University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Individual responses

⭐ Overall Impressions ▼

How did the interview impress you?

Positively

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?

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?

Tell me about your research. What will you do if you get 'this' result from your research? What if you get 'that' result?

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What are your career goals? What will having an MD AND a PhD allow you to do that having one of these degrees won't? (I'm paraphrasing)

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What do you think the most difficult aspect of the Program will be? (Followed by same question, but for being a physician-scientist.)

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What was the most interesting question?

What did Wittgenstein (philosopher) have to say about pain?

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What was the most difficult question?

?

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🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼

How long was the interview?

45 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?

Admissions staff

How did the tour guide seem?

Enthusiastic

How do you rank the facilities?

9 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

No responses

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?

$201-$300

What airport did you fly into?

PIT

Where did you stay?

With students at the school

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

No responses

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?

7 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, reviewed my primary and secondary application essays, and read up on faculty who are doing research that interests me.

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What impressed you positively?

Nearly EVERYTHING! The school really blew me away with: 1) the research!! The people who are doing what I'm interested in doing are really amazing. 2) the organization of its MSTP, and the involvement of the MSTP administrators (they seem not only dedicated to their students, but also make great efforts to stay apprised of each students research and general happiness. The students I met were all very positive about how the Program is run.) 3) its curriculum (longitudinal clinical clerkships during grad. years, a good balance of lecture and PBL); 4) its students (all seemed very bright, well-balanced, and honestly very happy with life at Pitt.); 5) its facilities (they have pretty much anything you could want there -- no need to send samples out -- and they are actively building more) 6) the hospitalS (UPMC is the only hospital system serving Pittsburgh, so they have a ton of opportunities) 7) its strength in history of science/medicine, bioethics, etc. (and the opportunity to take these undergrad. classes) 8) the city -- this is the thing that I was most worried about in checking out the school. But I found Pittsburgh to have a very comfortable, small-town (albeit not bustling) feel to it.

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What impressed you negatively?

If Pitt. were located in or closer to a large city, it would be the ideal place to be. Although I have not spent much time there, I got the impression that many things (music, nightlife, etc.) were somewhat limited. However, the people in Pittsburgh whom I encountered were all extremely nice, and I'm sure one could find her or his niche after a while. Another negative: spouses who are not students are not given free gym memberships.

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What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

I would definitely suggest knowing the names of several faculty whose work interests you before your interview day. The "why do you think our school would be a good match for you?" question involved a follow up question of "with whom would you want to rotate?"

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What are your general comments?

University of Pittsburgh schedules its interviews for MSTP applicants over two consecutive days. The first day is filled involves ~6-7 interviews for the MSTP, and the second day is much lighter, with two interviews for the MD Program (faculty and student). You will likely be exhausted (unless you are quite the interview veteran) by the end of the first day: it was packed with interviews and informational sessions. However, during the entire day, I never felt rushed or stressed about getting from one place to another, and I liked the school more with each interview. The interviews were not stressful, but were not a free-form conversation. Going out to dinner with the MSTP students and applicants was very enjoyable, and allowed me to get a bit of a feel of Pittsburgh. The second day of interviews seemed almost relaxing after the first day. The interviews were more conversational, and were really aimed at getting to know the applicant as a person rather than as an "applicant." The tour of the school and hospital was great, and got me even more excited about their facilities.

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What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

No responses

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