Financial Aid representative had tons of information and was extremely helpful.
Everything, I was in beautiful Burlington for two perfect fall days, the city is small but fantastic. The school itself is finishing lots of new construction and is in the 2nd year of a massive curriculum change. The new curriculum sounds great, lots of integrated learning, very open to student input. It utilizes a lot of new tech as well (like integrating imaging--X-ray, MRI, CT, ultrasound--into all the courses from the getgo) they give you a new dell laptop 1st year which you can buy for $1 3rd year, it has everything you need to do classwork from home if you need to or learn better that way. However, MOST impressive were the students, all the 1st and 2nd years had a major exam the next day and they all seemed low-stress and would stop us to ask how things were going and give us advice on how to impress our interviewers. They all seemed really happy with UVM, not just the folks that gave the tour but everyone I met.
A lot. Of the 4 med schools I interviewed at, the students here were by far the happiest and most interesting. You get the impression that they think they are at the best med school in the world -- they genuinely have no regrets coming here. The faculty really do care about teaching the students -- there personality pervades the feel of the campus: chill, fun-loving, hard-working, focused but also can see the big picture. The curriculum is great too. The length of the interview day is perfect: not a dull moment because talking to students filled up any free time, and it gave you a great impression of the whole of the school.
The supportive atmosphere of the medical school, new buildings for 2005, the Vermont Integrated Curriculum, everyone was laid back and very friendly. A lot of students from all over the country and is very diverse.
Interviewer was extremely friendly, students were friendly, open and honest, everyone seems to enjoy being there, students entering this fall will likely receive tablet PCs (most of the handouts and supplemental material are online/handed out on floppies -- this year the first years received laptops), integrated curriculum, instead of exam blocks (ie. several exams over the course of many days) students take one exam at the end of every block that encompasses many disciplines -- probably the same amount of work but only one exam.
The graduate programs and level of intergration among the departments. I arrived about 7am and talked to an M1 for about 45 minutes. She was extremely nice and other students wanted to answer our questions too.
The students were so happy and friendly. They genuinely get along and help each other, and they have great faculty support. I think if I went there I would make wonderful friends.
The student body. The integrated curriculim. The fact that you finish basic sciences in 1.5 years and take boards in the winter time. World renowned faculty members.
major facilities upgrade (over $300 mil) done by our first year in (Feb-2005), the students and the non-competitive atmosphere are major assets of uvm med, a very supportive faculty that med students regularly each lunch with, burlington has a college town feel but its got a ton of bars on or around church street, and vermont is just pristine
The students were incredibly enthusiastic about the school and so eager to talk to us. I felt really welcome. I also like the new integrated curiculum, clerkships start in March of the second year.
My student host is probably one of the nicest people I've ever met. She LOVED her school and it seemed that it was a sentiment shared by all the students I met that day. Everyone was really nice.
students seemed incredibly happy across the board, even just while we were waiting for the day to start, many (completely unaffiliated with the tour/interview day) came up to us to give us encouragement/advice and told us how much they liked the school; also, the school seems to be headed in the right direction--the new curriculum seems to be a significant improvement over the "traditional" curriculum (it was just fully implemented for the first-year class) and it's cool because of early clinical exposure (start rotations 2nd semester 2nd year)--in addition to the fact that they're constructing a brand new medical school facility
The faculty's involvement in the school and the warmth of the admissions committtee. The day was planned to the minute and the interviewer had taken the time to read my file.
The students. We caught the first-years on neuroanatomy exam day, yet they still took time to talk to us during their breaks and a few had lunch with us. Medical school is on main University campus, providing a nice academic environment as well as use of University facilities.
The people at UVM and in Burlington were so friendly. It seems like a wonderful place to spend 4 years. Classes are small, the curriculum is exciting, and clinical exposure begins early. I was also very impressed by the flexible 3rd and 4th year schedule. Some students spend much of their clinical time in Portland, Maine (b/c they want to). Even though Burlington is very small, it has a lot to offer: the Church Street Marketplace, the mountains, and Lake Champlain. It has some great restaurants and shops as well as a really progressive feel for a small town.
students seemed happy and satisfied. They had a nice variety of experiences in their education...curriculum seems to allow them enough latitude to do that.
How well organized the interview day was and how amazingly friendly and happy students seemed to be, even in the midst of exams. UVM really makes the effort to make you feel comfortable and relaxed the day of your interview. I also enjoyed my fellow interviewees! Positive vibes all around. If you partake in any kind of winter outdoor activities, this is the place to be! If you ride, check out the Burton Snowboard Factory store...that place is like a shrine!
Applicants were primarily concerned about the high out-of-state tuition costs, lack of diversity in the patient population, the cold weather in Burlington, limited clinical opportunities on-site, and the ongoing construction affecting facilities. Suggestions for improvement included more thorough tours, better financial aid presentations, and addressing the impersonal or intense interview format.
After the interview, we had a chance to talk to a student ambassador in groups of seven and she talked very poorly of the Connecticut campus (she chose VT) which was very offputting.
New curriculum means mandatory hands-on group work every day, and clinical rotations are scattered all over the northeast and Florida so housing will be an issue in 3rd and 4th year
The process was very impersonal. The MMI format is far too rigid. It basically turns into a contest of which applicants can answer the question the best instead of giving each applicant the freedom to truly present themself as a candidate.
Diversity in Burlington will be an issue. It's a small college town. That said I think the medical school made a point of addressing this and wants to broaden perspectives in the school.
Financial aid presentation was not positive for OOS students. The presenter rushed through the presentation and made me, as an OOS student, feel that I had no options for scholarships.
Nothing negative specifically, but the interview day was very formal. The tour was run by admissions staff and I felt like it would have been valuable to get more of a student's perspective on the school.
I wasn't expecting such an intense interview, but I do appreciate that my interviewer spent so much time getting to know me. She wanted to see if I was a good fit for UVM - makes sense to me.
The fact that you don't start seeing patients until the later part of the first year, how the patient population is so homogeneous, how incredibly rural it is (which could also be a plus, however), the price
That my interviewer wouldn't enter into a dialogue with me. I expected a conversational-style interview from a place like UVM but got much the opposite. I understand that the interview is their chance to get to know us, but it's also helpful to be able to view them as people and possibly future colleagues.
The hospital seemed pretty small compared to others I've seen. The interview itself felt like an hour-long interrogation, but perhaps I had just been spoiled by the conversational interviews I had at other schools.
Students take Step I in Feb. of second year (vs. May at other schools), and start clerkships right after that. This means the preclinical years are more intense than usual, because they have to cover 2 years' worth of material in 1 1/2 years. Also, there's no summer break in year 3, so year 4 lasts 16 months.
Nothing about the school (this is a trend for me LOL). But be aware that cancellations and massive delays are quite frequent for Burlington International.
it gets cold there in winter (of course) and the bars don't have happy hour (but they do have food specials) that's about it. not really any cute girls in the group :(
Everyone said the interview would be very laid back and conversational. This was not the case for me, I was asked LOTS of questions with NO feedback from my interviewer.
Classes run longer in the day than some other schools because the first two years are compressed into 18 months (although this may be for only the 12-week anatomy part, I'm not sure). My host studies 12 hours a day or more, and although he says there are students there who work harder than him, the students we had lunch with all seemed incredibly laid back and like they hardly worked hard at all. No ability to get resident tuition if you start off as a non-resident. You have to use laptops for all exams.
The library - visually interesting, but worthless as a study space, as there are maybe 50 seats for studying. The
tour guides said it was only temporary, as there is major construction going on, but the "temporary" period will be during the next couple years, which is when we would all be there. Also, the student computer lounge was about the size of my old dorm room.
If possible it is like the attitude at UVM is almost too relaxed but their 96% step 1 pass rate really counters any negative associated with this. There is very little ethnic diveristy in Burlington and even less in the medical school.
The diversity...there isn't much in this department but the university is doing a lot to bring in more. There are many muticultural groups that you can join.
There was nothing negative - though some people might feel a detraction from the small-townsy nature of Burlington, I fell in love with its New England charm and open-arms and minds. There are plenty of great restaurants (oh, the food is exquisitely tastey and fresh), plenty of bars downtown, a small outlet mall with the best shops (think Armani with outrageously low prices), and a movie theater, stage theater, etc.
The one detraction I found was my interviewer - though nice, the particular ER physician I was assigned was kind of dead-pan and quiet and gave long piercing stares during my responses (felt like a renegade shrink at first), but the tone softened up later on. That said - everyone else seemed to have had very calming, conversational interviews. I seemed to have gotten one of those interviewers who enjoys making you feel uncomfortable to see how you gauge stress.
Too obsessed with use of technology (?); they do not videotape lectures; while curriculum is newfangled with its block approach, the science is still almost completely lecture, not much small group work or problem-based learning in the first year and a half.
Going to UVM is heeella CA$H. If your an out-of-stater, you have to pay out of state tuition for all 4 years, totalling over 250,000. That didn't sound too bad, afterall, doctors make cheese right? But, the financial aid lady burst my bubble when she said the average monthly payment for a loan was over $1000 a month. While you're a resident making like $3000 a month? OUCH!
research not really a selling point; students don't care about board scores - while their pass rate is high, they didn't impress me w/ their overall performance; LACK OF RACIAL/ETHNIC DIVERSIT; Vermont law precludes having a student-run clinic
it seemed like the admission staff tried hard to be "cool" and sell us on the place--I guess the idea was to make us feel less nervous before our interviews but it really wasn't necessary. I did enjoy the med students who ate lunch with us--they all seemed happy and really took the time to answer our questions about thier experiences with the curriculum and what it is really like.
The only downfall to UVM is the cost of tuition. However, you can opt to do your rotations (starting in your 2nd year!) in Portland, ME, and if you do, they pay for housing costs.
Would have liked a more diverse cross-section of the student body to interact with during the lunch chat session. The three students were friendly and knowledgable but were very similar.
Interviewer seemed more interested in reading questions directly off from a sheet instead of really trying to get to know me as a person. Was more of a interrogation than a conversation. Also, having the interview last after a long day.
I learned that the class was not very diverse and were predominantly caucasian. But! There is definitely opportunity to serve a very diverse population.
no chance of becoming in-state resident. my interviewer pointed out that the academic teaching is very compressed since students see patients early in their education.
The school overall claims to be a genuinely friendly, non-competitive environment. However, my interview was extremely cut-throat, and my interviewer seemed to dislike me and be biased against me from the very start. In reality, the school almost seemed a bit... communistic. Any sort of competitiveness or desire to accel was looked at negatively. Everyone is discouraged from studying alone. You are supposed to do just as well as everyone else, not any better.
Tuition, but all schools are expensive. The interviewer seemed to have already made a decision about me, and interupted my answers to ask the next question.
1) High tuition for out-of-staters (~60,000/year)
2) Early boards
3) Little diversity (but they say patient population and student population are getting more diverse)
The out of state cost is something to think about, but the interview day builds in a very informative financial aid discussion that has helped to guide me where I need to look for financial aid, where not to look and how to minimize my debt as best as possible.
The committee meets three times, one in nov ( i think), one in feb and one in april. You may be put on a waiting list, but they accept 100 and wait list about 300. The student host told me that most of her classmates were actually from the wait list.
The student tour was the least impressive. I work at the school so I know what it has going for it. UVM is in the middle of a "Renaissance Project" so the construction makes things seem sort of in a disarray. i.e. the temporary library is not very appealing. I think that more focus could have been placed on the upcoming renovations. Also, seeing the anatomy lab would have been nice and also walking through the hospital where students do their clinical rotations might have made the school seem more appealing.
The school is under renovation therefore we could only tour the older, more archaic portions of the school (which most likely were the motivation to renovate in the first place).
There wasn't much of a tour (which I didn't really care about, but someone else may), and while the main campus of UVM is very old and nice, the med school itself isn't that nice. However, they are doing a huge renovation which should be done in July 2005. If you can't stand/don't like cold, DON'T GO HERE! It was 30 degrees, ridiculously windy, and at times snowing. Oh and it's insanely expensive for out-of-staters.
Not much, I was worried about clinical opportunities in such a small setting but they have students doing 3rd and 4th year work in NYC, Boston, and internationally even though their primary sites are Burlington and Portland, ME. Also, with a new curriculum some of the students were concerned about the USMLE pass rate. The man that gave us our intro to the school (and was a big part of the new curriculum) is one of the directors (or something intimately involved) with writing the USMLE and he put concerns to rest. It is also one of the MOST expensive schools out there, but hey, if we didn't love debt we wouldn't apply to med school.
Tour guides who seemed to think they were "cool" for giving the tour and talking to prospective students. 1 girl seemed tired, 1 girl seemed not very intelligent, 1 girl was both intelligent and informative. Also, most of the fellow interviewees did not seem terribly outgoing nor talkative.
how the school prides itself on non-stress interviews. i wasted 200 bucks and took 2 days off school for that nonsense. the guy said i wasn't tough enough for med school and then that i wasn't sensitive enough. wth?? got into a much better school though so don't listen to them that try to put you down! also dropped me off after the interview in some strange underground parking lot and then just told me to find my way back from there.
Didn't have an opportunity to visit the hospital (which is still under construction.) It is hard to actually get to the med school (again, construction, and not enough parking.) Not many places to study because library is still not finished (again, construction.)
too cold for too long, medical school is under much renovation until 2005, diversity of patients is nonexistant. everyone in vermont is 90% caucasian white catholics as i was told by medical students there. I went to a pizza uno on route 7 headed toward burlington (do not go there) and there were blatant racism in my face by everyone who worked there. also during the tour at uvm, for lunch in the cafeteria, the cashier ladies were very rude and almost insulting (ex- i tried to add a candybar to my meal and they wouldn't allow me to do so just because i handed my voucher in 2 seconds before). give me a break. the student in front of me already handed her ticket in and was adding to her tray! unbelievable. ignorance and racism is still rampant here in burlington, although i did meet numerous friendly and nice people on the uvm campus.
The 6 months of winter (-20F<->10F), 60K per year for out-of-state residents. I wished I would have talked to the interviewer a little bit longer, but it was fine.
Lecture halls were a bit primitive, new curriculum is a "work in progress", construction won't be finished until sometime in 2005, winter is harsh there, Burlington is very rural, gym and student parking are a bit far from the medical school buildings.
The tour was not organized...I was really looking forward to the tour...it's a major factor when I consider schools. I can always go back for a second look...
the library which is basically a converted courtyard with books, nice carpet, and a roof over it but the new one looks to be sweet. Also that you cant qualify for state tuition under normal circumstances (like buying a house, or marrying a Vermont resident)
Small town, the facility is small but currentlly expanding but wont be done till late 2005, limited diversity in clinical training, bugs still being worked out with the new integratd ciriculum. Expensive for out of state!!
Construction won't be done until 2006. That's not really their fault though. Students have to compete for study space in the meantime. It takes a lot of travel time to get to Burlington.
Burlington is a wealthy, homogeneous town. My interviewer reflected that Burlington was not like the rest of Vermont, in that Vermont has serious health problems related to access and the issues that come with a rural environment. Burlington just felt a little too perfect.
Burlington is smaller than I thought and there is not much of a "metropolitan area." It's kind of funny that UVM considers Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME to be their "urban" hospital. I'm not sure what I think about the new curriculum either.
A lot of construction; things will be nice in a few years, but right now it is a bit tough to get around and the temporary library is a little cramped. UVM tutition for out-of-staters, and Burlington itself for that matter, is very expensive; you definitely pay for the lake and mountain views
No alcohol allowed at dinner. . . The other applicants were a little brutal with each other. One of the applicants had a severe peanut allergy and he was not able to attend dinner, nor were the arrangements to accomodate him.
The tour didn't really show us that much, we didn't see the hospital. And the school campus seems small and a little crowded. The food was not so good!
If you're coming from the west coast, the travel day to Burlington can be very long, especially if you utilized Southwest airlines. However, I have no negative feelings about the actual college of medicine or Burlington.
My interviewer. Weird guy who asked weird and somewhat inappropriate questions. Plus, interview was slow because they did a schedule change so that my interviewer was not familiar with my file.
Applicants commonly wished they had known ahead of time about the relaxed and conversational nature of the interview, the lack of official campus tours, the choice between Vermont and Connecticut for clinical rotations, and to bring appropriate clothing for cold weather. Suggestions included preparing for a conversational interview, researching the interviewer in advance, and being aware of potential delays for out-of-state applicants.
That my interviewer really didn't ask me any of the standard questions such as "Why do you want to be a doctor/go into medicine?" or "Why do you want to attend UVM?"
The name of the person who would be interviewing me...I'd like to have prepared myself. Also, if you are in-state make sure to fill out the residency application BEFORE you go to your interview...did not know that beforehand.
That if you are out of state, prepare to wait. You are going straight to the waitlist no matter what. They toy around with out of state students even though most of their students are out of state.
Don't book a JetBlue flight out of Burlington, because they don't have that many flights there. If they cancel on you (like they did to me), you'll have to stay overnight or pay a fortune to get out on another airline.
That they give a $12500 grant to any student who qualifies. For an OOS student, this cuts the costs down to about $58000. Still a lot of money, but far more reasonable and very comparable to my IS schools. It's based on your FAFSA and has nothing to do with merit (they also have merit scholarships). I will definitely qualify for this, so it's something I'll keep in mind.
how boring burlington, vermont is.
its a cute town but has no diversity at all. not to mention theres on ly 40K people living there and its VERY far away from other larger multicultural and interesting cities.
How exquisitely beautiful Vermont is. Even if you don't plan on going to the school (for some crazy reason), just visit Vermont itself. It's extraordinarily beautiful country.
How much I'd like the school. My interviewer was a super nice MD who knew my application inside out and just wanted to know more about me. This was the most relaxed interview that I've been on so far. The facilities are AMAZING. Burlington is BEAUTIFUL.
How awsome this school was. It went from a security school to one of my top choices. I ahve been accepted to the Unviersity of Wisconsin (Madison), so the only reason I wont go to UVM if they accept me is their tuition. I wish I was from VERMONT!!
That going to vermont via plane from Canada (Toronto) is tough. If you miss the late flight, you are screwed. I had to drive all the way from Montreal...really really late at night.
The admissions committee EXPLICITLY told us that most out-of-state applicants are placed on the waiting list. It kind of sucks that most of us will probably have to wait until may-june to hear if we got in or not...
planning ahead and staying at a B and B would've been way cheaper and better than waiting til the last minute and paying a bunch of money at a lame hotel.
If you are driving (I had a rental car) you need to get a parking permit from the transportation/parking office near the medical school and then park in a designated visitor spot. This whole production takes about 20-25 minutes, so leave early. I paid $6 for the day.
I discovered that all of the other students I interviewed with had (like me), taken a few years off from college before applying to medical school. I thought this might make me stand out, because I had been working in the medical field, but all of the other students had graduated at least a year prior and had been working or doing research.
That my interviewer would not be laid-back like the majority of the interviewers are. He gave a WONDERFUL interview but challenged me quite a bit with his questions.
That lunch was a private engagement with students and the dean rather than a haphazard arrangement in the cafeteria as I had usually encountered at other schools. So rather than find the group, I took my own little tour of the facilities and headed back to the admissions office for the formal tour.
NEVER check your suit in your check in luggage. Mine didn't arrive with me and I had to go downtown, the DAY OF the interview and buy a brand new suit and shoes in time for my 11am interview.
I had no idea how great they were. The school is so much better than the info on their website. They went from my last choice school to my first choice school.
That you have to be a VT resident for a year BEFORE you apply or it's basically impossible to take advantage of in-state tuition rates at any point during your 4 years there.
that i was going to like the school. they are really friendly and warm, the adm staff knows the name and undergrad school of every student that came to talk to us, and there were aout seven of them.
I wish I had gone over more of the school's information and had more questions specific to actual programs and policies rather than just the pratice of medicine at the school and Vermont in general.
There is nothing that I wish I had known, but I wish that I had stayed with a student the night before and I feel that I missed out on a good experience.
For students coming from far away, it seems to ask alot of you, when basically you will arrive, see a talk, take a short tour and then wait for a while before having one interview. I wonder if phone interviews might be better for students from distant places, as the travel expenses can and do deter students from applying to many places.
You are told upon your arrival in the morning who will be interviewing you in the afternoon so you can do a little research on them in the student lounge, if you are so inclined.
UVM accepts a lot of non-traditional students (their average entering age for the last class was 25 or something) so this is a great place to apply if you have some time out of college and "life experience."
it's a good school but the enviroment/atmosphere is highly unfavorable. i encountered severe and obvious racism in burlington just because i was not white. vermont also allows civil unions for gays, and i saw many openly gay people in burlington, which i didn't like quite frankly speaking.
High tuition, virtually no possibility to gain in-state status, you take USMLE Step I in March or April of your second year, a lot of the new curriculum centers around the use of computers (quizes, grades, lecture notes/handouts, dissecting videos, more) -- one student said you could theoretically complete the entire basic sciences curriculum without ever really going to class except for labs and exams, although that's probably not recommended. Also, laptops are serviced and/or replaced by the school.
I got a great deal at the Fairfield Inn (Marriot) for $25/night..just go to priceline and book it!! I don't think you can get a better deal anywhere else!!
Burlinton International Airport is NOT AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. It's more like a terminal of a local , jet only airports. The security was up my a** and I hate small jets.
They begin clinical clerkships in their second year, lots of non-traditional students and students from california. I was interviewed by 2 people at the same time which was fine but different.
that the holiday inn i stayed at was under construction, so the banging of hammers until 9pm and starting at 7 am sucked, particularly since the interview didn't start until 11:15: DON'T STAY AT THE HOLIDAY INN!! (who says consumers can't have a say?)
A LOT of Californians; more than half the candidates that day, the tour guide, the asst. dean of admissions, etc... I think I read that Californians make up 40% of the class.
The new curriculum is just that: new. The class entering this August will be the crash test dummies for the new program. I don't think that elements of it have been beta tested at all. The VIC will be introduced all at once, not phased in.
The class of 2003 will be the guinea pigs for the new curriculum. I knew this somewhat but did not realize much of it has not been tested out before. 80% of UVM students are non-traditional!
In Burlington (and probably the rest of Vermont), if you buy clothes or shoes for under a $100, you are not taxed! I wish I had brought more spending money.
Applicants generally found the interview day at UVM to be a positive and enjoyable experience, with friendly and welcoming staff and students. There were mixed feelings about the interviewers, with some experiencing conversational and relaxed interviews, while others found their interviewers to be more intense or challenging. The new curriculum and facilities were generally well-received, though concerns were raised about the cost for out-of-state students and the location being rural and not diverse.
Great interview, very enjoyable time and I hope I am accepted.
UVM's admissions officers are very active and informative. Come prepared with questions, there is ample opportunity for you to ask questions.
I had a really positive experience with my student-host.
I did not like my interviewer, he ahd me go through my entire application and didn't leave room for discussion. Because of this I did not feel like he wanted to know me and my goals in hoping for an acceptance to medical school, instead it seemed like he just wanted to know what I had done. (which is already on my app)
My interview was very relaxed, but it depends completely on the interviewer. Some interviewees said that theirs went down a list of questions that included healthcare and ethics. I think either format could be advantageous and my advice is to just be yourself.
Great school...faculty truly care about the students and work together in a collaborative learning environment. Students match into great specialties...the extra time for clinical rotations is a huge plus.
UVM is my top choice. It is such a positive place to be - students and faculty were all very welcoming, and many wished us luck as they saw us waiting to be interviewed. The technology is awesome and the Integrated Curriculum is unmatched. Fletcher Allen would be a wonderful place to train, as well. I'd recommend GOING to your interview if you are invited, even if you aren't used to being in a rural area. UVM is the place to be!
The school and hospital are beautiful and physically attached. Students seem happy and relaxed and the environment is very collaborative. The curriculum is truly one of a kind and will give you much more clinical experience than other programs.
My interview lasted about an hour, approximately 10 minutes of which I spoke. I was worried that my interviewer wouldn't be able to get any sort of impression of me. He said I did well, but I'm not entirely sure how he came to that conclusion, seeing as I hardly got to talk to him.
Great school, just not on my wavelength (I'm from NYC). Of my +10 interviews this was probably the worst, the guy was unyielding and not very friendly. But he might have been this way because he saw through my BS about how I liked mountains.
Overall it was a good day. I think they should shorten the first morning presentation by the admissions person--it was way too long and the speaker sounded like he was on autopilot and droning on and on. I know they are are probably trying to make sure they cover everything but it really was too long.
The school is not very well integrated/diverse. If you are a multicultural person, it is probable that you feel isolated. There is lady that always sings when everyone gets together to meet the dean or whatever. OMG! she needs to stop that charade because we end up clapping or fake a smile even though we were not impressed for one bit.
Considering UVM's high primary care ranking, I expected to see a school that pushed its students in that direction. However, I got the sense that they encouraged any and all career paths. The match list is impressive (probably due in part to the innovative/integrated curriculum), with people going into all sort of fields. That being said, UVM is not a research school, and when I asked about research, people were a little unsure of the opportunities -- still, I'm sure they can be found if you look hard enough.
UVM seems like a wonderful place. The town seems nice, everyone is friendly, and the students look happy. My interviewer was incredibly kind and really seemed to care about getting to know me; he had obviously read my application closely and asked me questions that were tailored to my situation. I had a very positive visit to UVM, and would love to go there if I get in.
Once you visit it's easy to see why they rank so high for primary care. The VIC is amazing and logical. I don't see why every school doesn't have their curriculum set up this way. You take step 1 anytime in February of your 2nd year. This way you get to start rotations extremely early. My interviewer was great. She clearly took the time to read my application in great detail because we talked about almost every activity I had listed.
If I was to open a med school and need a model of how to run a good interview day, this is it. 9:30 start (not 8, god that kills those of us coming from west coast), learn about school, tour, then interview.
This school is phenomenal, I can't believe I almost didn't apply here.
The VIC (curriculum) is a very progressive systems based learning mode with lots of PBL and the longitudinal patient care program seems to be excellent. Students here actually take the step 1 early and have time for clerkships in year 2, which allows more time for research or elective clerkships in later years--students say they killed the boards with the VIC approach
I got my acceptance email recently and I enjoyed my day so much that it made a UC school I visited look pale by comparison.
if you get an interview here go, but beware, you may full under UVM's spell :
It was a great day and I enjoyed imagining myself as a medical student there next year (crossing fingers!) Appreciated the friendliness of everyone I met and the vegetarian food available. The interview building can be a little hard to find, so leave yourself plenty of time and don't be afraid to ask those around you for directions!
The whole day at UVM was really low key. The students were really nice and came up and talked to us. Also they have a new student lounge which is really nice.
The entire day was very stress-free and relaxed. The atmosphere of the entire school was casual (but professional) and friendly. I was a bit nervous because this was my first interview but everyone there was very welcoming and respectful of us.
Got there at 9:15am and was picked up by an admissions person at 10am and taken to a conference room where we had an overview of UVM, a couple more staff/faculty members stopped by to welcome us, which was nice. Then we had the financial aid talk followed by one of the deans who came to speak to us about UVM. Next, we had lunch/tour with the med students and then were dropped off to get picked up by our interviewers. While waiting several med students dropped by to comment, answer questions, and wish us luck.
Great school in a beautiful, but bubble-like location. Fantastic new curriculum, great use of technology. This place will prepare you to be a great physician, but limited experience to urban hospitals, and Burlington is small. Had a great time, though.
Arrival was 9:45, which was nice. It was a little hard to figure out where to go from the website, so you might want to plan ahead. They present some curriculum and financial aid stuff, and do the ''tell us something interesting about yourselves'' thing. (Note that they stress that you take ''only one class at a time'', but if you get a student to show you their actual schedule you will see that while they are studying one general area at a time, they are taking multiple lectures a day on different sub-aspects of that area, plus labs and other stuff. I think they try to sell it as one class so it doesn't seem like as much work as it is. They also try to stress that ''you meet your first patient during orientation'', but this is just a talk by someone with a particular disease; you really meet your first patient the spring of first year.) Lunch with students was tasty and informative, and about 5 or 6 students showed up, which was nice. Tour is all indoors (so we didn't have to go out in the snow), which is nice, but we saw hardly anything (they said we couldn't see the anatomy lab due to strict VT HIPPAA laws). Interviews are all in the afternoon. My interviewer came to pick me up 10 minutes early. Very conversational but it was clear she had some stuff she really wanted to know about me. She asked me several times if I had any more questions, even though I said no the second time.
While I heard it was meant to be low stress, it was actually worse than I expected. I interviewed in an examination room in the hospital and was uncomfortable throughout the whole process. When I mentioned a stats class I took five years ago, the interviewer drew a graph and asked me to explain the significance of some of the points... that was unexpected.
In general, while it was conversational, it didn't appear that the interviewer cared much about getting to know me. He would routinely ask questions and then not let me answer fully. It was kind of disappointing.
Having that interview was like a dream come true. The interview was really laid back and the interviewer was only trying to know me. I really hope I will get accepted.
Was lead into a doctor's examination room by my interviewer and chatted for about 40 minutes. The questions were pretty generic, but he was really a great guy.
Overall, it was a good experience. I drove to VT during a snow storm so that was the only thing I didn't like. I really loved the school and will be attedning this fall!
It was pretty good. I always freak out prior to these experiences, but staff was friendly and welcoming. One student who lead the tour was a little hardcore and told interviewers he had a tough ethical question in interview...kinda set a scary tone for a little while. The pediatrician I interviewed with was so nice, and only asked me one question about a bad grade I had had that I kinda struggled explaining.
Fantastic experience overall. They really have a lot of confidence about their school. The students seem to love the curriculum. I went in with high expectations and the school far exceeded them. I'd absolutely love to attend. They seemed incredibly nontrad friendly.
I applied to UVM back in July and was invted to interview in February, a pleasant surprise. It was a low-stress day and totally positive. I'm a poor interviewer so I doubt I did well, but I'm glad I got the chance. They seem to put a lot of thought into which interviewer you get. My interviewer did a good job, really knew my file.
Interviewer obviously took the time to review my file--asked very specific questions about my academics,volunteering. It seemed more like a discussion rather than just being asked questions
I walked away from UVM even more impressed than I had been prior to the interview. The staff was quite friendly, helpful and sincere. The students seem well-rounded, interested in having lives outside of the classroom and collaborate well with each other. I really got a positive impression from this school (though I was expecting my experience to be pretty positive, the great energy flowing out of this place blew me away).
My interviewer was a bit aloof/cryptic but we covered some areas of my AMCAS in great depth. The interviewer had obviously taken notes on my AMCAS ahead of time. However, I left feeling as though I hadn't spoken my case fully.
Just relax and answer your questions truthfully and without much ado about nothing. I remember about 5 interviewees who told me they were asked something unconventional, one even had one of those imponderable ethical questions - and when I consulted with Admissions staff, they nodded and admitted they like seeing how you react to a stressful situation in which there's no way out. (They're not mean about it, mind you). They'll just give you en ethical preponderance that has no clear answer - and they want to hear you say - A) no real answer, B) I'd have to discuss that with someone who's an Ethics expert, C) don't appear flustered MOST IMPORTANTLY; they want you to seem humble and calm about not knowing how to approach that mountain of a topic.
It was very pleasent. After arrival, all applicants waited together, then we were taken to a conference room where we heard about the school from multiple aspects (curriculum, residency, tuition...etc). Then, we spoke to students and had lunch. Then, we toured the school and interviewed. Interviewers were very nice, and it was a great experience overall.
The entire experience was really positive. My interviewer had my AMCAS and UVM applications, along with a list of questions he could choose from. The interview itself was pretty conversational, he would ask questions from his list and put them in the context of my experiences, eg. So how did experience X help you to decide the MD route? At the end of the interview he asked if I had any questions, then talked about the fact that despite being in rural Vermont, you'll still get good exposure to a broad base of patients. During the interview it felt like the interviewer was really just trying to get to know and befriend me rather than a grill and drill session. Overall, quite a good experience.
I didn't love the big group dynamic of the day (13 interviewees) but otherwise everyone was friendly and it felt personal. The location is beautiful so if you have the time, stay an extra day and hang out. Curriculum, technology and staff are top notch. I would love to be there next fall (or July, really).
Great interview! Interviewer was really relaxed and easygoing. No really tough questions. I found out earlier that he was the one interviewer who was tough but also really fought for you if he liked you. I didn't find him to be tough, but I'm sure glad he fought for me!
There weren't really any questions, per se. We just had a directed conversation. The intervewer knew my AMCAS inside and out and wasn't afraid to touch on anything. I didn't handle the format well; although, in retrospect, it was much more enjoyable than a full-on interview. Remember to be calm and don't fall for the 15sec. pause following your answer. Just say what you mean and be confident, yet respectful.
The interviewer didn’t let me talk a lot. He seemed to talk for the entire time. But we hit it off. He liked my background, and we shared surprisingly similar interest (especially when it came to the topic about global AIDS epidemic). He even referred me a book, which I bought and currently am reading. Very very interesting indeed. At the end of the interview, he told me straight up ''I would love to see you here, you are UVM material''. Was surprised I got waitlisted, but, I think he convinced them to accept me...I was accepted 2 weeks after I was initially waitlisted. Woohoo!
The day was pleasant and low-key. Started with presentation on the VIC and admissions process, then lunch with students and brief tour, then interview. I stayed with a student and had a chance to see downtown and hang out with some students the night before.
My advice:
-try to arrive early enough in Burlington so you have to time to walk around and smell the roses. Trust me, they smell good ;)
-do not waste your time preparing for ethics questions here, their goal is to get to know you to HELP you. The interviewer is not on the Executive Committee. Rather, they leave a 1-page summary of your interview in your file with everything else, and your entire file is reviewed later.
-The school is a non-competitive community that is very tight-knit. It's not a shark tank like most pre-med filled institutions. If you're into that, definately a good place to interview. If not, have fun in the tool box.
The whole day was very well organized, very low-stress and overall wonderful. They tried to make you feel at ease, and the students there were very friendly and really wanted to wish you well.
overview of s the school, the town/state, brief financial aid informational overview, short talk from a dean, lunch and question/answer time with first and second year students, brief tour with students, 30 minute 1-on-1 interview, done!
it was very low-key, and it went by quickly. my interviewer was seasoned, and he managed our time very well. he didn't ask me the typical questions, b/c i'm a very atypical applicant. but as it was my 6th interview, i was well-prepared for anything.
This was a very laid back day full of very enthuasiastic people. It's more than just a vibe, everyone is here because they wanted to be. UVM seems to foster a positive environment with students that are excited to learn.
The day was very short with a general introduction to UVM COM. The interview felt very short, and I was cut off at 30 minutes so the interviewer could write her comments. The staff were very friendly and professional. The new facilities are a great addition to UVM.
I was interviewed by a clinician in an actual exam room (with an exam table, paper cover, everything) used for teaching. Like I said, it started out like a typical medical school interview and gradually turned into a conversation. BTW, we were both sitting on chairs, don't be alarmed.
The admissions staff was very helpful and enthusiastic. They really went out of their way to make sure our day went smoothly. The actual interview was very easy and friendly. My interviewer seemed to welcome questions and enjoyed having a conversation with me.
I had a great experience at UVM. The faculty and staff are really nice. You get the sense that they definitely care about the student and their individual needs. The new curriculum and facilities are impressive. My interview was very laid-back. I didn't feel like I was being grilled. If you don't mind the cold or living in a small city, then this is a great place to go to school.
The interview was centered more on my questions about the school and Burlington. My interviewer liked to talk, so most of the time I listened to him answer my questions. He asked only a couple of questions about me, which made me feel like he got no additional information than what was in my file. It was a different experience!
My interviewer was suffering from a nasty cold, and so it was very hard to gauge his body language. In addition, he kept interrupting the interview to reach for a cough drop or tissue, and his cell phone rang a few times, conveniently when I was espousing my virtues as a prospective medical student.
Challenging. He really pushed me to think and stand up for myself. Overall positive.
The interview ended up being more stresfull then the comments suggest on SDN.
I didn't really expect that my interviewer would ask me questions like the ones that were on SDNET. I thought it would be more conversational. The other interviewees I spoke to had more conversational, laidback interviews, so I guess it just depends. Overall, it went ok.
Intense. The interviewer didn't let me off the hook with my answers. He challenged me and asked very engaging questions. We got into a nice debate about the local hospital's evolution into a state-of-the-art healthcare facility. He told me that I did very well at the end, which was wonderful to hear.
Everyone was very nice, but I don't think UVM is for me. It's small and out of the way. I didn't really like the layout of the interview day. They split it to allow more people, but I've had several interview days with that many people. I really liked my interviewer, he was super nice. It was really low stress.
The interview really felt like a conversation and not an interrogation. We shared a mutual interest in trauma care and talked at great length on the subject.
Although my interviewer was very nice she seemed like she was in a rush. She arrived a little late and had to answer phone-calls regaurding a patient during the interview. However, she was very receptive and willing to answer any questions I had about the school.
It was great. I really loved the school. It is beautiful, typical new england style university with red brick. there still wasn't too much snow yet. I arrived late the night before my interview and without my luggage, so i was freaking out. took a cab to my host's house. she was really sweet and let me borrow clothes to sleep in and a towel. she took me downtown the next morning where i bought new clothes for my interview. i cabbed back to the university. the other interviewees were very friendly. we had an info session and all the staff were really fun and relaxed. not uptight at all. they explained the VIC curriculum which sounds really appealing. They integrate everything like embroylogy, histology, anatomy, biochem, and physiology when working on parts of the body. so there is redundancy but in the short-term so it gets engrained. Not redundancy in the long term, where you visit systems months later like in a blocking curricullum. I was very impressed. They also take their boards really early-Feb. Then we were led on a tour and then waited for our interviews. mine went smoothly, i had a radiologist interview me. He's from burlington and very sweet. No hard questions.
A long day with the interview at the end. I didn't get to talk as much as I expected during the interview but came away from it knowing what direction my interviewer thought medicine should go in the future.
Started off day with dean of admissions presentation, interview, lunch with students, another dean, a tour, financial aid presentation, sat in on a lecture.
I recommend the Lang House B&B. Delicious and close, much like the Ben & Jerry's factory. Nice town, nice people, safe, beautiful lake. Would definitely live there.
UVM seems very focused on its students and their success. The VIC is a very well-planned curriculum, and the faculty appear very dedicated to making it work for every student. I wish we had more time to meet with students, since the tour was given by an admissions staff person. All in all, a pleasant experience.
I interview with a third year faculty member. He was amiable and had a set of specific questions that he wanted answered. However, he didn't really ask anything difficult.
get there by 11 am, talk with the dean, go over the school mision, etc. then lunch with med student (they all seem happy to be there), tour, financial aid talk, interview, free to go at about 3 pm.
My interviewer was very animate and liberal. I felt it was easy to make a connection with him. He did not point out the faults of my application as some other interviewers do. He liked my essay and used that as a starting point.
She had read my entire application and went over the whole thing in detail. It was extremely conversational and pleasant. The students emphasized that, while at every med school they claimed to have a non-competitive atmosphere, at UVM it truly was cooperative. Everyone there seemed extremely happy. I appreciated the financial aid session.
Really not all that much to say. Very low stress, interviewer was very nice. He had definitely read my entire file, which was a relief, I knew he knew who he was talking to.
Good interview experience to start with- very low-stress environment and a great school. All the other interviewees were great people and we all had fun together (even though it was a stressful day for all of us).
It was like no interview I have ever had, I didn't feel put on the spot. We just talked, there were very few direct questions. He had a list of questions he was told to ask but he said he didn't use it.
My interviewer engaged me in a conversation rather than interrogating me. She was warm and pleasant. I was impressed with how familiar she was with my application, particularly my personal statement.
My interview was long (~60 mins) but it was extremely pleasant. It was by no means interrogational. It was very much a relaxed, broad spectrum conversation. I am hoping that this was not a one time experience.
Interviewer was very negative and condescending. U. Vermont should considering replacing my interviewer because of she was insulting and discouraging. Bad image for U. Vermont.
The school is great, but then again this was my first interview, so its hard to say if my interview experience went well or not. I stumbled on the difficult question, but other than that, I did not feel nervous at all. It was very conversational. The orientation day was very well organized and everyone was extremely nice and enthusiastic. You can really tell they were trying to sell their school. Also, I met a person from my high school all way in Vermont while we introduced ourselves. Other than that, people came from all over: Cali, Montana, Penn, Florida, Minnesota, and Connecticut.
The whole interview day was great. I was impressed with the committment to primary care and the students happiness with the school and curriculum. The interview, though, was more intense than I expected.
Before going up to my interview, I had really did not know what to expect about Vermont and the northeast. The scenery is beautiful, there appears to be a lot going on at the lake and the downtown area is small and fun (like my undergrad college town). It may not be as warm as I am used to and I might not hear the expression "yall" for a while, but it would be an exciting experience.
I was impressed by the curriculum, and by the sincerity of the staff and students. I felt welcomed, comfortable, and relaxed. There was a fin aid presentation that I found particularly useful.
My interviewer was very friendly and wanted to get to know me. It sucks that i have to wiat till the end of april till they decide. They are focued on primary care and very open to students. They are undergoing construction now.
quick meeting with the dean of admission as a group to hear about the admissions process, Q&A session with some students, lunch, then the interview!
The interviewer seemed tired, I think because 3 interviewers called in sick so he had to do alot of interviews that day. He seemed relaxed, and just had a few specific questions. I was somewhat surprised that he didn't ask me more questions, I asked him a few questions and we just kind of chatted for a while. I'm not sure if the fact that the interview seemed short was a good or bad sign. I came out of the interview with an ambiguous feeling.
My interview was generally very easy going. My interviewer asked good questions and smiled. I could tell that she was making an effort to make me feel more relaxed. This was important because I want to go to a medical school that takes the quality of the students experience into account. I understand that professors and clinicians can not always be so empathetic but at least there seems to be an effort at UVM to treat medical students with respect.
The interview was, as most students describe, very laid back. My interviewer made a conscious effort to avoid the traditional, patronizing rhetoric and instead focused on those areas of my application that were really exceptional. There were no trick questions, just open-ended directional comments that allowed for a free flow of ideas.
The admin director gave a little presentation about the admin & selection processs, which I thought was very nice of them to disclose. The staff & the students were very friendly & helpful. The inverview was very low-stress. Overall, I had a very pleasant experience.
It was over 60 minutes, but we talked the whole time. No question was too difficult, and the interviewer would "introduce" questions so I had time to think of answers while he was still technically asking the question. He was a good listener and seemed to actually care about the answers I was giving to his questions. The three listed below were three out of about 20 questions I was asked.
The interviewer was very nice and friendly. He knew about my essays and seemed genuinely interested in the things I have done. If it ever got awkward, he was quick to move on and keep things running smoothly.
Few concerns... Why is the female/male ratio tipped towards the female side more than any other medical school? An article at the school states that their admissions feel that women make more compassionate doctors than men. Do they really believe that? The curriculum is also brand new and seems to be untested. Students said there were problems with it and that it needed to be changed many times for it to work with the students' schedules. Nobody would answer how UVM students did on the national boards with the new curriculum which is suspicious. Sounds like you might be a guinea pig to test out their new project if you go there. Not so sure about that.
Everything was really comfortable and easy-going. UVM is a really great school and all the students were awesome. It's a good idea to prepare for some ethical questions.
Very positive, my interviwer had clearly done a lot of looking at my AMCAS and supp. as they had a full page of questions based on my info. After the first couple questions we found some points of common interest to sidetrack us and just chatted for 90 minutes. I had a coughing fit during the interview which could have been a nightmare situation but my interviewer got me a pitcher and glass of water and put me at ease.
While the actual interview experience went well because I hit it off on many fronts with the interviewer, I sensed fatique and forced excitement about the school from the tour guides. The new curriculum is young and so hard to say how well it is working.
UVM was beautiful, their new curriculum seems very integrated and comprehensive, seems great for early experience and combining classroom/lab with clinical and diagnostic
Overall, I was impressed with the school. My interviewer made little eye contact and made me more nervous than I should have been. The students here are friendly and more well-rounded and the school will have impressive facilities for the fall of 2005. I also really liked the town and surrounding area. With the exception of the somewhat odd interview, I had a positive experience.
besides being a bigot, the interviewer was also a very bitter old man. the students seemed great though, but the experience only reaffirmed my desire to stay in a big city.
Wonderful experience -- loved the people and the environment. Still waiting on the admissions committee to get back to me. Learned that they only review applicants 3 times a year (December, February, and April), so future applicants, try to interview before February if you can. They do waitlist most OOS applicants, so that is a drawback. The only thing keeping me from making Vermont my top choice (because I really do think I would be amazingly happy with my fellow students, the curriculum, and my training here) is the geographic location. Vermont is cold and rainy/snowy/sleety for much of the wintertime, and there really isn't much to do for a CA warmblood who doesn't ski, loves to run/bike/swim outdoors. Also as an ethnic minority who loves many ethnic foods, I'm worried about finding people of similar background and good restaurants. Still Burlington is a pretty charming town, the University of Vermont undergrads probably add life and vitality to the area, and the summertime will be great. Still undecided where to go if they accept me.
interview was casual, everyone on the admissions staff are very very friendly and nice. the medical students were very welcoming. however, burlington is a small city, and i encountered obvious racism on more than one occasion. patients in the fletcher allen center are almost always white caucasians so not much diversity there. there are also not enough variety of medical procedures and cases, since nothing really happens in burlington. i also found out that clinicals are done in upstate ny and maine, both places i rather not be.
Hello everyone! I hope the information provided will be of good use to future applicants and good luck on the interviews! My interview here was the last day for the UVM season and there were 12 of us today. The schedule is as follows: @11am, Dean of Admissions presentation, Lunch with medical students, tour of the Given Building, Financial Aid Info, @2pm or 3pm, Interviews. My interviewer had already reviewed my file and application thoroughly, and asked a lot of questions about my activities and some parts of the essay. My interviewer was extremely friendly and smiled a lot, which made me feel more comfortable and relaxed during the interview. It was a great interview and many other students felt that their interviewers were great as well. In general, it was more conversational than the typical interview and I had a great time at UVM. Burlington is a quiet yet fun city with 40,000 people, so you must love the small city environment to be happy here. They generally wait-list many out-of-state applicants before making final decisions on acceptances. Good luck and God Bless everyone!
excellent. interviewer created a comfortable environment for me to be truthful and sincere in my answers. very conversational. it was a rewarding experience for me as i felt i had a chance to really express myself, and they got to know me personally. it was one of the moments in life I got to lay it on the table. the students were fantastic. very friendly and upbeat, and i felt they were sincere. the integrated curriculum is progressive and makes sense. looks like a wonderful place personally and professionally to experience med school.
I absolutely loved the school. The tuition is a bit pricey being out of state...but I would overlook that to attend UVM. Definately one of my top choices now. It will be a tough decision if I get in, but I would love to attend this school.
Overall, this is a very nice school and would consider going there if accepted for any program. A little expensive but let's face it, financial consideration is the last thing on my mind right now. Burlington is not diverse but the people are respectful and cool. I actually overtipped my taxi driver because he gave me a lot of tips about UVM and Burlington which helped me in the interviews. Cool place but I am a city blood and that may be a problem because I do not consider Burlington to be a city.
I had 2 interviewers interview me at the same time. I thought Vermont would be "low stress." Nope! It was the most stressful of 8 interviews I had! I felt like I was being drilled by my interviewers.
ppl were really nice. they have a new curriculum now (not really tested but supposedly they really care about students feedbacks and will readily improve upon the curriculum)... so applicants this yr are pretty much guinea pigs...
I didn't know that a medical school interview could be fun until I went to UVM. I had the best time there. If you go, I hope you have as good of a time as I did!
I had the most overall fun at UVM compared to all the other schools I have visited. This was surprising since I wasn't expecting much from this school. But they definitely changed my mind about them. They may not be a top tier school but I am sure going to treat them like one.
the students are all down to earth and very happy, they are an active bunch so if you despise the outdoors uvm is definately not your cup of tea. the class is also very diverse with traditional and non-traditional students-- the atmosphere was also very supportive, the students know a ton about each other too and that was nice to see-
ps...ask about "Man-cave" and play a round of foos-ball
Interviewer seemed very dubious from the beginning of my interest in medicine. And seemed to try from the beginning to belittle my interest in medicine, and show how clever she was.
I stayed overnight with a student host which was helpful in finding out more about the school. This would be an awesome place to go to school if you don't mind working with a less diverse population than in a big city. If your social scene looks like late nights at loud dance clubs, don't come. If your social scene looks like a long hard day skiing and then chilling at a cool coffee bar with friends afterwards, this may be the right place.
My interviewer knew my AMCAS application very well. She had specfic points that we talked about. The whole interview was very conversational and we talked alot about ethical issues, almost the entire interview.
Great school, especially if you're interested in doing rural medicine. No gun shot wounds here, more like "a cow bit my hand" or "hit my hand with an axe while chopping wood" accidents. Good luck everyone!!
I didn't expect to like the school, but I really liked it. Students would come up to us and talk to us and most people seemed really happy and friendly. My interviewer was very funny and nice and the interview was very laid back and short. UVM has definitely become higher on my list.
all in all, a very pleasant experience. the school impressed me moreso than i thought it would and it's now in my top 4. the students love the place and i got a good vibe from the faculty/administration in that i feel they really care about their students. once the construction is complete, they'll have beautiful facilities.
The interview itself was pretty relaxed and purely conversational until the last fifteen minutes or so when my interviewer realized that he had a page full of questions that he had not asked and started spitting them out one-by-one. Although the interview itself was fine, but nothing special, the overall visit to the campus was enjoyable. The admissions staff and students are very friendly. They love UVM and seem to have a relatively laid back attitude on life.
On the whole it was a good experience (though there were some negatives). The new cirriculum seems well thought of and is continuing to improve (it is a work in progress). Heavy contstruction, comtinuing through 2005, is a major factor (not their fault, just bad timing for those of us applying this year).
Relatively relaxed, wish there were additional interviewers, my interview resides in the hand of this one interviewer and he may have had a bad day that day, making me look bad. I felt the interview went well, however.
we didn't have to be at the school until 10:45 which was nice; got presentation by assistant dean, lunch with med students and financial aid talk before our interviews. all the current students seemed to really love the school
I found it interesting that the day didn't start until 11am, typical of the laid-back Vermont atmosphere I guess. The financial aid presentation was informative, if daunting (approaching $60k a year for out-of-staters). Interview was relatively low-stress, although we did delve into some of the trickier ethical questions. Burlington is very affluent and yuppie; there were as many slides in the initial presentation of the yacht club, ben and jerry's, and the view of the lake from the presenter's back yard as there were on the actual curriculum and hospital. Burlington is hardly a city, so be prepared for rural life. And cold, snowy winters. But you should already be expecting this.
The admissions staff puts together a good day for applicants. Interviewees get lots of information about the area and the school. The financial aid presentation is a good feature. When the staffer passed out the information on indebtedness, you could see the faces of some applicants just drop. Those numbers definately test your committment. My interviewer was a retired faculty member. He was well-versed in my application package and he had some pertinent questions. As another poster noted, he left numerous pregnant pauses. I felt no need to fill the silence. He didn't seem bummed by it either. He harped a bit on some elements of my background but I answered those questions and moved on. I did spend a fair amount of the interview disagreeing with him on several issues. I was disappointed that he was unable to answer some specific questions regarding the curriculum change.
Great school atmosphere, students help each other here.
Do you know how much tuition is for out-of-staters? Would love to have another interviewer who is interested in getting to know me individually.
The students seem to be very friendly and down to earth. They're a bit older than students from other schools. The financial aid session was very helpful.
UVM is a nice place to interview. They are very friendly and offer a financial aid meeting. It was a very low-stress day and the students were very friendly.
UVM was great! They designed the day so that we didn't have to leave the building, which was great b/c it was so cold. People were very nice and seemed genuinely happy to be there. UVM seems like a wonderful place to study medicine, and I was impressed with everyone I met. I was interviewed by 2 people, which sort of psyched me out at first but ended up being fine. If accepted to UVM, I would have a hard time turning it down in favor of another school (even a much higher ranked school), because it seems like such a great environment to be in.
clinical professor was an awesome interviewer. very relaxed experience, more like a conversation of him trying to get to know me to see if i would fit in at UVM. no stupid ethical questions asked. a couple of questions asking me to draw on real-life experiences though.
Burlington and UVM rock. I'd come here in a flash. I absolutely loved the place. The town and it's inhabitants are Birkenstock-friendly and eco-conscious. I really enjoyed my time there. My interview experience was also very, very positive. I did not feel intimidated to be myself around my interviewer--he did an excellent job of making me feel at ease. The interview was very conversational, very laid back and non-stressful.
Though Vermont MD/PhD program is relatively new (in its 3rd year) and small, the students seems happy and the faculty seems nice and enthusiastic. Research programs are well defined with appropriate themes but there are plenty of opportunity for interdisciplinary research. It's cold up here but the people are super friendly. I was arranged for staying the night before at the Radisson overlooking lake Champlain. Come early and you can watch the spectacular sunset over the mountains and the lake right from your room. The dinner on the night before the interview was a good ways to learn about the school from the director and the students.
I interviewed with 2 MDs 1 MD/PhD student 1 PhD faculty and a brief talk with the MD/PhD director. I was interviewed in a room that has the view of the Green mountain. It was a really relaxing view and helped initiating small talks. I stongly consider going here if accepted.
The interview was very laid back and the interviewer really focused on how I would balance my personal and professional life. Everyone was friendly, but for me, UVM is too small and too expensive.
The whole day went very smoothly except for the interview. We first had a presentation on the new curriculum, then had lunch with the medical students and a tour. They were all very down to earth and had good things to say of the school. Then had a presentation regarding financial aid (very expensive for out of staters). Then the interview, which was very slow, confusing, and I am completely unsure if it went well or not.
the interview day was really relaxed, but the actual interview was very intense. it was fun - my interviewers were very nice, and the interview took the form of an intense conversation. not stressful, but i felt like i had to be alert and really think about my answers.
Very good day. Very friendly people who all seem to work together. I would deffinately suggest this school to others and I will probably go if I am accepted.
I really liked the school and the program. I didn't feel like my interviewer represented the school's image. However, other interviewee's I talked to seemed to have had laid-back interviews. Unless my interviewer was trying to test me, that person was very rude.
My interviewer came across as serious, yet down-to-earth. The questions he asked were fairly general in nature, however there were some that required a great deal of thought. He certainly made sure that my responses were not a bunch of bosh; he expanded upon nearly every question. I am not sure what type of impression I left on my interviewer. I attribute my ambiguity largely in part to the fact that I was extremely nervous; and because I felt it difficult to truly express who I am in just 30 minutes.
We began in the morning with a brief presentation on the school, focusing on the new curriculum. We then had lunch with students, a tour of the campus and then interviews. I had a chance to explore the campus after the tour and before the interview which was nice. My interview was pretty laid back- we mostly talked about my research experience and volunteer experience- what I had learned from these.
overall, fantastic. everyone was very friendly - med students would randomly approach us to see if we had questions, wanted info, one even took me on an informal tour of campus! seemed like a very comfortable place to be.
It was really easy. We arrived around 10:45, were presented with stats about the school and the new curriculum, ate lunch (free), took a tour and then had our interview. It was tiring to have the interview at the end.
the best interview experience i could ever hope for. the interviewer was extremely encouraging and sympathetic to my background, very easy to talk to, share jokes with... a wonderful experience overall.
i didn't feel my interviewer was hostile towards me, in fact he was pretty nice, a sweet retired doctor/professor; i just felt i couldn't read him and could not connect; the interview also didn't move forward very well; sometimes i felt we got sidetracked for relatively long moments; i felt he didn't ask very good questions; he would mention something from my application and then stop and smile at me and i didn't know if i should just talk about it or if there was a particular question to answer; it was just an odd interview that felt very long and drawn out; i was exhausted by the end of it; i tried very hard to keep the ball rolling, but it was tough, and i usually have an easier time talking to people; the students were very nice and friendly and seemed happy to be there; i think my experience here was unusual b/c i heard from other people that they had very good interviews
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggested including a campus tour, involving more current students on interview days, and improving communication regarding decision timelines. Additionally, some applicants recommended shortening presentations and making the financial aid talk and tours more concise and engaging.
Please include a tour of campus, I heard mumblings all day that indicated I was not the only applicant disappointed that there wasn't one.
The turnaround for a decision is very long. If it is possible to make decisions more efficient or to communicate a timeline for when a decision will be rendered that would be helpful.