Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

🙂

How did the interview impress you?

Positively 🙂

What was the stress level of the interview?

1 / 10

0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress

What are your general comments?

The flight was not paid for, but we got two nights in a hotel (shared w/ another applciant) which was cool. They told us to get there pretty early on Wednesday, but then they just gave us dessert that night. I guess it wasn't all that bad since I got to go around downtown Chicago. There was 6 interviews and the meeting with Dr. Engman. 3 interviews were at the medical school and 3 were at the other campus in Evanston. It seems that the school just picks a number of interviewers for the day and matches each applicant to the ones they picked as best as they could. Alot of us ended up with people who did things we had no interest in. Then there was the panel interview, with other MD/PhD students, but really, just be yourself, it's not bad.

What was the most interesting question?

Eek, the panel interview! What sillyness! It's positive being with the MD/PhD group because we got to hang out together for awhile before the panel interview. The panel asked us things like: Name 2 people from the past and present you would like to have dinner with. What really compells you to become a doctor? In a group, what five things are important for the physician-scientist, especially what is unique from the physician?

I was asked this too

What was the most difficult question?

Just the unique panel stuff. You'll probably read all about it on the other feedbacks.

I was asked this too

How did you prepare for the interview?

Took a look at what my interviewers did.

What impressed you positively?

Northwestern has the greatest location of any medical school. It's still possible to live right nearby on the MSTP stipend or buy/rent cheaply with a short commute on all that good Chicago mass transport. I think the program is very well integrated and Dr. Engman, the director, is one of the most personable directors out there. He seems to really have vision for his program and he knows what is going on in the MSTP world. He did alot to sell the program. The medical school is one of those new non-traditional types with low classroom time. I think that's great, rather than doing some 8 - 5 for 2 years (ugh). It leaves alot of time for PhD integration, which the program seems to do ALOT of. I think many more MSTP applicants would love Northwestern if it had a higher US News ranking/reputation. If you can look beyond that, unless you don't want to be in the city, I don't hear many negatives from MD/PhD people about the school.

What impressed you negatively?

The Hospital (Memorial?) is super-nice, but I wonder how good the clinical exposure is. Whatever, when it comes time for residency applications my research will matter tons more. I don't know what's up with the office. I was ready to cancel my interview because I couldn't get a hold of them before the interview and then afterwards they were impossible to contact with my later questions. They just hired a new person, and I think that will help.