Albert Einstein College of Medicine

🙂

How did the interview impress you?

Positively 🙂

What was the stress level of the interview?

3 / 10

0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress

What are your general comments?

First of all, there is an informal dinner with current MD/PhD students the night before the interview day. It is held at a small Italian restaurant just up the street from the school in the northeast Bronx. The dinner is really a great time to get the nitty-gritty about the program and life at Einstein. Then, the next day, there are two formal and five informal interviews. Honestly, the formal interviews are pretty straightforward (and in my case, very conversational), due at least in part to the fact that they are for the MD/PhD program. Both my interviewers seemed more concerned that I could effectively describe my research than answer some trivial question about why I wanted to go to Einstein or explain the circumstances surrounding that C+ I got in organic chemistry freshman year. However, talking to some of the other candidates that were interviewing that day, it seems that their experiences varied greatly. As for the informal interviews, they are really relaxed and do not negatively impact your chances for acceptance. In fact, it seems that they are mainly an opportunity for the school to sell itself to the candidates. However, the informals can be mind-numbing (with all the scientific jargon being floated as the faculty members describe their research) so it was fortunate that I had both of my formals first -- others were not so lucky. Overall, I was impressed (and surprised) by the entire interview experience.

Interview questions they asked

Please describe your most current research experience for me. (or some variation on that theme)

I was asked this too

What was the most interesting question?

I'm paraphrasing here, but: "How do you expect to split time between research and clinical practice without sacrificing quality in either?"

I was asked this too

What was the most difficult question?

"Why MD/PhD and not just PhD?" Not really a barnburner of a question, but at least one of the interviewers really pushed for me to be clear about the reasons.

I was asked this too

How did you prepare for the interview?

I re-read anything (and everything) that I had sent to the school, paying specific attention to the descriptions of my research and my MD/PhD personal statement. Then I just relaxed and tried to be myself -- as if that was something inherently difficult to do.

What impressed you positively?

The staff and students were both very friendly and positive about their experiences at the school. However, the students were also honest when asked more probing and less superficial questions about the MD/PhD program, life at Einstein, etc. Additionally, the Bronx neighborhood surrounding the hospital was surprisingly safe and vibrant. Also, the MD/PhD program administrators really stressed the amount of integrated study in the curriculum and highlighted the decreased time to graduation of the average Einstein MD/PhD student. Finally, everyone (and I do mean everyone) I talked to noted the highly collaborative research atmosphere at Einstein and many referenced it as the primary reason for their decision to come or stay at the school.

What impressed you negatively?

Since it is a Jewish school, the libraries and athletic facilities are closed on the Sabbath, which struck me as a bit archaic and unnecessary. However, most of the resources are available electronically now, so it probably wouldn't be that big of a deal. Also, the food at the cafeteria was nearly inedible.

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

The significant depth and breadth of the research being done at Einstein.