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Harvard School of Dental Medicine

Boston, MA

Dental Schools | Private 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?

8 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?

7 out of 10
💬 Interview Questions

What is one of the specific questions they asked you?

Do you have any brothers or sisters? Also, I see that your father is a dentist...tell me about that.
So tell me about yourself.
Tell me about your experience being an EMT.

What was the most interesting question?

What specifically do you think you can bring to the problem-based learning style and tutorials at HSDM?

What was the most difficult question?

What turns you off about HSDM?
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics

How long was the interview?

60+ minutes

How many people interviewed you?

2

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?

Neutral

How do you rank the facilities?

10 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

In state

What were your total hours spent traveling?

2-3 hours

What was your primary mode of travel?

Automobile

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

$101-$200

What airport did you fly into?

No responses

Where did you stay?

Hotel

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

Harrington Inn (it's a youth hostile in Brookline)

How would you rate the hotel?

7 out of 10

Would you recommend the hotel?

yes

What is your ranking of this school's location?

10 out of 10

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

10 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 the web site, SDN interview feedback

What impressed you positively?

The uniqueness of the program, the UNLIMITED amount of resources and assistance available to students, and the technology and facilities

What impressed you negatively?

It's very specific program, so it doesn't work for everyone! If you are not interested in going right into a specialty, academia, or research, it will not prepare you for general practice. Also, there is a required research project and no clinical experience at all until the third year.

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

That they are NOT looking for the most common answer of "what do you want to do after dental school?", which is "Go right into practice and get started!" HSDM is specialized in providing advanced dental opportunities.

What are your general comments?

So, to repeat, HSDM will not prepare you for going right into general practice. You simply don't get the overall clinical experience (which begins in the third year), because you're starting to specialize by that time, and choosing which procedures you want to do. Also, there are no traditional lectures and exams - it is ALL student-driven with tutorials and a PASS-FAIL grading system. So the program is very different, but if you are at ALL interested in going into a specialty, research, or academics, this is the PERFECT program. You can do whatever you want, 100% of postgrads get into their specialty of choice, and there are an enormous amount of resources, both with advising, technology, and experience. (Just make sure you let them know you know how to go after what you want and are proactive. Also, you need to be a leader, since all the learning is done in small groups with little professor involvement). Also, you simply cannot beat the facilities, dorm, history, library, cafeterias. This is obviously a Harvard school! Every building looks like a museum. As for the interview, they ask very open-ended questions and let you do most of the talking, since they're looking for a very specific type of personality to match their "problem-based learning" style. If you're invited, you have the numbers - the interview is just seeing your style.

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

No responses