San Francisco, CA
Dental Schools | Private Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2009-10
⭐ Overall Impressions
How did the interview impress you?
Positively 🙂
What was the stress level of the interview?
1 out of 10
0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress
How you think you did?
8 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
10 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
10 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What are your general comments?
During my interview at Pacific I realized that I didnt even want to go to anymore schools, it was that good. I wasnt alone either. Our entire interview group of 10 had the same feeling. Some of them had been to interviews at other top tier schools and were still blown away.
We started with a speech from Dr. Yarborough and then his assistant gave us a brief about what to expect and where we were going that day. Then I had a faculty interview that lasted 30 minutes. The guy was hilarious! He went out of his way to put me at ease, and we had a great talk. At one point he asked me kinda sarcastically if I had prepared any answers to questions. I jokingly replied that I wanted to demonstrate my manual dexterity by showing off some pen flipping skills. It was actually pretty funny. He asked me if I had any questions (you will get asked that A LOT) and then that was it. He knew my file, he read my LORs, and he had a list of questions prepared but it was all pretty low key.
The student interview was totally cool. We walked outside to get away from everyone else getting interviewed, only to find that everyone else was getting interviewed outside. We talked as we walked along. We ended being from the same town so we kind of just shot the breeze. He asked about what I wanted to do, where I would live if I got accepted, what my background was. No stress, I really got the feeling that he was just trying to see if I was a normal human being.
Then we had the tour which was cool, but I had seen the school before so it was nothing new. Then we had the financial talk about loans, loans, loans. Then a little Q and A and that was it.
💬 Interview Process
What was the most interesting question?
Do you work better in groups or individually?
How did you prepare for the interview?
SDN, wrote down some of my strengths/ weaknesses, why I wanted to do dentistry,etc and rehearsed with my wife. I didnt memorize my responses, I just practiced trying not to be a moron.
What was the most difficult question?
What frustrates you most? What are your weaknesses?
What impressed you positively?
The genuine feeling of quality there. The students, faculty, and staff know that the school is great and they really seem to buy into the "we are here to help" mentality.
What impressed you negatively?
Nothing. Seriously, I was blown away by how cool everyone was. Except for this first year on the tour who said all the interviewees looked like they were on a funeral procession. I wonder what she wore on her interview? A bright orange jumpsuit? Sheesh.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
How awesome Pacific is and how lucky you are to get an interview there. What you learn about Pacific is that people who go there, love it. The Alumni support, a pretty good indicator of a schools true colors, is incredible there. Pacific had a major fundraiser to help improve some things, and a whopping 47% of the Alumni chipped in. That is out of this world good.
Also, if you get an interview you will learn the fundamental difference between the Pacific interview process and other schools processes; Pacific is trying to convince you to come to their school, and other schools want you to convince them to you let you in. It is a huge difference, and they go out of their way to make the experience a positive one.
🤝 Campus and Facilities
How do you rank the facilities?
10 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this school's location?
10 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
10 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
📍 Travel and Logistics
Who was the tour given by?
Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Enthusiastic
What is your in-state status?
Out of state
What were your total hours spent traveling?
4-6 hours
What was your primary mode of travel?
Airplane
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
$301-$400
What airport did you fly into?
SFO
Where did you stay?
Hotel
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
Travelodge North
How would you rate the hotel?
5 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
no
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