Norfolk, VA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
How did the interview impress you?
PositivelyWhat was the stress level of the interview?
3 out of 10How you think you did?
10 out of 10How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
5 out of 10How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
6 out of 10
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
A 14-year-old girl comes to you wanting an abortion, and she does not want her parents to know. How would you handle this? (Refer to the Univ of Wash bioethics site, read other SDN posts, and you should be able to utterly destroy this question)
How would you fix healthcare in this country? (I relied on my own knowledge as an attorney with an interest in healthcare and medical malpractice reform, but I also "cheated" by citing elements of Governor Mitt Romney's plan to overhaul Medicaid finance in Massachusetts, as well as Germany's statutory framework which has succeeded quite well at cost control). [Also, when asked how many people are uninsured in America, I cited the popular '45 million' figure, but then I added that "According to a 3-year-old study done by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in any given 3-month period that figure is closer to 73 million. That's about 1 in 3 Americans. When you factor in the number of UNDERinsured, you get a sense of how atrocious healthcare delivery is in this country for many Americans."]
We know you have many strengths - what are some of your weaknesses, and could you please tell us what YOU think your strengths are? [Just be modest and humble, and don't make up bogus "weaknesses" such as "I am a perfectionist" - it's a fine balance coming up with attributes that can be construed as BOTH asset and liability. I recommend reading Iserson's description of how to tackle this question.]
What was the most interesting question?
[i applied for 2005 admission to medical schools and had received a waitlist from Vanderbilt]: Did you contact Vanderbilt to find out why you were not accepted? (i did not, and i admitted as much) Also: What will you do if not accepted this time? (My response: Peace Corps) What if you don't get in after THAT? (My response, which in retrospect I'm not completely happy with: use my legal background for health policy work. I immediately wanted to point out that I would apply as many times as necessary to get into medical school, but upon seeing the AdCom guy's head nod once, I knew my opportunity to speak up on that issue was gone).
What was the most difficult question?
One of your recommendation letter writers said that you did enter into music professionally because your father would not have supported the decision? Is that accurate, and why didn't you go into music professionally?
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼
How long was the interview?
50 minutesHow many people interviewed you?
2What was the style of the interview?
In a groupWhat type of interview was it?
Open fileWas 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?
StudentHow did the tour guide seem?
EnthusiasticHow do you rank the facilities?
6 out of 10What is your in-state status?
Out of stateWhat were your total hours spent traveling?
4-6 hoursWhat was your primary mode of travel?
AutomobileAbout how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
$401-$500What airport did you fly into?
IADWhere did you stay?
HotelWhat is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
Radisson Hotel NorfolkHow would you rate the hotel?
9 out of 10Would you recommend the hotel?
yesWhat is your ranking of this school's location?
9 out of 10What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
8 out of 10What 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 interview feedback, particularly at the school's library the night before the interview (but also for many days prior while at work); Kenneth Iserson's "Get Into Med School!"; University of Washington bioethics site (run a google search on University Washington bioethics, then proceed to read and master ALL of the material in there); Kaiser Family Foundation materials on health care finance and reform (www.kff.org); read over AMCAS and secondary apps multiple times; through my Navy recruiter, arranged for a tour of Naval Medical Center Portsmouth the day before, met Navy docs in both surgery and emergency medicine; read Health Law journals published by the New York State Bar Association (i am an attorney); cased the joint the night before by sneaking in when a student exited the library entrance; read EVMS website; read up on illegal immigration (just in case it came up) through issues of Time magazine; listened to NPR daily driving to and from work; read blurb on EVMS in the MSAR book; found a nice chart summarizing consent laws in all 50 states with regards to abortion and pregnancy issues among underage patients; skimmed over relevant ethics and finance sections of The Social Medicine Reader (published by Duke University Press, written by collaborators at University of North Carolina)
What impressed you positively?
Standardized Patient Program; student performance on USMLE Steps 1 & 2; opportunities to engage in medical/humanitarian work domestically and abroad; student satisfaction; Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (b/c my interview day fell on Weds, when they only give tours of Norfolk General, this tour was given by administrator/pediatrician at my request); Heart Pavilion and Trauma Center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
What impressed you negatively?
1st/2nd year student enthusiasm bordered on ignorance or some kind of blissful daze - i was very skeptical hearing that "at EVMS students have FUN (all the time) during their four years," which meant to include having fun with their studies everyday; research opportunities are limited (but as i am pursuing the Navy's HPSP, i could avail of research opps at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth); with all the community outreach, the students have not yet created their own student-run clinic (though to be fair, free clinics abound in the Hampton Roads region)
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
that my Admissions Committee interviewer is a retired Navy Captain/hand surgeon/pilot; that both he and his student interviewer counterpart would be so candid about what they thought of my candidacy (but not knowing these things ensured that i prepared well for the interview); that the interview is NOT that stressful or negative an experience as indicated by other feedback on SDN (then again, me and my colleagues interviewed on the very first day of the interview season, and we were treated quite nicely)
What are your general comments?
First off, be the FIRST person to raise your hand to volunteer with the Standardized Patient demonstration!!! Reading other SDN feedback before my own interview, I had this paranoid suspicion that being the brave one who participated would add brownie points toward your "interest" in EVMS. In fact, the experience was very educational and enjoyable - you won't be perfect, but most likely you'll be pretty good (for a beginner). It helped that I had extensive practice with patient history taking during EMT school (obviously NOwhere the level of history taking expected of a physician, but nonetheless gave me a leg-up that the Standardized Patient Program director appreciated, and something the Director of Admissions noticed as well). If you're applying for the military's Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), make sure to arrange a visit to Portsmouth naval hospital! Turned out my interviewer was a flight surgeon (LITERALLY a pilot AND a hand surgeon, retired as a Captain in the Navy) - while expressionless, I could sense he was pleased that I met surgeons and ER docs at the hospital (two specialty interests I cited in my EVMS secondary). Stay calm and relaxed - the more preparation you do during the days or weeks leading up to the interview, the more enjoyable, conversational, and natural your interview experience will be. Get to know your fellow interviewees - turned out a Navy S.E.A.L. was visiting the school with us (though not interviewing, he was going to apply in a year or two), and most of my group were nontraditional applicants (lag-year researchers, and even 2-year researchers like me were common). Finally, on Weds interview days they give you a tour of Norfolk General, and on Fri interview days they give you a tour of Children's Hospital. SPEAK UP if you want a tour of BOTH places, particularly Children's if your interview falls on Weds. The school WILL try to accomodate your wish - one of the admissions/administrator/peds faculty members took four of us around just before our afternoon interviews.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
No responses
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