SUNY - Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine (Brooklyn) Individual responses

⭐ Overall Impressions ▼

How did the interview impress you?

Negatively

What was the stress level of the interview?

1 out of 10

How you think you did?

9 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

6 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?

She spent a great deal of time clarifying my timeline of education, activites, work experience, etc...all of which can be seen on my AMCAS...rather than asking questions of substance. Enjoyed the tour and student input, but the interview was the strangest I've ever had.

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Tell me a time in your life when you experienced a lot of stress.

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Why medicine?

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What was the most interesting question?

None. The interview seemed completely uninterested from the moment I walked in. Like it was an annoying interference to have to conduct an interview. She asked simple, textbook questions. No follow-ups. Like she had a list to ask and didn't really seem too interested in my response. We were told the interviews would last 45 minutes to an hour and mine only last 20-25 minutes. And she didn't even give me the opportunity to ask any questions. And she was suppose to show me how to get back to the admissions office, but just gave me so short, not so helpful directions so that I wandered around the hospital for awhile before finding my way back.

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What was the most difficult question?

None

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🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼

How long was the interview?

25 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

1

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?

5 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

In state

What were your total hours spent traveling?

0-1 hour

What was your primary mode of travel?

Train or subway

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

< $100

What airport did you fly into?

No responses

Where did you stay?

No responses

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

No responses

How would you rate the hotel?

No responses

Would you recommend the hotel?

No responses

What is your ranking of this school's location?

7 out of 10

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

7 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, school website, re-read application materials.

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What impressed you positively?

It was actually nicer than I'd expected. I'd been to the area before and knew the buildings were older and had the impression that it wouldn't be a very comfortable place to practice medicine. The facilities were definitely old, but not horrible. The students were very enthusiastic and really seemed to love it there. I liked that there was housing facilities right next to the school, with a student center, including gym, pool, and a ton of activities. It seems like they are really focused on giving students a ton of extracurricular activity options to help relieve stress. There are also ''mini-classes'' that you can register for,held after regular classes, such as dancing, photography, yoga, etc. There also seems to be a lot of community outreach and clinical experience, and they are opening a student run clinic next year. Also great international opportunities.

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What impressed you negatively?

The old facilities. The INTERVIEWER! I can't help but wonder if my interviewer is typical of the faculty at Downstate, if they are all so stand-offish, removed, and uninterested in students. Other schools I've been to that have been very community-oriented, all faculty I encountered were very interested in meeting interviewees, getting to know you and helping medical students to be the best they can. I didn't get that feel at Downstate. Typical of NYC, I noticed a lot of people who seemed worn out and frustrated...not too many noticably happy people. Also, while you do get a great deal of clinical experience early on, I can't help but wonder how much supervision and assistance you get from faculty. Being that it's a more low-income, urban area with a high patient population and shortage of staff, it may be that the students are being given these opportunities in order to pick up the slack, rather than as constructive learning experiences.

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What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

There will be a lot of waiting time if you have an early morning or late aftnernoon visit. Other than the info session (maybe 5-10 minutes, not too helpful. nothing you couldn't get from the website), the tour, and lunch (all of which lasts maybe an hour to hour and a half, there are no structured activities.

SUNY - Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine (Brooklyn)

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