Stanford University School of Medicine

Positively 🙂

1 out of 10

I love Stanford. I wasn't even going to go to the interview because I live on the east coast... but I am SO happy I went and now it's my first choice. The school is amazing and will help you to become any kind of doctor you want to become. You will be so relaxed because the school is so supportive and flexible for its students. The campus is amazing. Housing is fairly expensive, but the financial aid awards are great and cover housing too. The students there are the best, honestly. They are sweet, open, caring, cool, fun, smart... just fantastic people. The interviewers know your whole application - not just "they've read it"... they KNOW it - and are able to ask specific questions to find out who you really are and why you're going into medicine. It says a lot about a school when they can get these doctor-interviewers to give up their precious time to learn all about some applicant(s). Basically, Stanford is the best medical school environment I've ever been in and I highly recommend taking the trip out there... even if you're coming from Guam!

Describe your research/independent study

I reviewed my application, secondary and went to the website: http://www.stanford.edu/~ralphc/convince.htm which is very accurate and an amazing resource.

very specific question about my research

Stanford is an amazing school and what impressed me the most is that the students were so cool, so laid back, so friendly and willing to talk/help... despite the fact that they happen to attend one of the very best Medical Schools in the world. The campus was beautiful. The administration was made up of really nice people.

It was hard to tell what "counts" towards your evaluation - you have an orientation meeting/curriculum talk with the associate dean of admissions, but he's not introduced that way and I still have no idea whether he takes notes on people during the talk. You will definitely run into random students who are on the admissions committee (which is awesome that they let students have input!!), but I think it makes you nervous when you realize someone is on the admissions com. after you've just been rambling about nothing to them for like 15 minutes.

The flexibility the school offers - the five year program is recommended, you can basically design your own "major," and the school is willing to give you financial support to do anything you want... oh, and their financial aid program is amazing

Student