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University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

Iowa City, IA

Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit

⭐ Overall Impressions

How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

3 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?

9 out of 10
💬 Interview Questions

What is one of the specific questions they asked you?

(MD only): Why do you want to be a doctor?
(MSTP): "Tell me about your research"
(MSTP): Why do you want us to spend so much money on you?

What was the most interesting question?

Can you help me with my research?

What was the most difficult question?

Why Iowa?
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics

How long was the interview?

30 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

6

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?

10 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

No responses

What were your total hours spent traveling?

4-6 hours

What was your primary mode of travel?

Airplane

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

< $100

What airport did you fly into?

CID

Where did you stay?

Hotel

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

Iowa House

How would you rate the hotel?

8 out of 10

Would you recommend the hotel?

yes

What is your ranking of this school's location?

8 out of 10

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

8 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?

Read SDN, read papers from those I would interview with. Re-read my research experiences. Read about each lab I would visit.

What impressed you positively?

The level of research at Iowa is fantastic. I was floored by the shear volume of publications coming out of the graduate department I interviewed with. It was on par with other mahor MSTPs I interviewed with, including Duke. Worth checking out. Also, the MSTP program seems VERY well integrated. It is obvious the directors bend over backwards to help the students. Iowa has a program called Clinical Connections which allows you to stay up-to-date with your clinical skills while picking a specialty to focus on during the entire PhD years. And this allows their MSTP students to reduce the amount of electives required in year 7. Lastly, UIowa's Hospital is amazing. Very highly ranked, and seems like an awesome place to learn clinical medicine.

What impressed you negatively?

Really nothing. However, I was a little upset the football stadium was not completed yet.

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

I wish I knew more about the MSTP directors.

What are your general comments?

The interview was the best MSTP interview I have had. They seem to care so much about the students, and they really want to attract those interested in their school. The first night was a nice catered orientation event. On friday, you interview with three scientist/physicians for the MSTP interviews, and you also have to go through the basic MD interviews (X2). The regular MD interviews were a little strange. Very formatted (closed file, no expressions, talk yourself into a hole if not careful). But the MD/PhD interviews were very relaxed. And, EVERTHING was paid for.

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

No responses