SUNY - Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine (Brooklyn)

😐

How did the interview impress you?

No change 😐

What was the stress level of the interview?

4 / 10

0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress

How you think you did?

6 / 10

0 = Bad, 10 = Great

What are your general comments?

I put "no change" for my impression because I liked the tour and the students, but my interview was pretty bad. My interviewer was a pediatric nephrologist. He was friendly but had a thick accent - there were times he didn't understand me and that I didn't understand him. I hadn't anticipated a language barrier. I felt like I fielded questions well but am worried that he didn't get it all. He asked trivia questions but called them "common knowledge questions" and acted like he really expected me to answer them. And on the serious questions, I felt like he wasn't really listening. He asked me a lot of things that made be repeat myself. UNFORTUNATELY for me, the other interviewees had much different experiences: very relaxed with basic questions. Guess it's just the luck of the draw.

Interview questions they asked

What's the difference between education and literacy? Are you literate?...proceeds to prove me wrong with trivia!

I was asked this too

What was the most interesting question?

Is it important to know a patient's religion? If a patient doesn't want to do something due to their religion, but its in their best interest (health-wise), what do you do?

I was asked this too

What was the most difficult question?

How does philiospohy relate to medicine? (Just a really broad question to try to answer.) ...and TRIVIA: What is the one industry where only one language is officially spoken and why? Name the world's religions (he's looking for a lot!). Why do we speak english in the US? Again, he's looking for something really specific.

I was asked this too

How did you prepare for the interview?

Browsed website. Read interview reviews (non of which prepared me for this guy!) Know your AMCAS! And play some trivial pursuit =)

What impressed you positively?

Students seemed laid back and liked the school. P/F grading limits competitive atmosphere and encourages people to share resources and help each other.

What impressed you negatively?

It was a nasty rainy day so the school just looked gloomy. And (agian) I didn't feel like I got a fair chance due to my interviewer.

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

That there wasn't an info session. Just a tour. And they left without me because my interview went long.