University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine Individual responses

⭐ 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?

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?

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Tell me about yourself. Tell me about your family. Tell me about X experience on your application. Do you have any questions for me?

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Where else are you considering? Do you know what kind of doctor you want to be?

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What was the most interesting question?

It was pretty standard, straight-off- the-AMCAS-type questions. "Tell me about X experience."

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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?

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🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼

How long was the interview?

30 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?

Enthusiastic

How do you rank the facilities?

10 out of 10

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

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?

9 out of 10

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

9 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?

SDN, read over my AMCAS. Don't sweat this interview, it's low-key.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

No responses

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