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Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine

Hershey, PA

Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit

⭐ Overall Impressions

How did the interview impress you?

Negatively

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?

4 out of 10

How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?

1 out of 10
💬 Interview Questions

What is one of the specific questions they asked you?

What would you do your PhD in?
Why MD/PhD?
Why Penn State?

What was the most interesting question?

Have you thought about how you are going to combine your MD and PhD in your career after school?

What was the most difficult question?

No responses
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics

How long was the interview?

30 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

3

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?

Discouraging

How do you rank the facilities?

5 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

Out of state

What were your total hours spent traveling?

0-1 hour

What was your primary mode of travel?

Automobile

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

< $100

What airport did you fly into?

No responses

Where did you stay?

With students at the school

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

No responses

How would you rate the hotel?

9 out of 10

Would you recommend the hotel?

no

What is your ranking of this school's location?

2 out of 10

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

2 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, previous interviews, schools website

What impressed you positively?

The microbiology department is very strong (my PhD interest).

What impressed you negatively?

The town is SO small, and not close to anything. The students did not seem overly enthusiastic about the program. I did not like the program director; his humor did not sit well with me. The facilities are not that nice. The student who gave the tour skipped a bunch of stuff and kept saying bad things about the program.

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

Not to stay with a student host. She made sure I knew I was in her way. Also how small the town was. Hershey is damn small.

What are your general comments?

The first day we got together with everyone and went on a tour and had dinner, then went out to a local bar. That was pretty fun, but we were not quite in the social mood since we hadn't had our interviews yet. The next day we met with the program director and had our interviews. For lunch we had a 6th year do a presentation of her research. The day was over by 2:30pm.

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

No responses