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Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center School of Dental and Oral Surgery

New York, NY

Dental Schools | Private Non-Profit

⭐ Overall Impressions

How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

1 out of 10

How you think you did?

9 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

9 out of 10

How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?

10 out of 10
💬 Interview Questions

What is one of the specific questions they asked you?

Tell me about your manual dexterity activities.
What do you do outside of school, on your own time?
What is your top choice?

What was the most interesting question?

None of the questions were particularly interesting or difficult; the interviewers are volunteers who advocate for you at a meeting of the admissions committee. My interviewer had gone through my application thoroughly and had very specific, but easy to answer questions about things he wanted to be prepared for.

What was the most difficult question?

No responses
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics

How long was the interview?

45 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

1

What was the style of the interview?

One-on-one

What type of interview was it?

Open file

Was this interview in-person or virtual?

No responses

Where did the interview take place?

At the school
📍 On-Site Experience

Who was the tour given by?

Student

How did the tour guide seem?

Enthusiastic

How do you rank the facilities?

8 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

Out of state

What were your total hours spent traveling?

2-3 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?

No responses

Where did you stay?

Friends or family

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

No responses

How would you rate the hotel?

No responses

Would you recommend the hotel?

No responses

What is your ranking of this school's location?

7 out of 10

What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?

10 out of 10

What are your comments on where you stayed?

No responses
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions

How is the friendliness of the admissions office?

No responses

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

No responses

How did you prepare for the interview?

SDN interview feedback, AADSAS app.

What impressed you positively?

Everything! First of all, every single person I talked to throughout the interview, be they student, professor, whatever, seemed VERY happy to be at Columbia. Even my interviewer was selling me on how the school is more of a family then a student body. Facilities are not as old as I had heard, and were nicer then some others I have seen. They will get you into your specialty of choice. You take classes with med students, but you're graded on separate curves. Also, you have a chance during your 3rd and 4th year to take an elective "group" with lets you specialize your pre-doc education.

What impressed you negatively?

Not much! Maybe that I didn't get to the tray of sandwiches until it had already been picked over and had to settle for vegetarian :(

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

That interviewees were being seated about an hour or more before we were supposed to arrive. Clinical situation at this school has been blown out of proportion; you'll get just as much exposure as you will at most schools, Columbia just doesn't have a "list" of procedures you have to get done. It's more integrative, dare I say holistic, and a much more well thought out program. The reason many students go on to GPR/AEGD is because the school really pushes for it, and there rationale makes sense, both educationally and fiscally. You're too slow right out of school to make any progress in private practice anyway, so you may as well defer your loans another year and build up speed in an educational environment.

What are your general comments?

Interview was great! Started out with a very informative information session, moved on to the personal interviews then lunch with some fourth years, including the class president. Afterwards a tour of the facilities and a quick word by Dr. McManus. All-in-all lasted about 5 hours. Couple of things, the administration seems to really care about the students, Dr. McManus was with us throughout the whole interview, telling jokes and rubbing shoulders. The student body also has a very friendly, low competition atmosphere (H/P/F grading, no class ranks). One thing to note: very good looking student bodies ;) All-in-all, a great school. You will get a top notch clinical and scientific education here, and it's not as stressful as it's been made out to be.

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

No responses