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?
reviewed my personal statement/application; read up on current events in the world, government & medicine; reviewed ethical debates/issues while trying to formulate my own opinions & thoughts; 3 mock interviews; re-evaluated my own motivations to become a doctor and attempted to verbalize those thoughts to myself; prepared a portfolio with extra copies of my personal statement/application, a pen, a notepad, & thank you cards; visited school the day before so I knew exactly where everything was located on the day of the interview
What impressed you positively?
Lots of shiny fantastic people all around at UT-Houston. The students seemed candid, kind & sincere about there medical school experiences. Faculty/staff were congenial, genuine & true role models for their prospective fields. The Dean of Admission's opening remarks/speech was notable for not only providing inspiration and eliciting excitement for the field of medicine but also grounding "eager all-conquering&invincible-soon-to-be-doctors" by acknowledging the not-so glamorous-realities of medicine and imprinting the commitment and responsibilities that come with the honor of being a doctor. The Texas Medical Center is the WORLD's (not the nation's) largest medical center and the opportunities to be exposed/study/learn medicine are limitless. The medical school has it's own gymnasium with cardio equipment, weights, bb court, aerobics room & locker rooms; There are no letter grades or class rankings; Classes can be viewed and accessed over the internet at any time which frees up students' mornings/days for more hands-on experiences with doctors/hospitals. There are many preceptership programs & research opportunities...enough in quantity & variety to suit every students needs, likes, & personalities.
What impressed you negatively?
Not much! Parking is tight but it seems like a small trade-off for a world class institution and infinite facilities/resources. Currently there is quite a bit of construction/noise because of the terrible flood, but most of it is projected to be completed soon & the final outcome promises to be spectacular!
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
I wish I had known that the pre-interview social took place outside on a restaraunt patio. It was a bit cold and I would have dressed warmer had I known.
What are your general comments?
I attended the pre-interview social the night before which acquainted me with some of the current students and prepared me for what was going to take place the next day. It was also nice to see familiar faces the next morning amongst all the anxiety. We were greeted by many happy & smiling faces & a nice continental breakfast @ 7:45am sharp. This was followed by an extraordinary speech by the Dean of Admissions. Afterward, there were a variety of tours to choose from throughout the day which had to be carefully selected so as not to miss your assigned interview times. I had an 11am interview and a 3pm interview. My first interviewer (a surgeon) got caught in surgery at the time of my interview so her colleague in the same office ended up interviewing me. She was very kind & comforting and since she had not seen any information regarding my background the interview was conducted in a very informal get-to-know you style. Afterward I returned to the main hall for lunch and more speeches. The second interviewer was a PhD and was much more formal and a bit more intimidating, but nonetheless nice & informative. My second interview seemed a little non-typical too. She would ask questions, but allow very little time for thorough answers (she would give me approx 20-30 seconds). Then she would quickly shift to another thought/question which may or may not have correlated with the previous thought/question. She also went through each basic science course listed as part of the 1st & 2nd year med students' curriculum and asked which classes I had any background in from my undergraduate studies. Towards the end of my interview she presented me with a folder which contained summer preceptorship & research opportunities for 1st year med students. Towards the end of the day, I made some quiet-time and wrote out thank you cards for each of my interviewers & delivered them to their secretaries. At this time, I also completed a survey provided in the interviewee packet. The day concluded around 5pm.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
No responses
