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University of California Irvine School of Medicine

Irvine, CA

Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit

⭐ Overall Impressions

How did the interview impress you?

No change

What was the stress level of the interview?

5 out of 10

How you think you did?

No responses

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

No responses

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

No responses
💬 Interview Questions

What is one of the specific questions they asked you?

No responses

What was the most interesting question?

No responses

What was the most difficult question?

No responses
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics

How long was the interview?

40 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

4

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?

No responses

How do you rank the facilities?

No responses

What is your in-state status?

No responses

What were your total hours spent traveling?

No responses

What was your primary mode of travel?

No responses

About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?

No responses

What airport did you fly into?

No responses

Where did you stay?

No responses

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?

No responses

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

No responses

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, reviewed AMCAS and supplemental essays.

What impressed you positively?

The MSTP students were nice and gave an honest opinion of their experience at UCI. The MSTP staff do a good job of coordinating the day (as well as the night before). I didn't really get too much of a tour of the research facilities, but they seemed nice. The faculty seem solid, and UCI's MSTP seminar series has some pretty outstanding speakers on the bill.

What impressed you negatively?

The atmosphere there wasn't very upbeat. Students and some faculty seemed rather down. I don't know if this is due to the city of Irvine being rather dead (reportedly, fun can only be had in "neighboring" beach towns) or if I just caught them all on a stressful day. The main negative in my opinion is that the hospital is 15 minutes away (by car) from the medical school; a geographic nuissance to their hope of integrating clinical and pre-clinical experiences.

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

The interview was how I expected it would be for the most part. However, I guess I had expected the student interview to be more conversational (he actually was pressing me on a lot of science, though not in a rude way).

What are your general comments?

A low-key MSTP dinner was held in the medical student lounge the night before the interview, and was a good way to talk to some of the students informally. Overall, they seemed satisfied with the program, but not outright enthusiastic about it. The hotel was very comfortable and convenient. The next morning, there were 30-40 applicants (MD+MSTP) present at the orientation session, which was a downpoint in the experience. The orientation paradoxically seemed rushed although it took FOREVER. With the exception of a relatively short student-led tour of the campus (which was quite good), we were in the same room for 4 hours straight! All the interviews were held in the afternoon, starting with the student interviewer, who seemed sleepy/worn out/depressed. The next three interviews (1 MD, 2 MD/PhD) were straightforward and not too stressful (though not as conversational as I thought they would be). In all, the experience at UCI left me with the same feelings I had about the school.

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

No responses