How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
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How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
No responses
How did you prepare for the interview?
I read SDN posts, reviewed my applications, and read through a great deal of the website.
What impressed you positively?
1. There is an "intellectual buzz" (I can't think of another word) at Pritzker that is really invigorating. I could feel it even though I was only on campus for the day. The students all seem so fired up to be doing what they're doing.
2. Participation in research during the MD years seems emphasized in a good way.
3. The school strictly adheres to a Pass/Fail system (as opposed to the masked letter grade system of: honors, high pass, pass, etc.)
4. The facilities are fantastic!
5. The students were very friendly, sincerely took an interest in who you are, they seemed tighter as a class than many other schools I have seen. They seem very driven toward personal but also group success... (certainly not the competition you would expect from such a highly-ranked school).
6. I sat in on a class and the professor was extremely engaging -- you could tell he was enjoying lecturing to students.
What impressed you negatively?
1. It was very cold in January -- it was 6 degrees on the day that I interviewed. If you're not used to that, it could be a big deal to get used to it.
2. Hyde Park does seem a bit sketchy. The school is well aware that the area is not the greatest, and said they have taken precautions accordingly, but it's hard to really assess how dangerous the area is until you are in it, I guess. The word from students is that, as long as you have some street smarts about you, there should be no problem.
3. They give you a Q and A session during lunch with a panel of students. They intended for it to be a low-key, ask-the-questions-you-really-want-to-ask-but-are-embarassed-to thing, but one of the students on this panel had been introduced previously as a member of the admissions committee. I don't know in what capacity he serves that committee, but having him there (although he was a really nice guy) seemed to defeat the purpose of their candid lunch session. Needless to say, we interviewees didn't ask too many interesting questions.
4. My fourth comment is really a neutral point, but I thought I'd include it down here since I've already listed so many positive impressions. It is: the curriculum is extremely traditional. The feeling from the students is that they would prefer to learn all the material comprehensively as it is presented in lecture as opposed to piecing together the information through problem-based learning. I actually agree with that format, and am a bit weary of PBL, but it's a good thing to keep in mind if you are looking for a school with far less lecture time.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
It's really tough to prepare for that type of weather, unless you're from an area that is regularly that cold. It seemed like a lot of places would often over-compensate for the cold by cranking up the heat indoors to sweltering levels... Go in layers.
What are your general comments?
The motivation and proactiveness of the students and faculty, combined with having some of the best research faculty and facilities at your disposal is an unbelievable draw of Pritzker. I was extremely impressed by the school, the facilities, the students, the faculty, the MD admissions staff, and the organization of the interview day (save the lunch Q&A session). Sitting in on a class gave me a good sense of the interaction students have with their professors. The students and professors seemed mutually encouraging and fascinated by what they were discussing in class. Although the tour was a bit hard to enjoy on account of the cold, I felt I got a good sense of the school by the end of the day.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
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