Philadelphia, PA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Private Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2009-10
⭐ Overall Impressions
How did the interview impress you?
Positively 🙂
What was the stress level of the interview?
3 out of 10
0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress
How you think you did?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
9 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
9 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What are your general comments?
You have 2 interviews - one with a student and one with a faculty member. Each is about 30 minutes long. They are just trying to get to know you; there's no grilling. The questions are softballs, and the whole experience was very relaxed. My faculty interviewer even offered me a diet coke from the fridge in his office, which I thought was pretty awesome. Just relax and be yourself.
💬 Interview Process
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
Given your non-science major as an undergrad, how will you use the skills learned from that field of inquiry to become a great doctor?
What was the most interesting question?
It was pretty standard, straight-off- the-AMCAS-type questions. "Tell me about X experience."
How did you prepare for the interview?
SDN, read over my AMCAS. Don't sweat this interview, it's low-key.
What was the most difficult question?
Do you think you will be able to balance the hectic schedule of being a doctor with your personal and family life?
What impressed you positively?
The facilities are marvelous and beautiful; Philly is a cool place; the students are brilliant; the curriculum is innovative and well-thought out; the LEAP program is cool; tons of research & travel opportunities (i.e. lots of money); great clinical exposure; long day, but well-organized and there isn't much down-time; the lunch was tasty.
What impressed you negatively?
Compressing all the pre-clinical coursework into a year and a half would be fine if Penn didn't throw so many tests at you -- as it is, I got the impression that the pre-clinical years are very stressful, even with the pass-fail Module 1. Also, the brilliant students reminded me of the neurotic, anal, overly-intense pre-meds from college. Sure there are going to be those kinds of students at every med school, but Penn seemed to have more than their fair share. That said, I also met some super-cool students who were not like that, so perhaps I was just exposed to the wrong cross-section of the student population. The students said that they loved Penn and that they were very happy, but the first & second year students seemed really anxious and stressed out. The 3rd & 4th years seemed like they were loving life, though, since the clinical years are flexible and pretty awesome. So I guess it all evens out.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
It is really easy to get to Penn from the airport -- it's the 2nd stop (10 minutes away) on the train and it costs $5.50.
🤝 Campus and Facilities
How do you rank the facilities?
10 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this school's location?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
📍 Travel and Logistics
Who was the tour given by?
Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Enthusiastic
What is your in-state status?
Out of state
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?
$301-$400
What airport did you fly into?
PHL
Where did you stay?
Friends or family
How would you rate the hotel?
10 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
yes
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