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Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine

Pomona, CA

Dental Schools | Private Non-Profit

⭐ Overall Impressions

How did the interview impress you?

No change

What was the stress level of the interview?

2 out of 10

How you think you did?

7 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

2 out of 10

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

5 out of 10
💬 Interview Questions

What is one of the specific questions they asked you?

Do you have experience learning virtually?
How do you best learn (learning modality)?
Why WesternU?

What was the most interesting question?

N/A, they almost solely asked questions pertaining to a form they were asked to fill out.

What was the most difficult question?

N/A.
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics

How long was the interview?

30 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

2

What was the style of the interview?

In a group

What type of interview was it?

Closed file

Was this interview in-person or virtual?

In Person

Where did the interview take place?

At the school
📍 On-Site Experience

Who was the tour given by?

Admissions staff

How did the tour guide seem?

Enthusiastic

How do you rank the facilities?

7 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

In 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?

$401-$500

What airport did you fly into?

Ontario

Where did you stay?

Hotel

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

DoubleTree Pomona

How would you rate the hotel?

10 out of 10

Would you recommend the hotel?

Yes

What is your ranking of this school's location?

0 out of 10

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

3 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?

10 out of 10

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

10 out of 10

How did you prepare for the interview?

SDN.

What impressed you positively?

The humanistic culture and simulation lab were great. I was also appreciative of the free food (catered Panera) but that's something other schools have too haha.

What impressed you negatively?

I felt that the area where students work on patients was a little run down. It wasn't "run, run" down in the greatest sense but not as great as some other schools I visited. They state that the campus is a repurposed strip mall and it really shows which I felt was kind of meh. Only two students showed up for the Q&A panel and I left with somewhat of a soulless impression. It did not really seem like they were happy to be at the school.

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

The surrounding area is not that great. It feels very industrial and the impression is still super fresh on my mind. On the way to the interview (from Doubletree Pomona), there were just stretches and stretches of warehouses, train tracks, etc. If you're from the Bay Area then it feels very much like a lite version of the worst parts of Oakland but industrialized.

What are your general comments?

The humanistic culture is great and the simulation lab is very high-tech albeit cramped. However, the patient care area is not as renovated and the former strip mall aspect of the school really stands out. This is a school that I would be willing to go to if accepted but the cons and surrounding area would make me have a second thought, ESPECIALLY considering the tuition. Also, the interview was made up of about forty students or so (enough to fill the first few rows of the room that we were in) which was HUGE. Overall, I was not very chuffed by the whole experience, especially because it cost me in excess of $500 to fly down here from NorCal. The interview day was not coordinated well (multiple occasions of "changing plans") and the group interview itself was also soulless and did not feel like they were trying to know me as a person. There was a weird vibe overall about the student body which was a stark contrast to some other schools I interviewed at where the students were really welcoming and seemed to enjoy being there.

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

The day was a little disorganized since there were groups that kept on being swapped to interview / tour and at times even Dr. Turchi was confused.